Jianghu

Chapter 1 – New Age

Story: a crossover between Avatar universe and wuxia universe, borrowing many wuxia terms from various sources.

Rating: T for violence, war, and an angry boarila.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.


Fire Nation Capitol, an interesting place indeed. The centerpiece of the Capitol was the inactive volcano at the heart of the island, where a city sat in the inactive crater. The Fire Nation Royal Palace occupied the center, surrounded by the dwellings of the highest of nobilities in their Calderic pagoda style mansions. Fire Nation is a race of warriors and it is not a surprise that the most powerful of the martial clan lived there.

At the foot of the Caldera, the oldest of noble houses still lived; they were the names that had been around since before the volcano died down. At the south part of the Caldera, in a mass of land stretching to the shoreline, vast enough to be its own town, lay the property of the Lin Family, one of the oldest noble clan in existence.

Fire Princess Azula sat at the edge of the crater, watching the Estate that lay quite a great distance away and down with lazy amber eyes. Unlike her usual more practical garb, Princess Azula was in an elaborately embroidered royal robe; thick, stuffy, multi-layered of red silk and brocade, bearing golden embroidery of flowers and Phoenix, a thick and wide obi tied with a yellow silk sash, a pair of embroidered boots, and sleeves so wide they could be blankets. Her raven hair was mostly untied, sporting a small top-knot, adorned with a small red two-pronged headpiece of the Fire Nation insignia, and a golden hairpin with a small lotus made of pink diamond dangling on a thin gold chain. Two flocks of hair framed the sides of her hair, fluttering in the wind, and she wore very thin makeup for a royalty of her caliber, being a slight tomboy, with nothing but thin red lipstick that, truth to be told, her angelic complexion really did not need.

Azula shot up quickly, standing precariously on the edge of the crater. How she longed to fly…

The sound of the horn echoed throughout the Capitol, all the way from the Harbor District, through the Royal Plaza, the Lower Town, the Upper District, and all the way to the heart of Caldera, ushering the return of the fleet. Numerous Fire Nation Navy ships entered the island, bearing troops that had returned from the war following a truce.

At the bow of his ship, Crown Prince Iroh stood regally, resplendent in his black and gold Royal Armor, wearing his distinctive Dragon Head helmet. At his side was his young son, having just turned twenty one last summer, in his dark-with-black-trim armor, wearing a simple headband with a nation insignia of red jade sewn on to it, holding his impressive heavy spear. It took a few minutes for the ships to ease into the harbor, a few more for the planks and the red carpet to settle in.

Iroh had to admit, despite having been gone for the campaign for nearly five full years, he still had not lost his taste for these frivolous luxury his royal standing afforded him. He descended the plank with his son first, followed closely by his advisors, and was met by the younger generations of male royals and their entourage. Fire Prince Ozai, tall and menacing, with long raven hair his son and daughter inherited, and a long goatee, bowed a formal Fire Nation bow of left hand on right knuckle.

His son, Fire Prince Zuko, who looked everything like a younger version of himself, without the goatee, looked to be in a more cheerful mood.

"Brother", Ozai greeted right before he was stunned by Iroh's quick hug.

Lu Ten and Zuko sniggered under their breath.

Back at the palace, the uproar that followed Fire Princess Azula's disappearance was suddenly quelled by the young Princess appearing at the courtyard, escorted by her two personal bodyguards, two tall burly men clad in red Royal Procession uniform, complete with their masked helmet, and the Princess' entourage of maids. Lady Ursa, her mother, sighed a relief and threw a guilty glance at the Fire Lord and Lady, the two ancient couple sitting at their thrones at the top of the steps leading to the Royal Palace, looking resplendent surrounded by the red and gold of their robes, their maids and guards' outfits, the giant red-feathered fans the maids used on them, and the pillars between which they sat.

Lady Ursa threw her daughter a sharp disapproving glance as the girl sauntered away to stand by her side, taking her sweet time, but Azula did not even seem to notice. Behind them, on the left side of the procession, stood the families of the noble houses; in front of them, the male side, were where the patriarchs and their firstborn sons were.

Azula caught the sight of General Jiang, the tall man in his robes, black with dark-red trim, the colors of his clan, standing alone in his spot. Azula was half-expecting that his son would stand there, ever so faithfully, despite knowing that he was currently marching into city with the Army. Azula, with her hands in her sleeves like a proper lady, caressed the beaded bracelets of white beads and black beads around her left wrist, his gift to her from when they were children.

The sound of horn roared again, prompting the musicians at the corner of the courtyard to get ready. As the front gate slid open, they played the National Anthem, accompanied by the Royal Castrati Choir, and Crown Prince Iroh led the procession in; the soldiers and low-ranking officers had been dismissed at the foot of the Caldera and with the Crown Prince were the generals, the commanders, and a handful of soldiers whose contribution in the battlefield had earned them a part in the event.

As they arrived before the Fire Lord, the four royals bowed deeply while the rest of the soldiers fell slowly into kowtow. The royals rose but the rest remained in their prostration. Iroh and Lu Ten stayed put while Ozai and Zuko walked to their appointed place, standing at the Fire Lord's side.

Fire Lord Azulon raised his bony thin hand, silencing the music. "My son, Iroh", he spoke with a voice that was so strong it did not match his ancient wrinkles and snow white hair, and his highly advanced age. "I am glad that you have returned safely."

"So am I, My Lord", Iroh inclined his head slightly. "I have brought with me, a truce signed by the Earth King himself", he said, prompting a soldier standing a step behind him to step froth with a padded tray he was carrying that housed a golden scroll tied with a black cord and secured by a circular clip made of green jade. "And I bring news and tales of great bravery of our soldiers!"

Lu Ten smiled at this; the lower ranking soldiers among the group leered at each other covertly, grinning. There were about a couple dozens of them in the group, and Azula thought it must be some kind of a record; low ranking soldiers rarely got to contribute a lot. Fire Lord Azulon spoke one word. "Rise", and the kowtowing returning soldiers stood up.

Crown Prince Iroh relaxed a little. He turned to his men and said. "Let me give you, General Li", he called; a man with clean-shaven hard-jawed face and green eyes, stepped forth and saluted the Fire Lord –the hand sign without a bow- and stayed that way until Iroh finished listing his accomplishment.

"General Zu", Iroh called the second one. And he went on and on until he called the name. "Captain Lin", and a teenager in a dark armor and no helmet or headband, with a black sword strapped on his back stepped forth.

Azula could have sword her heart skipped a beat.

He was young but he looked wary, his eyes were bright amber and skin pale, jet black hair in a simple ponytail, and the mischievous glint in his eyes looked… different now… dimmer.

"…and our own Lu Ten", Iroh added as Lin arrived by Lu Ten's side and they both saluted. Iroh continued. "Together, these two young heroes of our generation accomplished many a deed! Captain Lin, a brilliant young strategist, devised a plan that enabled us to secure a foothold on the Western Coast of Earth Kingdom, advance a bulk of our grand army to the Wall of Ba Sing Se while occupying the Central Provinces along the way, and his personal achievement in taking the impregnable Western Earth Base in a matter of hours, a feat that outshines the one of his very proud father, General Jiang."

The crowd murmured and some clapped their hands, turning to the General, standing among the guest, who was trying not to smile.

"Together with Lu Ten and this group of brave men and women…" Iroh swept his hand at the low ranking soldiers who stepped forth and stood behind the two and saluted. "…they held the village of Ran Gu for an entire month against a horde of well-armed bandits with low supplies, no reinforcement, and no weapon but a single small fruit knife they had to share between them!"

The group of soldiers behind them could not help but giggled.

Iroh, grinning widely, continued. "And together, they formed a formidable group of elite fighting soldiers", as he said it, the soldiers took off their garbs, revealing the dark armor they were wearing underneath, similar to the one Lin was wearing. "The Black Riders!" Iroh raised his voice. "They were responsible for many victories and were key factor in the capture of Tianshui and the destruction of the Wall of Ba Sing Se!"

They crowd grew louder.

"This latest campaign has given birth to many heroes, My Lord!" Iroh boomed. "It is a blessing to our Nation!"

The Fire Lord raised his hand once more to silence the crowd. "It is, indeed", he said. "Take time to rest", he commanded. "Tomorrow, you all shall have an audience with me. You will be rewarded for your services."

With that, the musicians played again, a more cheerful and festive music this time, and the people were allowed to begin the festivities. Food and drinks were served and the performers flooded in. Lu Ten and Lin, grinning at each other, raced to the nearest refreshment table with a polite stride. Zuko joined them shortly.

"You've grown taller, squirt", Lu Ten grinned, ruffling Zuko's hair.

"I had wished you come home with a scar on your face", Zuko replied petulantly.

"Maybe next war", Lu Ten snickered.

A pair of amber eyes stared at the three sharply from behind Zuko. Lu Ten swallowed the cookies in his mouth and straightened up, assuming a formal persona. "Azula", he greeted formally.

Azula returned the greeting. "Dum-dum."

Lu Ten's lower lip jutted out. "You're still mean", he said before he embraced the girl tightly. "I miss you. How are you doing, baby cousin?"

"Better as soon as you let go of me", Azula gasped breathlessly.

Lu Ten let go and flexed his muscles, which did nothing for him on account of his armor. "Oh yeah, Lu Ten's been working out. You like?"

"Ick", was all Azula could say. Lu Ten inherited the tall gene of his grandfather but the wide frame of his father which made him look rather plump even though he was actually muscular.

Lin and Azula turned to each other and the former spoke first. "Princess", he inclined his head a little, a gestured that was returned by Azula. "Captain."

Lu Ten and Zuko's eyes turned to one of them to another. "Aww, man!" Lu Ten exasperated. "Is this a way for two betrothed people to greet each other after two years?" he then, without tact, shoved the Princess into the Captain's arms. "Go! Talk! Make out! Go second base!"

Azula glared at him but he was already away with Zuko on tow.

Lin smiled at her brightly. "You look well", he said.

Azula bit her lip a little. "Dummy", she said, half-grumbling. Inhaling and regained more air of dignity, she commanded. "Get me a drink."

In the meantime, Lu Ten and Zuko were with the ladies; Lady Ursa was commenting of how different Lu Ten looked now and with them were Mai, a tall girl around Zuko's age with dark long hair tied into twin buns, sharp face features and humorless expression, in a dark red robe, and Ty Lee, a bubbly girl with ivory skin, long brown hair tied in a braid with messy bang, a pair of big gray eyes, and cheerful pretty round face. Zuko, who was in a rather light mood, commented on Ty Lee who was in a formal robe for a change, which was a very rare occurrence for the rebellious girl, and had his arm around Mai's waist, while Lu Ten went on to recount some exaggerated account of his battles to Lady Ursa who was more interested in the 'fruit knife' part Iroh had said earlier.

Still in his throne, alone now since Fire Lady Illah had deemed it important for her to mingle with the crowd, Azulon's piercing amber eyes moved slowly among the youths; from Zuko and Mai, Lu Ten and Ty Lee, Azula and Lin. No one knows what was on his mind.

-0-0-0-0-0-

The chaotic brawl in the Earth Kingdom town of Gaipan was still ongoing. It started from two martial art schools, the refined school of Gan Jin Swordsmanship and the brutish Zhang Saber Clan, fighting over a spot in the market where they would perform to advertise their school, caused by some of the market administrators (yes, they had one) had made the mistake of misinforming one or both school and did not have the hindsight to keep record.

It had been rather unremarkable at first, since the two schools were bitter rivals anyway, a fact that was known to all. But, as the students joined their teachers in a fight, the chaos spread to the local taverns and teashops where travelling martial artists were chilling and resting, and, as they usually were, they were itching for a fight and a spilt tea was as good a reason as any to clobber someone's head.

The local authorities had been called in, which, in this case were the newly arrived Earth Kingdom soldiers (Gaipan had been a Fire Nation colony until a few months ago when it was returned to the Earth Kingdom as part of the truce), still unaccustomed to the local habits; they naturally tried to deal with the affair with extreme prejudice and it served only to fan the flame.

The Mayor had to call in some mercenary group and Tyro and his men just so happened to pass by. Leading his group of around two hundreds former militia, he stormed in and caught the brawlers by surprise. The large man grabbed a Zhang, judging from the fur he was wearing, by the scruff of the collar and threw him away; two of his men promptly ganged up on the Zhang and tied him up with a rope.

He raised his arm just in time to deflect a stabbing sword of a Gan Jin in white with his studded bracer. Tyro's leg swung and kicked the sword holding hand, disarming the Gan Jin. He grabbed the squealing Gan Jin by the collar and also threw him to the ground. The last thing Tyro heard of him was a loud. "Get away, you dirty brutes!" before his two men tied him up.

Tyro looked around, looking pleased by the work of his men. He stroke his long white beard and, spirits be blessed, he never felt so young despite his advanced age. The man had wide shoulders and a tall straight posture, forged by years of military training and his work as a miner before the Siege of Ba Sing Se; he had the muscular body that made him look like a legendary general from the old stories.

A random man who was neither a Zhang or a Gan Jin flew and dropped in front of him, falling on his back. His son, Haru, leaped into the scene with his fist drilling down, scoring a hit on the downed man's jaw who was trying to get up. The young man stood up, grinning at him. Haru, despite being only fourteen, seemed to inherit Tyro's built. He was taller than his peers, his muscles had begun to develop, and his energy when training with Tyro seemed limitless. Tyro had imparted to him most of his family martial art and Haru absorbed them all like a sponge.

"Don't slack off now, dad!" Haru exclaimed, dodging a slash of a saber and countering with a swinging punch to the attacker's gut. The young man capitalized with a powerful punch on the opponent's exposed ribs.

"Never, son", Tyro fell into his stance and resumed fighting, feeling all sort of pride.

-0-0-0-0-0-

The young newly ordained Air Monk rubbed his freshly tattooed head, now sporting a large blue arrow tattoo. Aang's stormy gray eyes smiled along with his huge grin as his fellow young monks congratulated him. After all, it was not every day an eleven years old was ordained, making him the youngest ever of the Air Nomads to be ordained as a full-fledged Monk.

His sky bison Appa groaned and decided to land on all of them.

"Gaaahhh! Appa!" Aang half-screamed, half-laughed as the bison licked his face, completely oblivious that he was in the middle of flattening several Air Acolytes. Air Monk Gyatso, watching from the top of the steps, stroked his goatee and smiled fondly.

-0-0-0-0-0-

South from there, in the South Pole, a young girl with tan skin and brown hair was peeking at the men sparring in the ice field, lying on her front in the snow and trying hard to make herself invisible. Her ocean blue eyes crinkled as she held her smirk, watching her brother getting slammed to the ground by an adult warrior he was sparring with. Growling, Sokka, the boy with tanned skin, brown hair, and blue eyes, like hers, got up and lunged at the sparring opponent, and suffered a snowball in the mouth.

The men broke out laughing and the sparring session suddenly turned into a snowball war. Her father, Chief Hakoda, could never get serious when he was training the young ones. At this rate, Katara sighed, their Tribe's martial art would end with her father.

The Southern Water Tribe, after all, was famed for their expertise in the rare Snow Fist form, a martial art, inspired by cold snow, that freezes one's chi and imbuing it into a punch, a more brutish counterpart of their sister tribe's Taichi Fist that was inspired by sweeping wave. Katara's light mood plummeted now as she realized the boys would not be back to their training anytime soon. Since girls were not allowed to train in martial art, she could only watch from afar…

Yeah, watched from afar…

Sighing deeply, Katara rolled to her back and looked at the snowy sky above. Black snow fell upon them all of a sudden and it intrigued her… black snow.

A fleet of black Fire Nation ships, bearing the flags of sea raven, entered their shore.

-0-0-0-0-0-

But, it was three years ago… thre long years ago…

Now, the fifteen years old Azula, in a dark red garb of Fire Nation fashion with purple trim, without a shoulder mantle, and with a thick dark vest, a cloth tasset around her waist with one end tucked on her sash, and a pair of pointy-toed boots, danced as she evaded blow after blow of her opponent's spear thrust. The girl's hair was kept in a simple ponytail at the crown of her hair, secured by a hair ornament of red two-pronged Fire Nation insignia, with two long flocks of hair framing the side of her face. She smiled as the spear tip nearly grazed her face as she leaned back to avoid the swing. Her opponent, a skilled spearman of the Glorious Spear Sect, wearing their school's light blue shirt and pants, and a custard yellow bandana, used the momentum of his missed swing to spin, secured a strong footing, and stabbed with the butt of his spear.

Flicking her swords to the side, out of the way, Azula delivered one plain but accurate front kick at the butt of the spear, sending it slipping away from the spearman's grasp; her Scarlet, the red short jian she held in her left hand, slashed diagonally down to the right, and her Azure, the long slender blue jian she wield in her right hand, slashed diagonally down to the left as she fell into a low stance, slashing an X that was shallow enough to avoid any injuries on her opponent's waist, but deep enough to severe his sash.

Of the spectators behind her, Ty Lee was the only one tactless enough to laugh out loud; Mai, being a cold person that she was, barely showed any reaction, and Katara, like the rest of their group, tried, oh, so hard to hold down their laughter. The Glorious Spear Sect group looked angry indeed as their representative fell on his face with his underwear showing; as if being disarmed by a fifteen years old girl was not embarrassing enough.

Azula twirled Azure expertly and held the sword now in a reverse grip, a peaceful grip, as a sign of courtesy in her victory. Having lost two out of three matches, the Glorious Spear Sect had no choice but to vacate the podium. The Republic Citizens cheered loudly and applauded. Azula, though it was expected of her as a gracious winner, did not bow to the audience and simply stalked off down the podium; Ty Lee, the one who had scored the first win, quickly raced up and bowed instead.

Jee and Chit Sang, holding the sheath of Azure and Scarlet respectively, held them up and Azula smoothly sheathed her swords with great dexterity and accuracy in her movement, much to the two men's relief. Jee, a tall well-built man with buzz-cut hair and sideburns, and Chit Sang, who was bigger, taller, and wider, with short hair and stubbly moustache, both with eyes the color of dark amber, and had done away with their top-knot and Fire Nation clothing ever since they chose to accompany their young Princess into exile. They both wore clothings of light brown and Republic City's boots that were heavily influenced by Earth Kingdom fashion, although Chit Sang had, at some point, ripped off his sleeves though he still wore his cloth wristbands.

"Let's go home", Azula commanded their group of twelve people, men and women, which included her and her two bodyguards, Mai, Ty Lee who was happily ordering two of their men to carry their winning of four bags of gold pieces, and Katara who was making sure they had all their belongings ready. It was customary for groups and schools participating in martial art competitions such as this to bring banners and a small name plague on a pole.

An odd group they were. Unlike most schools or martial art group that wore some kind of uniform clothing, their group did not seem to have any dress code. Azula was wearing her red and dark clothes proudly, Mai, in her dark baggy robe with wide sleeves, looked rather odd and out of place standing next to Katara and her simple blue Water Tribe garb, and Ty Lee in her pink trousers and a short-sleeved pink garb that exposed her midriff. The rest of the group were also clad in an eclectic varioations of fashion, the most eye-catching of which being a young lady in an obviously noble Earth Kingdom garb, made of celery green silk with bright yellow embroidery.

They even had kids with them…

Two of them began emitting a squeally scream/laughter, which usually indicated that they were about to bolt; Katara quickly caught them before they ran into the traffic and got hit by a cart or a palanquin. "Now, you two! Behave!" Katara scolded them, pinching their cheeks.

Azula narrowed her eyes and turned to them, and asked as she walked backwards. "Quiz time!" she exclaimed and the two kids groaned. "Recite the 'Ode of the Five Great Elders'!" Azula commanded. "And you better recite to me word per word or no dinner for you! No paraphrasing!"

"Yes, paraphrasing", Katara narrowed her eyes at the Fire Nation girl.

Azula made an effort to pout. "You are always against me."

"Only when you are being unfair and mean", Katara exasperated.

Azula humphed and turned around, starting walking normally again. "My dad would beat my hand with a steel ruler if I paraphrased."

Ty Lee dropped in. "Uh… it was wooden ruler", she said diplomatically.

"Like I said, a steel ruler", Azula ignored her. "Now, you two, I'm waiting."

"Umm…" Lee, the boy with saggy hair and missing front tooth, scrunched up his face as he thought hard. "The Five Great Elders are… Roku, the Western Fire", he began unsurely but Katara and Ty Lee's smiles encouraged him to go on. "…and then… Bumi, the Giantess in the South?"

"No, silly", Meng, the girl with two stiff ponytail giggled. "It's Kyoshi, the Giantess in the South!" she exclaimed, throwing her tiny arms up. "And then, and then, there is… um, Kuruk, the Bear of the North, and… and Yangchen, the Central Holiness!"

"Good job!" Katara praised.

Meng grinned widely. "It is said that, once upon a time, the Five Great Elders trained their kungfu to the strongest they can be and they got bored because they couldn't find anyone who could match them and then there was a tournament at Wulong Forest and… um, they fought each other but no one won and so they became equal and were named the Five Great Elders of Jianghu?"

"Very good, Meng!" Ty Lee gushed. "You got them all right."

"Not all", Azula interjected. "First, I said 'Ode'… even with paraphrasing, what you just told us was a prose at best", she said too fairly. "And secondly, you missed one Great Elder. Who's the East?"

"Oh!" it was Lee who exclaimed. "The East… I remember now! It was—"

-0-0-0-0-0-

Bumi, the Heretic King of the East, was still as fit as he was half a century ago. He was old, a hundred and fourteen years old, and he stood slightly hunched, going everywhere barefooted, and wore flowing colorful robes of green silk and feather, and practically wore nothing but his trunks and a matching studded bracers and shin guards underneath. Those who had glimpsed under his robe often testified to the existence of iron-like muscles though, which many of the students in his reclusive Peach Blossom Island often believed to be nothing but a rumor. His green eyes were mismatched, owing to the droop his left eyelids suffered, a defect of his birth, and he had lost several teeth but he was still fond of chewing rock candies. His hair was saggy around his head, like his bushy brush-like goatee, and the top of his head was completely bald.

Despite being the current leader of the Peach Blossom Island, following the wish of his master, Bumi had had to relinquish his throne as the King of Omashu decades ago and relocate to the Island on the Eastern Earth Kingdom. Although he had mastered all the Peach Blossom skills, Bumi still stubbornly clung to his famous Rock Splitting Palm, and yet he taught his students nothing but the skills of Peach Blossom Island. A true heretic, he was… Unpredictable as the wave of the East Sea.

The Elder of the East was meditating in the bamboo grove, staying as still as a rock. The Peach Blossom Island was a beautiful place, famed for its namesake, trees of peach blossom that painted the place purple and pink, and lush bamboo groves and clear water spring and lakes. A very wise martial art master was said to have settled here centuries ago and, inspired by the beauty of the place and the ever-present sound of the wave, he entered a state of meditation that lasted for over ten years, being sustained by nothing more than his vast reserve of chi. When he woke up of his meditation, surrounded by his students, he imparted to them the knowledge and wisdom that would be the foundation of the Island's mystical martial art.

From the supple and strong bamboo, they fashioned flutes; from watching the ever-flowing waves, they devised a powerful internal skill. Peach Blossom Island's Sound of Blue Waves was a peculiar martial art that combined swordsmanship, music, and skills in chi manipulation. Practitioners would play specific musical notes imbued with their chi to assault their opponent's senses, making them suffer visual and audio hallucinations, or causing them pain and nausea, and they would wield their flute as they would a sword for close-quarter combat.

Their internal skill, the Blue Wave Mental skill, posited that chi should be ever-flowing like the wave. It was a difficult-to-master internal skill that trains not only the body through routine meditations, but also way of thinking and perception. Practitioners often pictured their chi flowing though their body like crashing waves, and they kept that mental cognition when they used their chi.

Most of the students were recluses, rarely leaving their Island. The Island itself was not in any map and the sea that surrounded it was plagued by thick impregnable fog. On their shores, peach blossom trees grew in a specific sequence and, added with the fog and the sound of waves and waterfall, one who were not accustomed to the layout of the island would get lost easily; stories of people who had survived the 'Peach Blossom Array', as they had come to call it, often included a wild part where supposedly they witnessed the trees moved.

However, from time to time, a rare few individual would get lucky enough or was actually talented enough to see through the hallucinations induced by the trees and the waves and the fog. If they actually managed to step foot into the Island, and found a way to enter the Island, they would always be welcomed to stay and learn. Peach Blossom Island values skills and talent above all; yes, even above reputation or morality. Their Heretic King was a testament of that.

Twice a year, Bumi, following his teacher's tradition, led twelve of his students out of the Island and entered the mainland (13 being an unlucky number). They would kidnap criminals and take in orphans and brought them back to the Island. The criminals would be mutilated –their tongues and ears cut off- and they would be made servants; the orphans, should they prove themselves talented, would be taken as students. The untalented ones would be either returned to the mainland or allowed to stay as whatever they wanted, unmutilated servants or students who could never advance far.

Bumi drew in a deep breath; Lin, latching on a tall bamboo tree with his feet, his body staying stiff but light like a blade of leaf in a horizontal position, remained calm. The boy had grown since two years ago… the light in his eyes that he had briefly lost seemed to have been restored by the peaceful life he had had in the Island these past two years. He wore his long hair mostly untied, with only a small part tied up in a thin tail, and his clothes were the flowing green robe, white pants, and green boots that was the uniform of the Island disciples.

His hand was clasped behind his back, held in his left hand was a brown bamboo flute. Slowly, his body floated down as his feet let go of their grip; he floated down slowly like a blade of grass, a testament of his qinggong –the proper term for what laypeople called 'flying skills' or 'lightweight skills', a specific skill of chi and motoric meridians manipulation that allows the practitioner to jump, float, or, yes, even fly, usually for a short period of time; as long as one can hold and dispense his breath, the general consensus was.

Lin landed soundlessly behind Bumi and twirling his flute, he aimed it at the back of Bumi's head like he would a sword. Bumi smirked and nodded approvingly; Lin eased up and smiled, returning his flute in a reverse grip. Bumi, without moving his muscle, and using only his vast and profoundly powerful chi, turned; he was sitting in a meditative stance and he spun on his butt without moving a muscle and faced his student who had also sat down.

"I have nothing more to teach you", he declared proudly.

Lin's brow flickered. "Weeell…."

"I am not teaching any skills outside the ones of the Peach Blossom Island."

"True, but technically, you still have lots you can teach me."

"And it's precisely because of that way of thinking that I have nothing more to teach you", Bumi said brightly. "You have a bright inquisitive mind that always hungers for more knowledge. You need more practice to strengthen your skills but you can do that on your own. It is time for you to leave."

Lin smiled sadly. "Thank you, old master", he got on his knees and kowtowed. "I will not bring shame to our Island. But, even if I do, I supposed it can't be helped."

Again, Bumi nodded approvingly at the 'little heretic' in front of him. "Your bride is waiting~", he said teasingly. "I am sure she is anxious and counts the day to this summer when she would turn sixteen. You and your princess will finally wed and you will get to do with her as you please", Bumi pointed out with sagely tone.

Lin kept his forehead on the ground, feeling blush creeping into his cheeks. He felt a tap on his shoulder and he looked up; Bumi tapped his shoulder with a long green flute with a red tassel. Lin stood up into a seiza and received the flute.

"It belongs to your grandmother", Bumi said. "She would have wanted you to have it."

"I remember this", Lin said quietly.

Bumi heaved himself up and gestured the boy to do the same. Together, they walked back to the small village where Peach Blossom Island disciples lived. "Umma was a wise woman", Bumi said. "She always knew that you had a talent. She secured a place for you here since before you were born."

"It has been so long", Lin muttered, eyes never leaving the green jade flute.

"Rest tonight and say your goodbyes", Bumi said. "You will leave tomorrow morning."

-0-0-0-0-0-

As the night fell, Katara organized their camp, night guard shift, and cooked their dinner. Azula was too lazy to refute or help and Mai just did not care. Ty Lee found herself playing with the children to keep them busy and out of the way, since Katara could be cranky when she was in her bossy mode and, soon enough, they were sitting around a campfire, feasting on stale bread and some root soup that, strangely enough, was quite palatable. Katara had a strange gift of cooking in which she could scrap up a nice dinner from whatever scrap they found in the wild that even animals would not touch, but give her real quality ingredients and she would not know the first thing she would do with them. Azula had surmised at some point that it had something to do with the survival instinct of a true born and bred Water Tribe.

There was a slight rustle in the bushes around the clearing of the forest they were in. Jee and Chit Sang looked around warily with sharp eyes, and most of the group gripped their weapons tighter. Ty Lee threw more firewood into the campfire. Jee and Chit Sang exchanged glances but said nothing. Azula showed no sign of worry.

"Don't worry", she said. "It's just Avi", true enough, a large gray wolf the size of a platypus-bear with dash of dusty orange on its fur appeared out of the darkness. Its amber eyes scanned the group slowly as it padded closer to its mistress.

Azula, having done with her dinner since she was not in the mood for appetite, grabbed her blanket and covered herself to the waist with it. Avi the wolf arrived by her side and lay down, letting Azula used its body as a pillow.

"Did you find anything interesting, boy?" Azula asked, yawning, stroking the wolf's soft and warm fur.

Avi simply growled lowly and rested his head on its front legs; the children giggled and ran up to him, hugging his neck and prepared to sleep there while he lay down demurely. Azula sighed softly and, as she often subconsciously would, she gripped her right fist and het thumb rubbed thin golden ring she was wearing; simple bang of twisted gold with the centerpiece of a small star-shaped ruby. It was the last gift Lin had given her, the night before he left without saying goodbye; Lin had given her that ring with the promise that he would return and honor their engagement.

"Dummy", the Princess muttered under her breath.

Azula lazily covered Meng, who was closer to her, with part of her blanket. "Don't fart", she playfully warned the giggling girl.

Katara arrived with a blanket for the other two kids, smiling fondly at Azula who was already drifting to sleep. The Fire Nation girl could be crass and rude sometimes without intending to; she had a very rational and logical way of thinking, unlike Katara's brighter and more traditionally grounded mindset, being a product of Southern Water Tribe, or Ty Lee's slightly rebellious streak or Mai's cold uncaring personality.

Her blue eyes caught Jee and Chit Sang, eyeing her slightly before they began scanning the surrounding again, sitting on either side of Azula like faithful guardian gargoyles. Katara set her sleeping bag, made of thick cloth and blue fur, bearing the pattern of Southern Water Tribe, a little piece of home, on Azula's other side.

She looked up to the cloudy starry sky up there as she lay down and reminisced of the time long past, thinking of Sokka and how he was doing right now.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Sokka screamed loudly as Fat, the Butler, chased after him with a wooden sword; both were wearing baggy red pants and simple slippers, bare-chested save for a leather breastplate connected by cords to a pair of pauldrons, and a helmet and bracers made of the same brown leather material.

Sokka dodged and evaded Fat's swing; he pushed himself forward and rolled, picking up his fallen sword; just in time, as he raised his sword up horizontally, defending against Fat's blow. He pushed the Butler's sword up and kicked him on the chest. Fat staggered back and Sokka quickly capitalized, attacking with mad wild swings that—

"Sokka?"

"Yes, Master?"

—WHACK—

"Remember to concentrate", Piandao sipped his tea calmly, sitting on a rock on top of a barren rocky mountain they were in, where he was supervising the night practice of his current pupil.

Sokka though, was in the middle of assuming a fetal position, being beaten by Fat.

"Enough", Piandao stood up, throwing his cup at Fat who caught it. He waited until Sokka got up, sore all over. "Today marked the two years you spent under my tutelage. You have learnt much."

"I just got beaten up by a butler", Sokka said flatly.

Piandao smirked. "Your heart is not in its place, not one with your sword", Piandao said wisely.

"It is so", Sokka argued, grumbling under his breath.

"Sokka", Piandao began, walking down the stone path leading to the lowland with his pupil. "When you first sought me out, you professed a desire to learn swordsmanship."

Sokka nodded slightly; he could not believe it had been nearly three years already.

"You didn't even own a sword", Piandao said.

Sokka grumbled.

"You have learnt enough", Piandao declared. "It's time for you to resume your training on your own."

"But, Master", Sokka's heart leaped to his throat when Fat joined them soon, already dressed, and he handed Piandao a travelling bundle Sokka noticed was his. "I-I still have much to learn."

Piandao handed him his pack. "Sokka, when you first come, you were so unsure; you even seemed down on yourself", Piandao said. "But, I saw something in you right away; I saw a heart as strong as a lion-turtle, and twice as big. It wasn't your skills that impressed me", Piandao frowned and took a little time to think. "No, it certainly wasn't your skills", he decided, taking a wooden sword that Fat gave him.

Sokka pouted petulantly.

"You showed something beyond that", Piandao continued. "Creativity, versatility, intelligence", Piandao listed. "These are the traits that define a great swordsman", Piandao shoved the wooden sword on the boy's chest. "And these are the traits that define you."

Sokka did not know what to say. Piandao so rarely praised him, or anyone.

"You told me you didn't know if you are worthy", Piandao said and Sokka was reminded of that time, three years ago, when he bowed low, so low, the first time he kowtowed to anyone, begging for tutelage. "But, I believe, you are more worthy than any man I have ever trained."

Sokka was speechless.

"And now, my presence is needed back at my school, in the Fire Nation", Piandao said. "Until, next time, Sokka", he nodded a little and began walking away with Fat.

Sokka gawked. "Wait! You're just leaving me with a wooden sword?"

"I'm broke", Piandao called, already a distance away, waving without turning around.

-0-0-0-0-0-

When Bumi woke up in the morning, he found a single brown bamboo flute resting on a pile of uniform of his school, sitting on his nightstand. Along with it was a single purple nightshade. The old master broke into a fit of snorty laughter that did not die down until dinner time. His students were very worried.

Lin was already on a small skiff, with no sail nor paddles; the peculiar flow of waves from the Peach Blossom Island allows a small ship to float to the mainland, riding the wave. He was lying down inside the hut, on a sheet of straw mat. No longer was he in the Peach Blossom Island green –he secretly hated green- and now he was in his comfy dark travelling outfit; dark pants and garb, with dark pointy-toed boots, and a dark hooded shoulder mantle. His old clothes that he had worn to the Island had long been tattered and discarded away, not that they would fit anymore, so one of his shi jie –female senior- had made several new sets for him; for the time when he finally left the island, the woman had said with a knowing smile. Most students who came to the Island of their own volition rarely left anymore, so they knew just by looking who would one day leave and who would stay. Even his hair now he had cut shorter and tied in a simple ponytail.

The only thing of his own original possessions that he still had with him was his sword. A straight jian with peculiarly long handle, almost a quarter of the total length, with sheath and handle smooth, made of black ivory, and a golden dragon engraving embossed on it, with the neck of the dragon right at where the sheath and the handle parted. There was a small White Lotus symbol on either side of the handle, right in front of the Dragon's mouths, made of golden enamel. His swordplay teacher, Piandao, had added that White Lotus when he left the man's tutelage years ago before his exile.

Lin suddenly felt the ship stop moving and he sat up. He looked out the hut and saw that the fog had thickened and the ship has stayed still as the wave and wind stopped. Lin could barely make out an outline inside the fog and surmised land must be close. He gathered his belongings –his sword, strapped on his back along with his travelling bag, his flute, tucked in his sash on his back, and his hooded robe that he put on- and he made his way to the bow of the ship.

"Chi flows like crashing waves", Lin muttered, reciting the first line of the Blue Wave Mental Internal Skill Manual. He felt his power surging through his body and he concentrated on some specific major meridian points of his body; the tip of his toes, the center of his soles, his heels, his knees, his thighs, which were the staple for any qinggong, and he let his energy flow into the meridians around his hip, the base of his ribcage, and the center point of his chest and his upper spine, imagining his chi forming a harness that lifted him up to support the ones in his feet that was pushing him up. He leaped into the sea and bounced off the surface of the water like a dragonfly as his foot touched the water. He soared forwards and repeated the process, regulating his breath so he dispensed them thriftily, and in about a minute, he reached the shoreline.

A couple of fishermen were fishing with poles, sitting on a small pier while snacking on sugarcanes; they froze as their green eyes fell upon him and Lin smiled politely before he put on the hood of his robe and sauntered away towards the small fishing village ahead.

The Eastern Provinces of the Earth Kingdom was a bacon-shaped mass of land, attached to the mainland by a strip of land, framed on the south side by the Full Moon Bay, one of the busiest hubs to Ba Sing Se which had been quite active during the War transporting refugees. Due to the behemoth Ba Sing Se guarding the entrance to their land, the Eastern Provinces never had to face invasion from any foreign powers; that being said, it did not mean they knew no war and all was good and peaceful.

The Eastern Provinces was famed for its fertile lowland and the two strips of long slender canals that marred their eastern shore and went into the mainland like scars. The land had the perfect humidity and very fertile. Despite being only about 10% of the whole Earth Continent, the Eastern Provinces produced enough food to sustain the whole Kingdom. That was also the reason why Ba Sing Se never feared a siege and famine. Access to the Eastern Provinces could only be gained through that strip of land, which accessible only through Ba Sing Se, or across Full Moon Bay, which was, being a congregation of refugees, was always guarded and patrolled by a bulk of Earth Kingdom Army from Ba Sing Se.

The Eastern Provinces faced endless civil war between the five clans that each governed a province and competed for more land and, hence, more influence in Ba Sing Se. The fighting never ended. Skirmished ravaged the borders and the people suffered.

Before he went to the Peach Blossom Island, following his exile, his Black Riders, who had all followed him into exile, had come with him. A brilliant strategist that he was, Lin had ordered some of his men to stay with Lu Ten and his cousins in the Western Earth Kingdom, where they would set up a foothold, and he brought along a bulk of their Riders with him to the East where the fight never ends.

He spent several months with his men, fighting the civil war as mercenaries, until they learnt the ways of the war and culture in the East. He made his way to the Island soon after, leaving his men to keep fighting and building their strength in the Eastern Region. Lin had been pretty much cut out from the world during his stay in the Island, but he often heard news about the Black Riders and their actions in the civil war from fellow disciples who made a trip to the mainland.

And, truth to be told, his arrival back on the mainland could not have come at a better time. It was late spring, the time for the so-called inspection. Every spring, a delegation from Ba Sing Se would come and inspect the Eastern Provinces; the warring lords of the East often took this as a sign for an unofficial truce. They would be obliged to travel to the Dong Gate, a real actual grand gate that stood as tall as Ba Sing Se's gate, set up on a wall that sealed the only path to Ba Sing Se. It was manned by soldiers from Ba Sing Se and, for decades now, led by an aging old general that the lords had bribed to keep quiet about the civil war.

If news that the East was in a constant state of unrest reached Ba Sing Se, they would definitely send armies to quell the rebellion and nobody in the East wanted that, not even the civilians. The presence of armies from Ba Sing Se would only mean more violence and oppression.

Lin had taken all that into consideration and, true enough, as he arrived at a small town he saw the flag of a red ostrich-horse on a black flag reigning supreme on a wooden fort on the outskirt of the town. He approached the building, pushing his hood off his head. There were four guards armed with spears and sabers standing on either side of the gate and several men patrolling the rampart on the wall. Carts and some women and children, civilians, Lin guessed came in and out the fort freely and, though Lin did not recognize the guards, they were obviously of Earth Kingdom origin (Eastern people, Lin guessed, from their ivory skin and green eyes, but smaller, shorter, and slender built). Lin was very pleased with this; it showed that his Riders had integrated with the people and they had been accepted.

Lin entered the fort and just in time to see Taka getting kicked on the chest by his big sister Bara. The Riders and civilians around the wooden platform cheered at the conclusion of the match. Grimacing, Taka pushed himself up; his amber eyes caught Lin's smile.

"B-big sis… sisssss!" Taka exclaimed like a stammering fool but, with his respectable feat of qinggong, he leaped and summersaulted in the air, leaping over the crowd and landed behind them. He then ran to Lin and gave him a crushing hug.

Bara too exclaimed and joined the hug, followed by a dozen or more of his original Riders. After he was dragged to the command room where tea and snacks were served, attended by most of the originals, Lin was briefed of how his one hundred and fifty Riders that he had brought with him had swelled to a full regiment of over two thousand soldiers with forts spread across the Eastern Region.

Lin was very pleased to hear that the Riders in the West had also fared well; under the capable leadership of Lu Ten, they had flourished and assisted in the War of Republic Autonomy which gave birth to the United Republic of Nations. Lin looked out the door and saw many members who were no doubt recruited from Earth Kingdom; he had no qualm about this since his Riders, during the Great War when he, Lu Ten, and some like-minded youths in the Fire Nation Army founded them, had been the first ever military group that employed multi-racial memberships in modern history.

Lin sipped his tea calmly. "We are leaving", he said.

Bara smiled. "We are ready anytime", she said proudly. Taka grinned as he said. "We have established our army like we used to do", he said. "Some of our brothers and sister would like to stay though. They can lead here."

"Good", Lin nodded. "How many will come with us?"

"I'd say about a hundred", Bara shrugged. "Some brothers who are native here will come with us. They have skills and knowledge that would be useful."

"Good", Lin stood up. "We will set out at the first light."

"We will need time to prepare", Bara said.

Lin grinned. "I meant 'we'", he said; Taka, Bara, and Rocky smirked along. "Like old time."

-0-0-0-0-0-

"AAAARRRRGGGHHHH!" Aang screamed on top of his lungs as he ran, chased by a mooing angry boarrilla. The beast's tusk stabbed Aang's left butt cheek once and the boy sped up even more.

People on the road of the Earth Kingdom town he passed by got away before they could get stampeded; Momo flew close by, chirping. The town guards opened up the gates and ran away. Aang ran through it and into the forest. He ran a few more minutes, luring the boarrila away and, as soon as he reached the clearing, he accessed his qinggong and jumped up, twirling in the air as his body lightened and he spread his legs, letting the boarrilla ran past underneath him. He landed in a crouch while the boarrilla hit a tree in front of it so hard the tree was uprooted.

Growling and shaking its porcine tusked head, the boarrila cast one last hateful look at Aang before it snorted and calmly stood on its legs, rubbing its head with its simian hand, and stalked off into the woods. Aang's legs gave way to the shuddering and he fell on his butt, sighing in relief. He lay down on his back and laughed, punching the air to celebrate his victory.

Momo arrived and landed on his bald head, chirping and licking his arrow.

"Another day, another town saved, huh, Momo?" Aang patted the lemur's head. "I guess we should go back to Gaoling and get our payment. We need money for food."

The young thirteen years old monk picked himself up and stretched. With Momo perching on his shoulder, he made his way back to the Earth Kingdom town of Gaoling and was hailed as a hero. The mayor himself handed him a big pouch of gold that Aang refused for but a few gold coins, enough to fund his travel to Chin Village to the west. The wealthiest family in Gaoling, the Bei Fongs, insisted that he stayed the night with them.

Aang did not refuse, mostly because they had a large barn and lots of hay for Appa. It was dinnertime now and they sat at the long table with the Bei Fongs. Lao Bei Fong, the patriarch, occupied the head of the table, eating with perfect manner. Poppy sat by her side with a girl around Aang's age. The first thing Aang noticed about the girl was her pear-like complexion. Her black hair was tied in a large bun on her head and she wore white silk with greenish sheen like her mother. She moved with great grace when Aang saw her arrive at the dining room with her mother and a couple of maids, so Aang did not notice the jade-like milky sheen of her eyes until Lao ordered the maids to blow her soup for her.

Strange, Aang thought. Toph had not said a peep, not even when she was introduced to him, but Aang could notice a martial artist when he saw one. He had asked about it and Lao introduced the man sitting at Toph's other side as Toph's martial art teacher. Master Yu looked like a catfish in fine clothes, Aang thought to himself, and he was not sure about him. With a simple glance, Aang could see that Toph, despite her small size and handicap, could beat Master Yu to a pulp. Aang had eye for stuff like this, being born to the temple and raised there, training in martial art since he could barely walk. It was easy to see when a person had been training since they were children, as the training and physical conditioning would affect the growth of their body and sharpened some features of their joints and the way their bones protrudes under their skin.

From looking at Toph's wrist, Aang surmised that she had begun training when she was as young as he was when he first started.

Lao's voice snapped Aang out of his thought. "Perhaps, Young Reverend would be interested to stay for a while under Master Yu's teaching? We will gladly provide lodging and monetary support for the fee. Master Yu is the finest teacher in the land. He has been teaching Toph since she was little"

"Then she must be a great martial artist", Aang said brightly. "Probably good enough to teach someone else" —THUD— "OWW!"

Aang scowled at the blind girl who was sitting across from him; he had no idea how Toph kicked her since the table was quite wide and she could not have legs that long. All eyes followed Aang's scowl to the girl but Toph simply took a bite of her rice with an innocent angelic look.

Master Yu interjected. "Toph is still learning the basics", he said in between his chewing.

"Yes", Lao added with a sigh. "And, sadly, because of her blindness, I don't think she will ever become a true master."

Aang frowned; that kick, he now realized as his mind replayed it and he remembered the sensation, was a chi attack, certainly not something a student of any basics of any style could perform. "Oh, I'm sure she's better than you think she is –ARRGGH!—" Aang felt his seat lurch and he fell face first into his soup bowl. He got up with his bowl on his head and face drenched in brown soup.

His irked mischievous side gathered his chi in his lungs and he sneezed… stronger than he wanted to; a burst of energy blasted the food in front of him across the table, hitting Toph, Poppy Bei Fong, and Master Yu in their faces.

Toph shot up and yelled. "What's your problem?!"

"What's your problem?!" Aang retaliated.

Lao Bei Fong turned from the monk to her daughter, chopsticks held midair.

Ever the diplomat, Poppy Bei Fong wiped her face clean as if nothing happened. "Well, shall we move to the living room for dessert then?"

Toph excused herself and turned in early.

As night fell and Aang bid goodnight to Appa through the window, he suddenly found Toph leaning on the doorframe of his room; naturally, he screamed and fell into a random fighting stance.

"Relax", Toph said. "Look, I'm sorry about dinner. Let's call a truce, okay?"

Aang lowered his stance and soon found himself sneaking out into the Bei Fong's vast garden. Toph, much to Aang's surprise, moved with more grace and agility than people with perfect sight. The girl, he noticed, was barefooted, already in her sleeping attire of a white thin one piece pajama with skirt that reached her shins, and a thin vest. Her hair was still up in the big bun although her bang was messy now that she had taken off her hairband.

Toph, with arms spread, walked on the railing of a low stone bridge that spread across an indoor moat, followed closely by Aang. "Even though I was born blind, I've never had a problem seeing", she said, answering Aang's question. She ran at the last step and jumped down with a slight float; Aang knew qinggong when he saw it although Toph's technique was different. Qinggong fell under chi manipulation technique and even the best master still needed a second or two to focus their meridians and chi; the transition from Toph's normal state to her qinggong state was so scant, it seemed like her floating was… natural, like a bird taking flight.

"I see with my chi", she said with a small smile on her face. "It's kinda like seeing with my feet. I feel the vibration in the earth and I can see where everything is; you, that tree, even those ants."

Aang looked around, trying to find those ants.

"That's amazing", he grinned.

"My parents don't understand", Toph grew sad. "They always treated me like I was hopeless."

She snorted bitterly. "Do you know of the Blind Bandit?"

"I've heard the names around town", Aang nodded. "Wait…"

"Yeah", Toph muttered.

"You went to underground tournament and won?!"

"Uh-huh", Toph inhaled deeply.

"Then why stay here where you're not happy?" Aang asked with a frown.

"They're my parents", Toph said. "Where else am I supposed to go?"

Aang took a second. "You can come with me", he suggested.

"Yeah… you Air Nomads get to go wherever you want, no one telling you what to do. That's the life", Toph snorted under her breath. "It's just not my life."

"AARRGGHHH!" Sokka screamed as he fell down from the sky.

A bunch of big burly men leaped over the stone wall and landed neatly in a circle, surrounding the three of them. Aang and Toph instinctively fell into a stance, seizing up their opponents; Toph, having more acute senses, counted six men, seven if they counted that intruder.

Sokka picked himself up, rubbing his sore spot. "Hey! What gives?! I won that fair and square!"

"Sokka?" Aang gaped.

"Aang?" Sokka's eyes widened.

The man who seemed to be the leader – tall man with muscles protruding from his vest that he wore on his bare chest, with long straight hair that he left untied, and a mean look on his face- widened his green eyes at the sight of Toph. "Blind Bandit!" he shouted, pointing at Toph.

"No way!" Toph recognized that voice.

Soon, she found herself being jumped at by like three big men. Aang annoyingly stepped in front of her and in that precious few seconds, Toph decided not to care as she leaped backward and let Aang suffered the pleasant feeling of three burly men piling up on him. What was he thinking anyway, thought Toph miffily as she leaped sideways to avoid the sneak attack from behind her.

Sokka got up and ran to the one that was trying to get Toph from behind… well, from behind him; he swung his wooden sword and smacked the man's head just as Toph was about to launched his attack. The man was thrown sideways and Toph felt all kind of annoyed.

Toph was so ready to deliver her spicy remark that might include certain rude word that refers to the male anatomy; but Sokka beat her to it with his. "Are you alright, little girl?"

A vein popped on Toph's temple. Sokka waited for no response and, screaming and raising his wooden sword up high, he lunged towards the leader of the thugs. Xin Fu, the leader, however, was an experienced fighter. But, he did not get to show off his prowess; the man Sokka had knocked down apparently had gotten up and tackled the boy midrun. Toph rushed in to help but the man who had Sokka gripped the boy's collar and kicked his rump, sending him crashing to Toph.

When the two disentangled themselves, Aang had been gagged and captured.

"We have business with you", Xin Fu growled at Toph. "You know where to find us. Come or the baldie dies."

Xin Fu turned around and leaped over the wall, followed by his men, leaving Sokka and Toph on the ground.

Not five seconds passed, Sokka found himself hogtied and thrown to the ground before Lao Bei Fong. "Wait! There has to be some misunderstanding!"

"What misunderstanding?" Lao Bei Fong spat; Toph stood demurely behind him, safe in her mother's arms. "You broke into our house with the intention to kidnap my frail daughter for ransom! I will have your head for this!"

The guards actually unsheathed their sabers…

"Wait, wait waittt!" Sokka squirmed away like a worm from the nearest guard and his wicked shiny blade. "I wasn't gonna kidnap your daughter! I didn't even know you have a daughter! Look, those guys are the ones who were going to kidnap someone's daughter!"

The nearest guard growled and inched closer; Sokka squealed like a girl.

"Look, do what you want with me!" he spoke more urgently now. "But, you have to warn the Bei Fongs! Their daughter is in danger!"

Lao Bei Fong flinched a little; he turned to his wife behind him who looked at him with obvious horror in her eyes, and Master Yu who could only shrugged.

"Explain yourself", Lao ordered Sokka.

Sokka grinned uneasily. "Well…uh, you see, I was just in the tavern for some food"…booze… "And over there, I met some guys who were playing dice and I thought 'why not?' since I need money anyway"…illegal gambling… "Then, I overheard the guy beside me talking about this Blind Bandit", Toph's brows flickered. "And they said something about following her home and realized that she was the Bei Fong's daughter. And they said they were gonna kidnap her so I ran to warn the Bei Fongs but those people found out and they chased me and I ran here and you know the rest. Now, go warn the Bei Fong and let me go so I can save my friend!"

Lao did not look pleased. "You speak nonsense", he spat. "We are the Bei Fongs and I don't know who or what this Blind Bandit you speak of. Guards, remove this thug. My daughter has had enough excitement for a night; this can't be good for her health."

Lao moved and held Toph's wrist but Toph wrenched her hand away from her father's grip. "I know where they are taking him", she said with every note of strength in her voice. "I'm going to save Aang."

"But…" Sokka then chose to open his big mouth. "You're just a girl."

Toph kicked him on the face on her flight out.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Azula, riding on a saddle on Avi's back with the children, rushed through the gate of Gaoling, scaring the living daylight out of the drowsy guards. Ty Lee and Katara arrived after them on foot, heaving, and the rest of the group followed with Jee and Chit Sang, each holding a spear, arriving last. They had just been making their way through the woods earlier that afternoon when a boarrilla (that Aang had chased out of town) suddenly appeared and decided to chase them around.

Azula, who in addition to her swords, was also wearing a quiver of red-fletching arrows and a wine-red-lacquered recurve reflex bow with brown leather grip, had wanted to shoot down the beast but Ty Lee and her big gray puppy-eyes did not permit her to. The guards, noticing the boarrila charging, shouted and closed the gate quickly. The boarrilla made a loud thunk as it rammed onto the closed gate.

"Well, that was fun", Azula commented sourly at Ty Lee who grinned back guiltily.

Katara, in between her pant, noticed a group of people walking through the deserted street and a boy in blue Water Tribe garb among them. "Sokka!"

Azula readied her bow and notched an arrow with impressive speed and dexterity. "Where? Where?"

"It's my brother, you dolt!" Katara slapped the former Fire Princess' arm. "Put that away!"

She began jogging down the street; Azula stored her arrow back and followed the Water Tribe girl, Ty Lee and Mai followed her. Mai turned to Jee and Chit Sang and shook her head slightly, wordlessly telling them that they would keep an eye on Azula and the two bodyguards needed not come.

The girls soon caught up with the group led by Lao Bei Fong and Katara grew furious at the sight of Sokka tied up by a rope. She, of course, began assaulting her brother on the street. "What… did… you… do… this… time…?!" she screamed, accompanying each word with a mean punch. "I finally get to see you again after three years and you are a criminal now?!"

"I am so not!" Sokka yelled back. "We are going to the underground fighting ring!"

Katara lost it; Ty Lee caught her and held her back before she could pounce at Sokka again.

"We have to rescue Aang!"

"WHO THE EFF IS AANG?!"

"He's master Piandao's friend's student", Sokka explained with a cringe. "He's my friend."

"What are you to Master Piandao?" Azula asked sharply.

"Oh, don't you know?" Sokka straightened up and puffed his chest. "I am his student", he declared smugly. "That's right. I've been studying under Piandao of Shu Jing, the Hundred Blades and Thousand Swords Master Piandao, for the last two years."

Azula narrowed her eyes sharply. "Big whoop", she said. "My brother and I studied at his academy when we were kids for almost six years. What proof do you have that you are his student? You don't even have a sword."

"I do so have a sword!" Sokka protested. One of his captors, a Bei Fong house guard, showed his wooden sword with a flat expression.

"Well, I'll be…" Azula narrowed her eyes, wincing as she inspected the sword handle. "That's my old sword. Avi chewed on the handle, you can still see the mark", she drew out Scarlet and slashed at Sokka's bindings with one fluid movement. "Huh…I guess that'd make me your shi jie."

Sokka, rubbing his sore arms, cringed again when the Bei Fongs were suddenly alerted now that they realized what Azula had done.

"Relax", Azula said lazily. "We are the Black Riders. The good guys."

"I'm so sorry for this", Katara stepped in since she could see the many ways things would go wrong if she kept letting Azula speak; the tip of the spears the Bei Fong guards were aiming at Azula looked very wicked. "I-I suppose saving people is more important. Let's just go and save this Aang, and then we can sort things out?"

Azula asked Sokka, sheathing Scarlet back. "Where do you say this Aang is again?"

"At the underground fighting arena, eastside of the town", Sokka shrugged. "They say something about getting back at the Blind Bandit which implies that they have something to do with the tournament and they said Toph knew where to find them, so I deduced that they would meet at the place where they hold the tournament. I don't wanna brag, but as a kid, I was quite a detective", he said, wiggling his brows seductively at Ty Lee who giggled as a response.

Azula turned to Katara with a pained expression. "I totally get it", she said with a rare show of compassion and sympathy.

"You're the sister I wish I've had", Katara sighed; to Sokka, she slugged his arm. "Lead the way."

Grumbling, Sokka began walking to the direction of the destination, but he doubled back to reclaim his belongings from the guard. The Bei Fong group was still stunned by such sudden development. Azula turned to them and called. "Are you guys coming or what?"

-0-0-0-0-0-

Strangely enough, this ring had always felt more like home to Toph than her family's lavish estate. But now she was here, in so many ways, to say goodbye. She could hear Aang banging on the steel coffin-like cage they had put him in, shouting at her to get away. Toph wished he would stop. It was annoying.

"Shut up!" Xin Fu kicked the standing cage and it fell forward; Aang yelled out "Oww!" and no more sound was heard.

Toph's ears twitched as she caught the sound of a brawl outside; her father had caught up with her and it seemed like he brought a small army. Sadly, places like this were often established in the seedy part of town and the whole community never took it too kindly to strangers who threw their weight around. Toph noticed the sound getting closer and closer, so close that even Xin Fu heard it.

From the hallway leading to the exit, Sokka rushed inside, being chased by two goons. "Aaaaaanng! I'm coming for you, buddy!"

Aang's called. "Sokkaaaa!" from his cage but it came out muffled.

Next, a girl with tanned skin and wearing blue garb similar to Sokka's came running next. Azula stepped backward at the exit, fencing with a rather talented swordsman and disappeared to the other side. Katara jumped forward and, charging her fist with her cold ice chi, she punched one of the thugs that were wrestling with Sokka on the back. Katara was by no means a master of the Snow Fist; her attack stung as it carried sharp biting cold but her target was not in any danger. It was bad enough the man fell to the ground, squirming and screaming though, fighting the biting pain on his back.

The second man, Katara kicked on the crotch.

Together, the Water Tribe siblings ascended the stone ring where Toph, Xin Fu, and the captured Aang were, with Sokka screaming Aang's name and Aang screaming his name back.

"Aaaaannggg!"

"*muffled*…ooookkkaaaaaa!"

"Uh… Sokka?" Katara tried.

"Aannnggg!"

"….kkkaaaaaa!'

"AAAANNGGG!"

"….KAAAAA!"

"He's in that box, you birdbrain!" Toph snapped.

"…Oh", Sokka finally noticed the metal box.

"Toph!" Lao Bei Fong called. He finally made through the guards, accompanied by Master Yu and looked very much shaken. "You, knave!" he addressed Xin Fu as he and Master Yu got on the stage. "We have gold. Let my daughter go!"

Master Yu threw a large bag of gold at Xin Fu's feet. "Your daughter can go", he decided; it was a lot of gold.

"What about Aang?" Sokka asked with all the hostility he could muster.

"This one stays with me", Xin Fu stomped one foot on the cage. "He has caused us a lot of grief", Aang had bitten him when he put the boy in the cage. "Now, get out of my ring!"

Sokka and Katara's response was Sokka's readying his wooden sword and Katara's falling into her stance. There was a sudden sound of fluttering clothes and several men appeared out of nowhere, jumping onto the ring from various places. There was a fat man with Fire Nation top-knot, wearing a pair of red trousers, bare-chested, and he wore a red cape; the second man landed on all four, wearing a green mask that covered his entire head, also bare-chested, wearing green trunks and bandages tied around his arms and legs; the third had long bushy brown hair and wearing opera face paint; and the fourth was a bald man with graying moustache and goatee, wearing circular glasses that was fitted on a headgear like the kind worn by craftsman.

"Go", Aang's voice came out muffled but the sudden quietness made it easier to hear him. "I'll be okay."

Sokka and Katara backed away; Lao, holding Toph's hand, tried to drag her away.

"There's too many of them", Katara said. "We need help."

"Uh…" Aang got an idea. "Toph can help."

Lao's face scrunched up in anger. "My daughter is blind", he seethed. "She is blind and tiny and helpless and… fragile! She cannot help you!"

Toph wrenched her hand away. "Yes, I can", she stepped forward. "Let him go!" she demanded the thugs. "I beat you all before and I'll do it again!"

"Arrogant prick", Xin Fu sneered; his fighters began charging.

"Wait", Toph spread her arms to stop Katara and Sokka. "They're mine", she snarled.

Katara and Sokka turned to each other in bewilderment.

Toph stomped her foot, bending her knees, arms closed; a movement she learnt from sensing the chi of the badger-moles right before they dug their hole. She stomped the foot again, spreading her stance faster, and raised her arms that was shuddering from the raging chi flowing through them. Then, bringing herself back to the first stance, feet close and arms together on her chest, a powerful burst of chi exploded around her, sending a burst of loosened earth and thick dust from the ring forward. The ring was designed that way, so when someone was slammed to the ground during a fight, for example, some dust would fly for visual effect.

The blast of chi was powerful enough to blast the charging men to their back and scattering them.

Toph stepped into the thick cloud of dust, hands groping in the air like a… erm, a blind person; she did that to get more feeling on her skin, her palm. Inside, she could sense where each and every one was, and the first to fall victim was the big fat man with the cape, the Fire Nation Man.

The fighter was waving his arms around, changing form one stance to another every time he heard something; the dust settled around him and he suddenly found Toph standing in front of him; he overcame his surprise and shifted his feet and drew his arms back, preparing for a powerful punch. The corner of Toph's mouth curved into a smirk as the Fire Nation Man's movement gave his position away. The Fire Nation Man swung his fists up in a sideway uppercut. Toph sidestepped to his left, the weak spot of his side stance, and delivered a sharp chi-fueled palm that imitated the movement where a badger-mole thrust its paw on hard earth to shatter it.

The Fire Nation Man grunted hard as he was thrown off the ring and landed where Lao Bei Fong and Master Yu had decided to sit. Both men had similar look of amazement as they watched Toph's victim fell to the ground.

On the other side of the ring, Sokka and Katara were trying to free Aang; Katara tried to pull on a handle she found at the base of the box to no avail while Sokka was trying to break the padlock that secured the front of the cage with a rock. "Hit it harder!" Aang goaded them.

"I'm trying!" Sokka yelled back.

The fighter with full-head green mask crawled on all four like a lizard; the Gecko scanned his surrounding but found no one, not Toph, not his fellow fighters. A pebble hit his head and he turned to the direction of where that pebble came from; he noticed Toph's silhouette inside the dust. The Gecko leaped weightlessly and thrust his palms forward, sending two blast of chi strike; Toph caught the nearly invisible ball of energy and threw them away to the side. The Gecko landed safely and pushed his feet hard. His lightweight frame allowed him to launch himself forward like a speeding arrow. Toph was ready for him, waiting until he got close before her foot shot out, kicking the Gecko on the gut to stop him. The Gecko landed on his feet and staggered back; Toph, put one foot forward in a relaxed stance and delivered a series of hit on the man's gut with the back of her stiff palms and, charging her palm with chi, sent the Gecko flying over the boundary of the ring with her double palm strike.

The Fire Nation Man had just gotten up when the Gecko landed hard on top of him.

The Gopher, the one with the goggles, dashed from behind Toph and delivered a straight punch; Toph sidestepped a little and let the man's punch sailed past her head; she grabbed his arm and pulled him over her shoulder, tossing him out of the ring. The Fire Nation Man and the Gecko had just picked themselves up when the Gopher crashed on top of them.

Sokka finally broke the padlock that held the bar that locked the opening at the bottom of the box; Aang energetically leaped out and landed on a fighting stance, ready for the brawl; Sokka shook his head and pointed at the mass of dust cloud that had almost dissipated. Lao Bei Fong was biting his nails in nervousness.

Headhunter, the fighter with the face paint, swung down on a length of rope like a circus performer –spirits know how that happened; Toph lazily evaded him as he swung by so close Toph could smell his stench and, focusing a sharp chi, Toph mimicked the claw of the badger-mole and cut the rope with her claw. The hapless Headhunter screamed as he crash landed on the Fire Nation Man, the Gecko, and the Gopher.

"I never knew", Master Yu rubbed his temple and threw his arms at the unbelievable sight in front of them. "Your daughter's amazing."

Lao Bei Fong stroked his chin, deep in thought and was frowning deeply.

Toph raised her arms slowly and, breathing out a strained breath, pushed her palms down hard; the blast of her chi sent a gust that cleared the dust.

Xin Fu calmly cracked his neck. He dragged his right leg backward and bent his left knee, arms bent with the back of his right fist and the palm of his left claw facing out; a rather advanced stance of many of Southern Earth Kingdom kungfu where defense and offense were ready at the same time.

Toph petulantly spat a mouthful and such unladylike display nearly gave Lao a heart attack.

She fell back into her stance and, seizing each other, both she and Xin Fu began walking in circle, facing each other at all time. Xin Fu delivered the first punch; a familiar Southern vertical right-handed uppercut. Toph leaned sideways to avoid that. Xin Fu kicked with his right leg but Toph evaded that too and stepped back; he delivered four spinning kicks that were quite difficult for him since Toph was short.

Toph deflected his kicks with her slapping hands and retaliated with a sharp palm thrust; Xin Fu, with agility his muscular frame hid well, leaped to the side and rolled sideways in the air. His left arm stiffened as he delivered a sneaky (but legal, I'm just saying) upward chop at Toph that would have scored a deliberating blow on her right knee.

Toph shifted her right leg to the left a fraction, letting the man's hand grazed her trousers, and twisted her hip so she now faced Xin Fu. Thrusting her hip back, she sent the force through a powerful palm thrust that scored a hit on the still midair Xin Fu whose eyes widened in surprise at his fate.

The ringleader flew hard and crashed landed between Lao Bei Fong and Master Yu. Aang and Katara beamed while Sokka swooned from exposure to such awesomeness.

Master Yu could not help it. "She is the greatest martial artist I've ever seen!"

-0-0-0-0-0-

In the inn where they had reserved lodgings, Jee and Chit Sang sat, were waiting at the restaurant on the ground floor; their eyes never left the front door and their feet never stopped tapping.

"The Princess hasn't changed much", Jee griped.

Chit Sang nodded.

"I pity her future husband", Jee sighed.

Chit Sang nodded again.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Lin sneezed a little. He was sitting at the roof of one of the watchtowers, the one at the northeast corner; it was the highest point he could reach. He watched them down there, men and women downstairs; some were patrolling, some were working on preparing a cart filled with supplies, some were at the stables, feeding their steeds, and, to Lin's pleasant surprise, some were at the stage, doing a comedy skit while the rest joined the civilians, watching them. This place felt more like a family than a mercenary fort.

A family like they had been… more a family than they had been, if he were to be honest. The original Riders were conceived in the battlefield, under the watchful eyes of the higher-ups and it led to them being more militaristic at first. Camaraderie grew later.

Bara had shown them on the map, the location of the United Republic of Nations. It was on the Western Shore of the Earth Continent while this fort was on the East. He really should work with Lu Ten to find a way to bring these two branches of the same family together. Their presence in the East had already invoked a great change, Bara had told him enthusiastically. They were the first to train and employ women to fight in the war and their great success had brought forth an unstoppable wave of feminism in the orthodox east. The last couple of years had seen the emergence of numerous nü youxia youxia meaning 'wandering warrior' and to denote the female gender. Bara had also told Lin of an all-female mercenary group that wandered the countryside and protected villages from bandits and wayward soldiers; Bara said they had come to the Riders at some point to seek training.

There was a rattle Lin heard and he saw the tip of the stairs moved a little; the jugs of wine Bara had with her made their presence known first before she climbed up with Taka, Rocky, Sang Min, Nami, Jon, the big Meng Po…

"Oy!" Lin exclaimed. "This thing isn't as big or as sturdy as you guys think!" he protested, now edging away at the roof, twenty feet up, while more and more of the old Riders were still trying to get up. "Get down, you guys!"

Taka screamed like a little girl when he lost his balance and slipped. Luckily, they caught him.

-0-0-0-0-0-

In the offshore Island of the Air Nomad Temple, Abbot Tenzin stood at the top of the steps, overseeing the meditation session of the early morning, led by his children. His eldest, Jinora, was dependable, as always, setting example for all to follow. Ikki always took time to acclimate to the calmness of mind and Meelo would simply fell asleep.

The sound of the cooing baby reached his ears and he turned to see his wife, carrying his youngest child, approaching him with an acolyte carrying a tray of hot tea. Tenzin never knew where Pema drew her strength from. She had been kept awake nearly all night by Rohan's crying and there she was, fresh as the sunlight peeking from the dark sky in the horizon. Smiling softly, Pema held Rohan firmly and carefully in one arm and reached for the cup with her other hand.

"Are there any words from Korra yet?" Pema asked.

Tenzin took his awful medicinal tea and sipped a little. "No", he sighed.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Naga the polar bear-dog galloped across the field.

"But, I'm sure wherever she is, she's making someone's life miserable", Tenzin said grimly.

Korra grinned wildly as she steered Naga to turn on the bend ahead. Of her opponents she left behind, the big antlered-buffalo failed to make a sharp enough turn and the steed tripped on its own weight and chased down with its screaming rider. The agile ostrich-horse rider caught up to her fast.

Korra switched her padded staff to her different hand as the ostrich-horse rider approached. The rider wore dark leather armor and paddings, much like Korra's red ones, and his T-shaped opening on the face of his helmet showed little of his face. Korra had never seen anyone wield a staff like him, not a non-Air Nomad. The rider, as he aligned his steed next to Naga, thrust his weapon so accurately at Korra's head, a feat that Korra had to admire as she leaned backward to dodge, considering their high speed velocity and the bobbling of their steeds.

Korra's staff swung from the front, going back to the rider's gut; the rider held his staff out in time to defend with the shaft. Korra used that to support her balance and pushed herself back to a safer seating position. She capitalized quickly and delivered a couple of thrust that the rider deflected with his staff. Korra leaned back and brought her staff in a big circle, and slammed it to the side, gathering enough momentum for a powerful blow.

The rider's staff vibrated as the blow struck his weapon and he nearly dropped it. His ostrich-horse felt the force and neighed, stopping from the shock. Korra whooped and Naga sped up, reaching the finish line. The rider calmed his ostrich-horse and sped ahead, coming in third after a zebra-horse.

Still grinning with excitement, Lu Ten leaped down from his ostrich-horse and took off his helmet, spitting a mouthful to the ground. His hand was still shaking from Korra's blow. Lu Ten's amber eyes scanned the rest of the competitor who had finally arrived, finding the white-furred polar bear-dog licking the tall tanned-skin well-muscled Water Tribe girl.

"Alright, Naga", Korra chuckled, rubbing the bear-dog's head and hugging her. "You did a good job, girl."

"Nice race", Lu Ten said from behind her.

Korra turned and found a wide-ish built, stubbly-chinned, amber-eyed man with dark brown hair up in a top-knot, wide firm jaw, and a wider grin; he had something green stuck between his teeth. "You're Korra, right? From the Fire Ferrets?"

"Yeah", Korra took his hand and shook it. "And you are…?" Korra surmised that he was a pro-fighter from the South Republic. She had definitely never seen the man in Republic City.

"Lotus Threes", Lu Ten introduced himself. "I'm the captain, Lu Ten", he said.

"I've never heard of you guys before", Korra decided this guy was friendly. "Are you from the South Republic?"

Lu Ten led them to the refreshment table; the crowd had flooded in and mingled with their idols. "Not quite", Lu Ten smiled, picking up two glasses of sweet juice for them. "We're new to the pro-fighting. If not for the fact that pro-fighting itself is new to the South, we wouldn't even be able to join the Spring Triathlon."

"And the winnnnnnnnnnneeeeeeeeeeeeeeer isssssssssssss…" Shiro Shinobi, the announcer from the City, said through the bullhorn. "…Korra of the Fire Ferrets Team!"

The crowd promptly cheered and approached the Water Tribe girl who was not quite ready for it; Lu Ten slipped away silently and joined his two teammates. The Boulder and Haru wore similar padded armor, only the Boulder's, himself having been the opening act of Jungle Battle, were covered with mud.

"She's good", Lu Ten said, taking off the glove and bracer of his right arm. A nasty bruise had formed on his wrist.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Appa groaned loudly; he was yawning. Meng, Lee, and Tayi, the three children who were travelling with the Black Riders, flinched back into Ty Lee's protective vicinity with thrilled excitement on their faces. They had never seen a creature that big before. Appa settled down and licked the three of them. The three kids took a second to register what just happened; they squealed happily and ran to him, throwing themselves on his fluffiness.

Azula scowled at the creature with her hair undone and currently being brushed by Mai. Appa had jumped at the girl and it was springtime, meaning he was shedding. His fine white fur had tangled with Azula's hair and the former Princess found it very unappealing. "Careful, that thing is rabid", Azula warned the children.

"Appa isn't rabid", Aang said brightly from the saddle where he was tying up some packs. "He's just friendly."

"Imagine that kind of excuse being used to defend a sex offender", Azula said dryly.

Upon Gyatso's order, Aang was to travel to Republic City to meet Commander Lu Ten of the Black Riders to deliver a scroll. Of course, having an unequalled adventurous spirit, Aang had chosen a scenic route. Azula and her group had a business to settle in Chin Village where Aang was going to visit on his way north and they decided to travel together.

Azula, being Azula, took Aang's offer readily. She was not very fond of riding Avi with three noisy children. Katara, helping Aang on the saddle, sighed. "It's too bad about Toph, though", she said. "I hope everything turns out well for her."

"She's the young lady of a rich family", Mai spoke unexpectedly, tying Azula's hair in her usual ponytail. "She gets to sit around all day, doing nothing. The perfect boring life; what other way could her life turn out but well?"

Katara had learnt of Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee's old lives and chose to hold her tongue.

-0-0-two-hours-ago-0-0-

"Dad, I know it's probably hurt you to see me this way", Toph began, standing before her parents, still wearing her nightwear and the grime from her battle; Lao and Poppy sat in their seat in the living room of their estate while Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Azula sat behind Toph on a visitor bench. "But, the obedient little helpless blind girl that you think I am just isn't me", she had a real smile born of pride when she said. "I love fighting, I love being a martial artist, and I'm really really good at it", she inhaled a little and faced her parents with head held up high. "I know I kept my life secret from you, but you are keeping me secret from the whole world."

"That's true", Azula titled her head towards Katara and muttered. "Done business with the Bei Fongs a lot and never knew they had a daughter."

Katara nudged her with her elbow and shushed her.

"You were doing it to protect me", Toph continued; unlike her parents, not oblivious to the conversation behind her. "But, I'm about to turn fourteen and I've never had a real friend."

To Sokka, Aang, and Katara who were raised in a collectivist society where societal strata was a fancy-schmancy stuff people of the other Nations obsessed about for reasons that would forever remained unfathomable to them, Toph's last utterance might as well had been a foreign language.

"I hope it doesn't change the way you feel about me", Toph said almost pleadingly.

"Of course it doesn't change the way I feel about you, Toph", Lao Bei Fong replied quickly. "It has made me realize something."

"It has?" Toph said, unable to believe her ears, which was a first.

"Yes", Lao's voice rose a little. "I've let you have too much freedom", he said, encouraged by Poppy's nodding head. From now on, you will be cared for and guarded 24 hours a day."

"But, Dad!" Toph protested

"We are doing this for your own good, Toph", Poppy finally spoke.

Lao rose to his feet and ordered the servants who had been watching the whole affair in silence. "Please escort the Young Reverend and the Black Riders out", he said. "They are no longer welcomed here."

A servant came and the visitors rose to their feet and let themselves be herded out. Aang turned to Toph. "I'm sorry, Toph", he said sadly.

"I'm sorry, too", Toph replied. "Goodbye, Aang."

Aang could have sworn he saw tears flowing down the side of the girl's face, hidden behind her messy bang.

"Over a year of business relationship shot to hell", Azula whispered, left hand caressing Scarlet's handle. "Should we just raid them and stole their gold?"

Katara and Sokka quickly grabbed the girl before she did something foolish.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Above the cliff where they were, outside Gaoling, overlooking the city, Aang cast the town one last look. "I guess we're ready", Aang said.

The children, Katara, and Sokka would be flying with him on Appa; the children wanted to fly for obvious reason, Katara was needed to keep them in line and from falling to their deaths since she was more dependable and not as easily distracted as Ty Lee, while Sokka, having nowhere to go, had decided to tag along since Katara told him to with a very persuasive threat. The rest of the group would be traveling on foot.

The children were already on the saddle, peering over the rim of the saddle with excitement. Sokka was at the back of the sadle, busy counting the gold in his pack; the bag of gold that Lao had brought with him as ransom for Toph, the patriarch had completely forgotten and Sokka might or might not have nicked it.

For a small girl who was barefooted wherever she goes, Toph made a lot of noise when she ran towards them.

"Toph!" Aang looked surprised. "What are you doing here?"

Toph, wearing a green travelling garb with short sleeves, beige vest, studded wide belt, and a piece of cloth tied around each ankle for warmth, said with a grin. "My dad changed his mind", she said happily. "She said I'm free to do whatever I want."

Katara and Sokka exchanged a look and smiled knowingly. "Well", Sokka said. "We better get out of here before your dad changes his mind again."

"Good idea", Toph agreed.

"It'd be great travelling with you, Toph", Aang said.

"Speaking of which, I wanna show you something", Toph said.

"Okay", Aang leaped down weightlessly from Appa's head.

Toph moved fast and pushed him on the front with harmless chi-fueled palm, sending the boy yelping to the bushes. "Now, we're even", she said. "Oh, and I'll have that gold back", she said to Sokka, extending her hand to receive.

Sokka reluctantly took out the gold bag and threw it to Toph's head.

"OWW!"

"Sorry."

-0-0-0-0-0-

"I know you two are very different", Lao Bei Fong started; Master Yu and Xin Fu stood in front of him while a servant arrived and put a chest on the table between them. "But, I believe you have a common interest."

The servant opened the chest, revealing the content of gold tael ingots that contained enough riches to probably buy a small town. Xin Fu grinned greedily while Master Yu gawked at the sight. Carefully, they leered at each other from the corner of their eyes.

"The Black Riders have kidnapped my daughter", Lao said. "I want you to do whatever it takes to bring her home."

He was dead serious.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Lin let his black ostrich-horse rub her beak on his cheek; Birdie had always been a compassionate creature and, after years in battlefield, serving him faithfully, the ostrich-horse was fiercely loyal to him. Bara had said that Birdie refused to eat for a few days after Lin had to leave her behind and she had never allowed anyone to ride her. "I miss you too, buddy", Lin said.

He set the saddle and fixed his load on it. Taka and Rocky joined him in the stable a few minutes later, saying that Bara would join them shortly after she was finished with taking care of some business and last minute preparation before they left. Some of the civilians, young women, all of them, peeked inside the stable and giggled loudly while trying to hide when Lin turned to them. Taka and Rocky exchanged a knowing smirk but said nothing.

Lin put on his robe and hood and led Birdie out by the rein. Taka and Rocky, Rocky leading two ostrich-horses, followed him out. The two of them wore hooded robes like Lin but they wore the Riders black leather armor underneath; breastplate with a pair of pauldrons (though Rocky's had no pauldrons), with bracers and fingerless glove (Taka's right hand wore archer gloves, with full-finger on his thumb, index, and middle fingers), knee pads and boots. Taka wore a quiver of arrows on his back and he kept his dark reflex bow on the saddle. Rocky had no weapons with him.

Bara arrived later with her pack, armed with twin daggers on her waist. She thanked Rocky sweetly and set her bundle of the saddle; Lin and Taka could only stare at her.

"What?"

"I never knew you could smile like that", Lin said while Taka said. "You never smiled like that to me."

Bara narrowed her eyes at them and got on her ostrich-horse.

They rode out, sent by the cheer of their brothers and sisters, and by lunchtime, they found themselves at the west border of Xing Province. They were on top of a hill, eating meat buns on their steeds while the ostrich-horses grazed on the grass.

"Do you see that?" Lin pointed at the camp below the cliff.

"Won't be a problem", Taka chewed his bun. "What's the reward again?"

Rocky, who had a bun bitten in his mouth while holding a scroll he was reading, flipped the scroll to Taka; it was wanted notice for a notorious bandit, bearing the portrait of a scarred bearded man, his name underneath, and the notice for a reward of one hundred gold pieces.

"'Known deserter from North Liang Province Army, highly trained in the use of sword…'", Bara read aloud. "Sword… that's your thing. You wanna one-on-one him?" she asked Lin.

Lin shrugged, popping the rest of his bun into his mouth. The other three, taking the hint, finished their food quickly.

"To the gate of hell we ride", he said, putting on his hood.

"And we bring a ram!", the other three said, spurring their steeds after their leader with the exception of Taka who notched an arrow, pulled the string, and aimed high.

The three Riders rode fast into the encampment. The bandits numbered about a couple dozens, well-armed, and from the way they set up their camp with one tent in the middle surrounded by smaller tent, Lin surmised either most of them were deserters like their leader or the leader had trained them in the military art. Also, they had noticed two guards standing alert on each entry point, another sign of discipline that random bandit groups never had.

The two guards flinched to life, screaming a warning to the camp when they noticed three riders storming towards them. An arrow flew out of nowhere and hit the bandit on the right; the second one flew only two seconds behind, hitting the other guard. Both had their shoulder pinned to the lamppost behind them, screaming in pain. The one in their left was hit on the right shoulder while he was holding his spear on his left hand and he was still holding it as he screamed and bled.

Lin grabbed that spear as he rode by.

The bandits were not ready. Lin lanced through a bandit who had just came out of a tent with the blunt of his spear, knocking the man on the jaw; the force of the blow hit the spear back but Lin expertly twirled the weapon on his back as he leaned forward, a trick he learnt from Lu Ten, to dissipate the force of the blow, and threw the spear to Rocky who caught it as he rode by. The big burly man was not as merciful as Lin as he ran a bandit through the chest with the spearhead.

Lin pushed his hands and the saddle and, using his qinggong to lighten his body, pushed himself up. As soon as he landed on his feet, he was set from behind by three bandits and spears; Lin, still with qinggong, jumped over the bandits and twirled in the air like a dancer, landing behind them. The bandits turned but Lin had already lunged forward with a knee strike that scored a crushing blow on the middle bandit's face. Lin was not tall by Fire Nation standard for a seventeen years old, but the Eastern Earth Kingdom people lived in a moderate climate and on fertile soil. Demographically, their people were short and small in stature, most of their ancestors being farmers and growers, rather than hunters and miners like elsewhere in the Earth Kingdom, resulting in their smaller built. To them, Lin was quite tall.

The other two bandits panicked, which Lin noticed quickly; he began to entertain the idea that they were not deserters. Lin's right foot shot up and kicked the one on the right, and, with the same foot, crushed the jaw of the one on the left. He spun to stop and was set by another bandit aiming a spear thrust to his face. Lin leaned to the side and caught the shaft; his chi rushing through vein to his grip like a crushing wave caused a burst of energy that shattered the wood.

The bandit abandoned his broken weapon and assumed a stance that Lin recognized immediately as Xin Yi Chuan, a popular bare-handed style that had been one of the few martial art styles adopted into formal military training of Earth Kingdom Army, favored for its short and easy stances, and its simple but powerful fist forms. The bandit shouted a battle cry that was more powerful than Lin thought he could produce and delivered a frontal punch that, like the core of Xin Yi, mimicked a thrusting spear.

One of the main features of Xin Yi was also its main weakness; frontal straight punches.

Lin had faced, even studied Xin Yi from Earth Kingdom Riders from when he was fighting in the war and he knew right away that this bandit, though talented, was no master. Lin stepped back and avoided the blows. The last right punch, Lin stepped into, spinning on his feet and gliding at the outside of the arm, getting behind the bandit with his flute ready in his hand, held to the side of the bandit's neck like a sword.

The bandit was bewildered for a moment. He slapped the flute away and turned on his stance, delivering an uppercut; Lin leaped back with arms outstretched, floated back like a ghost with one leg bent, and laded a few meters away. The bandit ran towards him but Rocky ran out of nowhere and rammed his much smaller self into a tent hard.

Lin smirked and calmly moved to the bandit leader who had a layer of men in front of him while they watched Bara fighting a group of their men with obvious wariness. Bara's twin dagger style was fast and deadly, with lightning flash strikes aimed at tendons and soft muscles. She evaded blow after blow, switching stances low and high, wide and narrow, her twin daggers flashed here and there.

Bara dispatched the last of the bandits with a low slash; the bandit fell down with cuts on his knees. She stood up slowly, amber eyes sharp under her hood. Rocky joined her, cracking his massive fist. The leader's men looked at each other unsurely until one of them screamed and lunged ahead, and all six of them, save for the leader, charged at Bara and Rocky.

The bandit leader noticed Lin's absence a little too late.

While Rocky and Bara took care of the bandits; Lin leaped down out of nowhere from behind the bandit leader like a bat-wolf. The bandit leader heard the fluttering of the robe and turned just in time to get pounced. Lin leaped away from the downed bandit, and stood up gracefully, waiting for the bandit leader to get up. The tall lanky man rubbed his sore chest and almost lazily assumed his Xing Yi stance.

Lin was being underestimated and he was okay with that; it made his opponent weak.

The leader breathed noisily; a forceful way of chi manipulation that many Earth Kingdom kungfu styles adopted. His battle cry was exceedingly loud; his chi was powerful enough to manifest visually as a green sheen of light around his fist. Lin twirled to the side to avoid the green blast of energy and stopped in a mid-width stance with right fist held like a long uppercut and left palm relaxed near the right upper arm; the traditional stance of his family's hand-to-hand kungfu style that was much more aggressive than the Peach Blossom Island style.

They clashed on close quarter. The bandit's punch, Lin deflected with his arm, like he did with the second, third, and fourth punches. Lin returned the favor with a front kick that scored a hit on the bandit's gut, sending him staggering back. The bandit regained his footing quick but his subsequent attacks were hurried and sloppy; Lin defended and counter-attacked each and every one effortlessly, all the while sporting the hungry wolfish grin that made the bandit sweat and nervous.

The bandit grunted when Lin kicked him plain in the chest, sending him to the ground. Lin sighed, knowing the fun had ended. Bara and Rocky joined him towering over the pleading bandit. Many Eastern Earth Kingdom people lacked the grit that characterized their race.

"Bag him", Lin turned and left, leaving Rocky to do the job. Taka had arrived, riding his ostrich-horse and leading the rest of the Riders who set out a little later after them. They began their work wordlessly and without being ordered; securing the bandits, collecting weapons and loots, securing the perimeter.

The convoy of riders, a cart, and bandits tied together made their way to the border post, the nearest army post they could reach before nightfall. The border post was an encampment of tents surrounded by tall wooden fences and watchtowers, with a wooden command building in the center.

Bara and Rocky had the kneeling bandit leader before the wooden desk at which a small bald commander in a seemingly oversized yellow armor, transferring gold coins onto a piece of cloth meticulously.

"And that's for the leader", Commander Wugu said, rummaging the money chest for more coins. "And for fifteen bandits captured alive, that's a twenty silver each; thirty gold pieces", the commander added a little more. He gathered the cloth together and tied it up into a pouch. "Good work, citizens."

"First of all, we're not citizens", Lin said dryly. "Second of all, you're about twenty gold short there."

"Ah, yes", the commander's smirk made Lin want to either throw up or punch his head in. "Tax deduction."

Lin was about to say more but Bara grabbed him by the shoulder and led him out while Rocky took their gold and followed them out. "It's different now", Bara said as they made their way out. "The truce is in effect", she said, eyes scanning the surrounding where soldiers were lazing around and many were out of uniform. "The Royal Inspectors are gonna be here in a week or two. Officers of all ranks are gathering gold to bribe and buy promotions."

Lin grumbled, disgusted by what he saw.

"I wanna punch something", Lin muttered.

"Lots of time for that", said Taka who had joined them.

-0-0-0-0-0-

The woman in tight black outfit rode the large shirshu into the town, scaring people with the beast and her swinging whip; the whip cracked loudly and obliterated the market stand under which her mark was hiding. The small Earth Kingdom mind screamed and tried to bolt away but June, the bounty hunter, caught him by the ankle with the whip. Nyla's, the shirshu, tongue snapped and struck the man on the back. The man suddenly went limp though still whimpering as June got down from the beast and, with surprising strength, dragged the man towards him with the whip.

"You make me work", June tutted, grabbing the man up by the collar. "Bad move."

She heaved the man with one hand and draped him on Nyla's back; she got up and spurred Nyla away quickly before the guards arrived. Nyla travelled fast, too fast for the man's comfort.

"Please! Let me go!" the man pleaded with wavering voice. "I have a wife! I have kids!"

"Don't worry about them. I'm sure you have neighbors too", June replied sarcastically.

The meeting point was a field outside the town and June had made Nyla memorized the young lady's scent just in case. It was suspicious enough that the contact was a young girl of maybe sixteen or seventeen, and the mark was a simple trespasser and yet he carried a bounty of fifty gold pieces (which was the standard rate for a murderer; trespasser rarely got marked and, in the rare occasion they did, their rate never exceed fifty silver pieces). The standard procedure had a mark posted at various Bounty Hunter's Guildhouse that would clarify the marks and posted the call on various allied establishments –taverns, teahouses, bars, etc.- and hunters were obliged to submit their mark at the nearest Guildhouse. Accepting marks that was offered personally like this was considered illegal (because then the Bounty Hunter's Guild would not receive commission). Also, setting a meeting point at such secluded place, June could not help but feel wary.

Still, fifty gold pieces for one as easy as this… Sure, the mark had been more slippery than she had expected, taking her nearly a week to track him down. The young girl was there, standing at the edge of the cliff with soft breeze flowing her by, fluttering her dark hair and her white robe while she hummed a tune that, though sounded strangely familiar, June could not place in her memory. She wore elegant white silk robe with trousers and white boots, cherry red trim on her sleeves, and sash of same color, with an ornamental red tassel tied on the left, bearing a butterfly knot and a piece of amber. Her hair was dark and partially tied in a small top-knot, secured by a hairpin that had a small pearl dangling on a chain.

She turned to face June as the latter arrived and her piercing blue eyes crinkled as she smiled at the bounty hunter. She was a beautiful girl with pale skin and delicate features of the face, soft brows, and heart-shaped jaw. Her lips were painted pale pink and her smile, despite bright and friendly, had a sharpness to it. June imagined a feline creature when the girl smiled at her.

The man was thrown unceremoniously to the ground by June.

"Good job", the girl hummed, eyes barely glancing at the small man. "Your money", she said.

The man grinned suddenly and got up slowly. He rummaged the front of his garb and pulled out a money pouch.

June narrowed her eyes sharply. "I do not like being played."

"You are not being played", the woman said. When June still did not reach for the money, the man threw the pouch at her. "You are being tested."

June walked back to Nyla and stored the pouch in her saddle pack for show. She reached to her whip handle on her waist and turned, lashing at the two mysterious people. The girl did not move an inch; the man threw himself with surprising agility at the incoming whip and grabbed it, yanking it hard. June held the handle and was shocked by the man's strength.

"Who are you people?" June demanded coldly, silently sizing her chances. These two were smaller than her physically but they were obviously dangerous.

"Concerned citizens", the girl said, still as clam as before. "We need someone of your particular talent."

June smirked. "Sorry, girl", her thumb covertly moved to the knob on the whip handle. "But, I like being my own boss."

She pressed and held the knob; thorns jutted out from the quarter last of the whip, piercing the man's hand; the man reflexively let go of the whip but he made no sound. Now, June knew she had to retreat. Quickly, she leaped up on Nyla and galloped away.

The man's injured hand went limp across the arm, so bad he stood now a little lopsided. "Refined shirshu venom", he muttered.

"Don't worry", the girl turned back to the cliff. "There will be another time."

She returned to humming the strangely familiar tune.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Rocky and Jon led the group through the Dong Gate. Their decidedly Earth Kingdom appearance and big burly built would serve the group better. Lin was the official commander of the Eastern faction of the Black Riders and, during his absence, Bara had served as a proxy after refusing to be officially named commander.

The gate was grand and invoked an unpleasant memory in Lin and the original Riders; one could tell the originals and the new recruits apart at this moment just by studying the expression of their faces. The guards, being dispatched from the reserves of Ba Sing Se, wore different uniform; namely the thicker padding, greener shade of green, and the helmet that came with a flab that draped down to their neck and a foot long spike on the top.

Racism and sexism were prevalent in Earth Kingdom society and the East was more traditional than the rest of the Kingdom, being isolated from the rest of the world. Staying a few meters behind the two who were negotiating with the gate guards, the Riders grew restless. Dealing with the government this far east was never simple. Bribe had become a norm here.

Rocky and Jon pointed at their cart and they gestured for the guard to follow. They spoke for several more minutes, the guard seemingly reluctant to do so, but the arrival of three more soldiers from behind the gate encouraged him to approach the Riders.

"Like we said, sir, just doing our civic duty", Jon said with silky tone.

A couple of riders pulled off the canvas cloth that covered the cart, showing the loot of weapons and valuables they had gotten from the bandits, sitting in bundles on top of the Riders' belongings. The Riders unloaded them and put them on the ground before the soldiers. Still, the sergeant among them insisted on inspecting the chests and boxes secured to the cart.

"Food and clothing", Meng Po, the big obese Rider of Earth Kingdom origin, one of the originals, tapped his double-ended studded battle truncheon on top of a chest and left it there; the man had a round fat face that always looked friendly in a way that he seemed like he had a permanent smile, but hooded though he was now, he looked very scary with his squinty green eyes fixed dead on the sergeant's.

The sergeant stepped back in surprise and his hand flew to the saber dangling on his waist. "What is the meaning of this?" the sergeant demanded. "Are you rebelling against Ba Sing Se Army?"

"No, Sir", Jon quickly jumped in. "Uh, you see, these containers have been sealed with wax. To preserve the integrity of the content, you see."

"That's suspicious", the sergeant said. "Why would you need to wax container of clothes?"

"We will be travelling through Si Wong Desert, sir", Jon replied smoothly. "Don't want sand mites to sneak into the chests."

"We are delivering aid to General Hocho", Meng Po said with that deep voice of his. "Donation from Lord Governor Liang Shi. If we arrive too late or the content is compromised, we will hold you responsible for that, sergeant."

The sergeant flinched a little and gulped. Lord Liang Shi was a benevolent and highly respected governor of Wei Province, the one at the westernmost border of the Eastern Region, the immediate neighbor of Dong Gate that often helped supply the Gate with food and medicine whenever delivery from Ba Sing Se arrived late. Also, General Hocho, despite being a man of the East, was an exceptionally bloodthirsty general who was known to be a general in the Earth Kingdom Regular Army, and had made quite a name for himself during the war with Fire Nation. The sergeant did not want to be held responsible for any mishaps that would cause any inconvenience to either of those two great men.

"Alright", he decided finally. "You may pass."

"Thank you, sir", Jon said happily. "You have a nice day now!"

Lin patted Birdie's neck and she moved forward slowly with the convoy through the opened gate. Meng Po sat back in the cart and nodded in approval now that they were moving again. The gate was like a tunnel, nearly half a mile across. They closed the gate behind the Riders and the only source of lighting now came from the end of the tunnel ahead. They had torches lining along the interior of the tunnel but they only used them at night.

The Black Riders emerged from the gate into an open field. The Wall of Ba Sing Se was miles away but they could see it from here, with the setting sun behind it.

Lin said bitterly. "I hate that city."

No one disagreed with him.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Bolin stretched his back as he exited the small tent he and Mako shared. He came in third in the Jungle Battle and Korra came in first in Race War. If today Mako could win the Water Fight, they might have just accumulated enough points to enter the special Triathlon stage; the Battle Royale. The Water Fight would have the challengers fight one on one on a piece of circular board, about ten feet in diameter, and floating on the Yue Bay in the north part of North Republic. The Triathlon was part of the season-long spring celebration to commemorate the foundation of the Republic two years ago and was carried out in three different states of the Republic.

The opening act, Jungle Battle, had been carried out in the lush Senlin Forest of the Western Republic. Contestants had been thrown in a survival game in the forest where they had to fight their way to the heart of the forest to be declared a winner. The forest was thick with vegetation and wild animals, not to mention the contestants were allowed to attack each other. Even as they reached the center, which was a three-tiered stage, any latecomers might challenge anyone who occupied a level. By noon, the ones who occupied the stages received extra points, the highest stage being worth the most point.

Korra participated in the second stage, in a field at the South Republic, the Race War, which was self-explanatory.

Now, the third part of the triathlon would begin. Mako emerged from the tent, already in his paddings, holding his helmet in his hand. There was a sound of grunting and footpad, and Naga leaped at Bolin from out of nowhere.

"Arrrhh! Naga! Bad Naga!" Bolin suffered licks on his face.

Korra came next, laughing. "She still likes you", she grinned at Bolin, throwing a meat bun at Mako. "You're ready, Mako?"

"Mmmmhh-mmpph", Mako said with the bun bitten in his mouth while he fixed the knots of his bracers.

The Jungle Battle required strong endurance, which made Bolin an obvious choice; the Race War had Korra and Naga written all over it. The Water Fight required more than just martial skill; it required decent skills in qinggong and, despite lack of proper training, Mako was a natural when it comes to chi manipulation, which included qinggong, not to mention that his lithe and agile built would serve him well. Bolin was a little careless when it comes to fine chi manipulation and Korra, being a Water Tribe, knew little about qinggong. Water Tribe martial art trainings, like their lifestyle, were all aimed towards survival and they trained chi through physical exercises and less through meditation so acclimate the flow of their energy to physical movement. Chi is pure energy and it kept them warm, and wasting chi for stuff like qinggong is akin to suicide.

Bolin, wiping Naga's saliva from his face, happened to see a certain young woman among the crowd, standing with her father. Asami Sato looked stunning as always, with her wavy black hair flowing down her back, adorned by a small clip with flower ornament at the side of her head, well-applied makeup on her beautifully sculptured face, and her red feminine cheongsam dress.

Korra followed Bolin's eyes and nudged Mako playfully. "You should go say hello", she grinned.

Mako nearly choked on his bun. "I'll say hello after I win", he decided.

"Korra!" someone called from behind them. "I thought it was you."

"Hi, Lu Ten", Korra shook his hand. "Glad you could make it."

"Ah, you must be the one competing this time", Lu Ten surmised, smiling at Mako. "Guess who among us is going?" he said, grinning with the Boulder and Haru behind him.

Bolin and Korra laughed.

"Well, good luck, Fire Ferrets", Lu Ten said brightly and went deeper into the crowd with Haru and the Boulder.

"Who's that?" Mako asked.

"Lotus Threes", Korra said. "A newcomer from the South. That Lu Ten almost beat me in the Race."

"I remember that big guy", Bolin's green eyes were still fixed on the Boulder. "He hits really hard."

"He looks like an Earth Kingdom", Korra assessed. "So is the little guy you gonna fight, Mako."

Mako just shrugged, putting on his helmet as an announcement called for the contestants. "I just have to beat them, right?" he fist-bumped Korra and head-bumped Bolin before he left them.

Korra and Bolin joined the spectators. Right before the match started, Asami came personally and invited the two to join her and her father in the VIP box; the committee had built a circle of footpath and a VIP viewing box above the water, shaded by a tent and waited by servants. The Water Fight would be held in the middle of the circle.

Bolin took the advantage of free refreshment and a man who was tasked to fan him. Korra and Asami were talking about Mako's chances while Hiroshi smiled fondly at the youths.

The first matchup was Golden Temple Tigerdillos and South Republic Rabbarros. Korra was interested to see the many different styles of martial arts the rest of the world employed, a fact that spurred her to leave the South Pole and pursue a new life in the Republic.

She hailed from a village in the South Pole where her father was the Chief and, being Chief Tonraq's only child, the man had imparted to her all his knowledge in Snow Fist. He had sent Korra to leave with Tenzin, his personal friend, with the hope that Korra could learn more about internal strength cultivation, a feature that Southern Water Tribe martial art lacked, and perhaps learn patience and self-control as well. Korra had always been hotheaded and impulsive.

Bolin, like Mako, had grown up in the streets. There were times when they had been involved with the triads where they picked up some martial art skills. They knew little about the fine art of chi cultivation, although they did learn the basics during that time. They further honed their skills after they left the triad, fighting in underground tournament until, during the War of the Autonomy, despite being underage, they were drafted into the rear detachment of the Republic Army, where they, like many underage draftees, helped with the medics and guarded the supply base in Yu Dao, later renamed Republic City. During that time, they met many soldiers of the Republic Army, many of them were martial artists, and they picked up some tricks from them. After the war, they were among the first who signed up to join the Pro-Fighting because they were broke and homeless again. They had made quite a good life for themselves ever since; still poor and barely scraping by, but they had a roof over their heads and could afford regular meal.

Korra recognized the styles the fighters in second matchup were employing. The King Scorpion-Crabs was employing a standardized Chang Chuan while the Whale Island Deerfalos used a fast-paced Shadowless Kick, both featured kicking techniques extensively, with the difference that Chang Chuan had more flying kicks while Shadowless Kick employed more single grounded kicks and leg sweep.

The Deerfalo swept inward with his right foot and got low and swept with his left foot; the Scorpion-Crab ducked the first one and delivered a jumping spinning kick that sadly was at the same time of the low leg sweep of the Deerfalo. They exchanged more blows for a few seconds until the Deerfalo's high kick was caught by the Scorpion-Crab who switched style into a grappling move and, with brute strength, he threw the Deerfalo into the water.

Mako came next; his first fight and he was up against Haru of the Lotus Three.

At the sound of the gong, they clashed. Mako burst his chi on his foot and pretty much flew forward; Haru calmly assumed a wide low stance and waited for Mako to clash with him.

"Mako looks energetic today", Hiroshi commented.

"He'll win this, I'm sure", Asami smiled; Mako and Haru exchanged fast blows. "He is humble, but he's a genius when it comes to martial art."

"Well, his opponent Haru is a genius too", Hiroshi said. "Do you know that he's the son of General Tyro of the South Republic Army?"

"He is?" Korra's eyes widened.

On the floating stage, Mako danced around with his fast punches and kicks; Haru stayed in his low unmoving stance, following Mako's movement by slight hip movement and feet shift to keep him in range. Haru deflected two punches with his arms, raised both arms to defend against Mako's unexpectedly fast spin kick. Mako failed to realize that Haru had claimed the stable center spot from the beginning and, suddenly, the boy delivered a double punch; Mako raised both arms to defend against the blow and staggered back, nearly falling to his butt due to the unstable stage.

Haru planted a step with such great force the water around the stage burst, eliciting a gasp from the audience. Mako tried to regain a balanced footing but Haru rushed him with seemingly slow but powerful looking blows; Mako would not even think about defending against those blows, especially now that he recognized Haru's style as Hung Gar, a style that originated from the Southeastern Earth Kingdom, now South Republic, that was famed for its use of explosive force.

Haru brought his arms together on his chest, relaxing his muscles, and he flexed and sent another double punch towards Mako; Mako was three steps away to the boundary and had no choice but to raise his arms to defend himself. The force was blunt and not as painful as he thought it would be. It was still enough to blow him away; Mako felt his feet parted with the stage and he fell back first into water.

Instinctively, he let his energy flow from the center of his dan tian, a most important meridian point where chi generates. He let his chi flow throughout his body like heat warming the air and hoped for the best when he spun. He felt his body lightened, as if his he was being lifted by an invisible force and he jolted himself up. Mako twirled up with his qinggong and burst chi from his feet to propel himself towards the VIP box.

He landed at the rim of the box, noticing Hiroshi's look of surprise, Asami and Korra's widened eyes, and Bolin's gape. He pushed himself and turned, floating back into the stage.

Haru laughed. "Hey, not bad", he said earnestly. Haru resumed his low stance and Mako dashed towards him once again to fight.

Mako delivered two spinning kick that Haru now evaded, a change of gambit from earlier when Haru just stood his ground and defended against any attacks Mako dished out. His stance was still low but Haru's agility was not hindered. The Lotus Three suddenly leaped backward, landed on his hand, and dragged the rest of his body in a flip; his feet kicked the unsuspecting Mako below the jaw, resulting in Mako losing his balance and, perhaps even consciousness for a few seconds. The splash he made when he fell into the water felt unreal, like it happened somewhere far away and to some other people.

The crowd exploded into a loud cheer.

Mako emerged from the water to Haru's extended hand. He took it and Haru helped him out of the water. Strangely, Mako was only a little disappointed when he raised Haru's arm and presented him to the crowd.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Fire Lord Azulon moved his Pai Sho piece slowly. His son Ozai was an opponent more worthy than he had given him credit for. Ozai moved his tile almost immediately after his father was done. Impatience… his greatest weakness.

"Any news from Iroh yet?" Azulon asked his son.

Ozai's eyes were fixed on the Pai Sho table. "No, My Lord."

"Is there any news at all about anything?" Azulon asked gruffly.

Ozai studied the Pai Sho board carefully, trying to guess his father's next move. "Our agents are in place. They are ready anytime."

"Good", Azulon dismissed that lazily. "You are the leader of this project. Begin whenever you want."

Ozai tried his best to hide his smirk. "Yes, My Lord."

-0-0-0-0-0-

The Black Riders rode through the plain since the morning. It was now almost nightfall and they had left Ba Sing Se and would reach Si Wong Desert the next afternoon if they rested tonight. They had all the intention to rest, of course, but first, Lin could not help himself.

They had secured lodging in a local village. The chief was a little apprehensive at first of a group of mercenaries riding through their small farming village. But, after the Riders told them that they were distributing medicine to nearby villages as a sign of good faith, and donated a chest full of herbal remedies, the Chief prepared them a simple feast and allowed them to set up camp on near their farms. It was the end of spring, harvest time, and the Chief allowing them to camp was indirectly using them as guards, the Riders knew, but they did not care. The village was small and looked poor, but they supplied them with fresh food and vegetable and they slaughtered two antlered-cows and three goat-pigs for the Riders, so they did not complain.

The Riders had also learnt of a small group of soldiers that had been harassing the village. During the war, the southern part of Ba Sing Se was ravaged by Fire Nation soldiers looking to occupy Full Moon Bay. Earth Kingdom Army countered this move by setting up numerous small bases around the land, usually manned by a small detachment of 100-200 soldiers with fast riders to connect the bases together. Any invading army would be swarmed from all direction in matter of hours.

After the war with Fire Nation, the War of Autonomy begun and it had been focused on the Western Shore. The Earth Kingdom dared not disband the bases, just in case, and after the War of Autonomy ended, the bases had been completely forgotten. The soldiers had grown complacent and many had returned to civilian life without reporting to the government, which technically meant they deserted, and discipline had gone down the drain. Those who remained had taken to terrorizing nearby villages, demanding money, food, and women.

Most bases had been abandoned completely and the soldiers had merged into one big group numbering almost 800 scattered around ten different bases. Lin and the Riders had shed off their robes. They wore their enigmatic hooded armor proudly. Lin turned Birdie around so he would face his men and women; Taka pulled on the strings of his bow to test it, Bara twirled one of her daggers, ready for the fight, Rocky cracked his knuckle and he was wearing a studded thimble on each hand, Jon had his halberd ready, and Meng Po had his studded mace resting on his shoulder as he sat on his large ostrich-horse.

"Riders!" Lin roared; his men and women cheered and raised their weapons. "For the good of the people!"

Brandishing Nightshade, his sword, he rode ahead, leading the charge to the small base that was completely taken by surprise by the Riders' night raid and superior numbers. Lin claimed only one victim from his first ride through the gate, swinging his sword so hard the soldier flew backward with his broken spear and broken head. When he turned around after Birdie slowed down, his Riders had taken care most of the Earth Kingdom soldiers. They left none alive.

They rode out and hit the second base in much similar manner, and then the third, and the fourth…

They had let an enemy escape after their third base. He seemed to have warned the rest of the soldiers and the fifth base they hit was closed; the Earth Kingdom soldiers stood along the rampart, shouting profanity at them in between demanding their identity.

"Who are you bastards?!" one shouted at them while the other yelled out. "Are you trying to rebel?! We are the Earth Kingdom Army!"

Taka shot the last one on the mouth with his bow.

The Riders, as Lin, Lu Ten, and the other founders, had always made sure, conducted themselves with honor. They drew no pleasure from killings and they abhorred pillaging. However, they were also known for their unconventional fighting tactics and they often employed psychological attack. At Taka's impressive shot, they Riders cheered and congratulated him loudly. Some Riders actually took out their gourd and toasted each other with wine. They looked like they were having a good time but it was just for show.

Above the gate, on a posthouse with an opening, they could see the enemy officer and his pale face. He was talking with some other officers and Bara read his lips. The woman leaned towards Lin and whispered. "More reinforcements are coming."

"So, not all of them are here yet", Lin shrugged. "Plan B."

"Plan B!" Bara shouted at the Riders. With that, he and Rocky rode away, followed by a couple dozen Riders each. They would intercept the coming enemies.

"No mercy!" Lin roared, thrusting Nightshade to the sky. He waved his blade to the base and a volley of arrows from the archers among their group flew towards the defending soldiers, with Rain's crossbow bolt hitting the officer in the neck. It caused a great amount of panic among the Earth Kingdom soldiers and the gate was opened in less than a minute by a very fat soldier in an armor that looked like it was suffering, holding a white flag.

The Riders rode in and slaughtered them all.

-0-0-0-0-0-

"Thank you, heroes!" the Chief and his people kowtowed at the Riders; quickly, they held the Chief and helped him up.

The Black Riders resumed their journey at daybreak, accompanied by the villagers' sending them off.

"What's on your mind?" Lin asked Bara who had been stone-faced since she woke up.

"Aren't you worried that the government would retaliate?" Bara asked, steering her steed closer.

Lin shrugged. "Like the Chief said, the government don't care anymore about the soldiers they stationed in this region; they didn't even have a general", Lin explained. "By Earth Kingdom Law, a detachment that had no commander for more than five months must report to the central command. Failure to do so would constitute automatic dismissal. Those people were no longer Earth Kingdom soldiers."

"Still…" Bara mumbled.

"I'm more worried about any soldiers that we might have missed", Lin said grimly. "The Chief did say that they often come down to a village and cause trouble there."

"If the villagers still let those lowlifes bully them, then they deserved to be bullied", Rocky said gruffly.

"In this case, I agree", Lin nodded. "We have proven that the enemies were not as high and mighty as the villagers made them out to be; not to mention we did a body count and there can't be more than a dozen who got away because they were not in the base or had escaped before we arrived.

Lin yawned wide and stretched. "On the bright side, when we finally set a foothold here, we will be welcomed with opened arms."

Taka and Rocky exchanged glances and smile, Bara begrudgingly agreed.

Looking up to the rising sun, Lin said. "Sometimes, even an angel must wield a sword", he put his hood on.


Author's Note:

Just something I've had in my head for quite some time. I gotta get them out or it might drive me crazy. Enjoy the reading and Happy Lunar New Year! :D