Burning Chapter 7: Ripples

Standing near the main entrance to Omashu, I made sure to check it one last time to ensure that we had everything we’d need before leaving. This was the last stop where things would be so simple. After this, we would be on our own and I wanted to be as ready as possible.

Food, money, objects that could be bartered, I packed as much as could fit in my bag. Unfortunately, there was a limited amount of space on Appa’s saddle. If there wasn’t, I’d probably end up taking a full armory with us.

“You know, I still can’t believe you didn’t tell us that those things were made of rock candy,” Sokka muttered. “The entire time I spent worrying and hungry from skipping breakfast, I could have been eating something delicious that grows from my hand.”

“I didn’t want to spoil the surprise,” I shrugged. “Besides, it all worked out in the end.”

Eyeing her brother, Katara smirked. “Given how you reacted to those fire flakes the other day, I don’t think eating a bunch of candy would have been a good idea... Unless you actually wanted to spend another night on the toilet.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Sokka moaned, rubbing his stomach. “Those things are evil. I don’t think I’ll be trying another Fire Nation dish ever again.”

“Well, it’s not like–“

“Evil, Katara! Evil!”

Spotting Aang heading over alongside Bumi, it looked like we were finished here.

“Hey everyone, how’s it going?” Bumi asked, grinning madly. “Bags packed and ready to leave? I can’t say that I won’t miss you four. It’s been decades since I’ve had this much fun.”

“We’ll visit again soon,” Aang promised. “We just need to go to the North Pole first... You could always come with us if you like.”

That was a terrifying thought.

“Heh, no,” Bumi snorted. “These old bones of mine wouldn’t do so well in such a cold place so far away from earth. My place is here... In Omashu while yours is out there helping the rest of the world.” Placing a hand on Aang’s shoulder, he smiled softly. “I have no doubt that our paths will cross again. The last time we saw each other was nearly a hundred years ago... I can wait a few more months.”

Jumping forward, Aang pulled him into a tight hug. “It won’t be that long this time... I promise.”

“I should hope not. Could you imagine me as a two hundred year old King? I’d be twice as mad,” Bumi cackled, patting Aang’s back. “You four best be going... There’s quite the adventure to be had.”

Pulling back, Aang dried his eyes with his sleeves and grinned.

Smiling in return, Bumi blinked, and began ruffling through his robes before removing a small brown sack that resembled a coin purse before tossing it over to me.

Snatching the sack from the air, I shot a curious glance at Bumi as I reached in and removed a blue ring made from Jennamite. From the feeling of the bag, it was filled with dozens of them.

“Be sure to put those to good use,” Bumi hummed. “Unfortunately, that other thing you mentioned isn’t currently in Omashu, but I’m sure that some will eventually find its way here. In the meantime, I hope to hear news of you using those rings in interesting ways.”

Shaking the bag, the sound of numerous rings clattering against one another was enough to bring a smile to my face. I could have a lot of fun with these.

“I have a few ideas,” I replied. “Thank you.”

They’d definitely come in handy, that much was certain.

“Any time, my young friend. Now, if that’s all, I’ll be seeing you,” Bumi said, waving us off. “If I could offer you four some advice... Never become a king. Sure the perks are great, but there’s so much tedious stuff that needs my attention...”

Saying our final goodbyes, we left Omashu, heading towards Appa who’d spent his time lazing around in a field, waiting for our return.

Upon spotting us, he let out a short groan and made his way over, licking the first person he was able to who just so happened to be Sokka.

“You know what, I missed you too, buddy,” Sokka hummed, falling face first into Appa’s side. “Things can finally start returning to normal.”

Hopping up onto Appa’s back, Aang lightly petted his head before turning towards the rest of us. “So, any suggestions on where we should head next?”

“Well, Sokka and I were thinking that we might stick to the coast line so we can look out for any Water Tribe boats,” Katara replied.

“Then I guess that’s what we’ll do.” Aang grinned. “What about you, Honō? Any place in particular you want to visit before we reach the North Pole?”

“I can think of a few,” I hummed. “There is this one village near a burnt down forest that you might find interesting... There’s a spirit there that could help you with your Avatar duties.”

And hopefully get him on track to meeting Roku.

I wasn’t entirely sure if having Aang meet him during the Winter Solstice was necessary for giving Aang access to the past Avatars, but I couldn’t take any risks. On the off chance that it was, not going would mean Aang losing one of his greatest sources of knowledge.

It was a risk I wasn’t willing to take.

“There is? Great, then we’ll make our way there while travelling along the coast,” Aang decided. “Where is it exactly?”

“Uh... By a burnt down forest,” I shrugged. “I know it’s on the way to the North Pole... We might need to ask around.”

It couldn’t be that hard finding the place. It was plagued by the mutant spirit of a panda after all, people were bound to be talking about it.

“That sounds fine by me,” Aang said. “Well, let’s get going everyone. We’re burning daylight.”

Climbing onto Appa’s saddle alongside Katara and Sokka, I reached for my bag before cursing in frustration. Despite preparing everything that we might need for our trip, I’d forgotten to pack something to do while flying between places.

Maybe I could make a quick stop in Omashu and–

“Appa, yip-yip.”

Watching as the city began to shrink, I sighed. Guess not.

...Burning...

Meeting Azula under such circumstances wasn’t exactly ideal, but it was far from the worst. I was just lucky that she chose to confront the three of us instead of handling this quietly.

She could have just as easily had me followed and arrested if she so pleased. I’d have just disappeared. No one would know what happened. Mai might have an idea, but she’d never be able to confirm it... Not while Ozai was still in power.

“What’s the matter Mai? Cat owl got your tongue?” Azula asked mockingly. Glancing over Ty Lee who’d froze at her appearance, her gaze finally landed on me. “Perhaps we should ask your new friend there... Do you think you could finish Mai’s sentence for her?”

Mai sighed. “Azula–“

“How about we let him speak,” She said, cutting Mai off. “You’ve obviously spent a lot of time around my friends. So much that they’d want to keep you a secret from me. Just what is it that Mai was about to say?” Forming a small blue flame in her hand, she smiled sharply. “I’m waiting.”

She was pretty possessive, I’d give her that... Not that I could blame her, what with the upbringing she’d had.

I needed to pick my next words carefully.

Glancing over at Mai who appeared resigned and Ty Lee who was uncharacteristically silent, I hummed softly. “If I had to guess, Mai was probably going to say that you were busy.”

“Busy?” Azula repeated.

Nodding, I stepped forward. “I’ve heard a bit about you... How you’ve been practicing some advanced Firebending forms.  Doing something like that is bound to take a massive amount of focus and I’m sure that Mai simply didn’t want to distract you.”

Narrowing her eyes, Azula turned towards Mai who sighed tiredly. The funny thing was, it wasn’t entirely false. From what I’d managed to glean, Azula kept distractions to a minimum while training.

“Neither of us wanted to bug you,” Mai muttered disinterestedly. “I was planning on introducing the two of you once you had more time. Unfortunately, that boat seems to have set sail.”

“Yeah, it’s not like we were leaving you out on purpose,“ Ty Lee said. “It’s just... You’ve been so busy and we never really got the chance to talk to you.”

Clenching her hand shut, Azula glanced between her two friends. “Perhaps this is somewhat my fault. Fortunately, I do have a remedy for this situation.”

I was immediately on edge. That was way too accepting and understanding for Azula. There’s no way that she was sincere about any of this. No, this was a game she was playing and if I didn’t want to be caught out, I’d need to play along.

“Since you’re friends with Ty Lee and Mai, I suppose we will be seeing more of each other,” Azula said, a smirk tugging at her lips. “You obviously know who I am, but I don’t know a thing about you... Not even your name.”

From the look Mai was giving me, it seemed I was right. This was a trap.

I didn’t hold myself as a noble, that was easy enough for Mai to tell and Ty Lee... Well, if she’d noticed, she hadn’t really cared. Azula on the other hand had likely already caught on and was trying to trap me in a lie.

The only way forward was to change the rules of the game.

“I could tell you, but where’s the fun in that? Telling you just seems so... Hollow... it’s like proclaiming yourself Phoenix King of the world... Lame,” I remarked, fighting back a laugh at that last bit. “How about we have a little friendly competition? If you win, I’ll tell you my name and if I win you’ll need to figure it out for yourself.”

Azula raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow. “You wish to challenge me to an Agni Kai?”

“Nothing quite so drastic,” I replied. Walking over, I stopped right in front of her. “How about we start off small... Like hitting a target from a distance?” Thanks to Mai, that was something I was pretty good at right now. “We could save the Agni Kai for another day.”

Azula suddenly appeared downright predatory. “And what makes you think I’ll allow this farce you have with Mai and Ty Lee to continue beyond today?”

“One word.” Holding a single finger in front of her, it suddenly lit up with a flame which slowly gained a blue tinge to it. “Curiosity. You’re going to want to know what it’s like to have a friend that isn’t afraid... One who you might even call your equal if given the opportunity.”

Staring at the flame for a few moments, Azula let out a short hum. “Very well, we will have this competition of yours, but when I win, you will tell me your name.”

“Of course.” I extinguished the flame. “When it comes to Firebending, I’m self taught, so I hope you won’t mind me copying you.”

“It’s only natural for others to mirror perfection,” Azula smirked, placing a hand on her hip.

In the distance, Mai and Ty Lee watched with equal parts curiosity and horror as I mirrored Azula’s action. Drawing an annoyed twitch from the Firebending princess when I smirked and placed a hand on my own hip.

...Burning...

Stretching I let out a yawn as I walked through the campsite. Several tents had already been set up, all circling around a newly dug fire pit that was filled with wood, sticks and dried leaves. Sitting to the side of it, Sokka stabbed a sharpened stick through a piece of meat, readying them for the fire while Katara did the same, only with vegetables.

The only thing left to do was to light the fire.

Sitting down on a log in front of the pit, a small flame burned into existence at my fingertips. Bringing it down, I was forced to extinguish it as Aang’s grinning face suddenly appeared in my path.

“Hey there... Honō… What’cha doing? Starting the fire?” Aang asked eagerly.

“I was about to,” I replied, raising a suspicious eyebrow and Aang’s enthusiasm.

“Great... Awesome even. It used to take Sokka ages to get the fire started, but now that you’re around, it’s gotten a lot faster,” Aang beamed, getting an annoyed grunt from said Water Tribe sibling. “But I’ve been thinking...”

Yep, I’d been expecting this for a while now.

“You want to learn Firebending.”

“I want to learn... Hey, how’d you know?” Aang asked. “Oh, yeah... Those vision thingies. So you’ll teach me Firebending, right? As the Avatar, it’s my duty to master all bending disciplines after all.”

I shook my head in amusement. He was really laying it on thick.

The Avatar was generally expected to master the elements in a specific way, but I really couldn’t see why that was necessary... Beyond it being a tradition of course.

From what I could recall, Jeong Jeong said that the order was a necessity due to the discipline that comes along with those elements... That mastering them out of order would cause an imbalance... And then he proceeded to teach Aang Firebending in the worst way possible, imparting his fears on him in the process.

“Sure Aang. I’ll teach you.”

“You will? Awesome,” Aang cheered, literally jumping for joy. “Where do we begin? How to breathe fire? Propelling ourselves? Creating flaming whips?”

I tapped the empty spot on the log next to me. “In time. For now, why don’t you sit? There are a few things I want to talk about before we begin.”

“Aw man.” Dropping onto the log, Aang stared at me expectantly.

That was going to take some getting used to. There was a lot I needed to get through before I’d be showing Aang anything too advanced, but the absolute basics were a good place to start.

“Tell me, why is it that whenever we make a fire we first need to dig a pit and surround it with stone?” I asked, gesturing towards the fire pit.

“Uh, so we don’t accidentally set the forest on fire,” Aang hummed, scratching the back of his head. “And so that it’s easier to cook food on it.”

Well, the food one didn’t really fit with what I was trying to teach him, but it did give me an idea.

“It’s the same with Firebending. When using it, there’s a very good chance that you’ll set your surroundings on fire. It’s an element that demands respect and restraint. Without either, you’ll end up burning yourself… And others,” I explained. “You wouldn’t play with a flaming log… The same applies here.”

“I think I get it,” Aang hummed thoughtfully. “So I need to treat Firebending like a campfire? It can warm everyone when it’s cold, but if you’re not careful you’ll end up hurting them instead.”

“Pretty much.”

Leaning over, I snatched a kebab from where Sokka was sitting, getting an annoyed “Hey!” in the process.

Holding it above my hand, I formed a flame, scorching the outside. “Fire can be quite dangerous, but when treated properly, it becomes something more.” Biting down on the stick, I grabbed Aang’s hand and placed the fire within it. “Hold that for a moment and tell me how it feels.”

Jumping slightly at the sudden new experience, Aang stared down at the flame curiously. Several moments passed before he was able to pull his gaze away. “It’s warm… And pulsing. It’s like a little heartbeat.”

“There’s a common misunderstanding among Firebenders that fire is only destruction and death, but that’s not entirely correct.” I smiled, ghosting my hands over the flames. “Fire is warmth, light and life. It’s what you choose to do with it that defines it. Now… Why don’t you take a deep breath?”

Following my instruction, Aang breathed deeply and the flame suddenly flared, growing several times larger before shrinking back down when he exhaled.

“Woah,” Aang murmured.

I could somewhat understand Jeong Jeong’s wariness of fire, but the look of awe Aang had on his face right now made this all worth it.

Prior to his desertion, Jeong Jeong was an Admiral… One who had a long and successful career and had likely seen a lot of death and destruction brought on by Firebenders and at his own hands. It’d left him feeling disgust for the very element he wielded.

It was precisely why he was the wrong person to teach Aang Firebending.

Aang didn’t need to be given strict instructions on how to bend fire. He needed to be guided and allowed to come to conclusions on his own. A lesson learnt on your own would be more likely to stick than one that’s simply told.

“As with all things in life, if given a path, fire will move more freely,” I continued. “Try breathing in while pushing the flames towards the fire pit.”

Moving his hand a little too quickly, the ball of fire shot forward, igniting the wood within while, at the same time, releasing a wave of heat and soot that washed over the campsite.

“Hehe, whoops,” Aang muttered sheepishly.

“We’ll work on that later, but as for now… Congratulations, you’re a Firebender,” I hummed.

Looking down at the crackling fire that he’d just made, Aang grinned. “Awesome. What’s next?”

“Ahem,” Sokka coughed loudly, holding several kebabs. “If you two are done with your little Jerkbending session, the rest of us would like to get on with supper.”

“Right… Sorry,” Aang apologized. “We should probably eat first.”

“I should think so, supper’s one of the three most important meals of the day,” Sokka lectured. Leaning forward, he stabbed the kebabs into the ground, leaning them over the fire. “Now the trick to cooking meat on an open flame is to sear it first, that way all the juices–“

A loud bang followed by the ground shaking interrupted him.

“What now?” Sokka groaned. “Maybe we could ignore it this time. I mean, it was only one–“ A second loud bang sounded throughout the forest, drawing another groan from Sokka. “Now I know you might think we need to investigate that, but think of the meat.”

“Sorry Sokka… Maybe later,” Aang said, already on the move.

“That didn’t sound too far from here,” Katara hummed, following after him.

Staring at the ground with a forlorn look on his face, Sokka watched in horror as I snuffed the flame out, putting an end to his dream of meaty goodness.

Feeling a little bad for him, I grabbed a pair of kebabs and quickly cooked the meat before handing him one. “How’s that for Jerkbending?”

“Thank you, I won’t forg–GAH MY TONGUE!” Sokka yelled, having apparently decided that it was a good idea to bite into something that’s just been cooked. “Did you have to make it so hot?!”

Laughing, I took off after Aang and Katara with Sokka following closely behind, fanning his tongue as he continued to take bites from his kebab.

It didn’t take long to catch up to the duo… Or, well, Aang who was crouching behind a large log while Katara stood a little further ahead, talking to an… Earthbender?

Oh, we were here. I’d been so focused on Aang’s coming journey into the spirit world that I’d forgotten about this.

…Burning…

It was a little while later that I found myself standing in a small store that sat in a small village just off the coast. At Katara’s insistence, we’d entered the store, following after the Earthbender… Haru… Who was currently arguing with his mom while Katara backed him up.

“Don’t you think, Honō?”

Blinking, I glanced between Katara and Haru, both of whom were staring at me.

“I’m sorry, I kinda spaced out for a few minutes there,” I admitted, getting a snort from Sokka. “What were we talking about again?”

“That Haru should be allowed to use his bending,” Katara repeated. “It would be like asking us to not bend as well… It’s a part of who we are. It’s wrong to tell someone to just… Give up a part of themselves just because it’s convenient.”

Ah, that. I understood where Katara was coming from, but it was a little more complicated. If we were back in Omashu, then I’d wholeheartedly agree with Katara, but out here in a place that was under Fire Nation control, it was far more dangerous.

“Wait, you’re an Earthbender too?” Haru asked.

Well… At least I could say that the clothes Suki gave me were doing their job. “Not exactly,” I hummed, glancing at Aang and Katara. “I’m actually a–“

“Open up!” A man ordered, pounding on the door.

And there was the complication that stood in the way of Haru Earthbending. Stepping into the store, a man clad in a Sergeant’s uniform looked around.

“What do you want? I’ve already paid you this week.”

“The tax just doubled,” The man smirked. Waving his hands in front of Haru’s mom, he formed a ball of fire. “We wouldn’t want any accidents now, would we? Fire can be so difficult to– What?!“

Gesturing towards the man, I pulled the flame from his hands before crushing it in one hand. “I don’t see what’s so hard about controlling it.” Seeing this, the Sergeant stepped back while his men stood at the ready behind him.

Normally, I would have simply stayed quiet and allowed them to pass, but felt I couldn’t in this regard. Not when I could make a difference.

It helped that I could already tell what kind of person the Sergeant was. He was a person that would only ever punch down. He’d never dare to act like this with someone that he assumed was above him in status or rank.

Both of which were easily faked.

“What’s the meaning of this? Guards, detain him!”

Seeing Aang, Katara and Sokka all ready to put up a fight, I stepped towards the Sergeant. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. You wouldn’t want to dig the hole you’re standing in any deeper. As it stands, you’re in a lot of trouble. It wouldn’t look well on your record to arrest a Noble, now would it?”

“Stand down! Stand down right now!” The Sergeant ordered. Looking over the clothes I was wearing, his eyes locked onto the hand I used to snuff out his flame. “Forgive me, I heard no mention of a Noble passing through this town. Your choice of clothing threw me off. How may I help you, sir?”

Strolling forward, I glanced back at the gang who were watching everything unfold with a look of confusion and winked.

“That was kind of the point. You see, there’s this rumor that villages just like this one are being taxed unfairly... I think I heard how you mentioned that the tax just doubled,” I hummed, doing my best to channel Azula. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that?”

“I… There have been a few discrepancies,” The Sergeant admitted.

I smiled sharply. “So what you’re saying is, the Fire Nation’s wages aren’t good enough for you?”

“No, I would never–“

“I should hope not,” I said calmly. “Such a rumor… Doubling a village's taxes for your own means is disturbing. Tax is meant to be sent back to the Fire Nation, if it’s not, it’s no better than stealing. I’m sure you wouldn’t… Steal… From the Fire Lord. Doing such a thing would have dire consequences.”

“Of… Of course,” The Sergeant stuttered. “Please, if there’s anything–“

“I think we’re done here,” I cut him off, I idly examined my nails, before realizing I was emulating Azula a little too well. “Just so you know, I’ll be checking in with a few stores to see if they’ve been unfairly taxed.” I leaned in closer. “If I were you, I’d return the money you’ve taken. Maybe, just maybe, we can avoid any further complications.”

“Yes… Of course… Thank you!”

Watching as the Sergeant retreated alongside his men, I held a stiff posture for a few more moments before finally exhaling, relaxing as I did so.

How Azula was able to do that near constantly, I’d never know. It was exhausting. Part of me felt it would have been far easier to just fight them instead.

“What the heck was that?!” Sokka squawked. “You’re a Fire Nation Noble?”

“Is this true, Honō?” Katara asked softly.

“Nope… I’m really just a commoner,” I hummed, feeling immensely grateful for that. “But they don’t know that.” Looking up at Haru’s mom who was staring at me with a guarded look, I smiled. “They shouldn’t bother you again.”

“Once they realize you’re not who you say you are, they will.”

I shook my head. “That probably won’t happen for a long time.” The only way they’d find out is if they admitted to what they were doing here and since they believed they were in trouble… They’d want to avoid drawing as much attention to themselves as possible.

“But how did you even know to speak like that?” Sokka asked.

“I have friends in interesting places,” I shrugged. “Side note, if you ever see blue fire, you should probably run. I can’t imagine any of them would be happy with me faking my death.”

“I… Am not entirely sure of what’s going on, but you have my thanks,” Haru’s mom nodded. “I know it’s not much, but you may sleep in my barn for the night. I don’t have much else to offer.”

“That’s fine,” Aang smiled. “It beats sleeping out in the woods. I’ll make sure that Appa doesn’t eat all of your hay.”

“That would be appreciated.”

Assuming that things continued as they would have without my presence, tomorrow was going to be a pretty busy day, what with freeing a barge filled with prisoners. Luckily, I knew exactly what to expect.

…Burning…

Watching as the sun set over the ocean, Zhao glared at the murky waters below. Watching as a fish jumped near his ship, spraying it with water, he brought his hand down, unleashing a blaze of fire that incinerated it within a matter of seconds.

Replaying the conversation he’d had with the once great General, Zhao’s temper spiked.

“Commander! We’re burning through too much fuel. At this rate, we won’t last another day,” The Captain of the ship announced, making his way over to the railing where Zhao stood. “Perhaps we should consider slowing down.”

Forming a fist, Zhao breathed slowly before releasing it.

“There is a prisoner barge not far from here. We’ll refuel there before continuing our course.”

The Captain nodded. “Of course. I’ll make the necessary changes to our route.”

“Before you do, I would like to remind you of your place on this ship,” Zhao muttered. “Try and tell me what to do again and you may soon find yourself a Captain without his ship.”

Not bothering to pay any further attention to the Captain, Zhao resumed glaring at the ocean. Flames burned into existence as he once more thought about his treacherous subordinate and what he would do to him when they met.