The Birth of Kano: Memoirs of Yukiko Kazan

[Yukiko]

July 1, 415 A.W.

So we came back from vacation early after all. I really didn’t feel like staying on Ember Island any longer and Genji was fine with that. I don’t think he likes hot weather anyways, so it worked out well for both of us. The first thing I did when we got back was to get in touch with Professor Minho, my Intermediate bending tutor.

Genji wasn’t happy that I went back to training practically on the day we returned. But I’ve started to not care as much about how Genji feels about my decisions. Is that a bad thing? I don’t know. I just feel like he’s trying too hard to keep me near him. It bugs me sometimes. I’ve always liked my alone time and I don’t get that much now, with our family dead. It’s like he’s scared I’ll leave him, which is kind of ridiculous. He’s my brother, I love him, and he’s basically all I have left. I couldn’t leave him if I wanted to. And if even if I DID want to leave, where would I go? Still, I wish he’d give me some space...

But that’s not the point of this entry. I wanted to say that there was a new girl at the school today. She’s a few years younger than me, but apparently she’s a cousin to the Fire Lord himself. I was in the practice area with Professor Minho when she was brought down on a tour. Since all the Firebending teachers teach at all levels, the headmaster introduced her to Minho and me. She was polite, inquisitive even. Her name’s Kozue Seiren Ishida. Kind of a mouthful, if you ask me. I wasn’t as polite as I could’ve been. I hate being interrupted, especially when training. I’ll admit, I was kind of irritable and probably a little rude too. Headmaster Chang didn’t say anything, though. Besides, she seemed really impressed that I was still training with a professor, even though it’s summer break right now.

I wonder if I'll see her around the campus. Who knows, I might even be helping with her classes on deportment anyways. The older girls usually do get involved with that. And now that I’m no longer a “problem child,” I’ve been doing a lot of work with the teachers. I’ve always been comfortable in really formal settings, in the attire of a proper noble lady. I’d rather be training, of course, but at least I don’t embarrass myself.

[Yukiko]

July 13, 415 A.W.

You know what I just realized? I didn't set time aside to remember Arashi on the day he died. Can you believe it? He was my favorite twin and I completely spaced on it. Sure, I'd been sick for so long and busy catching up, but good grief. And then to not realize it until over two months later? How terrible of a sister am I to not remember something so important?

To kind of make up for it, I've spent most of today wandering his favorite garden on the family compound. It’s kind of tucked away in a distant corner and most of the family doesn’t come by here. I doubt many of them even know about it. It was kind of Arashi’s garden, really. When he had time to spare, he was always here taking care of it. It’s got a lot of exotic plants from all over the Earth Kingdom and Allied Earth States that he somehow managed to get a hold of. I’m writing beneath his favorite tree. It's a moon peach tree that he brought back from the Earth Kingdom as a seedling. I don't know where he got it or how, but it's a really beautiful tree. And the peaches are always so juicy and sweet. They’ve just begun to ripen and oh, how I love them. The tree's really thrived in the three years it’s been here.

[Yukiko]

August 10, 415 A.W.

So school has been going on for a little over a week now. And it’s become my usual practice to spend the majority of my time in the library...when I’m not training or sparring, that is. I find it’s a lot easier to avoid the girls who have perpetually caused me problems if I’m up here. I never see any of them in the library. I sometimes wonder if they’re even aware of its existence. But that little girl from the summer, Kozue, showed up in my usual cubby this evening, right after dinner. It was a very surreal moment. I was reading about the history of the North Pole’s Spirit Oasis, munching on an apple as usual. I had been sitting there for hours reading and didn’t notice when she first walked up. When I finally did notice, she smiled and asked what I was reading. I told her and she said it sounded interesting. She then asked if she could join me in the cubby with a book of her own. She was holding a book on calligraphy. I didn’t see the harm in it, so I said she could.

I eventually decided I should do my calligraphy for class tomorrow. Kozue’s book had reminded me of it, so I marked my place and pulled out the assignment and my supplies. Kozue was still sitting there on the other side of the table. My assignment was fairly simple, which was nice. I had to copy some famous poem, which was about 20 pages long, entirely in calligraphy. I enjoy the stylistic beauty and artistry of calligraphy, so I always try to do my best in that class.

I poured a bit of water from a bottle into the ink stone and went through the motions of grinding down the ink stick. As I sat there copying the artist’s style, I heard a soft scraping sound. When I looked up, Kozue had scooted closer to me. She had this curious look on her face. It was...awe, I think. Or curiosity at the very least. I asked if she liked calligraphy and she said she thought it was pretty to read, but terribly difficult to write. Apparently she was having a lot of trouble in her calligraphy class, so she had gotten a book on it for help. I was kinda surprised by that. She doesn’t seem like the type to need much help with anything. Then again, she also seems a bit...unfocused, I guess. Like there’s too much of interest to her and she can’t pick which one to pay attention to. How she intends to get anywhere with that mentality is beyond me. Anyway, I offered to help her with her calligraphy. You should’ve seen how her face lit up at that. We’ll start lessons tomorrow night, after I finish training with my cousins and Professor Minho.