The White Lotus War
Chapter 7: The Vanishing Act
Before leaving the village, Hitomi and Yuko said their goodbyes to Chao and the rest of the citizens. Everyone left on good terms, minus Yuko and the old man. Hitomi asked Chao what he was planning to do with his freedom, and he said that everyone elected him to be the new leader of the village. All of the fire benders were planning on staying to help reconstruct the town and watch over the Chief and his forces, so Hitomi couldn't ask them about teaching her fire bending. Hitomi and Yuko rode out of the village, waving goodbye to Chao and everyone else as they left, and headed toward Tyro Town.
While Hitomi rode on Ma Gui toward the city just lying up ahead, she couldn't help but wonder about what happened during her fight with the Chief. She remembered him burning her, the old man saving her, she clearly remembered her battle with the Chief and how amazing she felt when she thought she beat him, then the Chief burned her leg, a messenger hawk with a note that made him want to kill Yuko, and the last thing she remembered was going into the Avatar State. Everything after that was a blank.
Hitomi couldn't figure out why she didn't remember. She remembered what happened when she went into the Avatar State the first time. She remembered becoming furious with Midori, she remembered trapping her in a rock and thrashing her around the room, she remembered looking into her fear covered eyes as she was ready to kill her with all four elements, and finally she remembered Yuko's voice snapping some sense back into her brain. Hitomi remembered all of it, even though she wished that she could just forget about how monstrous she became.
Hitomi was starting to become afraid of the Avatar State, of all that power being fueled by her anger and hatred. She questioned if she could ever learn to use that power without possibly getting someone killed. Then she started thinking about the Chief's tank operation; why did he need so many machines of war? Was he planning on becoming some sort of world dominator like the Phoenix King? Hitomi knew that wasn't right, the pieces of the tanks were crated in large parts; they were sent to him by someone else. Was there some sort of big war going on that she didn't know about? She knew that wasn't right, even the White Lotus couldn't hide a massive war from the public eye. Or could they? They certainly were a well organized and well put together group of great masters. But if there was some sort of big war going on, why were they stepping out into the light instead of hiding the dark, ready to strike down their enemies? And why wasn't she told about it when those two old guys came to the apartment back in her hometown? She was the Avatar, so she had the right to know, didn't she?
Hitomi was so overwhelmed with questions that she slowed down Ma Gui to a stop in order to think. Yuko zoomed past her and quickly came back. She saw her friend in deep thought and asked, "Are you okay?"
Hitomi stayed silent for a moment, and then she replied, "Being the Avatar is a lot more difficult than I imagined. At first, I thought the Avatar was supposed to just bring peace or fight off dangerous threats to the world. But I'm not so sure of that anymore. I feel that something bigger is going on and I don't have a clue what it is. I'm kind of scared."
Yuko stayed silent for a moment, but then smiled and said, "Don't sweat it so much, it's just been three days since you figured out you were the Avatar. So we're a little behind on the whole Avatar thing, so what? You're one of the smartest people I know, you'll figure out what you need to do when the time comes. But for right now, let's keep our focus on having fun at the Fire Days Festival tonight! You haven't forgotten, have you?"
A smiled glowed on Hitomi's face. She had completely forgotten about the Fire Days Festival. She couldn't believe she had forgotten about something so important to the both of them! Every year since they met at the orphanage, Hitomi and Yuko had talked about going to the Fire Days Festival and seeing some of the amazing culture of the Fire Nation. They never got the chance to realize that promise with Midori keeping an eye on Hitomi, but it looked like they were finally going to get to see the Fire Days Festival after all these years!
"Right!" Hitomi exclaimed with joy, "We're finally going to the Fire Days Festival!"
"Race you there!" Yuko shouted as she stepped on the gas and sent her motorcycle flying across the road.
"All right Ma Gui," Hitomi said to her loyal companion, "We have a festival to go to and a friend to beat to it! Let's ride!" Ma Gui happily raced after Yuko, both of the girls completely forgetting what happened last time they charged into a town at full speed.
This time, instead of riding along an empty mountain road in the middle of the day, the two girls were met by a long traffic line of sato-mobiles trying to get into the beautifully lit city as the sun slowly began to set over the horizon. Hitomi and Yuko zoomed around the sato-mobiles, causing a few drivers to yell angrily at them for just passing by the cars since they were waiting there longer. Still, the girls were far too excited to worry about the complaints of the drivers, though they did give up their race and slowed a little to calm them down a bit.
When they finally entered the city, their eyes widened with complete wonder and amazement. The city was so much more spectacular than they saw in pictures. The skyscrapers were tall and lighted with red Fire Nation torches and streamers that were everywhere they looked! They saw people in masks shooting off their own miniature fireworks and eating exotic Fire Nation food, both the fireworks and food burning some of them! They saw fire benders juggling and swallowing fire, daggers, and daggers set on fire! It was everything they dreamed it would be and more! Two neatly dressed gentlemen offered to take Ma Gui to a stable and said they'd park Yuko's motorcycle with the sato-mobiles. After that was taken care of, the two girls looked around and just admired all the fun things to watch and do.
"I don't know where to start!" Hitomi said in amazement.
"I do!" Yuko said running over to a food stand giving away free samples of some unknown delicacy. Yuko pointed at the red spheres and asked the woman running the stand, "What are those?"
The woman replied with a fast voice that made you instantly realize that she was good at being a salesperson, "Well my good customer, these are rock hard fire chocolates! Made by my own two hands at the Crimson Candy Corp. at the east side of town! Go ahead and try one! Be careful, they're the type of candy you have to suck on so if you chew on them, they can break your-" Her jaw dropped as Yuko happily took two samples of them and crushed them easily with her teeth without any difficulty. The woman stuttered the last word in her sentence, "T-t-teeth."
Yuko laughed and asked, "I thought these Fire Nation foods were supposed to burn my throat! This stuff isn't doing a thing to me! It's actually pretty sweet!"
The woman, losing her fast paced voice because she was still in amazement that Yuko easily chomped on her extremely hard candy, said, "Well, fire chocolates don't really kick in until after you swallow. They say the aftertaste can briefly turn anyone into a fire bender."
Yuko swallowed and asked, "Really? Why's that?" Yuko got her answer as her eyes began to water and throat began to burn. She spit out a quick burst of fire from her mouth, burning one of the Fire Nation style lamps on the stand! Luckily, there was a bucket full of water off to the side of the stand; Yuko dunked her head in it and began chugging down water while the stand owner quickly started splashing water on the burning lamp until the fire finally died out.
Hitomi, despite the recent chaos, gladly picked one of the rock hard fire chocolates up and was about to eat it when the stand woman asked with a big smile, "Hey, you're the Avatar! I don't believe it! The Avatar is eating food at my stand!"
Hitomi put the chocolate in her pocket and replied, "Yeah, that's me, Avatar Hitomi. I'm traveling to Tyro Town in order to hop a boat to the Fire Nation so I can find a fire bending teacher. Unless, do you know any fire benders here that could teach me one or two things before I go?"
"I'm very sorry, but I'm certain that the majority of fire benders here are entertainers, not warriors."
"Oh well," She turned to Yuko who still had her head in the bucket of water, "Hey Yuko, if you're done soaking your hair, I want to see where we can get some of those cool masks."
As Yuko came back up for air, the stand owner said, "Hey, I have some masks in a box back here! No charge!" She then grabbed two Fire Nation decorated masks from behind the stand. Hitomi took them both, put the cuter one on her, and gave the other to Yuko who complained that she didn't get the cuter one.
As they passed through the crowds, Hitomi focused on all the fun that everybody was having around her. There was a really great fire juggler juggling a total of eight spikes that were set on fire! He did a double back flip and caught four spikes in each hand before taking a bow. Hitomi and several others cheered for the juggler as he jumped off his small soap box and asked people for money.
Hitomi asked, "Wasn't that amazing Yuko?" Then she turned to her right to find that Yuko wasn't there! She started to panic and looked all around for her friend, but not finding one trace of her!
"Great," she complained to herself, "Just great. I just had to take my eyes off of her for ten seconds." One would think she was exaggerating, but it actually had only been ten seconds.
Hitomi quickly raced through the crowds, yelling out Yuko's name, when some obnoxious little boy decided to throw tiny explosives at her feet, making her trip backwards. Luckily, she was caught by someone behind her.
"Thanks," Hitomi said as she turned around to look at the person who caught her. She felt her eyes shiver and her face turned redder than when Yuko ate that chocolate. The young man holding her in his arms was the most handsome boy she had ever seen in her life. His short blond hair gently blew in the soft wind that she hadn't noticed until now. His eyes were a soft blue; not a gorgeous crystal like her brother's, but still very attractive blue eyes. His smile seemed to glow a blinding white that seemed so calm and sincere. His voice was clear and strong, yet peaceful as he asked, "Are you okay?" She could also tell he was very strong by the way he firmly, but softly, held her in his arms.
Hitomi quickly snapped herself out of it and stood back up, trying to play it cool, even though she knew she always got real nervous around cute guys. Yuko could handle herself just fine around cute boys, but Hitomi was incredibly shy around attractive guys. Luckily she was still wearing the mask, so at least he didn't see her blush.
She laughed and said, "Yeah, I'm fine, super, incredible, never been better!" Put a sock in it, she told herself in her mind.
"Good to hear," the boy said as a small rocket went off just a few feet away. The boy quickly reached into his pocket and put on a pair of sunglasses before the rocket exploded into a red burst of fire and everyone clapped. He said, "I don't know why, but I've never been into these Fire Days Festivals; they just seem too flashy for my taste."
Hitomi lied, "Oh yeah, these Fire Days Festivals can get real old real fast. I mean they're super fun one year and the next, poof! Dull as a rock."
"Still, I do admire all the culture and effort this town puts into this festival every year. I have to give them credit for that at the very least."
"I totally agree, I love the Fire Nation culture! It's just so amazing and bright and full of so many beautiful sights and…" That was the last thing she said before a mob of people pushed past her and knocked her back toward the young man, who again caught her in his arms; she in turn blushed under her mask.
"Are you all right?" he asked the flustered Hitomi.
"Y-Yeah," she stuttered, trying to regain her cool or whatever she had before, "I just lost my balance for a second."
Looking at the crowd, the young man said, "I bet those people are going to see the magic show. Some famous magician who calls himself the New Dragon came all the way from the Fire Nation to perform here."
"That sounds like fun!" Hitomi said with the thrill for the festival refilling her voice, "You want to go?"
"Sure," the boy said with a smile, "It's not everyday you get to see a celebrity. By the way, let me introduce myself. My name is Gao."
"I'm…" Hitomi questioned in her head whether or not it was a good idea to reveal that she was the Avatar. Would he freak if he learned that she was the Avatar? She didn't want to risk that. She finished her introduction with, "Midori." Really, she asked herself, Midori? That's the first person you thought of?
"Well Midori," the young man said as he led her through the crowd, "Let's see if this magician is really as good as people say he is."
Gao and "Midori" made their way through the crowd, Hitomi learning that Gao was a water bender when he started bending some water out of his water bottle and gently pushing a large amount of people out of the way so they could get through. They got to a comfortable area in the center where they could see the majority of the stage and could still see the faces of the people on stage.
Suddenly, two fire benders jumped onto the stage from both sides, quickly ran to the center, and shot a fireball at each other, creating a quick and small explosion. When the explosion cleared, there stood a tall skinny bald man with a thin black mustache so long that it measured the distance between his shoulders! He was wearing a Fire Nation style robe with flashy gold and silver accessories attached to it. Everyone cheered at the sight of him, indicating that he was the New Dragon magician.
One of the fire benders brought a microphone stand for him and he then announced in a loud and kind of whiny voice, "Ladies and gentlemen, I am known by many as the New Dragon, and I am so thrilled to be here today of all days to celebrate a Fire Days Festival unlike any other! Tonight, I am going unveil and attempt to complete my newest and possibly my most dangerous trick! Ladies," he called to two women in red Fire Nation dresses, "the ropes, please!" The women proceeded to retrieve him the thin layers of rope as he asked the audience, "Would anyone like to volunteer to perform this daring and life threatening feat? Who is brave enough to try and who is too afraid?" Many people raised their hands while others mumbled to the person next to them about whether or not they should volunteer.
Hitomi said, "I can't believe this guy is asking someone else to try a trick that he says is dangerous and he hasn't tried it himself!"
"I completely agree," Gao said, making Hitomi praise herself for saying something that wasn't stupid and not fake to who she actually was. Gao continued, "Who would be stupid enough to try something that the greatest magician in the entire United Republic of Nations says is possibly life threatening?"
The answer was apparently Yuko as she jumped onto the stage and yelled, "Hey Mustache Man! I'm not afraid to try out your little side show attraction!"
Though Hitomi was glad to see Yuko, she wasn't too thrilled about her leaping onto a stage and announcing that she was going to be part of his act. Still, the New Dragon seemed to be pleased with her bold statement and announced, "It appears this lovely and strong lady is the bravest soul in the audience! Give her a hand folks!" Everyone applauded for Yuko, who in turn pumped her fists into the air as if she won her championship fight for the third time. The ladies in dresses proceeded to tie the rope around Yuko loosely and tightly in different areas of her body.
The New Dragon said some sort of backwards phrase that lightly levitated Yuko up into the air. The audience went wild at seeing the magician break the laws of physics. But Hitomi wasn't that impressed; she knew that there had to be something on stage that everybody was missing. She looked around to see if she could find the truth to the magician's levitation act.
When she looked above the stage to see if Yuko was being lifted by wires, she saw something completely different. She saw a figure covered in black attire perched on the top of the stage looking down at the audience. He was wearing a black hood, black pants, black shoes, black sunglasses, and a black bandana over his face. He was just sitting there, scanning the audience, as if looking for someone in particular.
Hitomi quickly turned to Gao and said, "Gao, look up there!"
Gao and Hitomi looked to where she was pointing, but the dark figure was gone! He had vanished into thin air!
Gao asked, "Did you see wires? Is there some sort of pulley system lifting her?"
Hitomi was about to tell him the truth, but her nerves got the better of her and she didn't want to risk ruining the comfortableness she finally felt toward him. She giggled and said, "Yeah, I think I saw some thin wires just now!"
Gao chuckled and said, "That explains his "marvelous" trick then. You must have really good eyes to spot such thin wires. That's pretty cool."
She girlishly giggled and continued watching the show, knowing that Yuko would've punched her in the gut for giggling like such a six-year-old. Yuko was being lifted higher and higher into the air, the ropes around her starting to cover her entire body with string. Despite this, Yuko seemed completely relaxed and was actually shouting at the New Dragon to "get on with it", which he laughed to. When she was almost completely covered in rope and high in the air, the magician said another backwards phrase and Yuko started falling toward the ground! The fire benders started shooting fireballs at her as she descended, just barely missing! When she almost hit the ground, the New Dragon quickly grabbed a loose rope, pulled on it, causing every other piece of rope to fly off her body, and she disappeared! The audience roared in cheer at the amazing display of magic.
Hitomi and Gao clapped too, Gao saying, "Have to hand it to him, that was quite the trick. So Midori, did you see how he did that?"
Hitomi at first forgot she called herself Midori, but quickly remembered after a few seconds and quickly said, "Uh, no! Sorry, but I didn't catch it!"
Hitomi had to admit, the vanishing act was very impressive. But she didn't know which one was more impressive; the one with Yuko, or the one with the dark figure? Who was that dark figure? Who was he looking for in the audience?
That was her last question before someone struck her from behind and she went into unconsciousness.
Chapter Seven, done! Thank you for reading this chapter and I hope you'll continue reading this story because there's a lot more fun to discover! Goodbye for now!
