The Legacy of the Headband Chapter 12: The Rhythm of Liberation
A/N: If you would like to listen to the music described in this chapter while reading, search for "Cave Jivin-ATLA Soundtrack" on YouTube. I won't include a link because the videos are frequently removed.
Xinlang, Qingzuo, and the four other Flameos excitedly set up their instruments, hardly believing that they were about to play the music they loved in front of other people, not to mention at a secret dance party in a cave. Those among their group who were friends with Hide felt very nervous that someone would tell him what they were doing and their secret double lives as jocks and musicians would be ruined. However, elation was winning out over fear for the moment.
Xinlang set his Sunghi horn down for a moment and surveyed the space inside the cave. He was very impressed with the set up, and wondered how Kuzon had found such a perfect spot to host this kind of illegal gathering. The cave was sufficiently far enough outside of town that there was no risk of being overheard. Furthermore, since it was now twilight, all the coastal fishermen had already gone home and no one else would have any reason to be anywhere nearby.
The Flameos were positioned upon perfectly flat earthen platforms above the floor of the cave. Xinlang wondered how the platforms had formed; they were cylindrical and so perfect that they seemed almost unnatural. Hundreds of candles gave the whole space a soft glow, and there was even a fancy ice sculpture holding cold water for everyone to drink. How in Agni's name had Kuzon pulled this off?
Well, Xinlang reflected, he did have help from his friends. The three other people who seemed to be with Kuzon all stood talking amongst themselves on the other side of the cave, not really interacting with anyone else. Who were they? Two of the youths were taller and had very dark skin, and the shorter girl wasn't wearing shoes. Ah, well. Xinlang brushed his questions to the side. Now that the other kids were arriving, it was show time. He quickly grabbed his Sunghi horn again and signaled the strings players and the drummers to get ready. On the count of a four beat measure, they began.
As Shoji entered the cave with a large pack of other students, he heard the most incredible music emanating from the back. The rhythm was far jauntier than anything he had ever heard in school or with his parents before. He looked over at the musicians and nearly tripped over his own feet upon seeing several of the same boys who sneered at him along with Hide eagerly creating such rebellious melodies.
As he took in the ambiance of the room, Shoji's admiration of Kuzon only grew. How had he managed to light all of those candles and get firebending jocks to play countercultural tunes? Shoji sighed with happiness. He was still nervous about being caught, but he felt in his gut that he had made the right decision by coming here tonight. Best of all, he had convinced On Ji to come too. Hide certainly wouldn't be here, which meant that finally, Shoji might have the chance to talk to her. Or maybe, they could even share a dance… he blushed violently at the thought. No, he would never work up the nerve to ask her to do something so scandalous. Besides, Shoji reflected, she seemed to be just as obsessed with Kuzon as everyone else. He honestly couldn't blame her.
Kuzon leapt out in front of the musicians and shouted joyfully. "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Flameos!" He grinned madly, only to frown slightly when he saw that everyone was just looking at him, not knowing what to do. Shoji knew that someone had to break the ice, and so he pushed his way to the front and asked for help.
"What do we do now?"
Kuzon gestured emphatically. "This is when you start dancing!"
Urdu scrunched down into the collar of his uniform. "I don't think my parents want me dancing in a cave."
Another voice called out. "Yeah! What if someone finds out?"
Kuzon looked down and rubbed his head. "Oh boy. Listen, guys. Dancing isn't something you think about. It's a form of self-expression that no one can ever take away from you."
Shoji wanted to believe Kuzon's crazy impossible words, but his cultural upbringing was warring fiercely with his newfound courage to challenge and question those norms. In an instant, his upbringing won out and he stepped forward, cringing as he spoke like Mr. Shou.
"Maybe it was different in the colonies, Kuzon, but we don't do that here."
Kuzon looked surprised for a moment, but then his face became determined again.
"Sure you do. You have for generations. It just so happens that I know several classic Fire Nation dances. A hundred years ago, this was known as the Phoenix Flight."
Kuzon proceeded to bend forward and extended his arms back, using one foot to propel his movement and creating the shape and appearance of a bird in flight. Shoji's eyes grew wide. He had never heard of the dance. Could it really be possible that people in the Homeland used to dance freely?
"And this was the Camelephant Strut." Kuzon strafed from side to side, mirroring his arms to his legs and rolling forward into facing two girls who giggled madly as his smirk and close proximity. Then, Kuzon leapt high into the air into a backflip and landed in the middle of the dance floor on one leg with the other knee tucked up and both arms extended towards the opposite direction of his standing leg.
Everyone went crazy. Urdu started crying, Shoji leapt up and down, and everyone started cheering madly as Kuzon continued to perform incredible acrobatics in his dancing. Shoji slowly started to move back and forth to the music, entranced by how good it felt to move this way. As the music blared on, more and more kids began loosening their inhibitions and joining Kuzon on the floor. Urdu and Senyo began to shake and stomp to the beat, and pretty soon, Shoji completely let go. He closed his eyes and let the music flow through him, losing all sense of time and place. He had never felt freer in his entire life.
On Ji stood with a few others who remained too nervous to partake in the rebellious revelry. Truthfully, she desperately wanted to dance, but she was terrified of what would happen if Hide or her parents found out. Her abdomen still hurt from the beating her father had given her after school for destroying a wall with her firebending during gym class. She honestly wasn't sure why she had even come in the first place.
It had been the look on Shoji's face that had caused her to run after him. He had seemed so confident and so certain in his conviction that this was a good idea. It had shocked On Ji to see him act in such a way, given how timid and cautious his behavior was at school. Well, she supposed that all of the boys were timid and cautious around her at school, given that Hide would shoot fireballs at them if they weren't. On Ji sighed. She was at a party without Hide, and all she could do was worry about him. He controlled so much of her life, and she was sick of it.
A warm hand grabbing hers broke On Ji out of her melancholy. She looked up and nearly forgot how to breathe. Kuzon was right there in front of her, holding her hand and gazing at her with his mysterious gray eyes and an adorable grin. On Ji thought her heart was going to pound right out of her chest.
"Come on, let's dance!"
She couldn't believe it. Out of all the girls in the room, he had sought her out specifically. Should she go with him? The soft affection on Kuzon's face was drowning out all the voices in her head warning her how bad an idea this was. The skin of his palm felt so nice against hers.
"It's okay. Trust me."
On Ji nodded slowly and let Kuzon guide her to the center of the dance floor as a smile quirked the edges of her lips up and a rosy flush bloomed across her cheeks and neck. He let her hand go and started moving back and forth, waving his hands in front of him to match the rhythm of the music.
"This is how they do it in the ballrooms of Ba Sing Se."
On Ji copied the simple dance movements and soon she and Kuzon were moving in sync, gazing into each other's eyes. There was warmth growing in On Ji's chest that she had never felt with Hide. She couldn't remember the last time she had this much fun, and Kuzon was just so amazing. He was handsome and kind, yet strong and passionate. Did he like her? Would they kiss at the end of the night? On Ji hoped so with all of her being. She was no longer thinking about Hide and the black and white rules of the world in which she lived. She was lost in the spectral gray oblivion of Kuzon's eyes and the heat of their dance.
A/N: The Kataango is coming in the next installment. So much happened at the dance party that I am splitting it into 2-3 chapters. Poor On Ji is in for quite a disappointment. And all of the characters will soon have to cope with Kuzon's sudden departure. The revolution is coming!