Crystal Blue Waters (Kouzai and I)

Aimi Peng walked down to the edge of the beach, smiling at the small trickles of light that were slowly leaking above the horizon. The sun had nearly set, but it was perfect timing for her pale and delicate skin. She laid down her blanket, bent a small ball of light from the light in the area, and laid it beside her. She somewhat wished that she had some music, or noise, or any company at all really. Her servants were in the house, placing her clothes and makeup away. She had eaten dinner already, so she had no need for her cooks for the rest of the day.

Maybe they would have liked to come down, she thought, then laughed. Her cooks probably would have been scared of messing something up with the princess of the Earth Kingdom. And she didn't know anything about any of them, other than their names. It hadn't really seemed important, what with all of her friendly stylists and other nobles.

She sighed and laid by her ball of light. She truly hated being lonely, which is how it was most of the time. Her sister was busy all of the time with "general duties" and reading, her brother was busy with "Kingly duties," and her mother was busy planning the next food drive for the Lower Ring. Her mother was the only one she ever really got to talk to nowadays, and she wasn't around now.

A single tear rolled down her cheek as she stared at the ball of light beside her. Will I ever be happy? Or am I just going to be lonely forever?

((OOC: Sorry this took so long.  I've been busy with work v.v))


Hideyoro walked along the stone docks that were built upon the waters of Ryoshima Coast.  The city of Seiankyo was built in the middle of the lake, and so to get all of the trade and fishing goods to the city, docks were built just outside the main gate.  It was a nice place for a relaxing walk at sunset.  Even though Hideyoro couldn't see it. He could see the spiritual energy of all the living things around him, even the blades of the grass and the fish in the water.

He was a blind Spirit Bender, who saw through spirit energy. It wasn't the same as actually seeing things with your own eyes, but in Hideyoro's opinion it was better. The spirit told so much more about a person that their skin. A soul was the window into a person's mind, and life, and everything about them. It was a much more beautiful and personal thing than what the naked eye could see. It was much more real. And Hideyoro wouldn't have it any other way.

He walked along the beach, down from the docks onto the sandy shore below. He was shoeless, carrying his sandals at the end of his staff, dangling by the toe strings. His staff was rested gently on his shoulder, and he smiled as he felt the water beneath his feet, and with the water, he felt life. Hideyoro was at home in Nippon. Everything was alive and spiritual, and it was much more soothing and relaxing than the bustling Six Nations.

Hideyoro froze, however, as he sensed another presence nearby. A woman, younger than him. Perhaps by a few years. A light bender, and she was bending. She was a kind person, but perhaps a bit confused or naive. And...she was sad. Definitely sad. Something inside her, deep, and growing. It did not show at first glance, but sadness was definitely there. Hideyoro used his sight to scan the area until he found her just a few hundred feet down the beach.

Walking up to her silently and calmly, he removed the staff from his back and placed it into the sand at his side, walking away from it and towards the girl. "Hello," he said calmly, "Who are you? And where are you from?"

Aimi had nearly fallen asleep on her blanket, tears smudging the makeup beneath her eyes. A sudden shadow across her had stirred her from her slumber, and she brought her hands across her face to wipe the sleep out of her eyes. Looking up, she saw an impressively tall man holding a staff and looking directly at her. She noticed, in the bright light of her temporary lantern, his eyes looked white as snow, though his hair was black as night. However, he still looked youthful, probably about the same age as herself.

It took her a moment to realize that he had asked a question. "Oh!" she said with a start, adjusting herself into a sitting position. "I am Aimi Peng, crown princess of the Earth Kingdom. I was born and raised in the Palace of Ba Sing Se, but I am taking a temporary vacation here." As she spoke, her eyes drifted to the blonde hair over her shoulder. It was typically hard for strangers to believe that she hailed from the Earth Kingdom, seeing as how she looked nothing like an Earth Kingdom citizen. She had even chosen to wear a white bathing suit, giving no hint towards her nation of origin.

She shook off the thoughts. They were merely weighing her down now. "And you are?"

Hideyoro looked over the girl gently, with a smile as she mentioned she was from the Earth Kingdom, raised in the palace. A princess hm? Hideyoro knew of only one Princess that lived in the Earth Kingdom but looked nothing like it. "We have met before, Aimi," smiled Hideyoro, squatting down until his knees were bent and he was balancing on the ball of his foot. He grabbed her hand and kissed it gently, his eyes looking deep into hers. To some this would be unnerving, but Hideyoro always had a may of making his sightless eyes working for him.

"It was a long time ago, when we were still young, before I could 'see'" explained Hideyoro, "We were children, very young. My family entertained yours for a banquet one night. Back when Earth King Onao still ruled the Earth Kingdom, before his Hui took over." Hideyoro looked over Aimi, she had grown beautiful since they had last met. He smiled warmly as he remembered, when her and her sister and the young Hui Peng as well as all the Ezofuji children would run around and play through the halls of the Imperial palace.

"I am Prince Hideyoro Ezofuji-no-Tsukuyomi," said Hideyoro introducing himself with a small bow of his head, "Son of Vermilion Prince Erolass Ezofuji-no-Tsukuyomi and his wife, Major General Mehn Ezofuji-no-Tsukuyomi of the Imperial Army, grandson of Fire Lord Tsun-Zu Ezofuji-no-Tsukuyomi and his wife Fire Lady Lin-Mei Ezofuji-no-Tsukuyomi, and Regent Lord of Nippon." Hideyoro had recited his titles so often, or had heard them recited he knew them by heart. In fact, that was starting to worry him to the point where he felt he needed a vacation...or a hobby.

Standing up to his full height once more, Hideyoro held out his hand to the girl, "Would you like to accompany me on my walk?" asked Hideyoro politely, "You don't seem to be doing too much here, and well, it has been a rather long time since we have seen each other. I would love the chance to catch up." Hideyoro looked towards the setting sun. He had an hour until it was dark, that was plenty of time for a long walk with an old acquaintance. "Besides," added Hideyoro, "I could use the company for once." Hideyoro gave another one of his warm smiles to Aimi, and waited for her to take his hand.

Aimi was slightly puzzled by the strange eyes that looked down at her. She had many servants from all over the Earth Kingdom, but never before had she seen eyes so light and unfocused. She wondered if it was just from the light of her lantern, or from something else entirely. She gasped slightly when he placed his lips to her hand. His skin was soft and smooth, like a noble such as her. Was he royalty as well?

He explained that they had met before, when both of them were very young. Aimi pondered the thought, trying to bring back any memory of visiting Nippon. She remembered flashes of it, running through hallways and eating delicious food with her siblings and many other children. She remembered watching her mother and father talk to other nobles, all while keeping an eye on all of the rambunctious kids.

Aimi sniffled. She hadn't thought hard about her father in a long time; even though it was almost 10 years since he had left them, she couldn't help her eyes from getting misty at the thought of him. She brushed a tear aside and looked up. No sense getting emotional over it, and giving this poor man a bad impression of her.

Her mouth perked up into a smile at his invitation. “Of course, Prince Ezofuji-no-Tsukuyomi. I would be delighted to join you on a walk,” she said cordially, standing up to pack her things. She extinguished the light she had made and rolled up her towel. She slung it over her shoulder, keeping one hand on it to ensure that it would not slip. She stood by his side, waiting for him to lead the way.

The blind leading the sighted, what an odd picture that must have been some sight to those who watched them, that is, if anyone was watching them.  The beach was empty, and even the demons that liked to roam Nippon at night, in the day, and just really all the time seemed to have disappeared all of a sudden.  The silence was a nice refreshing break from every day life at the Palace Compound.  The Regent Lords Palace, right next to the Imperial Palace.  Both very large and connected by a network of tunnels.  As requested by Queen Himiko, the previous regent used the retired old Emperor as a puppet and used the tunnels to be able to sneak into his chambers and convince him to allow her greater and greater power in troubled situations.

The tunnels were now heavily guarded, and only Hideyoro would use them, and every time he did both palaces were notified--and it was often only used during severe weather.  "Nippon is a beautiful place," began Hideyoro, explaining a little of his life to Aimi, "Though it wasn't my original choice to come here.  You see, in the Ezofuji family, there are at least thirty cousins.  And once you hit the age of twenty, they feel you're ready to rule something.  The problem with the Empire is that there's too many Princes, too little places to rule.  They've got my cousins Aryianna and Audurna up at Tenchi Palace ruling the barren mountains, they've got my father Erolass tied down to Ember Island while uncle Eldunar is ruling the Empire."

"My uncle Owlan is Spirit King, and his children are preparing to take over the government as we speak," furthered Hideyoro, "Izanagi is preparing to take the throne.  Alyssandra is planning to take his throne from him in jealousy.  Raijin doesn't care much about what happens to him though...he's always been a black sheep--but I love my little cousin.  He's always been the most honest of the Ezofujis.  Then there's Izanami, she's preparing to take over the role of Ambassador.  Hiruko is going to one day take over Ember Island, but for now he's off hunting evil for the Gods.  My cousins Leilani and Mai are assassins for the greater good, lost sheep of the shattered Assassin Order.  And me?  I've been sentenced to life in Nippon, ruling as Regent Lord until my children are one day old enough to take over."

"It's an all right job, though.  You see, all I have to do is liaison between the Emperor of Nippon and my uncle, the Emperor of Half the World," joked Hideyoro, "The Emperor of Nippon was allowed to retain his leadership as a figurehead and spiritual leader of the people.  But I do most of the executive stuff, and make almost all of the decisions, but I must let the Emperor know what's going after all."  Hideyoro continued down the beach, the sun sinking lower over the water, now burning orange like a ball of flame.  He smiled down at Aimi, taking her hand, being kind and gentle as possible.  Trying to make Aimi feel comfortable around the Prince of Blind Beggars as he was once known in his youth.

"Enough about me, tell me about you?" smiled Hideyoro, his ears fully open to anything she had to say.  While his heart jumped, his mind worked.  He wanted to get to know Aimi better than he had as a child.  In fact, he was already planning to invite her to dinner at his place, and he did have reservations tonight at the Tamasaburo Playhouse in the Nobles Quarter of the capital.  They were putting on the production of Kanjincho, one of Hideyoro's favourite plays.  Nipponian history and culture had absorbed Hideyoro since he arrived, and was part of the reason he was happy here.  And now, he was glad for the possiblity to share that love and happiness with another person, even if for just a little bit.

Aimi felt calmed by the tone of Hideyoro's voice, even if it was hard for her to fully comprehend what he was saying. The thought of having so many cousins was almost unbelievable; her family was a small and contained one, with her only knowing about her two siblings. Neither of her parents had siblings, and she therefore had no aunts, uncles, or cousins. Memories of many small children running through the palace of the Vermillion Empire surfaced in her mind. She remembered them all but... they were all related? The thought puzzled her, and she shook her head softly, trying to shake it from her mind.

"Well, I was raised in the Earth Kingdom Palace, just like my brother and sister," she replied when he asked about herself. "I didn't get to hang out with my sister very much. She was always off hunting or fighting or something along those lines, and she never really liked the things I liked. Even now, she's always off reading military journals or training. She won't even come to the salon or massage parlor with me! How crazy is that?" She sighed, shaking her head. "That's why I wanted her and Hui to come with me on this vacation. They're always working so much, and I think they need a break. Of course, they are King and General now, so I suppose they have a lot of stuff on their plate."

And you're just Princess Aimi, huh? That kingdom could do plenty good without you in it.

She put a finger to her temple, pressing in gently to fight a headache coming on. She had come to this beach to relax, not to start a pity party. Besides, bad thoughts led to wrinkles.

"So, that's basically my story. There's not really much to it," she said, looking on towards the palace. She hadn't really explained a lot about herself, just the people around her. Truly, she thought the people around her were more interesting. That's why she had very few stories of her own.

"I see," said Hideyoro as he listened to Aimi's brief, yet nonetheless interesting story, "I do remember your siblings--I never did like Hui.  He seemed...a bit darker?  Is that the right word?  Perhaps a bit angrier than a Crown Prince should?  No offences meant milady, that is just my observation."  The two had reached the end of the beach, towards the long stone docks that were now empty.  The docks of Seiankyo City which normally carried travellers, settlers and merchants.  The docks were emptied at night, and the boats were expected to moor out at sea, a few hundred yards from the shore under the watchful eye of Imperial Navy Ships.

It was a necessary action to ensure no overcrowding occurred the following morning when ships from the homeland came with supplies and such for the city and military stationed in the city.  Also, night was when the Navy ships would come in to refuel, restock their supplies and the like.  Navy ships would often spend days at a time out of port guarding the lands of Nippon and the port of Seiankyo, and as such, wouldn't dock again until supplies were low.  Another reason was to reduce the amount of crime in the city after dark, as it prevented outsiders and stowaways from sneaking into the capital or other parts of Nippon, thus disrupting natural balance and order.

Nippon was a pristine treasure and a natural wonder.  It was far more spiritual than the Six Nations, and it was the origin of bending, the origin of the Four Nations, the origin of the monarchs of all nations, and the origins of the Avatar.  This land was now the responsibility of the Empire, and thus, was their responsibility, and they would not allow it to be sundered so easily.  Then, Eldunar remembered his plans for the night.  He was off to see a Kabuki Play shortly at the Tamasaburo Grand Theatre.  "Aimi, would you like to join me to a play tonight?" asked Eldunar, "It's gotten quite dark...I can sense the animals going into their burrows and homes to rest."

"It's dangerous to return to your beach home without a guard, and I must return to the city anyway to get them," continued Eldunar, explaining his thoughts and reasoning to the Princess, "Since we would need to enter the town anyway--as I would not dream of leaving you here alone...I would like for you to join me for the play, and perhaps for dinner afterwards.  It would be an honour.  And do not worry about clothes, I shall have you dressed in the finest robes Imperial money can buy; imported from the homeland."  Eldunar's sight was partially limited as he could only see spiritual energy and crude outlines of people.  But over the years, Eldunar had been able to mould these crued outlines and spirital energy into forms, focusing his sight and perfecting it.  Now he could use the spirital energy of all things to map out basic outlines of his surroundings, both living and inanimate.  

Regardless of the minutia of details behind his skills, Eldunar could "see" that Aimi was in a bathing suit alone.  "As for travelling through the city," smiled Eldunar, "You will not need to worry about that; I have a rather large palanquin back by the city gate.  No guard, just some servants to carry me you see.  Seiankyo is large, and sadly, my father and uncle do not permit to walk through it alone.  Not all Nipponians are happy with our occupation as Emperor Yoshitake of Nippon is."  Eldunar was partly aware of what he was doing.  He liked Aimi, he kind of always had.  Since the two met as children, she was the kindest a person had ever been to him.  Eldunar liked that.  She was gently and shy, but she had an inner strength that needed nurturing, but was still present.  Them meeting on this beach as adults...it was serendipity; and Eldunar was not letting this chance pass.

"Well, I mean, all of my family is super uptight," Aimi said, padding down the almost-lightless beach. "My siblings are all super involved in their positions, and my mom just doesn't have the time or energy for fun stuff anymore. It kinda stinks..." She absently twirled a piece of hair between her fingers, staring off towards the city.

Her eyes widened. She thought her palace was large, until she saw the great city of Nippon. The buildings weren't the largest, but they seemed strong and formidable, as if the very presence of this place staved off enemies. Its old buildings seemed as if they had stood thousands of centuries, and would stand like that for a thousand more. The whole city seemed to exude an aura of calm, yet invigorating power, and Aimi's hands began to twitch with sparks of light. She held them behind her so Hideyoro wouldn't see, but it was blatantly obvious from the yellow light coming from behind her. She giggled and blushed.

Upon hearing his invitation, she brought her glowing hands to her face in shock. An invitation? And an offer of fine clothing to replace her small and informal bathing suit? She nodded her head quickly, sending sparks of light into the air above them, cracking like fireworks. "I would love to come see a play with you!" She said, her eyes alight with excitement. A real play, in the oldest city known to man? The prospect made her mind whirl. Though she was not nearly as historically educated as her sister, she knew when something was important and impressive. And this date night had just gotten a lot more impressive.

"Excellent," said Hideyoro definitively.  The two walked over to the entourage of servants by the palanquin, "Return my friend and I to the palace, and send someone ahead to call my tailor.  She is in need of new robes."  The servants bowed, one was sent ahead, and Hideyoro and Aimi entered the palanquin, with Hideyoro helping her into the mobile futon first.  Once he and Aimi were settled, they laid themselves down on their sides, parallel, leaning on their arms as if they were sitting on a couch.

"The palanquin is large," reiterated Hideyoro with a laugh, "I heard it was a couch in a past life."  Hideyoro let out a small laughed and then looked in the direction of Aimi.  He could sense the brief outline that was her energy and her bathing suit...and her form.  She was truly beautiful and developed...even for the little Hideyoro could see, and before he knew what he was doing, he reached out and touched her cheek gently.  Her skin was smooth, and gentle.  Just the smell of her, it was fruity and elegant.  Everything together seemed to drive Hideyoro to the brink of wildness.  He could feel himself growing hard below the belt, in his manhood.

He could feel it make an unsightly bulge in his pants, and hoped Aimi hadn't noticed.  "I know I cannot see much...but even I cannot help but notice you," said Hideyoro in the gentlest of whispers, "You are, from what I can tell, a truly beautiful woman."  Hideyoro wanted to lean in and kiss her, with a feiry passion that he had never known himself to had.  He had never been with a woman or ever thought of women all too much.  He was too busy running a province for the Empire.  Was Aimi coming into his life...was that...a sign?

He gently ran top of his forefingers down her shoulder to her elbow, and felt her warm, smooth body beneath them.  She seemed to grow a bit nervous, or perhaps it was the cold, as Hideyoro could feel goosebumps begin to prickle all over her skin.  He grew harder.  Hideyoro couldn't resist anymore, he leaned in and laid the lightest, gentlest kisses over Aimi's lips, just barely grazing them together.  Like a butterfly landing on the petal of a flower and drinking from the sweet nectar.  It was graceful, elegant, light and lingered, but not too long.

Hideyoro didn't know how to describe this feeling at first, and could only manage to say, "Aimi...I-I...I don't know...how to."  He didn't know how to go on, however, as he realized this feeling.  It was attraction, whether lust, love or infatuation, Hideyoro knew not.  Only that he felt something, not only in his manhood, but in his mind and in his chest.  He wondered if Aimi felt the same, though from the way her spiritual energy swirled within her...he could only guess she might.  Now...where was this going to go?  Not that he was hoping it to go anywhere, but, then again, he had never been in this kind of position before, so he had to expect anything and everything.