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Wen Lan stood horrified, feeling as if her legs had suddenly been taken from her body as she watched the blaze climb higher.

"No!" Seung growled as he stomped his foot against the ground. A column of earth rose up behind Kano, knocking flat against his spine.

The admiral hit the ground, rising slowly to his feet as he chuckled.

"I thought he was supposed to be invincible; that took hardly any effort at all!"

"Monster," Seung stepped slowly towards the admiral.

"Yes, I just killed one," Kano grinned. He turned as he felt the presence of something behind him, falling back as a fist slammed into his jaw.

He looked up towards the figure, her eyes filled with rage as she glared down at him.

"Ah, did I upset you, young lady? My apologies..." He brought himself to his feet slowly, grabbing her fist as she motioned to strike him again. "You should be careful, little lady. I've been known to kill girls younger than you, and for much less."

She answered this with hateful gaze, her other hand punching the admiral in the throat.

He grasped at it quickly, not having the time to respond before another rock pillar had launched up into his stomach from below.

Seung stepped forward angrily, fingers tense. He had hoped for no casualties, the admiral's disregard for life offending him on every level.

"Ah, all you've really managed to do is aggravate me," Kano smiled pleasantly, his expression growing into a perverted grin. He turned towards Wen Lan, extending his arm as a large burst of flame tore forward.

She sidestepped this, turning as she reached her hands out to grab his elbow. She ducked as he spun his leg towards her, another wave of flame ripping through the air. Wen Lan kept on the attack, dodging each of his strikes as he dodged each of hers.

Seung joined in the fray, rapidly launching chunks of earth towards the admiral.

Kano snarled slightly, forced back against a tree. He dodged as Wen Lan kicked towards him, her foot cutting against the tree with such force that it left a slash mark.

Her attacks were ruthless, her assault uninterrupted. She thrust her palm out, grabbing the admiral by his neck.

Seung stepped forward, glaring at the firebender. "Lady Wen Lan, don't kill him. He will be tried by the Earth Kingdom."

"Ha ha, like such a pretty little lady could kill the Dragon Tamer," Kano chuckled.

"You killed him," she whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Yes," he grinned, her words fueling his sadistic nature.

"You killed him," she bit her lower lip, her voice trembling as her grip tightened.

"Lady Wen Lan..."

"And guess what?" Kano's eyes went wide with glee.

"You...You killed him," she sobbed as her grip grew tighter, her desire to destroy the man slipping as the truth sunk in.

"I'm going to kill you, too." Kano lifted his palms as a ball of fire formed quickly before them.

Wen Lan's eyes went wide.

Seung opened his mouth to yell.

Kano laughed wildly, stopping as he realized nothing had happened.

She looked down slowly, a shield in the shape of an Earth Kingdom crest smoldering just over her stomach.

Her gaze trailed along the shield to Jung, standing beside her with his arm extended to protect, his chest bleeding deeply as his side continued draining, caked in blood.

"You," the admiral growled. "Is it so hard to just die?"

The Demon answered by lifting his fist and smashing it into Kano's face, Wen Lan's grip on his throat releasing as he was launched to the ground.

The three stood before the overwhelmed firebender, Seung glaring angrily as Wen Lan brought her hand to the Demon's side to support him.

"Well," he spoke with a slur, the left side of his skull fractured. "I suspect the odds have stacked against me. I believe that's enough for today," he grinned.

Seung took his stance, preparing to use the same cage technique he had used on Gang when they fought along the river.

"Until next time, general," he grinned as he motioned his hands upward, disappearing in a tall spiral of flame.

"Where did he..." Seung lowered his hands from his eyes, gritting his teeth as he realized Kano had escaped.

"Jung..." she whispered, her hands on his chest to support him.

"I'm fine," he insisted, his breathing having become noticeably heavier. "The cave."

"No, there's no way you'll make it," Seung studied the wounds quickly, stepping
towards the Demon. "There's an earthbending temple near here, it's where I studied. They can treat you there."

The Demon stood silently, Wen Lan propping him up.

"We can trust him, I promise," she whispered. "He is the one who..."

"I know," he drew in a breath. "Thank you, general."

"We should hurry," he nodded; slipping himself under the Demon's other arm. Had they the time, Seung would have gladly exchanged pleasantries with the Demon.

"What the..." Gang trailed off as he entered the scene, his eyes going wide. "Lady Wen Lan!"

"Gang!" she called out. "Help us carry him!"

Without hesitation Gang obeyed, approaching quickly. They carried the Demon, the young noble hoping and pleading to the spirits for his safety.




"Admiral Kano!" a soldier called out, two others aiding Kano as he stepped up onto the ship.

"Hello, soldier! A fine day for sailing, yes?" the left side of his face was swollen, his hand upon own chest as he breathed deeply.

"Sir, are you alright?"

"Oh my, absolutely not. Fetch the ship doctor, I need immediate medical attention," he nodded merrily.

"Yes sir, right away! You there, fetch the ship doctor!" the soldier commanded one of the ship hands before aiding Kano.

"I feel today was quite a success, tell the crew to disembark!" the admiral laughed boisterously.

"We were victorious in our campaign then, sir?" the soldier asked as he motioned towards two crew members to relay the command.

"By no stretch of the imagination; we failed miserably! All of our invading force decimated; I anticipate that I am in fact, the only one who will manage to return."

"How can today be considered a success then, sir?"

"I was able to survive and gain an understanding of the enemy's resources! Having done exactly that, I was able to formulate the proper course of action!"

"And what is that, sir?"

"We shall return to the Fire Nation, where I will rest and heal! Once I have done such, I will request permission to lead a second campaign against the Kun valley, with proper resources and manpower."

"Sir, what if the Fire Lord were to refuse such a request? He was reluctant about allowing the initial campaign, if you remember."

"Well then, I suppose I'll have to do it anyway! I have people I'd like to kill, and I can be very persistent when that's the case," Kano laughed, tilting his head back. "Ah, soldier, one last important part of the plan. I have to do it before I enact any other phase." He motioned his finger towards the soldiers, signaling him to draw in close.

"What is that, sir?"

The admiral lurched forward, taking a stern stance as he punched the soldier in the stomach, a spike of fire tearing through his innards and emerging on the other side. Smiling, he took his seat again.

"I have to kill you. If I don't kill someone every so often, I run the risk of becoming a tad cranky. And we can't have that, no, that would be unacceptable!" He nodded as he explained to the body.

Kano grinned with satisfaction as he looked to the side of the boat, admiring the features of the forest and valley. He smiled smugly as he imagined what it would look like completely consumed by fire.




"He gonna be alright?" Gang asked, still wearing his charred clothing as he stood at the temple gate.

Seung stood beside the old guard, having finished a discussion with the temple priests. "When he arrived, they said he had a slight chance. Now they are absolutely certain he will live." He looked out towards the forest, listening to the animals in the distance.

"What changed their minds?"

"Lady Wen Lan," he looked towards Gang with a smile.

"Oh yeah?" He grinned with pride.

"Yes. She's been at his side since the moment we set him down, treating his wounds. They have to practically shove her aside in order to check his progress."

"I won't stand for people shoving lady Wen Lan," Gang grunted, folding his arms.

"Ha ha, no, I didn't think so." He looked back towards the forest, his expression becoming more serious. "Gang."

"Yeah?"

"Today on the battlefield. It wasn't appropriate of me to throw you into a position of command. I apologize."

"You needed somethin' done, you asked the right guy," he shrugged.

"I thank you for your understanding," Seung smiled softly.

"So what's the plan from here?"

"I will return to the Earth Kingdom army to inform them of what occurred during the battle. After that, I'll return here to check in on the Demon and lady Wen Lan."

"Right. What do I do, then?"

"I think it would be best if you return to the village to inform lord Chin-Hwa of what's occurred. I am confident he will inform those who need to know about lady Wen Lan's current whereabouts."

"Right. What should I tell Xiu?"

Seung blushed slightly, the image of the beautiful girl being a welcome memory after the trials of the day. "Why do you ask?"

Gang grinned, nudging the general with his elbow. "C'mon, what do you think I am, blind?"

"Please tell her...That her lady Wen Lan is safe. And that I will ensure she remains that way to the best of my ability."

"Sounds good, sounds good," the old guard nodded as he commit it to memory.

"Gang, one other thing before you return to the village."

"Yeah?"

"Today has been trying, to say the least...Would you grant me one favor?"

"Yeah, sure."

"...Please tell me more about Xiu," he stared towards the forest, still blushing slightly.

"Gladly," he grinned.




Silently, Wen Lan cleaned out the arm slash before redressing the graze wound in his side.

He lay there quietly, his breathing giving welcome indication that he was still alive.

She kneeled beside him as she stared towards the opposite wall. She had yet to say a word since their arrival at the temple.

"...I was scared," she started.

The sound of his breathing gave no indication of whether he was awake or not.

"I saw him attack you, and I thought 'please, please let all those rumors be true. Please make him invincible; please make it so this does him no harm.' And then, you stood there. You were fine; the flames had not touched you. For a moment, I was so relieved," she smiled gently.

His body had taken on more than the serious wounds he had received before her eyes. Scrapes and burn marks littered his chest and arms, his legs demonstrating multiple cuts.

"Then, I saw the chains wrap around you, and I hoped you would shake them off, that you would break out of them as if they were nothing. Then..." her eyes began filling with tears, her words becoming harder to form as she recalled the memory. "Then you...They cut you. They hurt you, right in front of me. I just stood and watched them hurt you." Her crying became more intense as she looked towards the ground. "General Seung was busy fighting admiral Kano, and I was too far away, I was unable to even get to you," she sobbed.

Quiet breathing.

"I was wrong," she continued sobbing. "When we were running to the battle, and we were arguing. Making sure you come back, that was not the only reason I wanted to be there. I wanted to protect you," she closed her eyes. "And I know what you will say; that you need no protecting; but each time I come into the cave, I see your back...I see the scars, I see all the wounds you have taken for the sake of others, and I just...I just wish I could protect you from it. I wish I could hold you and heal all those scars," she gripped the cloth of her robes, trembling.

He lay still, the mask unmoving.

"But I failed...I was right there, and I was unable to stop it, it still happened. And I...I screamed, and I fought. And for a moment, in my heart, I really believed that you were..." she brought her hands to her face, sobbing quietly into them. After a few moments of drying her tears, she pressed on. "And then, there you were...And my heart, it just...You were alive, and it was as if this great sadness that had been thrust onto me was taken away. And here you are, hurt, because I failed to protect you," her eyes squinted as she felt the tears returning.

Quiet breathing.

"Please heal, Jung," she whispered her request, tears stinging her cheeks. "Please get better. I need you to, I need to be able to come to the cave and see you, I need to bring you tea; to hear your voice. I need to share stories with you about turtles with mountains on their back, and giant Phoenixes," she cried.

"Tortoises..."

Through a film of tears she stared, wiping her eyes with the edge of her sleeve.

"It was tortoises," he said weakly. "Turtles are of the water. Tortoises come from the earth."

"Jung," Wen Lan sobbed softly, looking towards his mask. "Please heal, please get better," she begged quietly. "I need you to, I need you to be alright, I need you..." she trailed off, a silent pause filling the room.

"To?" his body lay still, his strength focused on speaking.

Her face stained with tears and a faint shade of red, she answered with a whisper. "...I just need you."

His breathing picked up a little as he raised his hand slowly, holding it in front of her.

Taking it softly in her own she held onto it, bringing her face to it as tears washed away some dirt and blood.

"Please...Stay," he asked quietly.

"I'll be right here," she nodded quickly, promising as she lowered the hand. Her grip on it remained firm, not wanting to let go. "I'll stay here, I promise."

With that, Jung resumed his quiet breathing, drifting off to sleep.

Wen Lan remained there through the night, never releasing his hand as her head lowered to his chest, drifting off to sleep to the sound of his heartbeat.




Xiu slid the panel leading to Chin-Hwa's room open, taking her seat at the entrance as she readied her pipa. She smiled gently as she looked towards the old man, still sleeping softly. Readying the instrument carefully, she brought a finger up to one of the strings, tracing the edge of her nail over it.

She then ran her fingers quickly and forcefully over the strings, the pipa producing a sound comparable to an enflamed chicken pig.

"What the?!" Chin-Hwa jumped up, looking around frantically as the sound flooded the room.

"Oh, good morning lord Chin-Hwa!" she smiled innocently, tilting her head to the side.

"Xiu!? What are you doing in here?!" he squinted, looking out over her shoulder towards the night sky. "It's before dawn!"

"Y'see lord Chin-Hwa, I was up last night, thinking about general Seung's visit."

He blinked, his eyes narrow as he failed to see how this answered his question.

"And I realized something; I would have been way too shy to approach him on my own. Lucky for me I have such a wonderful lord, who was kind enough to not only introduce me, but have me embarrass myself constantly in front of him!" she plucked a few of the pipa strings lightly.

"Xiu, I understa..."

"No no, please let me finish, dear wonderful lord Chin-Hwa!" she showed some teeth as she smiled sweetly. "I decided that it would be most inappropriate of me to not somehow thank you for your kindness, even if it did make me look like an idiot in front of him! So I thought," she brought her finger to her chin to signify contemplation. "What could I possibly do to show my thanks?"

He blinked, still very tired.

"And then, it came to me!" she snapped her fingers, pointing towards the pipa. "I decided I would serenade you each and every morning with this pipa I bought in the marketplace yesterday!"

"That's very sweet of you..." Chin-Hwa started.

"Now, I don't have any formal training in playing the pipa. In fact, this is the first time I've ever even touched an instrument. I figure I'll catch on quickly though; I'm a pretty fast learner."

"I see," he sighed.

"And so, I will play for you each and every morning as the sun rises! I've even selected a piece that will give me the best possible practice."

"And that is?"

"Requiem of Roku! Oh, and here's a bit of trivia for you about the piece; it's the longest song to have ever been written for the pipa, taking a full fourth of the day for even the most skilled player!" she smiled as she brought her hand to the instrument again, savoring each and every moment of her revenge.

His eyes went wide as the words soaked in.

"Now then; please enjoy my morning performance! And keep in mind; this is my personal way of thanking you for embarrassing me while general Seung was here," she grinned as she began playing, frantically lashing her hand against the strings as it emitted a sound so terrible, its quality would move most musicians to early retirement.

Chin-Hwa groaned, falling back to his futon as he drew both sides of it over his ears.

"What's that awful noise?" Gang called out from the hallway, stepping behind Xiu as he observed the scene.

"Hey Gang," she smiled innocently, looking up towards him.

"Gang, thank the Avatar!" Chin-Hwa sat up, releasing his hands from his ears.

"Was that you?" he asked the young servant.

"Yup, my personal way of saying thanks to lord Chin-Hwa."

"For embarrassing you in front of your boyfriend?" he blinked.

"Sh...Shut up, he's not my boyfriend!" she blushed furiously as she turned her head away, eyes narrowed.

"What brings you back so early," Chin-Hwa stood, approaching quickly.

"Battle's over," he grinned. "We won."

"Excellent, excellent," Chin-Hwa nodded quickly, staring towards the old guard again. "Wen Lan? General Seung? Are they alright?"

Xiu turned towards Gang, watching for his answer.

"They're both fine," he nodded, his expression becoming more serious.

Relieved, Xiu smiled softly.

"Excellent," Chin-Hwa let out a breath of relief, smiling as his nervous tension escaped him. "Where are they now?"

"Seung's on his way to meet with other Earth Kingdom generals to report the outcome of the battle. Lady Wen Lan is at a temple in the forest to the west of the valley."

"The temple? What in the world compelled her to journey there?" Chin-Hwa looked inquisitively towards the guard.

He folded his arms. "The Demon was severely injured. Seung and I carried him there. They're treating him now."

"And Wen Lan wishes to remain there until he has healed," Chin-Hwa stroked his beard thoughtfully, nodding slightly as he guessed the rest of the report.

"Right," Gang nodded.

Xiu set the pipa to her side, standing up as she placed her hands on her hips. "We'd better get to work, then."

"Hmm?" Chin-Hwa looked towards her, feeling a deep sensation of relief at the observation that she had set the instrument aside.

"Old man, auntie Min knows where the Demon lives, right?" she glanced towards him, tilting her hip slightly as she thought.

Chin-Hwa sighed softly, missing the reverence Xiu showed in the presence of Seung. "Yes, she's the one who led Wen Lan to him originally."

"Good. Gang, go grab lady Wen Lan's stuff, as much as you can carry."

"Why?" the old guard raised an eyebrow, curious as to her intentions.

"Why else? We can't serve our lady if she isn't here."

Gang nodded, understanding this point.

"So, we'll just have to go to her."




"You eat too much," Li Mei muttered as she rummaged through the pouch containing their food.

"What?" Shui glanced over his shoulder towards the girl.

"I said you eat too much!" she scolded as she raised her tone, Shui having no power of intimidation over her.

"I do not; I eat exactly my share," he answered as he turned his attention back to the path.

"Oh yeah? If you eat only your share, why are we already out of food?" she asked as she held out the now empty pouch.

"Maybe it's because you keep giving the ostrich horses snacks every time we make camp!"

"They're behaving; they deserve a reward!" she protested as she pet Ryo's neck.

"They have their own food; they shouldn't be eating people food!"

"So what if they have a little snack? It keeps them energetic!"

"They're energetic enough without it," he muttered as he recalled the number of times Kyo had bucked him off already.

"Besides, it's not like they're not sharing their food with us," she placed a small pellet of feed in her mouth, snacking.

"That's disgusting," his eyebrow raised as her observed her.

"No it's not, it's tasty! The small black ones taste like peaches!" she held out a handful of the feed to him.

"Really?" he picked through the feed carefully, examining a black seed.

"Yeah, why do you think I've been snacking on them?"

"Because you're weird," he noted quietly.

"Just try it!" she scoffed, looking away.

Shui placed the seed in his mouth, staring forward as he bit into it. A sudden explosion of bitterness overwhelmed his tongue, forcing him to gag and spit wildly to the side.

"You're gullible," she laughed as she spit the seed she had placed in her mouth earlier out. "The black ones are called 'pits,' they leave a terrible aftertaste if you bite into them. Ostrich horses seem to like them, though."

"You," he clenched his teeth, looking at her with narrow eyes.

"Whoops," she muttered quietly before quickly tapping her heels into Ryo's side.

The ostrich horse stretched its neck out, squawking as it hurried forward towards the approaching village.

Shui chased after, Kyo cawing wildly as he kicked his heels into his side. Every few moments he spit, the bitterness still strong in his mouth.

She slowed as she entered the village, Ryo trotting along the busy street as Shui caught up behind her.

Knowing full well he couldn't do anything to avenge his taste buds, especially in public, he slowed the beast to a trot. He reached towards the pouch, taking it as he offered Kyo's reins to Li Mei.

"You take Kyo and find us somewhere to sleep tonight, I'll get us some food," he muttered quietly, aggravated with her.

Taking the reins, she imparted useful advice. "Papaya usually washes the taste out."

"Shut up," he growled lowly, walking towards a fruit vendor.

"Just saying," she smiled as she teased, taking Kyo's reins as she guided the two ostrich horses down another street.

She was stubborn and usually got the best of him, but even in understanding this, Shui preferred her company to traveling alone. He was never one to enjoy solitude.

He looked over the fruits, reaching out for a papaya as his hand collided with another. Looking for its owner, his eyes took on a look of surprise.

The waterbender stood with a look of apathy, his summer clothing a dark blue. His skin was tan, his dark brown hair tied back in a ponytail, the bangs hanging idly to either side of his face. A red mark trailed from below his eye to just above his mouth in the shape of a fang.

"Water tribe," Shui observed quietly.

The waterbender's eyebrow rose as his expression took on a slight hint of arrogance. "Wow, great work. Now can you tell me what this is?" he held up the papaya, smirking slightly.

"Huh? A papaya, why?" Shui's eyebrow rose slightly, confused.

"Wrong," he leaned forward, smirking. "The correct answer is; mine." He dropped a few coins on the counter, walking away as he tossed the papaya up and down in his hand.

"Jerk," Shui muttered as he turned back towards the vendor's cart, searching for another papaya.

"Loser," he called back.

"What?" he turned angrily towards the waterbender.

"Oh, I'm sorry," laughing, he placed a palm on his forehead to convey thoughtlessness as turned towards him. "I said 'loser.' What I really meant was 'stinkbreath'."

"I dare you to repeat that," he narrowed his eyes, stepping forward. Shui was not in the mood to sustain needless insults.

"Which part, the 'loser' bit, or the 'stinkbreath' part? I like 'em both, but I'll let you pick," he grinned.

Shui answered by glaring, his hand resting on the butt of his axe.

"Right," the waterbender laughed, taking a bite from the papaya. "Listen, as funny as you thinking you can take me is; I doubt it'd last long enough for me to embarrass you when there're so many soldiers in this town. Besides," he shrugged, "I've got stuff I need to take care of."

"Or you're afraid," Shui smirked slightly.

"Afraid of what?" he continued munching on the papaya. "Some Earth Kingdom punk with an axe and bad breath? Don't think so, seeya," he laughed as he turned, walking away casually.

Gritting his teeth, Shui watched with seething anger as he walked away, his muscles tense.

Li Mei stepped up beside him, watching curiously as the water tribe youth walked away. She looked up towards Shui.

"Did you find that papaya yet?"

"Working on it," he grunted lowly.




"Jeez," Yakone sighed as he stepped into the room. "I don't see why you people stick to the land; we were much better off on the water."

The figure sat silently against the wall.

"For example; the people! I just bumped into some punk in the market," he started as he fished a mango out of his sack. He tossed it toward the figure, taking a last bite of his papaya. "He was actually thought he could take me; you believe that? Some people just don't have common sense, eh?" he pointed his finger towards his own head.

The figure caught the mango silently, biting into it.

"Talkative as ever," Yakone sighed.

The sound of a mango being quietly eaten answered back.

"Yeah yeah, fine," he frowned at the lack of response, turning his attention towards his bedroll. "I'm going to sleep; the earlier we get out of this place tomorrow, the better."

There was no answer as the figure finished eating.

"G'night old man," Yakone waved his hand towards the figure casually, closing his eyes.

"Hmm," Bo answered as he set the mango pit aside.