The Legend of Superman
Chapter 2
"What Am I?"
A lone chicken-pig walks slowly from his coop, and proceeds to jump onto a nearby wooden fence post. However, this wasn't your normal chicken-pig. This particular specimen was different from the rest of his flock on the farm, for he was a Rooster-pig! The alpha male, head of the coop, leader and defender of all chicken-pigs! Or at least that's what he believed anyway. From his vantage point on high, the animal surveyed his surroundings.
He looked to the east and saw nothing but fields of grain, as far as the eye could see, and all glowing under a low hanging yellow sun. He then looked to the west, and saw the dirt lot that held his home (the coop) attached to it was a much larger red building that the "monkey-people" (as he called them) said was the "Barn". Finally, turning his head slightly south, he saw the white colored coop that the "monkey-people" lived in. They called "The House".
The rooster-pig then turned his head back to the field, then back to the barn, then back to the house. This strange ritual continued for a few minutes, it almost seemed like he was looking for something. After a few more scans the animal seemed confident of his solitude. Almost immediately, a single thought entered the swine's mind.
'Its time.'
The rooster-pig closed his eyes and breathed deeply, excited to finally fulfill its purpose. Just as he was about to let go, a large beak appeared behind him.
"SQUAWK!"
A large ostrich-horse surprised him. The rather large bird had scared the smaller swine right off the fence post. However, it wasn't done.
"SQUAWK, SQUAWK, SQUAWK!"
The ostrich-horse began to squawk profusely and chase the frightened rooster-pig all around the farm. Soon enough, after a short game of cat-and-mouse, the rooster-pig ran his way back into the coop. This was not the end of the harassment though, as the ostrich-horse stopped in front of the chicken-pig coop, The large bird continued squawking and stomping his feet in excitement!
"SQUAWK, SQUAWK" Stomp, Stomp, Stomp.
"SQUAWK, SQUAWK" Stomp, Stomp, Stomp.
This continued for several minutes until an even louder noise interrupted the assault.
"SPIRITS-DAMN IT! WOULD YOU SHUT UP YOU STUPID CHICKEN-PIG!"
The ostrich-horse ceased his cries and looked to where the new shouting came from, the house.
The animal looked at one of the second story windows and saw Misumi. Dressed in a white flowing nightgown, her normally straight black hair was frazzled from being violently awakened out of a deep sleep. The large bird was going to start squawking in response but could only get out a small "Squ-" when Misumi interrupted him once more.
"IF YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT IT TONGO, I WILL PLUCK AND DEEP FRY YOU MYSELF!" Misumi pointed and yelled at the ostrich-horse named Tongo.
The bird then lowered his head and silently walked back into the barn.
Misumi sighed, then slowly shut the window on her side of her and Changs bedroom. She slowly shuffled back to the bed and proceeded to flop, face first, onto the mattress. Beside her was an undisturbed Chang, still face up, with his eyes closed, and body cloaked in a large fluffy blanket. One could mistake him for having slept through the whole event, that is, until he opened his mouth to speak.
"Nice to see you and Tongo getting along for once honey." Her husband said with some amusement in his voice.
"UGGGGH" Misumi replied simply, still face down on the bed, trying to get back to sleep.
A few moments later...
"RRRRIIIIINNNNNGGG" Went the small bell operated clock on Chang's nightstand. Chang slammed his hand on the small clock, ceasing the loud ringing, got up and out of bed, turned to face his wife's side, and said,
"Goooood morning my sweet!" In a chipper, happy go lucky tone.
Misumi raised her head slowly in response, he looked well slept, with his full head of brown (messy) hair, wearing his blue striped pajamas, and a smile printed on his face.
"I hate you." she replied simply and tiredly. Misumi proceeded to then lower her head back to the bed.
"No you don't!" Chang replied with a smile as he walked out of the bedroom to the bathroom across the hall.
A few hours later
In a mid-sized bedroom down the hall from his parents, slept the young son of the Kenta family, Kenji. His room was about half the size of his parents. On the hardwood floor were a few dirty clothes, and on the right side of the room was a simple dark wooden desk. On the desk were a few books on history and fairy tales, along with some wooden models of Satomobiles and Airships, all in multiple stages of build. On the left side of the room was the twin bed where a 12 year old Kenji was currently sleeping, wearing a red shirt and grey sweatpants, his form tangled up in a blue blanket.
The raven haired boy continued to sleep silently until...
"KENJI! TIME TO GET UP!" Yelled his mother.
Kenji groaned softly in response and shifted to his other side.
"I MADE PANCAKES!" Misumi yelled with a more playful tone.
In excitement, the boy's eyes burst open. He turned in his bed and leapt out of the covers. As he stood to stretch he looked out the window between his bed and his desk. Outside the window was a large chestnut tree, the leaves had started to turn shades of orange.
"Looks like fall is here." Kenji said to himself.
"THEY'RE GETTING COLD!"
His mother enticed him.
The boy then half ran to the door, and without a single thought, flung it open, breaking the hinges attached to the wall. As he continued down the hall to the stairs, he heard a loud "SLAM". He stopped momentarily, a look of surprise and worry appeared on his face as he turned to see his bedroom door on the hall floor and split wood on the door frame.
"YOU OKAY SWEETY?!" His mother called out in worry from the kitchen.
"YEAH.." Kenji said loudly and simply in reply, still staring at the broken door.
"DID YOU BREAK THE DOOR AGAIN?" Misumi yelled up, slightly frustrated and confused.
Kenji slowly walked down the stairs, turned back to past the dining room, and into the kitchen to see his mother (in her usual front buttoned red house dress, a dark red sash tied to her waist, and a white cooking apron) sitting at the kitchen table. Kenji quickly turned his head down to the floor and said quietly,
"Yeah.."
Misumi looked at her son with disappointment on her face and said,
"Oh, Kenji.." Misumi facepalmed, then looked to Kenji while holding her head in her palm
"That's the third time this month!"
Kenji looked up to his mom with a pleading look in his eyes.
"I didn't mean too! I- I was hungry and I opened the door and then-"
"Kenji, we talked about this." His mother interrupted him
"You need to think before you act!" "This is an old house."
"I know, I know, BUT it's not like I wanted to break the door... It just kinda happened... again.." Kenji replied sheepishly, his hands behind his back as he walked closer to his mother.
Misumi sighed
"It's okay Kenji, just be careful from now on okay?" She asked firmly, putting emphasis on being careful.
"Okay" Kenji said simply
"Good, now sit down and eat your breakfast"
Misumi stood and gathered their breakfast from the stove as Kenji sat down at the table. His mother placed the short stack of pancakes and scrambled eggs in front of him then sat down across the table with hers. Before Kenji could dig in though, his mom said,
"By the way, you are gonna tell your father what you did to the door." Misumi then took a bite of her breakfast.
A look of horror came to Kenji's face as he looked at his mother.
"What!" He said in shock, his mouth agape.
"You heard me." She replied with a mouth full of food.
Almost on cue, when his mother finished her muffled reply, Kenji's father Chang walked through the back door to the kitchen, in his usual green/brown farm attire, taking off his work gloves and placing them on the counter on his way to the table.
"Yum! Smells amazing as always my sweet!" Chang said as he proceeded to sit at the head of the small kitchen table.
The family proceeded to eat their breakfast in quiet serenity, which was a bit weird for Chang, as there was always a conversation going on between them during any meal. He looked to his son, who immediately avoided his gaze.
'Is something going on here?' Chang thought
He then looked to his wife, who looked back at him with a serious face and tilted her head and eyes towards their son who was still facing his nearly empty plate.
'Okay... bad morning I guess.' Chang thought as he processed the signal from his wife.
"So... how's your morning Kenji? Sleep well?" Chang said with curiosity.
"I... I slept ok" Kenji said quietly as he continued to look down at his plate.
"Kenji..." his mother said in a slightly irritated tone.
"I'm gonna tell him!" Kenji replied
"Tell me what? What happened!?" Chang asked his family.
"Well... I kinda... Broke the door to my room..." Kenji said sheepishly as he looked up to his father, finally.
Chang looked at his son, his face in shock.
"Again!?" He said in surprise
Kenji stood and nervosuly began to repeat the sentence "Im sorry!" over and over again, hoping in some way it would help quell his father's shock and anger.
"Im sorry! Im sorry! Im sorry! Im sorry!" He continued for a few seconds, getting louder with each utterance of the phrase.
"Ay-ya!" Chang yelled in frustration as he raised his arms, finally quieting his son.
"I get it, Kenji!" Chang said as he slowly lowered his arms back to the table.
Chang sighed, turned to his son and said,
"I understand you didn't mean to bre-"
"I know, and I'm sor-"
"I know! Your sorry Kenji... Spirits, Republic City knows you're sorry." Chang replied sarcastically.
"Look, son" Chang began to say as he placed a hand on Kenji's shoulder.
"Now I know you didn't mean to.. but this is the third time! A man must be held accountable for his actions, whether they meant them or not. Do you understand me?"
"...Yes" Kenji said quietly while looking down and away from his father.
"Kenji, look at me" Chang said softly
"It's okay," Chang said with a compassionate look. "Now, you're punishment, for the next few days you're gonna help me out with some barn upgrades, and help me fix that door of yours when you get back from school today. Okay?"
Kenji nodded his head in confirmation. Misumi then chimed in as she got up from the kitchen table.
"Good, now go get dressed, it's almost time for school." His mother said softly as she grabbed the dishes off the table.
Kenji replied again with a simple nod as he walked out of the kitchen onward to his room. When they heard their son walk up the stairs and out of ear shot, a sigh of frustration came from Chang. Misumi dropped the dishes off at the sink and walked over to hug her husband from behind.
"You're a good daddy." She said as she kissed him on the cheek.
"I try, I just wish I knew how he kept breaking that door." He said in reply.
Misumi let go of Chang and sat down next to him.
"I guess we can add that to the list..." She said simply, with a hint of sadness in her voice.
Ever since Chang and Misumi found Kenji they had been trying to discover his true origins. After getting a better look at the object they found him in they researched existing types of aircraft at the Senlin Library. They found no record of anything like it anywhere. Soon after stashing the craft under the barn in a makeshift earth den, Chang took samples of the crystals and the craft's hull to a scientist in a nearby mining village. The scientist proclaimed they were unlike anything he had ever seen before. When Chang was asked where he got the samples he lied. Afraid that he might harm the young child in his care.
With the help of a local police friend Misumi looked into cases of missing children throughout the region. After an eighteen month period of looking for anything related to Kenji, she found nothing matching his story or physical description. Finally, after four years of trying, and in a sign of desperation, they took him to a fortune teller in Makapu Village.
'Flashback'
A young Chang and Misumi sat on large pillows in the waiting area of an old style home. The walls were covered in old tapestries and paintings from all over the world, many of which depicted scenes of various spirit and human interaction. In the far corner of the room, next to a large circular door, was a small desk where a young blonde woman sat, reading an old book. Chang stared at the covered walls for what must have felt like hours until he then leaned over to his wife and whispered,
"I don't see how this is gonna help us."
Misumi, who was busy entertaining a toddler Kenji, said in response,
"I don't see you coming up with any other ideas."
"Come on," Chang said,
"you don't really believe in this fortune teller, hocus pocus stuff do you?"
"Do you see him, do you see daddy thinking?" Misumi asked playfully to her son sitting in her lap.
The child giggled hysterically at his mother. Chang on the other had replied bluntly,
"Ha. Ha. Ha."
The couple continued to sit in relative silence, apart from the few giggles from Kenji and Misumi, as Chang began to stare at the receptionist. Or more specifically, her hair.
'How does someone even get hair like that, its so... yellow!' he thought to himself.
Suddenly the circular door opened, only for a teenage girl to walk out crying. The young woman sobbed gently as she thanked the blonde receptionist and left the building in a hurry.
"That does not bode well for us" Chang said out loud.
Misumi proceeded to slap her husband on the arm with the back of her hand. As chang rubbed his arm, the blonde woman at the front desk stood (revealing a small but pregnant belly) as she looked to Chang and Misumi.
"He'll see you now Mr. and Mrs. Kenta." She said.
"Thank you, and congratulations by the way." Misumi said as she half dragged Chang to the door, with the young Kenji silently following behind his parents.
The three walked down a short, dimly lit hallway to arrive at the entrance of a large room. Lit entirely by candles and paper lanterns in the corners and ceiling respectively. Many objects littered the sides and walls of the room. Numerous old vases littered the ground, a few weapons, weird paintings, and ancient scrolls hung on the walls. In a glass case some shiny jewels, a golden helmet, and a few tattered books were locked up. In the middle of the room was a hearth, a large roaring fire burning at its center. Behind the hearth, on the opposite side of the room, was a person tending to the pit with a fire poker.
Sitting cross legged on the floor, his face obscured by the high the flames, he gestured for the family to sit.
"Please" He asked as he waved his open hand toward them, his face still hidden in the fire.
Misumi and Chang walked cautiously into the room. Kenji followed for a few steps then began to get scared. He half ran behind his mother's legs and began to whine.
"Its ok sweetie." Misumi said as she lifted the young Kenji up and held him, facing him away from the strange scene before them.
The couple continued to walk into the room, then sat on the ground across from the strange person and the fire. Both Chang and Misumis thoughts began to race about what they got themselves into. Just as the person finished treating the fire, the flames died down to reveal a man wearing black robes and a top hat of all things. He had a handsome, normal looking face, and a mustache. Immediately Misumi began to breathe again, as she saw she had nothing to worry about. Chang on the other hand was still a bit weary.
The strange man smiled at the young family, placed the fire poker next to the pit, then proceeded to speak.
"Welcome to my humble abode, I am Zatara. Piercer of the Veil, Spirit World Wanderer, and Master of the Mystic Arts. How may I help you?"
Misumi spoke first,
"Hi Mr. Zatara, I'm-"
The man named Zatara interrupted her briefly,
"Ah, it's actually just Zatara, no 'Mr.' please" He said, still smiling.
"Right..." Chang replied bluntly, nodding his head up and down for a moment.
"Sorry," Misumi said before she began again.
"I'm Misumi Kenta, and this is my husband Chang. We're here because we have some unanswered questions about," (Misumi shifted the child in her arms from facing away to a cradle position) "This little guy."
Zatara stood and walked around the hearth, over to Chang and Misumi. As he stood over them he looked to the child in the young woman's arms. Laying in his mother's arms Kenji began to look around the room until he spotted Zatara. The child stared at him relentlessly, not sure what to make of the strange looking man. Zatara stared right back at him, and the proclaimed Master of the Mystic Arts looked into the child's deep blue eyes and thought,
'I have never seen eyes that blue.'
They regarded each other for a few moments, then Zatara looked back to the couple and said simply,
"He's obviously not yours"
Chang breathed deeply in annoyance, but decided not to say anything for his wife's sake.
"We found him in the woods outside our town a few years ago, he was in some sort of aircraft surrounded by a bunch of these" Misumi said as she handed Zatara a crystal from the craft.
Zatara looked at the crystal in his hand. It was around ten inches in length, roughly three inches in diameter at the bottom, coming to a point at the top. Shaped like a diamond, on its bottom, the crystal had the imprint of a sitting dragon or slithering serpent, but without any animal characteristics on its body. He then proceeded to wave his other hand over it, almost as if he was scanning the energy coming off it.
"I've never seen anything like this!" He proclaimed
Chang rolled his eyes and scoffed.
"I've heard that before.." He said with some annoyance in his voice.
Misumi quickly turned her head to him, with a look of anger on her face she shushed her husband.
"Building on what my husband said... We've heard that a lot." She said, turning back to Zatara.
Zatara handed the crystal back to Misumi and thought for a moment. He then asked the couple to explain exactly how they found Kenji. The description of the craft, the actions taken between them, where they were coming from,
"- any and all details, no matter how small!" He asked with a sense of importance.
It was at that moment, Chang finally had enough.
"Okay, that's it, we're done here." He proclaimed bluntly as he stood.
"What?!" Misumi cried out in response as she turned back to her husband.
"Oh this is such fortune teller crap Misumi. We've tried for years to keep ourselves safe from people who might hurt us, and now you're willing to give everything up to some... con-artist!?" Chang asked his wife, half yelling
Misumi stood with Kenji still cradled in her arms, and snapped back at her husband.
"Well, it's not like any of your BRILLIANT IDEAS ever worked out. That doctor guy wanted to excavate the entire region looking for the rest of those fragments you gave him! What if he connected them to him?" She put emphasis on the child in her arms, who was still staring at Zatara.
Chang defend his actions to his wife,
"At least he gave us some answers! And besides, I took care of it, that guy will never look at us!"
The couple continued to argue back and forth about the situation for several minutes, Chang continuing to insult and disprove Zatara, often mentioning the old Makapu fortune teller in Sokka's memoirs, plus a bunch of evidence against magic like the kind Zatara offered them. Misumi on the other hand continued to defend him, often proclaiming Chang to be ignorant of her and her faith, plus the accounts of many others who have had experiences with Zatara and others like him. Soon though, the magician in question had enough of the bickering.
"Ugh... sbmal eht ecnelis" Said Zatara, as he pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to hold back a headache.
Suddenly, the mouths of both adult Kentas shut tight. Their eyes became as wide as a cat-owls when they tried to speak but couldn't. The two turned to face a sightly grinning Zatara,
"I love that spell." He said happily to himself.
Then his demeanor changed to one more serious, as he asked them to sit once more. The couple complied, not wanting to anger the now proven magic user. Zatara then walked through the hearth, parting the fire in the process as he went back to his side of the room. As the flame knitted back together the magician proceeded to explain himself to the couple. Mostly for Changs benefit.
"Now, let's set the record straight, shall we?" He said as he turned, and sat down in front of the fire, facing the now silent Chang and Misumi. Kenji meanwhile was still staring daggers at Zatara from his mother's arms.
"I. Am. Not. A. 'con-artist'. As you so aggressively claim me to be. I simply try to help those who cannot find a way to help themselves, much like Aunt Wu did before she picked me to take over her place here in Makapu. Whether that means helping people like you find out where their child came from... or telling a young girl she won't be getting a radio for her birthday. Yes, magic, fortune telling, and the like are most certainly real, but it's not something just anyone can do, and it's not perfect. Not everything I see is totally clear, or what I do, work out exactly the way you'd expect or want. But eventually, everything falls into place. Sounds good?"
He said expecting an answer from the two, but got nothing but muffled responses.
"Oh, right, Speak." Said Zatara as he released the Kentas' from the spell he placed on them.
As Misumi and Chang opened their mouths for the first time in minutes, the first thing they did was comply with Zataras explanation.
"Yes" The couple answered simply and at the same time.
Zatara responded, grasping his hands together in success,
"Perfect! Now let's get back to those details, shall we?"
Chang and Misumi began to explain what happened that night four years ago when they found Kenji. The meteor shower, the lost ostrich-horse that lead to the crater, the craft, etc. When the story was finished Zatara sat for a moment regarding the details. The magician thought about the circumstances, the setting, the description of the craft, and everything the couple had shown and told him. A long few minutes passed until he spoke.
"Well, this doesn't sound like anything that came from the spirit world, it was not destined based on my knowledge of religious scriptures, nor does the child or the crystal look or act like anything I've ever seen. And I have seen much in my travels."
Chang was the first to reply to Zataras assessment,
"So what then, He just dropped from the sky randomly?" He said sarcastically
Misumi was about to chastise Chang for his stupid comment, until she was stopped in her tracks by what Zatara said next.
"Yes actually." Zatara said with a matter of fact tone.
"What!?" Said Chang and Misumi at the same time.
Their faces contorted with confusion and shock as they asked themselves how could a baby just fall out of the sky? Who would put a baby in an airship alone? These questions and more rattled their minds for a few moments, until Zatara spoke again.
"The universe is much more complicated than most people care to think about." He said simply.
"In my experience, while this child (Zatara gestured to young Kenji, who was still staring at the man intently from the comfort of his mother's arms) and all that surrounds him are an unknown to us here on Earth, it is very possible that he may have come from beyond it. Whether that means he comes from the stars or another plain of existence entirely I can't say without further exploration."
"So that means we may never find out where he came from..." Misumi said with a hint of sadness.
Chang scooted his seat closer to his wife and held her in his arms, doing what he could to comfort her. As Misumi rested her head on Chang, He glared at Zatara, frustration filled his eyes.
"So, this was all for nothing then?!" Chang said angrily
"No, not at all, I simply need to look into him further." Zatara replied in a calm voice, not wanting to upset the two further.
"Ok, what does that mean?" Chang asked
"Hmm" Was all he said as Zatara stood and walked over to the glass case at his right. He then pulled out an old book, and as he opened it, searching for a page, he explained to Chang and Misumi what he meant and what he was doing.
"Right now I'm looking for a decent seer spell, that will allow me to look into history. Specifically your son's."
"Ah Ha!" Zatara proclaimed as he seemed to have found the right page.
Misumi and Chang were amazed at the thought!
"You can really do that?" Misumi asked, almost ecstatic.
"I can try." Zatara said as he closed the book, put it back in the case, and walked over to the couple.
"All I need is a strand of hair" He said as he quickly waved his hand over Kenji's head and used magic to extract a piece of hair.
"Woah!?"
"Hey!"
Said both Chang and Misumi respectively, as they both went to cover Kenji's head. Kenji on the other hand didn't seem to care, as he was still staring at Zatara with intensity.
"Relax." Zatara replied to the couple as he walked over to one of the old vases in the corner.
When Chang and Misumi realized Kenji was in no pain and relaxed, they turned to see what Zatara was doing now. Zatara then proceeded to pick up a cup from behind the vases on the left side of the room, and dip it into a green colored one with a faded drawing of a tree. As he pulled it out, the faint smell of dirt and decay filled the room for a moment.
"Eww, what is that stuff?" Asked Misumi
"Smells like extra strength manure!" Said Chang with a chuckle
Zatara smirked as he replied,
"It's mud from the base of the Foggy Swamp Banyan-grove tree, so you're not too far off."
Zatara then sat down at the hearth, pulled out a piece of paper and a quill pen from his robes, and drew an eyeball on the paper. When he was done he plucked a piece of his own hair, then placed the hair from Kenji and himself, along with the drawing of the eye into the cup of mud. He then raised his free hand above his head and pulled a white tipped black colored stick out of thin air.
"Now we mix" he muttered quietly to himself as plunged the stick into the strange concoction and proceeded to stir for a few moments.
Chang and Misumi watched in fascination as the cup began to glow a faint green color from its top. As the sorcerer was focused mixing his strange concoction, Chang leaned into his wife's ear and quietly said,
"This is really weird."
"Yup" was all she could say in reply as she continued to stare.
Zatara then pulled the stick out of the cup and looked back at the couple.
"Okay, when I place this into the fire, I'll be connected with Kenji for a few minutes. I'll be able to see any place, person, or thing, your child has come into contact with, and experience it just as he did, along with him."
"Wait… what do you mean, 'along with him'?" Chang asks curiously
"Probing into memory is a... multiple person process. In order to see what he saw, I need to access the part of himself that holds those experiences. But that can only happen with him opening the 'door'." Zatara explained
"So.. He'll relive them with you?" Misumi asked
Zatara replied simply
"Yes"
"What if they're traumatic? Could he be hurt?!"
"It's similar to remembering something. Normally, people often have emotions that come up with thinking about their past. These can be positive, negative, etc. With this though, because it's more invasive, people can react more intensely. But, No. No one has ever been harmed physically in this kind of ritual. And neither will your child."
Misumi looked to a worried Chang, then to young Kenji in her arms.
"Okay.. As long as he won't be hurt"
"I give you my word," Zatara replied, then threw the cup into the fire.
With a loud 'WHOOSH' the flames grew large. The room felt as hot as the sun, and for a moment it seemed as though the place was going to burn down. Then, just as quickly as it grew, the fires color morphed into a green hue, and died down to a manageable size. Seconds later, two separate plumes of green smoke found their way to Zataras and Kenji's faces.
Misumi gasped as she and Chang tried to fan the smoke away from the toddler,
"Don't!" Said Zatara sternly as he sat in place.
"He's okay, this is all part of the process."
The couple stopped fanning the child and sat still.
As the smoke enveloped their faces, both Zatara and Kenji's eyes began to glow a bright white.
"I can now see through the eyes of your- Huh?" ." Zatara was about to proclaim his success in connecting with Kenji, when something abnormal began to engulf his sight.
Misumi began to panic slightly, "Is something wrong?!" She asked, filled with worry.
Zatara was silent for a moment, he seemed to be squinting his eyes in an intense focus. The sorcerer then began to chuckle as his face returned to a normal appearance.
"Fascinating!" He exclaimed
"Can you please tell us what you see?!" Chang asked with some frustration in his voice.
"Oh, sorry, It's just-"
"What!?" The couple exclaimed in response, eager for answers.
"I now understand why he was staring at me the whole time"
Through the eyes of Kenji, Zatara could see a multicolored glow surrounding his person.
"It seems young Kenji here can see a person's aura"
Chang was confused about the new term.
"What's an aura?" he asked
Misumi turned and replied to her husband, "An aura is a sort of unique energy field that people give off, it's a representation of their life force, emitted by the chakras."
Chang turned back to his wife with a weird look.
"I read it in a book on it once." She shrugged in reply
"Kenji can really see them?" She asked Zatara, turning back to face him.
"Yes, people normally require a special kind of magic to view auras, however, Kenji here seems to see them naturally!"
Zatara said with fascination.
"Ok, so, what can you see about his past?"
Chang asked.
"I'm getting to it, just need to focus a bit here…" Zatara replied simply
A few minutes passed in an awkward silence, then, Kenji gasped,
"Ok… I'm starting to see something.." Zatara said as he was trying to see into Kenji's memory.
Chang took a hold of his wife once more as they listened.
The sorcerer began to see multiple strange and wondrous things as he explored the child's memory.
"I'm looking out a window… So many buildings… hundreds of large shining buildings, higher than the tallest skyscrapers in Republic city! The sky is so… red- there are moons! Two of them!"
Zatara proclaimed in amazement.
With a flash of white light the memory shifted.
"Wait, it changed… Now I'm in some kind of white room"
Zatara turns his (Kenji's) head.
"There are people in here with me, a man and a woman, I think… they're backs are turned, covered in shadow... I can't even understand them… They seem to be troubled… they're looking over something, some glowing… picture? Two halves of a sphere?"
Another flash of white light forces the memory to shift again.
"It changed again… it's getting clear- AH!"
Zatara exclaimed is surprise
At the same time Kenji begins to fuss in Misumi's arms, squirming and crying to the point of tears.
"It's ok! It's ok! little one! Shushhh." Misumi said as she tried to calm Kenji.
"What is it! You said this wouldn't hurt him?!" Chang asked worryingly
Zatara cupped his ears in pain,
"It's loud! So loud!" He said half yelling in response.
"Someone is holding me, running…"
In the memory smoke fills the blood red sky as multiple damaged shining buildings breakaway from the heavens. Explosions fill the air around the cityscape as black and green flying machines shoot white light at each other. The ground shakes while sirens blare and people scream in terror. Flashes of blue light fly back and forth in the street as people in green/red uniforms and black armor are fighting for dominance around every corner.
Zatara shudders and leans his head down as he gasps in shock.
In the memory his carrier trips over some rubble as the ground shakes suddenly. Now in his view are the bodies of multiple men, women, and children.
"...Running away from the horror"
Zatara said simply.
Misumi looks to Chang, fear filling her eyes as Kenji continues to cry in her arms. Chang hugs his wife and baby tightly, doing what he can to help them both feel safe again.
With another flash of white light, the memory shifts once again. Zatara takes his hands off his ears and seems to calm down.
At the same time Kenji ceases his fussing and is once again quiet. Misumi and Chang feel a bit relieved.
"It's quieter now…" Zatara says as he shudders once more.
In the memory he felt the ground shake again, much more violently this time.
"The ground keeps shaking… almost like an earthquake, but a thousand times more powerful!" Zatara proclaims with some fear and faceanation in his voice.
Zatara makes an account of his surroundings,
"I'm in some kind of cradle… no, th- this is the ship you described, and I'm surrounded by those crystals…"
Zatara then turns his head upward,
"Those people are back… I can see them now… a man and a woman, he has black hair and… she has blue eyes…"
Chang and Misumi look to each other as they have the same thought,
'His parents'
The couple then look down to Kenji, his eyes still glowing from the spell, looking up to empty space above him as he relives the memories of his parents with Zatara.
"They're saying something…" Zatara exclaims,
Misumi and Chang look back to Zatara, eager to know what Kenji's biological parents are saying.
"It's hard to make out… I don't even understand it… I'll try to speak as they do..."
In the memory Zatara hears the strange couple above him, the black haired man spoke first,
"Io mak tri go-t Kal-El.. Wi sa ga, Wi Oi tra-ma, Oi lek Io, ba-ha."
Then the woman with blue eyes spoke,
"Tra-da Io ga mi-rah sio Kal. Sa mak ma-rah lek Io, fen owa ea pah."
The woman began to cry as she placed the diamond shaped crystal into the craft with Kenji. The strange couple then hold each other as the door to the ship closes shut.
Word for word Zatara repeats what the couple in the memory say to him. Both Chang and Misumi are stunned at the alien language. What could it mean? Is it a message to them? Is it an instruction for Kenji? Or are they just saying goodbye? As the couples' minds race in thought regarding what they've heard, the smoke clears from Zatara and Kenji's faces.
"I'm seeing nothing but darkness now.. The spell has run its course." Zatara proclaimed as the energy fades from his and Kenji's eyes. The fire returned to its natural red/orange color as the room was engulfed in silence. For a few minutes, everyone was in shock of what they witnessed.
Zatara was the first to speak,
"Well… that was interesting." He said simply
Chang looked back to him, anger in his eyes as he rose and yelled,
"YOU SAID HE WOULDN'T BE HURT!"
"Chang don't-" Misumi followed her husband as she tried to stop him from doing anything rash
"No Misumi, he said he wouldn't be hurt, but he was crying in pain!"
"He was simply reliving the memory" Zatara informed them.
"I told you, people can react intensely to this. But he was not harmed, just a little shaken. Besides, he seems fine." Zatara calmly explained, still sitting on his side of the room across from the now standing couple.
Changs head almost seemed like it was gonna blow until Misumi placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked back to his wife.
"We're okay" Misumi said simply as she motioned to the child in her free arm, fast asleep.
Chang looked to Kenji, then sighed and turned back to the sorcerer.
*Sigh* "You're right… I'm-"
Zatara lifted his hand in response, silencing Chang as he quickly replied,
"It happens Mr. Kenta. I can see you are a very devoted family man, and you're only doing what you think is best for your own. I admire that."
Chang simply gave a swift nod in reply to Zatara, finally seeing him as a man worthy of his respect.
Misumi was next to respond to Zatara,
"So, what does this all mean? The city, the red sky, the weird language his parents spoke?"
Zatara thought for a moment then said,
"It's difficult to say. What I saw and described to you is like nothing on our world. I've been to many strange places myself, but nothing I've seen before fits this description. My best theory is that your child comes from a world beyond our own in many ways. The fact that he showed up in that weird airship tells me that he might actually be one of the stars themselves."
"That doesn't tell us much. If anything, now we have even more questions-" Misumi said frustrated as Zatana began to speak in response.
"Like I said, magic doesn't always work out exactly the way you'd want. But look at it this way,"
Zatara said as he stood and walked around the hearth, over to the young family.
"Young Kenji here, is happy, obviously healthy, and has two very loving parents here with him now. Sure, he may come from the stars and his past may be filled with despair, but I'm positive that in time he'll soar to great heights."
"How do you know he'll be ok?" Chang asked worryingly.
Zatara smiled and said,
"Well... I am a fortune teller afterall."
'End of Flashback'
'His past may be filled with despair, but I'm positive that in time he'll soar to great heights.'
They both sat remembering what Zatara said to them. Hoping they were doing the right thing as parents.
"He's a good boy." Said Chang to his wife, while taking her hand
"He's our good boy." Misumi replied, squeezing back.
Half an hour later:
On the newly paved road leading into the town of Senlin, Misumi (using a cart pulled by Tongo) was now on her way to take Kenji (now dressed in a tidy blue uniform) to school. After the unpleasant events of the early morning, both mother and son weren't exactly in the most comfortable place emotionally. As the cart passed several neighboring farms, there was nothing but awkward silence between the two riders. After a few more minutes, Misumi took a moment from the road before her to try and talk to her son.
"So… Any idea what you plan on learning today?" Misumi asked her son
"Not… Really…" Kenji replied rather sheepishly
A few more moments pass, then she askes another question
"Oh, What about your friend, Ping? Doing anything fun with him today?"
"Maybe…" Kenji replied again, not really interested in the attempt at conversation.
A few more moments pass again,
"Okay, well how about –"
*Sigh*
Misumi began to say something when her son interrupted with a long sigh. In response, she once again faced the road, feeling defeated.
'This is going to be a long drive…' Both Kenji and his mother thought.
As the two left the farmlands and passed a large bear-shaped welcome sign, Kenji began looking around at all the buildings and people walking about in the small town he called home.
Senlin had changed dramatically in the 70+ years since the Avatar's visit. The original green painted wooden buildings Kenji had seen in photographs and paintings, had mostly been replaced with stone and brick modern ones, varying in colors of soft earth tones, greys, and light reds. During the early days of the United Republic, when it was going through its population boom, the surrounding walls had been torn down to make room for the new people. Making the town double in size almost overnight.
As the cart continued to pass on through the main street, Kenji blankly stared all the buildings he had seen and been in before throughout his young life. On the left were "Langs", the bakery constantly pumping out every sweet smell you can imagine. A small bed-and-breakfast that never seemed to have any guests. the apothecary shop with loads of herbs and other plants hanging in the windows. The local urgent healers, and the empty lot with a wooden fence that often held the local farmers market. On the right side of the street were "Ming's Treasures", the antique/clothing store Kenji's mother often frequented (much to his father's dismay). The local Playhouse with its ever-glowing electric sign. "Huojin's Tools", the hardware store Kenji's father frequented (much to his mother's dismay). The barbershop, where no one could keep a secret. Then finally "The Panda Bear Diner", the local restaurant with 'The Best Tea in the United Republic' as its proprietor often exclaimed at the top of her lungs.
As she was driving, Misumi glanced in her son's direction. Still looking randomly out at the town around them, Kenji had an almost sorrowful-bored look on his face. Worried about him, Misumi began to wonder to herself,
'Poor kid... he probably thinks I'm still angry with him, What would cheer him-'
It was then the smell sweet smells of the bakery hit her nose,
'Ooh! That might work', She thought
"You know..." Misumi began to speak again,
"Maybe when I pick you up after school, we can head by Lang's. Get some of that Ash-Banana bread you like?"
Kenji's eyes grew wide as he turned to face his mother.
"NO-I mean, that's okay… I don't feel like I deserve it anyway…" He said alarmingly
Sightly confused, Misumi thought to herself,
'When has he ever said no to something sweet?! What's wrong with Lang's?' Misumi pondered on her sons' strange behavior when,
'Wait... OH!'
The realization dawned on her, and a slight smirk began to appear on her face,
"Oh come on, all you did was make a mistake. Doesn't mean we should all suffer… Besides… You might get to see your friend Lana?"
Kenji's cheeks began to redden from embarrassment,
"I see her enough at school." He shrugged, feigning non-interest. Kenji then turned back to look at the sights and ignore his mother.
"All right then. If that's how you feel." Misumi replied simply, not wanting to push her son any further.
'Well, embarrassment is better than melancholy...' She thought to herself, not entirely satisfied with the reaction she got.
As they made their way to the end of Main Street, before them was the oldest building in Senlin, Townhall. It hadn't changed much, the paints on the wood building had faded a little bit over time, but it was still the same forest green with gold trim colors it had been for nearly a century. The cart then made a left turn onto the next street past the empty lot and continued on to the local school. Just pass the new library building on the right and Hei Bai Park with the local Spirit Museum on the left.
As the cart finally arrived, Kenji was eager to jump out and see his friends. However, as Tongo came to a stop Misumi called to her son.
"Kenji, wait!"
Kenji turned to his mother, still not looking her in the eye, but attentive nonetheless
"I know things were a little... heated this morning, but that doesn't mean you should punish yourself."
Kenji began to get that sad look on his face again.
"I know... But... I don't know how else to feel... I hate making you and Dad get angry."
"Kenji, we're not mad at you. I mean, sure it can get a little frustrating at times fixing the stuff that broke, but its not like you did it on purpose."
"... Yeah" Kenji said simply.
"Its okay Kenji." She replied, as she pulled her son in for a hug.
"No matter what happens, we still love you."
"Okay" *Sniffle* Kenji replies, holding back tears, and hugging his mother back.
After a few moments embracing each other, Misumi let go of her son.
"Okay... now go learn something kiddo, I'll be here after school." She said with a smile on her face.
Kenji smiled right back, for the first time in awhile.
"I'll try, bye Mom!" Kenji replied humorously as he leapt out of the buggy onto the ground, then turned to Tongo,
"Bye Tongo!"
Tongo squawked happly in reply.
Misumi then took the reins, turned around and left in the direction she came.
The crushing weight of guilt from the events of the early morning now a thing of the past, Kenji walked with a slight spring in his step as he made his way toward the school. Originally the site of a small wooden schoolhouse, the newer red brick building was two stories tall, with a covered walkway leading to the opening doors. The lower floor for elementary grades, and the upper floor for higher learning. The building had a large grass front lawn split on either side by a walkway. Over by the east edge of the school near some trees were a few rows of wooden tables for student meals and lunch time hang out. In the back of the school was a concrete yard surrounded by a chain link fence. This area was used for bending training and school events.
As Kenji continued toward the entrance, he made the mistake of walking too close to the local bully group, sitting at one of the lunch tables. The leader of the group, a spiky black haired earth bending boy named Kong, who was the most popular and best earth bender in his age group. His entourage consisted of four more kids, Wang Lei, a tall skinny water bending boy who was considered the school weasel and a master at kissing butt. Jian, a short stocky type fire bending boy who was always looking for a fight. Then finally, twin identical fire bending girls Yi and Yu, the gossip queens of Senlins' school.
Kenji attempted to quietly walk past the trouble makers, not wanting to spoil his good mood. Sadly though, Kong was looking for him.
"Hey Kenta! You give your mommy a kiss before class?" *MUAH* *MUAH* *MUAH* Kong said as he stood and shouted in Kenji's direction.
His little group began laughing in response, making light of Kenji's heart to heart with his mother earlier.
Not wanting to start anything, Kenji walked a little faster and kept his head down as he continued toward the entrance to the school.
"Hey, I'm talking to you-" The words of the bully were interrupted as Kenji reached the entrance and entered the building. He stopped for a moment and breathed a sigh of relief.
'The last thing I need today is a black eye.' He thought to himself, before making his way to class.
Kenji made his way down the hall to his classroom. He slowly opened the sliding wooden door, (so as not to break anything), and made his way inside. The classroom was like any other, four rows of five desks each, various posters and information sheets posted across the wall near the door, a chalkboard upfront, with the United Republic symbol above it, and some windows on the other wall. Kenji continued into the room, passing by several students getting ready for the day at their desks, until he made it to his own on the far side of the room, by the window, two desks from the last.
As Kenji sat down with his stuff he was interrupted by someone poking his shoulder.
"Hey Kenji! You catch the game last night?"
Kenji turned to see his best friend Ping, in his usual messy school uniform, leaning on the desk next to him. Kenji and Pings' familys had been friends since Misumi first took Kenji to the local police station to help identify him. His father was the officer she confided in to help them, and eventually push adoption papers through. Naturally, the two had become friends.
"Oh, hey Ping! Naw, I got caught up in my chores" Kenji replied.
"You missed a fun one! The Catgators laid waste to the Ba Sing Se Badgermoles!"
"Well, hopefully I'll catch the highlights on the news tonight"
"Oh! That won't do it justice! Let me paint a picture for you!" Ping said as he moved to sit backwards on the desk in front of his friend.
"So, there they were! Anzu, Daiki, and Li Wei, of the Catgators, tore up the place, sending all but the Badgermoles waterbender, Fang left. Then-"
Kenji was paying attention to his friend until, from out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a familiar tan skinned girl walking into the classroom. A matte black headband sat atop a head of shoulder length auburn hair. Her navy blue uniform jacket flawlessly complementing a powder blue knee skirt, and shiny black dress shoes worn immaculately with short white frilly socks. As the girls' dark green eyes scanned the room, she smiled a perfect smile, waved, and walked happily to a group of other girls.
'Lana Lang' He thought dreamily to himself
Kenji starred at the girl for a full minute before he was brought back to reality by his friend,
*SNAP, SNAP* A pair of fingers appeared in his vision, blocking the view of his crush
"Hey! Earth to Kenta! You listening?" Ping said with a hint of annoyance in his voice.
Kenji turned back to face Ping, with a dumbfounded look on his face
"Huh, Oh, you were saying about Badgermoles winning last night?" He said
"Da- Dude! What!? Why am I even taking time out of my morning to eloquently chronicle the awesome events of last nights Pro-Bending match, if you're not gonna pay attention!?" Ping said dramatically, (raising his hand in a dramatic fashion as he said the words "eloquently chronicling")
"I'm sorry, I was just... thinking about something" Kenji said, his face reddening a bit.
"Okaaaay..." Ping said, reading Kenji's face like a book.
"Well what's got you thinking that hard?" Ping said as he turned to the direction his friend was looking, only to see Lana Lang walking towards her desk.
"Oh! You finally gonna tell her!?" Ping said turning back to Kenji
"SHUSH!" Kenji tried to quiet Ping
"Come on man, you've had a crush on her since preschool! Don't you think it's about time-" Ping tried to reason with his friend, but Kenji interrupted him
"No! She doesn't even know I exist.. Besides, Kong is already her boyfriend, and I don't wanna get hurt twice." Kenji said feeling a twinge of fear and defeat
"How would you get hurt twice?" Ping asked
Kenji held up his hand, with one finger raised
"One: Getting rejected by Lana," He then raised a second finger
"Two: getting hit over the head with a rock by Kong!" He stressed the word rock.
"Ah…" Ping replied, nodding. He then continued,
"But that shouldn't stop you! You think I let anything like that keep me from my girl, Yi?"
Kenji looked at him like he was crazy and replied,
"... Didn't she try to set you on fire last week?"
"And? She's just playing hard to get." Ping replied, crossing his arms and smiling.
Kenji felt like slapping some sense into his deeply insane friend, but was interrupted by the bell ringing. The teacher then walked into the classroom (An older woman with thick glasses and a dark green schoolmarm-type dress) and said,
"Good morning class, all students to their seats"
"Good morning Mrs. Fang-Yin!"
All the kids shouted in unison as they scrambled to their desks. Mrs. Fang-Yin began to write on the chalkboard, as everyone settled. Ping sat in the desk next to Kenji and leaned to whisper in his ear,
"Don't let fear run your life Kenji, nothing good ever happens when you do that."
As class began, Kenji let the surprising words of wisdom from his best friend wash over him.
Several hours passed as the morning slowly turned to the early afternoon. The class had been going through the regular subjects, Math, History, etc. The students were currently working on a spelling quiz, but were interrupted by the teacher.
"Okay Class, pencils down. Pass your tests up, it's time to switch over to our Science lesson." The teacher proclaimed
A collective groan made its way throughout the classroom,
"Aw man, I really should have studied last night" Ping groaned, one hand planted on his forehead as he handed over his paper to the student in front of him.
Kenji, however, was silent, almost stoic as he passed his test over. Still thinking about what his friend said earlier today, he weighed the options of telling Lana how he felt.
"Today we will begin our lesson on the solar system." Mrs. Fang-Yin exclaimed as she began drawing on the chalkboard.
The students began opening their textbooks and following what Mrs. Fang-Yin was writing, all except Kenji.
'Maybe I should just tell her… I mean, fear shouldn't rule my entire life, right?'
Kenji looked towards Ping, seeing his friend doodling in his notebook. He draws out multiple random ideas and images from his mind, everything from a giant monster destroying a city, to himself as a music star. Kenji faced forward again and thought,
'I guess wisdom CAN come from the most unlikely of places.'
He shrugged.
Kenji then trained his eyes on Lana, sitting across the room. As he stared at her from afar, his imagination got the better of him.
Kenji began to daydream.
Wearing shiny golden armor with the symbol of a dragon on his chest, Kenji, on his mighty steed (Tongo in golden armor) roamed the streets of Senlin on patrol. It was all quiet until, suddenly, the silence was broken with the cries of a faire maiden.
"Help! Oh please, won't someone rescue me!"
"I'm coming my dear!" Kenji yelled in response.
Mushing Tongo, Kenji sped to the sounds of distress as fast as the animal could carry him.
The closer he got, the louder the screams became,
"Help me! Help me!"
Finally, Kenji arrived, only to be met with a horrendous sight, the Dreaded Dirt Lord Kong covered in head to toe with mud and muck, and his vile crew of fiends had tied the Lady Lana to a tree in the school yard, with hopes of defiling her.
Kenji jumped off Tongo and landed on the ground, shaking it with might of an earthquake.
"I'm here Lady Lana! Have at thee you brutes!"
Kenji proclaimed, threatening Kongs crew.
In a collective cry, the villains turned and shouted,
"Oh no! It's the Golden Knight!"
The evildoers began to scatter, all except the Dirt Lord himself.
"Ha, I can take you!"
The muddied Kong exclaimed, now standing alone.
Kong then stomped his foot, forcing a boulder into the air, then launched it with his fist at the hero. The boulder flew as fast as the wind, But, to his surprise, when it made contact with his chest, the rock broke in two!
"What?!" Kong explained in anger and confusion.
Kenji just laughed as he walked closer,
"Ha, didn't you know Dirt Lord?"
Kenji was less than a foot away when he punched Kong in the face,
"My armor is rock proof."
Kong (with a bloodied nose) fell backwards and hit the ground with a thud.
Kenji turned to Lana, and untied her from the tree.
"My hero!" She said breathlessly, as Kenji took her in his arms.
"Oh Kenji," Lana said as she stared into his eyes
"Oh, Lana," Kenji said as he stared into her eyes.
"Oh, Kenji," She replied
"Oh, Lana," Kenji replied back
"Kenji Kenta!" The voice of Mrs. Fang-Yin then came out of Lana's mouth.
"Wha!?"
The voice of his old teacher coming out of Lana was more than enough to break Kenji out of his daydream. Suddenly he was back in class, wearing his school uniform again.
He turned his head to face the front of the class, only to see his teacher staring back at him.
"Mr. Kenta, can you tell us exactly how many planets exist in the solar system?"
"Uh.. Five?" He guessed.
Mrs. Fang-Yin sighed,
"If you were more interested in your textbook or the board here then the side of Ms. Langs head, Mr. Kenta, you would know there are NINE planets in the solar system."
The class laughed in response, while Lana visually blushed. Kenji just put his head down in embarrassment.
"Enough!" Mrs. Fang-Yin exclaimed, and the class stopped
"Eyes upfront Mr. Kenta!"
Kenji, his face reddening with emotion, looked forward.
The teacher then continued the lesson.
"Now, the fourth planet from the sun is called Huǒxīng, named so after the element of Fire because of its red appearance. Some ancient Earth tribals believed it to be their God of war, Mars."
The lesson continued, and Kenji stared at the board as the teacher commanded. Filled with rage and embarrassment, thoughts again raced in his head.
'Why did she call on me?!'
'Why does she have to be so mean?!'
'Why did they have to laugh?!'
'Why?! Why?! Why!'
Kenji's face got redder and redder as his thoughts continued.
'Why do people always make fun of me!?'
'Why do I break everything!?'
'Why can't I just be normal!?'
'WHY! WHY! WHY!'
Ping turned to Kenji when the teacher's back was turned, only to see him on the verge of what looked like an explosion.
"Hey, dude, you okay?" He whispered, but Kenji couldn't hear him.
'WWWHHHHYYY!'
Suddenly,
*FSHOOM*
A massive red beam of light shot from Kenji's eyes, hitting the chalkboard.
*FOOM*
Which promptly set it on fire.
"Oh goodness! Oh my!" Mrs. Fang-Yin jumped in fear as the flame barely missed her.
The students turned their heads up to the front of the class and began to laugh at the sight.
As the Teacher quickly composed herself, she turned to face the students,
"Okay! Which one of you pyro-hooligans did this!"
The students continued laughing
"Ugh… Ms. Akna, would you please put this out?"
Mrs. Fang-Yin facepalmed as she asked a front row student who used waterbending, to put out the flames.
As the class calmed down and the fire was put out, Mrs. Fang-Yin requested that all firebending students stay after school.
Several students groaned in response, but those complaints were put to rest really quick by Mrs. Fang-Yin.
"This is the third time this year one of you miscreants has burned my classroom! And, I've about had it!"
"I'm gonna find out which one of you has such disrespect for this institution of learning if it's the last thing I do!"
Mrs. Fang-Yin continued to rant about "Ne'er-do-wells" until the lunch bell rang.
The students, some of them still chuckling over the fire, left their seats to go to lunch, while Mrs. Fang-Yin walked to her desk and slumped in the chair.
Meanwhile Kenji was still in his chair. silent. He appeared to be in a state of shock, his jaw was open as wide as possible.
"Kenji…" he heard his name called from next to him.
Kenji turned, shock all-over his face as faced the similar expression of Ping.
The two stared at each other for a moment until Ping broke the silence,
"HEY, WATCH WHERE YOU'RE POINTING THOSE!" He yelled as he pushed Kenji's face away from his.
"Shouldn't you two be at lunch?"
A tired sounding Mrs. Fang-Yin asked the two boys from across the room.
—–—–—–
About twenty minutes later, outside at the lunch tables:
"How did you do that?!" Ping said with facanation.
Kenji looked up from his hardly touched lunch with a blank expression,
"I don't know… I just got really mad, then my face got all hot and… 'zap'"
"Woah… I didn't know you were a fire bender?"
"I don't think I am though."
"But you jus-"
"Only my great-grandfather was a fire bender, and as far as I know he could never do stuff like that."
Kenji interrupted his friend.
Kenji and Ping sat in silence for a minute or two while the rest of their class ate lunch and played in the field around them.
"Maybe you're one of those special benders! Like the combustion-guy that fought Avatar Aang?" Ping openly questioned.
Kenji thought for a moment, then replied,
"Maybe?... but that wouldn't explain the other stuff..." He trailed off quietly to himself.
Ping looked confused,
"What other stuff?" He asked bluntly.
Kenji was surprised Ping heard him,
"WHA- nothing… Its just-" *SMACK*
Kenji was interrupted by a mid-sized dirt clump smacking into his head
Ping jumped out of his seat at the lunch table.
"Wha.." Was all he could say as viewed the damage.
The table was now covered in dirt, and Kenji had a huge smattering of mud on the right side of his face and shoulder. For a moment the whole lunch area was silent, all turning to stare at the muddied Kenji. Then the laughter started…
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Most of the surrounding children all began to laugh at the incident in front of them. Ping just stared at his friend with a look of empathy and mouthed, 'Sorry', as he lightly shrugged his shoulders. Kenji had a simple look of annoyance on his face as he said,
"I told you so."
A second later, Kong, accompanied by Jian, walked up to Kenji. Kong proceed to grab Kenji by his shirt collar, pulled him out of his seat, and proclaimed,
"If you stare at my girlfriend again, you're gonna be in a world of pain Kenta!"
Kenji stared at his bully with a level of fear that could only be measured in tonnes.
Ping stepped over to Kenji's side of the lunch table to try and defend his friend.
"Hey, man, there's no need for violence here, this is all just a big misunderstanding!"
Kong turned to Ping, and said
"Shut-it, this is between me and freakazoid here!"
Jian walked past Kong and Kenji to Ping and began cracking his knuckles.
"We gonna have a problem here, police boy?" He said in a soft yet dark tone, as lit a fire in one of his hands.
"Well- ah- ya see-"
A large group of kids formed a circle around the scene as Ping tried to talk his way out of an Ozai burn (when a fire bender punches you in the face with a lit fist). As he stared down his bully though, Kenji began to notice something strange about the dirt clod and the way it hit him. The impact site didn't hurt him... at all. Normally, when he got hit with something, whether it be a lump of dirt and rocks, an ice ball, or even a good old fist, there was usually an ache or pain. But this time, nothing. As Kenji remarked on that to himself, Kong was still trying to berate him.
"You hear me Kenta?"
Kenji didn't even notice as he was still thinking about the lack of pain.
"KENTA!"
Kenji snapped out of his stupor when Kong yelled,
"Wha-"
"Kong!" Yelled the voice of a young girl,
All four boys turned to the voice of young Lana Lang, walking into the circle.
"He isn't hurting anyone Kong, just leave him alone."
Kong dropped Kenji and turned to his girlfriend,
"He was staring at you in the middle of class, I was just defending you."
Lana rolled her eyes,
"From what? His eyeballs?"
Ping chuckled for a second, then Jian turned to him and barked,
"Quiet!" as he threw a snap'n'pop sized fireball towards his feet.
Lana continued,
"Kenji was just staring into space during a test, everyone does it"
"No, he was staring at you, and you're my girl, that's not okay!" Kong replied as he took hold of Lana's hand.
"Uh, last I checked, I wasn't anyone's property, least of all yours" Lana said as she pulled her hand away from Kongs.
The crowd, "Oohed" in response to Lana. Kong began to look a bit flustered,
"But-"
"Everytime another boy looks in my direction, or says Hi to me, you freak out and act like a jerk! And I don't like jerks." Lana interrupted Kong
"We're done. Now, you and Jian leave them alone." Lana said simply pointing to Kenji and Ping.
Kong, with a look of defeat and with Jian at his side, backed off as the crowd quickly started to thin
Kenji took a breath, then walked up to and thanked Lana.
"Thanks for that, I thought he was gonna pound me into next week"
"It's okay, I'm sorry about that… Kong is.. was over protective" Lana replied with a hint of regret.
Ping took no time rushing out of circle,
"Thanks Lana, you're the best, let's go over there Ken-" He tried to say to Kenji as he walked towards the outer field area, but was ultimately interrupted by an earth ball hitting his chest.
"Ping!" Kenji proclaimed in worry for his best friend, as he toppled over in pain.
Lana rushed over to Ping as the kids began to line up again, this time a bit more spread out and shouting "Fight, Fight, Fight!" over and over again. Kong with an angry look on his face ran to Kenji and said,
"You're dead!"
Kenji became startled and began to back up quickly as Kong sped forward towards him. As the two got closer Kong crouched and launched some mid-sized rocks from the ground at Kenji. As the rocks grew closer, Kenji began to feel strange again, this time his heart was pumping so fast it felt like an earthquake in his chest. As the rocks grew even closer, Kenji closed his eyes and put his hands in front of him and waited for them to hit. But to his surprise, nothing. He then opened his eyes to see the rocks still hurtling towards him, but at a very slow rate.
'Huh?'
He thought as the rocks slowly grew closer to him. Kenji looked around to see everything had slowed down!
'Woah!' he thought as he lowered his arms and looked around him. All the kids yelling at them, Lana helping Ping up, and Kongs' angry expression, were all happening in slow motion. It was then he noticed himself. Kenji looked down to his arms, and moved them again up to his face. They were moving at what to him was a normal pace. Kenji wiggled his fingers a bit and questioned mentally
'I'm fast?' He then turned back to the rocks, this time less than a foot away from him.
'I'm fast!' He reaffirmed, and proceeded to leap out of the way, avoiding the rocks completely!
Time begins to move normally now as Kong, angry and now confused, continued to shoot rocks at Kenji trying to hit him. However, he was having no success. One after another, Kong would punch, and kick boulders and rocks into the air and Kenji would avoid them. Soon enough, Kong had enough.
"Why won't you stay still!" He screamed at Kenji
Kenji, now feeling a bit playful replied,
"Why don't you aim better?"
The groups of kids surrounding the fight began to laugh at Kong's expense. Even the still injured Ping had a chuckle. Kong's face became red with fury.
"I'll show you!" He yelled as he punched his fists into the ground, forcing the surrounding earth into gloves.
"AHHH!" Kong yelled with all his might as he stood and ran to Kenji, intending to seriously hurt him.
This time however, Kenji didn't run, he stood his ground against Kong and waited for the first punch. As Kong got close enough, he threw a massive right hook at Kenji's head. Time slowed once again for Kenji as he quickly backed up, grabbed Kong's wrist, breaking the earth glove, forcing dust into the air, pulled, turning Kong and threw him back to the muddied lunch table.
*CRASH*
When the dust settled, pretty much everyone gasped at the sight before them. Kenji, his arm extended and hand open, pointing in the direction of Kong, who now laid down on a split/broken wooden table a few feet away.
Everyone was shocked into silence. Lana, cuffed her hands around her mouth, and Ping, just stared, his jaw dropping as far as it could go. Kenji simply lowered his arm. After these few moments of general shock, Finally a teacher showed up.
"What's going on aroun- Spirits!" He exclaimed, when he saw Kenji and Kong, the latter bruised and unconscious.
Gaspes and mutterings began to envelop the surrounding crowd as the teacher called for help and ran to Kong. Moments later, more teachers and the school nurse came to Kong's aid, as Kenji was still standing a few feet away. Time slowed for him once again as he began to talk to himself,
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry" He said over and over again quietly, a tear running down his cheek.
Gods... So I'm back! Sorry for the long wait, but... Lets just say 2020 kicked my ass...and lungs...and life... But I'm here, and I plan on posting Chapter 3 as soon as I can. Right now I have the outline done, gonna start writing around mid march when life slows for me... hopefully. Might do a Q&A after Ch 3...
-LL&P
