The Teacher and the Pupil

By Verdigris

Disclaimer: Avatar the Last Airbender belongs to gruesome-twosome Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. The Legend the Korra cannot come soon enough. Sigh…

Why Can't We Be Friends?

The merchants in the marketplace held up their wares hoping to attract potential customers as they passed on the street. Their tightly packed stands displayed an array of delicious food. The exotic smell of Fire Nation spices mixed together in the air and an intoxicating aroma flowed throughout the city square.

Aang and Kuzon spent the entire afternoon exploring. They were determined to sample everything the marketplace had to offer before sundown. Several merchants offered Aang a full portion free of charge, declaring that is was good luck to have Airbender visit their establishments. Air Nomads did not travel to Eastern Islands very often and his orange clothes and bright blue arrow tattoos stood out in a sea of crimson and gold.

Gyatso permitted his pupil to see the sights on his own with his newfound friend. He believed it was crucial to his student's education to learn another culture through a peer his own age. They agreed to meet up again when the sun had officially set. After parting ways Aang happily allowed Kuzon to play tour guide for the remainder of the day.

When the two boys finally settled on the outskirts of the market square their arms were loaded with goodies. Aang munched a fried dough cake coated in powered sugar and cinnamon while Kuzon gnawed on a large piece of grilled komodo-chicken on a stick.

"Wanna bite?" the Fire Nation boy offered between large mouthfuls.

Popping the rest of the treat into his mouth Aang answered politely, "No thanks."

Kuzon gawked in disbelief. "You do know the Eastern Islands have the best komodo-chicken in the world, don't you? You should try it."

Aang shook his head and clarified, "The monks taught me that all life is sacred, so I don't eat meat out of respect."

When Kuzon continued to stare at him Aang smirked and shrugged. "It's an Air Nomad thing."

Snorting in exasperation Kuzon mumbled through a mouthful of chicken, "Can't eat meat… can't have hair…"

He swallowed and sighed loudly in contentment while running a hand though his messy locks. "You don't know what you're missing, Aang," he teased.

At his remark Aang playfully airbended the back of Kuzon's head and blew his shaggy hair into his face. Kuzon let out a whine and furiously smoothed it back to its normal messy state.

"What's the point of having hair if it always gets in the way," Aang laughed.

Suddenly the sugar surrounding Aang's pastry began to melt in an extraordinary rate. He blanched as it turned to goo in his hand and he flicked it around comically in an effort to remove the melted dough from his fingers. Kuzon held his sides, doubling over on the bench as he burst out laughing. Amused by Aang's confusion he held up his hand in front of him and smirked at the flame flickering on his fingertips.

"You're not the only one that can bend," Kuzon grinned, mimicking the Airbender's playful smile.

Aang laughed out loud. He was delighted that Kuzon shared his love of pranks. "You owe me another fried dough cake!" he threatened humorously between their bouts of giggling laughter.

The sun began to set and the two friends lost track of time. When they rushed to the center of the marketplace Gyatso was nowhere to be found. They searched through the masses of people in the square, ducking into booths and tents in an attempt to find the monk.

"Hey baldy!" a harsh voice shouted in the distance. "Yeah, I'm talkin' to you, Airbender!"

They spun on their heels and their eyes met with alarm. They raced toward the voice and skidded to a halt in front a large crowd near a small bar. Gyatso stood before a large inebriated man who was circling around him, slurring and spitting out drunken insults. He was well muscled but a few inches shorter than the slimly built monk. A small crowd had gathered around the pair, curious as to what was taking place between the Firebender and the Airbender.

The old monk paid no mind to the potentially dangerous situation. Instead he regarded the drunken man with a pleasant smile and sipped at a small teacup.

"There is no need to yell. If you wanted my name you could have asked nicely."

Stumbling forward with squared shoulders the Firebender growled and spat at the ground. "I don't care what your name is, Airbender. Who do you think you are hanging around here?"

Kuzon narrowed his golden eyes at the drunken man and nudged Aang. "That's Hun. He works at the shipping docks and he's always trying to pick a fight. Nobody messes with him and I mean nobody."

The two boys struggled through the spectators that had formed around the men. Aang hissed anxious apologies as he airbended them to the side to make his way to the front to assist his master.

Hun wiped a hand across his unshaven face and gestured to the restaurant behind him. "This is a Firebender bar," he proclaimed loudly. "No Airbenders allowed. Understand, old man?"

Gyatso squinted at the bold painted letters on the bar sign. He chuckled, "Is that what it says? My old eyes must be failing me because I don't see anything that says "Firebenders Only".

The monk held up a small teacup in his hand. "The owner sold me a drink, so you must mistaken."

A perplexed expression appeared on Hun's face. A sane man would have backed down by now and yet the monk continued to stand before him, drinking tea and smiling at him without a twinge of apprehension and fear.

"You should calm down and have a nice cup of tea. It would do wonders for the headache you will undoubtedly have after consuming so much alcohol," Gyatso advised in cordial voice.

Snickers rose from the group of onlookers and Hun's face blossomed with anger. Determined to give the monk something to smile about he descended on him with fists raised.

"We gotta do something, Aang!" Kuzon called out as he shoved himself through the spectators.

They burst from the safety of the crowd and fell into fighting stances, poised and ready to aid Aang's master a moment's notice. Gyatso's eyes quickly flashed towards his student and the young Firebender, halting their efforts with a single sharp glance. Then he gave them a quick mischievous wink.

Kuzon felt Aang's airbend the flames away from his knuckles. He pulled his hand back and blinked at the odd smile on Aang's face. "Aren't we going to help him?"

"He knows what he's doing," Aang whispered with a grin and tilted his head back to the crowd. "Just watch."

Hun quickly began closing in on the monk. The click of his boots resounded heavily on stone pavement.

"It's not wise to be so confrontational with an unclear mind," Gyatso warned softly, careful to keep his tone even and calm as the man approached him.

"We'll see about that," Hun threatened with a throaty snarl.

Gyatso shook his head sadly at the man's persistence. His half-moon lidded eyes observed his attack and he made no attempt to move away. Inches away from being struck by the Firebender's fist the monk quickly turned to the side. As a result Hun missed his target and tumbled onto the ground. Bewildered and spitting out dirt he stared up at the old man with astonishment.

"Are you alright?" Gyatso inquired gently. His eyes were sincere as he stooped down with an extended hand.

Hun blinked at his genuine concern, puzzled by the monk sudden act kindness. The laughter from the crowd behind him reached his ears and his hesitance was forgotten. With a growl Hun rolled onto the backs of his forearms and swept a leg at the monk. Gyatso nimbly leapt back and avoided the violent kick with ease. Hun balled his fists in frustration. He was not as weak and frail as he looked.

A slight frown appeared on the Airbender's face. Folding his hands into the sleeves of his robes the monk warned yet again. "Please, there is no need for this."

Ignoring his words Hun flew at the monk once more. Gyatso dodged his attack with a quick turn of his head. His refusal to fight back sent Hun into a fury and he threw several more punches in succession, growling heavily when the monk continually dodged each one without removing his arms from his sleeves. Tiring with each fruitless jab his movements became clumsily and unsteady.

Stumbling back and huffing from excursion Hun struggled keep his breathing under control. Gyatso stood patiently in front of him and showed no signs of fatigue. With last of his strength Hun punched forward with his right hand, letting loose a large torrent of flame.

The crowd drew back in fright and their laughing faces dissolved. Collective gasps of fear rose as the flame hurtled dangerously toward the monk. Aang and Kuzon held their breath as he stood passively in the path of the fire. As the crowd dove for cover, Gyatso calmly drew his a hand out of his sleeve and swept it upward before slicing it down. A large gust of air erupted. The dust burst around him and extinguished the burning flame with one singular movement of his arm. Like something out of the spirit world Gyatso emerged from the golden dust cloud unharmed.

After a few moments of silence the crowd exploded into cheers at impressive display of Airbending. The self-satisfied smirk on Hun's face had long since disappeared and he fell to his knees, exhausted and defeated.

Gyatso casually airbended the dust from his robes and drew out the cup of tea he had kept safe in his sleeve. The only thing that broke his collected composure was Aang's sudden enthusiastic embrace. He let out a surprised, "Umph!"

"I hope I didn't scare you," the monk chuckled and patted his student on the shoulder.

"Not at all!" Aang replied cheerily as he beamed up at him.

They turned around to find Kuzon with his mouth hanging open like an elephant koi. "You defeated Hun…" he sputtered. "Without even touching him! Airbending can do that?"

"Deflection and evasion," the monk explained with a wink. "Airbending may be the more subservient of the four bending arts, but when used correctly it can turn an opponent's strength against them."

"So all you had to do was tire him out," Kuzon said with a mischievous chuckle and tapped his chin. "Pure genius."

Hun sat dazed and defeated on the ground, dumbfounded that he had been beaten so easily—and by an old man no less. The crowd of people had dissipated and saved him from further humiliation. Suddenly a pair of smiling faces greeted him. With the will to fight finally gone the Firebender heaved a disgruntled sigh as he was helped to his feet. He turned his head away as he muttered his thanks, unable to look the monk the eye after the embarrassing ordeal.

Gyatso whispered something to Aang. His student happily accepted his proposal and walked up the dazed Firebender. Hun flinched uneasily at the boy's approach, expecting another blow to his ego. Instead Aang offered the man a cup of tea. The boy's wide grin met the man's confused one. Flabbergasted, Hun it took it into his oversized hand and sipped at it shakily before stumbling his way back home.

"I believe we've come to a understanding," the monk concluded with a nod.

Author's Note: I have four other unfinished Gyatso and Aang related stories on my computer, so hopefully I'll them all up before the end of the year.

I recently watched M. Night's The Last Airbender with RiffTax (www. rifftrax. com/ rifftrax / last - airbender). For those familiar with Mystery Science 3000, these are the same guys. Whether you hate or love the movie its worth watching!