Chapter Two
Title: Avatar: the Tale of Kazu
Fan Fiction: (In relation to) Avatar: the Last Air Bender
Rated: PG 13+
Characters: All OCs, mention of canons
Chapter Two Summary: Kazu and the Crown Princess Yuuka find the Fire Lord’s safe house a few miles from the capital city and decide to figure out a plan there.
I took it upon myself to begin with introductions.
“Princess Yuuka –”
“What is it?” she interrupted, her pace never faltering as she led the way to what she promised was a safe house outside the perimeter of the city. I bit my bottom lip nervously.
“I realize I haven’t introduced myself yet.” I waited for her reply, but she kept silent. “I’m Kazu, a fire bender –”
“An amateur fire bender,” muttered Princess Yuuka. I kept all remarks to myself and continued.
“I’m an alright fire bender. I just haven’t used it as a weapon before. My Grandmother always told me it was only meant to be used to further our senses and help us, not to be used against one another.”
“What is she? A gypsy?” laughed Princess Yuuka. In the hour I had spent with her so far, I noticed she was quite a hard person to be in the company of. She was slightly rude, quite arrogant, convinced that her abilities were better than all, and tended to completely disregard other’s feelings. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter. You’re Grandmother is probably captured, like the rest of them.”
I looked down to my feet. “No. She died almost a year ago. I’m just happy she didn’t see her city in ruins. She would have gone berserk.”
Silence followed, but it didn’t really bother me. It was much more comfortable than talking to Princess Yuuka. I still couldn’t get my head wrapped around the fact that Princess Yuuka was in front of me. I had seen her at special occasions, but only from a far distance. She’s royalty. And someone like me shouldn’t be interacting with royalty, that's how it was. I mean sure, the fire nation changed from what it used to be a hundred years ago, but some things just remained the same. And that was one of them.
“Ah, we’re here! At last! I thought my legs were going to limp from under me,” cheered Princess Yuuka, walking up to what looked like a little wooden cabin. Cobwebs filled every corner of the outside porch, and ivy weaved along the sides. The one window at the front was dusty and cracked, but the insides were even worst.
“Oh gosh, this smells worst than a pig pen. Did something die in here?” I said with my hand covering my nose. Princess Yuuka walked in and looked around, searching through drawers of an old, creaky table, and on bookshelves full of dusty old books. At last, she found what she wanted in a smashed pot.
“Matches,” she announced, her childish side seeping through her façade. Regardless of how she might try to act older, Princess Yuuka was still just twelve. She lit a kerosene lamp and hung it from a hook dangling from the ceiling.
“So, what now?” I asked, and Princess Yuuka leaned into the writing table again. I walked over and saw a dirty old map of the four nations. “We can’t go to the earth nation.”
“We have to. We have to confront the Avatar.”
“Wait,” I interjected, confused. “You know who the Avatar is? I thought . . .”
“Oh, so you heard that. Well, royalty lie. A lot, actually,” explained the princess. “You’d have to be an idiot to have not heard what the Avatar is.”
“Do you think it’s true?” I whispered. Princess Yuuka looked at me. “As in, do you seriously think the Avatar would attack the fire nation?”
“Well, I don’t think he has anything to be afraid of if he’s the Avatar –”
“No, I don’t mean out of fear. Its just, the Avatar is meant to be peaceful, caring and –”
“And don’t be a fool, Kazu,” Princess Yuuka snarled. “I’m assuming you’ve heard tales about the almighty Avatar Aang who saved the fire nation and restored peace to the world?”
I blushed. “My grandmother had a lot of stories to tell.”
“Well, I’ve got one to tell too,” she bit, coming closer to me. “That avatar is dead. We have a new one to deal with – and from the sound of it, he isn’t anything like the old one. All Avatars are different. Some are merciful, some are kind, and others are . . .”
I straightened myself and realized what the princess was trying to say.
“Some are cold-hearted,” I finished. Princess Yuuka sighed, and she turned back to the map. Her fingers traced from where we were to where we our destination was.
“There,” she revealed, and I leaned in to get a better read. Then I frowned.
“To the air nation? But, what would we find there?”
“Help. That's what. We need to go there before heading off to the earth nation.”
“Uh, Princess,” I began, doubtful of what she was planning. “There hasn’t been an Air Bender in years. They’re all . . . how to say, extinct. And the very few – and I’m talking, maybe one or two – who have learnt air bending from the last air nomad are in hiding. And old.”
Princess Yuuka rolled her eyes, and folded the map. She then searched the cabin for a bag, which she found. A dirty, stained messenger bag, yet I supposed it served its purpose well. She stuffed the map in the front pocket of the bag and sighed.
“Kazu, think outside of the box once in a while, won’t you? I can’t always be the only one here with a brain, now can I?”
I pouted. “So then just tell me what you’re up to? I’m sorry if I’m not exactly comfortable with travelling with a stranger to a foreign nation after my home city was smacked into ruins.”
Princess Yuuka glared at me, then shook her head and proceeded out the cabin door. I stumbled as I dashed after her.
“Wait, hey! At least answer my question!” I called, the empty woods echoing my shouts. The princess turned around on the ball of her heels, her tattered silk blue dress flowing around her knees. She clutched her should bag strap firm and delivered her next words harshly.
“My father is dead. He was murdered by the earth nation. And you expect me not to go to the person who decreed his assassination? I am the last of the royal bloodline. Do you know what that’s like? Do you? Its hard for you – your home was burnt down, and that’s all you lost. Well, newsflash: that was my home too. And I lost more than just that.”
The princess carried on, and soon my eyes lost track of where she went. I slumped against the porch rail and exhaled loudly, exhausted from today’s events. The princess didn’t get it – if she entered the Earth Kingdom, she’d be imprisoned just like the rest. She was right about one thing; she was the last in the fire nation’s royal bloodline. Fire Lord Dozuk never had any siblings, and his wife died giving birth to Princess Yuuka. She was the last, and yet she wanted to confront her father’s killer?
“Great. Now what?”
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Chapter Two of my Avatar fanfic! Something happened that was hilarious, really. I was talking to my older brother yesterday in the morning about how much I'm disappointed that whereas they said they'd release Avatar: the Legend of Korra last year during November, they still havent yet. Then, after he leaves and the conversatino ends, I check animehere.com and see the first episode released! I was ecstatic!
It sure looks promising, and I like Korra as a protagonist (She's no Aang though). Call me lame, but I want a male lead to come along now, preferbly someone who's sweet eye-candy like Zuko *wink*~! Go Korra!
Chapter One
Title: Avatar: the Tale of Kazu
Fan Fiction: (In relation to) Avatar: the Last Air Bender
Rated: PG 13+
Characters: All OCs, mention of canons
Chapter One Summary: The young fire bender Kazu watches as her city crumbles to ruble after word that the Earth Benders have found the Avatar, and that his orders were to imprison all fire benders.
I remember my grandmother telling me that when she was my age, in the mornings, birds would chirp, the wind would blow clean and that nature would dictate the way of life. She was a wise, old woman, and she raised me as if I were her own kin. My grandmother taught me how to yield fire and how to bend it at will when I was little, and she taught me that the most important thing about being a bender is that you must always use it for good, and not to harm others. But I wish my Grandmother were here now to tell these ruthless invaders that.
“Check all houses – make sure no one escapes the city border!”
I didn’t know what was happening, only that I had to stay hidden from the men dressed in leather brown. A whole army of them came marching through the city gates, making boulders crash into ancient buildings and town houses, capturing people I knew and those I didn’t just to tie them up in chains and lead them outside the gates. They tore at every wall, every monument, everything they could destroy until they reached the Fire Lord’s palace. Of course, fire benders fought back, but what good are we if we’re unprepared and outnumbered? I took initiative, and I hid in a stable not far from an escape route I knew from Grandmother’s stories.
“Sir, we’ve found something!”
My head shot up, and I saw a little girl with dirty brown hair and scratches on her face trapped in the arms of an earth bender.
“Go send her with rest of them.”
“But Sir, look at her neck closely.”
The earth bender, who I assumed was in charge, leaned into the girl while wearing a skeptical look on his face. His thumb brushed her collarbone and he cackled.
“Looks like we have the Fire Lord’s daughter on our hands. Hello, promotion.”
“Let me go,” hissed the dirty girl, her hair falling into her eyes. Her feet turned outwards and her knees began to fold. Instantly, I knew what she was planning to do. This girl who couldn’t be older than twelve was planning to take on three earth benders. I chewed on my lower lip, hating what I was going to do next.
“Little miss, I can’t let you go. You see, we were sent by the Avatar to destroy your city. Surely, you must know who the Avatar is?” the leader scoffed.
“I don’t, and I don’t care. All I know is that if you don’t let me go now, someone’s going to get very upset,” snapped the girl. The leader leaned back and chuckled, brushing off the child as he turned away.
“Your father is well and truly dead, I assure you. No one’s going to even miss you.”
The girl grinned. “I wasn’t talking about my father.”
At that moment, her tattered clothes burst into flames, the silken fabric burning bright as it scorched the hands of the earth bender holding her. Once released, she acted fluidly, her decisions sharp and quick. First, she dealt with the two henchmen. Together, in sync, they summoned many tiny rocks from the ground to rise into the air, and with one staggering hand movement, the rocks shot faster than lightning, speeding towards her at impossible speeds. But she was quicker.
She dodged what she could, sending her own fireballs as she twisted and turned, distracting the men. Then, with a sly thought in her head, she reached for a broad wooden shield lying on a cart nearby, sending it their way gift wrapped with flames. I was amazed that she could even lift that thing, honestly.
But the fight didn’t end there. She knew the leader was behind her, yet she had focused on the other two that she gave him too much time to devise an attack. It would have been over for her then and there if –
If, I hadn’t stepped in.
Silently, without a word, I sent a dart of fire aimed directly towards the leader’s feet – I had never used fire bending as a weapon before, and the idea sickened me. But I did what I had to. The leader jumped back, and the girl’s head jerked towards the stable. Suddenly, I felt as if I might have made the wrong move. She seemed much more powerful and experienced that me, what says she doesn’t deep-fry me either?
I took a deep breath and flashed the best smile I could.
“Uh, hi?” I offered. Her eyebrow twitched.
But I had no time to dwell on first impressions. The leader had gathered a large number of rocks and compiled them into one hefty boulder, reinforced with many layers of more rock. We had three seconds before it was hurled at either one of us. Without really realizing what I was doing, my feet sprinted to where the girl was, and with a speechless look, I knew what to do.
Our charge was graceful. It wasn’t anything like we marched on through screaming and yelling, declaring our rebellion. It was swift, and nimble. We had to keep the element of surprise. I mean, who in their right minds would charge towards a massive boulder?
As it came closer towards us, my body moved on instinct. It was either that or get crushed. The girl ducked at the last moment, sliding briskly beneath the big lump of rock, and managing to right herself when it had passed her. I, on the other hand, went the easy way. I hopped up atop the boulder in the span of, I say, two seconds, and concentrated a force down to my feet so that when I jumped off it, it crashed downwards, not at something else. And as we had hoped, we landed but inches away from the culprit of the trouble.
“Boo,” whispered the girl, and the leader, wide-eyed and terrified, fell backwards, scrambling cowardly on the floor.
“Yeah, and don’t come back!” I yelled, a sudden burst of adrenaline searing through me. Once he was well and truly gone, I turned to the girl. “Oh, uh. Hi.”
She scoffed.
“We taught him good, aye?” I mumbled awkwardly. The girl ran a hand through her long hair and sighed. She craned her neck unintentionally, and I got a wide and clear view of just what the men were ogling at before. It was a fire burn, a burn that since had been passed down in the royal bloodline after the greatest Fire Lord whom saved the fire nation passed on. It signified the endless respect for the Fire Lord and spoke for our whole nation.
I averted my eyes gingerly and coughed. “You’re the Fire Lord’s daughter. Princess Yuuka. I . . . I don’t believe it.”
“You don’t have to. In fact, it’s better you don’t. We’ll part ways here. You know a way out of the city?” Princess Yuuka asked. I nodded my head and watched as she inspected the location.
“Then go quickly.”
“Hold on, what about you?”
Her face fell. “I still have to find my father. And I need to protect this city –”
“But it’s already lost. And you heard the earth bender, you’re father, he’s –”
“I am the Crown Princess of the fire nation! I can not abandon this city, even if it costs my life!” she yelled. I didn’t know what to say. I understood what she was saying, but I couldn’t agree. She might be more mature than her age gives, but I couldn’t let her run back in and try to take on an army by herself. That's just foolish.
“The fire nation’s army was captured and rendered useless; we should just escape. Please, Princess Yuuka. You said it yourself – you are the Crown Princess. What your people need most now is a leader to round up survivors and save those you can, not run back into the battlefield completely defenseless.”
Her face twisted with indecision, and I knew I was close to convincing her completely. This time I let my tone soften. “Princess . . . let’s retreat, and figure out our next move elsewhere where it’s safe.”
Princess Yuuka looked to me, her ocean blue eyes dull. As a fire bender, it was my duty to protect the Princess from all harm, to keep her youthfulness alive and rebuild our forces so we could stabilize our position among the nations again.
Because if what the earth bender said was true, and the Fire Lord really was dead, then Princess Yuuka is no longer the Princess of the fire nation.
But instead the Fire Lord.
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Written by myself. An old fanfic on Avatar: the Last Airbender I wrote a while back. Its placed in the future of the Avatar world, with a new heroine and Avatar. I absolutely adore Avatar [Its a kids show, I know, but how could you not love it?] and was so obsessed with it at one point I wrote a fanfic! Its currently incompleted, like the rest of my fanfics, but I will post chapter two tommorow!
It only has three chapters so far, soon to finish that, but once I've posted these online, I'll post my Death Note Fanfic! Please enjoy and comment!