Aconite
. helium lost .

Author's Notes: I just love the Yuu Yan Archers :B So I decided to take a set of my own prompts and write seven fics for my 7-chakras challenge about the Yuu Yan Archers. Of course, they're all OCs, but, trust me, I know the difference between an OC and a Mary Sue/Marty Stu ;)

Anyways, "Water Night" is the story of Wolfeyes, a waterbender in the Fire Nation who, frankly, hates all waterbenders. But when he is unwillingly healed by a waterbender in the midst of a heated battle, he's shocked to discover that he feels an unfamiliar emotion toward this girl, something that feels utterly different from hate—love…

I've decided to split this into parts for ease of readability. At the moment, "Water Night" is hovering around 4,000 words, and those are only the critical scenes… I'm thinking that the finished product will be around 8,000-10,000 words long, so expect it to be around three or four parts long. :B And this is only for one prompt! So, without further ado, here goes!

Prompt: #07. coming to terms with myself

WATER NIGHT
Part I

They called him Wolfeyes.

His eyes were a brilliant, blue-white color, almost like glittering ice during the harshest, coldest winter. These eyes pierced with their intensity, forced people to look away as his silent gaze bore on—it was like getting stabbed, being looked at from this man.

And it was these eyes that betrayed him.

They stood out against the rich, sun-warmed color of his skin—and, most particularly, they stood out against the red paint that covered his face like a mask. The beautiful curves of the double-axe insignia adorned him and the eleven others that formed the deadly Yuu Yan Archers.

"Waterbender, aren't you?"

Those were the first words that greeted him when he walked into the room. The other eleven stopped their activities and looked him from head to toe. He stood the way they stood—straight, poised, ready for retaliation against the slightest movement and attack. His mouth was set in the same line, his hands slung casually into the pockets of his uniform. The quiver was strapped to his back, and his longbow crossed his chest loosely.

He remained silent. The others kept their relentless gaze on him. Most had brown eyes; one had brilliant golden eyes that seemed to sparkle in the afternoon light.

"A waterbender in the Fire Nation," murmured one of them, laying down another pai-sho piece on the board, and crooked smirks came to the faces of the rest, their movements almost coordinated, as if they were one person. One laughed softly.

"Don't use that disgusting term on me," Wolfeyes hissed in a tone so venomous that it startled the rest of them, and they looked up at him with surprise. "I hate—waterbenders. I'm not one—and don't you ever—ever—say that I am."

One of them whistled softly as he placed a pai-sho piece opposite the one that had just been laid down. "Wolfeye's got issues," he said, eliciting chuckles from the rest of the group.

"Shut the hell up," he retorted, tossing his things with excessive force onto his assigned bunk. "And don't give me nicknames that I don't want. My name is Huowei, not Wolfeyes."

"Huowei?" said another one, turning to look at him. "Doesn't that mean—power of fire?"

"Why the hell would it matter?" he retorted, his gaze becoming even more piercing and steely. "I hate waterbenders. I'm not a waterbender. Even on the verge of death with water nearby, I wouldn't once wish to be able to control that water and use it to save myself. As far as I know, I'm a child of the Fire Nation, and only the Fire Nation. Those dumps of ice and snow are nothing to me. They mean nothing, and there's nothing I'd love to see more than all of them disappearing."

"Whatever you say," murmured the first archer as he laid down another pai-sho piece on the board. He grinned slyly. "Yeah, I'd like to see you counter that move, Hawk."

"Psh," he said, slapping a piece onto the board. "Keep trying, Oldtimer. These eyes of mine can see every weakness you leave on the board. And you've made a fatal error." He grinned. "I win."

Oldtimer threw his hands up in the air, exasperated. "I give up. I can't beat you."

Hawk raised his eyebrows. "Now that doesn't sound like Yuu Yan determination to me. C'mon, one more game?" He leaned in closer and put his elbows on the table. "Or are you too scared?"

"Like hell I'm scared!" Oldtimer said, slapping his palms down on the table, making the pieces clatter against the wooden surface. "Clear the board. And this time, I'm going first."

Huowei rolled his eyes and grabbed his longbow and quiver from where they were on the bed. "Yeah, well I'll be in the shooting range, in case some urgent mission comes up." He frowned. "Though whether or not I'd enjoy it with you people is dubious."

"Yeah, well, you can't pull out now," Hawk said, carefully taking the pai-sho pieces off the board. "You're in for five years, at the least." He took the lotus tile off of the board. "Unless you die before your period's up, of course." He looked up, but by then, Huowei had already gone. He sighed.

"Can you imagine working with that guy? For five years?" He screwed up his face in a grimace. "And I'm his roommate, too, ugh."

Oldtimer shrugged. "There's always one. As long as he can work in a group and doesn't try to commandeer us, we'll be fine." He played his first move. "I've met enough of those kind. You'll get used to them."

Hawk frowned. "Yeah, whatever." He looked up as he heard a chair scraping against the ground. "Where you going, Sika?"

Sika looked back and shrugged. "To take a walk." He left the room, his footsteps echoing down the hall. Hawk raised his eyebrows inquisitively but said nothing as he laid down another piece. Sika made his way through the hallways, passing the mahogany dining room before he exited the complex.

Thwap. Thwap. The sound of the firing range got louder as he approached, his footsteps soft and quiet. He opened the gate and stepped in, carefully navigating around the broken arrows and discarded quivers. Standing by the fence, he watched Wolfeyes as he shot the arrows—with a look of intense concentration, Wolfeyes pulled back the string, his fingertips gripping the end of the arrow; he tilted his head and fixed his gaze on the bullseye. His piercing blue gaze never once wavered as he let go of the string; the arrow flew through the air with a slight whistling sound before it hit—thwap—the dead center of the target. He lowered the bow and admired his handiwork for a second before pulling another arrow out of his quiver.

"You're very good," Sika said, raising his voice and calling out across the range, and Wolfeyes turned, eyes narrowed.

"Thanks," he muttered after a pause before he repeated the process. Thwap—he split the first arrow with the second. Sika sighed and walked up to Wolfeyes. He put a hand on his shoulder; Wolfeyes tensed.

"Listen—it's hard the first few weeks. Sometimes it takes months to fully adjust." He frowned. "And it doesn't help that they're always just general jerks about newcomers." He sighed and gave Wolfeyes' shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "But I'm not like them—if you need to, come over and tell me if you're having any difficulties." He smiled a small, secret smile. "All right?"

Wolfeyes looked at Sika with an unreadable expression on his face, then nodded.

"All right."

Author's Notes: Feedback is greatly appreciated. This part is really short because it's the beginning; future parts will be much longer :B

4/22/2007