The Deserter.
Kasumi and the rest of the gang are walking down a path and noticed a board and decided to inspect it. Katara walks up to read the notice board while Sokka is emptying a food bag right into his mouth.
"This should give us a good idea of what's around here" Katara said.
Sokka finished the empty bag "See if you can find a menu, I'm starving".
Aang rushes in and points at a colorful flyer on the board "I bet we'll find something to eat here! The Fire Days Festival. Fire Nation cultural exhibits...jugglers, benders, magicians. This'd be a great place for me to study some real firebenders!".
"You might wanna rethink that. Look at this" Sokka said from other side of the board.
They went around the board to see what Sokka is looking at. The color flyer on top is a wanted poster of Aang. On the lower right is a wanted poster for the Blue Spirit. On the right is a wanted poster for a white haired man. But it was the Aang poster they focused on.
"Hey, a poster of me!" Aang stated the obvious.
"A wanted poster. This is bad" Sokka said before he noticed something "They even got one of you Kasumi".
Kasumi looked and saw that was indeed the case "My stunt at that prison really painted a target on my back".
Aang takes the poster off the board as Katara comes and looks at it as well "I think we better keep moving".
"I have to learn firebending at some point, and this could be my only chance to watch a master up close" Aang reasoned.
Katara looked at the ground, unsure "I guess we could check it out".
"What!? You want to walk into a Fire Nation town where they're all fired up with all their, you know, fire?" Sokka asked, unable to believe what he was hearing.
"We'll wear disguises and if it looks like trouble, we'll leave" Katara said as she and Aang walk over to Appa.
"Yeh, because we always leave before we get into trouble" Sokka said to no one in particular.
"Nothing we can do Sokka. We both know once they made up their minds, there is not stopping them" Kasumi said.
"Why don't you just knock them out and we can leave while they are out of it?" Sokka more like suggested than asked.
"Tempting, but I always liked fire works" Kasumi said as she went to join the others
Sokka shakes his head before he turns and walks with her. Later it is now dusk as the gang walked out of the forest on to a slight hill. In the distance, the walled Fire Nation town can be seen.
"You guys stay out of sight here while we go to the festival" Aang told their animal companions.
Momo flies up and then drops down into a small bush nearby. Appa follows and tries to hide behind the bush, which is about a foot tall. Kasumi shook her head, half amused. Sure, no one would ever be able to spot them now.
"Ready disguises!" Aang said
Sokka pulls down the hood of a black cloak over his head and Katara does the same thing. Kasumi puts on a hooded cape she got from a town. And Aang... has pulled his red hood up over the top of his head in a completely ineffective attempt to change his appearance. He sees his friends and grins in some embarrassment. Sokka has his hands folded, with Katara laughing and Kasumi had a small smile.
"It's like you're a whole different person" Sokka said sarcastically.
"Let's go" Aang said as they head down to the town.
They enter the Fire Nation town and reached its main square, which is full of people. The sky is filled with colorful fireworks. Around the gang children frolic, revelers run by in ornate costumes, including several people almost completely concealed in a dragon outfit, and all participants are wearing colorful masks.
"I think we need some new disguises" Katara said.
"Where are we gonna get masks like that?" Sokka asked both skeptical and annoyed.
A Merchant calls out "Get your genu-ine Fire Festival masks here!".
"That was surprisingly easy" Sokka said.
"Don't jinx it" Kasumi said as they went to get the masks.
At first Sokka is wearing a happy mask and Aang a sad one. Katara switches them, revealing Sokka's sour puss face and Aang's wide smile. The masks now match the temperament of the owner. Kasumi settled for an mask with no mouth at all and blue paint. They walk into the square.
Aang points ahead "Hey, there's some food".
"Finally!" Sokka said as he ran up to the food stand "What do you have?".
"Flaming fire flakes! Best in town" The Food Merchant said.
"I'll take'em!" Sokka said as he stuffs the flakes in his mouth, then starts screaming and blowing steam from his mouth. He partially removes his mask to cool his tongue "Aaahhh! Hot! Hot!".
Katara crosses her arms "Flaming fire flakes, hot? What do you know".
Kasumi giggled "Yeah, it's kind of in the name".
"Hey, look at this" Aang said.
They look and see a Punch & Judy show that is about to begin. The audience is full of children. The curtain of the puppet stage draws open and a puppet of the Fire Lord appears. The audience cheers, then cut to a close up of the puppet "Don't worry loyal citizens! No one can surprise the Fire Lord!".
Behind him an earthbender puppet has risen up, with a rock at the ready to strike the Fire Lord Puppet. The children in the audience starts to cry out warnings. The Fire Lord puppet turns suddenly and torches the earthbender puppet with a huge gout of flame. The audience cheers. The gan decided that was enough and head to a stage.
"Aang, hold on! Where are we going?" Katara asked.
"I don't know, but there's a big crowd so it must be good" Aang said.
"Knowing the Fire Nation, it's probably an execution" Sokka said.
"Honestly wouldn't surprise me" Kasumi agreed.
The performer is a firebender who is manipulating fire for the crowd's delight. He concludes by extinguishing his fire and producing a small flock of white birds who fly off the stage.
Aang partially removes his mask to follow the flight of the birds. He looks ahead, a big smile on his face "I gotta learn that trick!".
"Thank you! For my next trick I need a volunteer from the audience!" The performer said.
Aang raises his hand and began waving it about "Oh! Oh! Me! Me!".
Sokka pulls his arm down "What do you think you're doing?".
"I want to get a closer look" Aang answered.
"It's better that we don't attract any attention to ourselves" Katara said.
But then the Performer points at her "How about you, little lady?".
Katara backs away and shakes her head Uh".
"Awww, she's shy. Leeet's give her some encouragement, folks!" The Performer yelled.
Someone from the audience pushes Katara over to the edge of the stage where the Performer grabs her and hauls her up.
"Awww! That could'a been me" Aang said annoyed.
"Let it go Aang" Kasumi said.
The performer, carrying a chair, ushers Katara to the center of the stage. Once there he seats her on the chair. "This next trick is called, Taming the Dragon. You will be my captured princess!".
He ties her up with a maroon ribbon and begins to firebend a huge fire comet from the fires at the top of each pillar. He loops it close to Katara and back out. He seems to control it by a flame rope that connects its head to the Performer's hand.
"Don't worry, young maiden! I will tame this fiery beast!" The Performer plays with the fire comet for a bit more, then continues "It's too strong, I can't hold it!".
Aang was about to jump in "We gotta help her!".
Sokka stops him "No, we don't want to make a scene!".
"Aang calm down, I'm sure it's all a part of the show" Kasumi said.
"The rope, it's breaking!" The performer said as the rope breaks and the comet charges right for Katara, who cringes and cries out. Aang airbends himself up in to the air, both Sokka and Kasumi just failing to restrain him. Aang drops in from the sky, turns and creates a whirlwind that dissipates the comet in with a shower of confetti.
"Hey, you tryin' to upstage me, kid?" The Performer demaned from the floor.
Aang watches the confetti rain down on him. The crowd starts to 'boo' him. Aang tries to amuse them with a lame dance while Sokka unties Katara. Suddenly, someone speaks up "Hey! That kid's the Avatar!".
Aang freezes, a look of horror on this face. Three Fire Nation guards turn at the mention of his name. They begin muscling through the crowd to the stage. Realising their cover is blown the gang removed their masks.
"I think it's time to go" Sokka said.
"Follow me! I can git ya outta here! " They turn at the sound of the voice and see a man near a broken wall at the back of the stage. The masked man waves to them through it, prompting them to follow.
"There they are!" A guard called out.
They run through the broken wall just as the guards burst onstage. The masked man throws a smoke bomb at the guards feet, obscuring the view. The gang followed the masked man, running through squares and alleys.
"Over there!" A guard shouted.
"I'm calling Appa!" Aang said as he takes out his bison whistle and blows.
"I hope he can really hear that bison whistle!" Sokka shouts.
The man turns into an alley "This way!" but it's a dead end "Okay! Not this way!".
They turn, but the exit is blocked by guards. The masked man throws another exploding smoke bomb and then run past them into another alley. This one is a dead end too. It ends in a high wall. On the other side is a huge supply dump of fireworks. They were trapped, but Appa has arrived just in time.
"Appa! Down here!" Aang shouted.
Appa lands between the gang and the guards, with his tail facing the guards. Appa flaps his beaver like tail on the ground and the gale that results blows the guards out of the alley to land in a confused heap some distance away. As the guards run back into the alley, Appa is already airborne with the gang on his back. The masked man bites the top off a some kind of bomb like object, whose fuse is now lit. He throws it at the fireworks supply and it blows up in an awesome display of colors and sounds. The masked man removes his hood as they cruise away, watching the town and the fireworks from afar.
"Nice touch setting off the fireworks" Aang said.
"You seem to really know your explosives" Sokka added.
The man turns to them "I'm familiar".
Sokka looked surprised "You're a Fire Nation soldier!".
Kasumi almost reached for her sword until the man spoke "Was. My name's Chey".
Kasumi relaxed as they flew away from the town. Later they were all gathered around a camp fire while Chey was explaining why he had been following them around all day.
"I serve a man. More than a man really, he's a myth, but he's real, a living legend, Jeong Jeong the Deserter. He was a Fire Nation general, or wait, was he an admiral?" Chey wondered to himself.
"He was very highly ranked, we get it" Sokka said annoyed.
"Yeh! Way up there! But he couldn't take the madness any more. He's the first person ever to leave the army, and live. I'm the second, but you don't get to be a legend for that. That's okay though. Jeong Jeong's a firebending genius. Some say he's mad, but he's not! He's enlightened" Chey said in pure admiration.
"You mean there's a firebender out here who's not with the Fire Lord?" Aang asked before standing up "We've gotta go see him! He can train me!".
"We're not gonna go find some crazy firebender!" Sokka refused.
Chey stands up "He's not crazy! He's a genius! And he's the perfect person to train the Avatar! That's why I followed you into the festival".
Now Sokka stands up "Look, thanks for the help, but we're leaving for the north pole in the morning".
Aang looked hurt "Sokka, this could be my only chance to meet a firebending master who would actually be willing to teach me".
Katara stands up as well "It can't hurt just to talk to him".
"That's what you said about going to the festival! Why doesn't anyone ever listen to me!?" Sokka snapped.
As Sokka turns to stalk away from the group, he almost runs right into a spear. In a flash, they are surrounded by men wearing straw hats and armor and wielding spears.
"Don't move!" One of them said.
Kasumi sighed "You all really need to stop jinxing things".
Later the gang are being led through the forest at night by the rebels.
"Jeong Jeong told you not to look for Avatar!" The man from before said.
"Hold on, you know these guys!?" Sokka asked.
"Oh yeh! Lin Yi's an old buddy! Right Lin Yi?" Chey asked.
Lin Yi lowers spear at Chey "Shut up! Keep moving" They continue walking until they reach a small settilment. A few huts could be seen near a river "Go on. He sees you only".
"Oh that's okay, we can chat later" Chey said.
"Is that where Jeong Jeong is? I need to talk to him right away" Aang begins to move forward, but it stopped by a spear shaft across his path.
"No! You wait there" Lin Yi said before pushing Chey forward roughly "Go now!
"Don't worry! Everything'll be fine. He's a great man, great man!" Chey walks toward Jeong Jeong's hut as the gang wait outside. As they waited they decided to get some sleep. A while later he came out with a sad and defeated look on his face.
Aang wakes up instantly as Chey approaches "What happened? Can I see Jeong Jeong now?".
Chey sits down glumly "He won't see you. He's very angry that I brought you here. He wants you to leave immediately".
Sokka gets up on his elbows "Finally! Let's hit the road".
"Why won't he see me?" Aang asked.
"He says you're not ready. Says you haven't mastered waterbending and earthbending yet" Chey said.
"Wait, how does he know that?" Aang asked.
"He saw the way you walked into camp. He can tell" Chey answered.
But Aang was not about to take no for an answer "I'm going in anyway!".
"Be careful Aang" Kasumi said, Aang just gave her a nod and walked inside.
Kasumi sighed and just laid down to get some sleep. She hoped nothing bad would come of this. If only she knew.
The next day, Aang had some how managed to convince Jeong Jeong to train him. Kasumi had no idea how, but Aang sure was happy about it.
Sokka is sitting on a boulder by the river, fishing. Katara is practicing waterbending and Kasumi is meditating on a flat rock. Aang and Jeong Jeong stands in front of the hut. Aang stands, bandy legged, on a flat stone in the river. Jeong Jeong stands a foot or two away on the bank in front of his hut.
"Widen your stance. Wider! Bend your knees. Now, concentrate" Jeong Jeong said Aang takes on an expression of concentration "Good, good!".
Aang sees Jeong Jeong begins to walk away "Wait! What do I do now?".
Jeong Jeong whippes his head around "Silence! Talking is not concentrating! Look at your friend, is she talking?" He then, points to Sokka "Even that oaf knows to concentrate on what he's doing!".
"Hey!" Sokka shouted from afar.
"And her" Jeong Jeong looked at Kasumi who had stopped meditating and was now practicing her moves "Perfect balance, and complete focus. Nothing could destract her from that. You could learn a few things from her".
"But what am I concentrating on?" Aang asked.
Jeong Jeong looks back at him "Feel the heat of the sun. It is the greatest source of fire. Yet, it is in complete balance with nature!".
Aang looks at the sun then turning back to Jeong Jeong, a large smile on his face "So when do I get to make some fire?".
"Concentrate!" Jeong Jeong snapped.
Aang breathes deeply, and then flushes in embarrassment as he hears his friends laughing at him from behind. He turns to look at them, but they stop instantly, trying in vain to look innocent.
Kasumi smiled and continued her own training. Hours passed and it became clear that Aang was fed up with Jeong Jeong's slow training so he walked in to his hut to complain. A while later he came out again, looking defeated.
"You ok Aang?" Kasumi asked.
Aang sighs "He told me about his old pupil. Someone who was more interested in the power of destruction fire could cause... and I was acting just like him".
"Fire is a deadly element Aang. It's not something that can be rushed" Kasumi said "It took me years before I learned everything I can do. And I am still not a full master yet, to reach that level will take several more years".
"Did you ever feel it went to slow?" Aang asked.
Kasumi nods "At times yes. But like I said. Things like these can't be rushed. You just need to learn to deal with it and keep training".
With that, Kasumi walked away, leaving Aang to his thoughts. Sometime later, where Jeong Jeong exits his hut to stand in front of Aang, whose head is lowered. The Avatar sits in repose on the stone near the river bank in front of the hut. Leaves fall around them "I thought about what you said. I promise I'll be more patient".
"We're going to work with fire now" Jeong Jeong saind.
"Oh yeah!" Aang immediately explodes in excitement, he airbends himself in a few quick loops in the air, then freezes, remembering his promise. He lands back on the stone, puts his hands behind his back and assumes a serious expression "I mean, let us begin".
Jeong Jeong catches one of the falling leaves in his left hand. He holds it between his thumb and forefinger. He begins to burn a tiny hole in it at the point of contact "Concentrate on the fire. I want you to keep this flame from reaching the edges of the leaf for as long as you can".
The hole is spreading with the flame even as Aang assumes his stance and begins to concentrate. Suddenly a rebel guard has ran up to the pair "Master! There is trouble".
"What's going on?" Aang asked.
"Concentrate on your leaf" Jeong Jeong said before leaving with guard.
Aang was at his wits end "This is the worst firebending instruction ever. All he does is leave me alone for hours to concentrate or breathe".
"I'm sure there's a good reason" Katara reasoned.
"But I'm ready to do so much more" Aang said, but then suddenly Aang's face lights up with an idea. He widens his stance, then begins to breathe. He still holds the leaf, which begins to smoke. Suddenly, the leaf bursts into flame and disintegrates. Aang is now holding a fireball in his hand "I did it! I made fire!".
Katara goes closer to him "Aang, that's great, but you should take it slow".
Aang's expression gets annoyed at this comment, and the flame instantly gets bigger. He and Katara are surprised.
"Careful!" Katara said in worry.
Aang retains control and reduces the flame to its former size, but not before almost falling into the river "Now that's firebending!".
He then shoots a whip of flame and then begins to juggle his ball of flame happily.
"Aang, you'll hurt yourself!" Katara tired despertly to make him stop.
Aang just continued to play "Wonder how that juggler did it?".
Aang loops the ball around him. It begins a complete circle around him and he pushes it outward. The shockwave of flame heads for Katara who was about to life her hands to protect herself. But suddenly, Kasumi rushed in front of her and let out of cry of pain as the flames hit her in the back.
Kasumi was forced to throw of her shirt that had caught on fire, leaving her in her black tank top she had under it and revealing her now badly burnt lower back.
"Kasumi!" Katara screamed.
Sokka rushing up to them "Katara, what's wrong!?" He then noticed Kasumi's back and looked at Aang, angrily "What did you do?".
Aang held up his hands "Iiiit was an accident! I was... Kasumi, I'm so -".
Sokka cuts him off as he grabs Aang and tackles him to the ground just as Aang tried to put a hand on Kasumi's shoulder "I told you we shouldn't mess around with this! Look what you did! You burned Kasumi!".
"Stop!" Kasumi said, catching their attention before standing up "All of you just stop!".
Kasumi ended up running away. Katara called out her name as she chased after her. Aang had a look of pure shame as Jeong Jeong came back.
"This is all your fault!" Sokka snapped.
Jeong Jeong closed his eyes "I know. Now pack your things. You must leave immediately".
"I'm sorry, I didn't... I'm sorry!" Aang said but Sokka refused to listen and walked away.
Aang looks up at Jeong Jeong who has walked over to him. He looks implacable. He turns and walks away leaving Aang alone.
Later Kasumi and Katara sat by a river, Katara bent some water out of it "This will help to ease the pain"
Kasumi hissed, the pain intensifies as Katara put the water on her burns, but then she feels some relief. But then to both's surprise, Katara's hands glow white inside the water. She raises them out and they stop glowing. The burns are gone. She looks at her hands in amazement.
"How did you do that?" Kasumi asked.
"She have healing abilities" They look to see Jeong Jeong approaching from behind "The great benders of the water tribe sometimes have this ability" He sits next to them "I've always wished I were blessed like you - free from this burning curse".
"But you're a great master. You have powers I'll never know" Katara reasoned.
"Water brings healing and life. But fire brings only destruction and pain. It forces those of us burdened with its care to walk a razor's edge between humanity and savagery. Eventually, we are torn apart" Jeong Jeong said.
"Power always comes with a pries. But all power is useless without wisdom to guide it" Kasumi said.
"You understand it well, young Kasumi. I can tell you will be a great master one day" Jeong Jeong said.
Kasumi was about to ask what he meant. But suddenly the water is front of them is blasted with gouts of flame. Jeong Jeong rises quickly to a defensive bending stance and breaks the flames that wash over him and Katara.
Kasumi looked and her eyes nerrowed "Zhao".
"Go get your friends and flee! Do not come back here or you will all be destroyed. Hurry!" Jeong Jeong said and the two girls ran.
Kasumi and Katara runs back to the others. Sokka is preparing Appa to leave until he saw them "Kasumi! You ok?".
"I'm ok now. The fire nation is here, where is Aang?" Kasumi asked.
Sokka thumbs in the direction of the hut. Kasumi runs inside, Aang sits amidst the candles, back to the entrance "Jeong Jeong tried to tell me that I wasn't ready. I wouldn't listen. I'm never going to firebend again".
"Aang, you must. Fire is a part of the eliments. You need to learn it just as much as the others" Kasumi said.
Aang looked down "No, never again".
"Aang, it's ok. Katara healed me" Kasumi said.
"What? How?" Aang asked.
"Story for another time. But there is no time for this now. Zhao and his soldiers are here!" Kasumi said.
Aang airbends himself to his feet "Where?".
"By the river. They have already surrounded Jeong Jeong".
Aang runs out of the hut "I have to help him!".
"Aang wait!" Kasumi shouted after him. She mentaly cursed before chasing after him. He could not fight them all alone.
But when she got there she saw that Aang was in no real danger. He was fighting Zhao, who showed no restraint in his attacks. Kasumi studied the fight closer until she understood what Aang was doing.
"Aang, you clever boy!" She said with a big smile.
Zhao launches a fire bolt, which Aang dodges by flipping over Zhao's head to land behind him. The bridge of the third and last ship is now on fire.
"You've lost this battle " Aang said as he airbends himself into the air as Zhao sets fire to the third ship's prow.
"Are you crazy? You haven't thrown a single blow!" Zhao snapped.
Aang motions to his left "No, but you have" Zhao looks to his left and grimaces. The three ships were on fire. The first is now sinking fast into the river "Jeong Jeong said you had no restraint".
Kasumi landed between them "With power must come wisdom. And you are about as wise as a wild dog, Zhao. You will never be a true firebeding master".
Zhao roars in rage as he was about to use both hands to blast her. But Kasumi used her hands to force his arms apart, then proceeded to slam her palms in to his chest, sending him flying of the boat.
"Not so though unless I am chained up huh?" Kasumi asked with a smile before looking at Aang "Time to leave".
"Agreed!" Aang said as they jumped of the boat and saw Appa and the rest waiting for them. They quickly got on to his back and flew away.
"Wait! Where's Jeong Jeong?" Aang asked.
"He disappeared. They all did" Sokka said.
They looked down at Jeong Jeong's now empty compound. Aang looked at Kasumi "Hey Kasumi. I really am sorry for burning you".
"Aang. I told you it's fine. I am better now. I just need to get a new shirt now" Kasumi said.
"But how did you get better?" Aang asked.
"You have been burned yourself. Katara, show him" Kasumi said.
Katara opens her water bottle and wraps some water around her hand. It glows white again. She places it over the burned area, She breathes and concentrates. When she lets go the wound is healed.
"Wow! That's good water" Aang said in amazement.
"When did you learn how to do that?" Sokka asked.
Katara shrugs "I guess I always knew".
"Oh... well then thanks for all the first aid over the years. Like when I fell into the grease briar bramble and that time I had two fish hooks in my thumb!" Sokka said, holding up his thumb to prove his point.
"Two?" Aang asked.
"He tried to get the first fish hook out with another fish hook" Katara explained.
Sokka just continued his rant "Oh, and the time that big snake bit me! Thanks for healing that up. That was great. Really helpful".
All Kasumi could do was laugh. Truly there was never a dull moment with these kids.
.
Tell me what you think.