Appa soared through the air lazily as Aang tried to read a map, scratching his arrow in confusion and flipping the paper in his hands. Noticing this with a dead-pan expression, Sokka leaned on the saddle behind Aang. "You have no idea where we're going, do you?"
Aang sat up and gave the other guy a sheepish smile. "Well, I know that it's near water…"
"Great, because that narrows it down to every island and the coasts of every nation." The Water Tribe warrior muttered sarcastically. "Are you done with my pants yet?"
Katara looked up from the sewing she was doing, giving her brother a light glare. "They'll be done when they get done, and asking every five seconds isn't helping."
"Alright, alright," Sokka threw his hands up in surrender. "I just thought you'd be quicker. Girls are supposed to be good at sewing and other girly stuff."
While his sister shot him acid look, Sun looked up from his lap, where he was sewing a rip in his cape closed. "Dude." He said, offended. "Not cool."
Katara drove her needle back into the pants and messily finished up, throwing them back at her brother. "There! Oh, look at how quick I can sew 'cause I'm just a girly-girl!" She said angrily.
Ignoring the spluttering of the male sibling, Sun turned to her and held out his cape. "Since you're done with that, can you help me with this, please?" He asked with polite smile.
Returning the smile, she took the other end of the length of white cloth. "Sure, Sun."
As they went to work, Sokka held his pants up, the poorly-stitched hole in the seat clearly unraveling. "I was just kidding! Katara! Please fix my pants!"
Aang sat next to the panicking warrior in the saddle with a smile. "Don't worry, Sokka, where we're going, you won't need pants!"
Sun looked up as he finished repairing a tear. "And just where are we going, again?" He asked with an arched eyebrow.
The young Airbender smiled sheepishly. "I don't really remember. Momo! Marble me!" He called to the flying lemur they had taken as a pet from the Southern Air Temple.
As the little lemur searched through the saddlebag, Sun frowned slightly. "You said it was near water, right? And you want to surf on elephant koi?" At Aang's nod, he nodded back. "That would be Kyoshi Island, then."
"Kyoshi Island?" Katara asked, looking up from Sun's cape.
The blond man took the map from Aang, turned it right-side up and pointed at a crescent-shaped island. "This place. It's named after Avatar Kyoshi, and it's one of the only places you can find elephant koi. I've never been there, but the people there should be friendly."
"I'd think so, on an Island named after an Avatar." Aang replied happily. "Hey Katara, look at what I can do!"
He took the marbles from Momo and held them between his hands, using an air current to make them circle his palms.
"That's great, Aang." Katara replied easily, not looking up.
"But you're not even looking!" The young Airbender protested, closing his hands.
Sighing lightly, she stopped sewing and looked up. "That's great, Aang." She repeated dryly.
Aang slumped. "But I'm not doing it anymore."
She just hummed in reply and continued her activity. Sun finished repairing another tear in his cape before looking up at him. "You've been doing that trick every hour or so since you found those at the Air Temple, Aang. Maybe you should try a different trick?" The blond bender frowned. "By the way, when are you going to start teaching me Airbending?"
The younger Airbender shrugged a little as he moved to take Appa's reins. "I don't know where to start, really. I've never taught anyone Airbending before. What do you know?"
"Thank you," Sun said gratefully to Katara, throwing his cape around his shoulders. "Well, I know how to fly, I can make basic things like balls of air and blades, I can enhance my staff with it…and that's it."
"Huh." Aang muttered, tapping his chin in thought. "I don't know if I can teach you. We Airbenders are usually taught at a young age, as our bending style is really complicated."
The blond bender shrugged. "I expected that, honestly. Maybe we can train together at some point and you can give me pointers?"
The young Airbender nodded happily as Appa groaned, breaking through the clouds as a large, crescent-shaped island came into view. "We're here!" He whooped, leaping from the saddle as soon as the sky-bison's feet touched the ground.
"You know, we already made a pit-stop yesterday," Sokka pointed out, climbing down Appa's legs. "Shouldn't we fly a little more before making camp?"
Aang, who was hurriedly pulling off his clothes, probably didn't hear him. "He is right," Katara said in agreement. "If we keep going like this, we won't make it to the North Pole until Spring."
"But Appa's tired already, aren't you boy?" Aang interjected, nudging the sky-bison and winking meaningfully.
Appa gave an unconvincing yawn, obviously not tired at all. The young Airbender jacked a thumb at his companion and smiled, as if to say, 'See?'
Sokka rolled his eyes as Aang. "Yeah, because that was convincing. Still, not going to argue with giant magical animal." He muttered, pulling off his jacket and discarding, taking a seat in the sand.
"Look!" Aang called, pointing out into the bay. Several giant fish, with deep red scales and golden fins leaped out of the water. They looked to outweigh Appa by about half, and the splashes their bodies made caused good-sized waves to roll up on the shore. "That's why we're here…elephant koi. And I'm going to ride it!" He proclaimed pointing at the sky dramatically. "Guys, you gotta watch me!"
Sun sat next to Katara as the young Airbender dived into the water, leaping back momentarily and shouting, 'Cold!' He laughed at Aang's expression, leaning back against one of the nearby trees. "He's enthusiastic, at least."
"You mean he's crazy." Sokka commented as Aang dived under the water.
They all sat up as one of the elephant koi leaped out of the water, the pale peach of Aang's skin standing out heavily against the fish's scales. They could hear him cheering and whooping from their spot, obviously having a very good time.
"Woo!" Katara called, waving at the young Airbender as he waved at them. "That looks like fun! Really dangerous, but fun."
"I know, right?" Sun said excitedly, jumping to his feet. "I'm going to join him!"
He hopped around the beach. pulling off his bracers and the shoulder plates, dropping them to the ground as Katara ran off to stop Appa from eating something. "There's something in water." Sokka said suddenly, sitting up and looking very serious. "Aang! There's something in the water!"
"What?" Sun looked up just in time to see an elephant koi get violently pulled underwater, a long, dark shadow following behind the fish Aang was riding. "Okay, that doesn't look fun anymore. Aang! Get out of the water!"
Katara, having heard the noise, came running back to the beach. "What's going on?" She asked worriedly.
"Aang's in trouble." Sokka replied shortly, waving his arms. "Get to shore!"
Aang had no clue about the danger, cheerfully waving back to his companions on shore. Then, something grabbed the koi he was riding on, sending him head-first into the water. He emerged with a gasp, blinking surprise and finding himself in the shadow of something. Slowly turning around, he found a giant serrated fin that towered over him ominously.
They heard Aang's scream of fear as he jumped out of the water and started running towards the shore, his speed so great that he actually ran on the surface of the water. The fin, and whatever it was connected to, gave chase, the towering fin slicing through the water like a hot blade through paper. It closed in on the sprinting Airbender, the shadow nipping at his heels before Aang took a mighty leap that carried him thirty feet onto the shore, crashing into Sokka and sending them into the tree line.
Sun and Katara hurriedly jogged over to the two boys, finding Aang quickly pulling his clothes on and Sokka pushing himself up after catching the former. "What was that thing?" Katara asked, warily watching the fin slowly disappearing into the water.
"I don't know and I don't want to find out!" Aang replied, shivering in fear.
"Yeah, let's not wait for that thing to come back. Let's get out of here." Sokka agreed, dusting himself off.
Sun made to speak, but stopped, something prickling at the back of his senses. He looked up into the trees as five figures dropped from above. Taken by surprise, the others were subdued quickly, even Momo.
The blond bender rolled away from the fifth figure as they tried to drop on top of him, narrowly avoiding the booted feet that impacted the sand. He came up to his feet and faced the attackers with hands up, ready to attack.
The attackers were all women, that was the first thing he noticed. They all wore heavy-looking forest-green robes, with some sort of light black armor on top of that, with their faces painted with white, black and red in an intimidating pattern. Each wielded a pair of familiar golden metal fans and wore black-headbands with a golden piece. The one with the largest and almost ornamental headdress was the one who nearly dropped on top of him.
"You are intruding on our island, outsider." The obvious leader spoke firmly. "Surrender so that you will be taken into custody."
"You ambushed me and my friends, stranger." Sun retorted quietly, not leaving his stance. "I will not be going anywhere with you until you tell me who you are."
The leader snapped her fans shut and stood proudly in front of her fellows. "I am Suki, the Leader of the Kyoshi Warriors. And you are trespassing on Kyoshi Island."
Narrowing his eyes on the woman, he tilted his head in respect to her. "I see. My name is Sun Naruto, and I am traveling with-"
"Your name is Sun?" Suki interrupted, focusing on the hooded man in front of her. "Remove your hood."
Arching an eyebrow and watching the Kyoshi Warriors carefully, Sun reached up and pulled his hood down, revealing his bright blond hair. One of the Warriors gasped. "Suki, that's-"
"I know. What is a Bounty Hunter doing on Kyoshi Island?" Suki asked, the hostility leaving her stance. "And who are you traveling with?"
"If you hadn't interrupted me, I would've told you already." The blond replied shortly. "I'm traveling with the Avatar and my friends. The bald kid with arrows and the two Water Tribals that you ambushed, respectively."
The leader of the Kyoshi Warriors looked down at the tied-up and blindfolded Aang, poking him a booted toe. "Are you serious?" She asked Sun incredulously.
Aang rose above the wind-swept ground, air swirling chaotically around him, his eyes and arrows glowing an ominous blue.
"Pretty damn sure, yeah." He replied dryly. "So, if you would, please untie the reincarnation of the woman you are styled and named after and my friends."
Nodding to her subordinates, the Kyoshi Warriors freed Aang, Katara and Sokka. Momo leapt from his bonds and wrapped himself around the young Airbender's head, chattering threateningly at the women.
"We apologize for ambushing you, Avatar." Suki apologized, bowing lightly. "Kyoshi Island has managed to stay out of the war so far, and we would keep it that way. To that effect, come with us, so that we can present you to our village leader."
Aang shuffled a little, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "A-alright. Lead on, I guess."
As the others were lead up into the forest path leading to the Village, Sun stayed behind to gather his armor, which he had taken off in preparation for diving into the water. Which wasn't going to happen any time soon.
Gathering the heavy white and gold metal protections up and sliding them back on, the blond looked up to see the Leader of the Kyoshi Warriors, Suki, standing nearby, watching him with a curious but wary gaze. "Yes?" He asked calmly, adjusting his bracers.
"I don't imagine someone like you running off and leaving your friends behind, Sun, but I am keeping my eye on you." She replied simply.
Arching an eyebrow, his eyes fell on the orange clothes of Aang as he walked through the forest. "On me and not the Avatar?" He questioned.
Suki nodded and bade him to follow her. "That kid may be the Avatar, but he is young and inexperienced. The girl is a Waterbender, but she hasn't been trained extensively. The man is not a bender, and he seems to be intelligent-"
"I'm just saying, there's no way a bunch of girls could've ambushed us!" Sokka's voice floated down, trickling into their ears. Sun sighed and clapped a hand to his forehead.
"Seems to be somewhat intelligent." Suki amended with a small scowl. "But you…we've heard about you here. The Man with the white cape, with the white and gold armor, who has hair like the sun and a name to match. Tales of your exploits as a Bounty Hunter are common around here. Most of the populace regards you as a hero."
Sun shook his head with a short sigh. "I gave up Bounty Hunting more than a year ago to wander and find the Avatar. And while being called a hero does feed my ego a bit, I hunted criminals because I wanted to do some good, even in this time of war. The test of my skills was also a good part of it."
They arrived in the small village just behind the group, the Kyoshi Warriors doing their best to ignore Sokka's grumblings, though the clenched fists spoke volumes, and Katara did not look amused.
The leader of the village, an old man with poofy grey hair tied into a fluffy topknot approached them with a wary look, and a few villagers gathered behind with equally wary faces.
"Who are these strangers you've brought here, Suki?" The old man asked, examining them carefully. When his eyes fell on Sun, he gasped. "You!"
Looking irritated at the attention, an expression he shared with Aang, he replied shortly. "Yes. Me."
The old man folded his hands in his sleeves and bowed deeply. "We heard that you were the one to capture the Traitor, and for that, you have our deepest thanks."
Sun frowned lightly. "Traitor?" He asked, before looking at the Kyoshi Warriors again and noticing their metal fans, recalling when he had seen them before. "Oh! You mean Kara, right?" He said, remembering the black-haired woman who had nearly beaten him while wielding a pair of red metal fans.
"Yes." The old man replied. "That's is the one. If you may introduce yourself?"
"Ah," He nodded, "Right. My name is Sun Naruto, you may have heard of me." the villagers whooped, making him wince at the noise. "I am traveling with Katara and Sokka from the Southern Water Tribe. And the young man is Avatar Aang."
All attention was dropped on the young Airbender, who smiled nervously and waved. "Hi there!"
The old man arched an eyebrow at Sun. "Are you being serious? This young man is the Avatar?"
Sun nodded firmly. "He is. Aang, show them."
Stuttering slightly, Aang tried to think of a trick he could show them. "Aha!" He exclaimed, bringing his hands together in front of his chest, a ball of air swirling between his palms. It grew a little and Aang released it around him, creating a heavy breeze that kicked up a wave of dust around him. Sun subtly bent a small current of air in front of him sending the dust away, something Suki (who was standing behind him) noticed, giving the blond man a curious look.
As the breeze faded, Sun had to admit that Aang looked impressive, with his robes flapping around him, his staff in one hand and a serious look on his face.
"Now…watch this!" The young Airbender exclaimed, whipping out his marbles and making them spin quickly between his hands with a foolish grin on his face.
The crowd went wild.
Sun palmed his face again. And there goes that train of thought.
"It's true…you are the Avatar!" Awed, the old man bowed deeply. "You are welcome on Kyoshi Island as long as you wish!"
"Is there a place we can stay?" Aang asked, basking in the praise and adulation of the villagers.
"Of course! Suki, show these brave travelers to the finest room we have!" The old man boomed.
"At once, Oyaji." Suki replied, sharing a dry look with Sun, who rolled his eyes at the crowd, specifically the one guy who foamed at the mouth and collapsed with a girly shriek.
After being shown to their suite, which was pretty lavish and beautifully decorated, and served dinner, which was presented on a large number of plates, did Katara recall a specific term she heard her friend had been called.
"Sun?" She asked the blond, who was lying on his back with his legs crossed, tossing a bun in the air. "That Kyoshi Warrior, Suki, she called you a Bounty Hunter. Why'd she do that?"
Sun tossed the bun into the air and opened his mouth, catching it with his teeth and eating it. "I used to be a Bounty Hunter, a little more than a year ago. I even had a partner. We hunted down criminals and brought them in for a reward." He sat up, grabbing a bowl of seasoned rice.
"What happened to your partner?" Katara asked cautiously, not wanting to open up any wounds.
He shrugged and took a drink of water. "We had a disagreement and a falling out, and went our separate ways. After that, I got a message from my Master, telling me that the Avatar would be coming soon, and would need my help. He didn't say where, so I just wandered around for awhile, eventually ending up in The Southern Water Tribe."
"Catching criminals sounds dangerous." She noted, looking at the sleeping form of her brother. He hadn't eaten much, to her surprise, and had gone to bed grumpily.
"It was, but I could do some good and rewards never hurt, either." He replied with a shrug. "Aang, are you going to stop waving to your admirers and come eat?"
"Huh?" The young Airbender replied distractedly. "Oh, yeah, just a second." He waved again, getting a low cheer from the crowd.
Katara rolled her eyes and ate bun, while Sun clicked his tongue. "Well, that's not going to get annoying, not at all." He muttered sarcastically.
…
..
"So, the Avatar's on Kyoshi Island?" Hawk said to himself, perched on the rooftop of the tallest building in the small village. "And he's traveling with…him. How convenient. For me."
He dropped off of the building, landing silently in the alley and walking out to join the night crowd. The hooded man stalked through the town, coming to the inn he had rented a room in.
Lying on his bed, Hawk contemplated the ceiling. "My two greatest targets on the same Hunt…the anticipation is killing me." He said to himself, clenching his fists. "The Avatar and Him will have left before I can get passage to the Island…but I think I know where they're going next."
Settling in to sleep, the hooded man turned at looked at the sharp blades sitting atop a desk, the deadly edges gleaming with violence even in the low light.
"Hmhmhmhm…I can't wait to sink my talons into them…"
…
…
Sweating but satisfied, a young woman with youthful features sat at her vanity, setting her headdress aside after a successful night of acrobatics in the circus. Sighing lightly, the young woman peered into the mirror with large, emphatic grey eyes and pulled her long brown hair from its braid, taking up a brush.
Humming softly, she drew it through her hair, enjoying the silence. It was broken seconds later by the screech of red hawk, who flew into her tent and landed on her vanity, holding a leg out.
Squealing softly and stroking the bird's head, she pulled the message off of it's back and rolled it open.
Her eyes went wide, and a choked whimper escaped her lips as she continued to read as tears rolled down her cheeks.
The message was dropped to the floor unceremoniously as the young woman cried tears of relief. The hawk, detecting her stress, crooned comfortingly and gently picked at her hair with its beak.
Laughing lightly and petting the bird, she pulled a small sketch from the mirror and cradled it like a precious treasure. Depicted on the sketch were four kids. Three girls all sitting around a young boy, the kid version of herself draped over his shoulders with a wide grin on her face.
The boy had light, spiky hair and a matching smile, his arms around a child Azula and another young girl with neatly gathered hair and a nearly imperceptible smile bending her lips.
"I knew it," She choked, smiling wetly, running her fingers over the boy. "I knew you were still alive, even when the others didn't believe it."
Of course, they had all hoped, but they didn't truly believe. Though, the last time she had seen Azula, the Fire Nation Princess had looked a little happier.
"Hey girl, do you mind taking a message from me?" She asked the hawk gently, stroking its crest. The bird nodded and cawed, and Ty Lee found a piece of paper and a brush, beginning to write a missive.
…
…
Sun found himself sitting before a massive spread of sweets for breakfast, poking a powdered confection warily before taking a bite out of it and pulling a face. He swallowed the bite down laboriously and tossed the remainder to Momo.
"Don't like the food?" Katara asked, wiping her mouth with a napkin.
"Nah, I prefer salty stuff." He replied, poking a plate of firm jelly with an ill look on his face. "I'm going to go see if there's anything else around town to eat."
Waving to the others, including a sulking Sokka, Sun propped open a window and slipped out, landing lightly on the ground in front of an amazed group of girls before walking off casually.
He trotted through the village with his hands in his pockets, looking around for food. He passed by a barely-open stall without a backward glance, until the scent of salt and meat hit his nose. Backtracking, he went inside the small stall, searching for the smell that tickled his taste-buds.
"Excuse me?" He called out.
A young woman popped out of closed kitchen area, looking surprised at someone being in her stall so early. "Er, yes? Can I help you?" She asked nervously. She recognized the man.
Sun smiled kindly at her. "I'm sorry to intrude, but I couldn't help but smell something delicious being cooked. What is it?"
"Oh." The young lady blushed fetchingly. "Well, I run this stall, and the main dish I serve is noodles, typically with meat and broth. It's called ramen."
Sun's eyebrows went up. "Can I buy some from you? If it's not too much trouble, this early."
"Oh no! It's no trouble at all!" She said nervously, moving back into the kitchen. "Please, take a seat, I'm almost done."
Shaking his head slightly, the blond took a seat at the counter and waited for a minute for the young lady to return. She bustled back into the room with a large bowl in her hands, which contained the dish called ramen. "I hope you like it." She said with a small, nervous smile.
Taking up the chopsticks given with the bowl, Sun dipped them in the broth and rounded up a small bundle of noodles before sticking them in his mouth.
He chewed once, then froze, his eyes wide.
The young woman fingered the hem of her apron in distress, her head bowed. "This…is so….good." She looked up in surprise, just in time to see Sun bring the bowl up to his mouth to suck down the broth, having shoveled the noodles in his mouth at a lightning pace.
Setting it down, he licked his lips. "That was delicious!" He exclaimed happily with a wide smile. "Can I have more?"
She nodded slowly before his words reached her brain, and she jumped excitedly, saluting for some reason. "Yes sir! More ramen coming up!"
Another bowl was placed in front of him and consumed in record time. After Sun ate another dish of his delicious meal, he reached out and stopped the young woman serving him. "I'm sorry for being rude, but what's your name?" He asked abashedly, having been caught up in his feeding frenzy.
"Y-you want to know my name?" The young woman asked, blushing shyly.
"Of course! I can't just keep calling you 'pretty young woman' in my head." He said honestly, her blush deepening in response.
"Oh, well, my name is-"
"Ayame!" Suki called as she strolled into the stall, "A bowl of your breakfast ramen, please!" She paused, seeing Sun sitting at the counter, In my spot, with the normally cheerful waitress shooting her an angry glare. "What?"
Sun turned back to the waitress with a smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ayame. I'm Sun."
Ayame shook his hand, the redness in her cheeks being reinvigorated by the contact. "I know, I-I mean, it's nice to meet you too." She scuttled back into the kitchen as Suki came up behind the blond.
"So, you've discovered the wonder that is Ayame's ramen, I take it?" She asked jokingly, noticing the small pile of bowls on the counter near Sun.
He nodded and chuckled lightly, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "Ha, you could say that, I guess. It's really good."
Suki chuckled a little, taking the seat next to him. "I know, I stop by here most mornings before we spar."
Sun noticed that the Leader of the Kyoshi Warriors wasn't wearing her outfit, being in simple green pants and shirt, with her rather pretty face bare of paint. "Huh. It's kind of odd seeing you without your battle gear on." He said easily, sipping from a cup of green tea.
She arched an eyebrow at him questioningly. "Oh? And why is that?"
He shrugged, pouring a cup for her. "Well, I met you yesterday, but you looked very comfortable and confident in your gear, like you were meant to be wearing it and leading the Kyoshi Warriors."
Suki hid the small tint of red in her cheeks by taking a sip of her tea. "Well, I don't wear my armor all the time. I may be a warrior, but I'm still a girl." She stated.
It was Sun's turn to lift an eyebrow, small, sly smile crossing his lips. "I am very much aware of that." He said, almost flirtatiously.
Suki coughed as Ayame came out with two bowls, setting them in front of them with a small bow. They ate quickly and quietly, and Suki looked up after she finished. "It's about time for me to go," She said, setting her chopsticks down. "We're training today."
Sun looked up, interested. "Do you mind if I come watch?" Hearing how that could be misconstrued, he quickly added, "I noticed the style you ladies used and it looked very interesting."
She examined him with a critical eye, judging if he was a threat or not. Finding his words to be honest, she nodded and made to leave. "Sure. Maybe we can learn something from you, and the other way around."
"That would be great." He replied with a smile before turning to Ayame. "Thank you for the meal. How much do I owe you?"
She made to wave off his question, blushing fiercely. "O-oh no, I couldn't possibly take your money-"
He held out a pouch of coins and set it down on the counter. "I seriously have to pay you. This was one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten, and I would feel enormously guilty if I deprived you of a profit. And, if not for the meal, then for the company."
The redness stretching from her forehead to her neck, the young woman took the pouch with a whispered thanks.
"Sun! If you want to come watch, you need to come now!" Suki called back from out of sight.
"Coming!" Sun turned back to Ayame and bowed. "Thank you for the meal. I will be back!"
He left the stall and followed after Suki, leaving a steaming Ayame to fall on a seat and fan herself.
They walked briskly on a path, coming to a low, simple dojo, where several girls all dressed in their Kyoshi Warrior attire stood around, waiting patiently for their leader.
"Ladies!" Suki called, getting their attention. "Sun has asked to come watch our training, and possibly spar with one of us. Tabi! Take the lead with the morning exercises."
One of the Warriors with a less-ornate headpiece nodded and directed the girls to their training. Sun took a seat nearby and watched as they trained, eventually being joined by a fully-dressed Suki, who took the lead.
After their calisthenics were done, they were lead into the dojo and began drilling with their fans as Suki led them through various forms and attacks.
"So, what are your thoughts?" She asked Sun as Tabi, her second in command, stepped forward to drill the girls again.
"Your fighting style is very interesting." He commented, watching the forms. "Based on what I've seen, your style revolves around using an enemy's strength against them, which is supplemented by your fans. It reminds me of my own style, in a fashion."
"How so?" Suki asked interestedly.
Sun shifted and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. "Well, I'm pretty strong, but my style revolves around my agility, avoiding blows and tiring an enemy while landing my own."
"That sounds interesting. Care to you show us some of your skill?" She questioned challengingly.
Sun chuckled and stepped forward as the girls cleared a space in the middle of the room. "Of course. To three?" He asked, discarding his cape.
Suki nodded and stood across from him, her fans out and unfurled in her stance. "Why are you not wielding your staff?" She questioned, sounding slightly insulted. "Do you not want to take me seriously?"
"It's nothing to do with taking you seriously," Sun replied seriously. "My staff is very heavy and is made of metal. I've accidently killed more than one person using it."
Suki frowned, leaving her stance. "How heavy can this staff of yours be?"
Sun shrugged and pulled the staff out of his pocket; it enlarged to full size to gasps from the Warriors, and he set it on the floor carefully. "Try and pick it up."
At their questioning looks, he pointed at the staff. "Seriously, try to pick it up, and you will understand why I don't wield this in spars."
Frowning, Suki approached the innocent looking staff and kneeled, wrapping her fingers around it and pulled.
It didn't budge.
Her face scrunching in confusion, she took both of her hands and tried to lift it again, grunting with effort.
It didn't budge. Again.
More Warriors came to help, grabbing at the golden staff and trying to lift it, to no success. Sweating lightly, Suki stepped back and wiped her forehead. "This is too heavy." She finally admitted.
Sun nodded understandingly and easily scooped the staff up, twirling it around him like it was made of simple wood instead of gold. "That is why I don't use it in spars."
"I can see your point." Suki said grudgingly. "I'm more interested in sparring with you than I was before."
Sun grinned, shrinking his staff and putting it away. Taking up his stance with his feet spread and his arms up and bent, hands loosely curled, the blond bender was ready to fight.
Suki made the first move, dashing forward and jumping, bringing her fan around and down; Sun spun out of the way and lashed out with a fist aimed at her side; she planted her foot and twisted, avoiding the strike and letting her other foot touch the ground. Now grounded, she kicked at his chest; Sun spun again, dodging the blow and dropping to the floor, sweeping his legs out.
Suki's feet were pulled out from under her, her back meeting the floor for nearly a second before she kicked up and rolled away from a follow-up heel from Sun. Coming to her feet, she leapt, spinning like a tornado, her fans flashing in the light, and they met again.
The watching Warriors were awed in equal parts by the skill of their leader and the skill of her challenger. Both were fast, raining blows at each other that, due to their swift dodging, rarely landed.
The first score came from Suki, who held one of her fans closed in a reverse-grip. She spun and kicked at Sun's head; he ducked underneath the blow and came up aiming a punch at her face. Her arm came down and one of her fans unfolded, knocking his aim off, following through by kicking the off-balance blond in the side of the knee and bringing her folded fan up to his temple.
"First point goes to me." She declared with a smile, sweat dripping down her forehead.
Matching her expression, Sun nodded. "Yes it does."
Moving quickly, he batted her hand aside and ducked underneath her arm, spinning forward into her space as she swung her right fan up. His left hand, palm up, came down and stopped her attack, then jabbed his fingers into her ribs and brought his right hand back and brought it forward, palm open.
The palm of his hand met her sternum, sending her sliding back across the floor, winded. "The second point is mine, however." He stated, his smile widening, a challenging glint in his eyes.
Suki nodded, a fierce grin spreading across her face as she charged at the blond with a war-cry. He met her charge and they battled, faster and fiercer than before. Blows that would definitely be damaging if they landed were unleashed with frightening ferocity and speed, and were dodged or deflected just as quickly.
Sun bent over backwards and kicked her fan up, flipping into the air and coming down with a leg out; Suki flipped away as he landed and came at him spinning; he deflected her strikes away and spun away before spinning right back at her as she struck at him.
They froze. Sun's fingers were inches away from her wind-pipe, his other hand inches away from her kidney. Suki's fan was pointed at his forehead, with her other poised to strike his stomach.
"It's a draw." They said at the same time, pulling away to amazed applause from the Kyoshi Warriors, panting and sweaty but more than satisfied.
They bowed to each other, and Sun bowed to the other Warriors as well. "Ladies, it's been a pleasure. But, it's that time of day for my training. Thank you for allowing me to intrude upon your schedule."
They bowed back to him, and he swept his cape up from the corner and onto his shoulders. "Wait," Suki spoke up, drawing his attention. "As our guest, and as the Leader of the Kyoshi Warriors, the Protectors of Kyoshi Island, it is my duty to make sure you are safe on our island. I will go with you."
Sun gave her long, searching look, before smiling. "If you wanted to come see my training, all you had to do was ask. No need to be so formal, Suki." He said teasingly.
She nodded in reply and turned to her second-in-command, leaving her to drill the Warriors once more.
The two warriors left the dojo, heading down the path. It split into two, one leading to the village itself and the other to a glacial stream that they drank from. As they took the other path, they spotted Sokka marching towards the dojo, grumbling about girls under his breath.
In the same minute, they saw Aang running away from a group of young girls who were cheering and yelling wildly.
Trading bemused and slightly amused looks, the two shrugged at the same time. "No offense, but your village is kind of weird." Sun stated.
Suki nodded, then added. "I think it might be the visitors in this case."
"Can't argue with that."
…
…
The scarred Prince Zuko stood at the prow of his ship, looking off into the distance over the water, his mind far away.
"Prince Zuko," A soldier spoke up. "We have spotted Kyoshi Island on the scopes, and we believe we will be there within four hours."
Nodding and dismissing the man, Zuko looked out over the water. The Avatar is within my grasp once again…and so is Naruto. He thought, his eyes narrowing. Before I can bring the Avatar back, I need to know why. Why did Naruto not contact us if he's been alive all this time?
He scowled lightly. I will find my answers…Naruto, I have a lot of questions for you.
…
…
…
A/N: And that's that. Next part finishes off Kyoshi Island and enters Omashu. I figure, since Kyoshi is a Japanese-influenced place, I should add in ramen. Have you ever had real ramen? That shit is tasty, bro. And I would know, I've made it before.
I also figured, accordingly, that since Sun is now traveling with them, events around them that happened as they did in canon, won't here. Naturally. Fanfiction and all that. Did you like the fight between Suki and Sun? I was trying to bring to mind one of the Kung-Fu movies, though I couldn't name one of the top of my head.
And I feel that I will be asked if Sokka and Suki will be paired together. Short Answer? No. Long Answer? Noooooooooooooo.
Look at how they acted around each other in the episode, which forms the basis for their relationship in canon. Since Suki has been spending time with Sun, and isn't in the dojo to give Sokka a few lessons, their relationship has no basis. Tabi, Suki's second in command, will be, however. Simply imagine her in Suki's place in the episode, but with different hair. And a voice.
I'm not bashing Sokka, by the way. This was literally his attitude in this episode.
And what will be the pairing, besides that, you ask?
Pbbbbbbbbbbt.
If that wasn't clear, let me try again.
PBBBBBBBBBBBBBT.
That's me blowing a raspberry at you, by the way. It also means that I'm not going to tell you. Not even if you bribe me. Okay, maybe if you bribe me. I could use the cash.
And some people have guess that Hawk is Sasuke. Is he? All I have to say on the matter is: Fuck you.
Stay Awesome.
~Soleneus
P.S.: I'm loving all the reviews and whatnot on this, keep it up. I also published the first chapter of another story, The Life With Monster Girls, which is a self-insert of myself, a slightly less-fictionalized version of myself named Saul Dewitt. Not the one from Still Not A Hero (which you should read if you like Mass Effect), though similar. But much less violent.
By the way, what the hell, Bioware? I was the one with the jetpacks first! I demand recompense! I will take a job, please. I mean I demand a job! Right!
Stay Awesome Some More.
~still Soleneus
