AN: So what is this exactly? The chapters you read from here are just some basic one shots, more for us as writers benefit, involving characters upcoming in a future collaboration project. The project will involve me, shadowwriter13 , and Pen Name-Toon, who I give major credit for getting me back in the writing game. Be on the look out on his profile for the soon to be released. Until then, feel free to check out some work on my profile, including a finished work titled The Shadowbender, and a sequel I am currently rebooting. Hope you enjoy
"You need to breath princess," the croaky voice escaped the from the old man. He sat cross legged, his brown eyes hidden in a permanent squint on his wrinkled face and long, flowing, and grizzled beard reaching his feet. Facing him, in a similar fashion, was a girl. Her eyes were scrunched in concentration and her hands were clinched in fists, resting on her knees. The girl's hair had dark brown and short, stopping barely past her chin. She breathed in sharply though her nose, her chest filling up before she let it out in a slow huff through her mouth.
"Breath is the most important rule of firebending," the sensei wheezed. "To master your breath is to master yourself. To master yourself, is to master firebending. Try to keep that in mind princess." The girl opened her eyes, amber and piercing, and repeated the breathing process. "You are distracted," the sensei stated blandly.
"Is it that obvious?" the girl sighed, placing her elbows on her knees so she could rest her chin on her fists.
"You aren't trying to hide it," the sensei remarked.
"It's boring, doing this, Sensei," the girl groaned. "You barely ever let me actually firebend, even though I'm really good! We just sit here and doing breathing exercises. Sometimes I think you're trying to bore me to the point I never want to firebend again."
"Better to never bend then bend incorrectly my pupil," her sensei stated wisely. He demonstrated his point by breathing in deep and snapping his elbows out, hands spread like make-shift claws. A large trail of fire jetted out, taking the form of a large dragon head, jaws wide, before it faded away into nothingness.
"Fancy trick," sighed the girl, twirling a strand of brown hair around her finer. "But I don't think that would do to well in a fight."
"Breathing incorrectly will not do you well in a fight either."
"I know how to breathe!"
"Why does this conversation sound familiar?" came a deeper voice from the open doorway beside the duo. The two looked around quickly, and the girl quickly sprung to her feet.
"Fire Lord Zuko," the sensei smiled, folding his hands and bowing from his cross legged position.
"Sensei," smiled the Fire Lord, returning the bow.
"Uncle Zuko," the girl bowed herself, one side of her mouth turning up in a grin.
"How comes the training Princess Oza," smiled the Fire Lord, raising an eyebrow at his niece. "Sounds like you're giving your master some lip."
"Nothing I couldn't handle," the old man responded.
"Oh no, don't worry… I know she can be quite the spitfire," Zuko chuckled. His niece bit the inside of her lip to stop a retort, brining another round of laughs between the two older men. "So you want to fight then Oza?"
"That's what I've been waiting for!" Oza declared spiritedly, running to follow the Fire Lord out the door.
"You have three sparing partners here," Zuko said, stopping suddenly and leaving Oza standing in the middle of the garden, surrounded with three black clad fighters. "Let's see what you have princess."
Oza smiled in triumph, supremely confident in her abilities, and sprung forward with a soft laugh. She back-flipped once, building a ball of fire on her right foot, and brought her heel down on the first fighter in front of her. He got one arm up in defense, but was still rocked off his feet from the force of the blow. Oza followed it up with two quick jabs with her left hand, stepping her right foot over her left. The sparring partner was still able to block both of those weak attacks, but the defense had left his sternum open and Oza's fire kick, powered by the thrust of her left leg as she spun on the ball of her right foot, hit him squarely in the stomach. He tumbled backwards, falling over a bench and coming to rest in the small koi pond.
This combination of blows had happened so fast; the other two sparing partners were just now catching up to Oza. Both of their strait fire punches were easily side stepped, and Oza was able to catch one of the attackers by his arm, throw him to the ground, and knock him out with a palm to the back of his head.
The remaining attacker seemed rather shocked by this turn of events, and he looked at his two companions quickly. The time he took his eyes of Oza was all the time it took for the princess to lash out. A smile fireball hit the sparring partner in the foot, knocking him off balance, and allowing Oza to close the distance with a vicious roundhouse to the back of his head.
"I win uncle," Oza smiled, spreading her hands to show her victory.
"Quite the mess you made of it too," came a monotone voice. Oza whipped around, seeing that it was not her uncle who had responded, but the Fire Lady.
"Fire Lady Mai… I," Oza began, ready to defend herself. Sure a couple of her attacks had scorched the grass and left a black mark on the tree bark; also, one of the wooden planks that made up the bench had cracked from the force of the man crashing over it, and there was a slight divot in the ground from the force of her blow to the back of the one man's head.
"Never mind, never mind," Mai said, waving her hand to brush the apology away. "It'll get cleaned up eventually… By someone I assume." She swept Oza up and down again with her steely black eyes before turning to her husband.
"They're here," she whispered in his ear.
"Thank you dear," Zuko smiled softly, planting a soft kiss on her pale lips. She returned the kiss, sparing one last glance at Oza before returning from where she came.
Oza looked put out and followed Mai with a glare but quickly returned to normal as her uncle approached her.
"You're much better than I was at your age," Zuko commented, looking maybe just slightly miffed and, perhaps, pondering the thought. "I think I've only seen one other person like that at your age."
"Really?" Oza asked breathlessly.
"You're coming along wonderfully Princess Oza," Zuko grinned, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Now I need you to go get cleaned up for me. And be prepared for me to call you into the palace throne room."
"Really?" she asked, her amber eyes squinting in confusion. "Why?"
"You will need to meet the people who have arrived here," the Fire Lord said slowly, turning his back on Oza has he made his way back toward the palace. "They will be very important to your future… And to your destiny."