Sakuro was meditating in the local holding cell in a corner by himself facing the wall, the other inmates sitting on benches or swinging blows at each other. Sakuro's eyes were closed and his breathing was heavy, as he tried to empty his mind of thought. While he had done it before, he still found it exceptionally difficult to do so, especially in a rowdy, noisy holding cell. He was only to be in the cell for two days, but after that time, he would have to find a new job. He began to wonder what he could do before realizing that he was thinking. He let the thought flutter away like a cloud, and suddenly found himself in the midst of nothingness, his mind clear. He grew suddenly content as his mind was blank. He had done it again!

Suddenly, though, he was forcibly hauled to his feet and whirled around to stare in the face of a rather large and burly man with tattoos all over his body. Angry that the man had disrupted his perfect meditation, Sakuro slid his arms in a circle, breaking the man's grip on him, and then entwined his legs with one of the man's so that when he pushed, he'd be unable to catch himself and topple to the ground. And push Sakuro did.

"What was that for?" the man asked, standing up and rubbing his backside.

"I'm sorry. You messed up my meditation and I lost control of myself. It won't happen again." And with that, Sakuro sat back down and attempted to begin meditating again, but the man gave out a yell customary of one who is kicking. Sakuro rolled to the side and looked up, seeing the man's foot hitting the hard stone wall.

"AAH!" the man yelled, massaging his foot and standing on one leg. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Sakuro swept his leg under the man's, sending him toppling once more to the ground.

"Oof!" he grunted. "Well, what are you waiting for? Get him!" The other inmates growled and leapt at Sakuro, who began utilizing his training in crowd fighting to use his multiple opponents' own bodies against one another, weaving and dodging in and out of their blows until, very quickly, they all lay on the ground nursing wounds.

"Please stop fighting me. I don't want to hurt you any more," Sakuro said. Some of the inmates were standing up, obviously ready to fight, when, suddenly, a giant fireball crashed outside of the jailhouse. They all screamed in fear and huddled up in a corner, each trying to get people between them and the door to the jailhouse. Sakuro sighed. So the Fire Nation had caught up to him. He knew it would happen eventually, but so quickly?

Sakuro grabbed one of the benches and hauled it into the air, smashing it hard on the stone ground so one of the metal legs flew off. Using it like a crowbar, Sakuro broke the lock and ran outside to a hell of soaring and exploding fireballs, all launched from the top of a nearby hill. Sakuro peered up at it and saw a small group of maybe thirty firebenders. They'd probably be pretty skilled, and as a master martial artist, he knew that no warrior should risk his life for a meaningless battle. Knowing he had to vacate the town, Sakuro located his small hut, half-burned from a fireball, and spotted his sword and bag laying by his smoldering cot. He began sprinting towards it and, as it happened, toward the firebenders at the top of the hill, who decided at that time to rush the town instead of simply bombarding it. A lucky blast managed to graze Sakuro, leaving a slight burn, but he knew he was fine. It only hurt a little.

Sakuro reached his hut, the firebenders nearing with every passing second, and quickly belted his Jian sword to his back and shouldering his pack. He leaped out of the hut and quickly analyzed the situation. In a few seconds, the first wave of firebenders would reach him. Already, they were flinging fire in the general direction of the town. He saw on the hill more firebenders, still launching missiles, though fewer, at the town. He then saw the woods to the side, somewhat on fire, and knew that he could easily escape the town.

Then he looked back and saw, on the hill, a man wearing a red-and-black combat outfit and a mask. A katana was strapped to his back, and he stood with the silent, penetrating gaze of a warrior, surveying the happenings in the town. Sakuro knew this would be a bounty hunter, one of the best, sent to hunt and capture him. He also knew that the bounty hunter would want to leave Sakuro a message, the message being the destruction of the town he was in.

So instead of turning his back on the town and letting it burn to the ground, Sakuro drew his sword and calmly stepped into battle.

(Break)

Hori looked from the roof of a building at the fight. He had descended from the hill when he saw resistance forming, but quickly realized he was not needed for the fight. He knew Sakuro would show himself eventually.

As he surveyed the pitiful resistance, falling rapidly, something caught his eye: A flicker or two of movement, and a few falling firebenders. He snapped his head to it and saw a man wielding a Jian sword in earth kingdom peasant garb striking down another firebender. He studied his form and saw that it was nearly flawless, moving smoothly from form to form as he knocked aside the wrist of a firebender about to shoot a blast at him, and then rapped the firebender's temple with the flat of his blade. He watched as the man – Sakuro, he knew – knocked aside a lashing arm and returned with a jab to the stomach. He analyzed his form and style, saw that he was not killing, only knocking out or incapacitating, and knew suddenly that Sakuro was not still a firebender at heart; something had happened that had softened him, weakened him. But Hori was strong, and he would defeat Sakuro and return him to the Fire Nation, where he would become strong again, too. In a way, he would be doing Sakuro a service, as well as making enough money to pave his way in gold.

Sakuro was truly a marvel to watch in battle – some would say his fighting was beautiful. But Hori believed in the effective, not the beautiful. Though you couldn't argue that Sakuro's beauty in fighting was not effective. Confident in his skill with the Katana, and confident that Sakuro wouldn't use firebending, Hori leapt from the rooftop and rolled to absorb the blow and rushed at Sakuro, sword flung behind him in typical Katana charge fashion.

(Break)

Sakuro caught a movement in the corner of his eye and saw the blade of a Katana swooping down at him. Raising his Jian sword to block it, he felt and heard the ringing of the blades that meant, according to popular legend and folk tales, that two master swordsmen of totally differing views were engaged in combat.

Sakuro stared into the eyes of his assailant and saw nothing there but cold, black determination.

Sakuro stared right back.