no, that's not the zuko chapter yet... (ooh, that's mean !)

Author's Note : WARNING : this chapter contains a few coarse words and suggestive/mildly explicit scenery. (it's rated T) (f-word and his little buddies ahead)

but I promise with the Ba Sing Se chapter to come it'll be the harder it will get. Had to talk a bit about the war a bit. That's still much softer than a real war can get, it just gives you an idea.

if there's one things more twisted than the timeline in A:tla, it's the military ranking. For example, the rank of captain comes before commander, while in real life a commander is the captain's subaltern. So here's the main ranking I'm referencing to :

simple solider/grunt - major - caporal - sergeant - lieutenant - captain/colonel - commander - admiral/general

Ok, that last part came out hard, but that's a big point in Jee's character developpement, and I wanted it to be good and 'natural looking'. When you make your opinion on Life, yes, you take rather defined steps, but between each you're not always 100 sure and you need time to figure everything out.

Jee's a hero !! squee

Next chapter in 10 to 14 days, because I'm feeling very down right now (my exams results were terrible, and I had worked hard. that's the first time in my life I know a 'professionnal failure', and that was something I really had dedicated myself too)
also I have my best best best friend's birthday to set up, and I want it to be a blast, because she's always there for me.

So that gives plenty of time for the handful of people who favorited this story to at least leave a comment.
REVIEW PLEASE !!

Hope this one pleases you, Newguy22 !

EDIT : fixed the confusion between ranks at the very end - SORRY

One day, I was in a small group, with two other firebenders and three grunts

One day, I was in a small group, with two other firebenders and three grunts. We were supposed to patrol on a street, and the older one of us – a 30 years old guy – said we should be wary about harmless looking cafés, because those were places where people met. And when people met, they talked. And the last thing we wanted was angry fire nation hating citizens to talk freely together… I bet that guy had a pretty good report from his propaganda teacher.

So we went on and checked on every bar or restaurant or tea shop on the block we were in charge of. Everything was fine for the two first, but before we left the third one, one of the grunts said he wanted something to drink.
It was a little tea shop owned by just a mother and her little boy child, with just a bunch of old folks petrified by our sight in a corner. The boy child himself didn't look very reassured, and he held on tight to what seemed a green-clad doll.
The grunt sat at a table and we did the same. I don't really remember his name, but his looks I do. He was every inch the pretty boy a teenage girl would fantasise over, with his cute little face, his messy hair strands, his muscly upper-self – especially his right arm - his white teeth, and all those stuffs that are so sweet you've got sugar coming out of your eyeballs if you stare at him long enough.

Anyway.

He saw the kid and motioned for him to come closer. The boy looked confused, but pretty face used a very friendly tone to talk him into it, so he came to the table.
"what is it you have in your hands, kid ?"
"a toy…" the boy answered after some time.
Her mother came back at that moment, with a full tray of sorgo beer. And she froze. Very little lines formed on her forehead, and I suddenly felt very anxious.
The others turned to her, so she got a hold of herself, and she brought the tray on the table. There was a silence while she slightly bent over to push the cups toward us, and pretty face was not keeping his eyes for himself.

"that's a pretty girly toy your son have here. But I s'ppose that's what happen when you grow up without any man. How about I come play daddy for you two when I'm bored, mummy ?"

The men laughed, and I laughed a bit too. Then followed a wide spank that sent the woman stumbling flat on the table. Which was not funny.
The woman jerked back and started to move away, but pretty face got a firm grip on her wrist. He said fun had just started, and he spotted one of the old customers scooting out of the tea shop. "sit back and enjoy the show" he yelled "courtesy of the house". The older man of our group chuckled, and pretty face yanked the woman onto his lap.
He groped her breast like if nothing was out of the ordinary. She mumbled a weak plea, said she was an honourable woman, and a mother; to what pretty face added she was also hot. The other guy chuckled again, but I saw another one of the soldier was looking bereft and ill-at-ease. Our looks crossed for a second before he gazed down to his now apparently captivating sorgo beer.

The woman was squirming to get away from him, but pretty face hold fast on her chest, and his lips found her neck while his free hand found her thigh. She had a jolt and hit him hard with the back of her head. A flow of blood broke out of his brow.
Pretty face got angry and roughly flipped the woman onto the table. This only made the old ass-kisser laugh harder.
His joints were bleached from pinning her down, his mouth was contorted in rage, his forehead crisped and his cheek full of his own blood. Not such an appealing cutie anymore.
I caught sight of the boy child, terrified, crouching in a corner and crying.
Pretty face hold the woman's hips stilled.
- I'm going to teach you, you little-
- Hold on, that's gross, let's just get out of here. I said and I stomped to my feet.
- Oh what, are you jealous ? Don't worry, you'll get a piece eventually. He laughed.
- You're sick ! That's nonsense ! We're not savages ! pretty face's hands grabbed the woman's pants while she fought all she could.
- You should be happy you even get to fuck ! my remains are much too good for someone as ugly as you ! and he started to pull down.

What do you think I've done ?

Before he even knew it, my palm connected hard with his forehead. I outstretched my arm, and sent him flying right onto the wall. His skull bounced back and he steadied himself, but I was at him already. I grabbed two fistful of his uniform and slapped him on the wall again. He was trying to push me away. And that was so hard not to just toast him on the spot ! He put his hand on my face and pressed, and I got a solid punch below my ribs. I stumbled backward just a bit, and his left fist hit my temple hard. I collapsed on a chair's back, and I think he was yelling at me. He was about to strike again, but I got up quicker, and I placed a strong punch in his guts along the way. Pretty face's breath was cut short. I elbowed him and he fell of his all height on the floor with a big muffled noise and a heavy groan. I was about to get back at him, but two of the firebenders were holding me back, clasping my arms tight. At that moment I was squirming and outraged.

The grunts helped pretty face get up on his feet, and he didn't really look fresh. He still took a few steps toward me.
- Want to share your remains ? I mocked.
The men carried him away, and whether he didn't want to fight anymore, or just couldn't resist them taking him away in his state, I don't know.
But I found myself there and all of a sudden the place was quiet as death. The woman had managed to come close to her son at some point, and the both were hugging each other while glowering at us. I quietened myself and mimicked to sweep the dirt out of my armour when the soldiers let go of me.
When we left though, I'm not sure, but I think the woman throw a little "thanks" at me.

When I was back in our camp, I used the hem of a broad-bladed lance to look at my face. I had a nasty bruise just above my temple. I remembered one of the seamen on my previous mission had told me, if you hit hard enough, you could kill a man with a simple punch at his temple… I had thought that was a stupid death, hardly believable.
I was maybe a bit over-reacting, but then again I thought what had just happened was at least as stupid and unbelievable. And yet it had happened…

I could hardly sleep that night, and that was fine since two guards came looking for me a few hours after sundown.
They said Commander Wei wanted to talk to me in his tent immediately. The guards stayed to make sure I wouldn't try anything funny, while I put my armour back on. It would have been considered very disrespectful to present myself in front of a high ranking officer in just my grey uniform, even in the middle of the night. And when a commander suddenly takes interest on you petty soldier – moreover right after a brawl with another soldier – you don't want to appear disrespectful.

I clearly had an idea of why I was summoned. Somebody had been tattling on, and on that too I had an idea.
I entered the big and fully lighted tent, and I've got to say I had the creeps. I passed between the two lance men securing its entry, and stood near its centre, right next to… well, how totally unexpected, Pretty face ? Yeah, it looked very much like him. Only with a crooked up stance and a few bad red scratches and dark blue spots here and there, I mused to myself. If I wasn't so scared, I'd have laughed heartedly.

If pretty face could have fire bended with his eyes, I would have roasted on foot. What a joke ! If that guy could firebend he would have burned his own self with it ! He could stare all he wanted.

Commander Wei saluted us, and we both bowed as was proper – though I did it with much more ease than pretty face. The commander called my name and pretty face's – a stupid name, it didn't leave an imperishable impression on me as you can see.
Commander Wei said he had heard of our fight in the tea shop. I couldn't help but to scowl at pretty face at that. Wei went on : we were the sons of Fire, here to bring the unfortunates the light that would burn away the darkness of their savagery. The fire that would brighten the endless nights that their decadent civilisation pushed them through.
He paused there. He was done with the usual blabbering, and he got to the point : we already had enough trouble with it as it was, no need to create more. We should behave ourselves, no need to give the locals more reasons to scorn us.

Then he called pretty face's name again. He straightened up, like a good boy. "Sir ?"
And there went Wei's hand, a square slap right in for pretty face.

The guy was senseless for a second. And then, he just looked so confused, it was confusing me too.

"Since we are in this town, I've heard of all sort of petty and stupid misplaced behaviours on the behalf of my men. But never had it reached such vulgarity. Until now. I know how it goes in the Northern Colonies, but this is MY town, and MY rules. I've gotten sicker and sicker of my soldiers hanging round women like mere animals. Even the rhinos have a better hold on their bodies than you do. Let his be a warning, for you and for every excited man out here, that I will not suffer any of this."

Now, that was something. Pretty face was totally stunned, and white with raged shame from his hands to his ears.
He turned to me, and I found myself straightening my spine too.
"As for you, you're not a hero. Is that clear ?"
"Y-yes sir."
Commander Wei frowned at us, and for a moment that seemed an eternity he said nothing. My breath was burning my throat and crushing my lungs : that man had enough power to send me rotting in the worst cell of the Boiling Rock for the rest of my life.
Pretty face was sweating his fear out in clear streaks. If Commander Wei himself had condescended to slap him, the Boiling Rock had to be his best chance.

"Dismissed". Wei finally said.

Pretty face miraculously escaped any further punishment, and Commander Wei did not even have him transferred. But this served a purpose. Pretty face forever waited the silent blow with an utmost paranoia, applying himself to be the model soldier while on duty, and daily sweating his own weight in water. And I believe nowadays he still can't sleep at night before thinking about the awful tortures he could know in the very next morning.

All the while his unappealing story spread through the barracks. The wildest theories passed between soldiers during night patrols on what Commander Wei had up his sleeve for him. And soon the men became disciplined and respectful again.

As for myself, I kept a low profile, and I carefully avoided the whole block where the fight had occurred. Of course, I had minor chores for a week for putting up a fight with one of my comrades. This was registered in my records as was the Law, but then that was it.

I served for almost three years in Yuan He Ping.

It seems only logical that after a year watching my steps I'd loosen up a bit : I had already received a proper nemesis, and I had not been the focus of commander Wei's anger in the first place, so I had figured I had nothing special to worry about. So I spent my off-duty nights having fun with a couple soldiers, a bunch of beers, and a lot of women. But, I was always careful not to go off the line, and I did my job thinking about fairness way more than promotion, or perks I could have gotten over people. And that was a very important point for me.

Right after Commander Wei's summoning, one of the guard escorting me had told me I shouldn't get fooled by the wheedled eyes of an animal that knew it couldn't have the upper hand in a fight. He said the locals were merely waiting for us to let down our guard and bite us.

I had never been keen on race theories, even back under Master Yi Lin's teaching, but that turned into my head for a while.

The earth kingdom people were supposed to be animals; but they acted every inch like any Fire Nation citizen would have in their situation. On the other hand, we were supposed to be the good guys, bringing with us culture and humanity. But when given opportunities, a rather big part of our soldiers could be worse than animal, like Commander Wei had pointed during his little talk with pretty face.

I had heard the stories of how earth kingdom soldiers behaved on the battlefield, how their benders opened huge creaks on the ground and buried alive batallions of men who had the misfortune to be there at that time. I had heard too about the torture the Fire Army prisoners were put through, and truly this couldn't vouch for them. But, the locals had done nothing of that.

Many were just women and children, wives and sisters concerned for their men away. When I looked at them I couldn't help but think that was awfully close to what the Fire Nation inlanders were going through. To what my own mother was maybe going through. As for the kids, they seemed pretty much the same here as in the Fire Nation capital. They had the same games, they had the same voices, and even their green eyes were colored by the same mischief and youth than mine once were. The more I spent time in the city, the more I saw how this people lived, the harder it was to see their supposed brutality and savagery.

…No, savagery was somewhere else…

I had no reason to mess with the locals.

These people were not animals, and if anything, they were just saddened and scared by the War.

That's why I decided I'd just stick to doing my job, the right way, and I'd let the others get the spotlight if they wanted to.

When my three years were over, I was sent back on a patrol ship. But to my greatest surprise, not only would I finally be in charge of the maps, but I'd be as Major.
It appeared Commander Wei himself had recommended me for the post as well as for a promotion, in a specific letter to the War Ministry.
It was mentioned in my records that I had earned a higher rank by 'proving my loyalty and standing up for my Nation before my personal interest and welfare'.

But it was also mentioned 'my difficulties as thinking as part of a group were still strong', hence the deadly boring six months long sea patrol in the southern colonies – where nothing ever happened.

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