The Saga of Kazai
Chapter 1: The Meeting
A/N: For those who've wanted to start reading this story, here it begins.
This is the story of Kazai, a girl from the Fire Nation. She lived many, many generations before the time of the Hundred Year War, before Avatar Roku, before even that unnamed Avatar Bended those volcanoes. I hope you love reading about her as much as I love writing about her.
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, nor do I own any of the characters or locations from that show. However, I do own Kazai and all of the other original characters that you will meet in this story, as well as the idea for this story.
Please, enjoy.
"Kazai! Get in here this instant, young lady."
I rolled my eyes as I heard my mother yelling from her bedroom. I focused on my book, trying to tune her out. Spirits, what could she possibly want now?
"Kazai, now."
Recognizing that tone, I reluctantly put down my book and went to see what she was fussing about. When I entered her room, she was frantically running about as her clothes tried desperately to cling on to her. "What's wrong, Mother?" I asked. "Have your clothes been taken over by demons?"
She scowled at me. "That's not funny, Kazai," she warned. "Go and sit. I need to do your hair."
"What?" I shouted. "But you combed my hair this morning!"
"Don't argue!" she snapped. "The Fire Sages just sent a message saying that there is to be a special town meeting in an hour and that everyone is required to attend. I will not have you looking like a street urchin and shaming our family."
"What's wrong with the way I look now?" I demanded. "We're almost street urchins anyway. They're not going to care about us."
Mother dragged me over to the stool in front of her dresser and forced me to sit. "Your hair looks like a monkey rat nest. Your clothes are worn and dirty. Honestly, it's like you're not even trying."
"I'm not."
Mother made a disgusted noise as she began dragging a comb through my hair. "You should," she scolded. "You just turned sixteen, and yet you've had no marriage prospects. If you took care of your appearance, you might get a little interest."
I glared at her reflection, smoke pouring from my nostrils. "What if I don't want to be married, Mother?" I asked. "Then what?"
She tugged hard on my hair. "Ow!" I yelled. "Be careful!"
"Hold your tongue, Kazai," she said. "You know your place as a woman. You have to have a husband; it is not optional."
I couldn't hold back a snort of laughter. "Yes, because having a husband makes everything all better," I retorted. "Is that why we can barely afford rice anymore? Because you married Father? Or is it because you can't comprehend that we can't afford the lifestyle you want?"
Her face darkened, and I could tell she was considering slapping me. That was usually her reaction when she knew I was right. "Here," she snapped, throwing the comb at me. "Do it yourself. Be at the town square in an hour."
She swept out of the room without another word. Sighing, I picked up the comb and ran it through my mess of brown hair a few times. As expected, it didn't do any good. I then returned to my room to find an outfit my mother would deem acceptable. I didn't think she'd find anything less than a royal robe worthy for the presence of the Fire Sages, but she would have to settle for a simple red blouse and black pants. Somehow, I didn't think the Fire Sages would have any use for my family or for me.
After I changed, I exited my room only to bump into my father. I blinked in surprise – my father rarely was home during the day, and so it was an odd sight. "Oh, hello there, Kazai," he said, smiling warmly.
"Hi, Father," I replied. "You're home from work already?"
He nodded. "Everyone was sent home early because of the town meeting. Are you all ready to go?"
"As I'll ever be," I grumbled. "I wish I didn't have to."
"Ah, well, we all have to do things we don't want to," he replied, waving a hand. "I'm sure it won't take long, though. The Fire Sages aren't exactly fans of long speeches."
"True," I agreed. "Though I think it's more of a case of not being a fan of Shu Jing. We're not exactly important to the Fire Nation."
"Hey now, of course we're important," he scolded gently. "We're obviously important enough for the Fire Sages to visit. Now, go on into town. I'll be along shortly."
I nodded and bade my father farewell before heading out the front door. There was a fluttering sound above my head, and instinctively I held out my arm. Torri, my pet sea raven, landed a moment later. He trilled excitedly as I made my way into town. "Afternoon, Torri," I said. "Glad you could make it. At least I won't be totally bored by whatever they have to say."
Torri looked up at me, his draconic eyes full of love. I paused for a moment to stroke his scaly head. He happily closed his eyes and nuzzled my hand. A small smile found its way to my lips. "Thank you, Torri," I murmured. "Did you have a good hunt?"
His eyes reopened and he let out a squawk. I gave him a final pat and sighed. "Well, let's get this over with," I said, resuming my walk to the town square.
Fortunately, Shu Jing was incredibly small. I arrived at the already crowded square within minutes. My eyes found my mother up at the front of the crowd. I made sure to find a spot in the back. A couple of people noticed me, then looked away in disgust. I had never been a popular person in Shu Jing. I suppose they were like my mother and believe that girls should not wear pants. Excuse me for not wanting to catch on fire.
"Hey! Kazai!"
I kept the groan in my throat as I heard my neighbor, Atsuo, running toward me. He grinned excitedly. "I was hoping you would be here!" he said. "What do you think the Fire Sages want?"
"Of course I'm here, it was mandatory," I said drily. "And I have no idea what they want. I just hope it's over soon so I can get back to my book."
Atsuo laughed. "Kazai, you spend way too much time reading books!" he said. "You ought to come out something and hang out with me!"
"And do what, exactly?"
"Well..." he pretended to think for a moment, then grinned as wide as he could. "We could go on a date to Mizu's!"
I glared at him. "Atsuo, I've already told you I'm not interested in you. I'm being nice when I say that a paper cut would be preferable to a date with you. Now leave me alone and forget about it."
He looked crushed for a moment, but quickly regained his signature grin. "You say that now," he said. "But just wait. One day, you'll say yes. And I'll be there when it happens."
Torri, sensing a problem, squawked and turned his head. When he saw Atsuo, Torri let out a loud warning screech. Atsuo jumped back at once. "Ugh, why do you carry around that ugly bird all the time?" he yelled as he stalked off.
I merely smiled and stroked Torri's head. "Good boy," I whispered. "I'll get you an extra helping of meat tonight."
A gong sounded, and our attention was directed to the platform. The Fire Sages were walking up, looking especially solemn, which was quite an impressive feat for them. They took their places at the center of the platform and looked out at the crowd. "Greetings, citizens of Shu Jing. I am Fire Sage Hiro," one Sage said. "We have come to announce the identity of the next Avatar, who was born here in Shu Jing sixteen years ago after Avatar Dato passed from this world."
An excited murmur raced through the crowd. I blinked in surprise, then smiled. This would be an interesting event after all. I glanced around the crowd, wondering who the Avatar was.
"...And now, without further ado, we are pleased to welcome our new Avatar...Avatar Kazai."
The smile vanished from my lips.
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