A/N: Let the party chapters begin! I'm so excited to get to start working on these! Keep sending in reviews, I have been so overwhelmed with how much some of you are truly enjoying this story and it's just making me want to keep writing more and more. Thank you, for reading and reviewing and hopefully enjoying! Oh and yesterday was technically 4 years since Ozai's defeat so there's some much needed appreciation of Avatar Aang in this chapter. I would also love if you included in your review your favorite chapter yet, so I can see what it is you all are really liking within this story.
Disclaimer: I don't own "Avatar: The Last Airbender" or "Legend of Korra".
The weeks progressed very much the same as the first day had. The recruits were trained with the different elements, given certain techniques that would help them even the battlefield between them and a bender, some even picking up the knowledge of weaponry as time went on.
Bumi excelled in his training. His talent with the sword was nothing less than master's level, and every element that was thrown at him, he could easily dodge and end up using the strike against the opposer.
When it came to their earth testing, he naturally knew all the ways an earthbender worked. He had been around his Aunt Toph and Lin enough to know the way an earthbender calculated attacks. He even had learned a bit of sensory from his father when he watched him practice his earthbending one day.
When it came to fire, he had to smirk when the firebender shot quick flames at him. He had trained with Ursa enough to know the weaknesses of a firebender as well. Always, quick on his feet, he ended up completing that test faster than even his waterbending one.
Other training techniques included the circle where you had to pair off in teams to take on a bender, there were a few sessions on different weapons most of the time being spent on the sword, and their were also conditioning days where they ran for hours and hours and did push ups and sit ups in between during rests.
The sword training made Bumi laugh a bit due to the teacher being so serious. His Uncle Sokka had taught him long ago the ways of the sword and even of the boomerang, and his Uncle had to be one of the least serious people he had ever met, and also the best swordsman.
The other men were holding on, none of them quite used to such difficult training. Everyone was driven, though. Whether you were running from something or trying to gain your honor, you pressed on during the day and then exhaustedly fell onto your bunk in the privacy of your room at night.
The day had gone by slow, the sun beaming down upon the sweaty recruits as they hustled into the training center after a long day of conditioning. The General was letting them go early due to the Fire Lord's party being thrown that night.
Bumi tied half of his dark hair into a wolf tail, becoming quite accoustumed to the style as he nervously pulled on the cuffs of his red jacket. The pants he wore were pristine white, tucked into the confines of his black boots, wrinkling slightly where they met. His clothes had arrived this morning in the hands of a palace servant.
"You my friend, are lucky you get such a spiffy outfit."
Bumi looked at Lee across the room, he was wearing his official Fire Nation uniform, his red jacket a lighter material than his own, without the gold trimming along the edges. His pants were tan and stuck in his own training boots.
The young man just shrugged, pulling at his collar a bit, "It's nothing really special, it's just from my last stay here."
Lee shook his head, his eyes glancing at the now setting sun outside their window, "I still find it so weird that you consider this normal."
Bumi didn't know how to really respond. He ran his tanned hand timidly through his hair not wanting to disturb the wolf tail in the back, "It's just been my life since before I can remember. My parents have been friends with the Fire Lord since way before I was even born, so he's just always been there, and so has she."
Mako, who had been quietly sitting on his bunk while running a comb through his hair, spoke up, "Are your parents going to be there tonight?"
Bumi nodded, looking out the window at the forest where him and Ursa had raced many weeks ago. He had received her letters and responded to them, but it was nothing like getting to see and talk to her in person. He couldn't wait to share a dance with the Princess later that night.
Ling sat up from where he had been lying on his bunk, uniform already on and dark hair combed over to the side, his green eyes though looked curiously at Bumi, "I kinda feel bad for you. If my parents saw me now with all these bumps and bruises, they would probably drag me back home."
The tanned recruit smirked, turning to face his friends and shrugging, "Nah, they wouldn't do that. My mom may cause a scene and latch onto me crying, but she would never take me away from what I feel I need to do, because she knows I would get home and sneak off on the next boat headed towards the Fire Nation."
Mako chuckled a bit at that, "You're pretty rebellious, Water Tribe," he flicked his comb at Bumi, the young man catching it easily, "You sure you aren't a criminal?"
Bumi laughed, turning towards the mirror on the wall of their room and using the comb to smooth down some of the frizzy edges of his dark hair, "Well, I've gotten in trouble with the metalbending force a few times, but I always talked my way out of any serious trouble."
The men shared a laugh before it quieted, each thinking about tonight's event.
"Does anyone know why they are throwing this party?" Ling asked from his bottom bunk, picking at a lone piece of string on his blanket.
"Yeah, it's to promote peace," Bumi answered, sitting on the windowsill and enjoying the evening breeze that blew into the humid room, "A bunch of the world leaders have been gathering for meetings for a few days, and today they are suppose to reach a decision. Evidently, this decision will effect us in the long run considering it is concerning the Earth Kingdom rebellions."
Ling nodded, "Well that seems like a good reason to party!"
Lee's green eyes narrowed thoughtfully though, "It's awfully nice of the Fire Lord to invite the recruits to his party. It sounds like some pretty powerful people are going to be there."
All the men nodded in agreement, their thoughts going back to the event later in the evening.
"You think the Avatar will be there?"
Bumi tensed for a moment, but then realized he was not the one being addressed. His shoulders relaxed slightly as he glanced at the patterns on the ceiling.
It had been Lee who had asked the question and it had been directed at Mako, "I would think so, he's a world leader."
Lee nodded, "I've lived in Republic City my whole life, and I have never seen the Avatar in person. It'll be interesting being at the same party with him."
Ling, who had given up on the rogue string that still lay attached to his blanket, smiled, "I was born in Ba Sing Se, and the Avatar took frequent travels there to talk with the Earth King. My father was on the board of advisors at the time and got to sit in on the meetings with him. Father always said the man looked to be so intimidating, that he looked powerful and of course he is, but he had to be one of the kindest people he had ever met."
Mako smirked, "Any man who didn't kill Ozai on the spot has to be a pretty decent person."
Lee squinted his eyes and held his chin within his palm, "The guy lives on an all vegetarian island though," the young man looked distressed at this, "How does someone not eat meat?"
Bumi gave them half a smile at this and joined in on the conversation, "It's funny actually, there are a group of Air Acolytes who live with him and his family who have willingly given up meat and earthly possessions in order to carry on the Air Nomad's legacy," the boy shrugged slightly, "It kinda makes sense since him and his son are the only airbenders in the world right now."
Ling looked down cast for a moment, his voice quiet, "You know, that must be tough. Being the only person of your nation for so long."
Mako looked at the man and nodded, "When we learned about that in the academy, I was shocked. I couldn't believe that a whole entire nation had been whiped out just because the Fire Nation were desperate to find the next Avatar. This was when my family was living in the Fire Nation, so I couldn't imagine my people, the people I had grown up around, doing such a thing."
Bumi sighed, hopping off of the sill and placing his arms on it instead to glance out at the sunset, "Mako those aren't the same people. The Fire Nation has changed since then, it's not longer in the hands of someone power hungry like Sozin had been."
The men quieted for a few moments, thinking about what kind of person could ever do such a thing.
A whistle was blown from downstairs, signalling that they were to be getting ready to depart from the compoud. The recruits took one last look at themselves in the mirror before opening their metal door.
"Well time to go bump elbows with nobles."
Bumi laughed at Lee's comment, but he was already getting nervous feelings in his stomach for the impending party. His thoughts went from Ursa's big, honey colored eyes, to the look on his mother's face the day he had left his home for what could have been the last time.
Tonight could either go really great, or really terrible. The entire outcome rested in the hands of one young man.