Anyone else obsessed with the television series "Bones"? I am. I plan to make a fanfic on that. Someday. Hopefully...
…By the way, if you see me using improper English, it's probably between quotation marks. Thus, I meant to do it. Cheers!
Anzu thought she heard Kaiba mutter, "That's not as cool as the moon teaching," but when she glanced over, his gaze hadn't moved from the window of the limo.
They soon arrived at the Kame Game shop, aka Yugi's house. It was maybe 1:30 PM, but it was dark like dusk. The sky had been overcast the entire week. It was bound to let down buckets of rain soon.
The problem with ditching school so early is that one didn't have a sufficient reason to leave. Anzu's dance class didn't start until 3:30, and she knew Kaiba couldn't escape with Mokuba as an excuse. Thus, they were stuck with a tense atmosphere, sitting in Yugi's living room. Finally, Rebecca broke the silence.
"How are Anzu and I gonna 'sync' with our stones?"
Yugi was the first to reply. "To be honest, I have no idea. Both Kaiba and Valon did it by coming into direct contact with their element. Kaiba fell into the pond, and Valon walked onto the grass."
"But I can't not come in contact with air," Rebecca huffed. "Why hasn't it happened to me?"
Anzu's blood ran cold. "But how do I come in contact with fire? What do you want me to do, jump into a bonfire?" She tried to ignore the strange glint that flashed in Kaiba's eyes.
"There's many things we don't know yet," Yugi reminded the two girls.
"Eh, maybe there's an order to this," Jou suggested. Even though it was a good idea, he still managed to make it sound dumb.
"The seasons," Kaiba said, as if it was obvious. Anzu seethed a little. He probably had a lot of good guesses he wasn't sharing. "Winter, spring, summer, fall. First water, second earth, third fire, fourth air."
"What else are you hidin'!?" Jou snarled at him. So I'm not the only one who thought Kaiba wasn't contributing as much as he could, thought Anzu.
Kaiba smirked. "If I was hiding anything, I wouldn't tell you anyway."
Anzu glared at the CEO. "If you don't want to help, and you don't want to be here, then just… leave!"
He rolled his eyes. "Please. If I left, your poor intellectual skills wouldn't get you anywhere."
Jou told him to do something that wasn't necessarily anatomically possible, and that Anzu wouldn't dare repeat.
"Language, Jounouchi!" scolded Yugi.
Kaiba simply laughed. "You should be a bit more clever with your insults, mutt."
Jou bared his teeth. Anzu didn't want to know what was going to happen next. She stood up quickly. Even though it was only 2:00, she said, "Well, I'm going to go get ready for my dance class." She almost ran out of that room, she was so desperate to leave. However, once outside, she didn't immediately return home. She stood on the sidewalk in front of the little shop and sighed.
In truth, she was afraid of what might happen when she "synced" with her stone. After all, fire only destroyed things. Flames can only burn down stuff like houses… She took another deep breath. She didn't want to control fire. She'd much rather "trade" with Kaiba. There must've been a mistake, she thought. Maybe they mixed up Kaiba and me and gave me the wrong power.
She was about to turn and leave when she heard the door open behind her. She looked over her shoulder and lo and behold, it was the devil himself.
Anzu watched Kaiba as he walked up next to her – though still a few paces away. He looked up slightly, as if studying the clouds on the horizon.
"What're you…" she started.
"Yugi kicked me out," he said, cutting her off. He gave a slight chuckle.
Anzu suddenly thought of that room she had seen through the window in his mansion when she and the others had been chauffeured to it after… she didn't want to say it even now. But she remembered clearly that the walls had been scorched black with ashes and soot. And since no one was around, she decided to venture with a question.
"Um… Kaiba, what happened in that room in your house that looked like a fire had broken out in?"
She watched his face carefully. His eyes hardened like ice, and his face tightened.
"What happened in that room is none of your business."
"Right, sorry, sorry," she mumbled, stumbling over her words. She turned quickly away. "I'll just be going now."
"I think that's the smartest thing you've said all day, Mazaki."
Anzu's dance class took place in an old building two stories high and painted a graying white. All dance classes were held on the second floor. It had a piano in the corner, an unlit fireplace with logs resting in a pile in it, mirrors along the longest wall, and a closet opposite which held the stereo that played music for the dancers. The floor was wood paneling, and the walls were simple drywall. Almost everything else was made of wood.
You might think right now, "Why is she there? It's flammable! And she's next to sync! Is she an idiot?" I must tell you that Anzu is not an idiot. Not even a candle has been lit in this building for over ten years. Frankly, it was highly unlikely that a fire would start there.
Her instructor and other three dance peers arrived soon. After dancing for a while, Anzu suddenly slipped near the fireplace. Her stone bounced out of her pocket and between the logs. Something sparked, and a flame roared to life. The other students screamed. As the fire licked at its boundaries, growing ever bigger, the wall caught flame. The instructor quickly led her students out, but Anzu was on the floor in shock.
The fire crawled to the beams on the ceiling, causing one to crack and collapse, preventing the teacher from getting to Anzu. Anzu stood up, her heart beating painfully and fearfully in her chest. This was just like her dream. Except this was real life. She could die!
She noticed something gray rise in front of her and hover at shoulder height. It was the stone. The engraving was glowing magnificent ruby. Almost instinctively, she lifted her arms to cup her hands underneath it. A hot, dry air seemed to explode from her, pushing fire away in a circle around her. The flames in turn spun up around her like a rising cyclone. Her arms whipped out to the side as if she was on a crucifix, and the stone burst into no less than a million tiny shining pieces. They rushed at her forehead, and her head jerked back. Just like Kaiba and Valon, the glow enveloped her. This time, however, when it faded from her being, the fire faded with it. She was set down outside through a hole in the roof.
The fire had remarkably been contained. Only the dance room had been damaged at all, though it was burned beyond easy repair. Almost all of the beams holding the ceiling up had collapsed. The walls were singed and sooty. The whole floor was black and burnt, except for an odd circle of space. That space was completely untouched by the flame.
Anzu's clothes had changed. Now she was wearing a black tank top, a white pleated skirt, short black leggings, black flats, and a thin black belt on her left wrist.
"Thank God she got out alive!" one person cried.
"But what had happened?
"
"Welcome, Anzu."
Anzu turned. Where was she? A forest? It looked devoid of any real color. All muted and sepia. Except that there appeared to be a sun above, streaming through the tree branches. And wherever the beams touched, the object's true color showed through.
Across the river stood Avatar Roku, proud in his red robes with his arms folded into his sleeves.
"Where is this place?" Anzu asked him. "Where am I?"
"You have synced with the stone," Roku told her. "I have summoned you to this part of the Spirit World to teach you some moves to help you on your journey to master the fire."
Anzu's blood froze. "B-but, Avatar Roku, I-I don't want to… to learn Firebending…"
Roku did not get angry with her. Indeed, he looked upon her with sympathy. "I know what you are feeling. You think fire only destroys. While it does destroy, it does also provide life. Does the sun not give energy and light?"
"Y-yes."
"So you see, to be a true Firebender, you must understand both sides of the flame. One side is angry and devours everything in its path. The other is like a heartbeat, giving light, energy, and warmth. Do you understand?"
Anzu was slowly warming up to the idea of Firebending. Maybe there hadn't been a mix-up after all… "Yes," she said. "Perfectly."
Roku smiled at her. "Good. Now, the first move I shall teach you is the simplest of the simple. Firebending is a fighting style that uses strong punches and kicks. While it can be used in other ways, while you start, it is easier to learn a structured thing."
"I understand."
"Now, this move is simply a punch, to shoot a jet of flame from your fist. Watch, listen, and learn." He took a deep breath and held it as he moved into a rather low stance, his left foot far in front of the right. His left arm was outstretched slightly, but relaxed. As he released his breath, he shifted his weight while at the same time, he withdrew his left arm and punched his right one out. A jet of red fire shot forward, and as long as he held that stance and steadied his breath, it stayed. He ended soon enough and stood up straight again. "You try."
Anzu mimicked him. She took a deep breath, released it, took another and held it, then copied his movements. She felt a surge of warmth rise from her gut and flow into her fist to create fire.
"Wow," she breathed when she returned to a neutral position.
"You may have noticed that your breathing helped with your bending. Indeed, the strength of the fire is dependent on your breath. And also, the fire's energy center resides in the gut, you may have observed. It is different for every element. Water's energy center is in the heart and hands. Earth is in the head and legs. Air is in the lungs and feet. And yes, fire is in the gut and mouth."(1)
Anzu raised an eyebrow at him. "That sounds like utter nonsense."
Roku smiled warmly at her. "Only if you're not the Avatar. It takes a little bit of thinking." He paused. "Oh… I was going to teach you one more move, but I am out of time. It's not hard to figure out; I know you can do it. But I must send you back to your friends. I send you with more knowledge that the others received. And remember. Fire is a dangerous thing to handle, but I know you have the strength to play with fire and not get burned. Just remember this: If you ever lose your breath, do not attempt to Firebend, or it will end in disaster."
Anzu wanted to ask more questions, but suddenly she fell through the ground like it didn't exist at all. The blackness swallowed her up until she opened her eyes. The gray clouds bubbled above her, and a drizzle started to sprinkle. She closed her eyes again and fell into a dreamless sleep.
Yeah, cutting it there so that I can get to the Air part. And besides, you've waited long enough ;).
(1) Yes, I really did just make that up, except for the "fire in the gut" part. That part, I kind of got from the Avatar show. Indirectly, though. It was mentioned when Zuko was learning how to redirect lightning from his Uncle Iroh. However, I didn't just randomly choose body parts for them. Water is like… the healing one. You know how Katara can heal with Waterbending. And when I think of medicine, I think of the heart. And I think waterbending uses the hands the most… Earth is the strong one, so of course they're stubborn. Thus, the head. And they represent raw power. Thus, the legs. Air is flighty, so I chose feet ("twinkletoes!"), and I chose lungs because hey, they breathe in air! And fire draws power from the gut, and breath, but since lungs were taken, mouth is the next choice.
