"I think I see a cave below" Aang said. I couldn't see anything, as the Airbender was currently maintaining a small cloud around Appa in order to camouflage us from any possible Fire Nation soldiers.
"Shh! Keep quiet!" Sokka hissed. The ten-ton flying Bison came to hover above the ground, and Aang proceeded to dispel the cloud. There was, indeed, a cave, one we could hopefully use as a base of operations while we manoeuvred through Fire Nation territory. It was still very strange, being a fugitive and having to stealthily move through my own country. Sokka pressed himself up against a nearby rock, keeping a weather eye for any unwanted guests. "Great job with the cloud camo, but next time, let's disguise ourselves as the kind of cloud who knows how to keep its mouth shut".
As I lifted Jin and Li off of Appa's saddle and onto the ground, Toph remarked "Yeah, we wouldn't want a bird to hear us chatting up there and turn us in".
I smirked, and Sokka rebuffed the blind girl's statement. "Hey, we're in enemy territory. Those are enemy birds". He pointed to a group of birds standing on the rock he was pressed against, and one of them proceeded to hop onto his head before squawking. Beside me, I could see Takara trying to stifle an amused chuckle. What we were doing was good for her; she needed a mission, something to focus on that would give her a purpose and distract her from her nightmares.
We proceeded to enter the cave, finding it more than spacious enough for our needs. Takara rubbed her arms and said "It's a little chilly in here".
I responded by rubbing my hands together, warming them up using my body's naturally-greater internal temperature. I then walked over to the Kyoshi Warrior and started rubbing her arms. She smiled appreciatively, and I heard Sokka say "Well, this is it. This is how we'll be living until the invasion begins: hiding in cave after cave… after cave… after cave".
"Sokka, we don't need to become cave people" Katara replied. "What we need is some new clothes".
"She's right" I agreed. "The best way to hide is to do so in plain sight".
"Yeah, blending in is better than hiding out" Aang said. "If we get Fire Nation disguises, we'll be just as safe as we would be hiding in a cave".
"Plus, they have real food out there" Toph added. "Does anyone want to sit in the dirt and eat cave-hoppers?" She emphasized her point by slamming her fist against the wall, causing several small, white insects to emerge. Momo suddenly appeared and started devouring one such insect before turning to look at us, a pair of legs dangling out of his mouth.
"Looks like we got outvoted, sport" Sokka said. "Let's get some new clothes".
We then made our way out of the cave, on the lookout for any building that might have what we were looking for. We eventually came to a house situated next to a small waterfall, and next to it were rows and rows of steaming clothes. "I don't know about this" Aang said apprehensively. "These clothes belong to somebody".
"I call the silk robe!" Katara cried excitedly.
As she vaulted herself over a rock, I exchanged a smirk with Takara and the twins before we followed suite, running towards the clothes lines. We grabbed what we could in a hurry, and after grabbing simple commoner clothing, I saw Jin and Li grabbing matching sets of clothes. I realized what they were, and started to say "Boys…" when the man sleeping at the doorway of the house started to wake up. I hurriedly managed to take one of the wooden posts holding one of the clothes lines together. In order to escape unseen, we all bid a hasty retreat and made our way back to the cave.
It was too late to correct their mistake, so I had to go about exchanging my military uniform for simple commoner clothes. Once I was dressed, I went about carving the wooden post I had grabbed. As I worked, I turned and saw Takara hiding behind a rock for privacy as she changed. I could see her left shoulder, and it was bare as the Kyoshi Warrior was in the process of changing her attire. She caught sight of me, and I smiled over at her. She blushed before finishing. "Well, how do I look?" she asked.
My eyes widened as I beheld her dressed in a simple red top that left her right shoulder, arms, and toned midriff bare, along with a simple skirt. Her long, black hair was left loose, and it ran down to her back, framing her perfect face which was accentuated by her enchanting blue and green eyes. I was completely speechless, stammering out "Uh… I think, um…"
She chuckled at my current state. "I'll take that as a compliment". She then saw what I was doing, and asked "What's that for?"
I finished my work, standing up and testing out my new walking stick. "When people see a man of my age, with my apparent physical fitness, they're going to wonder why I'm not currently in the military, and we don't want any undue attention".
"So you pose as a cripple?" she asked, crossing her arms. "Very clever".
We then joined the others as they finished dressing. Sokka tied his hair into a top-knot to go along with his average clothes, while Aang and the twins were dressed in matching uniforms consisting of brown pants, shirts, black vests, and headbands with a logo in the centre. "Ta-da" Aang said. "Normal kid".
"Hmm… I should probably wear shoes", Toph said, "but then I won't be able to see as well. Sorry shoes". She then pulled back on her footwear until the soles shot at me. I managed to catch them before they hit my face, and the blind girl stood up and said "Finally, a stylish shoe for the blind Earthbender".
"How do I look?" Katara asked. I turned and saw that she was dressed much the same way as Takara.
Aang blushed so much that his face was turning pink, and it was slightly adorable to see him so infatuated. "Uh, your mom's necklace" he pointed out.
"Oh… oh, yeah" the Water Tribe girl said somewhat dejectedly. "I guess it's pretty obviously Water Tribe, isn't it?"
We then made our way into town, buying several accessories that completed our individual looks. Takara and Katara bought crimson necklaces, Toph bought a bronze hair piece, and Sokka bought a simple headband for his topknot. Once our purchases were complete, we found ourselves standing in an alley. "I used to visit my friend Kuzon here 100 years ago" Aang said after stuffing Momo into his shirt. "So everyone just follow my lead and stay cool. Or as they say in the Fire Nation: 'stay flamin'".
"Actually", I said as the Airbender started walking into the street, grabbing his shoulder and stopping him, "I should take the lead. The last person in my family to use those words were my grandparents. And let me guess: you'd greet people by saying 'flameo, hotman!'?"
Aang shrugged and replied "Yeah".
"Exactly my point. What we need is a convincing cover story that we can tell people. So, Takara and I are married, Jin, Li, and Aang are our children, and Sokka and Katara will be our nephew and niece. Everyone clear?" They all nodded, and I proceeded to lead the way, leaning on my walking stick and limping convincingly. We made our way to a small restaurant where we could get some food to fill our hungry bellies.
"Oh, we're going to a meat place?" Aang asked nervously.
"Come on, Aang, everyone here eats meat, even the meat". We turned to see a cow pig chomping down on several pieces of ham.
Aang scrunched up his face in mild disgust. "You guys go ahead. I'll just get some lettuce out of the garbage".
I nodded. Turning to Jin and Li, I said "Why don't you two go with him? We don't want him to make a scene, do we?" The twins shook their heads in agreement, and they stayed with Aang as the rest of us entered the restaurant. My stomach rumbled as my nose picked up on familiar smells that I hadn't encountered for a long time.
Jin and Li stood on either side of Aang, their arms crossed, as the Airbender greeted people walking by. "Hotman, hotman, hotman" he said, causing the twins to hold a hand to their foreheads and shake their heads in mild embarrassment.
They then caught sight of two men and a woman approaching them, and the twins got a bad feeling about them. "It's over, we caught you" the man in front said.
"Who, us?" Aang asked.
The man put his hands on his hips. "It couldn't be more obvious that you don't belong here. Next time you play hooky, you might want to take off your school uniform". Jin and Li looked down at their clothes; so that was what their father had been trying to warn them about. Aang nervously laughed as the three of them were roughly led away from town. A short time later, they found themselves at a Fire Nation school. It was quite impressive, and the statue of Fire Lord Ozai gave it a very ominous tone.
Jin, Li, and Aang were shoved into a classroom, and they were greeted by the open stares of at least a dozen or so children around their age. A woman stood at the front of the room, a pointer in her hand. "Oh… are these new minds ready for molding?" she asked.
"That's right" Aang replied jovially. "Let the molding begin". Jin and Li, on the other hand, bowed to the older woman, in keeping with proper etiquette that their father had taught them.
"Wait a minute" the woman, presumably the teacher for this class, suddenly said, causing the twins to tense. She gasped and said "You're not from the Fire Nation". She then held her arms behind her back as she slowly walked around the three of them. "Clearly you're from the colonies".
The twins glanced at Aang, who said "Yeah, the colonies, of course. The Fire Nation colonies in the Earth Kingdom".
"Your etiquette is terrible" the woman told the Airbender. "In the homeland, we bow to our elders. Like so". She then bowed to them in the same manner that the twins had done moments ago.
"Sorry, ma'am" Aang apologized. He then attempted to replicate the bow, but his fist touched the open palm of his other hand. Jin showed him the error, and Aang was able to bow properly.
"Clearly these two are far better versed in the ways of our people than you are" the instructor told the Airbender. "But we don't wear head-coverings indoors".
Jin and Li took their headbands off, while Aang said "Um, I have a scar. It's really embarrassing".
"Very well" the instructor said. "What are your names? Or should we just call you, young man, mannerless colony slob?"
Aang chuckled. "Just 'slob' is fine. Or, uh… Kuzon. And these are my brothers, Jin and Li". The twins bowed their heads to the instructor before turning to look at their new classmates.
"And do your brothers not have the ability to speak for themselves?" the instructor asked.
"No, ma'am" Aang replied. "They can't talk. They were born that way". With a nod, the instructor allowed them to join the class. After a day of learning, school was finally done. Jin and Li , after putting their headbands back together, accompanied the Airbender as he walked outside. He opened up his shirt collar enough to allow Momo's face to peer up at him. "We made it through the day, Momo… and it was pretty fun".
"Don't let the headmaster catch you with that monkey" a voice suddenly said from behind them.
Jin and Li instantly turned around, ready for some kind of fight, while Aang turned around and asked "What monkey?" As it turned out, they faced only a girl whom they had been in class with, so the twins allowed themselves to relax.
"Don't worry, I'm not a tattletale" the girl assured. She extended her hand and said "My name's On Ji". The twins shook her hand, and she said "I like your headband, by the way".
Suddenly, someone shoved past Li, and they saw that it was a boy around their age, though a little taller and bigger. He wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulders and said "On Ji, you don't have to babysit the new kids".
"Wow" Aang said, bowing to him. "You must be one of those popular kids we've been hearing about".
"That's right" the boy said smugly. "Now, listen, friends, I know you're from the colonies, so I'll say this slowly: On Ji is my girlfriend. Don't forget it".
He and On Ji then walked away, and the twins scowled at the back of the boy's head as they crossed their arms. Aang waved and said "It was nice meeting you".
"I don't believe it" a boy said from beside them. "He didn't beat you up. Not even a little".
"I guess we're just lucky" Aang replied.
"We were on our way to play hide and explode" the boy said, motioning over to several other children standing nearby. "You wanna come?"
"We'd love to!" Aang said excitedly. Jin and Li exchanged a glance before shrugging and running after the other children.
I poured tea into two cups before setting the pot down. Takara and I took a sip just as I saw movement at the mouth of the cave. "There they are!" I said, standing up.
The twins and Aang made their way inside the cave, and Katara asked "Where have you been? We've been worried sick".
I crouched down and wrapped my arms around Jin and Li, noticing that they were covered by soot in some spots. "We got invited to play with some kids after school" Aang replied. I froze in the process of wiping Li's face clean.
Sokka bolted up instantly. "After what?" he demanded, his eyes as wide as dinner bowls.
"We enrolled in a Fire Nation school" the Airbender explained after removing his headband. "And we're going back tomorrow".
"Enrolled in what?" Sokka demanded before collapsing onto his bedroll.
"I was going to warn you three that you had grabbed school uniforms, but there was no time" I said as I finished cleaning the soot off of Jin and Li. "Did you play hide and explode?" They nodded, and I snorted in amusement.
"How did you enroll in school without getting caught?" Takara asked.
"The instructor assumed we were from the colonies, so we just went with it" Aang replied.
I nodded, knowing that, for now, our secret was still safe. We all then gathered around a lump of firewood. I breathed some flames onto it, and a fire roared to life, bathing us in blue light as Toph and the twins used their Bending in order to create seats for us to sit on. Sokka, having come to, said "Aang, I'm trying to be mature and not immediately shoot down your idea, but is sounds… really terrible".
"Yeah, we got our outfits" Toph agreed. "What do you need to go to school for?"
"Every minute we're in that classroom, I'm learning new things about the Fire Nation. I already have a picture of Fire Lord Ozai". He then held up an exact portrait of the Fire Lord. "And here's one that I made out of noodles".
"Impressive, I admit" Sokka said, holding his chin. "But I still think it's too dangerous".
"I guess we'll never find out about the secret river, then" Aang said. "It goes right to the Fire Lord's palace. We were supposed to learn about it in class tomorrow".
"Hmm… I am a fan of secret rivers" Sokka said, his interest piqued. He turned to me and asked "Do you know anything about this river?" I shook my head, and he turned back to Aang. "Fine, let's stay a few more days".
"Flameo, hotman!" the Airbender exclaimed, standing up and raising his arms into the air.
He then ran off, and Sokka turned to me. "Flameo?" he asked, and I slapped my forehead.
"Good morning, class" the instructor greeted, and the twins stood up along with all of their classmates. Aang stood up after them, and once the instructor was seated at the head of the room, she said "Recite the Fire Nation oath".
Jin and Li then turned around and faced the portrait of Fire Lord Ozai along with the others, bowing as the others recited in unison "My life, I give to my country. With my hands, I fight for Fire Lord Ozai and our forefathers. With my mind, I seek ways to better my country and with my feet…"
With the oath recited, there was no longer anyone else except Aang speaking. "Fire Lord… feet… blah blah blah".
Jin and Li sat back down with the others as the instructor struck her pointer on the book in front of her. "Since it's obviously hilarious to mock our national oath, we'll begin with a pop quiz of our great march of civilization". All the other students groaned before preparing to write in their books. "Question one: What year did Fire Lord Sozin battle the Air Nation army?" Aang raised his hand, and the instructor asked "Kuzon?"
"Is that a trick question?" Aang asked as he stood up. Jin and Li exchanged a glance; if the Airbender drew too much attention, then their cover story would become useless. "The Air Nomads didn't have a formal military. Sozin defeated them by ambush".
Almost everyone in the room looked about ready to faint, and the instructor looked about ready to explode. "Well, I don't know how you could possibly know more than our national history book, unless you were there a hundred years ago".
Aang suddenly blanched. "I'll just write down my best guess" he said, quickly sitting back down and writing in his book.
After that, the three of them found themselves in music class, sitting behind a portrait of Fire Lord Ozai. The instructor tapped his baton at the podium he stood in front of. Jin and Li joined the others in playing their instruments, until Aang suddenly started playing something completely different with the Tsungi horn and moving his feet. "Kuzon?" the instructor asked.
Aang looked around at the others, who were all staring at him. "I know", he replied, "I'm a terrible Tsungi hornist".
"No, child" the instructor corrected. "That hullabaloo going on with your feet. Is that a nervous disorder?"
Jin and Li glanced at Aang's feet as the Airbender said "I was just dancing. You do dances here in the homeland, right?"
The twins shook their heads as the instructor replied "Dancing is not conducive to a proper learning environment. Young people must have rigid discipline and order".
"But what about expressing yourself?" Aang asked. The twins exchanged a nervous glance; was he trying to get them caught?
"I know sometimes we're so moved by our love for our nation that we can't control our own bodies" the instructor replied. "If you must, you may march in place quietly next time the urge hits you". The orchestra then resumed playing, but the Airbender didn't look too pleased.
Finally, after a long, tiring day, Jin and Li accompanied Aang once school was out. As soon as they stepped out into the courtyard, all the other children stared and whispered. "Oh, hi, Kuzon" On Ji greeted. "I really liked that crazy dance you were doing".
"Thanks, On Ji" Aang said. "I could show it to you again if you'd like".
He cried out as his book was suddenly burnt to a crisp by flames. "What'd you say, colony trash?" a familiar voice demanded. They turned and saw that pompous boy from yesterday. "You're gonna show her something?"
"Just some dance moves" Aang replied, looking completely calm.
"Nobody shows my On Ji anything, especially movement" the boy said, and he suddenly lunged at Aang. Jin and Li backed up into the gathered crowd as the two boys proceeded to engage in a fight. The Airbender didn't throw a single punch, dodging and moving out of the way of every strike. Even without using his Airbending, he was still incredibly agile and light on his feet. Eventually, the other boy lost his balance, and he fell onto the ground.
The crowd then parted as an old man dressed in fine robes approached. "Picking fights on your second day? We need to have a conference to discuss your punishment. Bring your parents to my office after school".
"Parents, but…" Aang started to say.
"Don't be late" the man, who Jin and Li took to be the headmaster, cut him off. He then walked away, and Aang bore a worried expression. The twins placed comforting hands on his shoulders.
"Thank you for coming, Mr. and Mrs…?" the school's headmaster started to say.
"Zhang… Lee Zhang" Shan We introduced, resting both hands on the walking stick that he placed in between his legs. "This is my wife, Min" he said, motioning over to me. I was dressed in my Fire Nation disguise, though we had altered it slightly so that I appeared to be pregnant.
"Mr. and Mrs. Zhang, your son has been enrolled here for two days and he's already causing problems. He's argued with his history teacher, disrupted music class, and roughed up my star pupil".
"Oh my" I said, trying to sound convincingly shocked as Aang sat in between us looking a little apprehensive about the whole thing. Looking down at him, I asked "Kuzon, how could you do such things? This isn't like you".
"That's what any mother would say, ma'am" the headmaster told me. "Nonetheless, you're forewarned: if he acts up one more time, I'll have him sent to reform school… by which I mean the coal mines. Are we clear?"
"Don't you worry, Mr. Headmaster" Shan We replied. "I'll straighten this boy out something fierce". He then turned to Aang and said "Young man, when we get home, you're going to get the punishment of a lifetime, and you'll be sorry". I was slightly shocked at how convincingly threatening the Firebender was being, though considering who his father had been, I wasn't all that surprised that he was familiar with harsh discipline.
"That's what I like to hear" the headmaster said with a hint of satisfaction. We got up to leave, and he asked "Might I ask about your injuries?"
I exchanged a surreptitious glance with Shan We before he turned to the headmaster and replied "I was wounded by Earthbenders. I've been a cripple ever since".
"And I was attacked by a wild animal when I was a girl" I added, thinking of an explanation on the spot for the scars on my cheeks. We then made our way out of the school and back to the cave. Once we arrived, I disposed of the loose fur from Appa that I had used as part of my disguise.
"So, how did it go?" Katara asked.
"I still wanted to be Aang's father" Sokka said with slight indignation. "I had my beard prepared and everything!"
Ignoring the question, Shan We tossed his walking stick onto the ground before turning to Aang. "I think that's the universe's way of telling us that you shouldn't go to school anymore".
"I'm not ready to leave" Aang replied. "I'm having fun for once just being a normal kid. Listen, guys, those kids at school are the future of the Fire Nation. If we wanna change this place for the better, we need to show them a little taste of freedom".
"That's easier said than done, Aang" Shan We said, crossing his arms. "My people have been like this for 100 years now; it's who they've become".
"But you turned out differently" the Airbender pointed out.
"That was due to… special circumstances" the Firebender clarified.
"Special circumstances? Like what?" Sokka asked.
Shan We glanced at each of us. He eventually sighed before saying "My mother died when I was seven. Before that, I went to the same schools, learned from the same instructors, and read from the same history books. After she passed, my father and I started dealing with our grief in different ways; he became consumed by his desire for power and glory, while I endeavoured to learn on my own. I started teaching myself when it came to knowledge and Firebending, and once I was eligible for service in the military, I learned about the world as I traveled, circumventing the history books that tell my people that we're spreading our good fortune to the rest of the world".
I walked over and took his hand in mine, knowing that his mother's death was a touchy subject for him. The others looked down at the blue fire in the centre of the cave before Aang said "I still have to try".
"What could you possibly do for a country of depraved little fire monsters?" Sokka asked. "No offense" he quickly added, looking at Shan We.
The Firebender shrugged, and Aang replied "I'm gonna throw them a secret dance party".
For a moment, we all merely stood in place, staring at the Airbender. Eventually, Sokka turned around, doing something to his face. A moment later, he turned back, wearing the beard he had prepared in the event of having to play Aang's father. He then pointed to the back of the cave and said "Go to your room!"
As the sun made its journey through the sky, we prepared for Aang's little 'dance party'. Toph and the twins used their Bending to create places for the band, while Sokka, Katara, and I went about placing candles all around the cave. Once we were done, Shan We snapped his fingers, creating a small blue flame. He then tossed it to the side, and the flame shot all through the cave, zigging and zagging until each and every candle was lit. The individual candle flames burned blue for a time, but eventually they became orange.
"I can't believe we're having a dance party" Sokka said. "It seems so… silly".
"Don't think of it as a dance party" Aang replied. "But as a cultural event celebrating the art of fancy footwork".
"They're coming!" Toph suddenly cried. "Everyone stop Bending".
Aang walked over to Appa, who was standing near the back of the cave. "Sorry, buddy, you should probably wait out back". The Bison growled before lumbering over to a place where he would be out of sight. "I know, you've got fancier feet than anybody… and six of them!"
"We should probably hide out back with him" Shan We said, holding his walking stick in one hand. "After all, as your parents, we couldn't let you sneak out of the house and party in a cave". I smirked at the comment, and the Firebender proceeded to hold out an arm, which I took. We started to walk over to where Appa was, and Jin and Li started to follow us. "You two stay here and enjoy yourselves" Shan We told them. "You deserve it". The Earthbending boys exchanged a glance before smiling and joining Aang and the others.
With that, the two of us headed into the back area of the cave. It was very dark, but there was still some residual light filtering in from the candles near the mouth of the cave, so we weren't quite plunged into total darkness. Despite the little visibility, we easily spotted Appa. The ten-ton creature was laying on his belly, his breaths stirring small clouds of dust. I walked over to him and ran my hand through the fur on his head. "It's okay, buddy" I said. "You're not going to be alone while the kids have fun".
The Bison rumbled his pleasure, and I turned to look at Shan We. He drew a circle with his finger, and a line of blue flames appeared, illuminating the space we were in. He then extended his hand towards me as we could hear the music starting back in the main part of the cave. "Care to dance?"
"I thought your people didn't dance anymore" I replied.
"Like Aang said, I turned out differently" the Firebender said with a smirk. Smirking myself, I took his hand, and we proceeded to dance. Our feet practically flew across the floor of the cave as he led me through several dances he had learned of in his travels. He lifted my arm into the air before spinning me, and I followed that by spinning back to him. He held me in his arms, and we moved back and forth, much slower than before. I felt safe in that moment; his presence was warm and comforting, and I felt as if no danger would ever befall me again as long as he was there.
We lost ourselves in our movements, letting everything else fall away until we were the only two people in the world. I stared into his rich, amber eyes with my blue and green eyes, and I felt that we were connected as we held hands, body and soul. Eventually, he dipped me almost all the way to the ground, but he held me firmly in his arms. We both panted from the exertion, and I said "You certainly learned well". We both chuckled, and I felt my heart thundering in my chest as he started leaning his face closer and closer to mine.
"Time to go!" Sokka's voice suddenly cried, and we were suddenly broken out of our moment. Shan We pulled me back up, and we turned to see Aang, the twins, and the others running into our part of the cave as a rock wall was raised behind them.
I looked back at Shan We, and we both sighed before joining the rest of the group in fleeing from the cave. A few minutes later, and we were in the air, leaving our secret hideout behind us. Katara turned to look back, and after a moment passed, she turned to her brother and said "We're safe, Sokka. You can take off the mustache, now".
"Oh, no, I can't" the Water Tribe boy replied cheerfully. He proceeded to stroke the magnificent beard he had donned. "It's permanently glued to my skin".
"Way to go, dancy pants" Toph told Aang. "I think you really did help those kids. You taught them to be free".
"I don't know" Aang replied, running a hand through his hair. "It was just a dance party, that's all".
Shan We wrapped an arm around my shoulders, and I rested my head against his shoulder as Katara said "Well, that was some dance party, Aang". She then leaned over and kissed the Airbender on the cheek, causing him to blush furiously; those two were adorable.
Sokka slowly clapped his hands. "Flameo, sir, flameo".
"Maybe bringing back old traditions is a good thing" the Firebender whispered in my ear. I smiled at the comment, and proceeded to close my eyes and take comfort in the silence of the night as we flew away.
In case anyone's interested, this is the song that inspired the dance scene: watch?v=ePvO4DMWMD8&index=13&list=FLPZP46snzJsFcYKe7A4BTfQ
Please review and favourite!