Neo Fire
Chapter 1: War Without a Cause
General Uku looked over what used to be a city. Rubble was scattered everywhere. Smoke hung in the air. Small fires still burned. The fire nation had come to this earth kingdom city, and after only two days, it fell before them. Uku had assisted in the conquest. As he examined the battlefield that had brought him victory, only one word came to mind.
Why?
Uku stepped forward. He was the youngest general the fire nation had ever seen. Only twenty-four years old when he had reached that ranking, and that was only a few months ago. He was well liked amongst the fire nation people. He was considered a genius by many, but Uku wasn't sure how he felt about that. He knew he had mastered firebending at a very young age, and he knew he had learned more about astronomy, physiology, arithmetic, and psychology by the age of twelve than most men knew when they were thirty. He considered himself to be learned, but not a genius.
"General Uku!" a voice called.
Uku turned at the call. A soldier was running up to him. The soldier was easily six feet tall, but Uku was still a good few inches taller than him. Uku was also very muscular and, although he didn't know why, many people said he was very handsome. Uku, who was never one to think too highly of himself, did not think himself to be much different than anyone else. He didn't realize how above average he was.
The soldier reached him and bowed.
"The prisoners have been gathered," he reported. "What are your next orders?"
Uku looked away from him, looking back over the wreckage that would still have been standing if he hadn't been there.
"Give me a minute," he said.
"Yes, sir," the soldier nodded.
Uku walked around for a moment. The soldier stood there and watched him. What his general was concerned about had never even crossed the young man's mind.
Uku became a general because he was thought to have some of the most elaborate and successful strategies of the whole fire nation. Uku didn't disagree with this, but was beginning to wonder what he was doing exactly. For what purpose was he conquering these cities? There had to be a reason for it. Didn't there?
The soldier continued to watch him, starting to wonder what his general was doing. He then spoke up.
"What are you looking for, sir?" he asked. "Did you lose something?"
"Yes," Uku muttered. "I just don't know what it is."
The soldier looked confused.
"Is it . . . something I can help you with?" he asked.
"I doubt it," he stated.
The soldier remained standing there, baffled. Uku continued pacing back and forth in front of him, never venturing far from the soldier's sight. The soldier just kept watching him.
Uku then spotted something under a wooden, support beam that had fallen over in the raid. He went up to it and pushed it aside. It was laying on top of the legs of a young woman. She was laying face down on the ground, lifeless. Her body was beaten and some of her skin was singed. She had probably been killed by the rubble of the falling city.
The soldier came up to his side, looking down at the body. Uku kneeled down on one knee as he studied her.
"Oh," the soldier said. "There's another one. What do you want us to do with them?"
Uku couldn't help but be disgusted at his disrespect. She may have been of the earth kingdom, but even the death of an enemy should be honored.
"We need to bury the dead before we go," Uku said.
The soldier rolled his eyes.
"No offense, sir," he said, "but must we do so with every battle? Why do we not have the prisoners bury their own?"
Uku glared up at him.
"You would ask such a heavy burden on them?" he snarled. "They have lost their home, and many of their loved ones. How can you ask them to bury them alone?" He looked back at the woman's body. "The very least we can do for them is allow them to say goodbye properly. We will make the graves. They can help in any other way they wish."
"Yes, sir," the soldier sighed, rolling his eyes again.
Uku continued to stare at the woman. He couldn't pull away for some reason. There was something about her. Something was different about her. He couldn't decide what it was.
Suddenly, he heard a small noise, coming from the woman. Uku jerked in shock. The noise came again, a little louder.
Surely this woman . . . wasn't alive . . .
So then . . .
"That kind of sounds like," the soldier started slowly, in shock as well.
Uku carefully put a hand on the woman's shoulder and rolled her over. There, beneath her, was a baby. Alive. It had begun to cry.
"A baby," the soldier finished in awe.
Uku stared at the infant, shocked and confused.
Something inside of him was beginning to break.
"She died . . . " Uku gaped, "protecting her baby . . ."
Uku reached for the infant and carefully picked it up. He held it in his arms. The soldier watched him. The woman had fallen on a rock that had propped her up just enough to where her body didn't smother her baby, but it was able to protect it from debris instead.
Uku had never seen anything like it before. His hands started to shake. Some unknown emotion was swelling inside of him.
Why?
The word kept repeating itself over and over in his mind.
Why? Why? Why?
Why?
"General Uku?" the soldier asked.
Uku stood up. He carried the infant out of the city. Away from his dead mother. Away from the chaos. Away from the death. Away.
That was something Uku needed too.
The soldier watched him as he disappeared through the rubble and smoke.
"General . . .?" he uttered.
"You're leaving?"
Uku nodded slowly.
Admiral Sowu grunted and started to look agitated. He looked around for a moment as if trying to find help.
"Why?" he asked finally. "Where are you going? For how long? What are you doing! Why are you doing it now!"
"I can't . . . " Uku stammered. For the first time in his life, he couldn't think of any words.
Uku balled his hands into fists and looked at Admiral Sowu sternly.
"Do this anymore!" he managed. "I just can't!"
"But we need you," Admiral Sowu complained. "You've helped us make tremendous progress in the earth kingdom. What about your soldiers? What about the fire nation?"
"I'm not leaving forever," Uku promised. "I'll come back . . . eventually. I just . . . need some time to think. To clear my mind. All of these battles have me confused . . . I can't think straight and . . . "
Uku's hands hadn't stopped shaking since he had found the infant. He ran his hands through his hair, fidgeting.
"I'm no good to the Fire Lord like this," he pointed out. "I won't be winning anymore battles unless I get myself together."
Sowu looked him over. Sowu was older than Uku, but respected him deeply. He had never seen Uku like this before. His uniform was dirty and one of his boots wasn't securely fastened. He was sweating a little and he couldn't seem to focus.
"All right," Sowu conceded. "You can't do your job in this condition. I will explain it to the Fire Lord when I speak to him. Just recover and report back as soon as possible."
Uku nodded, still fidgeting. He bowed respectfully, and then left the room. Sowu sighed as he stood there alone in his quarters.
Uku is one of our finest generals, he thought. I would hate to lose him. Perhaps he was too young after all. I do hope battle has not driven him over the edge.
He then looked at a map to begin planning out the fire nation's next move. He nodded to himself.
He is resourceful, he thought. I'm sure it won't be too long before he's right back where he belongs.
Uku stuffed some clothes into his pack. He didn't know how long he would be gone exactly, so it was hard to know how much he needed to take. There was a woman helping him pack. She handed him another shirt which he also stuffed carelessly into the pack.
"So you don't know how long you'll be gone?" the woman asked him.
"No," he answered plainly.
"It won't be here the same without you," she stated.
Uku didn't respond. He just kept packing the items she handed him while trying not to think about anything.
The woman then reached for a small, wooden box. It was beautifully carved with many symbols and designs. It was painted a rich green with touches of blue and red.
Uku suddenly grabbed the box before the woman could pick it up. He held it firmly in front of him.
"I'll take care of this," he said quickly. "Can you go see about getting me some food?"
"Of course," she nodded, not thinking twice about the box.
The woman then turned and walked out of the room. Uku looked down at the box in his hands. He glared at it angrily.
This is all your fault, you know, he thought.
Uku then placed it in the pack, but was more careful with it than anything else he had.
Uku finished gathering supplies and then started to leave the fire nation's stronghold. They had brought the prisoners from the city they conquered just days before to be kept there with them. They were gathered in the courtyard, only having small tents to shelter them. They were at least being fed well. Uku had seen to that. What good was keeping prisoners if you didn't keep them healthy?
Uku noticed a woman sitting in front of a tent. She was holding a baby in her arms. It was the baby he had found. The woman was the sister to the infant's mother. She was hurt by the news of her sister's death, but was glad at least, that her nephew had survived. She was going to take care of the boy in her sister's place. Uku hadn't told her of how he had found the baby, or the woman's body. He didn't want that image to haunt her mind as well as his.
But at least . . . the baby was alive and . . . could grow up.
His mother just wouldn't be there to see it.
Uku forced this out of his mind and headed towards the front gates.
Four days later . . .
Uku gathered wood together. He was out alone in a dense forest. He flicked the wood with one of his fingers and it started on fire. Uku then leaned back and sat on a log. He stared at the flame as it grew and consumed the wood.
Uku was trying not to think to much, but this became a troublesome task. He had never realized just how much time he spent thinking until he didn't want to think. Without anyone else to talk to or distract him, there wasn't much more to do.
Uku's stomach growled. He hadn't eaten in days. He didn't really feel like eating anything, and also felt like he didn't deserve to eat, but the body has ways of overcoming such emotions.
Uku started to dig through his pack. He pulled out a piece of cloth and unwrapped it, revealing a loaf of bread. He pulled off a piece and started eating it slowly.
What am I doing out here? He wondered. As if my answers could be found out in the wilderness of the earth kingdom. This was a mistake.
Uku sighed.
But I couldn't stay there either, he thought.
Uku heard a twig snap. He instantly got to his feet and whirled around. He threw a stream of flames in the direction of the noise. The flame flew through the trees, but didn't hit anyway.
Uku looked around tensely. Silence returned. He didn't see anyone.
Maybe I'm being paranoid, he thought.
But then suddenly, a piece of rock lifted from the ground near him. It floated into the air and then went at him in great speed. It hit him in the chest and pushed him back.
Uku regained his footing and looked around for his attack. He spotted a masked figure jump down from a tree. The person was covered from head to foot in some sort of ninja uniform. There was a hole in the mask for the eyes, but no other opening.
The figure raised a hand into the air and lifted two more rocks from the ground. They motioned towards Uku and the rocks flew towards him.
Uku jumped into the air over the rocks. He sent out a blast of flames towards his attacker while still in the air. The person jumped out of the way. They motioned backwards and the two rocks still flying through the air changed direction. They collided with Uku as he hit the ground.
Uku grunted as the rocks pushed him to his knees. He growled and sent another blast of fire at the person. They jumped out of the way again and went at him. The person kicked him beneath his chin, pushing him back up to his feet.
Uku stumbled back for a moment and rubbed his chin.
Ugh, he thought. It was a mistake not to eat for so long. I have hardly any strength!
The attack continued against him. The person swung a leg at him, but Uku caught it. He twisted their leg, flipping them into the ground. The attacker immediately lifted both hands and then hit them into the ground. The earth beneath Uku's feet cracked and parts of it lifted up. Uku lost his footing again and fell backwards.
The person jumped to their feet and motioned towards Uku. A mound of earth lifted up and moved towards him. It went under Uku and lifted him back to his feet. It grew to be a little taller than he was. The mound softened slightly and engulfed his hands and abdomen. Then the mound went hard as a rock, keeping him trapped inside.
Uku struggled, but couldn't budge. He was securely caught.
His attacker approached him and stood in front of him. Uku looked at them angrily. They stared at each other for a moment.
Then the person reached up and took hold of their mask. They pulled it off, revealing a soft face and long, brown hair. It was pulled back slightly with a band, leaving two strands of hair over their forehead.
Uku stared at he person, surprised.
A woman? He thought.
The woman smiled and lifted her arms into the air.
"I beat a firebender, I beat a firebender," she began to chant, dancing around in celebration. "Take that, earth kingdom army!"
Uku still couldn't believe it.
An earth kingdom woman . . . he thought, beat me?
The woman looked back at him.
"I'm Chiso," she introduced. "I thought you should know that before I turn you over to the earth armies."
"You'll do no such thing!" Uku yelled.
"They wouldn't let me join because I'm a woman," Chiso went on as if she hadn't heard him. "Maybe they'll change their mind when I bring you to them."
"I don't want your life story!" Uku snapped. "Let me go or you'll regret it!"
"I'm hungry," Chiso said, turning around. "Do you have any food?"
She went over to his pack and sat down on the log Uku had been on before. She opened the pack. The green box Uku had brought was still on top. Chiso smiled and squealed when she saw it.
"How pretty!" she cried, picking it up and looking it over. "Look at all the designs!"
"Don't touch that!" Uku yelled, now even more angry than he was before.
"What's inside?" she asked, starting to lift the lid.
"Stop!" Uku roared. "The contents of that box are sacred to my people! They shouldn't be handled by the likes of you."
Chiso looked at him for a moment.
"You mean an earthbender?" she asked softly.
"Exactly!" he snapped. "Put that down!"
Chiso paused, and then did as he said. She put it carefully onto the log next to her. She then got back into the pack and pulled out another piece of cloth surrounding a loaf of bread. She started eating it happily.
Uku grunted and leaned against the mound that was restraining him. He wasn't sure how he was going to get away, but something would come to him eventually.
Uku's stomach growled again. Chiso looked up at him. Uku suddenly found himself blushing.
"You're hungry too?" Chiso asked.
She picked up the bread Uku had dropped and went towards him. She held it up to him.
"Here," she said.
Uku stared at the bread, surprised. She was actually being thoughtful and somewhat kind, offering the food like that. Of course, she also seemed to forget that he didn't have any hands to eat it with.
Chiso didn't seem worried about this though. She stuffed the loaf into Uku's mouth and walked away. Uku held onto the bread between his teeth, more confused than he had ever felt.
Chiso sat down and went back to eating her bread. Uku watched her curiously. He found himself fascinated by this simple minded woman.
It was dark by the time Chiso had eaten her fill of the bread and some of the other food items Uku had brought with him. She then brushed herself off and took the band out of her hair, letting it down.
"I'm tired," she announced. "I'll take you to the earth kingdom armies in the morning."
Chiso then pulled out Uku's pillow and blanket from his pack. She put the pillow down on the ground and then laid down with the blanket around her.
"Good night," she said.
Uku watched her silently. Part of the loaf of bread was still in his mouth. He was able to carefully eat part of it, but it was difficult to do without dropping it.
Uku had been observing Chiso for some time now, but couldn't figure her out. If she was really trying to take him back to her country's army, why take so long? She seemed to be easily distracted.
Chiso was soon breathing deeply, having fallen asleep in a short time. Uku was having a hard time understanding her. That was the first time anything like that had happened. Usually, he solved puzzles right away. But something was different with Chiso.
Uku tried to relax the best he could. It was hard with his arms and abdomen trapped in rock. He needed to get some rest anyway possible. With Chiso's short at attention span, he could tell it would be a long trip back to the earth kingdom armies.