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"I'm so sorry about all that, Natsu," Lee said as we walked towards the great hall for breakfast the next day. Of course, when we walked in, it was to whispers and stares. We were the first years who spent our first night in the academy in solitary because we'd beaten up a couple of fifth years and their friends. It was a shock when the fight started, and Toji had singlehandedly taken down three of them with nothing but his fists. Strong for a ten-year-old, he was. Lee was much weaker, and I'd taken a nasty hit defending the boy from one of Noaya's attacks.

Don't ask me why I did it. I don't know either, but since we got out of solitary in the morning, the other boy had been following me like a lost puppy and apologizing all the way through.

"For the seven thousandth time, Lee. It's fine. Naoya got a lucky hit. The last he ever will against someone like me, and I took my pound of flesh from him." I'd be surprised if the boy got out of the infirmary for a few weeks at least. I'd broken a bone or two and burned him pretty seriously. The hit had gotten me angry, and apparently, I was terrible at controlling myself when I was angry. Only the fact that literally the entire hall saw Naoya start the fight had kept me from more serious punishment, but I was probably the new record holder for the fastest time taken to receive a strike on one's permanent record. Toji and Lee had been spared that particular honor. All of Toji's opponents could still walk when the fight had ended, and Lee hadn't managed to even land a punch on anyone. His firebending had been pitifully weak, and I'd spent more time defending him than I'd ever like.

"But the lucky hit came when you were trying to defend me. Please accept my apologies for being so weak," the boy pressed.

"Fine. I'll accept your apology when you stop."

"Stop?"

"Stop being so weak. That's all I need from you."

"Yosh, Natsu. Yes, I will stop being so weak. That is my new ambition. Thank you, Natsu," he said, rushing over to a table made up of people I could recognize from orientation. Faces only, though. No names.

When I joined Toji at the same table we'd shared yesterday, the boy just looked up at me with a quirk of his lips.

"You're not so bad, Genius boy. I've never seen anyone near our age hand Noaya his ass like that," he said, showing a masterful ability to avoid taking responsibility for the situation he'd caused.

"You had no need to goad him into a fight right then and there," I said after taking a bite of my breakfast.

"Of course I did. He backed off because of your name. He would have come back for me the second you weren't able to interfere. By forcing him to come on the attack right after you defused the situation, I forced you to get involved, and now he won't mess with me anymore after what you did to him yesterday. I dare say anyone who would have even had the idea in their heads would have rethought it already."

"Well, aren't you just a little bit too manipulative for a kid?"

"We're all kids. It doesn't make us any less manipulative than the adults. In fact, I think it makes us better at it," he rebutted.

"Yesterday was your win, Toji Zenin. But only because I had stood between the two of you. If I was only a few feet to the left or right, I would have let your cousin do what he willed to you and lost no sleep about it."

"Sure you would have, Natsu. Sure you would have." The doubt in his tone was obvious.

"You overestimate my ability to care for things that are none of my business."

"No. No, I don't. In fact, I've gotten your entire measure from yesterday. If you hadn't taken that hit for that Lee boy, I might have believed your claims of callousness. But after that? Nah. You're a bleeding heart. No chance you're convincing anyone otherwise." I just scowled at his reply and took another bite of my breakfast.

"I would never have expected you to interact with one such as him, though. Especially with what your Grandfather has said about the colonies."

"What are you talking about?"

"You really don't know? Oh, this is rich. Lee has Earth Kingdom blood. He stinks of it. Practically wafts from every pore. The stocky frame. The hair. Even the facial features. I'm surprised he can even firebend with blood like that."

"And what does that have to do with my Grandfather?" I asked, ignoring the racism with practiced ease. The Fire Nation's belief in its superiority is only one of the multitude of reasons why the solution proposed in the TV series would never actually work out. Peace would only come with victory or death. Nothing else would suffice.

"Well, your Grandfather has been publicly criticizing the dilution of Fire Nation blood for as long as the colonies have existed. I'm surprised you don't know any of this. Guess behind the fancy fighting, you're still a spoiled, sheltered rich kid."

"Big words from a Zenin." The horn went off before he could reply, signifying the start of our very first class of the day. PE. Well, not with that exact name. It was called Physical Discipline and Fitness Training.

When we reported to the field that was chosen for us, it was to assemble in front of a man with broad shoulders and the kind of arms that could crush a watermelon between them. If one Googled "musclehead," I'm sure his image would be the very first one to come up. When he spoke, it was in a deep baritone that matched his frame almost perfectly.

"Welcome, young tadpoles. I am Hiroshi. It is my duty to mold your bodies into weapons to strike fear into the hearts of those who would name themselves as enemies of the Fire Nation," he said before walking across our assembly line and staring at us all without moving his expression.

When he stopped in front of Toji, part of me held my breath, waiting for my roommate to say or do something that would leave me with a whole room to myself. Luckily for him, he avoided pissing off the man who looked strong enough to rip our heads straight from our shoulders. And of course, once he passed Toji and stopped in front of me, I almost actually took a step back.

From far away, I couldn't feel it, but now I could. The man radiated menace. It was like being near a lion or bear. The man triggered the instinctive fight-or-flight senses in my brain. He made them go haywire. And when he leaned forward, I damn near fell right on my ass. It was all I could do to keep myself standing at attention.

Once he left me, and I could breathe again, it took me a bit to notice that he'd gone straight to Lee next. And the colony boy put up an impressively brave face in the presence of the menacing teacher. When Master Hiroshi returned to the front of the class, he began speaking.

"Some of you have already decided to use your bodies to strike fear into the hearts of your fellow students. That will only be tolerated because I had yet to teach you anything. After now, any such behavior will be quickly and personally punished by me." He punctuated the last word by slapping his chest and staring us all down. I gulped and nodded quickly.

"Good. Now, let's get a good look at where you all are. Give me 20 laps around," he said, and I found myself jogging in line with the rest of the class in short order.

After the run, there were a whole variety of physical exercises that ranged from sit-ups to squats, to even balance tests. I was proud to note that I averaged in the top 10% of the class in virtually all the tests. Balance and flexibility were where I did best. I was the unconditional best in the class. In virtually every other test, Toji was far and away the best of us all.

Lee, on the other hand, was in the top 50% in everything that didn't involve speed or balance. The boy was clumsy. I saw what Toji did as I watched him attempt test after test. His clumsy frame would not lend itself well to the dynamic and explosive movements common with firebending. It was almost like he was a firebender born in an earthbender's body.

"One more round, boys," Hiroshi said, waving to me and Toji to take the stage. He'd used us and Lee to demonstrate most of the exercises he wanted us to do. It was almost a punishment of sorts. "Now, you'll be attempting a seated toe touch while balanced on one hand. So it's more of a floating toe touch," he said, gesturing for us to demonstrate.

XXXXXX

After we freshened up from Physical Discipline and Fitness, we had to head straight for our next class of the day, Mathematics. This class was much more boring than the previous one. The teacher, Master Chen, spoke in a droning monotone and seemed to care little for what we did as long as no one made any noise to disturb him.

Toji was visibly taking a nap on his desk. Some of the other boys were passing notes, with Lee in the middle of them, and the girls looked torn between following Toji's example or Lee's. The only person who seemed to be paying the slightest bit of attention to the lecture was a girl with bandages wrapped around her forehead. She watched with narrowed eyes and took notes of every single word that dropped from the teacher's mouth, even when he essentially repeated himself. Her attention seemed partly performative, but it was still genuine.

On the other hand, the girl beside her didn't stand out. The only notable thing about her was that while it looked like she was taking notes, her quill never actually made it to the parchment to form actual characters. From the angle, my best guess was that she was drawing. Her pen strokes didn't match the teacher's words at all.

As for me, instead of agonizing over material I already knew better than the back of my hand, I spent my time observing my classmates. Learning from their behaviors and habits was crucial, as I'd be spending the next eight years with these people. I couldn't just pretend they didn't exist for my entire time here. Sooner or later, I'd probably be forced to work with them.

Once the class ended, I kicked Toji's table to wake him up and headed to the last class of the day, one Toji and I wouldn't be taking together. Introduction to Firebending. This was the class I was looking forward to the most. It was a class I knew I'd find easy. Nothing besides the personal attention of a firebending master on par with Jeong-Jeong had a chance of challenging me. Still, the opportunity to firebend, to let out my excited inner flame, was too good to pass up.

The excitement was palpable as I walked into a domed room. The floor, ceilings, and pillars were all made of granite. Every square inch of the place seemed to be formed from heat-resistant stone. The rest of the class filed in behind me and instinctively fell into attention.

"I am Master Shin, former Captain of the Imperial Firebenders. This will be your first class with me, so I will set the ground rules first and foremost," he said, his voice barely louder than a whisper but still managing to carry across the room with ease. In just a few seconds, I could already tell that he'd probably be the first teacher I'd end up liking. The lack of shouting while still taking control of the class was much better for both my hearing and education. Besides, he taught firebending and was once an Imperial Firebender, the elites of the elite. What was not to like?

"First of all, there shall be no bending within these walls without my express permission. That is rule one. Disobedience will see you removed from my class for the rest of the semester. The second rule is that my word is law. When I say stop, you stop. I don't care what kind of passion Agni has placed in your blood. Thirdly, all duels fought in this class are to yield first. Continuing after that will lead to immediate expulsion from both the class and the academy. I have enough influence to see my threats through, trust me," he said, his voice never rising past the pseudo-whisper, but still having us all hanging on to every word. It was something else.

"Wu. How many katas exist in the first dance of the flying swallow?" He asked instantly, switching tracks in an instant. It actually took my brain a few seconds to catch up.

"M-m-m-me?" I asked, instantly regretting both the stutter and the question. Fuck. Just getting caught by surprise could turn me back into my messy pre-teen self from my first life?

"No. The several hundred of your clansmen that surround you." His tone was sharp. A few snickered, but no one dared to laugh. The man hadn't even bothered to get up from his seiza position in front of the hall, but he still bore down on us with his presence.

"Twelve."

"Twelve?"

"Yes, twelve."

"You call me Master when you speak to me, Wu. You are in the Royal Military Academy. Your family standing matters less than the shape of the clouds above us." His ponytail moved as his face pulled back in a scowl, and mine mimicked his before I flushed at the snickers I could hear. Hadn't even been here for a day, and my classmates were already enjoying seeing me being put down.

"Yes, Master."

"Good. I suppose even one such as you can learn if given the right guidance."

I changed my mind right then and there. I was not going to enjoy this class. And one day, Shin would regret this. They said firebenders were cursed with a rage so black that even the brightest flames could never penetrate. Now, I felt that rage.

"Since you are already with us, come up here and demonstrate all twelve." Twelve katas on the first day? Who the fuck is this guy? And katas from the flying swallow? Sure, it was the first dance, the easiest of them all, but the flying swallow itself was easily one of the more advanced firebending forms. When Kuonyo had taught me all twelve dances, he'd mentioned that none except the most academically inclined of firebenders bothered to learn the swallow. It was old, inefficient, and difficult. The juice wasn't worth the squeeze.

I walked forward, taking deep breaths as I did so, and when I finally stood in front of the instructor, I took the beginning stance and waited for him to tell me to start.

"Do you need a parade to sing your praises to begin? Did your brain die?" He snarked out again, and I scowled before bolting into motion. All my breath work disappeared because of the teasing I'd endured and the anger in my veins. As a result, the very first blast I released shocked even me with its size. The next one to follow was similar. More powerful but definitely more difficult to control.

It didn't matter. This dance would not need it. A sweeping kick with my left foot transitioned into one with my right foot, that came down with a high knee before transitioning into multiple extended punches. Each movement was matched with a blast of fire as I lost myself in the motions. The first kata was nothing. The second was easier since I'd gotten the warm-up, and all the way up to the twelfth, I had little difficulties. The two difficult things about the flying swallow were the long chain of complex movements that could escape the memory of most people, and the acrobatic nature of those movements. Jeong-Jeong only knew the dances up to the sixth. After that, each individual kata would have over three dozen movements on its own. Kuonyo could never force his body to go past the eighth. The flexibility was beyond him. Me? I could do all twelve.

The twelve katas of the first dance were nothing, and when I flawlessly rolled up from a dropkick to execute the last handstand with fire flowing from my feet straight to the ceiling, it was met with dead silence. Even Shin seemed dumbstruck.

"Back to position, Wu. Or has all the jumping around scrambled what little you have in your head to do your thinking?" Never mind. I spoke too soon. The man clearly had it out for me.

When I returned to position, he began speaking again. "Firebending is more than katas. I am preparing you to fight in the war. Here, you will learn only the firebending army style and nothing else. Dances like the flying swallow are relics. Distant reminders of a bygone era. We will not waste our time with them. Instead, split up into two groups. Those familiar with the first movements of the army style to the left. Those who aren't to the right." I moved to the left, and to my shock, Lee followed me. He and the girl with bandages around her forehead.

The master finally stood up from his seiza position and approached the group to the left first of all. In that time, Lee had turned to the girl and began chattering at her. It was from his incessant need to be an extrovert that I learned her name was Maki. She had no noble affiliations and claimed to be an orphan. That statement had been the only thing that had made me pay any attention to her. She had to be lying. There had to be a rich family somewhere. I'd seen the promissory note Grandfather had sent to the academy for my enrollment, and while I didn't know that much about the economy and the value of money, I still knew the tuition was in excess of what even our highest-paid servant, the family physician, received in a year. It literally cost more to attend here than a doctor earned in a year. No way did some no-name orphan get in just like that. When Shin left them after demonstrating a few moves for them to practice, Lee straightened up and stood at attention as the man got closer. Maki and I had never left attention in the first place. Jeong-Jeong, in between his moments of fancy, had drilled it into me.

"I want to see what level you all are at. You," he said, pointing at Lee, "fight her," he said, pointing at Maki.

"But

she's a—" Lee luckily stopped himself from completing the sentence.

"A what? A girl? You have too much Earth Kingdom in you. We are all children of Agni. What does gender matter? Fight her," he said, stepping backward to give them space. I did the same thing.

When Maki bolted right into action the moment Shin asked them to begin, I could already tell Lee was going to lose, and painfully. She wasn't sloppy. Her movements were textbook. The first jab of fire she sent looked enough to take Lee down, but the boy just bent out of the way almost smoothly. His return kick was sent with the ease of long-time use.

The firebending Master frowned the moment Lee moved. It took two more exchanges for me to realize the problem. Lee wasn't using any firebending forms I knew. Considering I knew every form that had been in use within the last century, that meant he was just brawling and relying on instinct. It was clear in the way he dodged and pursued once he sensed weakness. It was the fighting of a boy used to scraps in the sand. It was ugly, but effective. There were no gaps in his defense or offense that Maki could exploit. When she nearly tripped over her feet backpedaling from a sweeping kick sent for her head, Lee pounced on it with all the aggressiveness of a tiger.

She was on the floor in seconds, and when she glared at Lee with eyes that seemed intent on setting the boy on fire, Shin stepped in between them and flicked her on the head. "Pay attention, girl," he said and began to speak.

"I will not give Wu any more chances to show what a decade of training under the most expensive firebending tutors could drum into his head, so we will all work on clearing the issues in both of you. Lee, your form is atrocious. More Earth Kingdom than firebender. I can see you have some familiarity with the army style, but you default to brawling when caught off guard. Maki, your instincts are atrocious, but your form is technically excellent. We will work through that. Wu, you will join them."

At the end of the day, the class that I'd thought would be my favorite ended up being anything but. Just fuck my life, I guess. When the horn finally blew, I was the first out and on my way straight to the room. I heard Lee mention something about lunch, but I just ignored him. I wasn't hungry. Anger had a way of doing that to you. What the fuck was that class? I tried going over everything I'd done since I came into the school to see when I'd pissed off the bastard, but nothing came to me. I'd have suspected it was because of the fight, but Lee had been involved in that mess as well, and Shin seemed to treat him just like the rest. Following the teachings Grandfather and Jeong-Jeong had pounded into my head, I sat down in the seiza position and fished out my candle holders from my chest to begin my meditation. Taking all your emotions, give them to Agni. Become your breath. Allow your breath to become you. Breathing. Integral to firebending as it was, I wasn't surprised the war had started with an Air Nation genocide. Even worse than waterbenders, airbenders were our natural counters. Unlike us, they didn't produce their element, but also unlike water and earthbenders, there was no way to deprive them of material to bend. Also, their bending could interfere with our own.

A firebender without breath is as useful as a blunt needle. It was why the cooler in the Boiling Rock, and the prison made for P'li in Legend of Korra were so effective. Make all the air we breathe in too cold, and we'd be powerless. Remove the air in its entirety, or mess it up in some other way, and we could actually die.

"Whoa," I was jolted from my meditation as my roommate slammed into the room with aplomb. He stared at the flames in the candle that had previously been reaching towards the ceiling apprehensively. I killed them all with one exhale and began cleaning up the meditation material. No way would I get any silence with this idiot around.

"You know I was joking about the infinite wealth thing, but looking at those gold candle holders, I'm beginning to turn into a believer," he joked. One of the holders was sent flying at his head before I even noticed what I'd done. This boy!

A/N: And this is the chapter. How does it look? Good? Terrible? Constipated? Let me know. We've got the next four chapters of this story, along with the next five chapters of another fic that I uploaded at the exact same time as this one (an insert is into a version of Kal El, who gets tossed into the MCU) all available on pa-atreon, and you can read all of that right now just by heading to the link on my profile or searching for my username up there. Feel free to have a look.