Wandering Firebender

Thirty: Brother's Blood

The morning came, and Elio woke up with a heavy feeling in his chest. Tomorrow, he and Sri were to get on a ferry and set sail for Ba Sing Se. This would be his final day in Full Moon Bay. He still had 24 hours to wait, but his anxiety was already beginning to build.

After getting up, eating his breakfast and fixing his hair, he got out of his tent and stretched his arms and legs. He looked over towards Sri's tent. He decided that it would be a good time to check on her again and see how she's doing.

Elio started to make his way over to her tent, but as he approached it, Lao and Jin called him over to a fire not far from him. Both of them waved him over, so he felt obligated to change directions to go see what they wanted first.

"Good morning, Elio! How are you feeling?" Jin greeted him pleasantly.

"I'm doing well this morning. How are you?" Elio replied politely.

"Doing fine." She answered.

"Has Sri come out of her tent yet?" He asked curiously.

"Not yet," Lao shook his head. "She likes her time alone when she's upset; helps her process everything. But we have breakfast ready for the both of you. Why don't you take hers to her? She seems to like ya." He suggested with a chuckle.

"Um... I mean yeah, sure." Elio agreed to it with an awkward chuckle.

"Here." Lao held out two sandwiches to him. Elio took them both in his hands and nodded.

"Thank you." He said before making his way back to Sri's tent.

As he reached the tent, he paused for a moment. He was a bit nervous to speak with Sri again; he hadn't spoken with her since their brief exchange yesterday. He wasn't sure what he'd be getting into now that he was attempting to speak with her again.

He took a deep breath in to muster up his courage...then walked up to her tent.

"Hey, Sri?" He called to her, getting down on one knee at the entrance of her tent.

He waited for a few moments, but no response game.

"I'm sure you must still be really upset. My, um... My offer still stands. I'm here for you if you need to talk." He said.

He hoped that this would get a response out of her, but still nothing came.

"Well... I brought you breakfast. I'm just gonna leave it here in your tent. Hope to see you later." He said. He slowly reached his hand inside and set the sandwich down, making sure not to look inside. He quickly retracted his hand and stood up, making his way back to Lao and Jin.

"Anything?" Jin asked.

"'Fraid not." Elio answered, shaking his head.

"She'll come around. She always does," Lao said confidently. "Don't worry about it too much."

"Alright." Elio said. He was a little hesitant to leave her completely alone for longer, but he didn't seem to have much of a choice...

"So where did you learn how to fight with a staff, Elio?" Suki asked him curiously as the two of them hung out during her break.

"Oh! I, uh, was taught by a master: Master Rala. I've had two lessons with him, and they've done so much for me already." He answered with a chuckle.

"I bet! I'm sure that thing has gotten you out of some tight spots." She presumed.

"You have no idea," He laughed. "I wouldn't be here without it."

"Oh wow! Maybe I'll get some training from this Rala guy," Suki joked lightly with a giggle. "Where did you find him?" She asked curiously.

"Uh, somewhere in the Earth Kingdom. Honestly, he kinda found me. He took me in and chose to train me. He really didn't give me much of a choice." He recalled with an ironic chuckle.

"Oh really? And you still went back for another lesson?"

"Well, no... We parted ways after the one lesson, and then I ran into him again later. He gave me a second lesson then." Elio explained.

"Oh... Sounds like your master is very spiritual."

"Spiritual? What gives you that impression?" Elio asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Just a guess. The way you describe it, it sounds like your master Rala is mentoring you, right?"

"Yeah. I could definitely describe it like that." He nodded.

"Well, sometimes people with deep spirituality can receive visions or get premonitions, and these things connect them to people and to important events." She described slowly as she put together the words to properly convey her thoughts.

"Really? I didn't know you believed in the Spirit World like that, Suki."

"I'm a Kyoshi Warrior, Elio. Named after Avatar Kyoshi? The Avatar is the bridge between our world and the Spirit World. Of course I believe in it, dork," She said with a lighthearted laugh. "Don't you?" She asked.

"I'm starting to," He admitted. "I didn't before. But then the moon disappeared out of the sky, and I was forced to reevaluate my thoughts." He chuckled.

"Really? The moon disappeared?!" She asked with widened eyes.

"Yeah. It happened a while ago. It was really late at night. You were probably asleep." He assumed.

"Probably. Man, I had no idea!"

"Oh yeah. For a few minutes, it was impossible to waterbend. I'm not even exaggerating."

"Wow! I wonder how that affected Aang and the others." Suki thought aloud. Elio's eyebrows raised in surprise and recognition.

"Aang?"

However, before the conversation could continue, another Kyoshi Warrior came over. She moved at a urgent pace; this caught Suki's attention right away.

"What's wrong, Wu?" She asked her.

"Suki, our lookouts have spotted a squad of Fire Nation soldiers moving through the forest that way," Wu warned, pointing away from the shore. "We haven't been spotted yet, but we need you."

"Got it," Suki nodded before turning to Elio. "Sorry, gotta go. This is serious." She said.

"No, I understand. You go." Elio said quickly.

"Okay. Mind keeping this to yourself for now? I don't want the refugees to panic." She requested.

"My lips are sealed. Be careful, alright?"

"I will," Suki nodded, waving to him. "Tell the other warriors to close down the port for now. Nobody leaves." He overheard Suki say as she walked away with Wu.

Now armed with this information, Elio decided to go and see Sri again. Her parents weren't going anywhere so he wasn't worried about them, but Sri had been isolating herself all day. It was possible that she might choose to briefly step outside of Full Moon Bay in order to clear her head.

Elio hurried back into the refugee camp and rushed back over to Sri's tent. He knelt down and spoke to her again.

"Hey, Sri. Are you in there? We need to talk. There's something going on and..." Elio opened up Sri's tent and looked inside only to find that she wasn't in there. He looked down and saw that the sandwich he left for her was still sitting there.

Sri was gone.

Elio's stomach tightened nervously, discovering this immediately after learning about Fire Nation soldiers in the area. However, he didn't want to jump to any conclusions just yet. He decided that first he was going to check in with her parents to see if they had seen her.

Elio stood up and quickly began looking around for Lao and Jin. As he paced around in search of them, he had to consciously control his breathing to keep from hyperventilating. His mind was already drifting to the worse even though he was hoping for the best.

He found Sri's parents sitting together by the water. They seemed to be having a private conversation. Elio quickly walked up towards them and got their attention.

"Have either of you seen Sri?" He asked. Lao and Jin's conversation was cut off by his question. They both turned back to look at him.

"No... Still nothing." Lao answered, looking a little irritated by the fact that Elio had rudely interrupted them.

"She's not in her tent. Do you know where she could have gone?" He asked.

"If she's not in her tent, she's probably gone out walking, dear. She does that when she wants to clear her head." Jin presumed.

"Okay. Okay..." Elio nodded and turned away, quickly hurrying away.

"Kids." Lao commented with a shake of his head.

Elio hurried towards the cave entrance into the hidden port where they had entered in through. He found Suki gathering up with some of the other Kyoshi Warriors. As he drew close, he could overhear them planning out how to handle the nearby Fire Nation soldiers.

"Hey, hey, sir! You need to return to your tent, please." One of the other girls stepped forward, holding her hand out to stop him.

"Suki! Suki, we need to talk." He said urgently, looking over her shoulder and calling to her as the guard put her hand on his chest and tried to push him back.

"Stand back, Rei," Suki ordered her before walking over to Elio. "What's wrong?"

"It's Sri. She's gone missing."

"Missing? Are you sure?"

"None of us have seen or heard from her all day. I checked her tent and it doesn't look like she's been in there." He quickly relayed the information.

"Okay. Are you absolutely sure that she's not here in port somewhere? This is a really big bay after all." She pointed out.

"I mean, I haven't checked the whole bay. But I spoke with her mother. She has a tendency to go walking when she needs to get her thoughts in order. I'm worried she may have left before the lockdown. I need to find her." Elio said, taking a step towards the exit.

"Whoa, Elio," Suki put a hand on him to stop him. "I understand you wanna find your friend, but I can't let you go out there. Not with the Fire Nation right outside. Leave it to me. I promise I will find her." She promised him.

Elio swallowed nervously and looked at her. He could tell that she was being sincere. However, he couldn't in good conscience leave it to her to find Sri. He had a sneaking suspicion that maybe he had led these Fire Nation soldiers to this hideout.

"Okay, Suki. Be careful. And please bring her back safe." He pleaded.

"I will." She nodded and turned back to the others so they could continue coming up with a plan.

Elio walked away from them and towards his tent. He needed to find a way to get out of this port without being noticed, and find Sri without running into the Kyoshi Warriors. It was going to be a tough challenge getting away.

He reached into his tent and grabbed his staff, slipping it into his sleeve. Once he had it secured, he made his way towards the stables. He took a few moments to soothe his ostrich horse, but he was eyeing a door hinged into the cave wall.

He looked around cautiously before stepping over to the door and walking inside. He immediately entered into a sectioned-off hallway with several more doors; one door was on the other end of the hallway and seemed to lead out to the other side of the cave.

Elio swallowed and pulled his hood over his face, quickly walking straight for the door. He glided past an open door to his right. He could hear voices inside the room, but he didn't look so his face wouldn't be seen. Thankfully, they didn't seem to notice him, and he was able to open the door on the other end of the hallway and walk outside.

Closing the door behind him, he hurried into the trees where he would be better concealed. He removed his hood and made his way back up the steep hill away from Full Moon Bay.

It was clear outside; a bright afternoon with hardly any clouds. The weather was a little cooler. A soft, chilling breeze cut through his clothing, making him shiver. He rubbed his hands together and cupped them, breathing into them to warm them up a little.

Being unable to call out Sri's name, he had to keep his eyes peeled as he silently weaved his way through the trees. He began to hear talking in the distance. His steps became slower and lighter. He crouched down a little as he came to the edge of a hilltop.

He looked down and he could see it: a Fire Nation camp. He got down to the ground so he could scope it out without being seen. They were pretty far away from Full Moon Bay, but it wouldn't be hard to discover it from where they were.

Elio could only imagine how Suki and the others would drive them out.

"We have orders to move the prisoner towards the back, in the captain's tent." One of the men said as he entered into a tent. Elio's eyes narrowed and he stared at the tent. After awhile, he watched as two soldiers pushed Sri towards the back tent.

"There you are." Elio said to himself. She must've gotten herself captured while she was out on her walk. Elio was going to have work quickly and carefully to save her without being caught.

He waited until the soldiers transporting her stepped back out of her tent. He carefully made his way around towards the back tent. He skidded down the hill and approached the camp from the rear. It was just like with the sandbenders in the desert.

Elio snuck into the captain's tent where he found Sri being held captive, tied to a chair. She was alone in the tent. He came up behind her and quickly used his firebending to burn through her ropes.

"Hey, Sri. I'm here to get you out." He said. She gasped in shock at seeing him. She stood up once she was freed.

"Elio! How did you find me?!" She asked in a whisper.

"I heard about the Fire Nation in the area. You'd been gone all day, so I assumed the worst. Thankfully, I caught you quickly. Come on, we need to get out of here before they notice." Elio said, grabbing her hand. They snuck out of the tent and rushed up the hill.

"Elio, they already know you're here. This is a trap!" She warned him.

"How do you know?" Elio quickly asked as they continued running. However, Sri was distraught and continued talking.

"I'm really sorry, Elio. I had no idea the Fire Nation was here! I just needed to clear my head, and the guards said that it was safe to go!" She quickly apologized.

"How do you know that it's a trap?!" Elio repeated.

"Because he knows that you're with us! He's coming for you!" Sri answered frantically.

"Who?!"

Before Sri could answer, a fireball shot over their heads, crashing into one of the trees. Sri stumbled and fell to the ground, and Elio protectively crouched over her. He turned back towards the source of the attack. He quickly deflected a fireball, and then he was able to get a good look at their attacker.

"Finally. No more running, Elio."

Elio's eyes widened; it was the last person he wanted to see right now, "Cassian!" He exclaimed.

Seeing him, Elio quickly realized what Sri was talking about. This was a setup; Sri was the bait, and he had walked right into Cassian's trap.

Cassian took a step forward, his fists balled and his teeth gritted. He breathed in and out forcefully, seething with rage. Elio slowly got up, getting into a defensive stance while standing over Sri.

"It's over, Elio! No more chasing! No more running! No more tricks! Either you give up now, or I take you out!" Cassian shouted.

Elio took a moment to survey his surroundings. Among the trees, Elio didn't see any other Fire Nation soldiers. For whatever reason, Cassian had chosen to approach him alone; likely because this was personal for both of them.

"Cassian... I don't want to do this anymore. I'm begging you, man, please let this go and walk away." Elio insisted, inching forward a bit to stay between him and Sri. Sri fearfully looked back at Cassian, waiting for her chance to run.

"You must be joking, Elio. Do you think I'm stupid?!" Cassian yelled, "You know I can't! This is how it has to be! You should feel lucky that I'm even giving you a chance to come with me!"

"Stay low, Sri. Run when you have the chance." Elio spoke quietly to her.

"What about you?" Sri asked.

"Don't worry about me. Just get to safety."

"Stop, stop talking to her! Choose, Elio! Do I bring you in alive or dead?!"

"Cassian... I'm sorry. I know I lied to you. I know I hurt you. Please, man, I'm begging you. Don't do this." Elio continued to plead with him.

"You don't even know how serious this is, do you, Elio? I have orders from the princess herself to bring you in dead or alive! How deep down could you possibly be that the princess knows your name?!"

"No..." Elio's eyes widened.

"I won't ask you again, Elio! If you have any honor for our nation left in you, you will surrender now!" Cassian demanded. Elio swallowed and looked back at Sri.

"If I go with you, Cassian, will you leave this place alone?" Elio proposed.

"Elio..." Sri said.

"You're in no position to bargain, Elio," Cassian shook his head. "I assume you're referring to the secret base near here, huh? That's what you're trying to protect, isn't it?"

"What's your answer, Cassian?" Elio questioned.

"Here's my answer!" Cassian growled, shooting a huge fireball at Elio. Elio slid his foot back and blocked it carefully,

"When I'm done with you, I'll find the enemy base, and I will burn it to the ground myself! That is my mission, and I will not hesitate to execute it!" Cassian spat wrathfully.

"Then I'm sorry, brother... You'll have to kill me first." Elio stated, taking his stand.

"So be it."

Cassian shot several forceful fireballs at Elio. Elio swirled his hands and bent his wrists to deflect each one the best he could. Wild fire swirled around him, causing Sri to shriek as flames reached for her, licking at her clothes. She backed away and scrambled to her feet.

"Get out of here, Sri! Run and hide!" Elio shouted back to her.

Sri turned and started to sprint away as fast as she could. Cassian roared as she sent an arcing fire kick directly for her. Elio pulled his staff out to block the attack. He successfully kept the fire from hurting Sri, but the force of the fire made him lose his grip on the staff.

The staff spiraled in the air and clattered on the ground far out of his reach.

Elio raised his hands up, getting into his fighting stance. His expression made his feelings clear: he didn't want to fight this battle. Cassian, however, refused to let this deter him. He shot several more quick fireballs, forcing Elio to fight back.

Elio knocked each blast aside and spun around, shooting his own blast of fire towards Cassian. Cassian charged forward and dove through Elio's attack, landing directly in front of him. He kicked Elio in the side, making him stumble to the right.

Cassian jumped up and threw a fiery kick at Elio's head. Elio ducked under it, but Cassian's blast crashed against a nearby tree. Wood splinters burst from the bark, smacking against Elio's cheek and getting in his hair as he retreated back a few steps.

Elio threw another fire punch at Cassian. Cassian sidestepped the attack and flipped sideways, throwing a fire kick downwards. Elio was able to avoid the attack in time, spinning again and throwing a fireball with his foot. The fireball crashed into Cassian's chest, making him stumble back.

Elio realized that his hood had caught on fire and hurriedly yanked it over his head to remove it. While he was distracted, Cassian rushed forward again and punched him in the face. Elio's head whipped violently as he fell on his back in a daze.

"I'm ashamed that I ever called you my brother." Cassian said spitefully before throwing a fireball at Elio. Elio used his feet to block the attack, sliding awkwardly and rolling back onto his feet.

Cassian created intense fire in both hands and shot a strong blast. Elio spun behind a narrow tree to avoid it. Cassian shot another forceful blast with his other hand. Elio rolled out of the way again. The fire caused the tree to burn and topple over, forcing Cassian to jump out of its way.

Elio shot a few quick blasts, first with his foot then with his fists. Cassian raised his hand up to create a wall of fire to shield himself. One of Elio's blasts made it through his shield though and hit him in the forearm, lightly burning the skin.

Cassian growled in pain and spun on his shoulders, shooting fire out of both of his feet as he got up. This forced Elio to back up again. He shot fire out of both of his hands at Cassian. With one hand, Cassian blocked the blast stubbornly.

Wild fire flew out in all directions.

"Cassian, stop! Please! We shouldn't be trying to kill each other! We can both walk away! I'll let you walk away!" Elio pleaded with him.

"Only one of us will walk away from this, Elio! If you won't face the punishment for your crimes, then you force me to execute you!"

"Stop, brother, please don't make me do this!" Elio tearfully begged Cassian again. Cassian huffed shakily.

"Don't... Don't talk to me like we're still on the same side! You betrayed everyone, Elio!" Cassian yelled, fighting his own tears, "I was there for you from the beginning, man, and you lied to me! And you don't even regret what you did, do you?!"

"I am sorry, Cassian! I know I hurt you and I hurt my family! I can't take that back! But this is bigger than us! I'm not on anyone's side, but you're on the wrong side, Cassian. You have to let me go!"

"Elio... I wanted you to at least have the chance to look your family in the eye again..." Cassian sighed sadly.

He suddenly went on the offensive again, shooting blast after intense blast of fire. Elio tried to block each attack, but he was forced to step back with each inferno. He was struggling just to stay on his feet against Cassian's relentlessness.

"Are you willing to hurt others in the name of what is good?"

Elio swallowed bitterly. Tears were falling from his eyes, but the heat of Cassian's fire made them dry out soon after they fell. Elio realized that this was it. This was the moment that he was going to have to stand and answer for the choices he'd made.

He had to fight and he had to win.

Elio mustered up his nerve and shot a blast back at Cassian. With each blast they shot at each other, explosions of fire began to burst in the center, eating up the trees around them and causing the forest to blaze.

Cassian growled as he spun in circles, throwing multiple arcing fire kicks at Elio. Elio created his own wall of fire and stepped back to avoid any blowback. Next he jumped through and created fire sticks in his hands, attempting to burn cuts on Cassian.

Cassian sidestepped several of his attacks and threw an uppercut at Elio, creating an upwards blast of fire that caught Elio's arm and sleeve. Elio yelped from the burn but continued to push through it, throwing a backwards roundhouse kick towards Cassian.

The fire from Elio's kick knocked Cassian back. He rolled onto his back and prepared for Elio's next attacks. Elio came in close again, trying to chi-block Cassian. He swatted away Elio's punches. As the two threw punches back and forth, the battle shifted close to the edge of a steep cliff.

"Dirty traitor!" Cassian spat, throwing a fire punch at Elio.

Elio stumbled back against a tree. Cassian went for another angry punch. Elio ducked away from him, stepping back into the trees away from the cliff. Cassian's fire punch slammed into the tree. Cassian retracted his hand and shouted in stinging pain. His hand was shaking as blood started to drip from his fingers.

Elio held his hands up, but his expression still showed his concern. He could see how Cassian's anger was blinding him from reasoning with him, forcing them into this ultimatum. Unfortunately, Elio couldn't drop his hands. Cassian would kill him if he did.

"Cassian... I'm so sorry." Elio said sadly.

Cassian glared up at him and seethed through gritted teeth. Powering through the pain, he threw a fire punch with his bloody fist. Elio jumped back and took a wide stance, blocking each of Cassian's most intense attacks. Elio breathed in and out slowly, trying to keep calm.

Cassian was running out of energy, and it was his turn to attack.

Elio's thoughts were with Sri and her family, and with all of the refugees hiding in Full Moon Bay. If he failed, Cassian and his unit would overtake them. Hundreds of people would all be captured or killed. He couldn't let that happen...

As Elio's hands swirled around in preparation of his attack, he could feel building energy beginning to flow through him. He carefully felt his way through it, and his fire began to surge and sparkle a blinding white. Elio bated his breath, directing the energy through two fingers on each hand.

His eyes cast onto Cassian: his friend and brother. He looked at him one last time, choosing not to see the man he loved like family. He only saw the wrathful killing machine that the Fire Nation had turned him into.

Elio pointed the energy at wide-eyed Cassian, and lightning shot out of his fingertips.

The lightning crackled and burst at a deafening volume, speeding towards Cassian as he threw one more fireball. The lightning struck Cassian directly in the chest, blasting him backwards off the cliff and sending him plummeting into the lake below.

Elio's resolve weakened from one moment to the next. The energy at his fingertips backfired on him, exploding in his face. At the same time, Cassian's fireball struck him in the left side of his chest, searing and burning the skin over his heart.

Elio was thrown backwards again, crashing back-first into a tree. His body jolted in shock, and he slumped over limply. As he fell to his side, his singed hair fell over his face. For a few moments he laid there, completely still...

Then Sri rushed over to help him. She had run away, but then decided to turn back to help Elio. She came just in time to see Elio shoot lightning at Cassian. She rushed to his side, placing her hands on him.

"Elio! Elio, please tell me you're alright!" She shook him.

Elio shakily inhaled and exhaled. Sri helped him to sit up. As reality began to set in for him, his jaw tightened up to the point where he couldn't even speak through the pain. He sobbed and wept bitterly as Sri held him, cradling his head in her arms...