Earth...Fire...Water...Air... This is the age of the new Avatar, and after many years of unrest, the world is poised to enter into a time of prosperity and peace. But every light casts a shadow, and in the days to come, the very balance of the universe will be in danger, and the true purpose of the Avatar will be revealed. The Avatar's name is Usagi, a warrior of love and justice, and despite all the great deeds she has accomplished, her story is not over yet!
AVATAR
The Celestial Sailors
BOOK THREE: DEATH
2: Business as Unusual
Ever since Beryl's death led to the monks of the Northern Air Temple reevaluating their loyalties, their leaders had voiced a desire to break their alliance with the northern Earth Kingdom and regain their autonomy—a controversial move that divided many citizens. Even with the kingdom gradually recovering from decades of turmoil, many felt that having the monks as their allies would further help stabilize the nation. The monks, on the other hand, wished to distance themselves from what they perceived as a shameful affiliation, and return to their neutral status as nomads and mediators (of course these beliefs were not absolute or universal on either side, as there were several monks who still perceived Mamoru as a usurper, and just as many citizens of the Earth kingdom who wanted to live and let live). It was King Endymion's unenviable job to settle the dispute in an acceptable, if not agreeable, fashion.
With him was Nephrite, but also Wu Yung, formerly Beryl's chief of foreign diplomacy. Not long after Ba Sing Se had weathered Apsu's attack, he was located and offered his position again. Wu Yung had something of a checkered history with Air Nomads (mostly those in the west), but he agreed and was now assisting his king with the delicate operation. Various other generals, regional lords, guild leaders, and officials were present as well; on the Air Nomads' side was the Sifu of the Northern Temple, Ho Hsien-ku, a lady of distinction who was bald save for a top-knot. Alongside her were An Shu, who had journeyed to Wan Shi Tong's library with Ami and Makoto, and Yuichiro, who had went with Rei. Representing the Avatar was her father.
Mamoru allowed people from both sides to voice their causes, starting with Ho Hsien-ku. She explained that the gratitude and service given by the monks for Beryl's assistance in "the turbulent times" had been abused, and faulted excessive devotion and adherence to oaths as the monks' downfall. While she was reminded (somewhat rudely) that the Northern Nomads had sworn additional fealty to Fire Lord Kuni and the Avatar, she countered by stating those vows had no relevance to the current issue, and would still be honored. Mamoru informed everyone that Avatar Usagi had absolved the nomads of their debt shortly after the last defense of Ba Sing Se, when the monks helped rebuild the city, and cited himself and several unbiased witnesses.
Nephrite, and several members of Beryl's old cabinet, spoke next. They expressed "sympathy and understanding" for the nomads' desires, but reminded them that while Ba Sing Se and the Earth Kingdom were recovering, it was a perilous peace, and alliances made during hard times should not be forgotten when those times change. Some were quick to point out that the Northern Air Temple was fully inside of the Earth Kingdom's borders, and had "always" been a subject of theirs. Wu Yung cited historical evidence indicating the truth of this statement, stating that the land now inhabited by the Northern Nomads was a vassal state, bestowed "to their care" by King Chang-kuo Lao. This brought about various arguments that Mamoru was compelled to end.
"Sire," Wu Yung said, "if you grant the monks their autonomy, you will be fully handing over all proprietary rights to that land. It will be an independent and separate realm."
"Let me hear the remaining arguments before I make my decision," he said, although he had already made it long before the meeting began. He wanted to listen to the opinions of all sides, however, before fully committing. He believed it was something a king would do.
The debate went back and forth for another two hours. The monks presented their arguments, mostly in favor of independence, while Mamoru's generals, executives, and advisors seemed split on the issue. Even the Avatar's father was asked for his advice, and while he didn't claim to know what his daughter's thoughts would be, he felt that she would rule in favor of the monks. When all was said and done, Mamoru wondered if he should leave it to a vote, but knew that only his decision would solve this matter. He granted the monks their freedom.
An hour later, after things had settled, Mamoru found himself seated at a small balcony table, overlooking part of the city. He had already signed half the papers necessary for the transaction and was taking a break to gather his thoughts. The general consensus among the monks and his cabinet was that he had done the right thing, though perhaps not in the short term. The monks would be absolved of any and all debts or oaths to the Earth Kingdom and granted full rights and privileges of an independent nation. If they still wished to help his kingdom, they were free to do so; if not, they were under no obligation. His decision was unpopular in a few small circles (already people were whispering "we were better off under Beryl"), but he knew he'd never escape from this issue unscathed. He looked up from his contemplation to see Nephrite, Wu Yung, and Ho Hsien-ku approaching him.
"Good afternoon, my lady, gentlemen. To what do I owe this assembly?"
"My thanks, for one," Ho Hsien-ku said. "I realize this was not a decision made whimsically or painlessly. A union many years strong was ended today, and I can offer nothing more than my gratitude."
"What about your friendship?" he smiled. The lady became flustered.
"Ah, well, of course, your highness, you may have that as well, but I am afraid that must be the extent of my loyalty."
"I will be content with that," he assured her. "My decision may lead this kingdom down a more difficult road, but ever is the right way marred narrow and treacherous."
"Well said, and true," she replied. Wu Yung stepped forward.
"Then you are certain of this, my liege? Take no offense, but it is something you may regret."
"I'd honestly regret it more if I had kept the monks as vassals," he answered. "Besides, after some consideration, I do not think Beryl's actions were entirely altruistic. She may have planned on using the monks as pawns and lackeys from the start."
"Beryl wasn't the kind of person who'd help someone out of the goodness of her heart," said Nephrite. "Even when her motives seemed pure, there were always stipulations behind it. But we are all guilty of that at times, aren't we?"
"True enough," Ho Hsien-ku sighed. "Well, your highness, as I shall be very busy for the foreseeable future, I must respectfully cut my stay here short. If you will excuse me..."
"Actually," he said, rising to his feet, "there is one more thing I must beg from you, Lady Hsien-ku. You may refuse, of course." She smiled sadly.
"Ask it, your highness, and I shall decide." Mamoru took a deep breath.
"I want your presence, Sifu. I have been giving a certain matter a great deal of thought these past few months, and I wish to share it with all the leaders of the world. In one month's time I would like to hold a meeting on Air Temple Island where I will discuss this matter. I have already contacted various other heads of state and would greatly desire your attendance as well, if possible." Ho Hsien-ku peered at him cautiously.
"Is it that serious?"
"I believe so."
"Are we in danger?"
"No, but let us say I wish to keep things that way." She cocked her eyebrow and rubbed her chin, fully intrigued.
"Very well, your highness, I'll mark it on my calendar. If I cannot make it in person, I'll send a representative."
"Thank you, my lady. I will consider your word on the matter as the very last deed performed by the Northern Air Nomads for their longtime ally."
"Or the first to their new friend," she smiled, offering a final bow before leaving. Once she was gone, Wu Yung took a deep breath and rubbed his hands together.
"Well! So that's that, then. I certainly never expected to see such a shift in my lifetime, but then again, you are here and Beryl is not. Might Nephrite and I partake in your thoughts on this meeting, my liege?"
"It's just something I've been thinking about ever since we survived that last attack. Do you recall how Fire Lord Kuni sent his children and their retinue out on a mission of mercy following Beryl's passing? Suen and her friends took to the same path, as did Kwame, Ma-Ti, and the rest. The world needs more people like them. What if...there were? Or rather, what if we could gather like-minded people into a single global unit devoted to keeping balance and order? Some...organization, operating in secret, a hand to stem the tides of chaos and sew the seeds of renewal? Or is that too far-fetched and romantic?" He chuckled dryly; his advisors didn't seem to share his self-effacing mirth.
"If it could be done... If you could find people worthy of such a task, and bind them in unison to it... It's certainly the machinations of a young, idealistic king." Mamoru offered another laugh.
"Allow me my fancies, gentlemen. I'll know if the idea has merit shortly, as I expect letters in response to my proposal. I have Motoki's support, at least."
"We're lucky the fates saw you befriend such a powerful and influential person," Nephrite remarked. "I hope your endeavors bear good fruit, your highness. Speaking of Motoki, everything has been arranged for your journey to the Eastern Air Temple. You will leave first thing tomorrow morning."
"Good. Wu Yung, see to it that Sifu Ho Hsien-ku and her retinue are cared for while they remain here, and are escorted back home safely. I'll likely spend the rest of my day going over these papers." Wu Yung bowed and excused himself; meanwhile Mamoru let out a deep sigh and rubbed his face. He seemed to age ten years as he looked at Nephrite.
"What is it, sire?"
"I can still hear that discordant criticism, General. 'We were better off under Beryl'. I try to dismiss it, to not let it discourage me, but sometimes I feel..." He didn't want to put it in words, but his posture and the haggard look on his face spoke volumes aplenty. Nephrite put a hand on his king's shoulder.
"Endymion," he said softly, "for what it's worth, you are already a better ruler than her. Beryl was swift and effective, yes, but feared more than loved. The people will see the difference in time."
"I do hope so, General, though I fear I'm doomed to live out my days in discomfort and worry."
"Is that why you've contrived of this...organization of yours?" Mamoru smiled in spite of his beleaguered soul.
"Call it...inspiration, with a healthy dose of knowing my limits."
"Inspiration, sire?" Mamoru nodded.
"What else would you call the feeling you get when thinking about the Avatar, or Suen, or Ma-Ti, or the children of Kuni?" Nephrite silently nodded to himself, and let that be that as he excused himself. Mamoru was left alone to enjoy the breeze, though his thoughts often turned to the young lady he loved.
A Queen, he thought, would definitely put his worries at ease.
…...
The final service Usagi asked of the Northern Air Nomads was to loan her a bison and a handler for her journey, first to the Wulong Forest and then to the Black Cliffs in the Fire Nation. Her friends would rendezvous with her and would continue their travels together south, to the Patola Mountains. The monks were glad to render her this favor in their sister Minako's absence, so the day after her birthday, a handler and mount were chosen and Usagi set off. Wulong was the property of the Northern Earth King, and Mamoru had long received rumors of illegal logging, trade, and destruction of protected land. The matter seemed trivial compared to all the other dangers he had to contend with, so he had sent scouts to verify these claims. The scouts reported nothing amiss yet the rumors persisted, so Usagi finally stepped up. It didn't seem like the kind of problem an Avatar should face, but she was determined all the same. If it was one less issue Mamoru needed to deal with, all the better.
The truth was far less dangerous but much more complicated than she expected. Trees were being cut down legally and according to proprietary and arboreal laws, but there were workers from the Western Air Temple and Fire Fountain City in the mix as well. The loggers from the Fire Nation insisted on being recompensed for the unjust treatment they had suffered at Beryl's hands, while the monks argued they had full and exclusive permission from the king. Both sides spread rumors to dissuade or discredit the other, and they looked to the Avatar now to arbitrate. Usagi felt her spirit sinking as they glared at her. In a way, this was worse than fighting tyrant queens or Primordial spirits.
Ultimately she proved that the monks had the legal high ground by way of contract (which they very eagerly produced), and asked that the Fire Nation loggers vacate the premises and submit a formal request to Endymion. She fully agreed with their argument but warned them that one must not steal, especially if the owner was more than willing to share in his wealth. She was still criticized but the loggers ultimately relented. The decision was made a little more bearable when some of the monks volunteered (at Usagi's behest) to fly them to Ba Sing Se so they could file for permission.
"Well, that was excruciating," she grumbled once the whole debacle was over. She looked to the only sympathetic face she could find, her monk guide, Lubu. "Sheesh! What the heck do I look like, a lawyer?"
"You did well, Avatar," Lubu said. "You listened to both sides and based your judgment on sound logic. You also showed great sympathy and generosity to the opposing side."
"All the same, Rei or Ami would've been able to handle this better. Even Makoto knows more about the ins and outs of law than I do."
"Perhaps, but I stand by my assessment. Shall we be off?" Usagi nodded, eager to put all of this behind her. She could handle bandits and thieves much easier than squabbling rumormongers.
As it turned out, the Black Cliff Bandits weren't just robbing or even killing people, but committing torture, extortion, and sabotage. Asanuma's group was clear on the other side of the world, investigating rumors of a "lost country", and Kuni's regular forces were still being stretched thin cleaning all of Beryl's messes. They had skirmished with the Black Cliff Bandits before, but hadn't been able to make any headway into subduing the gang; thus, Usagi was called in (she still had the request signed by Lady Iku). According to Kuni and Iku's sources, the bandits focused their attacks at three key points: the northern peninsula, the mid-southern coast, and the eastern area. Kuni's forces had driven most of them away from the north and east, but the south proved the greatest problem. Two large islands hung close to the coastline, and the bandits had created a relay system between them that had preserved their order when all others fell. It was also where the brunt of the forces were concentrated. She wouldn't have much in the way of support (Kuni could only spare a hundred soldiers), and Lubu had left her recently, so Usagi would be in for a fight.
The lieutenant in charge of the retinue suggested they cover the eastern island first, leave a garrison, and move on to the west. Usagi would then land on the main island with a force of twenty or so ("all hardened warriors and fire-benders, I assure you," she was told) and drive the bandits south, where they would be trapped between the Avatar and two garrisons. Reinforcements from Crescent Island and Fire Fountain City were expected to come to their aid in a few days, and there were even rumors that monks from the Southern Air Temple would be with them. Usagi didn't know if she'd be able to completely eradicate the bandits, but was confident enough to guarantee they'd pay for their transgressions. About half an hour or so before the navy landed, she warned the lieutenant and his men that she personally felt nauseated about killing people, and would refrain even at her peril.
"Hmph," one of them snorted. "The Avatar doesn't have the stomach for killing? That's new."
"Quiet, Tov," his neighbor grunted, shoving him. "Kalkin won plenty of battles without shedding a drop of blood."
"Aye, but Lady Kiyone killed. Bitasu killed. Even Avatar K'ung Ming took lives during his time—scores of em', if you believe the tales."
"Every Avatar's different, Tov," the lieutenant reminded him. "If this one refuses to kill, then that's her right." Tov shrugged and muttered about how "it would make our job a lot easier if the Avatar was a bit more flexible". But the mere thought of ending someone's life, even someone consumed by evil who fully deserved their fate, was both alien and anathema to her. Just thinking about it brought back memories of Beryl's crushed corpse, and she shuddered. No, Usagi would not kill the Black Cliff Bandits...but she would stop them. To take her mind off such a grisly action, she asked who Bitasu and Kiyone were. The lieutenant raised a curious eyebrow.
"Hmm? I thought you of all people would know that. They're your past selves—the last fire-bender and water-bender Avatars. Kalkin's predecessors. Didn't he tell you that?" Usagi flinched.
"Oh! Uh, right! Um, I guess he might have, but, uh...I may have forgotten? We talked about a lot!" A few of the soldiers snickered, including the lieutenant.
"Lady Kiyone is a great hero of the Fire Nation; I'm sure plenty of my men would be happy to talk about her once this is settled." Usagi kept that in mind as they made landfall. The first offensive against the Black Cliff Bandits went off without much trouble. Locals were only too eager to point out where their oppressors carried out their operations, and with a hundred soldiers led by the Avatar, the bandits were swept aside like chaff (the majority surrendering or being captured, to Usagi's relief). The lieutenant left thirty of his men behind to maintain order while the others moved on.
The western island proved far more difficult to tame. The locals were too frightened by the bandits to offer any help, even with the Avatar there in person. They were forced to split up and scour the island, and were ambushed several times. Skirmishes began and ended before Kuni's forces could mount any meaningful offensive, and more than a few were killed. The bandits were spread out and difficult to track down, but in the end, the Avatar won the day, and thirty-five survivors stayed behind. Fewer than thirty soldiers remained to face the main force on Black Cliff Island.
They were forced to split up shortly after landing. Half the remaining forces would circle around west while the other half went east; Usagi was to drive them all down the middle, and together they'd pressure the bandits towards the sea, where the two island garrisons (and hopefully the promised reinforcements) would close in and finish things. Ideally Usagi would only be dealing with a third of the bandits, but this did nothing to allay her fears, especially since there was no telling how many of the blackguards there were. She told herself that she had been through worse, that she was far more powerful than her opponents, and she was only enacting in a skirmish and not a war. Even after all that, she was still nervous when the soldiers left her.
"Okay," she whispered, trying to calm herself with slow, deliberate breaths, "you can do this. It's just mountain bandits. Just find them and force them back to the sea. You've got support all around you. If you see a fire-bender, use water; if you see an earth-bender, use air. You can do this."
Don't think of failing or succeeding, just DO.
She took a final bracing breath, bent the earth beneath her into a slab, and launched herself with a strong gust. This time Usagi had the good sense to tie her long hair up, and with a bit of extra air-bending, could divert the wind so it didn't sting her eyes. The landscape shifted into a blurry, intangible palette of streaked colors and objects, trees slanting diagonally and hills undulating rapidly, like a blanket tossed over a herd of air-bison. The titular black cliffs, named for the concentration of obsidian, basalt, komatite, and peridotite, loomed around her, moving at a pace unprecedented since the dawn of creation. Kuni's scouts had already filled her in on where the bandits might be located, so it was just a matter of finding them and drawing them out.
A big group of them was already accosting a small caravan of travelers. Usagi got their attention by cleaving the ground apart with fire, separating the bandits from their prey. She then offered a blast of air to drive the wedge deeper (also letting the bandits know that this was no ordinary fire-bender they were dealing with, but the Avatar herself), and shouted for the caravan to run. She covered them with a large stone wall, which quickly became ammunition as the bandits recovered and regrouped. One of them blew on a horn, calling for reinforcements. Usagi dreaded being overrun by this scum, but it was probably the fastest way to gather them all together.
"Yeah, call your friends!" she taunted them. "I was afraid I might get bored with this puny little sewing circle!" She grinned, bouncing a fireball in one hand. The bandits fired arrows; she dismissed them with a breeze. They rushed her on six-legged horses, donkeydillos, and two-headed lizards; the ground shifted beneath them, huge stone monuments rising and falling, chasms opening and crumbling. One of them threw a torch; she just rolled her eyes.
"Oh, please!" Usagi reached out and grabbed the flaming end, perfectly controlling the fire so she would remain unhurt. The flame spread through her arm, then all around her body, until she had turned into a living effigy of fire, like some long-forgotten pagan goddess. Her breath spewed molten jets, her eyes flashed, the ground erupted with every step she made. More reinforcements came in but the situation seemed fairly hopeless for them. The Black Cliff Bandits could deal with merchants, travelers, bodyguards, and even the occasional bender, but not this. Soon they outnumbered her fifty to one but were in full-on retreat. Usagi dispelled the fire enveloping her body and crossed her arms, laughing haughtily.
"Ho-ho-ho, such is the fate of all who would raise a hand against the weak and helpless! The Avatar of love and justice comes as swift and sure as the sunrise! ...Um, hey, where'd they go? Darn it!" Reveling in her victory had cost Usagi a lot of time, so she mounted her slab and sped off after the bandits. Thankfully, they left a trail so obvious that even she could find it (broken tree branches, upset stones, countless hoof-prints, a heavy cloak thrown off in haste). Her confidence returned and tripled as she chased them across the steppe back to the shore. What in the world had she been worried about? Even with their numbers swelling, they hadn't been able to so much as touch her, and now they were doing exactly what she wanted! In no time at all the other soldiers would close in on the group, and with the two garrisons left behind, they'd subdue these miscreants and be off celebrating in some restaurant by...
Usagi skidded to a halt, hopping off her slab, her stomach knotting in abject fright. The fifty bandits she had driven away had paused their retreat, and were now facing her...along with at least two-hundred more. Even this would not have been a terrible blow—after all, the lieutenant had wanted to cluster all the bandits together—except she noticed some of the reinforcements were wearing Fire Nation armor, and carrying Fire Nation weapons. One of them had the scarf Tov had worn; another carried the lieutenant's battle-ax. A bitterly cold chill ran down Usagi's spine, and she took a trembling step backwards.
"No..." A man who she assumed to be the bandit leader pointed his sword at her, and fifty armed savage killers advanced, blood in their eyes. A tear streaked down Usagi's cheek before righteous fury overcame her. She knocked all fifty of the men back with a crippling burst of air, sending them crashing into the main group. Arrows flew after her as a second wave followed; she summoned flaming whips and lashed at their feet. Once she had a bit of a buffer between herself and the murderous thugs, Usagi went into the Avatar State and called to the earth, raising a massive wall and pushing it against the entire horde. She relentlessly pressed her advantage, not allowing any of them to slip through, determined to send them all plummeting into the sea even if she must push them the entire way herself.
A stray arrow founds its way over the wall and nicked her shoulder. She flinched but resumed her work. The graze was just enough to break a sliver of her concentration, enough for her advancement to hesitate an instant—and for her own weapon to be used against her. The wall cracked, trembled, shattered, and flung back at her as scores of earth-bender bandits hurled the stones at her. Usagi hadn't counted on that. She hadn't counted on a lot of factors. But there was no more failure or success here, only action. Usagi was struck hard but propelled herself into the air with a gust, then soared backwards, covering her escape with fire. She spotted a stream while in the air and descended next to it. Ami had been good enough to teach her how to bend steam, mist, and any other sort of vapor she wanted, so she laid down a veil of fog so thick, she could barely see her own feet. She cleaned her shoulder, which was thankfully a superficial wound, and saw to several of the bruises while the bandits scrambled around in confusion. Then she moved to attack.
Fire-benders were already lighting their way through the fog. They didn't have any air or water-benders in the group, thankfully, so Usagi still held the advantage. She started by picking off the bandits trying to light their way through the fog, either by congealing the mist into more solid matter and washing them away or turning their fire against them. But even this led to a trap, as one fire-bender had planned on luring her to him while several of his friends attacked. Usagi pushed them away with a blast of air, inadvertently clearing the fog around her and exposing herself.
"There she is!" she heard someone shout. She pulled the fog back but it was too late: one bandit had his arms around her and was crushing her, while two more approached armed with knives and spiked clubs. Usagi quickly snapped her head back, smashing her captor's chin (slamming her feet down on his toes for good measure), then breathed a quick plume of fire to dissuade the others. A wave of her hand summoned stone fingers to reach out and grasp them; before she could recover, more arrows came her way. She couldn't see where they were coming from and so had little time to defend herself, so Usagi decided to run instead.
She escaped from the prison of mist and took a few moments to catch her breath. So far, things were looking disastrous, but not insurmountable. They had numbers and benders on their side, plus a better knowledge of the land. Usagi had about sixty soldiers still stationed on the two southern islands, potential reinforcements, the elements, and the Avatar State. As she was trying to figure a way to turn things around for herself, over a dozen bandits made their way through the fog and chased after her. She prepared for an easy fight but got distracted again by a hailstorm of arrows. She deflected them all but was now overwhelmed by the bandits—and more were coming through as the fog lifted. Usagi clawed, punched, kicked, and even bit her way through the scrum, but for every man she forced off her, three more replaced him. She was about to enter her Avatar State when the nearby river came to life, issuing a huge orb of solid water that bowled her attackers down. A great sphere of air followed it, but instead of pushing the enemy away, it drew them in, swallowing countless bandits left and right until they were a singularity of groaning flesh. A second orb of water joined the orb of air, and carried the horde away to the distant shore.
For a brief moment, Usagi wondered if her friends had arrived to help her. They weren't due to meet her for another two days, but there was always a chance they had finished early. Perhaps Rei had sensed that something was amiss, or the reinforcements had found them, or...but no, this wasn't anyone she knew. Two figures, silhouetted against the sunlight so that their bodies were obscured, stood tall in the distance, their hands outstretched. Usagi had just enough time to gawk at them before they flitted off, faster than otterfoxes caught in a coop.
"Hey, wait!" she called, stumbling after them. A handful of bandits had survived her mysterious benefactors' onslaught and assaulted her; she wrestled her way free, kicking one right on his fat nose, and sprinted for a moment or two before realizing she had better means of transport at her disposal. Even with a slab of earth at her feet and the wind at her back, it was fiendishly difficult finding her saviors, and almost impossible to keep up with them. They moved as if the king of all storms was at their back, like a grand galleon at full sail caught in the perfect current. Usagi had to go into the Avatar State to stand any chance at catching up...and then they split up.
"Are you kidding me?" she grumbled. She had a split decision to make and decided on following the air-bender. Whoever this was, they didn't make it easy for her. The person not only used the wind to propel them across the land but sent waves of it billowing back, slowing her down considerably. In other words, they didn't want to be followed (Well, too bad, Usagi thought). Usagi had a tough time focusing the earth beneath her, the wind in front of her, and the propulsion behind her, but at last she caught up with her evasive savior—that or the other person had pity on her and simply stopped. Either way, she was out of breath and out of the Avatar State, but her eyes were still defiant and her adrenaline was still surging from the fight.
"I'm impressed," the person said. They were (perhaps dramatically) perched on a nearby tree, still fairly obscured by the sun. "You managed to keep up with me, bun-head."
"Don't...call me that," she gasped, trying to look up as she bent over heaving. "Only...my friends...get to...call me that!"
"And what'll you do if I say it again?" The figure chuckled, half-amused and half-mocking. Usagi's brow knitted in frustration. She took a bold step and balled her fist.
"Who are you, anyway? Are you with the reinforcements?"
"Perhaps. You're not in much of a position to be making demands, bun-head." Usagi turned hot but tried to calm herself. The last thing she wanted to do was be goaded by a stranger.
"At least let me know who I have to thank."
"No," the figure said again, but then it leaped off the tree and appeared before her: tall, elegant, androgynous in their beauty, and a few years older than her, with short sandy hair and a wild glint in their eyes. The person was certainly an air-bender, for they had the trademark blue arrows on their arms and forehead, but they wore deeply blue and golden robes hemmed with white. Usagi blushed a little as the figure approached her, but held her ground and politely gave her the Air Nomad greeting, palm out and index finger up. The figure chuckled and returned her gesture.
"You're not one of us, bun-head. You don't have to do that, you know."
"But I do have to thank you—and your companion, wherever they are."
"She," the figure corrected, drawing even closer. Usagi was determined not to back down, but even though she was the Avatar and could likely overpower this person, they still intimidated her. Maybe it was their beauty—masculine or feminine, she couldn't tell, and a part of her didn't particularly care. Maybe it was the ravenous look in their eyes, the glimmer of protection and love mixed with animal desire and insight. Maybe it was the fragrance he...she...they wore. Regardless, she lost her willpower and took a step back, heart pounding in her chest. The other person noticed, and smirked.
"I suppose I do owe you a prize for keeping up with me. And I hate to disappoint such a pretty lady."
The figure drew within arm's reach and cupped Usagi's chin. Their eyes locked. The Avatar trembled, helpless.
"Haruka," she whispered sensually. "Female, twenty, air-bender. I already know who you are, Avatar bun-head. I'm honored, but I'd prefer it if you didn't follow me anymore. There are still countless bandits roaming these lands, and battle-games are dangerous." She then leaned forward, and to Usagi's stark astonishment, kissed her full on the mouth before turning around and leaping away. Overwhelmed, stunned, and just the tiniest bit aroused, Usagi could do nothing but fall to her knees.
"WHAT THE FU—"
The end of "Business as Unusual"
Next time: "Spirit Terror"