btw... dis gon be looooongggg (12.6k OTL)

I know what I’m getting myself into.

That’s what I tell myself when I see the lion pacing at the gate, watching me with sharp, intent eyes. I didn’t realize that the civilians would make such a show of protecting their home. Although I can’t say that I blame them. The one city in the world that has technological advances, knowledge, and the ability to maintain itself is one worth protecting from corrupt strangers.

Looking down at my outfit, I wonder if I give off a good impression. All I’m wearing underneath my camouflage army jacket to show that I’m from the military is a pale blue blouse and some ripped jean shorts, along with my black combat boots and a backpack filled with necessities on my shoulders. Hoping to create a modest but determined image, I kept it simple. I know nothing about the social lifestyles of El Dorado. I have only heard about the great feats they have accomplished with their technological advancements in medicine, economics, and agriculture. It’s the closest anyone will ever get to a utopia.

Luckily, El Dorado is encompassed by rainforest, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to find a means of survival, let alone fresh water to keep clean with. I don’t even know I managed to get this far. After the boat passengers sent me off in my own little boat, with a motor made of rock for earth benders, it took me little over two days to reach land. But for the past week, I’ve been scouring through the island in search of the great city, making the trees my home and the animals my friends.

If it weren’t for my bending abilities, I wouldn’t have been able to find the place so quickly. The vibrations through the earth send me signals on where human and animal activity is, as well as water sources. They’ve gotten me this far in life, and I couldn’t be more thankful. So taking a deep breath, I bend down on one knee and press my hand down against the earth, sensing for any pressure the lion gives off.

What’s strange is that there isn’t any weight where the feline creature stands; only a wisp of energy. I can’t identify what kind of energy it is, but it’s definitely capable of destruction. Its mane glows with a faint golden color, so my gut tells me that for now, it’s only a spirit guard. Standing up, I boldly decide to walk up to it. When it catches me in its line of sight, it growls, snaring its teeth at me. I stop three meters in front of it, bowing humbly at ninety degrees. It releases a loud roar but I feel no pulsing heartbeat through the earth beneath my feet, so I don’t waver.

Straightening myself, I bluntly state my purpose, “My name is Kang Tori. I am here in search of medical knowledge in order to aid the troops in Kikuyu.” I pull up the flap of my jacket to display the embroidered badges from the Kikuyu military, “The war against the EXOtics has become increasingly difficult, and we’re losing more men due to death and injury. In order to sustain what we have, I am here to ask for help in El Dorado’s medical field of expertise.” With that, I get down on one knee and bow my head before the glowing lion still snarling in front of me.

But suddenly, the vibrations that reach my fingertips from the earth beneath me become much more solid. There is a clear weight in front of me now. Looking up, I see that the lion is now a solid figure, and definitely not a guarding spirit anymore. It roars at me and I can feel the hot breath blow across my face. It smells like danger.

When the lion starts scratching at the floor with one paw, preparing for attack, I brace myself to fight back. I know that I didn’t come all this way to be defeated by an oversized cat. Without hesitation, I take my stance and twist my wrists at the same time as my ankles and solid rock shackles appear before all four of the lion’s paws. It roars in anger at seeing its entrapment, but I walk towards it and its neck and mane in all the right pressure point areas until it is purring. When I’ve deemed the cat tamed enough to be set free, I release him from his earth shackles, forcing the rock to escape back into the ground.

That’s when it happens; a miracle. The gates open, and the lion turns to walk into them, willing me to follow. The soft spiritual glow has returned around his body. I straighten myself and march in behind him, taking in every bit of my surroundings. It’s an extremely rugged area and there are mountains everywhere. Stray rocks lie at every corner. It’s like an earth bender’s dream playground.

The lion and I climb all the way down a steep hill and he makes his way into a cave behind a waterfall. A small empty boat glides its way towards me at the end of a long tunnel, and the lion nods towards it, urging me to get on. “Are you coming with me?”

Without an answer, he continues walking on the surface of the water, leaving growing circles of waves behind his steps. I test the water out myself, and seeing that I can easily sink into it, I step into the boat. It moves automatically once I’m seated inside. The ride isn’t short, but when I see the glow at the end of the tunnel, I can’t hold in my gasp.

There are so many people. They’re all wearing very simple clothing, although quite colorful. But their fashion isn’t very different from ours when it comes to buttons, shirts, shorts, and sandals. Although the material all seems to be made of a fine fabric like linen or perhaps even silk. Everyone seems to be dressed for summer weather, even though it is already the end of autumn in Kikuyu.

Time seems to stop when everyone stops in midst of their activities to watch me, following the spirit lion down the constructed stream of water through the entire city. All of a sudden, people start running in the direction that I’m heading. Some stay at my pace to continue watching me while others dash ahead to alert others, I’m guessing. I pass by many homes, and as we get closer to our destination, pyramids become more and more prominent. Everything is so beautiful.

Finally, we reach a large circular platform where a more fancily decorated pyramid sits in the middle of the carefully-built bricked surface. I step off of the boat onto the platform and see the lion give me one last glance before dashing up to the stairs of the pyramid and disappearing inside. I step forward and wait, with my hands together, silently observing the hordes of people gathering around the area, whispering to each other excitedly and worriedly. They’re speaking in a language that I can’t even slightly comprehend, let alone identify.

When a group of officials appears from the entrance at the top of the pyramid, I keep my composure, waiting patiently for them to arrive to the bottom of the platform before me. They are also dressed in casual button-down shirts and loose-fitting trousers. Stopping several meters away from me, the man I assume to be a chief of some sort stares me down, stating something in the same language the civilians had just been gossiping in.

I don’t understand a thing, so I play it safe and bow before them deeply. “Hello, my name is Kang Tori, and I reside in the city of Kabete in the Kikuyu province. I come seeking medical knowledge to help my country in the midst of a war against the warriors of EXO planet.” I state as clearly as I can.

Murmurs increase tenfold at the sound of my foreign words, and the officials turn to each other, finally deciding on something. They send out one man to walk towards me. He’s extremely tall and good-looking. But that doesn’t justify how he stares down at me before leaning down to kiss me deeply. Recovering from my shock a second later, I push the man away, staring up at him intensely. “What are you doing?” I demand.

“I am sorry.” He replies in a strange accent, “My name is Wu Yifan, in terms of your language. I am acting as a translator for you because of my ability to pick up on languages in the way I had just done so now. Please do not misunderstand or take any offense.”

Taking a step back, I release the hard look on my face and nod, “Alright. Do I need to repeat what I had just said?”

“I will relay the message back to the chiefs first and we will see what to do with you.”

What to do with me? Are these government officials the ruthless types who hold no mercy when punishing trespassers? I was praying that they would be open-minded and reasonable considering how successful their own private city has become.

“Please state your purpose once more.” Wu Yifan says to me beside his officials.

I bow once more before restating my purpose, which he repeats in a loud voice in their language for everyone to hear. Since they’re displaying this confrontation so publicly, there are many witnesses, so I’m assuming that they won’t do anything too terrible to me. Unless public deaths are a commonality.

“What exactly are you searching for in your journey?” Wu Yifan asks.

“My quest revolves around finding an immediate medication for all injuries. One that will work quickly in healing the patient and possibly extracting poisonous solutions from the body. Because the men in our military require constant body balance in order to use their powers to fight against enemies, we need a solution that will release their blocked chis and help them recover rapidly. I am asking for help in finding a medicine with speed.” I summarize my request with my last sentence.

After relaying messages again, Wu Yifan discusses with the chief officials and they decide on something, “What is it that you expect to give to us in return for our services to you?” he asks.

Pulling my backpack off of my shoulders, I pull out a silver can of dried herbs and leaves mixed together. “I come from a province of botany, and our agricultural advances leave us advantageous to growing crops of food. This, in my hand, is a special mixture that will completely revitalize your soil when you mix it into your dirt and let it set overnight. It is the rarest, most expensive, and treasured invention of my province.” After allowing Yifan to translate to the others, I continue, “I have heard that your location in the tropical rainforest can leave your soil far too moist and unable to grow most of your desired crops. So I am willing to offer this in exchange for knowledge in your medicines.”

It’s kind of lame trade, obviously, but I really don’t have anything else. El Dorado probably has several different versions of this kind of concoction already, which would explain how they survive so independently in this isolated rainforest area. I wait with much anticipation as the officials discuss a verdict with each other.

Finally, Yifan looks up and says, “We are more interested in a skill that you have rather than the potion you offer.”

“What skill would that be?” I ask.

When one of the officials claps his hands together and gives commands in the language they speak, several people step out from the pyramids on the side, pushing past the civilians. Judging by their uniforms, I’m supposing they’re soldiers from their own military. With the sound of a war cry from the chief, I suddenly hear lots of guns being cocked and arrows being stretched forward, and they’re all pointing at me.

The silver can falls from my hands with a gasp and without thinking, I drop down to one knee to punch the ground beneath me so a tent of rock rises above me as protection just as the soldiers start shooting. I twist my palms above the ground to create more and more layers of earth around me as protection until their shots become muffled from inside. They want to test my earth bending abilities. What could I possibly do with this power to help them? They have everything. Their people are tremendously talented with different supernatural abilities. The translator Wu Yifan is but a simple prototype of such talent.

I keep my palm on the ground and feel the vibration of the chief speaking and the soldiers retreating from their attack stances. I close my eyes and wait for Yifan to speak.

“You may retreat. We are not going to attack you anymore.” His voice booms.

Deciding to trust him, I release my other knee to the ground and slam both of my palms down onto the ground so my earth fort disappears back into the ground, almost as intact as it was before. I stand up without dusting myself off as I hear the impressed cries of the citizens from the sidelines. Even the officials clap for me. I step forward and pick up the can of restoration herbs before standing back in place.

“Are you so willing to dispose of a visitor even when I come bearing peace?” I say, trying to make the anger in my voice clear without sounding like a huff.

“It was merely a test of your abilities. We are a people who do not take uninvited foreigners in lightly. You arrived here without warning, and we know not if you have any ulterior motives or intentions, so we merely took a risk in testing your retaliation.” He states matter-of-factly.

Fair enough. I would argue more, but this isn’t my home, and I really did just waltz in here without permission, so I should keep myself on their good side. “What is it that you want in return?” I ask.

“You have an ability to manipulate the earth element. With your smooth execution and reparation of the ground you stand upon, you display an advanced knowledge in the area of your power. We propose for you to stay here to educate the earth benders within our community of whatever you have to spare of your knowledge.”

“I can’t stay for that long.” I protest, “I have to get back to my home before the war gets worse.”

Translating yet again, Yifan gets the message from the officials. The conversation lasts for a while and it actually gets a bit heated between them, but he finally turns to me, “You are free to turn down the offer, but we will offer nothing to you for your efforts in traveling here but an out of the city. In our appeal, we know that the EXOtics are only beginning their reign. They are close to taking over Kikuyu already. Once conquered, they will move over to Luzerne and then Skydrive. The only province in which you will be able to hinder them is in Hearthfire and Frostfall. They have already taken Little Paradise, Magnet Zone, and Frozen Star.

“Were we to immediately provide you with the necessary medicines and materials, it is not guaranteed that you will be able to deliver them back to your home single handedly. You are better off staying here and training our own warriors to aid in the battle.” He finishes.

That surprises me. I hadn’t dreamed that they would be willing to help in the war. They’ve always been off on their own, unwilling to step away from their neutral position. They would neither help nor hinder. I suppose that is why they had such a hot debate at first. “You haven’t been taking a part in this war so far, so what are you planning to do if I help you?”

“On the contrary, we have been. We are the ones who have been sneaking through their communication systems and sending satellites into the air to stop their aircrafts from coming. We have been working behind the scenes in order to take them by surprise.” He reveals, “We will not tell you any more about that matter, but you must decide now whether or not you will stay and train our earth benders or not. There is no time to waste.”

Contemplating whether or not it would matter if I got back home sooner, I decide to take the chance to learn more about El Dorado. “I accept the proposal. Please take care of me well.” I bow once more.

Minutes after more translation and discussion, the officials return inside and Wu Yifan directs me towards the pyramid. Most of the citizens disperse but there are still others who decide to linger about to catch any last bit of action they can. I suppose it makes sense, since you don’t get much news around here because the city is so isolated. That is one reason why I would never want to reside in a city like this for my entire life, despite how flourishing it is.

An hour or so later of communicating to the officials through Wu Yifan, they summon me a personal who will assist me throughout my stay in the city. He has a similar power to Yifan in that he picks up on languages quickly, but he doesn’t learn it in the same way. But Yifan tells me that the more I speak in my language, regardless of context, he’ll immediately learn more and more as time goes on. Although it’s a relief that I won’t be assaulted this time around, I’m slightly disappointed at the same time because the guy is cute. It’s also slightly less convenient that I’ll have to wait for him to gradually learn, but hopefully he’ll work well as a translator because he’s the one who will be there to explain the lessons to the benders I will be teaching.

Wi Yifan leaves us on our way when we’re on a canoe sailing through the city. Since my was there during big confrontation in from of the Capital pyramid building, he already knows a bit of simple Korean. “So what’s your name?” I ask him.

He’s the one steering the canoe so he faces the front while I face him. “In your language, I am not sure what it is. Perhaps you can give me a nickname of some sort that you are comfortable with? If anything, you may just call me by the position I work as for you, ‘’, ‘servant’, or perhaps ‘helper’ would be sufficient?” he tries.

“No, no! That’s unnecessary.” I shake my hands in front of me, “Can you tell me your name in your own language?”

“My own language?” he repeats with sweet, innocent eyes. He says something that I can’t really decipher so I ask him to say it again. Then I try to say it myself and he actually lets out a little laugh. We repeat his name back and forth several times until he’s managed to stop laughing at me. But in the end, I decide to give him a Korean name.

“How do you like Jongin?” I ask, “Although it generally means ‘species’, I think it’s a nice name. I used to have a friend with that name.”

“As you wish it, my name will now be Jongin.” He nods, rowing us to turn to the left towards a more glamorously decorated looking part of the city.

“I’ll also give you a typical surname; Kim. That’s when you will know I’m being a little more serious, when I use your full name.” I chuckle.

“As you wish it.” He nods.

When we reach a particular pyramid, Jongin helps me up to the ground before getting up and pulling the canoe up with his bare hands, leaving me wide-eyed. “Wow, you’re really strong.” I exclaim before I can stop myself.

He looks to me curiously, “It is my job to be capable to work for you, Miss Tori.” He states before lifting the entire thing above his head with a grunt and leading me towards the pyramid.

“Do you need any help with that?” I offer.

“There is no need, Miss Tori. Do not worry.”

I watch him doubtfully but he doesn’t falter as he walks behind the stairs through an entrance to what looks like an apartment building in a way. He leaves to stow the canoe away somewhere and comes running back to lead me to an elevator that we ride to the top floor.

It looks like a penthouse suite, honestly, because my mouth drops at the mere size of the place when we step inside. The elevator opens to the room immediately, and the first thing I see is the huge living area beside a large window frame in the wall that leads to a stone balcony. Walking to the right, I step out onto the balcony and see the expanse of the city, trailing the different stream routes to the different parts of the city. It’s huge, and so efficient. Everything is beautiful.

“Wow…” I whisper as a soft wisp of wind blows across my face. I take a deep breath of the rainforest air, and it feels good.

"I've prepared some sleepwear for you." Jongin says when he returns to the room, "Shall I run a bath for you?"

"There's no need. If you could just get me a bucket of hot water, that would be wonderful." I reply, setting my backpack down beside the couch and pulling off my jacket.

"There is no need for that. You are considered a guest here. It's only appropriate that you are treated like one." he says. "I will prepare the water immediately, before dusk sets upon us." he turns to leave the room again.

Grabbing his arm to stop him, he turns back around to look at me with a mixture of shock and curiosity. I feel like I've been getting that a lot from him. "Jongin, there's no need. Really. In fact, if you could just show me how to access the water, I'll prepare my bath myself."

He pauses, and the confusion in his eyes tells me that he's wondering if he'd be breaking any rules or not doing his job properly in letting me help myself. "Are you absolutely positive?" he asks.

"Yes," I chuckle, "Don't take everything so seriously, Jongin-ah. I'm quite capable of taking care of myself. Do you think I'd be able to make it to this city on my own if I was not?" I ask him with a challenging smile on my face.

He continues to look at me with doubt, so I try reassuring him one last time, "You're not doing anything wrong. There are situations in which you should and should not help me. So I'm going to tell you along the way which ones I do and do not need your assistance with, alright?" I laugh, "The first one being showing me the bathroom. I'll take care of it from there."

He bows slightly, "As you wish." he says before leading me through a hallway to a huge room. There's an empty pool in the middle and a smaller jacuzzi sized tub in the ground beside it. There's also a large sink and cabinet on the side, along with a long expanse of smooth stone to sit on. Did he expect me to take a bath in this place?

Luckily, he leads me to another room on the other side of the pool and shows me to a more private bathroom. There’s an area separated by tiled steps that has a drain. Beside it is a squatting toilet hidden by a thin wall, the sink on the other side of it closest to the door. Jongin walks towards the shower area and pushes aside a flap I didn’t see to pull out a faucet head. A shower does sound nice, actually. I haven’t taken a running water shower in ages.

After setting up the shower and my clothes, he stands by the shower with his hands together. It doesn't look like he plans on leaving so I decide I have to dismiss him.

"Uhm, you can leave now, Jongin. I don't need you to help me wash up."

"You do not?" he asks with genuine confusion.

It's so innocent and honest that I can't help but laugh. I open the door and push him out of the room, "Why don't you go prepare some food or something? I'll be out in no longer than twenty minutes or so."

"Twenty minutes?" he repeats, "Shall I come fetch you if your bath exceeds this time frame?"

"No, Jongin. You may go." I laugh before closing the door.

After deeply cleansing myself and washing my hair, I return to what I believe was the living room of the house. Jongin's already setting the table. When he sees me plop myself down on the soft sofa, he turns to me immediately, "Do you need me to dry your hair?"

"There's no need." I shake my hand, "I let my hair dry naturally."

"Then are you hungry? I've prepared a small roast for you. It's still in the oven but I can bring out the salad and breads."

"Take you time, I can wait. But would you mind letting me know when I'll be starting my duties and how many people I'll be teaching? As well as any customs I should know of your culture to maintain a respectable image?"

"Certainly." he replies, stepping in front of me beside the sofa, "I have received directions to you every regular work day to a training center located in the farther, more secluded side of the city that is approximately twenty five minutes from here if we take the canoe. I am not personally familiar with the number of earth benders in this community, but I will peg for a number that surrounds fifty.”

“Jongin,” I interrupt him, “Why don’t you have a seat? I feel more comfortable if we’re at the same eye level. And you don’t always have to act so formally around me. I would prefer it if you would speak to me casually.”

“As you wish.” He complies, sitting on the couch across from me. "But as for cultural respect, you have been doing quite well so far. I have been informed on how you treated that lion spirit outside of the gates and that gained you much favor on the side of several of the officials on the government board. As well as the way you addressed them when you were led into the city and assigned to your new job. I believe you should just continue as you would normally do. In fact, it would be better for you to teach your students your own customs such that you will be more comfortable with your position.”

“Alright then.” I nod, “Thank you, Jongin. By the way, you can call me Tori.”

He stands up to bow slightly, “I will be off to prepare supper then, Tori. Please relax for a little while.”

When he leads me to the table later, I find that it’s only set for one. After he sets down the last dish beside the two others that I can’t possibly finish on my own, he turns on the television for me to watch some historical documentary, although I can’t understand it.

As he bows and tells me to eat well, he starts to make his way out of the room. But I call out to him, “Jongin, aren’t you going to eat with me?”

“I will eat on my own later on. Please do not worry about me.” He replies.

“That’s not right. Come join me.” I wave him over, “Please, I would enjoy the company.”

His innocent, incredulous look will be the end of me one day because he is just far too cute. He just stands there, so I guess I have to take action on my own. Walking over to him, I push him towards the table, “Go get another chair and table setting. I’m not going to eat until you do.”

With that, he leaves and returns with the requested items. He looks so cute when he shyly sits opposite me and waits for me to start, even though I can see a small glint in his eyes when he looks at the roast in the middle of the table. Chuckling, I take the knife and chopsticks and cut off a slice of said roast and place it on his plate before serving myself. That brings about an even more surprised look on his face.

I feel like I’m always smiling when I watch him, because I just keep wanting to laugh. “Don’t just sit there. Eat to your heart’s content. I can’t finish it all, and I don’t want any food to go to waste.”

Hearing the demands, he smiles graciously and digs in, grabbing at several ingredients on the table. I watch as he takes a small bread-like tortilla and stuffs in a bed of lettuce before filling it up with the roast and some nuts and sauce. Copying him, I put the same things into mine and find the combination somewhat overwhelming, but it has a savory taste that leaves me extremely satisfied.

Looking up as I chew through my first bite, I see him watching me with a cute smile. “Do you like it?” he asks.

“It’s delicious.” I smile back after swallowing.

“It is my special way of eating it.” He admits, “Usually people do not put the nuts into it, but I like the sweetness of it.”

“Really.” I say curiously. After finishing Jongin’s version of what I’ll call a wrap, I make another one without the nuts and decide that Jongin’s concoction is better. The sort of chuckle I get from him when I tell him so makes me smile too.

After eating and having Jongin blatantly refuse my offer to help wash the dishes, he shows me to my room and new wardrobe. The closet is huge, and all the clothes are really cool. He shows me a section of what I would consider regular street clothes and tells me that’s exactly what they are, and that I only wear them on days off. The rest of the time, I’m supposed to wear this sort of uniform composed of baggy capri-pants that end just below my knees or regular shorts, a regular t-shirt or tank top made of a fine cotton, and a loose sleeveless robe-like garment that ends above my knees. There’s either a sash in the middle or buttons to hold it together, but the bottom of the robe garment is looser so it won’t get in the way if I need to perform tricks with my legs. Otherwise, there are also sleeveless dress-like garments that are slit up the sides for more navigation access, or shorter versions of the robe that resemble more of a vest. There are several different colors of these clothes but I find myself attracted to the warmer rainforest green that matches with my own home color.

I spend the majority of the next couple hours playing around with the clothes and staring at myself in the mirror. I’ve always liked shopping and buying pretty clothes. If I hadn’t joined the military, I might have worked on fashion design, although it’s kind of a dead career in Kikuyu since we’re always messing around in the dirt.

I’m in the midst of changing out of a flowery blouse when Jongin comes in, surprising me since he hadn’t knocked. I scramble to pull a tank top over my torso as Jongin simply apologizes calmly, confused at my panicked reaction. Maybe he’s used to seeing his clients since he’s willing to bathe them.

“I am sorry to interrupt you, but I just wanted to let you know that it is around 11pm at the moment. You do not have to report to work tomorrow, but you will the next day. So if you weren’t planning to rest the entire day tomorrow, I am prepared to show you around the city if you like.” He offers.

“That sounds wonderful.” I say, walking out of the closet into the bedroom where I had set the pajamas Jongin had prepared for me.

“I will make the necessary preparations then.” He nods, “If there is anything else you need, please call for me or press the red buzzer that I have left out by the living room.”

“Thank you, Jongin. Sleep well.” I wish him goodnight.

“You as well, Tori.” He bows slightly before closing the door behind him.

That night, I dream about sweet smiles and glinting eyes and I wake up hoping that they were directed to me. When Jongin walks me around the city streets, I can’t stop myself from staring at him every now and then. Luckily he doesn’t notice, but when we’re eating lunch at an outdoor restaurant beside a park, it’s harder to look away since he’s sitting right across from me. I keep looking for the right moment to be able to make him laugh because I want to see his smile again.

After sitting and chatting for a little while after eating, a ball rolls its way towards our table. When Jongin spots some kids running towards us, his smile comes out and he picks up the ball and calls out to them to catch it before he kicks it back. They don’t catch it, but they start yelling and laughing with each other and some of the kids start making their way towards Jongin to drag him out into the grass. He pulls back but I push him as well, “Let’s go play, Jongin. Teach me how.” I encourage.

Hearing the demands, he laughs and follows the kids who drag him by the hand out into the field while another girl pulls my hand to follow as well. Within five minutes, we’re kicking the ball back and forth to each other and letting the kids wrestle over the ball when they catch it. Eventually, it just becomes a game for me or Jongin to kick the ball out the farthest we can and the kids race to see who can grab it first, which usually ends up as a dog pile.

When the kids leave later, Jongin and I continue our way through the town, and I commend him for having a little fun. With my encouragement, he stops at a street salesman who has many different toys laid out and he picks a colorful shuttlecock. He leads me over to an open area behind a pyramid building and kicks it in the air with his feet, showing me a few tricks in which he spins around and kicks it from behind or kicks it over his head and reaches his leg back to kick it back over his head to the front, and I end up clapping like an idiot with an impressed look on my face. He kicks it to me and I manage to kick it back after a few tricks.

Some passersby end up joining us and we play for at least ten minutes before Jongin decides it’s time for us to head off again. He hands me the shuttlecock and I thank him for it, holding it sentimentally as we catch a taxi canoe ride to another area of the city that Jongin wants to show me.

It’s already dusk by the time we reach the stadium he’s led us to. The lights aren’t on but there’s still enough light for us to see the huge arena in the middle of the thousands of seats surrounding it. “This is the Arena, where lots of different battles happen for entertainment purposes. It is the rougher part of the city, but a lot of people come here to watch some exciting activities. There have been bending battles here, as well as what you would call wrestling and boxing and such.”

“This is amazing…” I breathe out as we walk around the stadium, “Do the bending battles happen more often than others?”

“No, but they are the most popular ones because of that reason. Plus, it is just much more interesting to watch than regular physical battles between people.” He explains, “However, since this is the main type of bending that people are exposed to, they assume that is how they fight in real battle. That is not the case, because in the Arena, it is all about attack without thinking about protection of yourself or your team. That is something that you must teach your students when the time comes. We may be a big city, but we do not want to lose any more people than we need to. Especially those with abilities that can be used for more beneficial purposes.” He tells me seriously.

I look at him thoughtfully, wondering why he suddenly got so serious. “Jongin, did you bring me here because you were told to, or because you wanted to tell me this personally?” I ask curiously.

“I have brought you here on my own account, and this is an expression of my own opinion in attempt to help you develop greater benders. I believe that those born with the ability must live be great benders, not great fighters.” He admits.

I look at him for a moment before saying, “I find that very admirable.”

Turning to me with that same innocent look of surprise I will never be able to get over, he asks, “You do?”

“Very much.” I nod, “I’m going to ask you a personal question, is that okay?”

“It is okay.”

Chuckling at his formality, I ask, “You’re a very kind-hearted person, and you seem very intelligent. Why are you doing this kind of job where you have to follow everyone’s orders?”

“I have grown up knowing nothing else.” He states, “My family is of this working class, and we are only able to afford a higher education for one child in the family, that child being my older sister.”

“That’s very unfortunate.” My eyes soften.

“It is not.” He replies matter-of-factly, “It works out for the better of my family, because had they chosen me, I would have wasted the opportunity in choosing a career that would not support my family. That would have been a selfish decision in choosing a life that would only satisfy me rather than my family.”

“What’s the career you would have chosen had you been given the chance?”

“I would have become a performer. A dancer in particular, performing in shows for the wealthy.” He reveals, “It would be very heart-warming to receive applause for doing something you love to do.”

I blink in surprise. Looking at him, he does seem to have the body of a dancer, but I never would have imagined it on my own. “If you would enjoy a place in the spotlight, why would you choose to continue doing work where you must hide yourself on the sidelines?”

“It is not a choice I am capable of making. Other than caring for my family and supporting my sister’s education, I have no other job in this lifetime.” He shakes his head, “I love my family, so I would not ask for it to be any other way.”

Keeping watch on his expression, I see his eyes grow somewhat sad as the sun goes down. When it becomes darker, I walk up to him and bring him into a hug. He’s quite awkward with it at first, but he seems to eventually find it comforting so he hugs me back. It’s not really an act of comfort, but more to show my respect and admiration. He has his priorities straight and he’s willing to let go of his dreams because he deems his family more important. I have a lot to learn from him.

When I let go of him, I stand back, “Thank you, Jongin. For telling me this. I’ll try to learn more from you, because you’ve taught me a lot.” I bow to him.

“Please, do not.” He lifts me up from my bow, “Do not change who you are. You are a very adventurous girl who I am honored to be working for. Your courage has brought you into this city, and that in itself brings about much admiration. Please do not change that about yourself. It is your greatest strength.” He looks at me with fire in his eyes. The determination that ignites it only makes me like him more.

“You’re very kind.” I smile, “I’ll do my best do reach your expectations.”

Before he can say anything about not needing to worry about him or how I should worry about everyone else’s expectations, I take his hand and lead him out of the stadium, “Take me somewhere to eat before we get back home.” I say.

He pauses for a moment, and I can already see the innocent look on his face without having to look back before he says, “As you wish.”

>\<

There are more than fifty of them. Way more.

In seeing this, the first thing I demanded was an organized schedule to teach them in groups. I decided on teaching in different times of the day so I can teach the same thing in one day to everyone. After organization of the groups for each time frame, I decide to start it off with a speech that Jongin translates for me through a microphone.

Thanks to Jongin’s advice last night, I began the speech well and gained a lot of respect in clearing up the difference between fighting in the Arena and fighting in a real battle. “Although this is a war, I am here to teach you how to bend, not how to fight. There will be incorporation of such skills, but you are to learn how to disarm your opponent before you learn to kill.

“Earth bending is a balanced art, like any other type of bending. In depth, you will be learning how to balance patience with decisiveness. You must learn to listen and wait before you make an unhesitant decision on your attack. When the time comes to strike, uncertainty will not fair. If you are unsure of your actions, what makes you think that the earth will believe in you? You must have a connection with the earth, and only then will it bend to your will.”

Through the translations, I finally decide to start the first lesson. “Earth bending is one of the most diverse of all element bending. But I must first evaluate your capability and readiness to learn. So each of you will come up, one by one, and you will levitate this boulder,” I fix my stance and levitate the large rock, “And bring it over to the other side.” I move the boulder across the field and set it down. “Do nothing more, nothing less. This is a test of your ability to listen, to my directions.”

As expected, there were a few strugglers, in more ways than one. There was one who found it unreasonable to do it individually in front of everyone, as well as some who actually weren’t well-practiced enough for such a simple task, and of course the overconfident student who decided to show off his own little tricks to impress others.

“If you are not going to follow directions, you are not fit to be a military warrior. Vanity and trick-performing will get you nothing but spare change on the streets. In a military, you are to work together, and follow your teammates, not play hero. Relay it again properly and make sure you listen next time.”

For the rest of the day, I work on getting them to work in unison, in regular tasks, and then in bending. First in groups, then as a whole. Building up an army isn’t as fun as the chief commanders make it out to be. I suppose there’s a reason why I work in the medical field back home.

At the end of the day, I decide they’ve worked hard enough for a little show. So I end the lesson with a last speech, “You all have remarkable talent. And I believe that you will become something great, not only as an army, but also individually. But in reaching that stage of greatness, you must trust in each other, as well as yourselves. And equally as importantly, you must believe in me.

“If you are to be my student, you must be willing to learn from me. So you must trust in that I know what I am doing and that I am teaching you the right things. You are free to disagree with any of my beliefs, and you are more than welcome to come to me to express your well thought-out opinion, but you are in charge of your own attitude in this class. I do not have time to babysit a childish rebellion. So you must be willing to learn what I am teaching you, and in time, you will become great benders who can do anything.”

With those last words, I levitate the last boulder I used for the individual practice and bring it towards me quickly so I can leave a bigger impact when I punch it, smashing it into pieces. There are gasps in the crowd, but I don’t let myself look smug yet. Throwing several rocks into the air in a line, I circle them around me above my head until they’re spinning into a circular blur. I soon separate the circle into two different rows and pull them apart and shoot them into the sky asymptotically. However, they do eventually meet high above our range of sight, and the collision creates sparks in the sky.

The explosion seems to resemble fireworks, and I allow myself to smile when I hear the gasps of awe and applause. Jongin translates my last words that were spoken before my little show and I end class with a bow, dismissing everyone.

Jongin waits for me beside the rubble that was the boulder. I walk up to him and look down at the rocks before compressing them all together to form a smaller boulder than the one used for practice. “How far do you think I can throw this?” I ask with a chuckle.

“Can you make it to that tree at the farthest end over there?” Jongin challenges, pointing at the tree that looks to be a quarter of a mile away.

“I don’t know…” I laugh, “But let’s try it out.”

Levitating the boulder in front of me, I spin around and kick it with the back of my heel with all the force I can muster. It flies in the air like a football for hundreds of yards, and it lands a good hundred in front of the target tree. “Darn.”

Suddenly, excited exclamations surprise me and I see that several of the benders from class came up to me. I don’t understand a thing they’re saying, but Jongin tells me that they’re very impressed with my abilities.

“They are very excited to learn from you, and they are also wondering when they will be able to do such tricks.” He translates.

“You’re free to play around whenever you want, but in class, you will not be learning how to play. In class, you learn techniques for bending. In the future, you will be able to apply bending in any way you choose, so you’ll be able to do far more than what you saw today.” I smile at them. When Jongin explains what I just said, he shoos away any other questions they have and he leads me out of the training field.

“You did well today.” He commends me, “You left everyone with a good impression.”

“If you think so, then I’m sure I did.” I smile, “It’s only going to get more tedious from here. I’ll have to teach the same lesson three times a day. I just hope I can maintain the image I’ve set so far.”

“I believe that you will.” Jongin replies.

“Then I’ll have hope.”

>/<

The next weeks are boring, as expected. Although we cover the basics fairly quickly, it’s still hard to get them to work completely in unison. I keep encouraging individual progress, because everyone learns at a different pace, but this is still a military effort. They need to work together. But after covering basic defense and shelter/protection tactics, we’ve moved on to manipulation. The students seem to have fun in crushing the rocks into sand in their hands, but compressing it back together requires more power, not to mention teamwork. But progress is moving quickly, and I’m proud of them.

Another thing that’s been getting progressively stronger is my relationship with Jongin. I think I’ve made it clear enough that I like him in more ways than one, but even if he liked me back respectively, he would probably continue repressing those feelings because that’s what he’s been doing his entire life, since he’s grown up doing that kind of work.

Those little looks of surprise still haven’t disappeared, but I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing. I find his expressions so adorable, but they still remind me that Jongin will always think of me as someone he’s supposed to serve. He’s become much more open with me now, since the formal tone in his voice has disappeared (along with his most of his accent). But I still feel hesitation in his actions when tries to act as my friend instead of my servant.

However, there’s a different air about us one day. After a class filled with earth gauntlets, Jongin notices my tensed muscles. Even an earth bender who has the toughest skin and enduring strength still gets bruises every now and then. Although I’ve made it clear that I don’t like showing weakness in front of Jongin, I submit to his persistence in giving me a massage.

And once he touches my bare skin with his rough hands, I realize it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. He presses and kneads out my knots beautifully. It’s like he knows my body more than I do, because he’s doing all the right things in all the right places. The moans escape my throat without me knowing they had developed in the first place. It’s kind of embarrassing but Jongin’s hands, they do things to me.

When he’s finished, I sit up on the massage table and let out a breath, feeling like a new person altogether. “It’s like I just had .” I blurt out spontaneously, “I feel like I’m glowing or something. Thank you.”

That gets a really loud laugh out of Jongin as he wipes his hands free of the oils he had used. “Have you actually had before?” he asks, surprising me.

Now it’s my turn to look at him with incredulous, surprised eyes. Where did that come from? That’s not the adorable, innocent Jongin I’ve come to know. I’m not saying I dislike this Jongin (I like him more than I should, actually), but it just came out of nowhere.

“Uhm…” I let out a laugh, rubbing my loosened neck, “Yeah, I have.” I admit embarrassedly, pulling a tank top on, “Why? Have you?”

He chuckles as he sits next to me, “I have not.” He shakes his head. “That is more of a custom of marriage. And now that I think about it, I have never really thought about marriage.” He admits.

“Really…” I my head to the side thoughtfully, “Well you’re missing out on a wonder of the world, Jongin.” I laugh, “And if you don’t get married, then I guess you’ll never be able to experience such a wonder.” I put a hand on his shoulder.

When I look at him, I notice something in his eyes that I don’t recognize. It’s kind of dark, but not a bad kind of dark. I can’t identify it until he suddenly kisses me. In that moment, I forget almost everything. I forget everything that’s not Jongin. Anything that’s not his scent is left for another day. It all happens so suddenly that I almost don’t realize it happens.

He pulls away with a gasp before I can kiss him back, the expression of lust that I swear I had just seen in his eyes now replaced with panic as he starts apologizing, “I am so sorry.” He whispers in one breath. Seeing my unchanging eyes, he stands up, “I am so sorry. Please forgive me. That was out of line and I never should have acted upon my thoughts. I’m sorry.” He says rapidly before I stop him by grabbing hold of his arm.

Standing up, I look him in the eyes before saying in a low voice, “If these are the thoughts you have, I suggest you act upon them more often.” I wait until I see the innocent look of surprise in his eyes before reaching up to meet his lips with mine.

But it seems like he won’t have it, because he breaks away from me again, “Please do not. I am sorry. You do not deserve someone as lowly as me. I am not worthy to be in such a relationship with someone like you.” he says with worried eyes.

I grab him by both arms this time, “Someone like me? What kind of person am I that you think you’re not worthy of me?” I question, “If anything, I think that I may not be worthy of having someone like you.”

“Please don’t.” he says, wrenching his way out of my grip and grabbing my hands, “You are beautiful, and intelligent, and wonderful, and capable of so many greater things than getting tangled up with the lower serving class like me.”

“You think I’m beautiful?” I ask.

“Yes,” he sighs, letting go of my hands, “You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen but that does not mean that I can have you. People like me are never associated with people like you.”

Advancing towards him again, I take one of his hands back in both of mine, “You think I’m beautiful… But do you even know what I think of you? Jongin, you should know me by now. We’re friends. I thought I made it clear that I see you as the kindest, gentlest, smartest, and most beautiful person I’ve ever had the honor to meet.”

He bites his lip and looks at me with the same doubt he’s always looked at me with, but this time much more intensely. I see tears building up in his eyes. “Did you hear what I said, Jongin? I think you’re beautiful. When will you realize that about yourself?”

When he blinks and swallows, the tears slip out of his eyes and down his face. Wiping them away with my hand, I let out a quiet shush to calm him. “Moreover, when will you realize that I really like you? I thought I had made that clear.” He lets out a strained sob and grasps my hand with both of his, squeezing it tightly. “Shhh… My sweet Jongin,” I whisper as I pull him into my arms, “Don’t cry. I love you, so don’t cry.”

>/<

Jongin rubs the sponge on my back in soothing circles, kissing the cleaned surface after washing away the bubbles. Our bodies are enveloped in foamy bubbles as we sit in the bathtub together, and he taps my nose with the sponge, leaving bubbles on it. I let out a giggle before turning around, resting my hands beside his hips, and rubbing my face against his neck to wipe the bubbles off. Then I reach back up to kiss him softly.

He runs his hands down my back and up my sides, rubbing the bubbles everywhere. A little while later, he pulls away, “Does this mean you’re done with your bath?” he asks with an adorable smile, showing off his glowing white teeth.

“I should be, but I don’t really want to be.” I sigh, turning back around to lean against his chest. Turning my head to kiss his neck, I ask, “But you’re the one who’s cleaning me, so you’re the judge.”

“You’re going to shrivel up soon, let’s wash you off.” He says, pushing me forward to stand up before picking me up as well. He pulls the curtain closed and drains out the bubbly water. We’re both still covered in bubbles and I laugh as I rub the bubbles from his chest up to make a beard for him. He smiles at me before turning on the running water.

It must be a sin to want to my way up his dark skin, but I really can’t help it. Jongin reminds me how good he is with his hands when he runs them over my arms to wash off the bubbles. I do the same for him, making sure to avoid certain areas as not to develop any more ideas than I already have.

When we’re both back out in the living room fully clothed, Jongin leaves me to watch TV as he prepares dinner. I channel surf for a while until he calls me to the table. After setting everything in place, we dig in, eating Jongin’s favorite nut and roast wraps.

“My family is throwing a party for my sister’s graduation tomorrow afternoon. Would you like to come?” he asks after putting together a wrap and putting it on my plate.

“Sure. Where is it going to be?” I cut another slice of roast and put it on his plate.

“It’s going to be a pool party at a recreation center near my family’s house.” He smiles, hearing my answer.

“Oh, I love swimming.” I smile back.

“In that case…” he hesitates a bit, which makes me wonder what he’s thinking about, “Should we search around your closet for swimwear?” he tries hiding his smile.

Oh.

Wow, he’s such a . It’s so adorable.

“I think I’ll fare well finding it on my own.” I chuckle, “But since you seem so eager about it, I’ll try to pick something that’ll exceed your expectations.”

He smiles to himself, looking down as he continues to eat. If I could squeeze him in a hug all day, I would do so.

That night, I dream about lustful eyes and hot lips and sweat, waking up in a bit of a haze of excitement. When Jongin brings me into the house to meet his parents, he introduces me as the earth bending teacher he’s working for. But I brush him off and convince his relatives to look at me as a friend. Some of the younger kids seem eager to see my bending so I bring them out to the front of the house and swirl some pebbles around in a circle, earning excited laughter and encouragement from them.

When one of Jongin’s relatives comes out and brings the kids back in and apologizes to me, I shake my head, trying to say how it’s not a big deal. In the time I’ve been here, I’ve learned the basics of the language they all speak, although I’m sure I still have a thick accent because Jongin keeps laughing at me when I try to speak to him in his language.

Following her inside, I decide to join Jongin at the pool outside. The scent of barbequing meat makes me salivate a little, making me anticipate lunch. Turning towards the smell, I spot a familiar face. “Wu Yifan,” I greet him when I walk up to him.

He looks up in surprise, as if he didn’t remember he understood something Korean, “Ah, Kang Tori. It’s nice to see you again. Do you have friends or students here?” he asks.

“I’m actually here as Jongin’s friend.” I reply.

“Ah, really? So you two must have gotten close, in that case.” He comments.

“Very close. He’s my best friend here.” I smile proudly. We continue to chat for a while longer until a dripping Jongin appears beside me.

“Hey, I thought you wanted to go swimming today.” He smiles innocently, “You should play around now before you eat. It’s not as fun to swim in the afternoon.”

Deciding to follow him, I say goodbye to Yifan and follow him to a table where he left his clothes. Before he turns around, I pull my shirt over my head to reveal the camouflage bikini top I’m wearing. Jongin stops and turns around in time to see me throw my shirt on the table and pull off my shorts. I smugly take in the look on his face as I lift my arms up to tie up my hair.

Putting my hands on my hips, I decide to snap him out of it before he starts to become too obvious, “So did I exceed your expectations?”

He blinks before bringing his eyes back up to my face, “Isn’t that a bit much?” he asks innocently.

“What?”

“Now you’re going to attract even more guys to you. I can’t handle that much competition.” He pouts.

“Oh, you’ve already lost that competition,” I wave it off, “I mean, did you really think I’d pick you over men who can barbeque meat?” I joke.

“Take that back.” He challenges me.

“Why? What would you possibly do to me?” I ask innocently.

Without warning, he sweeps me up in his arms and starts swinging me towards the pool, leaving me screaming in his arms. “Take it back yet?” he asks with flirtatious eyes.

“Okay.” I say before I can think about it.

“Good, so you choose me, right?” he smiles.

“Okay.” I repeat dumbly.

“Good.” He lowers me down towards the ground. But just before my feet touch the ground, he lifts me back up and throws me into the water. I’m a screaming blob of air bubbles under the surface, but when I kick my way back up, Jongin’s already dived in after me and surprised me from behind.

I let out another shriek and push him away, desperately trying to get into the rhythm of a freestyle to escape from him. He continues chasing me for several laps, but eventually he grows tired and stops at one end, leaving me to cautiously wade at the other end.

Fortunately, that’s when Yifan calls everyone up for lunch. Everyone lines up beside the grill and I lift myself up from the pool to sit on the edge of it. I lay down against the ground, basking in the sun until Jongin walks over with a plate of meat, salad, and rice. Just the smell of it gets me to sit up, and Jongin loyally returns to his position as server to feed me a piece of the grilled pork. Meat is actually quite expensive in El Dorado, but those with government jobs, like Wu Yifan and me I suppose, have more access to it than others.

After feeding me, Jongin takes his own bite and we continue eating like that until our plate has cleared and he goes up for more. This time, I follow him to the table and we eat together there.

“You really seem to like camouflage. Or just green.” He mentions, wrapping a piece pork and rice with a lettuce leaf and handing it to me.

“I’m from the military.” I chuckle in response.

“You know, I never asked you, if you’re in a troop, why are you here in the middle of a war?” he asks.

I stop chewing.

Well, it was going to come up someday. I had assumed the question would have been asked earlier, so I’ve forgotten about it for a while after no one ever asked.

Swallowing my last bite, I answer, “I performed an illegal tactic on a patient, so I’ve been put on leave.”

Jongin stops what he’s doing as well to look up at me, “Illegal tactic?” When I nod, he asks, “What did you do?”

“One of our most valued commanders was shot with a poisonous bullet in battle. There were a lot of dangerous metals mixed in his blood and he was on the verge of death. He had a lot of important information to report back because he had spied on an EXOtic camp area, so we couldn’t lose him. So I worked with one of our water benders to remove the poisonous minerals from his blood.” I explain.

Jongin looks at me attentively, willing me to go on, so I do. “We got most of what we could out of his body, but it had circulated around his body too much already, so we lost him.” I look down, “Blood bending is extremely illegal and I didn’t do it on anyone’s orders, so I wasn’t excused, especially since we lost the soldier.”

“That’s unfortunate, but very brave.” He responds after a while. Looking up, I don’t fail to see admiration in his eyes.

I look back down to escape his innocent eyes, “Don’t look at me like that. I don’t deserve it.” I murmur.

“You’re the bravest person I know. You took a great risk for a good reason. I’m sure you would make the same decision again if you were faced with the same situation.”

After pausing, I speak, “I would.” I say admittedly.

“And that is why I admire you so much.” He smiles widely at me. “As well as why you are so fit to be in the position you are in right now.”

“I suppose.” I shrug, reaching over to grab another lettuce wrap Jongin had prepared earlier.

“So is that why you came here looking for a medicine that would immediately cleanse the body of any poison or heal someone immediately?” he asks, “You risked your life coming here because of that incident?”

“Well, I couldn’t just sit around at home and do nothing, Jongin. Like you said, we’re in the midst of a war. Even if I’m on leave, I’m still part of the military. It’s my duty to do whatever I can to aid my country and planet.” I state firmly.

The smile never falters on his face, and I wonder if I’ll ever grow tired of seeing his dazzling white teeth. “I guess it’s fate.” I shrug, “I had so many other things I could have done, but I came all the way here, through shipwreck and living in the wild for weeks to get to a place I wasn’t even sure if I would be able to find. There was just something always pulling me here, even when I was younger. I always read the storybooks about this city, dreaming about it. And now here I am, with you.” I smile to myself.

“It is fate, then.” Jongin smiles back, “When I was young, I had performed a ritual ceremony in writing my greatest wish and burning it in a fire so the smoke would rise into the sky, delivering my wish to the gods.”

“What was your greatest wish?”

“To fall in love with someone who would be my best friend.” He smiles.

I let out a sigh, “You’re the cutest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”

He just continues to smile at me before feeding me again. I feel like I could live this way forever.

>/<

“Kang Tori.” Wu Yifan calls out to me in the midst of training. It’s not considered class anymore because I have nothing more to teach. Now it’s actually training that tests the benders’ abilities.

“Wu Yifan.” I reply in surprise when I see him.

“We have received word that the EXOtics have overtaken Morning Star and they now have control of the electrical power and media in almost a quarter of the continent.” He tells me in a hurry. “Officials have made protecting Luzerne a priority now, because they reside beside us. It has been decided that we will send benders to help fend them off from Luzerne. Kikuyu has been doing well in driving them away, but they just keep coming in from a different direction or spreading to another province.”

“So what you’re saying is…” I look over to see my students training diligently, building suits out of rock and crushing boulders into fine powders and even creating earthquakes. “It’s time.”

“I am afraid so.” He stares at me seriously, “Are your pupils prepared to take them on?”

“In their sleep.” I reply with confidence.

“Good. We’ll be organizing troops to send out tomorrow morning. So send them to their bases. You will have to communicate with their commanders in order to inform them of the training they have undergone and how they will respond to demands.”

“Yes sir.” I salute him before he nods and leaves.

I turn to look at Jongin. He had heard the entire thing, so we send each other knowing glances before nodding. Rolling up my sleeves, I place myself in a proper stance before throwing my right foot into the air and striking it on the ground, creating a seismic wave in the ground large enough to gather my students’ attention but small enough not to disturb the rest of the city.

“My students – no, my warriors, the time has come for you to put all the training you have been put through to the test. This is the greatest test you will ever undergo because you will be risking your life for the greater good.

“Morning Star has been taken over, therefore, control of the media and much of the world’s main power source has been taken over as well. Your main duty as of now is to protect Luzerne. Tomorrow, you will report, not to this field, but to your original military base. I repeat, tomorrow, you will be given real orders at your military base. I have put my all into bringing out the greatest earth benders in El Dorado. And now, we are all put to the test. So remember all you have learned, do what you can do best and cover each other’s weaknesses, work as a team, and make me proud.

“My earth benders of El Dorado, let’s make history.” I raise my fist into the air and wait for Jongin to relay the last message before all my students cheer loudly and throw rocks into the air, making them explode.

I have never felt so much pride in my life, but I won’t shed a tear in front of my soldiers, or Jongin. This is going to be the of my life.

>/<

The streets of Luzerne are cleared for a victory parade today. And for the first time, residents of El Dorado travel outside of their isolated home to join in the celebration. A year later, we’re finally rid of the EXOtics and the war has ended.

I’m sitting on top of a float my students had built together with several of our greatest warriors who had contributed great deals during the Battle of Sedalia at the border of Kikuyu. It’s a dream that we managed to win so quickly, and I haven’t felt so elated in my life. Nothing could be better than right now unless Jongin was sitting on this float beside me.

When the festivities have finally died down a week after the parade, most of the El Dorado residents have already returned home. Jongin and his family have been staying at my house with my family. I didn’t realize how much I had missed them until I finally ran into my mom’s arms when I came back after a year without contacting her. The tears hadn’t stopped for hours during the reunion.

But now that the war was over, and the El Dorado residents must return home, I’ve come to realize I have no way of maintaining my relationship with Jongin, and that brings even more tears to my eyes.

“You will always have a place in El Dorado, and we will always welcome you with open arms.” Yifan had told me before he left. The question was what decision I would make now.

My heart broke to pieces when Jongin asked me to marry him on the roof of my home the night before he was supposed to leave. I started crying without mercy in his arms and all he did was hold me tightly, whispering nothing but sweet things to me.

When I finally pulled away, my eyes were still tear-stained as I said, “Jongin, I can’t.”

“You can’t?” I couldn’t bear to look at him, because I knew it was the same innocent, surprised expression I had grown to love so much. But this time, it would only hurt me.

“Jongin, I love you. I love you so much.” I choke through my sobs, “But you can’t possibly leave your family. And neither can I. This is the greatest thing you’ve ever taught me, and I can’t go back on that now.”

He wipes the tears away from my face in the same way I had done for him when we first kissed, even though more tears end up coating his hand, “Then it seems you’ve learned a great deal.”

“Jongin…”

“I love you more than you can ever imagine. Since I’ve met you, you’ve brought me nothing but happiness, and you’ve commended me on not acting on my selfishness. But this time, I’m going to act upon this selfishness in asking you to stay with me. Tori-ah, I love you, so please don’t tell me to live without you.” He brings my tear-stained face up to his to kiss me tenderly. I don’t want to say that it feels like a kiss filled with goodbyes, but it will be if I choose not to go with him.

“Jongin…” I whimper through my sobs, “I love you…”

“I love you too.”

Four years later, both my family and Jongin’s family are settled in our new home near the field where I had first started training the earth benders. We take our two-year-old daughter there often for her to play around with the rocks. Her bending abilities have started to show because sometimes she just stares at a pebble and it jumps up at her will. She gets stronger every day.

Jongin often comes home with a smile on his face when he sits beside me and kisses my growing belly. He dances at an acrobatics show now as a fun, side job because we receive most of our income from my government job in training the earth benders. Yifan visits every now and then, bringing meat and a gift for our little girl. He knows she likes pop rock candies the most, so he’s become her favorite ‘uncle’ now.

With our families living happily and Jongin and I doing what we love, life doesn’t seem to get any better. Fate must have blessed us.

OTL