#suguru / jiyu

[wvthering]

with @afterburning at the zhao estate

suguru's muscles are sore, but it's the kind of sensation he craves – his body close to exhaustion after a good sparring session, arms tense and legs hurting after taking jiyu's hits over and over again. he knows jiyu's fighting style now, his viciousness as well as his tells, the way he tilts his head or positions his feet. it came from years of sparring and years of him studying jiyu, following his every move.

he knows jiyu too, the way he fights and the way he moves and even the way he breathes, suguru knows what his every move means. he used to look at jiyu first with admiration, another non-bender who had made an impressive career for himself, commander of the navy, making even benders obey him by stern tone alone.

jiyu was first an inspiration, the type of person suguru could be if he applied himself to his job. then, at some point, jiyu became a desire, something unattainable that suguru wanted for himself, something he couldn't have for virtue of their positions.

and jiyu is his, or a part of him is, at least.

after they have refreshed from their sparring he follows jiyu into his room, body aching, adrenaline already coming down. all suguru wants is to lie down and relax, to forget that he'll have to get up again and go back to the ito house and to his empty bed.

once they're there suguru unattaches his swords from his hip, carefully leaving them close to the bed. he never leaves them away, they are always within his sight, his most precious possessions, mementos of his mother.

then, without waiting for jiyu, suguru all but falls on his bed, making himself comfortable. it's not the first time he has been there and it won't be the last anyway. "tell me, commander," jiyu's title sounds different on his lips these days, stripped from his deference to a superior, but still respectful. "how's our tally?" he asks, but doesn't give jiyu the chance to answer. "i believe it's 160 wins for me and 157 to you. perhaps you should work on your swordsmanship a little more," suguru adds with a grin. there's nothing he likes more than to tease jiyu.

[missnobodymadness]

💌 and 💝 if you have one for the valentines ask game :D

Hiii!

Thank you so so much for sending some, it means the world to me. T_T Alrighttt, I am reaaay! xD

"💌 - What's your favorite oc couple?"

I pretty much only have oc x canon when it comes to my humanoid characters so I hope these count. :P

My favorite has to be the relationship between Myline and Itachi! Maybe it is because of how tragic, yet, so meaningful (at least for me) it is...it is different, it's not about kissing, hugging or intimate moments, it's about trust, tolerance, comprehension, support and mutual help.

I actually have a post about their dynamics here that I will go ahead and share because it was completely ignored back then. ^^'

"💝 - Link a piece you've drawn or written about an oc couple of your choosing!"

I wish I could draw myself, but unfortunately I can't, so I don't really have any oc couple art I did myself. :( While I've never really focused on my characters relationships when it comes to writing (As in, I've never wrote anything that was fully romance or fluff), I am trying to write romance a bit more now but since english is not my first language I am guessing most of my followers will not be able to understand everything. :') (I'm portuguese)

Since I don't have anything to show for this question, I'd like to share a beautiful piece I got a while ago of my girls Thabisa and Matimba! Commissioned this beauty from the amazing Calmomila!

And some of the posts where I talked about my ships that I am a bit proud of because they are the closest thing to romance I've ever been able to write in english to this day lmao:

Jiyu x Suguru Geto Aisha x Tony Stark Evelyn x Pieck Finger

Unfortunately as an aro person with SzPD I tend to struggle a lot with romance but I am really hoping to get better at it because oc x canon has been helping me a lot with my mental health!

I hope you have a great day and thank you so much for passing by. ♥

[ignitxr]

HOUSE YUE

those she's most desperate to protect

yunxia: despite being sisters and relatively close in age, they are nothing alike. wanning does not wish to force her sister to do what she does not and tries to assist her mother to the best of her ability in order to give yunxia more freedom. she loves yunxia and sometimes doesn't ask questions for fear of being...disappointed.

HOUSE ZHAO

she would die for all of them

jian: a man she respects and genuinely cares for. should house yi be overthrown, jian is wanning's ideal new firelord because she knows he can be trusted to take care of house yue. growing up, they weren't necessarily close, but a certain cliff situation changed their dynamic. now, it would be hard for any house to take wanning's loyalty from jian and house zhao in general.

jiyu: positive relationship. older brother of her dear friend keran. wanning respects jiyu. while they are not close enough to drop the politeness, she would still take an arrow for this one any day.

meilin: should something happen to jian, wanning would want to support meilin into the position of becoming her new ideal firelord. they are friends through mutual hobbies (hunting & traditional dance). wanning taught meilin archery and meilin taught her boldness.

keran: wanning's precious childhood friend. due to the personality difference, wanning always feels like the older one and wants to take care of keran the way she would a younger sister. it is hard for wanning to drop the titles and respect, but keran makes her feel like she can do that.

HOUSE MA

an ally of an ally

yunseo: wanning deep down sees yunseo as an energetic little puppy. he's so sweet. come have another bowl of stew.

HOUSE YI

we are supposed to be enemies...

yuri: years from now, if we must meet on the battlefield, would you still remember the girl dancing in the woods and the peace she's temporarily brought you? wanning's feelings towards yuri are complicated. on one hand, she's weary, but on the other hand...

yeongja: wanning is friendly towards princess yeongja and does not find her as difficult as she's rumored to be. the princess is currently providing her a very important lesson on...ahem. their relationship is complicated, especially since there is the matter of the dream.

her feelings towards all of the yis: complicated LOL

HOUSE CHOI:

nara: friends due to their similar interests. lady nara may be willing to teach wanning lavabending and she's so excited for that!

yura: wanning has a soft spot for yura and finds her adorable. she wants to take care of yura and protect her. would casually cover for her if she finds yura doing something she shouldn't.

HOUSE ITO:

suguru: this swordsman loves well-crafted weapons and house yue happens to be able to provide him with the best.

HOUSE SEOK:

hyeju: a girl to shop and share sweets with. wanning loves spending time with hyeju, though she knows her friend sides with house yi. it's a friendship that is lovely but has the potential to go wrong.

[flashflames]

FOR SUGURU, @wvthering

⸻ OF THE HOUSE OF BLACK AND WHITE .

her head still rings from when she'd woken up. like the toll of a bell over the naihe, one for each missing person from the banquet. the aftereffects of the attack have keran wanting to hurl. or scream. there's no one around

—no one, no brothers or sister she'd seen in the infirmary, no wanning no chanyul no aera just bandaged limbs and bleeding faces each one more hurt than the first, confusion and terror and the knowing on some, the acceptance she's fighting off because she won't—

she needs to find her siblings. there's still rubble in her hair, wounds not yet tended to because she'd run from the infirmary once she'd come to, grasping at the last things that she remembers of her siblings. jian in the determined set of his eyes before a sludge of lava, that she hadn't even seen jiyu throughout, meilin disappearing halfway before she'd managed to get someone else to safety. the thought of her siblings is like a weight pressing up tight against her throat, breath scattering away from her.

there are guards posted at every entrance, but she could find her way to where the attack had happened. if they're still out there, she's going to get to them. keran squeezes her fists together, the sharp of her nails digging into her palm. it helps her think, cutting through the panic. she needs to find them. looks up at the low walls that surround them, easy enough to scale.

the tea house must have been east of the residence—or south, had it been? the memory seems to skitter from her, and she tries to choke on it to stop it from leaving. her nails aren't sharp enough to break through skin, or the fear. she just needs to climb over the wall, and she'll find her siblings. they'll be there. they will.

[wvthering]

with jihoon @stvrkfire at jihoon's library

the healers had told suguru that his arm is healing just fine, just a couple more weeks, my lord, and you'll be as good as new. but it's not easy, not to him. he still doesn't have a grip on a sword with his broken arm, and still can't raise it properly. weeks until he can finally go back to his practice, holding both swords like extensions of himself, weeks until he's finally himself again.

and this is why he feels restless, more than usual. meditating isn't helping, and his work hours have been greatly reduced until he's fully healed – after all, what use can they have for a guard with just one arm? what is he useful for if not for fighting? that is what keeps suguru awake at night, the notion that when he can't hold his swords he is of no use, and if he's of no use he might as well just die.

this is his true problem, suguru doesn't know who he is outside of violence.

there are others he could talk to about it. taesung would hear him, if he spoke. and mostly, taesung would know what to say to him. jiyu would understand him better than anyone, but suguru doesn't want to burden him with this or anything else, he already has enough on his plate as it is. even lady aera, sweet lady aera, would listen to his troubles, but the last thing suguru wants now is to look at her too kind expression.

so there is only one person he can turn to.

suguru makes his way to jihoon's library at closing time, stopping by the door to take the whole place in. it brings back memories, and he can easily spot all the places they pressed each other against stacks of books, desperate for release. well, he is not there for that today. when he sees jihoon, suguru smirks, holding the bottle he has been holding with his good hand.

"i need to get drunk," he says in lieu of greeting. "now."

[missnobodymadness]

I need some help here... So, on my first research, I deduced that Suguru Geto was 19 when he massacred the village and started his cult, however, somehow, after a TikTok video I saw, who claimed him to be 17 at the time, I decided to do research again and...why the fuck every single site told me he was 19 the first time and now all of them say he was 17?!

So now I am here wondering what I should do...the scene I talked about a while ago, between my OC and him, has lots of meaning to me and a big impact on her story and I really don't want to change it but now I am feeling a bit worried about being judged for it because it contains sexual intercourse that is very important for that scene in question and I'd hate to change it, it would take away all the meaning of it.

You see, both characters are the same age, Jiyu is just a few months younger than Suguru, HOWEVER, I am a 31 years old human and I know how *certain people* feel about this shit, so I am afraid for my own safety, even though I never really intended to write the sexual intercourse part, I only mention they spend that night together (I don't really write explicit things, I am not here for that LMAO).

I am wondering if anyone from the JJK fandom has a source to the official timeline? I can only find wiki pages and reddit posts but none have sources, I really want to confirm this as I've also seen some people debating that he was 18-19 instead, I mean, Suguru was totally changed in that scene, he looked way older than his 16 years old scenes.

Here is an example...

Is Suguru's age actually official? Do we have the official date of the massacre? *screams*

I feel like I am too old to worry about this shit but I am fucking afraid of these little insects. :'D

[missnobodymadness]

Listening to this music and thinking about Suguru Geto...once again. I just can't stop thinking about that man, I think I may have a serious problem here. :))))

Anyway, sounds like an interesting music for the night Jiyu (my JJK OC) and Geto spent together before the massacre.

I confess I'd sing this to Geto every single night during his depressive episode if he was a real person, sorry not sorry.

[missnobodymadness]

"You locked your heart, you wake up With tears and stars in your eyes You gave it all to someone that cannot Love you back, your days are packed With wishes and hopes for the Love that you've got, you wasted it All to someone that cannot love you back Someone that cannot love, love Ain't this enough? You push yourself down You try to take comfort in words But words, they cannot love Don't waste them like that 'Cause they'll bruise you more You secretly made Castles of sand that you hide in the shame But you cannot hold tides that break down And you're building them all over again You talk all this words, you make Conversations that cannot be heard How long until you notice that No one is answering back?"

Have been listening to this song basically all day because this is literally the perfect song for this specific scene of my Jujutsu Kaisen OC's story that I wrote last night and got me all emotional.

Basically the scene takes place the night before Suguru Geto loses his head and commits the massacre.

Jiyu decides to visit him, bringing him some food and helping him with his hair, brushing off his hair knots and eventually convincing him to take care of himself by taking a hot bath.

That night he wasn't resisting as much as usual, he was even cooperating, Jiyuu realized that something was off when he smiled at one of her usual stupid remarks to which he usually reacted with indifference.

"Maybe he is just trying to fool me into believing he is feeling better so I leave him alone?" She thought to herself, deciding to leave.

But contrary to what she thought just a few seconds ago, a cold voice could be heard from the corner of the room, clearly asking her to stay.

She couldn't understand why he was acting so atypically that night but she couldn't deny his call, while he was not the same person she used to know, she still cared too much about him.

They eventually spent the night together, she trusted him enough to give everything away to a man who needed to know if he could still feel, for a love that would only be momentary.

It was barely 5AM when she got a call for a new mission, her reputation amongst her colleagues and college was already bad enough, she knew she couldn't afford the priviledge of saying no to them again.

Noticing that he was deep asleep, she tried her best to get up without waking him up, leaving him a letter explaining why she had to leave.

Had she known what was about to come, Jiyu would never have left him alone that morning.

She was, after all, just a test before the madness.

[wvthering]

jiyu

not that jiyu’s a great philosopher, or all that knowledgeable on the common talking points. suguru’s alternative suggestion is much more enticing anyway; jiyu does come, slips one hand up into suguru’s hair and takes his own weight with the other. kissing the man beneath him is terribly easy. jiyu only lets up when his arm starts protesting, already tired after their sparring, and leans back to shift. “if you want dinner, i think we should have the servants prepare it now.” before they catch them naked.

suguru rolls his eyes at the teasing, knowing well that jiyu didn't mean anything by it. jiyu has far harsher words when he wants them to hurt. suguru hasn't been at the receiving end of them, but he has seen the other man out there in the sea and reminding some less enthusiastic soldiers of the discipline expected of the fire nation navy. but he will admit that the kiss on his collarbone to soften the blow is quite nice.

"i looked the exact way i look now, you're just being nostalgic." or rather, jiyu must prefer to be out in the sea than in land. suguru worked long enough in the navy to know that it is quite common among some, they develop a taste for being away from land – and certain people, and responsibility – and would rather be at the sea at all times.

at his next words, however, suguru scoffs. "now, commander, don't lie," he says, fingers brushing through jiyu's hair. "we both know that the only fun we'd have in your cabin is talking fight strategy." after all, suguru worked under him for three years, and despite his commander openly staring at him – suguru was not blind to those looks, as he's sure jiyu wasn't to his – he was never inappropriate. no, jiyu is not the type of person who would jeopardize his position for a subordinate, now matter how attractive they are.

they kiss and suguru places a hand on the nape of jiyu's neck, enjoying their proximity. when jiyu pulls away he almost follows for more, but stays against the pillow, humming. "i suppose we should eat after all that sparring. you really didn't go easy on me." not that suguru would want him to, he appreciates that jiyu always fights him with full force. "but i can't sleep here tonight. i have the first shift tomorrow and i'm not risking keran seeing me leaving your room." he has had too many close calls already. "i don't want her to burn me to a crisp for taking advantage of her brother's virtue." he jokes, fingers still playing with jiyu's hair.

[wvthering]

jiyu

“but you shouldn’t write off wonshin like that. handsome man, isn’t he? almost makes you understand why he’d cheat on–”, but here he trails off, uninterested in rehashing old news. it’s not that suguru’s wrong, because he had been better looking, when they’d worked on the same crew. jiyu leans back, to meet suguru’s eyes. there’s that look on his face - like a pleased cat owl, playing idly with its food. jiyu quite likes it on him, finds himself wanting to keep it on there. “what, we’re settling for survival now? and here i thought we could do better.”

the weight of jiyu's body on top of his is comforting and familiar. suguru makes himself comfortable with one arm propping his head against the pillow, and lets his other hand touch jiyu's back and the back of his head, fingers idly playing with his hair. it's nice to be like this, relaxed, no duties to think of. if they were called to a fight right now suguru knows that both of them would be up in a second, swords in hand, ready to fight. that too is comforting, knowing that jiyu understands his fighting spirit, that he understands what a life of violence is.

suguru is a man of simple wants and simple needs, it's only the fact that jiyu is one of those that complicates things. as he kisses jiyu again, and watches as jiyu speaks, he commits the moment to his memory, keeps it there so he can remember it in the future, when jiyu, a zhao heir, has to eventually move on to someone else, someone more suited to him than suguru could ever be.

"how dare you jiyu, i don't just stand around. i also follow the princesses too, it's a hard job." his voice is all amusement as he speaks. "princess yeongja is very sought after, her schedule is tight." he would know, with how many times yeongja requests his presence by her side. not that suguru minds, he quite enjoys spending time with someone who he can understand. he will always appreciate honesty above all else.

suguru smiles as jiyu speaks, used to jiyu's tendency to gossiping. for someone who looks so closed off he seems to know quite a lot about other people's affairs. "we can, but for people like us survival comes first, doesn't it?" he asks. after all, being a soldier is not about enjoying life, but making sure that the kingdom survives above all else. "but let's not talk about it, you know i can't keep up with you if we start another philosophical debate." he smiles, fingertips brushing against jiyu's scalp. "instead come here and kiss me again."

[wvthering]

jiyu

“are you keeping that tally as your motivation, or to rub it under my nose?” he props himself up, elbow to mattress and chin to hand. suguru’s close enough to kiss. the proximity is intoxicating. “if this is how you spend your time, perhaps they’re not keeping you busy enough at the palace. are your talents wasted, suguru? you can tell me, and i’ll ask to take you back.” they’re empty words - suguru’s better off in his current position. but jiyu likes to toy with the idea of them back on the same ships, crossing the ocean.

"both," suguru answers with a faint smile. "i like to know how well i do when facing worthy opponents." knowing one's strengths and weaknesses is an important part of improving, after all, and suguru doesn't think he will ever be satisfied at himself. that he is in hari bulkan instead of highpoint is already indicative of his level – there are many family members he still wants to beat, he can't call himself excellent until he has done so.

but as he looks at jiyu, so close, he thinks that maybe it isn't so bad that he is in the capital. it's a dangerous thought, one that suguru doesn't let take root in his mind. so, to both distract himself and just because he can suguru moves forward, kissing jiyu. there was a time when even the thought of it made him recoil, knowing that nothing could come out of wanting his superior.

but that time is in the past, and now he can kiss jiyu as many times as he wants, and suguru fully indulges in it, instantly kissing jiyu again after they pull apart, one hand on jiyu's cheek, feeling the warmth of his skin.

at last he lies back again, making himself comfortable against the pillows. "thank you, but my time in the navy is over." not that jiyu means it anyway. suguru understands why he likes it so much, there is a type of freedom that only exists while being out in the sea, but he quite likes his new role.

"why, jiyu? do you miss my presence?" he teases. "i understand, i was the most good looking person in your ship, after all." not that suguru cares that much about his own appearance, but he had always noted the way his commander would look at him. that was torture, but this, right here, is pure bliss. "but i'm sure we'll survive just fine without me."

[afterburning]

suguru

suguru smiles as jiyu speaks, used to jiyu's tendency to gossiping. for someone who looks so closed off he seems to know quite a lot about other people's affairs. "we can, but for people like us survival comes first, doesn't it?" he asks. after all, being a soldier is not about enjoying life, but making sure that the kingdom survives above all else. "but let's not talk about it, you know i can't keep up with you if we start another philosophical debate." he smiles, fingertips brushing against jiyu's scalp. "instead come here and kiss me again."

there’s something to the way men look when they’re relaxed in jiyu’s sheets. and there’s something even more special about this particular man - ito suguru, who commands respect in the rooms he enters, letting his guard down. ito suguru, with his head on jiyu’s pillow, with his fingers tangled up in jiyu’s hair. smiling, as if he doesn’t realise he’s doing it. jiyu thinks he could probably get drunk on the sight alone.

“i would never want to undervalue your work.” he smiles; his fingers dip beneath the collar of suguru’s shirt, trace the outline of his shoulder. “i’m sure you do well as the princess’ lapdog.” to take the bite of out his words he leans in to press a kiss to suguru’s collarbone, dips back up in time to catch the expression on his face. he’s teasing, and suguru knows him well enough to know this, but his words are treason - he’d rather not feel the consequences of a wounded ego. “but i will freely admit it, i miss the way you looked at sea. and think of the fun we could have in my cabin.”

he hums in agreement when suguru speaks of survival, since this is the objective truth of men in their position. he’s long been glad they share this value, that suguru and him rarely disagree. it makes it easy to like him more than jiyu thinks he probably should. “no, alright. no talk of death.”

not that jiyu’s a great philosopher, or all that knowledgeable on the common talking points. suguru’s alternative suggestion is much more enticing anyway; jiyu does come, slips one hand up into suguru’s hair and takes his own weight with the other. kissing the man beneath him is terribly easy. jiyu only lets up when his arm starts protesting, already tired after their sparring, and leans back to shift. “if you want dinner, i think we should have the servants prepare it now.” before they catch them naked.

[afterburning]

suguru

"why, jiyu? do you miss my presence?" he teases. "i understand, i was the most good looking person in your ship, after all." not that suguru cares that much about his own appearance, but he had always noted the way his commander would look at him. that was torture, but this, right here, is pure bliss. "but i'm sure we'll survive just fine without me."

there’s something jiyu could say, about worthy opponents and keeping tallies, but there’s only a short moment of opportunity before suguru leans in and they end up preoccupied by other activities. and it’s not that he loses himself in it, not fully - but he reciprocates eagerly, presses back into suguru’s touch. lets his fingertips explore suguru’s back where it doesn’t meet the mattress, skim over the bumps of his spine. they part, and kiss again. jiyu smiles into it without even noticing that he’s doing it.

he chases after suguru when he falls back, leverages himself up with an arm to suguru’s chest. it’s nice to be with a man who can take his weight without complaining; jiyu leans in, lets suguru talk, steals a third kiss just to feel like he’s winning a competition that’s only playing out in his own mind. suguru had gotten the jump on him before, but jiyu’s the one crowding against him now.

“a man of your talents, and most of what you do is standing around,” he teases back. the problem is that jiyu knows what suguru was like, out at sea. and he knows what he’s like now, too, and that they wouldn’t be doing this anyway if suguru was still under his command. jiyu respects hierarchy too much to even consider making moves on subordinates; any ideas he’s voicing now are nothing more than fantasies.

“but you shouldn’t write off wonshin like that. handsome man, isn’t he? almost makes you understand why he’d cheat on–”, but here he trails off, uninterested in rehashing old news. it’s not that suguru’s wrong, because he had been better looking, when they’d worked on the same crew. jiyu leans back, to meet suguru’s eyes. there’s that look on his face - like a pleased cat owl, playing idly with its food. jiyu quite likes it on him, finds himself wanting to keep it on there. “what, we’re settling for survival now? and here i thought we could do better.”

[afterburning]

suguru

then, without waiting for jiyu, suguru all but falls on his bed, making himself comfortable. it's not the first time he has been there and it won't be the last anyway. "tell me, commander," jiyu's title sounds different on his lips these days, stripped from his deference to a superior, but still respectful. "how's our tally?" he asks, but doesn't give jiyu the chance to answer. "i believe it's 160 wins for me and 157 to you. perhaps you should work on your swordsmanship a little more," suguru adds with a grin. there's nothing he likes more than to tease jiyu.

there’s something about having a handsome man in your bed, comfortable in the sheets. suguru looks like he belongs, right at home in jiyu’s room, stretching like an overlarge cat. his swords against the wood of the bedframe, not far from jiyu’s own; barefoot, cleaned up after their sparring. in an hour or two, jiyu knows from experience, the waning light of the sun will hit him just right and accentuate his features in the most flattering of ways.

but the time is now. and now jiyu puts a knee on the edge of the mattress, lowers himself more carefully than suguru had. stalls right there, while he’s hovering above him, when suguru starts talking, and lets himself fall forward into him with a laugh.

“only if you count that time off sunspear.” of course, if those four wins of suguru’s were to be taken off the tally, then so would jiyu’s nine in a similar state: specifically, drunk. but jiyu’s not in the mood to argue about specifics. there’s no better way to take a loss than with the knowledge that he’ll get his opponent grinning and pleased with themselves afterwards, the kind that’s infectious. good mood with only so much smugness that jiyu can find it in himself to be fond rather than annoyed.

maybe suguru’s right, and jiyu should practice more. but it’s difficult to outdo a man who’s dedicated his life to swordplay and has spent little time on anything else. not to mention that jiyu’s got him beat (most of the time) when they drop their weapons and grapple. anything suguru says to him now, he’ll get back next time they train - jiyu can take the ribbing.

“are you keeping that tally as your motivation, or to rub it under my nose?” he props himself up, elbow to mattress and chin to hand. suguru’s close enough to kiss. the proximity is intoxicating. “if this is how you spend your time, perhaps they’re not keeping you busy enough at the palace. are your talents wasted, suguru? you can tell me, and i’ll ask to take you back.”

they’re empty words - suguru’s better off in his current position. but jiyu likes to toy with the idea of them back on the same ships, crossing the ocean.

[flashflames]

wvthering:

the throbbing of his head is what stops suguru from falling asleep. he was given something for the pain, but threw the tea away when the healer wasn't looking – lucky him it wasn't lady aera, or she would've watched him until he drank the whole thing. what he needs now is not the oblivion of a medically induced sleep, what he needs is to know what is happening. his memory comes back to him in bits and pieces, the spirits, the fight, trying to control the crowd and falling on his arm and hearing the crunch of his bones. he touches it carefully, the pain making him grind his teeth and close his eyes. he touches his swords and takes a deep breath, calming himself. he has them, not everything is lost. right now what he needs is not to despair, but to think like the royal guard he is – he wasn't able to protect the yi family, but he can still do something, anything instead of sitting around. besides, there are people who need more medical attention than him. suguru walks away from the infirmary, legs still trembling, but he forces himself to move, to do something. it's when he sees keran and he knows, he knows what she is about to do. he knows her well, as a friend and mentor, but also as a fellow warrior, he knows what she wants to do. "keran," he calls her, voice tired. "keran, come back now!"

older siblings are supposed to always be present. standing in a row in front of her cot the moment she was born, and naively, keran's always thought that they would be there, even at her sending off. there is no version of reality where her siblings would be gone, to her. and therefore, she must get them back from where they were left at the tea house.

she reacts to the voice stopping her on instinct, flames whirling up along her better arm to defend against whoever's spoken, only reducing when she realises who it is. suguru—he's closer to jiyu, but she considers him a friend as well, and a mentor. a soldier. her favoured style of firebending comes partly from what she's learnt under his tutelage, which means he often knows what moves she means to make, sometimes even before she can make them. but that's in their practice spars, not a time like this. not when her siblings are all missing.

"i can't," she says, shaking her head. the movement gives her vertigo, the contents of her head ringing in her ears. "i can get to them," she says. "i can, i need to find my siblings."

if suguru means to stop her, then she means to fight him. she means to fight anyone who might stand in her way and stop her from finding her siblings, even koh and the spirits who had attacked them last night. "i don't know where my siblings are, suguru. jian is—" swallowed by lava, the last she'd seen him. her breath shakes, and the fire in her hands flicker and sputter out, like a bender's first flames. "i will fight you if you try to stop me."