Chapter Text
Part 1
~ 🔥💨💦🪨 ~ 🔥💨💦🪨 ~ 🔥💨💦🪨 ~ 🔥💨💦🪨 ~
Reki stood on the edge of the beach. There were waves but all he could hear was a low ringing in his ears. He felt it in his body too, a deep vibration that resonated within his bones and in his blood. In front of him, just beyond the waves bathed in golden light, was a giant Lion Turtle.
It was huge! The biggest thing Reki could ever imagine. Its shell was covered in a forest of dark green trees and clinging vines. The head being the only indication of the thing being a creature. Its golden eyes glowed with intensity and Reki couldn’t look away. Locked in the stare, he felt his heart beat wildly with anticipation.
The ringing turned into a louder melodic hum when the animal lifted its massive claw, water dripping soundlessly back into the surf. It reached for him and Reki shot up in his bed.
Breathing elevated, heart pounding he rubbed at his face and flopped back in bed with a relieved sigh.
He had been having that same dream for the better part of a month. Not necessarily every night but most. The beast reaching for him was new though. Maybe the change would mean he would dream about something else soon. Something normal. Something random like forgetting his lunch for school or his sisters with Lily, or Langa. Yeah, he’d like to dream about Langa…
Instead he was stuck dreaming of this weird turtle. He wasn’t even sure if Lion Turtles still existed! He’d never seen one or heard of anyone else encountering one. Too many comics or something probably. He hated to admit that maybe his parents were right about those rotting his brain.
He rubbed his face again and checked the clock by his bed. It was early but there was no way he was getting back to sleep. Luckily he knew someone who wouldn’t mind an early wake up if it meant she got breakfast.
~
Firelily, his Komodo Rhino, groaned as she stretched and stood up in the small stable in his family’s backyard. The space had recently also been a place where he’d started tinkering with whatever scraps of machines he could get his hands on. Early light caught the dusty spiderwebs in the window as Reki sank to his knees by her head to administer her favorite under-the-chin scratches.
“Good morning my pretty Lily.” Reki cooed in his baby talk voice reserved only for his trusted friend.
Lily groaned again and leaned into the scratches, and closed her eyes.
“Would someone be interested in….” He dragged the phrase out as her senses became more and more alert, anticipating one of her favorite words. “Breakfast?!” He finished and she lunged to lick at Reki’s face, her long nose horn just missing his eyes and whip-like tail thumping loudly on the wooden stall.
As terrifying as she could be, Firelily was nothing but a softie. Reki could barely remember a time before he rescued her from an auction cart, at least that’s what the infamous story his mother told. He apparently let Koyomi name her too, which he wished he regretted. It would be so much cooler to have a strong name instead, like Spike or Killer or Flameblast 2,000 but Reki had to admit that the name suited her.
“I wonder what Langa is going to do for my birthday,” He spoke his thoughts aloud while scooping her kibble into a bowl with fresh vegetables. “He said something about doing something just the two of us.”
Firelily licked her lips and huffed.
“Yeah I know I’m overthinking.” He added two whole eggs. “I just hate misreading a situation, ya know?”
Lily let out a snort.
Reki held a piece of chicken leg by one end and with his firebending, torched the muscle to an even golden color. “We have no idea what training will be today but if we’re sparring, I’ll definitely be a sweaty mess. I don’t want to be a sweaty mess if Langa is taking me to hang out somewhere just the two of us.”
His rhino grumbled softly, nosing the back of his linen shirt with big sniffs that were meant to comfort him.
“I know, it’ll be fine.” Reki sighed and looked down at Firelily’s completed meal. His nerves weren’t going to get the better of him. He turned from the prep station to face his rhino. Her eyes focused on the steel bowl in his hands, her tail swished excitedly back and forth.
“Okay, Lily,” He held his hand out flat. “Lay down.”
Lily’s eyes locked on his and she sank to her stomach.
“Nice job, how about….” He liked to mix her many tricks up so that she never knew what she would be asked to do next. “Take cover!”
Lily looked around dramatically but there was nowhere really she could hide so she covered her eyes with her clawed feet.
Reki laughed. Komodo Rhinos weren’t known for their wits but he lucked out to have rescued the one with all the brain cells. Firelily was trained on over 30 commands. “Good girl. Ok last one,” he lifted his hand and opened and closed his fingers like a puppet. “Speak!”
Lily let out a grunt-like moo and panted, her tail swishing wildly with anticipation. She graciously tucked in when Reki awarded her breakfast.
~ 🔥💨💦🪨 ~ 🔥💨💦🪨 ~ 🔥💨💦🪨 ~ 🔥💨💦🪨 ~
No one was there when Reki and Koyomi, his eldest sister, rounded the bend. It was unusual for Langa and Miya not to be at the unspoken designated meeting corner before them. They didn’t wait long. Langa and Miya’s figures rounded the bend and a laugh rang out as Langa frowned.
“What’s funny!?” Koyomi jeered, always wanting to be in on the joke. She skipped over to meet them.
Langa’s cheeks reddened as his and Reki’s eyes met. “Nothing.”
Miya rolled his eyes with a scoff. “What happened to ‘Reki’s Sweet 16 Best-Day-Ever Birthday Plan’?” He pinched finger quotes in the air. “Trademark pending, I’m sure.”
A heat started on Reki’s cheeks as well as the four of them started off toward Master Oka’s bending school.
“Let’s change topics.” Langa mutters falling into step next to Reki. His long blue hair was in an artfully crafted low bun today instead of the usual loose pony; a testament to the coming heat of the day. “This day was left blank on the schedule, what do you think he’ll have us doing?”
“Not so fast,” Koyomi spun around to walk backward and point at them, her red and tan blouse bouncing with her steps. “You think that’s going to be enough to distract me from my brother’s special birthday plan?”
Reki tightened his hold on his knapsack straps, the attention bubbling over into embarrassment. “Leave it, Koyomi!” He hissed through clenched teeth. The presence of Langa next to him almost made his right side buzz.
“Ugh fiiiine,” she conceded, her pigtails reminding him of twin flames as she spun quickly around. Her favor for stirring up trouble between the two of them had landed her in trouble one too many times lately, so she conceded more easily.
The morning was still pleasant but the beginnings of another blistering hot summer day were seeping from the oppressive beams of the sunlight. The streets were busy, people rushing to get their errands done before it's too unbearable to be outside. Ahead of them, Miya fidgeted with his puzzle game and Koyomi grabbed a free copy of the World News Bulletin.
“Maybe we’ll be given the day off since it’s going to be too hot.” Reki finally answered Langa’s question from earlier. He glanced at his friend, finding desperation.
“I hope so,” he wiped the sweat already forming on his brow. “I can’t even bend ice when it’s this hot, and what good am I then?!”
“You’re good at plenty of things.” Reki couldn’t help it, he bumped his friend's shoulder in jest even though he told himself to be less touchy after Miya pointed it out. “Who’s going to heal the unlucky bastards that suffer heat sickness?”
Langa bumped him back, “My Mom, duh.”
“What if she’s busy?”
He shrugged, “Then they’ll have to wait.”
“You would let me suffer as I lay here unconscious? Withhold your ability to treat me?”
Langa laughed. It’s soft and sudden like he didn’t expect it, like it snuck up on him before he could hold it in. It’s Reki’s favorite kind of Langa Laugh and a point of pride that only Reki can elicit such a sound from his friend.
“I wasn’t aware that you were in this scenario,” his blue eyes all but sparkled as they met his.
“I’m always part of the scenario.”
“Naturally.”
Langa had become his best friend over two years ago when he and his mother moved to the island of Ess from the Northern Water Tribe after his Father and water bending Master passed away. His mother, a non-bender from the Fire Nation, was commissioned to take over the little clinic as its doctor. And with nothing keeping her away, she returned. It was a surprise bonus that her son was a talented water bender who trained with the healers up north despite being a male.
Koyomi folded the paper under her arm and sighed. “Well gang, no news of the new Avatar. They speculate that their identity might already be known but the Fire Sages are withholding information from the public.”
Koyomi’s current infatuation was with the Avatar. She has been checking the radio broadcasts and the paper nearly every day. It has been 16 years since Avatar Ami’s death, the new Avatar should be revealed any day now, whenever they had their birthday.
“Maybe they were born in December.” Miya twirled the puzzle between his deft fingers, not bothering to look up.
Koyomi let out a groan, “That would be awful!”
“It’s not like they’re going to be Avatar right away,” Reki said as they rounded the corner onto the street where Master Oka’s training school gate stood between two of the largest, and oldest palm trees on the island.
“Yeah, they’re gonna have to like, learn another three elements.” Langa’s voice followed as they were naturally on the same wavelength. “Which would take a super long time.”
“But we would know who they were!” Koyomi explained it like it was obvious. “And they’re obviously going to be super important like a celebrity and…we would know if maybe they were super hot!”
Reki had enough of that. “Whatever. Anything about the Rhino Race Championship?”
His sister shrugged, “Nope.”
Reki rolled his eyes and heard Langa groan next to him. He assumed it was out of exasperation with his sister but when he followed Langa’s line of sight, he understood.
Master Oka stood in the center of the main courtyard with… the sparring equipment.
~ 🔥💨💦🪨 ~ 🔥💨💦🪨 ~ 🔥💨💦🪨 ~ 🔥💨💦🪨 ~
It was almost over. All he had to do was survive this last match, unfortunately it was against Miya and he was already pretty roughed up from barely holding his own against Kento, one of the second years. A SECOND YEAR! He got really banged up, too! He was so embarrassed! He hid his face as Langa passed in front of him and into the sparring ring. Reki was sure the cut on his face was about to be the biggest bruise. Langa hated seeing him hurt, but Reki rarely let him heal the great many wounds he accumulated.
Langa was up against another fourth year, Ozora. She was good but Langa was better. Reki watched him get into his starting stance, the bun now loose and spilling stray strands of hair. From the back, Reki couldn’t see what Langa’s expression was, but from experience, he assumed it was just as nonchalant as usual.
His opponent… Well, she seemed concerned.
Master Oka counted them down and a buzzer sounded, “Begin!”
Without hesitation, Langa bended the water in one of the many large jugs placed around the arena. He split the stream into two and aimed for Ozora’s blind spots. She dodged just in time, missing the direct hit but getting soaked in the process. This was always Langa’s goal. When she fired off quick blasts in secession it was to try to keep him at range. Knowing Langa’s strategy, she patted around at her clothes. She squeezed the water from the thin colorful linen with one hand and bended powerful fire blasts.
As firebenders, they were taught how to fight against other firebenders and the other standard bending styles. The other bending styles that were predictable and consistent. They trained extensively to match their opponents with calculated movements, blocking and attacking in a certain way to match standard bending characteristics. Whoever was facing Langa was at a distinct disadvantage because Langa’s bending style had taken on some atypical characteristics.
Instead of the fluid, wave-like bending style of waterbenders, Langa’s bending style had started combining with the sharp, cutting movements of a firebender. He was unpredictable, implementing both styles with expert skill making it impossible to predict what he was going to do next, and for Reki to look away.
Ozora barely avoided Langa’s latest attack. Rolling out of the way, she heated the water on the ground creating steam to hide. Reki could see Langa’s frustration, he was having trouble creating ice in this heat. He wiped the hair and sweat away from his reddened face, his wrapped tunic loosening around his shoulders, exposing his chest breathing heavily. Reki vaguely wished his dreams would resemble something more like this instead of the weird turtle.
“Go Langa!” Reki shouted with enthusiasm. The rest of the assembly started cheering too, encouraging both members of the match.
Langa’s body reacted to the noise, posture stiffening, face averting meeting anyone’s gaze. He refocused, finding Ozora and running toward her, bending the last jug of water with sharp firebender-like motions. Ice finally formed, soft at first, almost like a slushy. It wrapped Ozora’s hands and feet behind her and solidified, the wet clothes around her freezing over quickly. She struggled against the ice, trying to melt it from the inside but Langa placed his hand on her and he refroze the ice instantly.
And with the ring of the bell, Langa was in the quarter finals.
He jumped back, his chest heaving. Langa’s eyes scanned the crowd until he found Reki; his smile should really not make Reki feel like this. Like he was riding Lily as fast as she could run. Like when he flew from a rope swing into the lagoon. Like he was sneaking out to hang with his friends late at night and narrowly avoiding getting caught by his parents.
“Good luck on your match,” Langa’s voice was a bit raw and breathless as he took his seat next to Reki on the bench.
Reki swallowed and nodded with a smile. He didn’t even notice Langa walk over here! He must’ve been really out of it.
“Thanks, but I won’t need it!” Reki winked, hoping to make a recovery.
“Of course,” Langa replied with a knowing smirk.
~
Miya won in the first minute of the match. Reki didn’t stand a chance.
~ 🔥💨💦🪨 ~ 🔥💨💦🪨 ~ 🔥💨💦🪨 ~ 🔥💨💦🪨 ~
Langa’s pout face was probably one of Reki’s favorites. His eyebrows would wrinkle up in the middle in the most stupid way and his mouth would pinch into this silly little frown. It always made him laugh.
“Stop.” Langa groaned. “It's annoying that I’m always on my own for these things.”
“I know dude,” Reki placed his hand on his shoulder with a squeeze. “If I could change into a waterbender, I would.”
They were instructed to meet in the shrine for the later half of the morning. Oka wanted to avoid the heat as much as anyone. Plus, they met in the shrine regularly, the spiritual aspect of bending feeling always present in Master Oka’s teachings.
When Langa enrolled two years ago, a small storage room was transformed into a shrine fit for a waterbender. It featured everything a waterbending shire should have, even a fountain with sacred water from the Northern Tribe’s Temple bubbling in the center of the space. In times of emergency, Langa had healed some serious injuries here.
Langa leaned against the doorway, eyes continually catching on the large bruise forming on Reki’s cheek. “No you don’t,” Langa retorted. “You don’t have the patience."
“I can be patient!”
Langa rolled his eyes.
Before Reki could argue back, the second bell rang. Their break was over.
“You should ask the Master if he would let you meditate with the rest of us sometime! You’re like half a firebender anyway.” Reki started to step away.
“Yeah, maybe,” Langa replied, his face a little unreadable. He turned into the room with a low effort wave.
Reki was last to arrive. He scrambled to the last free spot which ended up being next to Ozora and Miya. The students in the school were usually divided by years but were gathered together today. The room was large and ornate. The most notable feature being the large hearth in the center of the South wall with a giant flame, the sacred fire. There were probably forty total benders in training and he felt all eyes on him as Master Oka cleared his throat.
“Great, now that we’re all here, let’s begin.” Master Oka snapped his fingers and the candles placed in front of each seat sparked and lit with fire. “For the first meditation we’re going to match the flame with our breath.” Oka walked toward the hearth, his dark red cloak looking black in the dim light. “With each inhale, focus on the growth of your chest, the expanding nature of your lungs. Seek to match the shape of the flame with that growth.” Oka audibly inhaled, the giant flame growing even larger.
He exhaled and the flame shrank, releasing heat and smoke through the shrine. “On the exhale, seek to empty the breath entirely. Release everything you have, almost to the point that the next inhale is instinctual. Match the size of the flame with that release.” He demonstrated again, the shape of the flame in the center growing and shrinking. “I know this is our usual warm up, but are there any questions?” When no one spoke up, he continued, “Great! I’ll start us off. Three, two, one, inhale…”
Master Oka started the count and Reki centered himself with the candle, he inhaled on que and began his practice. He’d never admit it but he was always pretty skilled with the spiritual side of bending. The warm up was a breeze, he felt connected to the small flame in front of him. It was natural to connect with elementary essence and his inner chi. He never was corrected by the Master on his breathing form or the position of his hands. He would trade it for skill in actual bending but he figured it was better than nothing.
After ten or so minutes, they shifted gears. They were instructed to extinguish their candle flame.
“Next, I figure we’ll try more of a strenuous mental exercise, it's a little abstract. I actually don’t expect everyone to be successful since this is the first time we’re trying this.” Master Oka grabbed an extra candle and bended a flame from the center hearth to light the wick. A low murmur broke out among the students, Oka had never taken from the sacred fire before. Master Oka turned to his class. “Who here knows what fire is the element of?”
Hands went up but Miya’s was first. The Master called on him.
“Fire is the element of power.” Miya answered dutifully.
Master nodded, “This is what I’ve taught you, however,” He approached Miya and outstretched the lit candle in his hand. “Take from the sacred fire and tell me what you feel.”
Miya did as he was instructed. The skilled bender had skipped two levels and was placed in with Reki and the fourth years. He looked especially small as he gathered the spirit flame from Master Oka’s candle. The fire was stubborn and appeared not to behave well with Miya’s chi. He held it carefully in his palm.
“It feels,” Miya closed his eyes. “It feels different.”
Oka sighed and nodded. He stepped expectantly to Ozora, “You try.”
She readied herself and with a confident stance, leaned in to take from the Master’s candle. Again she visibly struggled to contain the flame in her palm.
“How does it feel?” Prompted Oka.
“It feels,” Ozora’s breath quickened, “Whoa!” The flame flickered wildly in her hands. “I can’t control it!” She shook her head in disbelief as the fire went out.
“That’s normal,” Oka comforted. “This won’t be something everyone gets on the first try.” His attention shifted to Reki. “Remember your breath.”
Reki grounded himself and reached for the flame. Inhale. The warm shiver spread from the tips of his fingers, down his back and into the soles of his feet. Exhale. He tilted his fingers forward as an invitation and the flame followed. Inhale. Reki separated a spark from the source and brought it into his center. Exhale. He channeled his chi to sustain the fire blossoming in his palm.
“Good.” Master Oka encouraged softly. “How does it feel?”
Reki closed his eyes and took another breath, focusing on the core of the fire. It moved more than standard fire. The movement was interesting. It was almost rhythmic. “It feels like a heartbeat. It’s like,” Reki opened his eyes and watched the flame dance in his hands. “It feels alive.”
Oka’s smile was almost mischievous, “Interesting.” He turned more toward the rest of the students. “Reki’s right. It’s life! Fire is the element of life.”
One by one, each student attempted to hold the sacred fire. Only a handful managed, most were fifth and sixth years, and Reki. Master Oka gathered all the students who could sustain it in a circle and instructed them to do the same breathing exercise.
“I learned this technique from my Masters and I’m grateful to pass it on to my students. And maybe one of you will become a Master and teach others who will then teach still more. It's cyclical. That’s what it’s all about. The cycle. Life and death, new life and new death. Fire is creation and destruction and leads to rebirth. Life is neverending in this cy-”
There’s a hard knock on the door and Oka swore, “Come in I guess!”
The page boy with fox-like features peeked out from around the sliding door, “Forgive me, Master, but I must inform you we have unexpected guests with whom you must see to.”
“Who?” Oka’s voice was clearly annoyed.
“The Fire Sages and members of the White Lotus, sir.” The boy swallowed nervously.
Reki couldn’t see Master’s face but his other body language shifted. Was Master in trouble with the Sages? Reki didn't know what the ‘White Lotus’ was or what it meant to be a ‘member’ of such a thing. It wasn’t abnormal for the Sages to visit Ess, it was a standard vacation spot and home to one of the oldest Temples in the area. It was almost like they made a pilgrimage to it, every time stopping by the local firebender school. Something about this White Lotus was making Master Oka nervous.
“Oh,” Master Oka turned to meet Reki’s eyes with a look he couldn't interpret. Was it surprise?
Was he… scared?
“Sorry students, please uh, think about the cycle and breath and I’ll be right back.” The master bowed and hurried out of the shrine.
“Weird,” Someone muttered next to him.
“Yeah,” Reki was eager to still attempt this though, revelling in finally being good at something. He recentered and heard Oka’s voice in his head… Life is a cycle. Fire gives life, but it can take it too… It is part of life. Focusing on his breathing, the background sounds started to melt away as Reki felt the flow state envelope him. Reki could feel it and the more he focused on it the deeper he sank into the feeling. It raised his heart rate but his breath remained controlled. He let himself fall completely into the rhythm of the fire. With each inhale the energy flowed in spirals through his body, he felt them coil in his stomach and throat and buzz in the top of his head. Every exhale blew the flame higher in his palm, the shape of the fire growing and shrinking with his breath as instructed. Reki let his eyes close so that he could attune to the feeling even more. It felt reassuring and complete, like breathing fresh mountain air- in an out, push and pull.
Just as Reki felt like he had reached perfect equilibrium, sounds from outside started to creep through- a low hum of concerned voices began to intrude. The other students were nervously calling his name and calling for Master Oka? He was confused, he was just doing the exercise- and it was going well.
The sliding door flew open and Master Oka’s voice pierced the hum, “REKI?!”
Reki’s eyes snapped open to orient towards Master Oka just in time to see a swirling multi-colored ball of pulsating fire evaporate from his hands.
The whole room was silent for a moment. Reki looked at his hands and towards Master Oka’s face, which betrayed amazement and a spark of sadness.
Never breaking eye contact, Master Oka regained a margin of his composure and addressed the class “Something has come up and we are going to have to end it here today, everyone please take free time to meditate and uh- focus on your breathing.”
There was a pause until Master Oka gestured to the door with wordless authority and everyone shuffled out. Reki tried to pause to talk to Master Oka but he just nodded at him and said “We’ll talk later, I promise.” and nudged him out the door before hurrying back to his meeting with an anxious skip in his step.
Langa was waiting outside expectantly, seemingly stirred from his shrine by the commotion.
He looked to Reki “What happened? Done early?”
“Nothing,” Reki answered dismissively, purposely walking to the exit. He couldn’t wait to get away from whatever that was. Why did this have to happen today?! He was supposed to go on some secret birthday date! Reki just wanted to pine for his best friend in peace!
Miya interjected, pushing his face in between them “Soot-brains here just made colorful spirit fire and everyone freaked.”
Koyomi caught up to the three of them, “Yeah! It was all swirling and there was like greens and purples and blues! Could you do it again??”
Langa tilted his head to Reki cautiously, “Green fire?”
“Let’s not talk about it.” Reki walked faster, “Who’s hungry?”
~ 🔥💨💦🪨 ~ 🔥💨💦🪨 ~ 🔥💨💦🪨 ~ 🔥💨💦🪨 ~