The two Fire Nationals crept towards the Spirit Oasis. Sakura had stared in muted fascination at the ice structures as she ran through the streets. To think an entire civilization survived atop of this iceberg! But she could only stare for so long. In a matter of hours, all that would remain of the Northern Water Tribe would be melted ice caps and a hundred of lives missing. Waterbenders would killed or captured, those were the orders of the Fire Lord. Even though it went against everything she knew as a medic, she was a soldier and she had to follow the orders of her commanding officer. Obey first, think later.

She felt four Chi signatures distinct from all the free Chi surrounding the rest of the room. She followed Zhao to the entrance of the sacred place. "There is a pond in this place with two koi fish, one white and one black representing the Yin and Yang. You are to kill one of them or both, I'll be a decoy. Make sure you aren't seen until you're done," he instructed her. Sakura nodded in understanding and entered the room, going the opposite direction where she felt a large pool of Chi as Zhao took the other direction to converse with whoever was present. She was too focused on getting to the Spirit Oasis unnoticed that she didn't catch the conversation that Zhao had with the people present but she knew that he was talking to children. Did the Northern Water Tribe assign children to protect such an important place?

She had mastered walking on water hence could stick on ice. She crawled along the ceiling, Chi covering her hands to protect her from getting frostbite. The medic could hear the sounds of an ongoing battle but paid no mind to it. She caught sight of a clear pond with slightly glowing water. Her enhanced eyesight allowed her to see two koi fish swimming in the pond. A large fireball sailed over her head, forcing her to drop to the ground for protection. She landed quietly and gracefully like a cat. No one had seen her, she supposed as no one made their way over to her. She saw a kid, looking barely past ten years old sitting in front of the pond, legs crossed and fists held together in a meditative position. He was bald and had an arrow on his forehead which was glowing in an ethereal light.

A little ways ahead, she saw a young girl dressed in the standard Water Tribe parka and another figure which was frozen in ice, with only the head remaining untouched. Zhao was engaged in battle with someone but she didn't see. The pinkette continued on with her trek. She circled around the pond and dipped her feet into the pond, walking quietly without wanting to catch the attention of their enemies. She quietly dipped her hand into the water and grabbed the white koi fish. That seemed to cause a commotion as the Water Tribe girl whipped around to face her, sending a water whip. Sakura jumped up and stuck to the ice ceiling. The dark-skinned girl made wave motions with her hands and the pinkette felt the ice beginning to melt.

She was forced to let go and drop back to the pond. She landed on the surface and jumped away to avoid an ice dagger. Another fireball came flying towards her and she punched the air in front of her, the cold air devouring the flames entirely.

"Sakura now!" she heard Zhao's shout.

Without any hesitation, she formed a scalpel with her Chi and sliced through the stomach of the fish as if she were dissecting the creature. The dark-skinned girl screamed in horror as she dropped to the ground, disbelief evident on her features. The small boy at the edge of the pond stopped glowing and snapped awake, eyes darting around frantically.

She heard Zhao's victorious laughter and decided that her job was done. Sakura rushed towards the exit, her pointy shoes scrapping against the ice floors. She would join the battle outside, she had been itching to fight against a waterbender. Her earlier encounter didn't count as she had another job to complete.


When Sakura arrived outside, she was surprised to find that the moon had turned red. She stared in disbelief at the discolored celestial body. Had killing the fish somehow changed the natural laws of physics? Sakura cursed herself relentlessly as she began making her way back to the Spirit Oasis. She was stupid for even following Zhao's sick orders. She needed to revive the fish before she tipped the balance of the world more than she already did.

She ran through the city, watching as the waterbenders were being defeated without any fight left within them. This is wasn't what she had planned. It was supposed to be a fair fight. The guilt gnawed at her heart like a dagger stabbed through to the hilt. Zhao had killed their source of power. No, she thought, she had killed their source of power. She was a monster. Frustrated tears streamed down her cold cheeks as she tried to make her way back to the oasis but she was lost. Zhao had been the one guiding her and she had been too busy gaping at the city in wonder to take note of the direction they were going. She had passed the same bridge twice in a row. Not to mention, she had to fight the Water Tribe warriors who were intent on impaling her with their spears.

Suddenly, a deep howl reverberated in the area, Sakura was sure everyone in the city heard it. The medic watched in muted fascination as a large humanoid figure made entirely of water with strange glowing markings on its stomach emerged from the north. She turned to look up the sky, seeing that the moon had turned back to white. "Woah," she breathed out as she stared wide-eyed at the sudden change of events.

The Water Tribe warrior she was fighting whooped in joy. She could hear several cries of joy coming from the city. The tides of the battle had turned, pun intended. A horn sounded from the sea shore, signalling a retreat. All Fire Nation soldiers were to retreat back to their ships. The Water Tribe in front of her charged towards her with a war cry but she quickly disabled him.

The water monster sent large waves of water through the city towards the the retreating soldiers. It screeched before it continued its assault, growing closer to the sea shore. 'No!' she thought in horror as she watched the monster make its way to their ships. If it destroyed their ships, there would be no way to get back home. The Fire Nation medic needed to do something otherwise she was going to die with her fellow soldiers.

Sakura jumped from the rooftops of ice, using her Chi recklessly in attempt to get to the creature as fast as she could. She closed the distance between them in mere minutes. With a final lurch, she jumped towards the monster with her fist cocked back.

"SHANNARO!"

She hollered in determination as she used the last ounce of her Chi into packing a final killer punch. The impact of her assail forced the creature to split in the middle, exploding in a shower of water and ice. Sakura felt herself suspended in air for a moment before gravity took over. Her body finally gave out. The last thing she remembered was slamming into a smaller, lanky body before unconsciousness overtook her.


Iroh watched the fourteen-year old medic slumbering on the ice, drenched entirely in water with a red broken dragon mask covering her face. Beside her, the Avatar was in the same blissful state, unaware of his surroundings. The two of them looked so young, both bearing heavy burdens thrust upon their shoulders just because they were a tad bit too special. If it were another life, he supposed they could have been very good friends. Their personalities complimented each other perfectly, he though as he ran a wet hand over his face.

His attention turned back to the unconscious children. Had he been another man, he would've taken the opportunity to kill or capture the savior of the world. But he would not, he was above that. The Avatar had a job to do and he needed to be alive for that. His friends would be arriving soon to get him to safety.

Iroh looked at the pink haired child sleeping on the ground. What had Ozai taught her? What type of monster had he created? He shook his head and slung the girl over his free shoulder, the other one was occupied with Zuko's unconscious form. He would drop her off to one of the ships before making his escape with Zuko.


News that Sakura had defeated the water monster spread like wildfire among the Fire Nation soldiers, though Ozai had commanded the soldiers not to speak a word about it to anyone at all. It reduced their wounded pride at having been defeated by the Northern Water Tribe. Their ships weren't wrecked much as Sakura had assaulted the creature before it could add more damage to their ships. Everywhere she walked, she would receive a nod of acknowledgement and sometimes a wave. Sakura would smile in return.

She spent the next month huddled up in the infirmary, healing the injured soldiers. They had suffered severe losses in the battle but so had the Northern Water Tribe. Ozai told her that the princess of the Water Tribe had sacrificed her life for the koi spirit and became the moon. Had it not been so, they would have completely obliterated the entire race. She was told that the Avatar was the one who took the form of the water spirit, the creature she had defeated with one punch. Azula gave her the nickname, One Punch Sakura.

Zhao had died in the war. The medic wasn't sure where she should be happy or sad. In as much as she disliked the man, she wasn't the type of person who took pleasure in the death of another despite being a medic.

Two months after the battle, Ozai sent a war veteran Sakura to school. She needed to clear her mind and enjoy being a child a little before she would resume her duties as a field medic, he had told her. Sakura was grateful for she truly did need a break after seeing so much blood and broken bones for way too long. Plus her people skills were severely lacking. The only person she talked with aside from her fellow physicians was Ozai. And he didn't count as someone who could teach her social skills unless she wanted to intimidate someone.


Her school uniform was surprisingly neat. She wore a brown headband with the Fire Nation insignia, her bangs reaching just below her chin. She would've looked terrific as a scholar if it weren't for the fact that she had pink hair and green eyes. The people at the markets were used to her weird colorings but not the rest of the Fire Nation. She found students staring at her without much subtility whenever she walked in the hallways. Even the teachers gaped at her.

The first time she walked into the classroom, a hush fell upon the students. Her footsteps were quiet and the teacher didn't know she had entered until she was at the woman's desk. Sakura noticed that she had an aristocratic nose and striking features. Her hair was very, very black and her eyes were a sharp green. The pinkette sucked a breath involuntarily at the raw beauty of the woman. She would've never thought that such a woman existed in the world as a teacher in the Fire Nation.

Unfortunately, her personality wasn't as pretty as her face. The woman had a very particular dislike towards Sakura. The medic had tried to be patient at first, hoping that the woman would warm up to her but it wasn't so. Eventually, she gave up.

Sakura quickly rose to the ranks. She was as intelligent as the word itself. She scored almost a hundred percent on every subject and had an answer to every question. Unfortunately, she was lacking in social relationships. She didn't have any friends and ate her lunch by herself. Her colorings made her a sore thumb amidst all the hues of black and brown. She wasn't confident enough to start talking, not unless a situation arose whereby she would be force to talk to someone.

Her salvation in her social standing came in the form of a meek girl called On Ji. She was of nobility and acted that part. Sakura admired her and envied her. She even had a boyfriend to boot!

It was on a particularly cloudy day as Sakura stayed behind after school hours to finish her homework. She didn't like carrying her schoolwork back to the palace as she could either misplace it or mix it with her medical records hence resolved to finish her work at school and submit it on the same day. She was in the midst of drawing a dragon for her art assignment which looked more like a stick figure than an actual dragon but she would go along with it.

She looked at her drawing, it was horrible. She crushed the paper in her hand and added it to the heap of discarded paper on the table before taking a fresh page and starting over.

"Do you need help?"

She looked up, startled at the girl that she had failed to notice her arrival. "Oh...um. N-not really. I'm okay!" she blurted out as she waved her hands frantically in front of her. On Ji burst into laughter at her antics, her voice sounding like bells to Sakura's ears. The medic turned the same shade of her hair in embarrassment. "You don't seem as scary as the others make you out to be. You're just an awkward turtleduck," the girl spoke softly. Sakura didn't find it within her to be angry at the girl for laughing at her.

"You can always ask for help, you know," she said as she took a seat beside Sakura. "I know but I'm not good with conversing with other kids," she admitted, feeling embarrassed. "That's okay. I used to be the same but with the help of my friends, I got over it. And I'm helping you do the same," she stated as she took a drawing paintbrush. "Are my drawings really that terrible?" Sakura asked as she watched the girl begin to draw. "I couldn't help but notice the sticks you were forming," On Ji supplied.

The fourteen year old girl chuckled. "I can draw the human body and any plant as long as it's medicinal or poisonous but I can't draw a simple dragon," she laughed at herself. "Well, you can't be good at everything which is why you need to have friends to help you," the brown haired girl retorted with a knowing look.

A moment of silence stretched between the two girls before Sakura spoke again. "What do the others say about me?" she asked, her voice soft and uncertain as herself. She was still a kid for crying out loud! Of course, she cared about her popularity. On Ji didn't reply her as she continued with her drawing. Sakura thought she didn't hear her and opted to stay silent.

"You see this?"

Sakura stared up at the girl to see her holding a paper with the most beautiful dragon she had ever seen.

"This is you," On Ji spoke. "You seem powerful and scary as this dragon. But you also care about others. You're a big softy inside. Which is why dragons, despite being very scary and powerful, protected us and even taught us firebending. The previous Avatar's animal guide was a dragon, he was loyal to the very end and died on the volcano along with Avatar Roku."

Sakura blinked, feeling wetness on her cheeks. She cleared her throat which had clogged with emotion. "Thanks, I guess I needed to hear that from someone my age," she admitted tenderly.

And that was how Sakura had her first friend at school.


In case you were wondering, yes, On Ji is the girlfriend of the bully Aang defeated when he attended school at the Fire Nation. Hope you enjoy!

Tozoonana

AfricanFire