Chapter 12
Of Lessons And Planning
That evening they made camp in a small clearing beside a large river.
"Now what?" Sokka asked after everyone had gathered around the fire.
"What do you mean?" Aang asked.
"I mean," Sokka explained, waving his arms in the air in frustration. "Where are we going to stay while Aang here is learning firebending? Are we just going to fly all over the Earth Kingdom? We have to have some type of plan."
"I'm assuming you want to attack Ozai during the solar eclipse?" Zuko inquired, leaning forward to look at Aang.
Sokka choked on his drink. Aang and Katara stared at him in shock while Toph snorted. "How'd you know that?" Sokka demanded.
"It is kind of obvious. It's only rational that you'd chose to attack during my Nation's weakest point. But I hope you realize that the eclipse only lasts for about eight minutes. I suggest we head for the Fire Nation tomorrow."
"That's ridiculous!" Sokka exclaimed, jumping up. "That's playing right into your father's hands! You'll most likely turn Aang over to your father!"
"I would do no such thing!" Zuko snapped, about to stand up but Katara reached out, putting a restraining hand on his shoulder. "Ignore my brother," she told him quietly. "He's a moron."
"I noticed," he replied softly.
"You know, Zuko's right," Kasia pointed out.
"Kasia, are you insane?!" Leon demanded.
"No, Leon, I'm not. Azula and her friends are going all over the Earth Kingdom searching for us. Most likely there are Fire Nation troops searching the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes. They wouldn't expect Aang to be so foolhardy as to go to the Fire Nation until he's ready to make his move."
"How are we going to pass through the Fire Nation undetected?" Aang asked.
"We'll stay away from the populated areas of the Fire Nation as much as possible. If we travel by night, the animals will be less likely to be seen. And besides, Aang's firebending practice will be camouflaged. If he's in the Earth Kingdom, people are more likely to notice," Zuko said.
"Well, what about when we have to go to a village?" Leon demanded. "We're going to need food sometime."
"Buy Fire Nation clothes," Numair said simply. "We're going to need to blend in among the Fire Nation citizens if we want to purchase food."
"Oh? And where do you expect us to get Fire Nation clothes?" Sokka demanded.
"I have come," Kasia said.
"Well, of course you do! You're a FIREBENDER!" Sokka shouted.
"You know what?" Kasia snapped. "If you value your life, Boomerang Boy, I advise you shut up. I'm getting really sick of you acting like being a firebender is a crime, especially considering you have no bending abilities at all!"
"Well, I may not have any bending abilities, but I can still beat you in a fight any day!"
"You want to bet?" Kasia laughed. "Sheesh, I could beat you without using firebending!"
"Enough!" Leon roared, grabbing Kasia as she lunged for Sokka and getting a bruised foot for his troubles. "Sokka, you are not to provoke my sister. We don't have time to be holding your funeral."
"And who said I would lose?!" Sokka demanded, glaring at the siblings, who had sat back down. "She's a princess! She probably went to a three training practices and left crying because of a broken nail!"
"Oh, because she's a princes she can't be any good right?" Lessa sneered. "Well, any one of us could beat you, and you run from Princess Azula screaming in terror!"
"I do not!"
"Guys, this isn't helping," Aang pointed out. "Now, if we are going to the Fire Nation, and I'm not saying we are," he added, stopping Leon and Sokka's protests. "We're going to need Fire Nation clothes."
"I brought Fire Nation clothes," Leon said grudgingly. "Just as a precaution."
"So did I," Lessa added, Lagrima on her shoulder.
"Same here," Daine added, laughing as she sat her white lamb Alora on the ground. "I guess the four of us think alike."
"Okay," Aang said. "When we get to the Fire Nation, the four of you will go to the nearest village and buy clothes."
"Wouldn't it be better if more of us went?" Daine asked. "I'm sure our clothes will fit some of you."
"You'd draw more attention to yourselves with a larger group," Numair pointed out. "Unless we split up into smaller groups."
"That would work," Kasia agreed. "That way if one group gets into trouble, the other will be there as backup."
"Okay, Miss Intelligence," Sokka snapped. "That kind of ruins the point of going to the village to get clothes in the first place, don't you think?"
"Iroh and Aang would still need clothes, and most likely Toph," Lessa pointed out. "And besides, our clothes won't fit perfectly."
"Why are we even discussing this?" Sokka asked, standing up. "We're not even going to the Fire Nation until we have to!"
"And who put you in charge?" Daine snapped, standing up, hands on hips.
"I'm older and a better fighter than you are," Sokka argued.
"Maybe in your dreams!"
"ENOUGH!" Everyone except Leon, Kasia, Daine, and Numair looked at Lessa in surprise. "Now, it's simple. We vote on it. All against going to the Fire Nation?"
Leon and Sokka raised their hands, glaring at everyone because no one else had raised their hand.
"Okay, that's two," Lessa said, reaching up to pet Lagrima, who was still sitting on her shoulder. "All in favor?" Leon and Sokka groaned loudly when Kasia, Lessa, Daine, Zuko, Numair, Aang, Katara, and Toph raised their hands.
"Katara, how could you?" Sokka cried. "Going against your own brother!"
"Iroh, what do you want to do?" Daine asked, realizing that the old man hadn't placed his vote.
"Ah, but my vote doesn't matter," Iroh said happily, sipping on the tea they had got him from Robinton. "It wouldn't waver the final outcome."
"Of course it does!" Leon exclaimed. "You're older, and therefore wiser! Your vote counts as seven!"
"Well, young Earthbender," Iroh began, looking up from his tea. "I hate to disappoint you but I vote not to vote. There is tea in both the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom."
"So, it's settled!"" Aang said happily. "We're going to the Fire Nation! Now, who wants to go for a swim?"
"Not you," Kasia said. "Your firebending training starts today," she added as she left the clearing, heading towards the river.
"Really?" Aang asked, jumping up quickly to follow. "Cool!
-----
"Kasia, I'm bored," Aang said a couple minutes later. He was sitting on a large rock in the middle of the river, trying to keep the flame from reaching the edges of the leaf he was holding. Apparently this was a part of all firebender's training.
"Aang, you need to concentrate," Kasia said, walking across the rocks to him, Kiara walking alongside her in the water.
"Shouldn't I be learning something useful?" Aang asked, dropping the leaf into the water. "I don't have time to be sitting here playing with leaves."
"You have time to learn self control," Kasia snapped. "Do you really want to burn down the forest?"
"How can I?" Aang demanded. "You have me stuck in the middle of a river!'
"It's not that hard for a fireball to fly across the water," Kasia replied, going back to shore. Picking up a leaf, she returned. "Now, concentrate!"
He tried. Really, he did. But his focus soon shifted towards Kiara. Kasia's pygmy puma was trying to catch a fish.
Kasia quickly noticed his distraction. "Kiara, go play with Kovo!" she told the cat, motioning towards camp.
"Now, Aang," she said after Kiara left. "Try again."
He groaned inwardly, but obeyed, taking the new leaf she offered him. "You're exactly like Jeong Jeong."
She smiled. "No, I'm not. He'd be a much better teacher. If he were your Firebending Master, you'd be up on a mountain."
Aang laughed. "Yea, I know. He was my Firebending Master for a couple of days."
"That's nice. Now, concentrate! You have other practices and I still have my own workout to do. If you can't pay attention, we're going to be making camp earlier." She crossed back over to the bank, sitting down against a tree. Sighing, Aang began to focus on his leaf.
Ten minutes later, Kasia looked up, letting the fireball in her hand die out. Getting up, she crossed back over to where Aang sat, leaf in hand. He didn't even look up, just continued concentrating on the fire on the leaf. Kasia smiled. It looked like the real training just might start soon after all.
"Okay, Aang," she began, startling him. "You can get rid of that leaf now."
"Really? Good!" he exclaimed, putting the leaf in the water. "Now what?"
She sat down on the large rock beside his, and he turned so that he was facing her. A small ball of red flame appeared in her hand. "We're going to do the same thing you did with that leaf except you're going to make the fireball expand and contract. The same principles apply, but this teaches you control of your fire. Too little, it goes out. Too much, you have a problem."
"Okay. What do I do?" he asked seriously, not wanting a repeat of what happened the last time he had lost control of his firebending.
-----
Katara stood watching them from the trees, her fox Lucinda standing beside her, leaning against her leg. She wondered how Aang was doing but since she knew about firebending training, she had no clue.
A few minutes later she was surprised when Zuko appeared from the direction of their camp. "What are you doing?" he asked, leaning against a tree beside her. "The Avatar doesn't need a baby-sitter."
"I know that," Katara replied warily, wondering what he wanted. "How's he doing?"
Zuko sighed, looking over to where Kasia and Aang sat across from each other in the middle of the river, Aang concentrating on the fireball growing and shrinking in his palm. "If he's already got past the leaf stage," he said finally. "He's doing good. If Kasia didn't have him do that, then she's not fit to be his Firebending Master."
"Oh, they already did that," Katara said, laughing softly. "He sure tried her patience too."
"Yea, well, she's going to end up skipping parts of his training. It takes years to complete firebending training and the Avatar has nowhere near enough time to do this properly. Kasia will have to go back after the eclipse and work out his training completely."
They stood in silence for a few moments, watching master and student out in the middle of the river.
"Did you free your Uncle?" she asked suddenly.
"What?" he inquired, perplexed.
"Back in Ba Sing Se. Did you free your Uncle from the crystals?"
"Oh," he said, looking pained by the memory. "I did. He wouldn't run, even though I told him to. Instead he helped you escape with the Avatar and allowed himself to be captured. Don't tell him I said this, but it was a good think too. I had expected you and the Avatar to win easily. I had no clue how I was going to discreetly help you escape."
The breaking of twigs turned their attention to Numair, who was approaching with two pygmy pumas, Kovo and Kiara, beside him.
"Hey, Katara," he began when he was beside them. "Lessa and I were going to practice waterbending. Want to practice with us?"
"Sure," she said, smiling. "I'll talk to you later, Zuko," she added as she followed Numair.
"Later," he replied.
He was surprised to feel a pang of…jealously?
AN 1: I'm really sorry about the delay in getting this chapter out. With school and everything else going on, I sort of lost track of time. And that long span of time when I once again lost the will to write… (shudders) Well, just a warning as to the next chapter- I won't be able to post again for a while, so apologies in advance.
AN 2: I'm sorry happy about Season III of Avatar! Since the reason I started this story was to keep me occupied until Season III, I debated on ending this story, especially considering my lack of reviewers, but have temporary decided against it. I love Katara's Fire Nation outfit. The outfits they are wearing in the show are going to be the ones they wear in my story.
Now…
Read & Review!
The Dragon Kasia
