"You should stop this nonsense, my friend." The old man said as he considered his next move on the pi sho board. "I can only do so much to protect you." The twenty-five year old man sitting across from Avatar Aang was an idealist with a genius-level intellect and a charismatic attitude. He was also someone who had experienced more betrayal and witnessed more injustice than almost anyone his age.
Kohun had started what he coined the" Equalist Movement" about a year and a half ago. Originally it was nothing more than non-benders getting together and complaining about discrimination over a few beers, but in a short time Kohun had created a political force that had moved on to activism and protests, some of which had even gone to the extreme.
Kohun only rolled his eyes at the Avatar. "Aang, I know you are only doing what you think is right, but non-benders deserve to be respected. My methods of getting public attention may be… unorthodox, but they are non-violent.".
Aang smiled at his young friend's excuses, a wise glint manifesting in his eyes. "This 'Equalist' movement of yours is bound to be taken further by someone. The fact that you only bomb empty buildings and empty ships hardly makes me feel any better. You're playing with forces that are beyond your control."
The brown-haired young man couldn't help but chuckle. "They said that when I became a general at the age of twenty-one. I certainly showed them. The only thing that stopped me was you and your damned Fire Lord." Kohun recalled just a few years ago when the Avatar had been his sworn enemy. Almost three years ago. The Fire Nation colonies in the Southern Water Tribe had wanted to become an independent nation, much to the disapproval of the Fire Nation. Kohun had led their rag-tag army to several victories against the Fire Lord's generals. Eventually, the Avatar was summoned to resolve the conflict and end the rebellion. Fearing for themselves, the rebel politicians had quickly betrayed their generals and surrendered, handing their betrayed people over to a vengeful Fire Nation.
Aang decided not to dwell on the past and shifted the conversation back to the immediate issue. "Need I remind you that you only really sympathize with the non-benders because I took away your firebending?" Kohun sighed, a bit of a sad recollection forming in his amber eyes as he moved one of his pi sho tiles. He was forced to surrender his bending as a part of his people's admission of defeat in the war. "Woe to the vanquished" tended to come into Kohun's thoughts when he remembered those terms of surrender.
"I accepted my fate fairly well for being such a gifted firebender. And although that may be the main reason for my empathy it doesn't make my point any less valid." Kohun had adjusted to a non-bending life rather well, but he still found it a great injustice that non-benders were trampled on the way they were. "Benders need to learn how to fight back."
"And destroying food shipments to Republic City is fighting back, hmm?" Aang wisely rebuked his adversary as he captured one of his pi sho pieces. He had learned to respect Kohun and his good intentions, but the young man had a habit of utilizing the wrong means for the right ends. After a long silence from his young friend Aang sighed, deciding that the tiring matter would not be settled today. "One day you won't have me to shelter you from the law."
Kohun raised an eyebrow. "You're the Avatar, chances are that you'll outlive me." He grinned as he confidently made a move on the game board. "But you'll still have to try harder than that to beat me at pi sho." Aang suddenly made a confounded scoff as he took a double take of the board. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he realized he'd been beat. "Was never really my kind of game, anyway." He commented. The two friends joined in laughter, each of them thoroughly enjoying the other's company.
Kohun sat leisurely in the canoe with his friend, Tonraq. The two of them had known each other since they were kids, Kohun's father having long ago moved to the South pole as an emissary to the Water Tribe. Tonraq had been one of the first people to greet the outsider to his village all those years ago, and since then their friendship had always been a strong one.
Even after years at war, Tonraq greeted his firebender friend the moment he returned home defeated. Tonraq had remained friends with the disgraced general, loyally remaining his most trusted friend. The two would often go on fishing trips together, lazily enjoying the sight of the icy blue water and talking about anything that they could conjure up. Today, however, seemed to be more quiet than usual.
"Hey, Kohun." Tonraq said, his calm voice cutting through the silence.
"Yeah?"
"What's going on?"
Kohun turned away from his stare out over the icy ocean and looked towards his friend with a raised eyebrow. "What do you mean?" Tonraq just chuckled.
"You're making that face."
Kohun rolled his eyes. Everyone called it "The Angry Face". Whenever Kohun was in deep thought, his brow always knitted and his face became cold and stern. He tended to grow aggravated whenever he had to explain to people that he wasn't mad at anything, he was just pondering something. Needless to say he wasn't very good at hiding it whenever he had something weighing on his mind.
"It's nothing, really." Kohun lied.
Tonraq couldn't help but laugh as it dawned on him as to what the problem must be. "It's her, isn't it?" His suspicions were quickly confirmed as Kohun let out a long groan of annoyance. "So what if it is, huh?"
"Her dad still says no?" Tonraq knew the answer. Her father hated firebenders, even one's that couldn't bend anymore. Southern Water Tribe custom required the father's permission to take his daughter in marriage. It wasn't required everywhere, it just happened to be the parents of Kohun's dream girl that were old-fashioned.
"Don't worry, Kohun." Tonraq reassured his friend. "She's a great girl and her dad's just nervous about giving her up to the right guy."
"Easy for you to say. You've always got a girl in your pocket." Kohun retorted.
Tonraq stood up in the canoe and stretched confidently. "What can I say? I'm just good at getting the ladies."
"Are you good at swimming?" Kohun rhetorically inquired. Before his friend could respond, Kohun kicked Tonraq into the water. "I know I'm good at having a sick sense of humor."
"You left me a note?"
Kohun froze at the sound of her voice, standing over his half-packed travelling bags. "I didn't want to have to explain…"
"Explain what?" She interrupted. "That you kept up your 'Equalist' plots even after you promised me you'd stop? That you now have to abandon me and the baby because of your non-bender equality bullshit? How could you do this to us?" Her voice began to crack as she uttered that last phrase, her blue-grey eyes welling up with tears.
Kohun's heart wrenched as he watched the girl he loved suffer. He closed the distance between them and quickly embraced her in a hug. "I'm sorry, I was wrong to leave you like this. I should've at least told you in person." He placed a kiss on the crown of her head, cradling her sobbing form in his arms. He couldn't figure out how long he'd stood there, holding the love of his life as she quivered, her body shaking as she wept. It seemed like an eternity before her sorrow began to soften.
He looked down and tenderly placed a finger under her chin, lifting it up and wiping the tears from her cheeks. "Please understand that I'm doing this for both you and the baby. Avatar Aang is on his deathbed and it won't be long before they come looking for me. You're the light of my life and I can't let my mistakes ruin your chances at happiness."
Kohun always felt confident; he never second guessed his logic. For some reason, though, he couldn't help but feel like he was doing the wrong thing. "If I stay, the authorities will find me. They'll take me away and then you'll be left as the filthy wife of a terrorist and my child will be the unwanted offspring of a fanatic. If I leave, you can avoid all of that. I've done wrong by you, my love. But if by doing this one last wrong I can give you a better life, I'll do it without a second thought."
Kohun did his best to calm the love of his life as she weakly protested, holding her in his arms until all she could do was softly weep into his chest.
The General lurched up in his bed, sweat beading on his forehead as he awoke to the sound of banging on the hard iron door. He sighed slowly as he wiped off his brow and calmed himself, his heart pounding in his chest from the dreams he was having. "Seventeen years." He muttered to himself. "Seventeen years and now I start having nightmares about it."
"Breakfast, General." The guard said, sliding a tray of food through the slit in the door.
General Kohun smiled, walking over towards the tray and picking it up. Seven years and prison had almost become comfortable to him. Then again, he had his own personal cell complete with a desk, a phonograph, and a full bookshelf.
Two books a day and a full workout, he thought to himself. Got to stay in shape, mind and body.
With a feeling of routine muscle memory he instinctively reached out, grabbing a classical music record that was a favorite of his. He casually placed it onto the turntable of the phonograph and switched it on, placing the needle onto the record and grabbing a book from his shelf as intensely dramatic music flooded the metal cell and reverberated off of the walls.
He read the title of the book he had grabbed. The Art of Chi Blocking, a book he had read countless times. "Nah." He grumbled. He haphazardly seized another novel. Chakras and You, a good book for meditating and contemplation. "That'll do nicely." Kohun said to himself, setting it down on the table and preparing to eat his wonderfully bland prison eggs.
Then it caught his eye, a note that had been placed on the tray. They didn't allow any official postage into the prison without reading it first, but the seal on this envelope was completely untouched. He immediately understood why as he caught sight of the Equalist insignia almost microscopically placed on the bottom corner of the envelope. Kohun snatched up the letter and broke the seal in one fluid motion. He unfolded the paper unsure of what to think. "My old second-in-command needs help does he?" The General chuckled at the irony of the man who betrayed him begging for his assistance.
Kohun's amusement quickly faded, however, as he read the message from Amon.
The new Avatar has proven to be of more difficulty than I had originally anticipated. In an act of humility I humbly request that you lend your hand in bringing the Avatar to justice. I know that you do not believe in the relinquishing of anyone's bending, but I can assure you that your efforts will be made worth your while. I am well aware of your ability to escape your confinement, old friend. The only reason you have never attempted to escape is because you feel that no one will be out in the world to be there when you see sunlight again. If you assist me in bringing the Avatar down, I can reunite you with your daughter.
The last sentence bore into his chest deeper than any knife could go. Kohun slumped back into his chair, his mind racing as he began to ask himself one big question: How much was the Avatar really worth?