Chapter three of my Aang/Onji fanfic.
I do not own "Avatar: The Last Airbender," nor do I own the characters. This is just a fanfic.
Onji kept running. She didn't care that school hadn't ended yet, nor did she care that she had left Kuzon behind. She just ran away from the school, clutching her stinging right hand in her left, tears falling from her eyes.
What was Kuzon going to think of her? She was weak and useless. Her fight with Kiya had proven that much, at least. She was glad that he had protected her from Kiya's last attack and prevented further injury, but she was also ashamed that he had to step in at all. If only she hadn't been so careless, maybe…
No. There was no point in questioning it. In Kuzon's eyes, she would always be second place compared to that other girl. That nameless, dark-skinned dancer that she envied so much.
After several minutes, Onji passed into a patch of trees, through which a river swiftly flowed. She dropped to her knees at the bank, and looked at her damaged hand. The skin was burnt red, and her fingers were trembling uncontrollably.
Carefully, she lowered her hand into the flowing stream, wincing as the water stung her skin on contact. After a few moments, the stinging subsided, and the cool liquid gently soothed her burn.
She just sat there, wincing occasionally, as the water swept between her trembling fingers. But as the thought to herself, she heard light footsteps cross the undergrowth behind her.
She gasped in surprise and turned to see Kuzon standing there, watching her nurse her burnt hand.
"Hey…are you okay?" he asked.
"I-I'm fine," Onji lied. "It's nothing really."
Kuzon knelt beside her. "Let me take a look," he said.
Onji slowly eased her hand out of the water, clenching her teeth as the cold wind stung her fingers. Kuzon gently took her hand, inspecting the injury. Onji felt her face turning red as he did so.
"Don't worry, it's not going to scar you," he deduced, and Onji breathed a sigh of relief. "It'll heal. You just need to take it easy. Here…"
From his pocket, he withdrew a roll of bandages, and proceeded to wrap them gently around Onji's hand.
"Why do you carry bandages with you?" Onji asked curiously.
Kuzon looked at her as he weaved the fabric between her fingers. "I get hurt a lot," he said simply. "When you, uh, grow up in my colony, it sort of happens often."
"Like your scar?" Onji asked, pointing at his covered forehead.
"What? Oh, yeah," Kuzon laughed. "Just like my scar."
"How did it happen?"
Kuzon gulped at her question. "I…don't really want to talk about it," he said. "Anyway, that should be okay…" he tucked the end of the bandage into the wrappings, finishing his treatment.
Onji inspected her hand. Kuzon had done a good job binding it. He had even wrapped the bandage around each individual finger, so she could still move them, albeit a little stiffly.
"I…thanks Kuzon," she said. "I just wish there was some way I could return the favour."
A silence fell between them for a moment. Kuzon scratched his head.
"Well…" he said unsurely.
"You mean there is something?" Onji said eagerly. "Just tell me what it is, and I promise I'll do what I can."
"No, don't worry," Kuzon said, waving his notion. "It's nothing, forget it."
"Kuzon…" Onji reached out, placing her good hand on Kuzon's. Her heart seemed to miss a beat, surprised by her own bravery, and she blushed. Kuzon looked at her, also turning faintly pink. "You've been such a help to me. You helped me to express myself, you put Hide in his place, you stood up to Kiya for me…twice! And now you've tended my burns. It would just feel wrong if I didn't return the favour somehow."
Kuzon sighed. "I just…you're a Firebender, right?"
Onji nodded.
"Well, I've been looking for someone to teach me and…"
"Wait," Onji said. "I thought you said you couldn't firebend?"
Kuzon shook his head. "I can. I just…haven't really learned before," he said. "I tried learning once. But I got impatient and…someone got hurt."
Onji could see the grief in his eyes as he said this.
"But now," he continued. "I've realized it's time to move on from that. I want to learn firebending again and…I was wondering if you could teach me."
Onji's eyes looked to the ground. "Kuzon…you saw that Agni Kai," she said. "You saw how terrible I was. Trust me when I say that I'm not the right teacher for you."
"But you still know firebending moves, don't you?" Kuzon asked.
Onji nodded. "Yeah, but…my teacher always said I was missing something. I guess he meant skill."
"No, Onji," Kuzon said. "What you were missing was confidence. You were scared when you fought Kiya, and your firebending reflected on it. And you keep telling yourself you're no good, and that's also bringing your skills down."
"Well, there you have it," Onji said. "I don't have the confidence to firebend. And if I can't firebend…I can't teach you."
Kuzon pondered for a moment. "Okay then," he said brightly. "I'll make you a deal: I can help you get past this block, and build up the confidence you need to become a skilled Firebender. And once that happens, you teach me the sufficient firebending moves in return. Sound fair?"
Onji could only look at him. Even now, he was still willing to help her, to potentially change her life. His generosity seemed to have no end. But still, she had a chance to aid him in return.
She nodded. "Okay,' she said, smiling. "That…that sounds fair."
"Great!" Kuzon exclaimed, suddenly flinging his arms around her. Onji's face turned pinker still. He was…hugging her.
All too soon, he pulled away. "Okay, meet me at the cave after school tomorrow, once your hand's feeling a little better," he said. "We can get started on building that confidence."
"Yeah,' said Onji, still blushing from the hug. "I guess so."
"Come on," said Kuzon, standing up and offering his hand to Onji. "Let's get back to school before Ms Kwan realizes we're missing."
Onji smiled to herself, before reaching out to take Kuzon's outstretched hand.