The Lotus War
Book 1-Metal
Chapter 1-The Demon City
The night was so steaming hot that just thinking about breaking a sweat was enough to break a sweat. People were dropping like flies from dehydration. The street vendors sold everything they had on hand to quench their thirst. Before they knew it, they'd bartered away their own supplies and were collapsing from the heat as well.
It wasn't hard to read a foreboding symbolism into these events.
A pale hand raised a glass. The amber liquid that half-filled it barely stirred. Full lips pressed against the transparent rim. The young woman sitting on barstool several seats away exclaimed in a long, low voice that sounded like a sigh.
Her boyfriend reacted with a fierce glare at the owner of the glass, a young teenager with a slender form clad in a black shirt and jeans with a black coat tied around his waist. He had black hair that reached a little past his ears and slightly covered his surprisingly bright green eyes. Akira silently set the empty glass down on the counter.
"You sure can put 'em down." The bartender said with a straight face. He and the customer went way back. "That makes three. I've got five more bottles cooling down in the refrigerator."
"Much appreciated." Said Akira, sheepishly brushing the tip of his nose with his forefinger. "Don't ask me why, but I can put down all but the finest sake without so much as a blush. My brother's worse. You should see him down a whole bottle of fire whiskey."
"Fire whiskey. Really, Akira, you're probably one of the only Earth Union people who have a monopoly on Fire Nation drinks." The bartender's leather face split into a boyish grin. "Speaking of which, where is your brother?"
"He's…somewhere. Out eating, I think." Akira said dismissively.
"And your friends?" The man's grin grew wider.
Akira ran a hand through his messy black hair and smiled with boyish awkwardness. The bartender couldn't hold in his bellowing laugh.
"You're really something else, Akira." He laughed. "How long do you think it'll take for those girls to hunt you down?"
"Give it less than thirty minutes. I think Hua's already on my scent." Akira sighed forlornly, running a finger along the rim of his glass. In the dim light of the bar, his jade green eyes glowed ominously with an unearthly light, or so it seemed to his female admirer. "Aren't there usually more people here?"
"Anyone with time on their hands is heading over to Republic City for the memorial service. Apparently it's almost the anniversary for the Surge."
"Oh yeah, that." Akira's eyes dimmed a bit, but no one noticed. "I've been to one of those before. It's cool visiting Republic City, but having to deal with all that triad bull crap every time I step foot into that city got annoying fast."
"You've been to Republic City before?" Asked the young woman on the barstool. She didn't hide the fact that she had been eavesdropping on their conversation while also pointedly ignoring her boyfriend. Akira felt bad for the poor guy, she was quite the looker.
"Last year, but the first time I went was when I was a kid. I think it was during the anniversary of Avatar Korra's death. Believe it or not, I actually met Asami Sato herself."
"Really?" The woman's eyes brightened. No surprise there, Asami Sato was as much as a hero to young girls everywhere as Bolin was to aspiring mover stars. "Wait…were you that kid that ran up to her and gave her a hug after her speech?"
"The very same." Akira nodded, though he wasn't boastful, or even proud. "Don't ask what I was thinking. I just ran up to her and gave her a hug with my tiny baby hands. Spur of the moment kind of thing."
"I'd killed to meet the woman in person like that." She sighed. "This might not come as a surprise to you, but she's, like my biggest hero."
"I take it you're an aspiring inventor?" He asked with a smile.
"No, I'm not that good with my hands. I want to be a computer programmer, you know, like they show on TV."
"That's a risky deal. Aren't those things new?"
"Yeah, but I think computers might go a long way." She shrugged. "Call it intuition."
"Can't argue with that."
The door opened up behind him, but Akira paid it no mind as he checked his watch. "It's getting late and I better get home before big bro or dad starts sending the troops out."
"Too late for that." A female voice growled behind him. Akira froze and slowly looked over his shoulder at the two young women standing behind him like a pair of dragons ready to strike.
One of the girls was exactly Akira's age, 16 with silky black hair that, to the surprise of many, was actually natural. She had gray eyes and a slender body clad in a tight fitting black and white t-shirt and jean shorts with thigh high black stripped socks and sneakers. Two golden metal fans were attached to her belt, folded up and unassuming.
Her companion was a year older than the two of them. She had pale skin and narrow amber gold eyes indicative of her Fire Nation heritage, with dark blue, almost black, hair tied into two buns atop her head. Unlike her friend's modern clothing style, this girl wore a black silk outfit similar to an old-style Earth Kingdom Cheongsam with form-fitting black pants and slippers. Her posture was stiff and strong like a rock, but she looked ready to move at a moment's notice. She too had a pair of metal fans strapped to her waist.
Akira raised an eyebrow and raised his glass sin greeting to the girls, skillfully hiding his nervousness behind the empty glass. The bartender grinned and turned away while the young woman, still ignoring her annoyed boyfriend, watched on curiously.
"Hey Jade…Hua…" Akira said in a weak voice. He cleared his throat and nodded to them. "Nice summer night we're having, huh?"
"I'm beating your ass when we get back home, Akira." Jade said.
"Oh, come on Jinnie-"
"Don't call me that!" She snapped.
"I just wanted to have some me-time, girls. Nothing wrong with that." He whined.
"Except for the fact that Junpei is still hunting for you." Hua said calmly, her expression almost stone cold, though in reality it was far from such. "Bai told us to make sure you didn't get into any trouble."
Akira rolled his eyes. "Of course. Can't ruin big bro's reputation or anything."
"Stop bitching and let's go. I thought you had school tomorrow." Jade said.
"I do. Why do you care? You don't even like school."
"I don't, but I hate having to get up early to wake your sorry ass up to even more." She replied.
Akira sighed and slapped some bills onto the counter. "That's it for me tonight. I got to go."
"Pleasure doing business with you, Akira. You two, ladies."
"See ya, Fan." Jade waved lazily at the bartender while Hua gave him a stiff nod and followed her companions out.
The woman blinked at the scene, waving back at Akira as he smiled at her. "Well that was odd. Were those two his ex-girlfriends?"
"Nah, they're his bodyguards." The bartender said, cleaning Akira's discarded glass. "The redhead is his girlfriend, though."
"Bodyguards?" The woman's boyfriend said, speaking for the first time since being snubbed by his girlfriend. "What, is he some rich kid or something?"
The bartender rolled his eyes. "You two must be new in town. That kid's name is Fa Akira. You know, from the Fa family?"
It took a moment, but the boyfriend eventually realized the significance of that name, only seconds after his girlfriend did.
"W-Wait, so he's…"
She trailed off, still trying to process that she had a conversation with a member of one of the Earth Union's most prominent triad families.
XXXXXX
The night was hot and unbearable, very uncommon for early spring weather. Akira grimaced at the dense wall of heat that met him and stretched his collar out a bit. Why was it so damn hot? You'd think it was the Fire Nation with how warm it was.
"So how did you girls find me so quickly?" He asked.
Hua wordlessly held up a tiny white furred cat-like creature with big red eyes and two tails waving behind her. The little tyke purred and Akira held out his hand, taking the little feline onto his arm and placing her on his shoulder.
"Kiki, you little traitor." He said with a grin. Kiki, a two tailed tenko, merely purred and rubbed her head against his face.
"Can we go, now? This heat's killing me and I don't want to be out here any longer than I need to be." Jade said.
That was the feeling most people got when staying out in the streets of Xian after dark. As the second largest city in the Earth Union that harbored both humans and spirits, Xian had quickly became infamous for producing a rather large amount of dangerous spirits that had adapted to the urban lifestyle of humans for the sole purpose of hunting them. Spirits that looked like humans from afar but were actually more monstrous than their appearance suggested. It wasn't uncommon to run into a few carnivorous specters that lured some poor bastard astray and he was never seen again.
"What's the matter, Jade? Afraid of a couple of spirits?" Akira grinned.
"This month's the summer solstice. I'm not getting anywhere near a spirit until it passes." Jade said.
"That's true." He nodded. "Come on. I parked the car on the corner-"
"Hey!"
Akira paused and sighed, knowing exactly who that was. He looked across the street and saw a large, heavyset man marching towards them with three badly dressed cronies following him. Akira motioned for Jade and Hua to stand down as he addressed the leader of this little group.
"Hey, Junpei." Akira greeted him with a smile. "You're looking especially corpulent today."
"Shut it, monkey boy." Junpei growled. "You roughed up my boys the other day at the train station!"
"Your boys were harassing three girls under my employ. They were simple hostesses just doing their job and your thugs treated them like common street walkers." Akira said calmly, not even paying the big man any attention. "It's not my fault they called me up. Got to make good on some promises, you know?"
"You my boys into comas and call it keeping a promise?!" Junpei's tan face was beet red right now and steam rose from his ears. Or maybe that was his sweat evaporating off his skin.
"Keep a tighter leash on your dogs and we won't have any problems, Junpei. It's a simple as that. Trust me, if you pulled this stuff with my brother, he'd toss you into the Nuwa River without a second thought." He replied.
"Well your brother ain't here right now. You are!" Junpei turned to his guys. "Waste his bitches while I burn his mouth shut!"
The three thugs nodded and charged at the trio, flames rising from their raised fists as they shot large streams of fire at them at once. Akira didn't even flinch as the flames were blocked and deflected by a wall of swirling wind that dispersed the inferno. The thugs only had time to gap at their missed attacks before they suffered a severe counterattack of their own in the form of a powerful gust of wind that blew them back.
Jade and Hua rushed forward, unclipping their fans from their belts and swiping them in wide arcs that released strong gusts of wind. They moved in perfect synch, as if they'd done this for many years, and their combined airbending was too much for even three firebenders to handle.
Jade slashed her fans and sent to low powered air blades at the first firebender. He had no time to react as the two air blades dug into his shoulders, slicing into his skin with great ease. The force of the attack threw him back into the side of a truck, blood spurting from his deep cuts. The second firebender attempted to attack her from behind, but a swift wave of her other fan blew away the flames while she threw her first fan at him.
Augmented by Jade's airbending, the folded up fan slammed right into the base of the firebender's throat, making him gag and choke, allowing her to slash another smaller air blade right into his chest. Blood spurted from his out of date punk rock jacket as the sharp blade of air tore into his flesh and he stumbled back in pain. A swift air blade sent him tumbling onto his back and he didn't get up.
"You bastard!"
The third firebender reared his fist back for a fire punch, but Hua waved her fans in his direction, catching him in a wind funnel that blew him off his feet and threw him into the windshield of a car. Folding up her fans, Hua proceeded to unleash a barrage of blasts of compressed air at the poor man. Each blast impacted his body like a rock and the repeated assault started to leave bruises on his skin. She finished it off with a graceful spin before thrusting her hand out and launching one last air blast into his face, knocking him out.
Junpei watched in shock as two girls took out his hardened firebending posse in just a couple of minutes without even breaking a sweat. He returned his attention back to Akira, who hadn't taken his eyes off him the entire time, still sporting that annoyingly smug smirk of his.
"So much for keeping things civil." Akira remarked.
"You…you…" Junpei trembled in rage and glared at Akira. "I'll kill you!"
Junpei thrust both fists forward and fired a large fire blast at Akira. The young man shook his head and stomped his foot, raising a stone slab from the ground that blocked the flames from reaching him. A kick sent the slab flying at Junpei, who just barely dodge the large piece of concrete that flew close to his head. But as he readied for another attack, Akira was already on him, leaping through the air and lashing out with a kick to the face.
Junpei stumbled back and slashed his arm, releasing a flaming arc that Akira ducked under. Akira thrust a fist at Junpei and a glob of liquid metal flew out of his sleeve to smack Junpei right in the nose. He followed up with a quick one-two move that sent two rocks hitting the gang leader in the chest, and then finished it off by sliding the ground under his feet to throw Junpei over.
"Damn it!" Junpei tried to get up and attack, but the same metal blob that hit him in the face clasped around his neck like a collar, quickly solidifying and started constricting him. He gagged and struggled, spouting flames from his hands in a panicked maneuver to stop the tightening metal noose around his neck.
"Don't bother struggling. You're just waste more air trying to do that." Akira said, walking up to Junpei. He encased Junpei's flailing hands in stone and controlled the metal collar to make the firebender look at him. "Now that I have your attention, let me make one thing clear. If you or anything of your "boys" ever tries to start something with anybody on my turf, and that includes the hostess clubs and the massage parlors, I'll make sure that you Agni Kai triad knock-offs will never see the next sunrise."
Junpei tried to say something, but Akira tightened the band around his neck, cutting off his air.
"Don't speak, I'm talking here." Akira said coldly, his eyes like hard jade now. "This is your only warning. I don't like killing people, but I'll do what I have to in order to maintain peace in my city. So don't even think about trying to act like you're tough shit on my turf, understand?"
Junpei gave a little nod and Akira smiled. A flick of the wrist caused the metal band to unwrap from Junpei's neck and fly back onto Akira's wrist, hidden under his sleeve. The earthbender straightened his jacket and nodded to the terrified onlookers as he walked over to his car with the girls.
"That was fun." Akira said lightly. "Doesn't help with the heat, though."
"Eh, sometimes we make sacrifices for the greater good." Jade said, wrapping an arm around his waist. "That was kinda hot, though. I love it when you go stone cold on them like that."
"Of course you do, you little demon." Akira chuckled and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
The three piled into the emerald green car, with Hua in the driver's seat, and they smoothly drove down the street, leaving behind the four seriously wounded gang members who were definitely going to have scars from this encounter.
XXXXXX
As the trio left in the car, leaving behind four wounded men lying in the street, two people stood on the sidewalk, having watched the entire altercation by chance.
The larger figure was a man, slender and tall, looking to be just in his early twenties. He had black hair tied back with a signature top knot still common among Fire Nation nobility, but his skin was a darker shade than the usual Fire Nation citizen. He was dressed in a blue shirt with silver linings and indigo colored pants and black boots. A white lotus symbol rested on the left side of his shirt.
His companion was a woman, with tan skin and dark eyes, who was slender compared to her partner's muscular frame, and clad in a loose orange tunic and burgundy leggings. She looked both intimidating and beautiful, with dusky, heavily lashed eyes and thin lips that compressed themselves into an unreadable expression. Her hair was dark brown and tied into a braid that tumbled down one side of her head, but the front part of her forehead was shaved, revealing the lavender tattoo extended in the shape of an arrow.
"So that's him, huh?" The man said, watching the car drive away.
"Yes, he's the one. Now you see why my work is cut out for me." The woman said.
"I never expected the boy we're looking for to be a part of this city's little criminal empire." He said, rubbing the back of his head. "Have you double-checked, Malu?"
"Of course I have, Genji. He already has an incredibly strong spiritual aura compared to everyone here. He's the one we're looking for." Malu frowned and sighed. "Normally I would've brought more White Lotus members along, but that would've only agitated Xuan's agents. He has hundreds covering this city alone."
"Which means he probably already knows we're in the city. Wonderful." Genji exhaled. "Well, worrying about it won't make a difference. We need to check into a hotel before it gets late and we have to deal with the spirits popping out."
Malu nodded, warily eying the intangible forms of the spidery limbed spirits that were watching them from a rooftop. "Yes, we best be on our way."
The pair walked down the street, seemingly unaware, but actually on their guard against the spirits that lingered in the darkest shadows of downtown Xian.
XXXXXX
Fa Jian sat at his table near the windows of a high class restaurant reading a menu. Even when he was enjoying a night to himself, he looked like he was conducting a business deal and looked sharper than a dragon's teeth.
Jian had the appearance of a sharply dressed young man just into his twenties, but held the air of someone who was more mature than what his age suggested. He was a tall, slender young man dressed in a crisp black suit that fit his body very well. His face was sharp and angular, with a pair of slender glasses covering his dark green eyes. His expression, stern and no-nonsense, said that he was not a guy who played around.
He was reading the paper while finishing his green tea. One of his bodyguards sat across from him, keeping a vigilant eye out on the other patrons without looking out of place. Jian was reading through the newspaper and came across yet another article about a spirit attack that occurred just a night ago.
"Another spirit attack by the Sanzu River. That's the fourth attack in two weeks." Jian muttered with a frown. "Things have been getting livelier around here since the month started. No doubt because of my brother's special day tomorrow."
"Move it, gramps!"
Jian glanced over at the entrance. A well-dressed man with an expression that just screamed "I'm rich, bow before me", pushing aside an older man and his wife to speak to the receptionist. He had two other men and a woman hanging on his arm like a pretty ornament.
"Hello," The receptionist said nervously. "Do you have a reservat-"
"Haven't you heard? I'm friends with the owner." The man said with an arrogant smirk. "So be a pal and let us through already, will ya?"
The receptionist didn't take long to cave in. "Of…of course, right this way…'
"What?" The old man exclaimed. "Now wait just a-"
He was cut off when the rich man held up a fist that started to give off heat. "You got a problem with that, gramps?"
At the urging of his wife, he wisely stood down in the face of the younger and more vicious firebender. This scene caused murmurs to ripple through the crowd as they looked on in concern and disdain.
"What was that?"
"It looks like Triad…"
Jian finished his tea and stood up, glaring at the group at the entrance. "Disgraceful. Does this restaurant have no sense of dignity?" Jian said in a tight voice. "You people can't even deal with a couple of arrogant upstarts like them."
"Hey, you startin' something pal?" The rich man growled. His friend paled at the sight of Jian's cool green eyes and quickly pulled his friend to the side.
"Don't start anything with that guy. He's Jian, from the Fa family. Better not start any trouble with him. Let's go…"
Jian walked past the group and handed his menu to the receptionist. "Here's the bill. Give our seats to those two."
He was already heading to the door without waiting for a reply, not taking notice of the grateful looks the old couple gave him.
'Enjoy business while you can.' Jian thought. 'Let's see how long this place lasts after word spreads of the Triads getting free reign of this place. I'll make sure they run you into the ground.'
Jian went to his car and got in with his guards sitting up front. As they began to drive home, Jian heard his pager beep and took it out to see the message. It was from Hua.
'Found your dummy brother. Taking him back home.'
'Good to know I can count on those girls to get the job done.' Jian thought with a small smile and leaned back in his seat, enjoying the ride home. He'd need the quiet time for the hell that was going to come tomorrow morning.
XXXXXX
"…In other news, people in all five nations prepare to hold their own memorial service as the anniversary of the catastrophic event called the Surge, in which four immense powerful spirits emerged from the three spirit portals and wreaked havoc across the world. Thousands died in the ensuing chaos and not even Avatar Korra could stem the natural disasters caused by the spirits, even at the height of her power, and it is believed that this is what would lead to her declining health in the later years of her life. As the anniversary draws near, many are wondering if the identity of the next Avatar will be revealed…"
"Ugh, turn the channel, Hua, the last thing I need to hear is about that mess from 40 years ago." Akira grumbled. Hua changed the radio channel to something more lighthearted, as every radio station was talking nonstop about the anniversary of a terrible disaster that occurred decades ago.
"How long do you think it'll be before your brother hears about our little tussle in the street?" Jade asked.
"I say by morning." Akira said.
"Within the hour." Hua said.
"Same. That man is sharper than a badgermole's senses." Jade grinned. "You better hope that he doesn't beat your fine tush before your birthday tomorrow."
"Don't remind me. I'm pretty sure my aunt's planning some overly fancy party to celebrate turning sixteen." Akira sighed, looking out the car window. Xian was a beautiful city at night, but the glittering lights and towering skyscrapers only hid the hidden dangers that lurked in the shadows. The kind of dangers that not even Republic City had to deal with.
In the ninety five years since the creation of the third spirit portal, the world had changed in many ways, even more so following the Surge. Spirits could practically be found in all walks of life, mostly living within natural areas such as forests and mountain ranges. The spirits that lived within large cities like Republic City and Xian were either lesser spirits or were shapeshifters that hid among the populace getting drunk off the collective emotions of humanity.
This would lead to incidents of sudden spirit possessions that world alter them, if not kill them on the spot. Those who survive the possessions end up with lots of unneeded appendages or develop odd powers. The Earth Union and United Republic got it worst, with the Water Tribes coming in for a close second. For some reason, spirit possessions were becoming more common these days and no one knew why it was happening.
'Probably the solstice. Heavens know that things get wonky around the solstice.' Akira thought, petting Kiki's back.
Kiki settled in his lap and was about to drift off when she sensed something. Her eyes shot open and she sprang to her feet, running to the car window hissing and scratching at the glass. Akira and Jade looked at her in shock.
"Whoa, whoa, Kiki, what's the matter?" Akira tried to get the little tenko under control, but she continued hissing and growling at something outside.
"What's wrong?" Hua asked.
"No idea. Kiki just started losing her mind." Jade said.
Hua narrowed her eyes. Kiki was obviously no ordinary pet; she was a two-tailed feline called a tenko that Akira had found as a child in his aunt's backyard. Over the years, Hua had made sure that Akira took Kiki everywhere with him, for the tenko was very sensitive to the presence of other spirits. And if those spirits were hostile, then Kiki would act very aggressive.
"Be on your guard you two." Hua said. "Kiki's probably sensing something."
Akira and Jade looked out the windows for anything strange, but they couldn't find anything. Even still, they began to notice that a thick mist had settled over the street. Kiki continued to hiss and snarl, and Akira had to keep a tight hold on her as his eyes scanned the street. He couldn't see anything, but he was starting to feel that they were being followed.
That was when the fireworks began.
An explosion on the right side of the car nearly threw the vehicle off its wheels, but Hua managed to stay on the road. Akira and Jade cursed as another explosion went off behind them, and then another. Soon the one quiet night air was alight with the sounds of explosions going off like firecrackers, smoke and debris flying everywhere behind the fleeing car.
"What the hell's attacking us?!" Jade yelled over the noise.
"I don't know. I can't see anything!" Akira said.
Suddenly the ground in front of the car exploded, causing Hua to serve to the side to avoid the vehicle being flipped over. A large form shot out of the hole it made in the street, a massive spirit. It had the upper body of a six-armed woman, but her body from the waist down was that of a giant centipede. The creature slithered out of the hole she made in the street and spun her massive body around, bringing her lower half down on the car.
"Out!" Hua shouted as she, Jade and Akira jumped out of the car seconds before the segmented body slammed down onto the car, crushing it like tin foil.
"Damn it," Akira growled, looking at the crushed wreck of his car. "Dad's going to kill me."
The centipede woman stood on her many insectoid legs as her beady black eyes scanned over the girls and settled on Akira. He stood up and raised his arms, letting Kiki onto the ground by his feet.
"You must have quite the pair to just up and trash my car like that." Akira said, his liquid metal bands lengthening into blades over his hands. "Who the hell are you and what do you want?"
The centipede woman tilted her head. "So you're the one…I thought you'd be older. Seems humans have a way of disappointing me endlessly."
Akira's eyebrow twitched at the insult. "Okay, now you die."
He thrust his hand up and sent a large rock flying at the woman. She easily weaved around it and shot her upper body forward, her six hands reaching out to grab him. She was hit in the side by an air blast that blew her back, and Jade and Hua were already on top of her, dancing on air as they attacked with air blasts and sweeping gusts of wind that threw the woman off balance.
The spirit woman scowled and spun her body, sweeping her centipede half in a circle that smacked away any unfortunate vehicle caught in the crossfire. Any bystanders still lingering in the area were quick to take cover from the cars that were thrown into the air and crashed down in random places. The girls dodged her sweeping attack and Akira ran forward to hop onto the very tip of her lower body, stabbing his metal blades into the gaps between her exoskeleton.
She hissed in pain and slammed her lower half on the ground, throwing him off, but he bent more rocks from the street at her, pelting her body with large chunks of concrete that shattered against her upper body. She raised her arms to protect her face and chest, missing Jade jump into the air and slash her fan, sending an air blade at her. The centipede woman howled as the air blade cut into one of her upper arms, severing it completely.
"You little bastard!" The centipede woman's pretty face split apart, her mouth opening wide to reveal a pair of long, sharp fangs and her eyes turning completely black with her skin turning pale. She shot at Jade, jaws open wide to take a chunk out of her, and Jade was barely able to dodge her first strike. The girl wasn't ready for the two armed punch that knocked her to the ground, right onto her shoulder.
"Jade!" Akira shouted. He and Hua were already moving to her aid, throwing blasts of air and rock at the spirit.
Her demonic visage darkened as she focused on the other two and skittered forward on her hundred little legs, thrusting her body forward faster than her size would suggest. Akira and Hua jumped apart, but the spirit lunged for Akira, causing him to stumble back. He launched a stone spike into her belly, but that only staggered her, just long enough for Hua to waved her fans in a rapid spinning motion that sent a barrage of compressed air bullets slamming into the spirit's skull.
The centipede woman weaved her body around Hua, attempting to crush her, but she jumped away on a burst of air and kicked an air blast into her face to push her back. Hua went in for another attack, but Akira stopped her.
"Hua, get Jade to safety! I can handle this." He said.
Hua hesitated for only moment before nodding and running over to Jade, who was struggling to get up. The centipede woman glared down at Akira.
"Ready to fight me like a man, are you?" She hissed in a raspy voice. "Good, because you've wasted enough to my time, boy."
"You're not just fighting me. I've also got this girl with me." Akira lifted Kiki into his arms, who glared up at the giant spirit.
"You're going to throw that little furball at me? Ha! I'm so scared!" She laughed.
"You should be." Akira smirked. "Get her, Kiki!"
He threw the tenko at the centipede woman, who didn't even try to move. Big mistake on her part, for as she flew through the air, Kiki's body was suddenly engulfed in flames. When the flames blew off her, in place of the tiny feline was a massive creature the size of a tigerdillo. The enlarged tenko now had a large powerful body, with two long tails with flames flickering at their tips, large red eyes with black narrow pupils and a mouth sporting large fangs ready to tear into flesh.
The centipede woman was not expecting this transformation, and so she had no time to move before Kiki leapt onto her chest, digging her claws into the woman's chest as she clawed at her face. The spirit flailed and cried out in pain, trying to pull the monster cat off her. Kiki wasted no time in trying to deal as much damage to her as she could before she jumped off. The spirit reached out to grab at the monster cat, but an air blast to the head caused her to slam into a light pole.
"Filthy animal!" She hissed, but was silenced by a rock to the face. As she staggered back Akira ran forward, and with some assistance from Hua, leapt up onto the spirit's back and stabbed his blades into her spine. She howled and roared and struggled to get him off, but in her distraction, she didn't see Jade limping behind her until she shot an air blade that bisected the woman at the waist.
The centipede woman's howls stopped as her upper body was cleanly separated from her centipede half. Akira landed on the ground as her torso hit the uprooted street face first. Her lower half slowly dissolved as Akira walked up to her.
Akira walked up to the spirit and planted his foot onto her neck, pinning her down while making sure he didn't choke her…yet. "Where do you think you're going?"
She hacked at him and he dug his heel into her throat harder. "That was rude. I know even ugly spirits like you have some manners. Now tell me why you attacked us and I'll leave you for the police to deal with. Piss me off and I'll get creative."
"Ha…your threats are nothing, boy." The spirit coughed. "If this…is how strong you are, then I'm disappointed…to think you're humanity's bridge to our kind…"
The woman began to laugh at her, which Akira didn't really appreciate. He stomped down on her throat one more time to make her gag before stepping back and stomping a foot on the ground, causing an earthen spike to shoot up from the ground and impale the spirit through the torso. Akira didn't even wait for her body to vanish before he went over to the girls to see how they were doing.
"Lousy ghost bitch." He muttered angrily. Kiki ran over to him and nuzzled her large head against his arm. He smiled and scratched her behind the ears, not even flinching as Kiki's body was engulfed in flames and she returned to her small form. "You did good, girl. You're getting better with those claws of yours."
Kiki purred and tapped his arm with her tiny paws.
"You girls alright?" Akira asked Jade and Hua as they regrouped.
"Yeah, we're good." Jade scowled as she rubbed her shoulder. "I'm pretty sure this is going to bruise tomorrow."
"Want me to kiss it to make it feel better?" Akira offered. Jade narrowed her eyes at him.
"Later. After your brother roasts us for starting two fights in the middle of the street." She said.
Hua looked at the damages that were caused from their fight. Most of it was from the spirit's rampage, but she knew they were still going to spend a lot of time at the police station giving their account of events. Spirit attacks of this magnitude were very rare, and the police would want this on record.
"I've never heard of a spirit openly attacking someone in public like this in the city." Hua muttered. "What could've caused this?"
"Who knows, but I do know that we're not going to get home until much later." Jade could already hear the police sirens down the street. Akira, ever the optimist, merely shrugged.
"Look at it this way," He said as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "At least we're getting a ride home."
XXXXXX
News of the fight in the street didn't take long to spread, and it was already on the televiewer by the time Akira, Jade and Hua made it back to the Fa Family mansion that sat in the heart of Xian City. Aside from the more subtle spirit murders that were becoming increasingly common, this was the first open spirit attack that was actually witnessed by people. And the fact that the person being attacked was none other than the infamous second son of the Fa Family only made this news juicer.
And so Akira found himself standing in his father's office, his older brother Jian standing by their father's desk looking at his beloved little brother with that ever so critical gaze that only made Akira feel as tired as he looked. The office was large and spacy, with a clean, fresh smell to the wooden desk and chairs that made everything feel natural and comfy while maintaining an air of professionalism.
"If this is about that skirmish with Junpei, I just want to say that fat dimwit was the one who started it." Akira said as soon as he entered the office. "I'll even pay for the damages."
"Akira, your rivalries are the least of my concern at the moment, though we will be talking about that in the future." Said Xuan, patriarch of the Fa Family. He was a strong looking man for a guy in his fifties, and his body filled out his black suit nicely. His hair was short and slicked back, his beard as gray as his hair, giving him that wise leader appearance that Akira always associated his father with. His bright green eyes, a trait he shared with his sons and had inherited from his own mother, looked at his youngest son with a bit of exasperation, though mostly relief. "I wanted to talk about the spirit attack you came back from."
"What's there to talk about? Some spirit tried to start something with me and I put her down. That's that." Akira said with a shrug. "I tried getting answers from her, but she just laughed in my face."
"Did he say anything about why he attacked you?" Jian asked.
"No, she wasn't yapping surprisingly. The creepy Fire Nation nightmare did seem dead set on snuffing me out, though." He replied, rubbing his chin. "Maybe I was just at the wrong place in the wrong time. The solstice is a few days away, so there's that."
Akira couldn't hold back the yawn he gave and Xuan smiled. "We'll talk about this in the morning, Akira. Go get some sleep. You have a long day tomorrow."
"Yeah, aunt Maya and Yukino are coming over." Akira sighed. "So glad to see her again."
Xuan chuckled as Akira trudged out of the room saying good night to his brother and father. Once they were sure that he was gone, Xuan and Jian began to talk about more serious matters.
"I got a call from my contact." Jian said. "Master Malu and a White Lotus representative have arrived at the Golden Lotus hotel."
"Only one representative?" Xuan asked.
"Yes. Apparently she's being more cautious around us this time around." Jian said.
Xuan grunted and stood up from his chair, walking to the window to look out at the city that he lived in all his life. "So the time's come. Those vultures certainly don't waste any time."
"They're not taking any chances. I hear that the White Lotus has its hands full dealing with those terrorists, the Red Lotus."
Xuan's frown deepened at the mention of them. The Red Lotus-an anarchic group that broke off from the Red Lotus preaching a return to the natural way of things through the dissolution of borders and nations. They were most prominently known for their actions during the airbender resurgence, assassinating the Earth Queen and almost killing Avatar Korra. Xuan had heard whispers of their growing movement, splinter cells rising up in support of the Red Lotus or books describing what it is they want, trying to pain them in a positive light. Xuan had a feeling that their recent rise in activity was a result of the possible revelation of the Avatar's identity, which had remained hidden for 16 years in order to protect him.
The Red Lotus said that they were just people who wanted to unite mankind and the spirits without the separation of nations or creeds, but to Xuan, they were just a bunch of terrorists who thought too highly of themselves. No different than those equalist frauds or the Primal worshipping cults that sprouted across the world following the Surge. People like that made him lose faith in humanity a little more every day.
"Have our people keep an eye out for any suspicious activity in the city." Xuan said. "I don't want any surprises for when the news does get out. If anyone even thinks about making a move against Akira, put them down as hard as possible."
"Already done." Jian nodded. He took a minute to think about his next words, before saying, "But father, you know that we won't be able to protect him forever. Eventually he will leave this city, willingly or otherwise."
"I know, and that's what scares me." Xuan sighed. For the outside world, he was a calm but ruthless triad leader who ruled Xian's criminal underworld with an iron fist, keeping the less savory elements of criminal activity under lock and key. But behind closed doors, he was just a father trying to look after his two sons while every backwater crime boss tried to snuff his family out.
Xuan didn't care what those White Lotus plebeians said, if anything happened to his son, he'll make it his life's mission to ensure that they never see the light of day again.
XXXXXX
Avatar Korra Park didn't really look like anything special to Akira. Sure it was big and green and very, very spacey, but aside from the cute little spirits that always seemed to hover around him, it just looked like a regular park. Maybe it was the statue of that odd blue lady he sometimes saw in his dreams.
His father had said that he was lucky to get this chance, seeing as travel between the states was a bit limited due to some interference from the larger temperamental spirits that roamed the Earth Union countryside. Akira wasn't complaining, being in Republic City was fun, even if he had to go with his father's bodyguards all the time. At least Jian was with him to make things fun.
It was the middle of the day, and the little boy was just wandering around the pond chasing after a few puffball spirits that he discovered inside a rose bush. His older brother was walking behind him, keeping an eye on him while also giving him some space. After a full ten minutes or running and jumping (he was an energetic kid) Akira got tired and reluctantly gave the chase to the puffballs. As he plopped down on the soft grass to take a rest, he notice a large gray statue not too far from him. It was of a tall woman wearing clothes similar to the lady in his dreams. The boy realized that this statue was Avatar Korra, who he read about in his history class.
Standing in front of the statue was an old woman. She was dressed in black, and though she looked frail, she stood tall and proud, though her shoulders sagged in sadness. She had long gray hair tied into a bun and a dark wooden cane in her hand that supported her as she looked up at the statue.
'She looks really sad.' Akira thought. He felt a pang in his chest, as if seeing this poor old woman look so sad and lost made him sad in turn. He didn't know why; he had no idea who she is, and yet he was feeling as if he was watching someone close to him be in pain.
"You should give her a hug."
"Huh?" Akira looked to his right and saw the blue lady from his dreams sitting next to him. "Oh, hi blue lady!"
"Hey there, squirt." The blue lady smiled. "Having a good time in the city?"
"Yeah, it's really cool here. Especially that huge glowing light thing." Akira said. The blue lady chuckled.
"That's called a spirit portal, Akira." She looked over at the statue. "That woman looks really sad."
"She does. I wonder what's wrong." Akira hummed.
"Maybe you should go see." She suggested. Akira looked up at her.
"Really?" He asked.
"Really. I'm sure she needs a hug." She said.
Akira thought about it before he smiled and nodded. "Okay."
Akira got up and ran over to the statue, not noticing that the blue lady was gone the minute he took his eyes off her. He toddled over to the old woman and held out his little arms, stumbling into her as he gave her a nice, big hug. The old woman gave a startled grunt as she took a step back from the sudden hug and looked down.
"Oh! Hello there." She said, laughing a bit at the little boy.
"Hi." Akira grinned. Akira noticed that she had pretty eyes.
"Not that I'm complaining about getting hugs from cute little boys like you, but what are you doing?"
"I'm giving you a hug. You looked sad and I was told that hugs make everybody feel better." He answered.
"Well, that's true in most cases." She smiled. "I have been feeling down today."
"Why?"
The old woman took a moment to answer, looking back up at the statue of Avatar Korra. "Just remembering some people I've lost. Today is the birthday of someone very close to me, and I came here to think back on all the good times we've spent together."
That pang in Akira's chest returned and he hugged the woman harder. "Do you miss her?"
"Everyday." She said, smiling sadly. She looked back down at him. "What's your name?"
"Akira. I'm here with my brother. He's over there." Akira pointed to the older boy who was walking towards them. "He's watching over me for my dad."
"I see. Did he tell you come give me a hug?" She asked.
Akira shook his head. "No, the blue lady did."
"Blue…lady?" The old woman repeated, confused. Did he mean a woman dressed in blue?
"Yeah, she told me that you needed a hug, so I came over here." He said, not noticing her hesitation. He pointed at the statue behind her. "She looked like that, but she's glowing blue, so I call her the blue lady."
The old woman's eyes slowly grew wider when she realized what he was talking about. She struggled to form words for a moment, but when she was about to talk, Jian walked up to them.
"Akira, stop bothering that lady. It's time to go." Jian said, taking Akira's hand. He nodded to the old woman. "I'm sorry if my brother was bothering you, ma'am."
"No, no, it's okay." She said, clearing her throat. "Excuse, but is there any way I can speak to your father? I have something to talk to him about."
Jian tilted his head curiously. "I can pass a message to him, but he's a busy man. Can I get your name?"
"Asami," The old woman said, smiling brightly as she felt younger than she had ever felt in the past decade. "Asami Sato."
XXXXXX
When Akira woke up the next morning, he found himself not inside his nice, comfy bed, but resting against a large tree out in his family's garden. He was leaning against the tree trunk, but he didn't feel stiff or itchy from the rough bark. Kiki rested in his folded legs, shifting a bit in her sleep.
His estate had a small garden in a clearing that right behind the mansion. It was nothing to extravagant, just a modest little quiet spot that Akira and sometimes Xuan would spend some time alone to think or relax. Akira found himself falling asleep under the massive tree that his mother had planted back when she and his father were dating.
'Morning already?' Akira thought. It took him a moment to remember what today was. "Oh yeah, today's my birthday."
A cute little meow caught his attention and he looked down to see Kiki waking up, her red eyes staring drowsily up at him.
"Good morning, little dude. Had a nice sleep?" Akira smiled down at the little tenko. Kiki mewled a bit before hopping off his lap to stretch a bit and took a walk around the garden.
"I figured I'd find you here." Jade walked up to the tree, taking a moment to look up at the large tree before going over to her boyfriend. "How can you sleep under a tree and not break your spine like a twig?"
"I don't know." He shrugged. "But it's not that bad. You should try it sometime. Preferably with me."
Jade rolled her eyes but couldn't keep the grin off her face. "No, I'm good."
Akira shifted his foot and caused a small earth bound to shoot up under Jade's ankle, throwing her forward. She squeaked when she fell onto top of him and he settled her into his lap. Akira hugged her around the waist and put his chin on her shoulder.
"Nice of you to drop in." He grinned, which turned into a grimace when she began pulling on his cheeks. "Ow, ow, mercy!"
"Stop playing around, dummy, your aunt and cousin are going to be here soon." Jade scolded.
"Yay." Akira groaned. Jade air lifted herself off the ground and did the same to Akira, who stood on his feet like a limp noodle.
Jade rolled her eyes and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Come on, birthday boy, wash up so we can finally celebrate you becoming a man."
Akira smiled and followed his girlfriend back inside, with Kiki strutting behind them half asleep.
XXXXXX
Birthday parties in the Fa Family weren't your typical birthday cake and candles event. They were more akin to very fancy dinners or lunches where family members and high ranking triad members attended to celebrate the growth of the family head's children. Jian had his fair share of gatherings, where he was presented to a number of girls for marriage in order to continue the Fa family line. Akira's parties were as stiff as his brother's, but they weren't exactly happy hour.
Many of Fa Xuan's old comrades, friends and subordinates arrived at the mansion to visit their leader. Among them was Jigen, Xuan's childhood friend and one of his closest lieutenants. He arrived at the mansion first, and greeted Akira as if he were his uncle and not some old dude that he barely knew.
"Akira, happy birthday, young one!" Jigen said, smiling even though it didn't match his lively tone. He walked up to Akira and clapped him on the shoulder. "Sixteen and already sporting a girl on your arm. You've certainly got more game than your father, that's for sure."
"Thanks, Jigan." Akira smiled, though he was inwardly praying for this circus act to be done already. Even he could tell that his father drifted apart from his old friend after his mother's death as a child. The smiles, the jokes, they were all just formalities to show respect to the triad leader's son, even though Jigen probably thought he didn't deserve it. Good thing Akira didn't give a damn about what he thought.
Akira led Jigen inside, with Jade at his side clad in a black and white dress that hugged her slender form in just the right way that made him bite his lip when she wasn't looking. She looked as bored as he felt, but she hid it well as the guests arrived. Hua was further inside helping Jian greet the guests as they entered the main hall.
"Here comes the wicked witch." Jade sang in his ear. He barely stifled his laugh as the next car pulled up.
A slender leg slid out of the car, followed by a slender body belonging to a woman of astounding beauty. She had pale skin and long black hair that fell down her back. The woman had on a dark emerald green dress that hugged her curves and certainly flaunted her taste in clothing. On the other side of the car was a wheelchair, and sitting in it was a younger girl around Akira's age with a white dress over her thin frame and shorter black hair. This was Akira's aunt Maya and her daughter Yukino.
"Hey, Yuki!" Akira ran up to his cousin and bent down to give her a hug. "How are you doing?"
"I'm doing fine, Akira. Happy birthday." Yukino said sweetly, smiling up at her cousin. "Are you happy to be sixteen now?"
"I guess. I mean, I don't feel any different, so it's no big deal." He shrugged.
"Nonsense, Akira, it means you're becoming a man now." Maya said, practically strutting up to her nephew with that ever present infuriating smile on her face. "You're sure to get more responsibilities in the coming days after this. You'll finally be contributing to the Fa family name."
"Glad to make your day." He replied. He quickly returned his attention back to his cousin as he rolled her wheelchair up the stone ramp he made just for her. "Come on, Yuki, Jian's inside. He said that he couldn't wait to see you again."
"I'm sure he did." Yukino giggled.
Jade smiled down at Yukino and nodded to her, ignoring the snub that Maya gave to her as she followed the pair inside. She was about to go inside when she noticed Hua standing at the bottom of the steps.
"Something wrong, Hua?"
"Those two people over there, by the front gates." Hua nodded her head to the odd looking pair standing at the front gates to the mansion, trying to look inconspicuous while mingling in with the other guests. It was clear they didn't belong there, and the other guests all associates of Xuan, knew that too.
Jade's expression darkened when she noticed the Air Nomad robes, and her eyes gravitated towards the young man in the familiar robes.
"An Air Nomad and a White Lotus dude. Wonder what're they here for." Jade muttered. "Should we do something?"
"No," Hua shook her head. "Master Xuan knows everyone who is coming to this party. He probably already knows that they are here as well. I'll inform Jian just in case."
"Shame, I was hoping to rough up a Nomad." Jade grumbled, glaring at the woman. "Let's go inside before my boyfriend makes his teeth rot from acting sweet to his cousin."
XXXXXX
Akira wondered if his family modeled their birthday parties after ancient Earth Monarch coming of age ceremonies, because sometimes he felt as if a little too much work was put into these celebrations. His father wasn't a man who flaunted his wealth or status among the upper echelons of the city's rich and famous, but he certainly broke that rule a couple of times for his two sons.
After helping Yukino to her table, Akira stood to the side watching the guests mingle and chat with each other. Though it looked happy and carefree on the outside, these gatherings were usually meant to cement ties between partners and families under the Fa clan's rule. The Iron Fan triad was composed of over five families that had close ties to the ruling Fa family. Xuan would use events like birthday parties to ensure that relationships between families and business partners were strong and showed no signs of cracks that could lead to trouble down the line. It was also meant to weed out the individuals who needed to be watched.
"Akira." Jian walked up to him, his posture straight and strong as usual. He rarely smiled, but Akira could see the faint glint of amusement in Jian's eyes as he stood next to him. "Enjoying the party so far?"
"A little, but standing here watching them reminded me that aside from aunt Maya and Yukino, none of these people are family." Akira said. "A bit depressing when you think about it."
"Well, we can't all have large families like Fire Nation nobles." Jian said and took a sip of his drink. "Are you feeling better after last night?"
"Yup, I'm doing fine." Akira replied.
"Really? Most people would be looking over their shoulders after a spirit attack." Jian commented with a raised eyebrow. Akira grinned up at him.
"I'm not most people."
Everyone quieted down when they saw Fa Xuan take the stage, standing at the table in the front of the dining hall. He raised a hand for everyone to settle down before speaking.
"Let me begin by saying thank you to my family and friends, honored comrades under the Iron Fan banner for coming here today. I trust you've all had a peaceful year despite the growing unrest within the Earth Union." Xuan said. "I am pleased to welcome you all to the celebration of my youngest son, Akira, turning sixteen today on the eve of the Summer Solstice. By the traditions of the Fa family, this means that he is of age to gain more influence within the Triad and its dealings."
Akira took this as his cue to walk up to his father. Xuan smiled and placed a hand on his son's shoulder as he addressed the crowd. "Akira may be my second born, but he has my blood in his veins. I know he will make our family, and our Triad, great in the eyes of the greater Earth Union-"
"Excuse me."
A hush went over the audience as they all turned to the woman in Air Nomad robes standing in the center of the room. Xuan's expression darkened as he looked at the woman, which surprised Akira. Jade and Hua also traded curious looks with the odd woman brave, or stupid, enough to dare interrupted the leader of the Iron Fan.
"I apologize for my rudeness and lack of manners, but time is of the essence. My name is Malu. I come here with a representative of the Order of the White Lotus to announce the identity of the next Avatar."
The air in the room changed. There was still that strong layer of anger coming from Xuan and Jian, but many were now curious as to what this brave Air Nomad had to say before the Iron Fan leader struck her down for her impudence. Akira already knew what was coming as soon as she turned towards him and bowed her head.
"It is an honor to finally meet you in person, Avatar Akira."
Silence. Everyone looked from Malu to Akira with wide eyes and disbelieving gazes. Jade and even Hua were shocked speechless, as was Kiki, the feline looking up at her master with wide eyes. Xuan looked like he was going to run the airbender through with an earth spear. The only one who didn't seem shocked was Akira, who stared at Malu with an unreadable expression.
What Akira would say next would be historic for all the wrong reasons. It was a reply that only those close to him would expect at a time like this. Akira took a nice long drink of his father's wine (vintage made from the Fire Nation) and after gulping down the last drop, he looked straight at Malu and said a single word.
"Nope."
I don't know what possessed me to write an Avatar story, but it just wouldn't get out of my head. Reading the Rise of Kyoshi had certainly inspired me to take a crack at it. This story is a next generation Avatar fic, taking place 80 years after the end of LOK, in a world that has changed a lot thanks to not only the existence of the third spirit portal, but also many other events that took place in between. Society is similar to the 1980s, with old school television, camcorders and video tapes. I decided to try my hand at writing a story about a morally gray Avatar raised in the world of organized crime, who isn't hesitant to smite some fools that piss him off. I have five books planed for this series, but I'm just posting this chap to see how it goes. It's very obvious I have no experience in writing Avatar stories, and it's touch and go for me, so show a mercy, yeah? Thanks for reading and please leave a review.