Chapter 2-First Strike

"Nope."

Malu looked at Akira in surprise, not expecting that reaction. "I'm…I'm sorry?"

"Nope." Akira shook his head. "You've got the wrong guy."

"I do not." Malu said calmly.

"Yes, you do."

"No, I don't."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No!"

"No."

"Yes…" Malu growled and Akira smiled at the slip up. "Deny it all you want, Avatar Akira, but this has already been decided and proven by your father."

"That's a load of sabertooth moose-lion crap." Akira bluntly said, starting to lose his patience. "Don't think you can just walk into my home and start acting like you can say whatever you want. That's a good way to get killed around here."

"Mr. Akira, I'm sorry for my partner's rudeness." The White Lotus agent stepped up to speak. "My name is Genji, and I know it's hard to believe but you really are the Avatar." He said. Looking at the other guests in the room, and realizing that half of them probably had the capacity to kill him and Malu, he tried to move the conversation to another room. "Um, if we can just speak in private-"

"Yeah, get the hell out of my house." Akira snapped his fingers. "Hua."

Malu made to speak but froze when she felt the sharp edge of an iron fan pressed against her throat. She glanced to her right and saw Hua standing there, expression stone cold as she made Malu step back.

"It'd be wise to back away before you get yourself hurt." Hua said.

"Hua, stand down." Xuan ordered. Hua took her fan away and stepped back, giving Malu some room to breathe. "Master Malu, Genji, come to my office. You too, Akira. This is something you need to be present for."

Akira rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "The world loves giving me the finger, doesn't it?"

Kiki purred in agreement.

XXXXXX

"You're lucky I didn't bury you in the ground right then and there." Xuan growled as soon as they entered his office.

Malu stiffened, but regained her confidence. "I'm sorry, Mr. Xuan, but I couldn't stand by and waste any more time. The Avatar needed to be identified as soon as possible. Your stalling wasn't helping matters."

"Forgive me for wanting to give my son a proper birthday before you White Lotus vultures decided to swoop in and try to take him away." Xuan replied, narrowing his eyes. "And you'll show my proper respect inside my home or Avatar Aang's bloodline will be left with one less airbender."

Genji tensed his shoulders, keeping an eye on Jian, who stood close to his father's side. Akira, who was standing by the window, cleared his throat to stop the growing argument before it got worse.

"Look, let's all just calm down here, okay? Let's start with something simple and make our way up from there, okay?" Akira turned to his unwelcome visitors. "First, introductions. Starting with the crazy airbender lady."

"My name is Malu." Malu glared at Akira. "I'm sure you've already heard of me. I'm Master Jinora's daughter and leader of the Air Nation."

"Charmed." Akira said dryly. "And your bodyguard here is…"

"Genji, I'm an agent of the Order of the White Lotus. Master Malu brought me along because I was more familiar with the…lifestyle of Xian, being a former triad member myself." Genji said, bowing his head to Xuan. "We genuinely didn't come here to start any trouble, sir. It was just to inform the Avatar of his status before anyone else got to him."

"You two seem really sure that I'm the Avatar, even though I've never been tested." Akira said. "The Earth Union's a big place after all, and thousands of children were probably already tested before me."

Each nation had its own method of locating the Avatar, though some methods were revised following the Hundred Year War. When Avatar Korra died, not only did the White Lotus have to comb the entire Earth Union for her successor, taking cliff notes from Avatar Kyoshi's time on being very thorough in their search, they also had to scout the United Republic as well. The world was much more connected than it had ever been in centuries, and they couldn't take any chances.

"We did, at first." Genji said. "When Avatar Korra reached the end of her life, she said that we were to be thorough in searching for the next Avatar. No child of Earth Union heritage should be overlooked, not even orphans or street urchins."

"We were fortunate that our search didn't last as long as it should've, or we probably would be facing a repeat of the misunderstanding that led to Avatar Kyoshi being overlooked." Malu said. "It was thanks to you that we found our Avatar."

"Me?" He frowned.

It was Jian who shed some light on the mystery. "Akira, do you remember when you were a kid? You had an imaginary friend that you called the blue lady."

"Yeah, of course I do. Sometimes she would pop up when I was alone or just feeling…I don't know, out of sorts, maybe?" Akira gave an annoyed shrug. "I was a kid. She could've been born from my imagination or some spirit that was attracted to me. It happens a lot to kids. Nothing strange about that."

"Until you visited Republic City with your family. You suddenly hugged an old woman standing in front of Korra's statue in Avatar Korra Park." Malu continued.

Akira froze. He did remember that day. It was one of the few memories that stuck with him from his childhood. "Yeah, I…she looked sad. I just felt the urge to give her a hug."

"That was Asami Sato, Korra's wife. You wanted to hug her because you had a strong connection to her, just as Korra did." She said. "And I take it this blue lady also told you to do so?"

Akira felt his throat tighten as he nodded mutely. He turned to Jian and Xuan, who looked neither surprised nor concerned about this revelation.

"Did…you two know about this?" He asked. Xuan looked down at his folded hands.

"Ms. Sato came to me that day, holding your hand and smiling. She didn't seem concerned at all about meeting the leader of one of the Earth Union's biggest triads. She told me that she thought that you were the Avatar and I called her mad. Then she started talking about your little encounters with your not-so-imaginary friend, and even I couldn't deny the evidence." He said. "You are the Avatar, son."

Akira stared at his father as if seeing him for the first time. He looked at Jian and saw an uncharacteristically ashamed expression on his face. Neither brother nor father could look him in the eyes. Taking a deep breath to remain calm, Akira turned his back to his family and pushed past Malu to leave the room.

"Avatar-"

"You're staying right here, Master." Xuan said darkly. "We're going to have a talk about boundaries while you remain in my city."

Malu scowled but steeled herself for a lengthy conversation. This was going to be a long day.

XXXXXX

Akira's scowl remained stuck to his face even as he sat in the shade of his mother's tree. The air was warm and the weather pleasant, but it did little to curb his temper. Not even the feel of Kiki's little paws tapping on his hand to ease his annoyance at how things went.

'They show up at my birthday party and drop a bombshell like that without a damn care for who they're talking to.' Akira thought. 'White Lotus or not, I would've gutted them like fish!'

"Wow, you look pissed." Jade entered the garden and stood over him, hands on her hips and looking down at him like a scolding mother tempering her child. "I take it that little private talk didn't go well?"

"What do you think?" He grumbled.

"Don't get testy with me, Akira. Better simmer down or I'm having you sleep on the floor." She said. Jade sat down next to him and pulled on his shirt to get him to lay his head down on her lap. Running her fingers through his long black hair, she looked into his green eyes and spoke to him. "So what happened?"

"It turns out dad and Jian both knew that I was the Avatar. Apparently my imaginary friend wasn't as imaginary as I thought." He said.

"Was it that hug you gave Asami Sato?" Jade said.

"Yeah, that and more. I don't know why the hell the White Lotus is just now popping up to see me, but I guess that's dad's doing." Akira groaned and ran his hands down his face. "What the hell am I going to do, Jade?"

"You don't want this?" She asked.

"Of course not!" He yelled. "Jade, I'm a member of a family that has ties to theft, smuggling, bribery, and money laundering. That's not the kind of environment the Avatar is born into."

"You also forgot the sex industry." Jade smirked. Akira rolled his eyes.

"That's my aunt's area of expertise, don't pin that on me." He said. "And how are you so calm about this?"

"I don't know." She shrugged. "It just makes sense to me as to why there are so many spirits in Xian. It's because of you."

"Great, that's comforting."

"It wasn't. I'm just stating a fact."

Akira closed his eyes and let himself drift off for a moment before he "felt" the light, fast-paced footsteps of his butler, Han, enter the garden.

"Apologies for disturbing your quiet time, Master Akira, but there's a White Lotus agent here to speak with you. Shall I turn him away?"

Akira almost said yes, but something told him that it'd be better to talk to the only one who seems to know any manners. It might also give him an insight to who he was dealing with.

"Send him in." He said.

Han nodded and left the yard, and seconds later, the White Lotus agent named Genji came walking along the stone path, taking a minute to look around at the beautiful garden before bowing his head to Akira and Jade.

"Avatar Akira, I'm so sorry for my partner's actions. I told her we should've waited until after the party to address you, but she was a bit impatient this time around." Genji said politely.

"I didn't think Air Nomads knew how to be so damn impatient. What happened, her internal clock stopped working?" Jade said snidely. Akira patted her hand to get her to tone it down.

"No, there have been some…altercations on the way here. We were supposed to have made it to Xian a week ago but we were busy handling some issues with a couple of towns along the way." Genji said.

"What kind of issues?" Akira asked.

"The kind the Avatar gets involved with." He replied. Akira scowled and looked away. "Ava-"

"Akira."

"…Akira, I know this isn't the ideal way you were supposed to learn about being the Avatar, but it doesn't change the fact that you are what you are. You're the Avatar now, and that means you have a duty to the world, to humans and spirits alike." Genji took a step forward and knelt down. "And now that you're the Avatar, you'll be required to learn the other three elements and be declared to the world at large."

"Yeah, screw that. I have a duty here, to my family and the city we rule." Akira said. "So sorry you had to come all this way for me to give you the finger, but no means no."

"You don't have a choice, Akira."

"I don't have a choice?" Akira stood up, prompting Genji to do the same as the boy stomped up to him and glared right into his face. "Who the hell do you think you are to tell me I don't have a choice? I'm not going to have my life dictated to me because I can see dead people at the age of 10! So I'm the Avatar, great, that means everyone's going to think twice about messing with the Iron Fan."

Genji stared at Akira, and shook his head. "The White Lotus is not your enemy, Akira. And neither are we. We simply want to prepare you, the Avatar, to defend yourself and those you love from those who would threaten the world and its peace. Whether you like it or not, there are people out there that will waste no time in hunting you down for their own selfish deeds, and we want to prevent that."

Akira was silent for a moment, not taking his eyes off Genji's face. "You saw the attack on me last night."

Genji nodded. "Yes."

"And you think it wasn't just some random attack." He said.

"I don't think, I know. Spirits have better senses than us; the more powerful ones can tell you're the Avatar through various means. That attack on you was a planned attack at the behest of someone else who wanted you dead."

"Well then, I'll just have to kill them first." Akira replied coolly. "Thank you for your time, Genji, you may leave now."

"But what about-"

"I'll worry about the training in the other elements. You worry about making it out of this city without getting mugged." Akira nodded toward the door. "Good day."

Genji saw that he wasn't going to get very far with Akira, at least not right now, so he bowed his head and handed him a card. "If you need anything, just call me. We're not too far away."

Genji nodded to Jade and walked away with all the dignity of someone who wasn't just snubbed by the Avatar himself. Akira and Jade stood there, both teens contemplating this new information differently.

'What was he trying to say?' Akira thought. 'Is there going to be another attack on me?'

XXXXXX

"That could've gone better." Genji remarked to an irate Malu. The Air Nomad woman had just gotten out of an almost hour-long lecture from Fa Xuan on "manners" and "etiquette". She already had a scowl on her aging face. "I see you had your fair share of pain."

"Shut up." Malu grumbled. "How did things go with the Avatar?"

"He told me to get out, as expected, but I think he's considering the kinds of threats that will come for him." Genji said. "He knows as well as I do that if he doesn't take this seriously, the people he cares about might get involved in attempts on his life. Despite his upbringing, I can tell he cares a lot about his family."

"That's not surprising. The Iron Fan are known for their familial loyalty." Malu said. Genji gave her a look.

"Don't think you're getting off the hook. What was that back there? I thought we said that we were going to take it slow? Try not to provoke a triad that employs airbenders as assassins."

Malu's face scrunched up at the mention of that. "I know, but…I just got a call from the White Lotus outpost in Republic City. There's been an attack."

"What?!" Genji looked at her shocked. "How?"

"A spirit snuck into the compound and exploded in the watchtower. Five people killed, three seriously wounded. Republic City's on high alert and security around President Aramaki has been increased." Malu looked down at her feet.

"Is your brother…?"

"He's fine, but it was a close call. However, the attack has everyone on high alert." She replied. "I'm all for taking things slow, Genji, but this attack means that the Red Lotus is making their move. They might already know why we're here."

Genji bit his lip. "I'd ask how they would already know, but that answer's obvious. But Malu, this is a delicate situation. These people don't take kindly to having outsiders cut into their private business. We need to avoid antagonizing them or they'll be the one's we're fighting."

"I know." Malu sighed. "Will he at least meet with us?"

"It will take some time. Hopefully, he'll let us teach him before the Red Lotus makes their move on him." Genji said. "All we can do is keep a close eye on him and keep him safe."

Malu nodded and looked down the street, her mind already wandering deep into her thoughts. She disliked rushing through delicate situations such as these, and she hated the fact that the Avatar wouldn't even listen to them, but right now she had to slow down or she'll risk making an enemy of the most powerful man in the world.

XXXXXX

Xuan knew that as soon as the White Lotus agents left the estate, he was going to be assaulted with questions by his subordinates, especially his friend Jigen and his sister Maya.

"When were you going to tell us that your son is the Avatar?" Maya demanded in his office.

"I wasn't." Xuan said crossly. "And I certainly didn't intend for Akira to know at his birthday part of all places."

"Well, that little incident aside, I think this is perfect for us." Jigen said. Both Fa siblings looked at him.

"Come again?" Maya asked.

"Xuan, your son is the Avatar. That automatically puts our triad at the top in the entire Earth Union. No, the world!" The excitement on Jigen's normally dour face unsettled Xuan. "No one will dare mess with the Iron Fan with the Avatar in our ranks."

"No." Xuan's answer was hard and fast. "Don't even finish that thought. Akira is not some superweapon, he is my son."

"I know that, Xuan, but he is also the Avatar. He has great political influence on the world stage. We could take over the entire underworld in this nation alone if he becomes a fully realized Avatar. No one can touch us!"

"You're not going to convince me to use my own son as some political tool. Whether or not he begins his Avatar training is his choice. I will not force him to do anything." Xuan said. Before Jigen even opened his mouth, he gave the man a hard stare. "And before you continue arguing, Jigen, keep in mind who is in charge here. He is my son, not yours. Am I clear?"

The muscles in Jigen's jaw visibly tensed as he held back from saying anything insulting to his leader. He nodded and bowed his head. "Crystal, sir."

Xuan nodded and sat back in his chair. At that point, someone knocked on the door. "Dad? It's me."

"Come in, Akira." Xuan said, and looked at Jigen and Maya. "We'll speak later. Leave us."

Jigen turned and left without a word, only pausing to let Akira in before marching down the hall. Maya followed after him, not even glancing at Akira as she left. Akira snorted and closed the door behind him.

"What was that about?" He asked.

"Just some…disagreements. The result of an Air Nomad not knowing when to keep her mouth shut." Xuan replied.

Akira sat down across from his father and took Kiki into his lap, petting her soft fur as they sat in silence. Eventually, Xuan began the conversation.

"I know you have questions," Xuan said. "Just know that I didn't intend for you to know this way."

"Were you going to tell me at all?" Akira asked.

"Of course. Being the Avatar is not something that can kept secret for long. If you didn't find out yourself, I'm sure some spirit would've revealed your true nature. They're more sensitive to these kinds of things." Xuan answered. Akira shifted in his seat.

"I don't really have any questions about how did you know. That's pretty self-explanatory. Seeing the spirit of my past life for part of my childhood kind of cements it." He said. "How come you never told me, though?"

"Mostly because you weren't ready. Partly because I was afraid." Xuan admitted, to his son's surprise. It wasn't every day that you hear a man as hard as the earth he bends admit to being afraid of anything, especially your father. "I didn't want the White Lotus coming onto you like vultures and exposing you to the public yet. I have little faith in their ability to protect you, and recent events in Republic City have proven that."

Xuan looked at his second son and leaned forward. "There are threats to your life both human and spirit that will seek to control or kill you for being the Avatar. If the White Lotus was willing to barge into our home so bluntly, then someone must be wrong. I know I always say that as members of the Iron Fan, that we are stronger than diamond, but there are those in this world who aren't intimidated by our status. You being the Avatar will not deter them, only attract them."

"…What are you trying to say?" Akira inquired softly. Xuan took a deep breath and looked directly into his eyes.

"Akira, as much as I wish it wasn't true, the reality is that you are the Avatar. That automatically paints a target on your back. I know you want to contribute to the Iron Fan as much as Jian, but I also want you to be ready to combat any threat that comes your way, do you understand?" Xuan's eyes were as hard as jade, unbreakable in their attention on Akira. "Whether or not you train in the other three elements is up to you. I will not force you, I will not order you to do anything, but what you do next is your choice entirely."

"I…" Akira didn't know what to say. His father was basically letting him take charge of this situation, which was a bit more nerve wracking that he thought. Whatever he did, it was his choice and his choice alone? What responsibility!

Growing up, Akira had always known that his father was a very critical man. The White Lotus, the Air Nation, even the Avatar…Fa Xuan was a man who made his opinions on popular topics known without a care for what anyone else thought, and not all of them were well-received.

"Thanks, dad. That might be one of the only times I'll get to hear something like that." Akira smiled. "Is it alright if I think about this for a while?"

"Sure, there's no rush." Xuan nodded. "Just remember, whatever your decision, make sure to stay safe. You'll find that there are more enemies than allies around you these days."

"I'll keep that in mind, dad. Thanks."

XXXXXX

The Golden Lotus hotel was a five star hotel that catered to only the wealthiest of guests. It was an expensive place to stay at, and anyone who had enough money to pay for more than a single night there was someone who had a lot of money in their pockets. That someone was not Malu.

Being the leader of the Air Nation, great granddaughter to Avatar Aang and having connections to the White Lotus apparently wasn't up to the Golden Lotus's status of a paying customer. She had enough of this nonsense back in Republic City, and she wasn't having it in a hotel that catered to criminals in fancy suits and top hats.

It was fortunate that she at least had the foresight to bring Genji along. Being born in a Fire Nation noble family meant that he had the pocket change to use on missions. Which was good considering that they were probably going to have to stay in Xian longer than usual.

"…We're on the scene right now as local police and firefighters try to deal with an uncontrollable blaze that has suddenly ignited in the building right next to police headquarters. The cause of this inferno is unknown, but there is strong evidence that a spirit is behind the blaze that is currently threatening Xuan City police HQ…"

The faint voice of the dolled up news reported droned on the televiwer as Malu was called up her little brother, Fan, who was back at Republic City managing Air Temple Island in her place. She didn't like spending too much time from her family.

"I'm doing fine, Fan. I've just hit a bit of an obstacle in regards to the Avatar." Malu said, leaning against the dresser. Genji was sitting on the couch watching the news as he waited for room service to arrive with their lunch.

"Did something happen?" Fan asked on the other line.

"No, but he's being really uncooperative. His family isn't being much help either." She said.

"Yeah, swooping in like a tornado and dropping a bombshell like that isn't a good idea both on and off paper. You got to rein that temper in, sis."

"Thank you, Fan, I'll get right on top of that. I'll put it on the list next to training the Avatar and dealing with these accursed spirit attacks." Malu huffed. Her frowned deepened upon hearing her brother laugh.

"Sucks to be you, sis." He sang. "Try not to tick off the Earth Union triads any more than you've already have, okay? You'll make cousin Jinie sad if you die before her."

"That'd be a first." She remarked. "I got to go. I'll call you back in a couple of days once everything's settled down. Tell Jinnie I said hi."

"Will do. Oh, and brace yourself. The Demon Baby is on her way too."

Malu felt her heart freeze over. "What?!"

"Yeah, she's going to reach Xian in a few days. Better get the Avatar on your side before they meet or we'll have a natural disaster on our hands. Toodles!"

Fan hung up and Malu was left standing there with the dial tone droning in her ear. With a weary sigh she placed the phone down and trudged to the living room.

"How's Fan doing?" Genji asked.

"He's doing okay. Things are a bit tense in Republic City, but all's well on Air Temple Island." Malu said. "Fair warning, though, the Demon Baby is on her way, without telling me."

Genji winced. "Oh boy."

"Yeah, that's one more headache to deal with." She sighed.

There was a knock on the door. "Room service."

"How about we all just relax and have something to eat. This isn't something we can force no matter how hard we try." Genji grinned at her. "Be the leaf, you know?"

Malu smiled at that as she opened the door to let the hotel worker in. She noticed that he glanced at her and Genji for a bit before giving them their food, but she just chalked it up to having seen an Air Nomad for the first time in person. Her mood brightened up when she saw the large potato salad sitting there for her to devour, right next to Genji's order of spicy turtle-duck with rice. Fire Nation natives did love their spicy food after all.

"Thank you." She said to the waiter, who bowed and left the room. "Genji, get your food before it cools down."

"In this heat? Please, Malu." Genji chuckled and snatched up his plate.

Malu was munching on her salad when she realized that there was a faint ticking noise coming from somewhere. She furrowed her brows and looked around, trying to find the noise. Being an airbender, she was a bit more sensitive to noise than the average person, and her father had taught her how to hear even the tiniest sounds via vibrations in the air. It was a technique she had perfected and refined over the years.

This very same technique was setting off her danger senses.

Malu looked back at the cart the waiter had left behind and found the ticking coming from there. She zipped over to it and pulled up the sheet, revealing bright red digital numbers counting down on a clock that was five seconds away from hitting zero.

"GENJI!" Malu shot forward and wrapped her arms around Genji's body before sending an air blast to shatter the windows. Surrounding themselves in a cocoon of air, Malu and Genji flew out the window just as the clock hit zero and their hotel room exploded in a large burst of flames. The blast sounded like thunder in their ears even as they descended onto the street, falling on top of each other as glass rained down from above.

Malu sat on her hands and knees trying to get the ringing out of her head while people screamed and ran away. She felt a hand on her back and looked up to see Genji kneeling down next to her.

"Malu! Malu, can you hear me?" He asked. Malu gave a shaky nod.

"Y-Yes, I can hear you. But my ears…" She winced and slowly stood up with his help. "We were still too close to the explosion. I can barely hear anything."

"A bomb...someone must really want us dead." Genji looked up at the hotel room they just jumped out of. Their room was on the second floor, so they didn't jump very far, though the place was in flames now. People were scrambling out of the hotel lobby, staff and guests alike, and he could hear firefighter engines in the distance. "Please don't tell me that the Avatar's family tried to snuff us out."

"No, they're not that bold. This was an inside job." Malu said. She looked over at Genji and saw a man standing across the street in a familiar stance. "Genji, dodge!"

Genji jumped away without a word just as the man shot a bolt of lightning at him, blasting a large hole in the street. Malu jumped through the smoke and sent an air kick at the man, who dodged and sent a flaming arc at her. Malu spun her body to create a funnel of wind around her and directed it towards the firebender, entrapping him in an uncontrollable spin that threw him into the side of a delivery truck.

"Genji, we need to get out of here before-" A loud bang shot through the air before Malu felt a strong pain in her left arm that staggered her. She cried out and stumbled back, just barely dodging the additional two small projectiles that were fired at her head.

In her attack on the firebender, she missed the black van that had appeared down the street, blocking any cars or trucks from coming and going. Five men wearing black body armor and red spiral masks wielding assault rifles flooded out of the van and were open firing on Malu and Genji.

Genji pushed her behind him as he shot large fire blasts at the gunmen. They were forced to take cover from the hot wave of flames that licked at their faces, but they were still intent on shooting them down. Genji had to be careful not to let those rubber bullets shoot through his flames or he'll be worrying about red hot rubber projectiles hitting his body.

"Damn, where did they come from?" Genji growled.

"This was a coordinated attack. They must have been keeping tabs on us." Malu said. The spot on her arm where the bullet hit was throbbing painfully, and she was sure it was going to bruise later on. "Look out!"

Malu got behind Genji and waved her arms, creating a strong gust that deflected the large rock that was thrown at them. Down the street opposite of the gunmen came two more black-clad men charged at them. Two earthbenders who were tearing up large chunks of concrete to attack the pair with.

"They must really want us dead." Genji remarked as he slowly advanced on the gunmen. His flames were still keeping them on the defensive, but if he let up on his assault, they'll shoot him down. Where the hell were the police?

Malu was also making her way towards the earthbenders. She glided across the ground dodging rocks and stone spikes shooting up from below. When one of the men tried to impale her on a stone spear he drew from the ground, Malu caught it in a mini-tornado and sent it back at him, slamming the spear against his head. The second earthbender tried to attack, but stared to gag as a metal cable wrapped itself around his neck and yanked him right off his feet.

"Huh?" Malu took a step back as two men in black suits restrained the earthbenders in metal cables and knocked them out with hard blows to the face. She tensed up when they turned to her, but then they held up their hands.

"Relax, air lady, we're here to help." One of them said.

"Help? Who sent you?" She demanded.

She got her answer when the sound of crunching metal came from over where Genji was fighting the gunmen. The black van had been impaled right through the middle by a large stone spike that burst from the ground.

Startled, the gunmen spun around, only to find the ground under them heating up and melting. They scrambled back onto cars or whatever they climb upon, and screamed as the intense heat of the lava rose up. A single figure walked around the impaled van and glared at the armed assailants. It was Fa Jian.

"You have some nerve starting such nonsense on my little brother's birthday." Jian said with a hard edge in his voice. "And I thought all the riff raff hovered around the UR."

"Back off!" Shouted the man standing atop a taxi, which was now sitting on a bed of molten rock that had burned through the tires and was now eating away at the undercarriage. He pointed his rifle at Jian's head. "Even if you catch us we'll never talk!"

"Then it's a good thing I don't actually need you alive, is it?" Jian said. He thrust his arms forward and the metal of the cars the men were standing on clamped around their legs and feet, trapping them in place. "Xian has no need for anymore trash dirtying its streets."

Genji took a step back as Jian raised his arms and brought up a wall of lava above the screaming men. When the lava descended upon them, Genji had to look away so as to not witness five men being burned alive right on the spot. Their screams, however, weren't so easy to ignore.

As this horror show was going on, Jian was walking around the lava pool he created to address Genji. He hardly seemed winded from taking out five men at once, nor did he seem to care about how he dispatched them. That type of coolness wasn't something you'd see in an earthbender and it was a bit disturbing.

"Are you unharmed, Agent Genji?" Jian asked.

"I'm…I'm fine, thank you. But Malu took a hit to her arm after we escaped the bomb." Genji said.

"I see. There's an ambulance on the way, and I've already informed the police on what just occurred here. It seems they were held up with a spirit attack that almost destroyed the police station." Jian glanced back at what used to be the burning corpses of the gunmen. "Apologies about that gruesome display. There is a reason that father doesn't put me on trash duty."

"You think?" Genji said, feeling a bit breathless.

"Genji!" Malu ran over to him, still favoring her left arm. "Are you-"

"I'm okay, Malu, but we better get that checked out." Genji said.

Malu nodded and looked at the two earthbenders that were still unconscious. "What about those two? Are we handing them over to the police?"

"No, we will be taking them." Jian said. At the looks he got from Genji and Malu, he said, "Someone tried really hard to kill you two today, and they're most likely hiding among the populace and possibly the authorities. Right now, we of the Iron Fan are your only friends."

"Your father was quick to kick us out earlier, and now he wants us to be friends?" Malu looked at Jian suspiciously. "Why the sudden change of heart?"

Jian, who was already walking towards his limo, looked over his shoulder at the master airbender. "Because my brother will need your help to navigate his so-called destiny. You say you want to help him? Well, time to prove it."

Malu and Genji looked at each other. Neither of them said it, but Xuan was quickly becoming the worst city they've ever visited in their lives.

XXXXXX

"I can't believe Akira is the Avatar, mom!" Yukino squealed, squirming a bit in her wheelchair. Maya gave a noncommittal grunt in response as she held the short green dress up to her in the mirror. "Don't you think it's cool, mom? He'll be famous!"

"Please don't blurt it out, honey. It's supposed to be a secret." Maya said, frowning at her reflection. "Excuse me, sales girl? Do you have this in purple?"

Yukino was so excited about the news that not even her mother's usual nonchalance got her mood down. Her older cousin, the Avatar; it was felt like a dream. She read all about Avatar Korra, from reading her memoirs to watching documentaries about her. She was the kind of woman that Yukino wanted to be when she grew older, despite not being able to walk. The idea of Akira joining the long line of Avatars that have changed the world made her giddy.

"Ms. Fa, please settle down. You'll tire yourself out." Said Yui, her personal helper.

"I'm sorry, Yui, I just can't sit still. Oh, if only I could tell my friends about it." Yukino sighed. "Do you think Akira will have his own biography, like Avatar Korra?"

"It's not my place, to speculate, ma'am, but I think your cousin needs to have some notable accomplishments under his belt if he wants to measure up to his predecessor." Yui said.

"Yuki, dear, stop daydreaming and focus." Maya walked over to her daughter with her new dress in hand. "I'm trying to pick a new dress for you. Feel free to choose anything here…so long as it's purple."

"Yes, mother." Yukino groaned.

"Excuse me, ma'am. Are you Fa Maya?"

Maya turned to the young man walking up to them. He was a handsome youth, though he wore a bit too much leather on his pants and jacket. His hair was slicked forward in a sharp widow's peak that didn't do his already angular face any favors, and his amber colored eyes shined with mirth at some unspoken joke. All in all, the teen looked like a hoodlum, and Fa Maya didn't deal with hoodlums.

"Yes, I am." Maya said curtly. "And who are you?"

"Kran. I'm visiting Xuan with my sister Kra, and I just wanted to see the big man's twin sister in person." Kran smirked. "I've got to say, I'm not impressed."

Maya was tempted to fling a metal plate at his neck and choke him on the spot, but she restrained himself. "If you know what's good for yourself, boy, you'll watch your mouth. Yukino, we're leaving."

Maya strutted past Kran, who grinned at her retreating form as if hearing a funny joke. Yui wheeled Yukino past him, and the girl looked away from his intense and uncomfortable gaze. Kran chuckled and turned around.

"Wait, before you leave, can you tell me where Fa Akira is?" He asked. "I've never seen the Avatar in person before, and I wanted it to be the highlight of my visit to the city."

Maya paused and slowly turned around, her green eyes narrowed as she glared at the boy. Suddenly this strange boy seemed a bit more threatening, and the increasing temperature in the store wasn't helping her attitude. Why was it so hot in here? "How did you know about that, boy?" She demanded.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Kran replied and snapped his fingers.

Seconds later, the clothing store was engulfed in flames as an explosion ripped the interior apart, blasting out windows and burning the clothes to cinders. Fa Maya and her daughter Yukino were the closest people at its epicenter.

Yup, guns exist in the Avatar world now. Invented by a United Republic arms company, these weapons are mostly similar to real world guns, but they use rubber or plastic bullets as ammunition. Now that might not seem so bad, but I read up that rubber bullets can cause serious injury or even death in many cases. It's also a great antithesis against metalbenders. Though, I've always wondered if a metabender is capable of deflecting all bullets being shot at him, because not taking into account sneak attacks, won't a metalbender be limited to bending as many bullets they can mentally process? Those little babies move very fast, and you got to be on top of them before they hit you. I don't know, that's just something I thought up. Anyway, things are kicking up in this little three chapter "pilot" and next chapter we finish off the introductory arc. Thanks for reading and please leave a review.