The Pirate Empress

5

"Where'd you get the bracelet?" I asked Kya. Her lower half was on her bed, and she bent backward at the waist, hanging upside down. Izumi was on her other side.

"My girlfriend," she replied, growing red. I think it was her blushing, unless the blood just rushed to her face because we were upside down.

Actually, maybe both. Blushing is just blood-rushing, to your face. At least I think that's where the word came from.

"Ooh," Izumi said. "Details. Now."

"I mean, we were visiting Uncle Sokka three days ago, right? And we'd stayed there for almost a month. So she goes and gives me this bracelet and she has one, too. So now whenever I miss her I just kinda mess with it."

"Cuuuuteee," I sang.

"So, is the ever-mysterious girlfriend revealed? Or is her identity still a secret?"

"Secret."

"Aww," we said.

"You want to know why? So maybe you can stop bugging me so much?" Kya groaned.

"Yes, actually," I said.

"That'd be lovely," Izumi agrees.

"Her dad isn't exactly nice to people who aren't straight. And if I told anyone that we were dating, if we met anywhere that wasn't secret, he'd find out. You know how the papers are, following our everyday lives because our parents are famous."

"Aww. Tell the ever-mysterious girlfriend that she can just come live with us. We've got the space," I said.

"You think I didn't try? She said she wants to stay with her mom." Kya looked like she was gonna cry, and sounded it too.

I flipped up. "Come here, Ky," I said.

She sat up, too, along with Izumi. We wrapped our arms around her from either side.

"I just want to be able to go out with her on real dates, in restaurants. And I want to take her home and show her the city, she's always asking me questions. And I want her to meet you guys and everyone else. But we can't. Because her dad's a jerk."

"I know," Izumi said. "You're right. But think about it. I bet she's super kind, right?"

"Yeah."

"To everyone?"

"Yeah. She's the nicest person ever."

"Why do you think she's like that?"

No reply. Kya was thinking, but I caught on.

"It's because her dad taught her to be that way," I said. "He showed her what it's like to be hated for what you are. So maybe, if nothing else, maybe this taught her how to be a little bit nicer."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Izumi said. "She's probably amazing, I bet she means a lot to you. And we all know how much our parents can affect how we are."

"So he's just made her a little stronger, and a little nicer, and a little bit more awesome," Kya said, pulling away. The two of us nodded. "I'm not mad at him anymore," she said after a pause. "Just annoyed at the press."

"Yeah," Izumi said. "A few weeks ago, Bumi and I went out, right?"

"Okay," I said.

"Turns out, the press was taking pictures of us."

"That's so invasive!" Kya said, loosing her own dating issues for a moment. "They have no right!"

"I know! But at least they got a good one," Izumi said, pulling a photo out from her pocket. It was a picture of Izumi and Bumi standing together on this little hill, just a few hours before sunset, if the sun was anything to tell time by. They were holding hands and making heart eyes at one another, dorky smiles on their faces. The wind blew Izumi's hair and dress just right, to make her look like a model or something.

"Woah," I said, "remind me to have them get pictures of me and Zari."

"Hmm, speaking of which," Izumi said, putting the picture on the nightstand. "Spill, sister."

"What drama are you and Zari getting into?" Kya asked, teasingly.

"None, actually." I grinned, waiting.

"Ooh, she's holding information!" Izumi said.

"We said spill, we meant it!" Kya added.

"Me and my prince are doing wonderfully."

" 'My prince!' " Izumi screamed.

"Aww!" Kya giggled.

"There's more. I see it in your eyes," Izumi said, poking my face.

"Spill it all, little sister!" Kya said. "Or else we'll go get Zari!" She started to stand.

"Don't you dare!" I yelled, tackling her.

Izumi jumped down and held me. "Go!"

I struggled to get rid of her arms. "I will kill you!"

"Give us the story, then," Izumi said.

"Fine!"

Izumi and Kya sat on the floor, and I sat on the desk chair. I laughed. "The looks on your faces! Like I'm about to tell a group of kindergartners a story."

"You better be telling a story," Kya said.

"Not much to tell."

"How about we go ask Zari?" Kya asked.

"I said I'd kill you and I meant it."

Izumi raised a brow.

"Fine. So, three weeks ago we were in the South Pole. He ended up not letting me on the ship, keeping the ramp up, and I tried to throw a snowball at him. Called him evil, because my boots were soaked. He just melted it and laughed and said he knew I loved it. And then.."

Kya and Izumi were basically in my lap. "Okay, class, move back, Miss Suyin needs space to breathe," I teased.

"Story! Story! Story!"

"Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine." I paused, smiling.

Kya smacked my leg. "Stop stalling! I wanna hear this story!"

"Okay, okay. I said, 'No, I love you.' And then he said it back. And for the past few weeks, on our way back here, we can't seem to stop." Pretty sure I was so red that I'd turned a bit purple at this point.

The two of them were up like bullets, screaming and jumping around. I laughed at how ridiculous this was - I mean, sure, the three of us sometimes snuck away during parties and goofed off and stuff, and I bet it looked funny to anyone else when three teens were wearing dresses and sparring in a backyard. Izumi especially, usually so composed, was shrieking and jumping up and down like a little kid in her super long red dress. How she didn't trip, I have no idea.

"Calm down!" I yelled.

"No way!" Kya picked me up and hugged me, the Izumi hugged me from the other side. We were all jumping around together then, squealing, when the door opened.

Shi lifted an eyebrow. "You okay in here?"

"We're good!" I giggled, as the three of us slowed down.

"Hmm. Well, Katara said the three of you need to do something besides spill secerets up here all night."

"Aww," Kya said, shooting me a look. A look that Shi noticed.

"You got any secerets about you and Zari?"

"No, ma'am!"

"Like I believe that."

"See ya!" I yelled, ducking under her arm and running. The other two followed, and I looked back at them as we sped into the living room. Just in time for me to run and hit someone full-on.