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chapter ii

Word Count: 1, 517 words

Chapter II: 防人之心不可無

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They finally arrived to the nearest village they came across.

It was already nighttime by the time they arrived, sometime past the last meal of the day, it was a relief to see Ursa happy after being deprived of home for so long. She deserves more than what she's been dealing with, "I was supposed to be Love Amongst Dragons before I was betrothed to the Fire Lord. I was engaged to someone else and in a matter of minutes, I was pulled away from him."

Natsuko wasn't all adept in love, she wasn't sure if that was the right term for it, she was fair with the concept of it but it never occurred to her, "Let's find somewhere to eat."

She argued with the older woman that they had no currency on them and her company just laughed at her outburst and handled the situation for them with ease.

Natsuko has loosen up fairly well despite the long time they spent with each other, it wasn't long for the spirit but a few, probably four or five, months from exile and searching the Avatar was somehow extraneous.

The worst thing was Natsuko still had no means of leaving the island without having to be noticed from the hundreds of parchment with sketches of hers and Ursa's, not only could she continue for her original quest but she wasn't to leave without securing Ursa's life.

They arrived at a house that could shelter a few people and beside where plants grew rich and green and they bear fruit and vegetables plump and easy on the eyes. Ursa knocked on the door thrice before being greeted by a child who held light on her hand, "Can I help you, stranger?"

Natsuko could hear Ursa mutter her questions to who this girl was before asking her another question, "Forgive me for disturbing you at this late hour. I'm looking for my- I'm looking for Magistrate Jinzuk and his wife, Rina."

The little girl's eyes fell at the mention of the names, "They both passed away years ago. I'm sorry."

Natsuko heard the door close and pat her company at the back, piecing two together and heard her choke on a sob and still continued to trudge forward. She was always on the side of losing instead of the opposing, the person to receive a lot of apologies and she wasn't fond of it. People die and it's nothing to be sorry with but she didn't know how she wanted them to tell her too.

All that she can give was a hug and a tug towards the plants, startling Ursa when Natsuko began picking them carelessly, "We can't take much, this could be the garden of someone else."

"It's fine." she continued picking a various array of bearings from the branches and looked around where they would be able to eat, Ursa motioning Natsuko to follow her to the platform of the stage and wasted no time in consuming the food, "It's sweet."

She took a bite from the fruit and agreed immediately at Ursa's outburst, choking at the other outburst that came out of nowhere, "Have you felt love?"

"I did, I still do." Natsuko had feelings of appreciation and happiness whenever she would talk to her other halves and the spirits she cared deeply for, and felt love for Ursa as a child felt love for their mother, "I didn't mean it that way."

"Just like the Dragon Emperor and Empress, that kind of love." the moon shone bright above but they didn't pay it much attention, "Many seek for it, some won't acknowledge it, but somehow it crawls up onto us and suddenly we feel in love without realizing."

Agni, this conversation is awkward than it is, never in her life had she confided to other people about her feelings of that kind of love, mainly because there was no one to offer her love to and it was already a nuisance to let them know that she loves them no matter what they do.