(NOTE) Well, for better or worse, here is the next little chapter. I hope you enjoy, and if it comes off a little bland, well, it does serve to introduce you to the main portion of the cast. trust me, this is not a stroy to give up on. It's going to be epic.

Adversus solem ne loquitor.

One First Meetings

The ostrich-horse was exhausted, and so was the young warrior bouncing in the saddle. The Earth Kingdom army had been on his trail since the early morning, and the warrior hadn't even had time to water the ostrich-horse.

The young man looked down at the animal he was astride, and made a decision. He pulled the creature to a stop, and jumped down, cutting away his gear. The ostrich-horse grunted nervously.

"Go, boy." The young warrior urged. "Go!" The ostrich-horse finally took off, and the young warrior picked up the dao lying on his tack, and slung it across his back.

He stood in the middle of road, and before long, he heard the scratching thump of many ostrich horses.

The young man drew his weapon, splitting it into the twin broadswords it was meant to be. He faced the soldiers that now move to encircle him.

The green-clad soldiers laughed, circling around. "Well, we finally caught you!" One of them jeered.

I let you catch me. The warrior thought but didn't respond. He shifted his stance slightly and prayed none of the men around him was a bender. That would be too much trouble.

"Well, you bastard, will you come quietly?" The leader asked, leering. "I hope you don…" His speech cut off in a gurgle as the young man cut him across the throat, and then moved on to attack the rest.

"Kill him!" The soldiers shouted, drawing weapons. They slashed wildly, trying to get past the young man's swords, but they managed only shallow cuts. The swordsman was already tired, exhausted from too much travel and too much fighting. It didn't take long for them to start to get to him.

The young man closed his eyes, and threw up a prayer, then unleashed the power he had been holding back.

Fire rippled along his swords, and flames seemed to wrap around the soldiers, and they screamed as they died.

The young man staggered away from the stench of burnt flesh, losing consciousness from exhaustion and blood loss.

He heard water dripping musically, then felt something cool touch him, and the pain lifted.

Startled, the young man opened his eyes, his amber-shaded gaze locking with a pair of startlingly deep blue eyes. The dark-skinned young woman sat back.

"You were hurt." She said simply, letting her water fall back into a bowl.

The young man sat up, and the girl continued as he looked around. "My friends and I found you on the road, next to…" Her voice stopped as she thought about what they had found.

The fire-bender looked at her. "Next to a pile of men burned to death. What is this cave?" He asked, gesturing at the dry, stony cave they sat in. Despite himself, he couldn't look away from the girl for long.

"It's where we're hiding." The girl replied. "At least for now."

The fire-bender looked at the girl, and took in her blue robes. "Waterbender, right? Trained healer, or can you fight?"

The girl blushed. "A little of both. That's what I was doing when you woke up."

The firebender glanced down at the rips in his tunic, and the smooth skin under them. "Thank you." He said simply.

The girl smiled. "I'm Rain."

The fire-bender blinked. "I'm Kai." He grinned. "Rain, huh? Your parents had an imagination."

"My grandmother named me." Rain explained, causally touching a shell necklace on her neck.

Kai's eyes followed the gesture and he spoke as he studied the design. "She was important to you?"

Rain smiled. "She taught me everything she knew about bending." Rain toyed with the necklace. "Her mother gave her this necklace. It's been passed down all the way from my great-great-great grandmother."

"Impressive." Kai said, shifting to a more comfortable position. "Five generations. I bet each of them were as tough as you seem to be."

Rain smiled. "Maybe I'll tell you about Grandma Katara sometime." A voice from the cave mouth drew Rain's attention, and she missed the look on Kai's face.

Two figures walked into the cave, and Rain went to greet them. "He's awake." She said, leading them to the back of the cave, where Kai had found his feet.

"Higen, Jubei, this is Kai." She introduced her two friends. Kai measured them both in a glance.

Higen was taller, everything about him pointing toward Earth Nation. With no apparent weapon, Kai assumed he was an Earthbender, and wondered why he would be traveling as a refugee. Jubei wore even simpler clothing, and carried a bow loosely in his hands.

"Guys, this is Kai." Rain finished, dispelling a potentially awkward moment.

"Nice to meet you." Higen greeted, Jubei echoing him.

"Likewise." Kai found a smooth boulder, and sat slowly. Rain may have healed him, but he was still sore.

"What did you find?" Rain asked, stirring up the fire before getting several pots ready.

Jubei opened a pouch at his side, and produced a small bird. "Dinner." He smiled widely, and Kai thought for a moment that he was awfully young to be a refugee.

Higen sat back. "Well, while he was busy with his stomach, I was spying in the village. Word has it more soldiers are coming, presumably to get revenge. You must be a popular guy."

"I'm a firebender." Kai said simply. "They don't need a reason to kill me, they just want to."

Jubei sighed. When he spoke his voice betrayed some bitterness. "We'll have to move on soon. I'm sick of being on the run."

"How long before our new friend here can travel?" Higen nodded toward Kai, who began to respond, but Rain beat him to it.

"Kai can travel any time. But…" Rain looked at Kai. "Do you even want to travel with us?"

"I…" Kai frowned, and responded against his wishes. "Sure. Always better to have company. You can go crazy from being alone." He looked out at the rain, which had been threatening to fall for some time.

"Ah." Jubei fell on his back contently. "That was great. Thanks for cooking, Rain!"

"It was good." Higen said quietly. He had no problem with firebenders. He didn't. But he couldn't help feeling protective when he saw how Kai couldn't seem to look away from Rain, or how every time their looks met, they both looked away quickly, blushing.

He wasn't Rain's older brother, but she was in his care. This could be a problem. He better not try anything, or I'll be forced to bury him alive.

Out side of the warm, cozy cave, the world went on.