A thousand kind words could not make up for the mark her aunt had left on her face this time. The blow had been enough to force Nami to stumble back, and a dark purple bruise was now blossoming where the open hand had connected with her flesh. She wasn't even sure what had caused this hit. She never really paid attention anymore, because she knew everything she did would eventually lead to smacks and words that hurt much deeper than any wound to her body.
She just retreated to her quiet place in the woods after these small attacks that seemed inconsequential to her aunt.
But these attacks haunted Nami's dreams, and she didn't know if she would ever get over it. She had considered running... But stopped short at the thought of where she would go. There was nowhere for her to go. With the war, she would likely be killed the moment a Fire Nation soldier saw her. Or raped and killed. Such things seemed to fit in with Nami's sad past existence.
Nami finally reached her favorite place in the woods, only to see a figure already there. Her breath hitched in her throat. Who was that? It was a man. He had a black ponytail, and wore ragged, torn clothes that were covered with dried blood. But the most distinguishing thing about him was the scar on the right side of his face. Nami took a step closer. The stranger's eyes were closed, but she could tell that his breathing was labored, and not all of that blood was dried. Some of it was still escaping from whatever wound the little left of his clothes concealed.
Nami instantly set to work, tearing the shirt off the boy and taking a good look at the wound. It appeared to be fresh. There were burn marks surrounding the large gash. Nami focused on the river nearby and used her bending to bring a small wisp of water over, just enough to clean the wound. Unfortunately she couldn't heal like some water benders could. She had never been taught. She'd have to take this boy home and bandage his wounds. She tried picking him up under his arms, but stopped when it made his wounds start bleeding once more. How would she get him home? She looked around, and finally noticed the river once more. She slowly moved a stream of liquid out of the creek and pushed it under the boy. She suddenly noticed his clothing was red, and not just from his blood. He must be fire nation. She let out a small laugh at the thought of water saving a fire bender.
As she walked back slowly, bending the water into a sort of cot to hold him up, she contemplated what saving him may mean. What if he killed her? Well, wouldn't death be better than her sorry life now? The only thing that had stopped her from taking her life before was fear. What if he brought other soldiers to the village? Well, it was a chance she would have to take. Besides, sleeping he looked like an angel. Sure, an angel who had seen tough times, but nonetheless, he looked...kind. Like he wouldn't kill her.
Finally she reached her aunt's property. She decided bringing the fire bender to the barn would be best. If her aunt found him, there's no telling what she would do.
Nami paused for a moment before peeling the boy's shirt away from his chest. She ducked into the tack room and pulled out the first aid kit. It was generally intended for the animals, but it would have to do. Finally she set to work cleaning the wound once more, with something stronger than just water. She dried his chest with a flick of her wrist, sending droplets of fluid scattering to the dirt floor. She began to wrap the wound. When she finished, she glanced down at his other clothes. Realizing that they were completely filthy, she slipped into the house to find clothes he could wear.
Her uncle had died in battle three years ago, but her aunt still had everything he had owned, including his clothing. Her aunt also refused to sleep in the room they had shared, and now it was free for Nami to sneak in and nab a shirt and pants.
Nami hurried back out to the barn, and pulled the rest of his clothes off, replacing them with the ones she had grabbed.
She sat back, being silent. There was no point in speaking, there was no one to hear what she had to say. Her only company was laying unconscious in front of her, and he may or may not be dying as she watched.
Eventually Nami fell asleep.
When she woke up, the fire bender was sitting up, his expression pained.
"I'm sorry, the only pain meds we have are meant for horses. I don't know how much a human would need," she said. She glanced around, yawning. Suddenly, the firebender's previous clothing caught her eye. "Oops, just a moment."
She grabbed the tattered fabrics and peeked outside. When she didn't see her aunt, she raced to the river and threw the clothes in. If her aunt saw the clothing, then stealing her late uncle's clothing would have been for nothing.
Nami returned to the barn and smiled at the stranger. "I'm Nami," she said. "What's your name?"
The fire bender paused and then answered, "Lee."
Nami smiled again. "It's nice to meet you, Lee. So, what happened to you? I found you down by the river. You were bleeding and unconscious."
"I just got into a fight," he said, brushing it off.
Nami could tell he was lying, but she set it aside. "Well, I'll let you rest for a while longer, but then you need to meet my aunt. She kind of doesn't know you're in her barn... I didn't tell her I found you."
