Chapter 1: All Roads Lead to Republic City
Light, bright piercing light, began to pour through the windows in torrents, singeing the young avatar's eyes as he began to finally wake up from the long night of partying and celebrating he had with his friends the night before. Slowly rising up to a sitting position in the bed, the young firebender let out a bellowing yawn as he ran his hand through the crumpled up mat of black hair on his head.
Three years. Three long, grueling years of arduous and exhausting training under the wing of Master Meelo. It had taken five years for Avatar Kei to master airbending, but all the effort put in, all the days of work and meditation, all the help he received from his family and friends, it had all paid off. He could finally call himself an airbending master.
Suddenly he was prodded awake thanks to the seductive smell of leechi juice and banana cream pie sitting on the tray that his brother Kusakh carrying, and bringing over to his bed. "Breakfast in bed Kusakh? I'm flattered, and you got exactly what I've been hoping to get." Said Kei hungrily, drool forming at the edge of his now watering mouth. "What're you talking about Kei? I've been waiting all morning for your lazy rear end to get up, but you just decided to stay in bed. I'm starving and this is one delicious looking pie," said Kusakh as he slowly took a bite out of the pie. "Ooh this pie is so good I'm afraid I might get it pregnant," he taunted, devilishly grinning at Kusakh. "Dammit Kusakh you fat little steer-hog!" Kai shouted as he threw a searing ball of fire at the pie, turning it to ash. "Way to go hot-head. Oh and the jokes on you. I already ate and that was the last of the banana cream pie." Kusakh sunk down on the bed next to his brother and with an arm around his shoulder, "Don't worry air-head, we'll stop by a diner somewhere on the way to the big city and get you some grub. You're gonna need something on your stomach when we get there, because as soon as we get settled into Uncle Satoru's old flat, it'll be time for me to teach you your waterbending."
Before he could even begin to respond a beautiful young woman swung open the door and called in, "C'mon Kei, we gotta get going, Master Meelo just told me that the sky bison are coming down with something so we're gonna have to take the bus!". It was Asuka, his best friend since they were just infants. Back when things were so blissful and simple.
"Alright Asuka, but did lard ass over here tell you he just finished off my breakfast?" said the still groggy firebender. "Yeah, he did…..and I helped" she said, giving him a smug look, "Now c'mon, Meelo isn't going to wait all morning." "Come on bro, we've got no time to waste. The bus leaves in ten minutes so quickly grab your stuff so we can get out of here." With that Kusakh jumped up from the bed and followed after Asuka.
Bursting through the front gates of the Air temple, Kei dropped his knapsack on the dusty ground alongside Kusakh and Asuka's belongings.
"Wow Kei, you actually managed to become more of a woman than Asuka here, based on your stellar time getting out here," chuckled Kusakh, receiving a small fireball to the rear-end from Asuka who was lightly giggling alongside him at his expense. Regaining her composure, "Wait, where's Koree? I haven't seen her since we got back from that party last night" asked Asuka, and before she could even get a response from anyone a giant 800 pound husky-sloth dropped from the branches of the tree standing behind them, and unleashed a bellowing howl, causing everyone to jump in shock. "Y'know, after 18 years of living with you and that husky-sloth, I still get scared silly everytime she does that" whined Kusakh who was subsequently licked across the face by Koree.
"Well I guess that answers your question. Oh there's our bus!" shouted Kei as everyone gathered their belongings and boarded the rusty, patched up bus, Koree entering an animal trailer hitched to the back.
As the bus began to climb up the winding trails on the tall mountain ranges surrounding Republic City, Kei couldn't help but feel excited and overjoyed with the way things were going. Here he was, the avatar and now airbending master, along with his brother, and his best friend finally heading off to the big city so that he could begin training in his final two elements: water and earth.
Noticing that Asuka, who was sitting next him, had nodded off, and Kusakh had his attention drawn elsewhere, he decided now was the perfect time for a nap and rested his weary head on the cold window, gazing out at the vast snowy mountain side and gently nodded off.
A flash of lightning, and clap of thunder quickly pass as a middle-aged bearded man falls to his knees. A silhouette in the shape of a tall man slowly steps forwards from the shadows.
An infant is suddenly heard wailing as a great flame engulfs everything, the sounds of crackling embers drowning out the infants cries.
The silhouetted man re-emerges and reaches out towards Kei and a sinister laughter erupts, breaking the roar of the flames.
"Kei? Kei. Wake up. Are you okay?" Asuka said, with a worried expression on her face, shaking Kei's shoulder trying to wake snap him out of his sleep. "What? I'm up now, I just nodded off." Kei responded, wiping a significant amount of sweat off his forehead, he looked at the window he had been leaning on and noticed that it was fogged up with perspiration on the cold glass.
"Is something bothering you? You were out for a couple hours, but were also sweating buckets and muttering under your breath," she said concernedly, with a furrowed brow. Forcing a convincing, but fake smile, "No, I'm fine, I'm just… really anxious about finally getting to the city."
Noticing that his brother is nowhere to be seen as the three of them had been seated next to each other when they boarded Kei asked "Where's Kusakh, didn't he sit down with us when we boarded?", with a roll of her amber eyes Asuka laughed and pointed to the back of the bus where Kusakh, sleeves rolled up showing off his arms, was flirting with a trio of girls who were pining over him and his waterbending as he was bending a small stream of water around the girls and splitting it into three hearts, freezing them, and handing each girl a frozen heart.
"Spirits, I should have guessed. He just does not seem to give a hoot who it is, he will just go after any girl he finds slightly attractive," joked Kei, looking at Asuka. "Yeah, well, at least he uses his head and can actually hold a decent conversation with a girl." She retorted jokingly, but nevertheless Kei responded in a lighthearted manner, "I understand that but the only head I use, when talking to girls, is the one on my shoulders, unlike Kusakh." Asuka couldn't help but burst out laughing, prompting Kusakh to return to his original seat with him bidding farewell to his lady friends "Sorry ladies, but…duty calls," he said with a smug grin as he saluted the three girls and made his way up to his seat.
"So Kei, Asuka, I was just talking to those three lovely ladies over there…" Kusakh turned and waved another smug salute to the three girls sitting in the back, "…and turns out they're coming back to Republic City from vacation and it turns out we're only about 2 miles away so we'll be there any minute from now. Man I can't wait to see this place it's going to be absolutely amaz…"
"…TRASHY?"
The trio stood at the foot of the bus stop staring blankly at the smog filled skyline of what was supposed to be the glamorous city they had previously imagined.
"B-b-b-but where's the shining buildings and beautifully paved streets, and all the happy prosperous people? And what the hell is up with all the smoke?" Screamed Kei as he stood dumbfounded.
"Y'know what, we're here and that's all that matters, let's just find the apartment and get settled in." The brothers couldn't help but shrug in agreement with Asuka as they all strode off into the dilapidated city. "Well on the bright side, I get to start kicking your butt in the waterbending training facility that's supposed to be set up," Kusakh said giving Kei a firm pat on the back.
As the trio made their way from the bus station Asuka couldn't help but look back, confusedly, at a piercing pair of eyes just glancing over his newspaper watching them before ducking back behind his paper. Shrugging the quick glance off, Asuka turned and caught back up with the brothers while the strange man resumed his watch as the three benders made their way out of sight. At this moment the man grabbed a small radio from his pocket muttering, "The Avatar is here like you had predicted, but he has company." "It matters not, return to your outpost and await further orders, we are nearing the time to strike," a garbled voice responded through the crackling of the radio.