[Pov Ikari]
"Cough... COUGH! COUGH!" I woke up choking on water, the liquid burning in my throat like fire. My lungs ached, every breath felt like a stab, as if I were still drowning. "COUGH! COUGH!"
'What... happened?' The mud beneath me was freezing, and tiny stones scraped my hands as I tried to hold myself up. 'Where... where am I?'
Then, everything came rushing back. "Mom!" I tried to get up, but my legs gave out the moment I stood, and I fell face-first into the mud, the taste of earth mixing with the water in my mouth. 'Why did she do that?! I could've saved us!' I planted my hands on the ground and forced my body to rise, ignoring everything 'Doesn't matter. I have to find her.'
"Mom!" I shouted again, stumbling along the riverbank as my legs trembled with every step. 'Where is she? Where is she?' My eyes scanned the darkness desperately, but there was no sign of her.
"Mom!" The river roared to my left, the current dragging everything in its path. 'Maybe she was carried further down... Yes. I'll find her. I know I will. Then we'll go find Grandpa.'
I kept walking, screaming her name until my voice began to crack and fail. My feet ached from the burst blisters caused by my soaked shoes. 'Where... where...'
Hours passed—or maybe minutes, I'm not sure.
The sky began to lighten, the sun slowly peeking over the horizon. The dim light revealed more of the empty riverbank, and with it, the truth I had been trying to deny. 'She's not here. She's not...' A few more steps and my knees gave out, dropping me to the ground.
"Hic... Hic... Hic." The sobs came hard, loud, uncontrollable, tearing my sore throat even more. "Where did you go?! Why did you leave me here alone?!" Hot tears mixed with the dirt on my face as I pounded the ground, trying to release all the despair in my chest. "I could've saved us! I could've..." My voice broke, reduced to muffled sobs.
I don't know how long I cried there. But at some point, the crying faded, leaving behind a feeling I had never known before. Lost. It felt like my heart had been ripped out, like the world had lost its color, its sound, its meaning.
'What should I do now?..... Grandpa..... yes, he can help me find her.'
***
In a charred village, where houses had been reduced to smoldering ruins and blackened beams jutted toward the ashen sky, the air reeked of ash and burnt wood, laced with the acrid stench of scorched flesh.
Among the wreckage, a group of men—dust-covered and hard-faced—walked slowly, digging through the debris with sticks and calloused hands, scavenging whatever was left of value.
Outside, ten wagons drawn by ostrich horse with sparse feathers and restless eyes waited for the group to return before continuing their journey.
After long minutes, the men emerged from the ruins, carrying thin sacks filled with the little they'd managed to find.
The leader—a man around forty-five, missing an arm and bearing a jagged scar cutting through one eyebrow—stood by the wagons. His eyes assessed the group as they approached, already seeing that luck hadn't been on their side this time. "So, did you find anything useful?"
"Not much, boss," answered one of the looters, a wiry man with a scraggly beard, spitting on the ground. "Those bastards from the Fire Nation burned everything. Only ash and trash left."
"Tsk." The leader clicked his tongue and looked up at the sky, gauging how far they could still travel before nightfall.
"Hey! I found a kid!"
The shout made everyone turn. One of the men was approaching, a small body slung over his shoulder. The figure hung limp, legs swaying with every step.
"Where was that?" one of the men narrowed his eyes. "I searched every inch of those ruins."
"Behind a tree, lying in the shade," said the man, stopping in front of the leader. "It's a boy."
"Any scars?" asked the leader, circling the man to inspect the boy. His fingers gripped the child's chin, tilting the face side to side.
"Just a bruise on the hand."
The leader smiled—a cold smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Good. He'll fetch a bag full of coins at the market. Chain him up and toss him in the last wagon."
"Yes, boss!"
***
"Heyyy!"
A little girl, about six years old, poked the cheek of the boy lying in front of her, her tiny fingers pressing into his pale skin. The boy didn't move, continuing to sleep.
"Hey, wake up!" she insisted, poking him again. "Are you gonna sleep forever? I don't want to be alone here anymore!"
The boy remained still, his chest rising and falling slowly, oblivious to her pleas.
"Fine..." After minutes of pointless prodding, the girl huffed, her cheeks red with irritation. "You asked for it!" With a swift motion, she slapped the boy's face, the sound echoing through the wagon.
He jolted awake, sitting up suddenly and startling the girl, who jumped back with a little squeal.
For a moment, he just sat there, his vacant gaze drifting around the wagon — the cracked wooden boards, the sacks of loot piled in a corner, the rhythmic sway of the wheels, the chains on his wrists, and finally the brown-haired girl in front of him, also shackled.
Then, without saying a word, he let himself fall back onto the floor, turning his face toward the wall of the wagon, wishing the silence would swallow him whole.
***
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, images or songs featured in this fic. Additionally, I do not claim ownership of any products or properties mentioned in this novel. This work is entirely fanfic.