Author's Note: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender, but I do own Kaizen and Toshi.
A Swordsman's Story
Chapter 1: Choice? Or Destiny?
Many years ago, I remember asking my master a question. This in and of itself was not unusual, for I asked my master many questions during my years under his tutelage. On most occasions, he would answer quickly or else give me the slightest hints that might lead me to the answer myself. This question was different.
"Master," I asked as I worked on my latest landscape painting. I must have been about thirteen at the time. I have many fond memories of those early years. "Do you believe in destiny? Are our lives on a set path? Or are we all governed by chance?" A pause. And then another. At first I believed that he hadn't heard me. "Master?"
"I heard you, Kaizen," he replied softly, barely audible over the roar of the waterfall in front of him. He'd only given me a few seconds to take in the scene before painting, but I remember the great torrent seeming to be as tall as the sky.
"I'm sorry," I offered when he remained silent for another few moments. "It was a silly question."
"No, it was an excellent question. You've asked a man's question, and as such you deserve a man's answer." He took in a breath. "The question of destiny and chance is as old as the four nations, perhaps even the four elements themselves. It is not a question that can be answered lightly. Men and women far wiser than I have debated and pondered it without finding agreement. In the end, it is not a question that I can answer for you. Every man must come to his own conclusions."
"Oh," I replied meekly. "So it's one of those things I won't know until I'm grown up?" He gave a hearty chuckle.
"My boy, if you are pondering such things as destiny, then you are well on your way to becoming the great man that I know you will one day become." I blushed fiercely. It was the greatest compliment he had given me up to that point.
"Thank you, Master." A few moments passed before I spoke again. "If you don't mind me asking, Master, what were your conclusions?"
"I do not believe that our lives are a matter of chance," he replied after another pause. "I believe that there is something else that determines our destinies. I believe that it is the choices that we make that determines our lives. As you go through life, there will be times where you will be forced to make a choice, between doing what is right and what you know in your heart is wrong. How you decide will determine who you really are."
Over the years, I thought a great deal about what my master said that day. In the seven years since then, I have made many important decisions: continuing my studies after my father's death; using my inheritance to build a school for my village's children; spending the last year wandering the Earth Kingdom. In that time, I have begun to think that perhaps my master was both right and wrong. Our choices do have a great impact on our lives, but perhaps the defining choices are not the large ones. Perhaps it is the small choices we make every day that move us towards our destinies.
If I had decided to go East instead of West at the crossroads, I would not be here. Had I not stayed for a second cup of tea at the inn this morning, I would not have arrived when I did. At yet, here I was, faced with another choice. On one side were four soldiers of the Fire Nation—my countrymen. On the other was a frightened little Earth Kingdom boy of no more than eight, his ankle twisted and swollen.
"Stand aside, stranger," the leader of the soldiers, a burly man with a graying mustache, barked. The boy just stared up at me from the ground. His eyes seemed to plead: Please, mister. Please help me! My hand came to rest lightly on the sword at my hip.
How you decide will determine who you really are. Who am I, then? Who am I really?
XXX
My name is Kaizen Tran, and I am twenty years old. I've always considered myself to be a fairly normal looking man; just under six feet tall, perhaps a little lightly built. Never being a fan of long hair, I keep my black hair relatively short, though I could pull it up into a topknot if needed. The only thing I've tried to grow out is my beard, but it has not been cooperating. So far, I've only managed to grow a thin goatee.
I come from a family of minor nobility in the Fire Nation. My father had garnered quite a reputation as an engineer and designer of ships. His greatest accomplishment was designing a new propeller shaft that made the latest generation of warships twelve percent faster. Though not the most glamorous of contributions, it was deemed important enough to warrant a moderate stipend for my family.
My mother died when I was very young. I've been told that she never quite recovered from giving birth to me. My father never really forgave me for that, and maybe that is why he was so eager to send me away once his stipend was secured. He decided that I needed an education, but I had shown no aptitude for mechanical things—another strike against me. I'll never be sure why exactly my father decided that I should study the sword. In dark times, when I have had too much to drink, I sometimes think that perhaps he knew the old saying, "He who lives by the sword shall die by the sword," and had chosen my vocation accordingly.
Whatever his reasons, my father decided that I was to learn the way of the sword, and that I was to learn it from the very best. And so there I was, barely ten years old, standing before the home of the greatest sword master and sword maker in the Fire Nation: Piandao. The old servant who answered my knocks informed me that the master rarely took on students. In fact, he turned almost everyone away. Still, I was determined to at least try.
The servant led me through the castle, past the tapestries and paintings and other antiques. Soon we were in the master's private study. Master Piandao was seated near the open windows, gazing out at his gardens, his back to me. I knelt before him and bowed deeply. "Master Piandao," I said, following the introduction my father had written for me. "My name is Kaizen Tran, and I have come to learn the art of the sword."
"Tran?" he asked but did not turn. "You wouldn't happen to be related to Kaiten Tran, would you?"
"Yes, sir, he's my father."
"I see. Let me guess: your father has finally gotten a royal stipend and he's looking to beef up his reputation with the navy. To that end he's sent you here to study under me. After all, not everyone can claim that their son was trained by the great Piandao. Is that about right?"
"That may very well be why he's sent me, sir," I replied quietly. Clearly he'd seen plenty of boys like me in his time. "But that's not why I've come."
"Really?" he asked, a bit of surprise in his voice. "If you haven't come to stroke your father's ego, then why have you come?"
I took a moment to collect my thoughts. "I'm still not really sure, sir," I replied honestly. "I know it's not because of my father, but what I don't know is what I want. Whenever I look in the mirror, all I see is a pampered little rich kid with no talents. I can't even whistle," I added with a nervous laugh. I continued, more serious now: "I don't really like what I see in the mirror. I'm not sure if that's the real me, of if there's something more. Maybe if I train with you, I'll find out."
Finally, he turned to look at me. He looked me over, as if to size me up. "Those are heavy words from one so young. How old did you say you were?"
"I just turned ten last month," I replied. He seemed to ponder this for a moment.
"Very well," he said. "From this day forward, you shall be my disciple in the way of the sword." To say that I was elated would be an understatement.
My training began the next day. I would begin at sunrise and continue to sunset. In addition to drills in footwork and bladework, I also began a rigorous exercise regimen. After training my body in the morning, the afternoons would be spent training my mind. I practiced calligraphy to practice subtlety; rock gardening taught me to manipulate my surroundings to my advantage; and of course there was landscape painting, designed to teach me to quickly take in my surroundings. I trained this way for seven years. It was bitter work, but well worth the effort.
XXX
It was shortly after my seventeenth birthday that I received the news that my father had passed away. Illness, the messenger had told me. Though my father and I had never been close, I wept. I returned home the next day to attend his funeral. Master Piandao accompanied me.
"So what will you do now, Kaizen?" he asked me after the funeral—a beautiful service that had been far simpler than my father would have wanted. The funeral he wanted would have left me bankrupt. I had other plans for the money he left behind.
"Well, first I'll have to do something with his estate," I said simply. I took another sip of rice wine.
"It's your estate now, Kaizen," he replied.
"I suppose it is. I think I know how I'll spend it."
"Oh?" he asked, concern in his voice.
"Yes. The school in this village is in a terrible state of disrepair. Many parents refuse to send their children to classes for fear that the roof will collapse on them. With a large enough donation, I'm sure that the village will not only be able to repair the schoolhouse, but also be able to expand upon it."
"That's very generous of you, Kaizen," he said, a smile on his face. "I'm sure your father would be proud."
"No," I replied flatly. I took a long drink of the wine. "My father would call me a fool. He'd want me to save the money, then marry some rich girl—preferably a noble's daughter—and keep moving up the social ladder. The needs of peasant children were hardly worthy of his notice." We sat in silence for a while.
"For what it's worth," he said finally. "I'm proud of you." It was worth far more than even I could have imagined.
I made good on my promise and donated nearly my entire estate to the local school, keeping only what I needed to live with reasonable comfort. Work began on the schoolhouse before I left. When I started my journey to the Earth Kingdom, I returned home to see how the project had come along. The new schoolhouse was easily twice as large as the previous one, and the students no longer read from textbooks that referred to the War as "trouble ahead." There was even a library under construction that was to be named after me. Master Piandao got quite a laugh out of that.
XXX
After the funeral, I resumed my training with the master. Two years passed. A week before my nineteenth birthday, Master Piandao informed me that it was time that I had a sword of my own. We worked on it together. Well, to be fair, Master did all the skilled work—i just kept the fire going. The finished blade he presented me was far more beautiful than I deserved: a blackened leather grip upon a golden hilt, large enough for two hands, but light enough for one; a golden hand guard in the shape of a phoenix, its wings spread; a black scabbard inlaid with flames of gold.
"Kaizen," Master Piandao said as I knelt before him in his study. "In all the years you have spent under my training, you have never once asked me why I agreed to take you in as my student." He held my new sword out in front of him, examining every detail of his handiwork. "When I first met you, you said that all you saw in yourself was a boy with no talents. But that is not what I saw in you. What I saw was a young man with a great talent indeed, even if he didn't see it himself. The way of the sword is not simply a series of maneuvers to be memorized and repeated. To be a great swordsman, one must be able to look within and understand his own strengths and, more importantly, his own weaknesses.
"Many adult warriors cannot do so," he continued. "You, on the other hand, were able to—despite being a child who knew nothing of such things. I knew then that you had the makings of a fine swordsman. What I did not know, however, was that you would also show the signs of being a great master. Becoming a true master involves more than mastering a blade, more than just understanding yourself. A true master not only knows how to wield great power, but can also reflect upon the greater meanings of any situation. That way, he knows when to use his power, and why. When your father died, you found yourself in possession of a great amount of wealth. Rather than spend it on yourself, you chose to give it to those in need."
He took the sword and presented it to me. "Kaizen, this sword represents the culmination of nine years of hard work. Use it well, for I know that someday you will be a great master as well." I bowed deeply, then accepted my new sword. Later that night, the two of us were seated on the balcony outside his study, enjoying a pot of tea.
"So what happens now?" I asked.
"That is entirely up to you, Kaizen," he replied, sipping his tea. "You are more than welcome to stay, but there is little that I can still teach you. You are at the point in your training where you must learn for yourself. There's a big world out there waiting for you." We sat in silence for a moment before I spoke again.
"Then it's decided," I said, smiling.
"Oh?"
"Yes. You're right, Master, there is a big world out there, and I think I should see it. There's nothing holding me here in the Fire Nation. Besides, how can I reflect on the situation of the world if I don't even know what it is?"
"Well, I can certainly respect that," he replied. He lifted his teacup high. "May your journey be enlightening."
XXX
And enlightening it was. Over the course of a year, I had come to appreciate just how enormous the Earth Kingdom truly was. I had wandered North, South, East, and West for months without seeing its entirety. I had seen open plains, dense forests, great chasms and high mountains. I even saw the great city of Omashu—from the outside, of course—before it fell.
But that was not all that I saw. For every sight or experience that warmed my heart, there was another that threatened to break my resolve. Villages razed to the ground. Crops burnt to cinders. Long trains of refugees fleeing before the Fire Nation. Fleeing before my people. Then there were the things that could only be heard, not seen: rumors and stories from across the kingdom. Child rebels fighting and dying to repel the invasion. Efforts to eliminate all Earthbenders. A massive attack on the Northern Water Tribe. The Avatar slain in Ba Sing Se.
With such thoughts so heavy on my mind, it was no wonder I chose a second cup of tea in the morning. My master had long preached the purifying power of a hot cup of tea, and I was beginning to believe him. With mind and body refreshed, I ventured back out onto the open road. My journey had long since lost any sense of official direction, and I chose to go West on a whim. As the day dragged on, the road led me into increasingly thick woodlands.
Eventually, I came upon a small village. Since I wasn't sure when the next town would be, I decided stop and find out. As I neared the village, I was struck by the eerie silence of it. Soon I realized that this town wasn't just quiet; it was empty. Not a creature was stirring, not even a ferret-mouse. And entire village, completely gone—most likely fleeing the Fire Nation. At least their homes would still be here when they got back. If they ever got back.
I continued on, knowing that I might have to spend the night under the stars again. By now the surrounding woods had become almost stifling in their thickness. While the road itself remained clear, I couldn't help thinking that if someone were to burst out of the underbrush, I'd only have a second to react. My suspicions were confirmed when a small blur erupted out from a bush to my left and I only just managed to avoid it. The blur seemed just as surprised as I was and adjusted its course with an "Eep!" before crashing to the ground a few feet away.
Upon closer inspection, the blur turned out not to be a blur at all, but rather a small boy who could not have been a day over eight years old. The boy's clothes—which were closer to rags—were a shabby brown, and he wore his shaggy hair in the small topknot common among men of the Earth Kingdom. The boy was sitting, clutching his left ankle and hissing through his teeth in obvious pain. Tears threatened to swell up from his eyes.
"Goodness! Are you alright?" I asked as I rushed to kneel in front of him. The boy's eyes shot up, a panicked look on his face. He tried to back away from me, but stopped and cried out as soon as he used his left foot. "Easy, kid, I'm not going to hurt you," I assured him in what I hoped was a non-threatening voice. When I didn't immediately try to gobble him up, the boy relaxed a bit—but he never took his eyes off me.
"You took a nasty little spill there, kiddo. Let's take a look at that ankle, shall we?" When he didn't move for a moment, I offered: "I'm not going to bite, you know." He seemed to chew on that for a second, and I could almost see the gears turning in his little head. Finally, he offered his left foot (which was bare, I noticed) for my inspection. Gently, I rolled his swollen ankle in my hands, checking for any breaks or fractures. I knew that the boy had to be hurting, but through it all he just clenched his teeth and bore it. Very brave, if you ask me. Fortunately, nothing seemed to be broken. I glanced at his other foot and saw what appeared to be a broken shackle around that ankle. If he'd come down on that foot...
"Well, I have good news and bad news," I informed him with a mock serious voice. "The good news is that it looks like you just twisted it, so you'll be fine. The bad news is that your feet kinda stink," I added with an exaggerated wave of my hand, as if I were trying to get the noxious odor out of my face. My antics achieved the desired effect, as the boy brightened considerably, even giving a short giggle. Now that I'd had the chance to get a proper look at him I could see that he was incredibly thin and dirty. Fresh bruises on his shoulder poked out from underneath his ragged tunic, along with a thin scar that disappeared down his back. Just what had this boy escaped from?
As if in answer to my unspoken question, four figures burst out of the woods from the same direction the boy had come from. The boy gasped, his eyes wide with terror, and tried to crawl away again, only to grab his ankle in pain. I stood quickly, placing myself between the newcomers and the boy. Before me stood four soldiers in Fire Nation uniforms. Their leader, a big, burly man with a graying mustache, pointed to the boy. "There's the last one," he barked. Taking notice of me, gave a dismissive wave of his hand. "Stand aside, stranger." The boy just stared up at me.
How you decide will determine who you really are. Who am I? I am Kaizen, student of Piandao, and if I was to ever become a true master, I was going to start acting like one.
"No," I replied flatly. "Unless this boy has committed some kind of crime, you have no right to take him into your custody. And if the boy has committed a crime, it looks to me like he's already been punished quite enough."
"Oh, he's broken the law, alright," the leader snarled. "And the punishment for escape is severe indeed."
"'Escape,' eh? Well, it seems to me that any place that beats, shackles and whips small children is just the kind of place that one should escape from. I'm sure the boy would agree with me."
"Listen, stranger," the leader said heatedly. "I'm runnin' out of patience here. You're outnumbered; you don't stand a chance against us. Now just step aside and I might just forget about all this."
"Four against one?" I asked, running my hand through my goatee. I flashed a smirk. "I've always enjoyed a good challenge."
The leader's eyes flashed with rage. "Zhin! Wipe that smirk off his face!" Zhin, a tall, lanky man nodded and readied his spear. I squared my shoulders and waited for him to attack. I didn't have to wait long, as he quickly charged in with a thrust. When the tip of his spear was just inches from striking, I pivoted on my right foot, bringing my left behind me and narrowing my profile considerably. As the spear cut harmlessly through the space I'd just vacated I nailed poor Zhin with a stepping side kick, catching him squarely in the jaw. The spear flew from his hands as the man stumbled backwards several steps before falling flat on his back, unconscious. One down, three to go, and I hadn't even drawn my sword yet.
For a brief second, the boy and the leader shared the same shocked expression. The leader quickly composed himself and turned to his two other compatriots. "Mai Lin! Wang! Cut him up!" Mai Lin, a petite young woman and Wang, a slightly overweight man, each drew their swords. I did the same.
The pair moved cautiously to either side in a clear effort to encircle me. I, however, would have none of that. Judging by his physique, Wang was likely the slower of the two, so I targeted him first. I exploded out of my stance, covering the distance between us in two giant strides and laid into him with a series of quick cuts and thrusts. Wang was so surprised by my sudden attack that I probably could have killed him before he could have brought up his sword. However, I was not about to cut down a soldier of my country who was simply following orders—no matter how wrong those orders were. As it was, my attacks were merely a diversion: my real target was Mai Lin.
While Wang franticly tried to defend himself, she was rushing over to aid him. Sensing that she was drawing near, I disengaged just as quickly as I had attacked and leapt toward Mai Lin. As I suspected, her reflexes were far faster than Wang's, and she managed to bring her sword down in an attack. Just like I expected she would. With one fluid motion I deflected her blade with my own, then planted my elbow hard into her sternum. Her breath left her in a giant huff, and she collapsed to the ground. Two down. I glared at Wang as he stared on in disbelief. "Boo," I said, and he immediately dropped his sword and backed away. Three down.
As Mai Lin slowly crawled away, the leader stared at me. Thick droplets of sweat had formed on his balding forehead, and much of the color had left his face. "Guess it's just you and me now," I said in a mocking tone as I took a ready stance again. The leader steeled his features and took a stance as well. A Firebending stance. I glanced back and saw that the boy was directly behind me. Damn. At this range, the old Firebender was just outside the distance I could cover in one stride. He would be able to get off at least one attack before I could stop him. To make matters worse, I couldn't move to the sides; if I moved now, he could attack the boy directly, and I wouldn't be able to dodge without the boy getting hurt. He had me dead to rights. The question was, did he know it?
"S-so," he stuttered, sweat pouring off him now. "A-are you sure you're willing to die for that little urchin?" He was bluffing, trying to get me to back down; he didn't realize that he already had me beat! Not that I was about to announce it to the world.
"Are you?" I asked coldly. I narrowed my gaze, looking him straight in the eyes. "Look at what I was able to do while not trying to hurt your men. Do you really want to see what I'm like when I'm not holding back?" Now it was down to a battle of wills. We stared at each other for a long time. It could have been an hour, or it could have only been a few seconds, I don't think I'll ever know for sure. Eventually, though, it was the Firebender who blinked. Defeated, the leader ordered his men to retreat, and they disappeared back into the woods.
After the last of them (Wang supporting the still-woozy Zhin) left, I finally let out the breath I had been holding since the stare-down began. Once I was sure they were gone for good, I turned back to the boy. He just looked up at me, an expression of complete awe on his face. "Well," I said after a pause. "That was fun." He just kept staring. "We should probably tape up that ankle of yours, then we can worry about getting you back to your mom and dad." At the mention of his parents, the boy looked down, as if the ground had suddenly become very interesting.
"I see," I said quietly as I wrapped his ankle. "Your parents are back with them, aren't they?" He merely nodded. "In that case, we'll have to rescue them, won't we? But first, we should find a place to regroup for a while." The boy's head shot up and he looked me in the eyes. After a second, he looked away again. When he finally spoke, it was so softly that I almost didn't hear him.
"Why?" he asked in a small voice. "Why are you helping me?"
"Because you needed helping," I said simply. I finished bandaging his foot and turned, motioning towards my back. "Hop on. Those soldiers might come back, and we need to put some distance between us." Carefully, the boy wrapped his arms around my neck, and I stood, supporting his legs with my hands. As we made our way towards the mountains, I gave a short laugh. "You know, in all the excitement, I forgot to get your name."
"Toshi," he replied.
"It's very nice to meet you, Toshi," I said, taking hold of his hand in an awkward handshake. "I'm Kaizen."
We continued in silence for a few minutes before Toshi spoke up. "Thanks for saving me."
"Don't worry about it," I replied with a light chuckle. "It's who I am."