A. N. : This chapter marks (finally) the conclusion of the Headband arc (finally). Today also marks the second birthday of A viper-lizard's tales ! As I did last year, I wrote a short to commemorate - still set in the Viper-lizard's canon, but focusing on some creepy guys... It is called "Jade lions never sleep" and can be found in my stories. Happy birthday !

On Ji feels good.

Sure, the dance party yesterday was crashed because of Hide, and Kuzon disappeared afterwards, but this was still the best fun she's had in forever. Maybe ever.

This morning, when Mrs. Kwan arrived, she announced she'd be retiring at the end of the year. And at first On Ji thought it was weird – Mrs. Kwan always seemed the type to work until death, and retirement sounds almost like a foreign word, like something completely opposite to her character – but then she noticed how tired Mrs. Kwan looked every time her eyes wandered around Kuzon's old desk.

How tired she looked when Shoji started humming while writing down his answers to today's exercise. How tired she looked when Akane drummed on her desk during the lecture, no matter how many times she was told to stop. Akane never seemed very invested in class, but that was pushing it, and Mrs. Kwan looked so tired, even when she made Akane sit in the corner…

That was rebellion, On Ji realizes. Shoji's humming and Akane's drumming and refusal to stop – that was rebellion. That was freedom.

And now she wonders – if what happened this morning was freedom, does that mean they weren't free before ? But no, they're Fire Nation citizens, and Mrs. Kwan keeps saying they're all living in the greatest free Nation of the entire world. Was she wrong ? Is that why she was so tired – because she realized she taught them things that were wrong ?

Were they not free ? Are they not free ?

There's a crowd of people around Shoji in the corner of the school grounds, and Shoji isn't all that popular so that must mean something is up. Looking more closely, they're all people who were at the dance party and who loved it. There's Akane and San and the shy boy who's always with Shoji – Lei ? Was it Lei ?

Shoji looks ecstatic, like he's about to reveal he's the lost son of the Fire Lord and will inherit the throne or something. As it stands, his revelation is even bigger than that, because Kuzon –

Kuzon was an earthbender.

And Mother of all Spirits, this goes against everything On Ji knows, or thinks she knows – Kuzon wasn't a colon, Kuzon was Earth, and yet Kuzon was nice and he made her dance and she felt so free –

Mrs. Kwan is retiring and On Ji is starting to think that's a good thing, and that hurts because she likes Mrs. Kwan !

On Ji likes good teachers, teachers who like what they teach – but she hates liars, and now she just doesn't know what to think.

And of course Hide shows up just now, because he always has the best timing to make things worse. It's Hide's fault she couldn't dance longer yesterday, and it's Hide's fault Lei looks like he's going to faint, and it's Hide's fault that no one wants to be close to her.

And he threatens the others because he finds they were standing too close to her and calls her his girlfriend – and she is not ! On Ji never said yes !

On Ji never said no either, because Hide is the Headmaster's favorite and she was never free.

And now he's standing in front of her, all arrogant and haughty, and he thinks she belongs to him doesn't he ? Just like he thinks the school belongs to him. He doesn't think anyone will ever tell him no, because no one ever did – and in that case is he really wrong ?

On Ji was never free, none of them ever were, and she realizes she wants to be.

She punches Hide. Right in the nose. His eyes go wide, and then he crumbles on himself and holds his face and whimpers.

And this is rebellion. This is freedom, and when the teachers arrive to separate them and take On Ji to the Headmaster's office, she raises her head and stands straight and walks proudly.

Mrs. Kwan looks at the commotion from afar, and On Ji smiles at her. She still likes Mrs. Kwan, she decides, in spite of everything, because she wasn't lying – she just hadn't been proven wrong yet, like Hide.

And On Ji keeps walking with her head high, even though she knows she is going to get the punishment of a lifetime.

She is free.