Post by Teяa253 on Sept 9, 2008 19:13:26 GMT 1
The first chapter in the story in my new series "The Order of the Avatar Slayer".
incidentally, (sorry to disappoint) Zakura does not appear in this chapter, nor is she even mentioned. And, you do now know who "The Avatar Slayer" is yet... =P
oh well, here's the story...
CHAPTER 1: EVERYTHING THEY LIVED FOR
“The Order will never prevail,” the prisoner snapped at her captors as they leered at her from behind the bars, “the avatar will bring Xin Shing to his knees.”
“The avatar,” said one of the more polished guards, “lady, I’d suggest holding your tongue. It might get more people in trouble than you think.”
“Do your worst,” the girl snapped back.
Even in her prisoner state, she was still a very good-looking young girl. She was a vibrant young firebender with a long black ponytail and beautiful amber eyes set upon a strong-willed face which she had inherited from her father. And yet her eyes were her mothers, as was her nose. Her clothing had once been fine—she had been from a high class family. Yet even after all the time in prison, she retained her beauty.
“That can be arranged...” said another guard, “bring them in, boys!” he paused, and turned to the prisoner, “you’re gonna regret all of this, Kimi,” he chuckled,
“You can call me Kimiko then,” Kimiko snapped back—after all, only her friends and family were able to call her “Kimi”. To hear it from this foul stranger’s mouth would fuel her fires of infuriation.
“You think so, huh?” the man taunted, “well, let’s break you first. I’m pretty sure that some events that are to follow will alter you.”
“Like I said,” Kimiko snapped, “try your worst.”
These words however, soon became Kimiko’s worst enemy. A Kyoshi warrior came in to disable her—to ensure she would be able to firebend her way to freedom.
In this day and age, there was no distinctive tribe or nation that was “good” or “evil”. Everything was a house divided—the Warriors of Kyoshi, the Water Tribes, the Dai Li, the swamp people, the airbenders, and even the ancient Sun Warriors and more.
It was after this that Kimiko was taken and chained to the wall of an arena. There she saw her family brought out. Her parents and her 22-year-old brother Yasu were stood up, and to Kimiko’s horror, she watched them get executed.
“You foul, dirty, wretched, heartless...” but she was silenced with a guard’s hand cupped over her mouth.”
“If you wish to face the might of The Order,” he said, “then you can do it the honorable Fire Nation way. You can face me in an Agni Kai.”
Kimiko said nothing, but then suddenly snapped out that she accepted. She had nothing else to live for really, now that she had just witnessed her family being murdered in front of her own eyes. She actually hoped to die. The dual commenced, and it did not take long for the man, whose name was Feng, to bring Kimiko down.
“There,” she spat, “you have me defeated. Now kill me.”
Feng actually raised a fireball before he paused. He suddenly caught onto Kimiko’s ploy.
“That’s a clever gambit, Kimi,” he leered, “but that would be too nice. I think I’ll just exile you like that Fire Nation prince of old, and give you a daddy’s mark.”
The next thing Kimiko remembered was screaming in agony and clutching the area around her left eye. She had been severely burned there, and yet the fireball that seared her flesh had not been as large as the one that had scarred Zuko of old. Her eyebrow was still intact, and her eye was still able to be opened as much as her other one. However, Feng had succeeded in breaking her. For the rest of her life, Kimiko would be a very shy woman who was hesitant to say something, as if she feared that she would have to watch her family die a second time if she did.
Granted, the guards at the jail did not make Kimiko and less shy. They’d often “try” to talk to her, and now of course, she wouldn’t respond, both out of fear and hatred. However, none of them minded, particularly not Feng. In fact, he would grin.
“Its fine, Kimi,” he would say, “I knew we’d be able to break you down.”
However, one night, everything changed. One of the guards was suddenly taken ill, and his shift was taken over by what seemed to be one’s everyday Fire Nation Soldier. This man’s name was Cheng. He was a young private who had just been promoted, and he didn’t mind taking the job, for he had had good combat experience. This was also why he had been moving up so fast. As he was strolling up and down the corridor looking for things to do to bide his time, he heard sniffling from one of the cells. He peered in and saw a young girl on her knees crying. Her wrists were chained to the corners of the cell, and it looked like they kept the girl from falling on her face. Cheng actually thought she was sort of cute. His face however, was hidden behind his helmet. Later on that same evening though, he would learn to be grateful for that.
“What’s the matter,” he asked her, and his tone surprised her. She had been expecting something cruel or mocking, and yet something about this man’s voice gave her comfort.
“It’s your people,” she snapped, despite his kindness, “The Order literally destroyed my life.” Kimiko continued to tell him everything that happened, and by the end, although he could not see her face, he knew she was crying. He went in and gently lifted her face so he could look at hers. When he saw her scar, he knew that this was not the same generic story he had heard from prisoners of war all the time. Suddenly Kimiko felt her wrists drop to the ground.
“What are you doing?” she exclaimed quietly,
“I’m getting you out of here,” he said, taking her hand, “I’ve been watching from the sidelines too long what The Order has been doing. I cannot be a part of any organization this cruel.”
“So it just finally dawned upon you,” Kimiko snapped, but luckily Cheng was the patient type.
“Aye,” he said, “so let’s get you out of here quickly or they’ll have both our necks. You do realize that I don’t have to be doing this you know.”
Cheng hoisted Kimiko over his shoulders and ran. Luckily he was light on his feet, because otherwise he wouldn’t have gotten out. Somehow though, he was able to get her all the way to a small island on which his family had taken refuge. Cheng had joined the military because his family’s loyalty was being questioned by The Order. He might have been on the path to redemption, but his family was not, so they had fled. There was no one safe place in particular, as The Order was something that affected all 4 Nations.
“Cheng,” his mother exclaimed when he appeared in his family’s little cave which they used for refuge, “what are you doing back?”
“I cannot redeem myself or our family by being part of The Order,” he said, “I would rather die than side with them.”
“So,” said his father, “instead you bring home a half-naked girl?”
Luckily Kimiko was unconscious from fatigue, and that Cheng still had his helmet on. He set her down gently and removed his helmet.
“half-naked,” he exclaimed, “father, “so what if her shoulders are showing. You can’t even see any stomach.”
“Cheng,” he laughed, “I was just messing around with ya, my boy,” come, come bond with your old father.”
Cheng embraced his parents, and knew that he would have to care for them in their older age. They would normally have been fine at their age, but they had been weakened by this new life and from fear. Cheng glanced briefly at Kimiko. Her clothes were torn at the knee, she was barefoot, and her arms from the shoulder to the elbow were exposed, as well as the tips of her fingers. He noticed her palms and soles were exceptionally red, like they had been burned. Cheng’s mother noticed the scar on the side of her face, which was still dark, is it hadn’t yet formed fully into a scar.
“Goodness,” she exclaimed, “what happened to her face?”
“The Order did that to her,” Cheng replied bluntly, “and she had to witness the death of her family. I saw a girl chained to a wall forced to witness 3 other people die. They looked like her parents and an older brother or something. I left before I saw her taken down, but I can only assume this is the same person. She told me her story, and it matched what I witnessed.”
“So what do you intend to do,” Cheng’s father asked, “You can no longer show your face there.”
“Luckily,” said Cheng, “I don’t need to;” he paused, and picked up the Fire Nation helmet, “this is my reason” he smirked.
“Just be careful, whatever you do,” his mother counseled,
“Of course, mother,” he said, “I always plan these things out very carefully. In fact, as I was coming down into the corridor where this poor girl was imprisoned, I surveyed the place and knew how I could get out in case of an emergency. And then we met...”
“Well,” said Cheng’s father, “that’s all dandy, but like your mother said, do be careful. We’re a bit tired ourselves from hunger, so we’re gonna try and sleep it off if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all,” Cheng replied,
“And be nice to the girl,” his father added, chuckling, and Cheng laughed at his father’s joke. He had been quite the humorous fellow in his younger years. Cheng just sat there waiting for Kimiko to stir.
It was dark and stormy outside, and yet Cheng had used his bending to make a fire for them inside. His mind though, was set—he was now officially against everything that he had been praised for in The Order. It reminded her of that girl beside her who had just lost her family. They both had just lost Everything They Lived For.
~Azula~
incidentally, (sorry to disappoint) Zakura does not appear in this chapter, nor is she even mentioned. And, you do now know who "The Avatar Slayer" is yet... =P
oh well, here's the story...
CHAPTER 1: EVERYTHING THEY LIVED FOR
“The Order will never prevail,” the prisoner snapped at her captors as they leered at her from behind the bars, “the avatar will bring Xin Shing to his knees.”
“The avatar,” said one of the more polished guards, “lady, I’d suggest holding your tongue. It might get more people in trouble than you think.”
“Do your worst,” the girl snapped back.
Even in her prisoner state, she was still a very good-looking young girl. She was a vibrant young firebender with a long black ponytail and beautiful amber eyes set upon a strong-willed face which she had inherited from her father. And yet her eyes were her mothers, as was her nose. Her clothing had once been fine—she had been from a high class family. Yet even after all the time in prison, she retained her beauty.
“That can be arranged...” said another guard, “bring them in, boys!” he paused, and turned to the prisoner, “you’re gonna regret all of this, Kimi,” he chuckled,
“You can call me Kimiko then,” Kimiko snapped back—after all, only her friends and family were able to call her “Kimi”. To hear it from this foul stranger’s mouth would fuel her fires of infuriation.
“You think so, huh?” the man taunted, “well, let’s break you first. I’m pretty sure that some events that are to follow will alter you.”
“Like I said,” Kimiko snapped, “try your worst.”
These words however, soon became Kimiko’s worst enemy. A Kyoshi warrior came in to disable her—to ensure she would be able to firebend her way to freedom.
In this day and age, there was no distinctive tribe or nation that was “good” or “evil”. Everything was a house divided—the Warriors of Kyoshi, the Water Tribes, the Dai Li, the swamp people, the airbenders, and even the ancient Sun Warriors and more.
It was after this that Kimiko was taken and chained to the wall of an arena. There she saw her family brought out. Her parents and her 22-year-old brother Yasu were stood up, and to Kimiko’s horror, she watched them get executed.
“You foul, dirty, wretched, heartless...” but she was silenced with a guard’s hand cupped over her mouth.”
“If you wish to face the might of The Order,” he said, “then you can do it the honorable Fire Nation way. You can face me in an Agni Kai.”
Kimiko said nothing, but then suddenly snapped out that she accepted. She had nothing else to live for really, now that she had just witnessed her family being murdered in front of her own eyes. She actually hoped to die. The dual commenced, and it did not take long for the man, whose name was Feng, to bring Kimiko down.
“There,” she spat, “you have me defeated. Now kill me.”
Feng actually raised a fireball before he paused. He suddenly caught onto Kimiko’s ploy.
“That’s a clever gambit, Kimi,” he leered, “but that would be too nice. I think I’ll just exile you like that Fire Nation prince of old, and give you a daddy’s mark.”
The next thing Kimiko remembered was screaming in agony and clutching the area around her left eye. She had been severely burned there, and yet the fireball that seared her flesh had not been as large as the one that had scarred Zuko of old. Her eyebrow was still intact, and her eye was still able to be opened as much as her other one. However, Feng had succeeded in breaking her. For the rest of her life, Kimiko would be a very shy woman who was hesitant to say something, as if she feared that she would have to watch her family die a second time if she did.
Granted, the guards at the jail did not make Kimiko and less shy. They’d often “try” to talk to her, and now of course, she wouldn’t respond, both out of fear and hatred. However, none of them minded, particularly not Feng. In fact, he would grin.
“Its fine, Kimi,” he would say, “I knew we’d be able to break you down.”
However, one night, everything changed. One of the guards was suddenly taken ill, and his shift was taken over by what seemed to be one’s everyday Fire Nation Soldier. This man’s name was Cheng. He was a young private who had just been promoted, and he didn’t mind taking the job, for he had had good combat experience. This was also why he had been moving up so fast. As he was strolling up and down the corridor looking for things to do to bide his time, he heard sniffling from one of the cells. He peered in and saw a young girl on her knees crying. Her wrists were chained to the corners of the cell, and it looked like they kept the girl from falling on her face. Cheng actually thought she was sort of cute. His face however, was hidden behind his helmet. Later on that same evening though, he would learn to be grateful for that.
“What’s the matter,” he asked her, and his tone surprised her. She had been expecting something cruel or mocking, and yet something about this man’s voice gave her comfort.
“It’s your people,” she snapped, despite his kindness, “The Order literally destroyed my life.” Kimiko continued to tell him everything that happened, and by the end, although he could not see her face, he knew she was crying. He went in and gently lifted her face so he could look at hers. When he saw her scar, he knew that this was not the same generic story he had heard from prisoners of war all the time. Suddenly Kimiko felt her wrists drop to the ground.
“What are you doing?” she exclaimed quietly,
“I’m getting you out of here,” he said, taking her hand, “I’ve been watching from the sidelines too long what The Order has been doing. I cannot be a part of any organization this cruel.”
“So it just finally dawned upon you,” Kimiko snapped, but luckily Cheng was the patient type.
“Aye,” he said, “so let’s get you out of here quickly or they’ll have both our necks. You do realize that I don’t have to be doing this you know.”
Cheng hoisted Kimiko over his shoulders and ran. Luckily he was light on his feet, because otherwise he wouldn’t have gotten out. Somehow though, he was able to get her all the way to a small island on which his family had taken refuge. Cheng had joined the military because his family’s loyalty was being questioned by The Order. He might have been on the path to redemption, but his family was not, so they had fled. There was no one safe place in particular, as The Order was something that affected all 4 Nations.
“Cheng,” his mother exclaimed when he appeared in his family’s little cave which they used for refuge, “what are you doing back?”
“I cannot redeem myself or our family by being part of The Order,” he said, “I would rather die than side with them.”
“So,” said his father, “instead you bring home a half-naked girl?”
Luckily Kimiko was unconscious from fatigue, and that Cheng still had his helmet on. He set her down gently and removed his helmet.
“half-naked,” he exclaimed, “father, “so what if her shoulders are showing. You can’t even see any stomach.”
“Cheng,” he laughed, “I was just messing around with ya, my boy,” come, come bond with your old father.”
Cheng embraced his parents, and knew that he would have to care for them in their older age. They would normally have been fine at their age, but they had been weakened by this new life and from fear. Cheng glanced briefly at Kimiko. Her clothes were torn at the knee, she was barefoot, and her arms from the shoulder to the elbow were exposed, as well as the tips of her fingers. He noticed her palms and soles were exceptionally red, like they had been burned. Cheng’s mother noticed the scar on the side of her face, which was still dark, is it hadn’t yet formed fully into a scar.
“Goodness,” she exclaimed, “what happened to her face?”
“The Order did that to her,” Cheng replied bluntly, “and she had to witness the death of her family. I saw a girl chained to a wall forced to witness 3 other people die. They looked like her parents and an older brother or something. I left before I saw her taken down, but I can only assume this is the same person. She told me her story, and it matched what I witnessed.”
“So what do you intend to do,” Cheng’s father asked, “You can no longer show your face there.”
“Luckily,” said Cheng, “I don’t need to;” he paused, and picked up the Fire Nation helmet, “this is my reason” he smirked.
“Just be careful, whatever you do,” his mother counseled,
“Of course, mother,” he said, “I always plan these things out very carefully. In fact, as I was coming down into the corridor where this poor girl was imprisoned, I surveyed the place and knew how I could get out in case of an emergency. And then we met...”
“Well,” said Cheng’s father, “that’s all dandy, but like your mother said, do be careful. We’re a bit tired ourselves from hunger, so we’re gonna try and sleep it off if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all,” Cheng replied,
“And be nice to the girl,” his father added, chuckling, and Cheng laughed at his father’s joke. He had been quite the humorous fellow in his younger years. Cheng just sat there waiting for Kimiko to stir.
It was dark and stormy outside, and yet Cheng had used his bending to make a fire for them inside. His mind though, was set—he was now officially against everything that he had been praised for in The Order. It reminded her of that girl beside her who had just lost her family. They both had just lost Everything They Lived For.
~Azula~
