Disclaimer – all original Avatar: The Last Airbender characters in this fanfic (excluding my OC's) are the property of Bryana Konietzko and Michaela Dante DiMartino.

Chapter 33. His First Agni Kai – part 2

Fire Nation Capital, Hari Bulkan, Ukano's Residence.

Ty Lee ran as fast as she could towards the residence and began to knock on the door as soon as she ascended the terraced stairway. When a servant opened the door, Ty Lee ran past him and dashed into the foyer. Mai heard the knocking and entered the room, expecting to see Ty Lee with Huo.

"Huh? Huo's not with you?" she asked and noticed Ty Lee's quick breathing and her burned sleeve. "What happened?"

"Huo needs help!" Ty Lee exclaimed with urgency in her voice. "A boy named Genjei began to insult him and his father! I tried to stop them from fighting, but he burned my sleeve!"

Mai's eyes widened. "What did you say?" Ukano, who was in the middle of walking down the stairs with Michi, asked with a frown. When they descended the stairs, Michi approached Ty Lee and kneeled before her checking her burned sleeve. "Are you hurt?!" she asked worriedly.

"No, no, but Huo needs help!" Ty Lee stated, looking at the woman worriedly. "The other boy is older and bigger!" Mai turned her head, looking at her father.

Ukano cared greatly for his family, and if Mai's sleeve would be burned instead, he would not let this slide one bit. Still, Ukano was a career-minded politician, and while he wasn't helping people left and right, Huos was Mai's friend. This was also an opportunity to gain some favor with Weng. "Where are they now?" he asked, looking at Ty Lee.

Fire Nation Capital, Hari Bulkan, Fire Nation Royal Square.

Located at the center of the city and surrounding the Royal Palace, just like the massive wall, the huge square was meant for the entirety of the population of the capital to gather for royal proclamations and important events. It was rarely used for an Agni Kai but wasn't unheard of.

Like Weng wanted, Huo challenged Genjei to an Agni Kai and led him to the square where every passerby could see them. They were close to the massive gate, emblazoned with large Fire Nation insignia. Of course, as the two boys entered the square, the guards on the watchtowers began to watch them, realizing they were up to something.

Huo was wholly focused on the upcoming duel and didn't even pay attention to the guards or anyone around, for that matter. Snickering, he began to unbutton his red-colored silken shirt. When he lived in the Spirit world, his father told him about Agni Kai.

It was a fight for one's honor and won only when one opponent burned another. The outcome of an Agni Kai affected the honor of each opponent. Any firebender could participate in an Agni Kai. Fire Lords can also be challenged, but that rarely occurred since most were among the most powerful firebenders in the world.

"Huo?!" the boy heard a familiar voice calling out to him. He turned his head and spotted Commander Hen Shei. Since both kids stood in plain sight, the woman was able to spot and recognize Weng's son thanks to his feather-shaped headpiece. When she approached them, she recognized Donjin's son as well. "Genjei?! What are you two doing?!"

Genjei, who was in the middle of taking off his tunic, pointed at Huo. "He challenged me to an Agni Kai," he answered. "I need to accept, or I'll be a coward and a weakling."

"Agni Kai is not a joke," Commander Hen Shei stated with a frown, not liking that idea. "It's a dangerous duel in which you can get badly injured or even die." The woman looked at Huo, noticing his sinister smile. "Huo, why did you challenge Genjei?" she asked.

"He said my father was a coward because he couldn't save my mom from being kidnapped and he called me weak because my mother needed to die for me," Huo explained with a chuckle. "And he almost burned my Ty Lee's arm when she tried to stop us from fighting."

Commander Hen Shei's eyes widened, and she looked at Genjei in disbelief. "I think that's a good enough reason for an Agni Kai," a male voice came from behind Hen Shei, who turned around. A tall, muscular man with fair skin, amber-colored eyes, and black hair approached her, wearing a Fire Nation armor with an orange flame insignia on the red chest plate. He had a small scar on his left cheek and a short beard.

"General Donjin," the woman said and looked again at Genjei. She quickly put the pieces together. "It's your doing, isn't it?" she asked, looking back at the general with a frown.

"What do you mean?" General Donjin asked with an arrogant smirk. "Weng's son issued the challenge. My son only accepted it."

"We both know you always had an issue with Weng, and you never made peace with the fact that Li Un chose him instead of you," Hen Shei stated. "You never could fight Weng due to his lack of bending, so once you learned about Huo, you decided to drag him into this. He, just like your son, has nothing to do with this. He lost his mother and has been through a lot. The last thing he needs is to be used to satisfy your ego."

"Remember to whom you to speak, 'commander,'" General Donjin warned, narrowing his eyes, using the name of her rank to point out that he outranked her. Commander Hen Shei clenched her fists in anger, but she couldn't do anything.

"Huo!" both officers turned their heads, hearing a girl's voice. Ty Lee was running towards them with Mai's father, Ukano, walking right behind her.

"General Donjin what is the meaning of this?" Ukano asked, narrowing his eyes. "Your son almost burned my daughter's friend. Is this how a son of a general should behave?"

General Donjin looked at Ty Lee's sleeve. "I don't see any injury," he pointed out. "Her skin isn't burned only her sleeve. She shouldn't have tried to stop them in the first place. Nevertheless, I apologize for my son's impulsive behavior. I'll make sure he'll apologize as well and I'll buy the girl a new shirt once the duel comes to an end."

Since there was no way to stop this, Hen Shei turned her head toward one of the nearest guards. "Go to Weng's home and tell him what's going on!" she ordered. "He needs to come here as fast as possible!"

"A splendid idea, commander," General Donjin gave the woman a sadistic smile. "Weng should be present during his son's Agni Kai. The boy will need someone to comfort him after his defeat."

Hen Shei gave Donjin a glare. She really hated the guy, but now, she was more worried about Huo. She knew the boy was a firebender but never saw him bending and didn't know if he could pull it off. Not to mention she never saw him behaving like this. Whatever was going on with him, she needed to talk with Weng.

When the guard informed Weng about the Agni Kai, the nobleman arrived quickly on foot. A decent amount of people had already gathered near the square since the firebending duels were not only a popular method of resolving conflicts but also a source of entertainment for all spectators.

"Weng!" Hen Shei called out to the nobleman, who spotted the commander waving to him. He ran up to her and noticed Huo. The shirtless and barefoot boy was kneeling on one knee with his head hung low, and his back turned to Genjei, who was in the same position a fair distance away with General Donjin standing close to him.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't able to stop this," Hen Shei apologized, turning her head towards the general and Genjei. "Donjin sent his son to provoke Huo. He said some mean things, which resulted in Huo challenging him to an Agni Kai."

"It's not your fault," Weng reassured, turning his head towards Genjei and Donjin. "This man just doesn't know when to let go. I thought he'd try something, but to think he'd use Huo to get back at me. It's just sickening."

The nobleman glanced around the crowd, recognizing a few important nobles and officers. Ukano stood in the front with his wife and daughter, who decided to come and support Huo. Ty Lee stood right next to them with a worried expression on her face.

Weng looked at the commander. "Can you give Huo some tips during the Agni Kai if he needs any?" he asked. "I'm not a firebender, so I won't be able to help him."

"Of course!" Hen Shei agreed. She looked at Huo and then back at Weng. "Can I talk with you on the side for a second?" she asked.

"Sure," Weng nodded, and the two moved to the side so Huo wouldn't hear them. "Tell me, did Huo behaves strangely at home?" Hen Shei asked, narrowing her amber-colored eyes. "Did he have any sudden emotional outbursts? Does he has nightmares or anything of the sort?"

"Emm... not really," Weng shook his head. "He doesn't talk with me that much, at least not yet, but I can't blame him. Still, he's well-behaved, trains hard, he even helps around the residence, although he doesn't need to. He plays with his friends and enjoys their company. He openly voices his thoughts and perhaps is sometimes a bit of a rebel, but nothing too serious. Why do you ask?"

"I have a feeling that what he went through during his time in the Earth Kingdom had a big impact on his mind," Hen Shei answered. "When Huo was explaining to me what Genjei said to him, he was chuckling and had a creepy smile on his face. It wasn't a normal behavior. Exposure to traumatic events like the death of his mother, especially at a young age, can develop mental problems. I saw it happen a few times with young soldiers, who barely survived vicious battles."

Weng's brown-colored eyes widened, and he looked at Huo, genuinely surprised. He never did care for the boy's past and didn't expect him to have such problems. This could become an issue if not controlled, but then again, it would make their made-up story about the Earth Kingdom and the death of Li Un even more believable.

"For now, let's focus on the Agni Kai," the commander suggested. "We can talk with Huo afterward, but let's hope it won't end tragically."

"Okay," Weng agreed. They both returned to Huo, and the nobleman crouched before him. "You can do it, Huo," he said, supporting his son like a good father.

The boy slowly lifted up his head and looked at the man. During the time he waited, he managed to calm himself down. "I know," he replied. "He's not going to win."

Weng only arched his eyebrow and stood up. He gave Hen Shei a nod and moved away, approaching Ty Lee. "Is Huo going to be alright?" the girl asked with concern.

The nobleman looked at her and placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a reassuring smile. "I'll believe in him, and you should to," he replied. Ty Lee looked back at Huo, who turned his head and noticed her. His orange-colored eyes focused on her sleeve, and he frowned. Poor girl wanted to stop them from fighting and almost got hurt.

Donjin watched Weng from afar and smirked. He looked at his son and spoke. "If the boy can combustionbend with his tattoo, that's his only troublesome weapon," he stated. "Get close as quickly as you can and deal with him at close range. I want a decisive victory, nothing less, and make it painful, understood?"

"Yes, father," Genjei nodded and stood up. Huo did as well. Both boys turned to face each other and took fighting stances. General Donjin raised his arm, and the guards on the closest watchtower hit the gong.

Genjei immediately thrust his fists, conjuring an orange flame, and dashed forward. Huo hit the flame with his fist, extinguishing it. The son of the general was already closing the distance as instructed. He jumped and created another flame with a frontal kick.

Huo stepped to the right, avoiding the flame. Genjei quickly followed with a jab, sending a fireball at Huo, who snuffed out the fire attack with a swift kick.

"Don't give him an inch!" Donjin instructed. "Keep attacking!"

Genjei moved forward and closed his fists, thrusting and launching another fireball at Huo, who lifted his leg and extinguished the attack with an axe kick. The general's son was getting irritated since none of his attacks were getting through. What's more, Huo didn't even seem bothered by the attacks.

Weng knew that Huo wasn't fazed since he could keep up with two much older and more experienced firebenders when he tested him at the abandoned smelting factory. Fighting one young firebender was a breeze in comparison.

"Ghhh!" Genjei growled in frustration and began to unleash on Huo, firing rapid-fire jabs. Huo began to casually bob and weave, avoiding every single one.

"He's forcing Genjei to tire himself out," Hen Shei realized, admitting it was a good strategy.

Having enough, Genjei extended his arm, creating a long, thin stream of fire from his closed fist, which he began to use like a whip. He swung his arm, aiming with the fire whip at Huo's face, but Weng's son didn't move an inch.

"Watch out!" Hen Shei shouted.

"Huo!" Ty Lee cried out, but the boy caught the fire whip with his left hand. Immediately after, the spot where Huo held the whip began to turn from orange to blue and spread through the whip toward Genjei, who widened his eyes in surprise.

The older boy moved back, breaking off the technique and leaving Huo with a blue fire whip in his left hand. The people in the crowd, who didn't know about Huo's blue flames, gasped in awe. It was their first time witnessing a boy with blue-colored fire, not to mention a blue fire whip.

Huo looked at the long, thin flame, focused, and swung his arm. Two other ends emerged from its center before the fire whip hit the ground. Huo created a three-ended fire whip, which burned and cracked the ground, creating a cloud of dark smoke.

"Hmmm... nah, too easy," Huo said, smiling ominously, and opened his fist, extinguishing the fire whip. "You need to suffer for what you did. I think it's time to show you what I can do."

Huo inhaled and threw a punch while exhaling and conjuring a blue-colored flame, which was launched with great speed at Genjei. The general's son blocked it with a punch, but Huo's attack knocked him on his back.

Shocked, Genjei quickly rose to his feet only to see Huo spin and create a horizontal arc of blue flame with a kick. Once again, Genjei extinguished the flame with a kick of his own, but the power of the attack sent him on his back.

"What are you doing?!" General Donjin growled angrily. "Get up!"

Genjei shook his head and got back to his feet, but Huo was already in front of him. The older boy threw a kick, but before he could create a flame, Huo brought him to the ground with a leg sweep. "Gahhh!" Genjei threw a fire jab from a seated position, but Huo leaned to the side and avoided it.

"Didn't you hear your father?" Huo asked with a smirk. "Get up!"

With a frown, Genjei quickly rose to his feet and took a step back. He tried to conjure a fireball with a punch, but Huo stepped forward and redirected Genjei's arm to the side, causing him to miss. Without giving him a second to react, Huo threw a punch and stopped his fist right in front of Genjei's face without conjuring a flame.

"Wha-!" Genjei was stunned. Huo immediately closed his other fist, creating a blue-colored fire knife. He swung it upwards, and Genjei jumped away at the last second. "You missed!" the boy declared, but Huo chuckled. "Are you sure about that?"

Genjei looked down and didn't spot any burns, but after a moment, he noticed that his belt was burned and cut. At that moment, his pants dropped to his ankles, causing him to stand in his undergarments in the middle of the square. The crowd began to chuckle and laugh. Even Ukano and Weng chuckled. Ty Lee and Mai gasped and blushed, covering their mouths.

General Donjin gritted his teeth from anger while Genjei's face became red from embarrassment. He tried to pull his pants back up, but Huo quickly set them on fire with a fire jab. "Aahh!" Genjei stumbled backward and landed on his butt. He quickly kicked the pants off his feet to avoid getting burned.

Huo rolled his shoulders and began to move his arms in a circular motion, dragging lightning sparks with his index and middle fingers. Ty Lee and Mai knew what was coming.

"He can do that?!" Hen Shei was shocked, just like the nobles and the officers. She didn't even need to give Huo any advice. He wasn't only holding his on but dominating the Agni Kai. It was a complete humiliation.

Pointing with his two fingers, Huo fired a lightning bolt in Genjei's direction. The lightning hit the ground before the boy, and the shockwave sent him sliding on his back. He screamed in pain, but it wasn't over since he wasn't burned. The Agni Kai went on.

Genjei rolled over on his stomach and began to walk on all fours, wanting to get as far away from Huo as possible. "You fool! Don't give him more space!" Donjin shouted, and Genjei's eyes widened with a gasp, realizing what has he done.

Huo sucked in his stomach and leaned his head back. He thrust his head forward, and a thin transparent beam came from his forehead, making a sound similar to firecrackers. Like the earlier attack, the beam hit the ground, creating an explosion and a shockwave, sending Genjei flying. Small rock chunks were scattered in all directions, and some hit Genjei, bruising the boy and making tiny cuts all over his body.

Ty Lee's grey-colored eyes widened, seeing Huo using firebending from his tattoo for the first time. He always reminded her it was a dangerous bending, and now, she understood why.

Genjei groaned in pain, but unfortunately for him, he still wasn't burned. He began to sob from the pain and tremble in fear. The nobles went silent from the shock while Weng covered his mouth, hiding his smirk. This was turning out far better than he hoped.

Huo slowly walked toward Genjei with a smirk. "Aww... are you crying?" the boy teased. "Is the Agni Kai not going the way you expected? It's too late to have second thoughts."

The general's son was scared and began slowly getting back to his feet. Huo reached Genjei and began to stare at him. It was enough, and he decided to end it. "Make your move," he said, cracking his knuckles. "It will be your last."

Genjei panicked and threw a desperate fire jab, but Huo conjured a fire jab of his own. The blue flame pierced through the orange one, and as a result, it burned Genjei's hand.

"Aaahhh!" Genjei screamed in pain and grabbed his hand, falling to his knees. It was officially over. Huo won his first Agni Kai. General Donjin stood and glared at the two kids, boiling with anger as steam began to emit from his closed fists.

The nobles in the crowd began to clap, satisfied with the duel, and some officers joined them, pleased by the spectacle. Huo stared at Genjei silently. The general's son didn't need to say anything to him. Since Huo won the Agni Kai, he automatically won their feud. He wasn't weak, and his father wasn't a coward. Those were the rules, but there was still one thing left.

Huo grabbed Genjei by the arm and pulled him to his feet. He then began to pull the sobbing, bruised, and confused boy toward the crowd. Ty Lee realized they were heading straight toward her. When they reached her, Huo let go of Genjei's arm and gestured toward Ty Lee. "Apologize," he said with a frown and a tone indicating it wasn't a request.

Genjei looked meekly at Ty Lee and fell to his knees. "I'm sorry for... burning your... sleeve," he apologized between sobs.

Surprised, Ty Lee nodded while Genjei looked at Weng. "I'm... sorry for calling... you a coward," he added. "And... for calling your... son a weakling."

"It's alright," Weng nodded. "Grab your clothes and take care of your injuries."

Genjei stood up and walked away, sniffing. Ty Lee looked at Huo with a wide smile. Her grey-colored eyes gleamed while she bounced up and down on the balls of her feet. She always had a high regard for Huo, but now, it was through the roof. Mai was also impressed by Huo's skill, but unlike Ty Lee, she was more calm and stoic about it.

"Congratulations are in order," Ukano said, nodding to Huo. "It's good to know that Mai has such capable friends, who won't hesitate to protect them."

Huo nodded back to Ukano and smiled. Weng moved closer to him and placed a hand on his head. "Good job, my son," he said, genuinely happy. "I'm proud of you."

When Commander Hen Shei approached them, the boy turned to look at her. "I hope I did well," he said. "It was my first Agni Kai."

"Ha! Are you kidding?" the woman chuckled, placing her hands on her hips. "I know adult soldiers who could learn something from you. You didn't just won, you toyed with your opponent like it was nothing. It wasn't even a fair match, and I started to feel bad for Genjei at the end. "

Huo scratched the back of his head with a slight blush. In the corner of her eye, Mai noticed that General Donjin was yelling at his son, who finally put on his torched pants. The man was clearly not pleased and was letting out his anger on Genjei. He didn't care that his son had bruises and cuts all over his body, not to mention a burned hand.

"Do you think it's over?" Commander Hen Shei asked, turning her head to look at Weng.

"That would be great, but I don't think it is," the nobleman answered and sighed. "Huo may have defeated Genjei, but Donjin was the one who felt humiliated in front of other officers. He won't forget that and surely will start thinking of another way to get back at me and Huo."

Weng glanced at the dispersing crowd. He knew all of them would tell their friends and acquaintances about the Agni Kai, but what really mattered was the royal family. Yes, it was certain they'd learn about the Agni Kai, but if any of them saw the duel from the palace, it would be just perfect.

Please R&R ;)