Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Pigsy?” MK whispered into the dark room before him, huddled against the door frame. “Tang?”

One of the dark shapes on the low bed stirred and rolled towards the four year old in the doorway. “MK?” Pigsy grunted, rubbing his eyes. 

Tang sat up halfway, squinting into the dark. “What’s going on?” he mumbled, swiping his hair from his face.

MK dropped his gaze, shuffling his feet. “I had that dream again,” he whispered.

Pigsy sighed. “Aw, kid. . .”

‘That dream’, unfortunately, needed no further explanation. The dream of fire and fear and running, of tears and blood and the feeling of something safe being ripped away. Sometimes it continued on to something soft and gold, his first memory of wandering into Pigsy’s noodle shop. Tonight, however, it had ended early, and MK was scared.

His chin trembled, tears brimming on his lashes. “Can I stay in here tonight?”

“Yeah, of course you can,” Pigsy murmured, shifting to make more room for him. MK trotted over, and Pigsy picked him up and set him in between him and Tang, like always. He snuggled under the covers with a relieved sigh.

Tang tucked the blanket around his shoulders. “You warm enough?” he checked absentmindedly, clearly still half-asleep.

MK nodded. “Mhm.”

“Good.” He kissed the top of MK’s head before settling against his pillow again. He was asleep in seconds. MK took his hand, gingerly, careful not to wake him again. Even so, Tang squeezed his hand gently.

Pigsy lightly stroked his hair back from his face. “Try to get some sleep, kid,” he said softly. “We ain’t goin’ anywhere.”

MK smiled gratefully at him. He closed his eyes and snuggled deeper into the blanket.

Nothing could hurt him here.

“I did it!” MK cheered, barrelling into the shop. “I did it! Look, look, guys, I did it!”

“With my help!” Mei added loudly, crashing in right after him. “He did it!”

“Whoa, slow down!” Pigsy cried, jumping to right a stool the two riotous children had nearly knocked over. “What did you do?”

“Earthbend!” MK shouted, practically vibrating from excitement.

“What?” Tang asked incredulously, lowering the book he was reading. “You’re not a bender!”

“Yes, I am!” MK insisted, scrambling onto the seat across from him. 

“He told you he was,” Mei added, hopping up next to him, “but you never believed him!”

Tang hummed hesitantly. “Well, he’s eight. Usually benders show signs by five at the latest, I wasn’t -”

“But I did it!” MK pressed. He shoveled a handful of pebbles from his pocket to the tabletop. Pigsy sighed and joined them at the table, eyeing the rubble suspiciously. “Just look,” MK assured them. “I can do it.”

Tang frowned dubiously, but he set aside his book and nodded expectantly.

Mei tapped her hands on the table in excitement. MK took a deep breath and cupped his hands on either side of the pile of rubble. His eyes narrowed, vision tunneling in on the pebbles and stones. He strained, reaching for the connection he’d felt earlier.

“I can do it,” he whispered fervently. “I can do it, I can do it. . .”

Tang and Pigsy shared an uncertain look.

Then, something clicked. MK almost felt the rough texture of the stones on his skin. He took a deep breath and lifted his hands.

The rocks rose with them.

Tang gasped. Pigsy grunted in surprise. 

Mei cheered loudly. “Yeah, MK!” she crowed, throwing her arms around him. MK dropped the stones at the disturbance, but he was so happy he barely even noticed.

Tang chuckled in disbelief. “Well,” he murmured, reaching over to pick up one of the pebbles. “I stand corrected.”

MK grinned at him. “Can you show me how to do that thing?” he pleaded, gathering the rubble again. “That thing where you tell the stories and make the little guys?”

Tang looked at him in surprise. “Oh, my puppets?” He slipped off his lava rock bracelet. He closed his fist around it, and when he opened it, a little statue of a waterbender stood in his palm. Though he was far from the strongest earthbender, his skill was incredibly precise. The character waved to the kids. They both laughed and waved back.

“I want to learn!” MK insisted. “Can you show me? Please?”

Tang smiled ruefully. “I think this is a little advanced for you,” he said apologetically. “It took me years to get this down.”

“Yeah,” Pigsy chuckled, patting his back. “Maybe try to get the basics for now.”

“Oh, I can help with that,” Mei boasted. She threw an arm around MK’s shoulders. “I’m the best earthbender in the world!”

Pigsy hummed. “Think you’ll need to work your way up, too, kiddo,” he warned, mouth twitching in a smile.

“Well, I’m gonna be!” She dragged MK to the door. “And then we’ll be the strongest earthbending team in the world!”

MK laughed and turned to run after her into the dusty street. They ducked around someone heading into Pigsy’s as they did.

“Oh, wait!” MK gasped, skidding to a halt. “My sketchbook!” Mei groaned in annoyance, but he turned and hurried back inside. He spotted his journal lying on a chair and dove to grab it. 

The customer was now standing at the counter. Pigsy and Tang were both listening intently as he spoke to them in a low voice. “We’ll need a lot. After the attack on the coast, we’re heading to Ba Sing Se.”

MK didn’t hear the rest, too busy sprinting after Mei to practice his cool new power.

“How’s earthbending going?” Pigsy asked, leaning over the counter as MK trudged in.

MK, nine, groaned and dropped his bag on the floor, melting into a chair. “So hard!” he bemoaned. “Mei’s so much better than me! She’s almost as good as some grown-ups, and I still can’t even get the basics!”

“Ah, sorry kid,” Pigsy sighed, setting a bowl in front of him. “These things take time.”

“What if I never catch up?” he grumbled, picking up the chopsticks from the bowl.

“Then you’ll find some other niche,” Pigsy replied, ruffling his hair. “Just like everyone.”

MK sighed. He frowned in confusion and poked around the bowl of noodles. “Where’re the bean sprouts?”

Pigsy was quiet for a long moment. “Food’s a little tight right now.”

MK glanced at him, brow creased with worry, but ate anyway.

MK, ten years old, kicked his feet as he sat on a stool in Pigsy’s Noodles. The sky was dark, well past closing. MK had finished his chores, but Pigsy was still sweeping.

“There were a lot of kids out of school today,” MK said quietly.

Pigsy nodded mournfully. “Yeah, Tang mentioned that.”

“Mei says they probably all went to Ba Sing Se.” He picked at a loose splinter on the counter. “Because they’re scared of the war.”

“Yeah.”

His gaze cut to Pigsy, brow furrowed. “Do you think the Fire Nation will ever actually come here?”

After a long pause, Pigsy sighed heavily. “I dunno, kid. I wish I could tell ya, but I don’t.”

MK wrung his hands. “Do you think we should go to Ba Sing Se?” he whispered. “Do you think it’s really safer?” 

Pigsy sighed again. “I don’t know.”

“I mean, we have a wall, too,” MK added, nodding his head towards the door. “That’s safe, right?”

Pigsy chuckled, setting the broom aside. “I don’t think it’s quite the same caliber as Ba Sing Se’s.”

MK’s eyes widened. “Have you seen it?”

“No, but Tang has, remember?” Pigsy poked the side of his head teasingly. “He went to that fancy school there.”

MK frowned, returning his gaze to the blemish on the counter. “Then why would he leave?”

“I don’t know, buddy.”

MK grinned at him, revealing his missing front teeth. “Man, can you answer anything tonight?”

 Pigsy scowled and flicked a chopstick at his head. MK laughed and ducked, letting it clatter harmlessly to the floor. “Well, if you want real answers, try asking some real questions,” he retorted. “Wish I could tell the future, bud, but I can’t.” His teasing smile faded as he looked out the open window. A warm, hushed breeze whispered past, rustling dried leaves through the opening. “Really wish.”

“MK.”

MK groaned and rolled over. “Five more -”

“MK, get up!” Tang hissed, grabbing his arm and pulling him into a sitting position.

MK blinked in surprise, snapped from his slumber more by the uncharacteristic aggression than the actual wake up call. “Wh-”

“Listen,” Tang said in a low voice, dragging him to his feet. MK stumbled, still struggling to find his balance in his sleepy haze. “Don’t panic,” Tang continued, gripping his shoulders tightly, “but be ready to run if we tell you to, okay?”

That woke him up. MK jolted, a sudden wave of adrenaline coursing through him. “What?” he hissed frantically. “What’s going on?”

Tang hesitated and glanced towards his bedroom door. MK followed his gaze. Something glowed, ever so faintly, beyond. Something red.

Fire.

MK felt his heart drop. His mind began stirring with wispy memories. “Where’s Pigsy?” he whispered.

“He’s right outside, he -”

He didn’t wait for him to finish, pushing past and hurrying out to the main room. 

Pigsy was framed by the orange glow in the window. It was much brighter now. He looked up and held up a hand with a warning look. He pressed a finger to his lips. His other hand held a rolling pin in a ready grip, poised to clobber anyone who came through the door from the shop.  

MK froze in his tracks, eyes wide. “What’s going on?” he repeated breathlessly.

Pigsy shook his head desolately and looked back out the window, down to the street. Tang gripped MK’s shoulder. His face was grim.

The two of them joined Pigsy at the window. On the street below them, right in front of the noodle shop, were rows and rows of Fire Nation soldiers. The flames in their hands rendered their helmets in a stark light, the bull horns on the sides rising up into shadow. MK gasped and clung to Tang. Tang rubbed his back but didn’t take his eyes off the invaders.

The soldiers lined the main road, all the way from the town gate to Long Manor, where Mei and her family were no doubt in a similar position. MK stared at the wall around her garden, where they had laughed and played and practiced earthbending until her parents scolded them. He silently prayed they were okay, desperate for a glimpse of them but too scared to move.

At the front of the column, right before the great gates to Long Manor, was a huge rhino. The man seated atop it was shouting in a deep voice. 

“. . . insignificant town of Lian is now a territory of the Fire Nation,” he announced. “Rejoice, for your otherwise meaningless town has been claimed as property of the Fire Lord, the great King Under the Mountain!”

He was so small, the woods were so big, somebody hid him and told him not to make a sound.

MK hid his face in Tang’s chest. He fought a strangled sob. He was too old to cry. Tang wrapped his arms around him, holding him closer.

“As such, the laws of this town are now obsolete. Fire Nation rule will be implemented henceforth.” The rider swung his mount around to face the column of soldiers, the townspeople huddled in their doorways, watching with wide eyes. “Any crime against the Fire Nation or the Fire Lord will be met with sufficient punishment. Leave your primitive Earth Kingdom ways in the past. This is a new era of greatness!”

The soldiers cheered loudly. MK peeled himself away from Tang. He stared in horror at the flames below, the monsters who held them aloft. Every face was secreted behind a skull-like helmet. The fire in their hands set them in an eerie haze, like something from a nightmare.

His nightmare.

He looked away again. He couldn’t fight it any longer. He wept so hard he felt he’d dissolve. He couldn’t breathe, every desperate gasp hitching in his chest and heaving into another sob. Tang just hugged him more tightly and tried vainly to offer some comfort. The two of them sat on the edge of Tang and Pigsy’s bed. Tang bundled him in a blanket and held him close, rubbing his back, reassuring him over and over that he wasn’t alone. Pigsy stayed by the window, sharp eyes keeping watch. Occasionally, whispers of news would ripple through the onlookers, down the street. 

“Riak just tried to fight,” Pigsy informed them quietly. “They arrested him, now they’re saying nobody’s allowed to earthbend.”

MK’s shoulders shook. He clung to Tang so tightly, fingers digging into his shirt like it was his last lifeline, that it was bound to bruise. Tang never once told him to loosen his grip.

“Somethin’s burning - I think it’s the herbalist’s.”

“Someone else got arrested, I can’t see - no, it’s Moko.”

Suddenly, Pigsy’s breath hitched in his throat. “They - they breached Long Manor,” he whispered, voice shaking.

MK finally looked up with a strangled gasp, eyes wide with horror. “Mei,” he choked. “She - she -” His voice cracked in another sob, and he doubled over, heaving for breath through his terror.

Tang pulled him closer, cradling the back of his head. “It’s okay,” he whispered, though his own voice shook. He kissed the top of his head as MK buried his face in his chest again. “It’s okay, little one, it’s going to be okay.”

Nobody slept that night.

MK shivered and pulled the blanket more tightly around his shoulders. At first light, the three of them had migrated to the shop to wait for news. Pigsy didn’t open it, of course, but they seemed to collectively decide that a change of scenery was necessary.

Pigsy sat next to MK and rubbed his back. Tang was pacing. He’d slipped off his lava rock bracelet and was now fidgeting with it like always, forming shapes in his palm, breaking it apart and melding it back together. Nothing seemed to calm him down.

MK leaned heavily against Pigsy. “I’m worried about Mei,” he whispered shakily. No more news had come the previous night. Twenty minutes after entering the manor grounds, the soldiers had filed out again. Nobody yet knew what had transpired within the walls.

“I know, buddy,” Pigsy murmured, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “I am too.”

Tang just shook his head wordlessly.

A heavy pounding at the door made them all jump.

Tang and Pigsy shared a look. Tang returned his bracelet, straightened his scarf, and slowly opened the door. “Ye - oh!” He stumbled back as the soldiers bodied their way in, pushing him carelessly aside. MK felt anger bubbling up in his chest at the careless force directed towards his father, but his fear at the red and black uniforms suppressed it. He shrank closer to Pigsy.

Pigsy, however, stood, placing himself between the invaders and his son. “Yes?” he almost spat.

The apparent leader of the group glanced demurely around the shop. He wrinkled his nose. “We’re taking a census,” he announced. “Is this a. . . business, of some sort?”

“My noodle shop,” Pigsy growled, crossing his arms. His exhaustion from the previous night was clearly beginning to catch up with him.

The captain hummed. “Well, you’ll need to register it before you can continue running this. . . shop . I’m sure you understand.”

Pigsy grit his teeth. Tang gave him a warning look.

“But that can wait,” the leader continued, pulling out a roster. “Names?”

After jotting down everyone’s names, confirming a million times that they were the only ones who lived there, and confirming that they were all family, the captain turned his gaze to MK.

MK shuddered and pressed himself back against the wall, pulling his knees to his chest. He tugged his blanket more tightly around himself, but he didn’t look away.

“And where did he come from?” the captain droned.

There was a brief pause.

“He’s adopted,” Tang said finally.

The captain raised an eyebrow. “From whom?” he drawled condescendingly.

Tang took a deep breath, wringing his hands together. “We - we don’t know. He was alone in the woods, Pigsy and I took him in. That’s all there is to it.”

MK tried to curl himself up even more tightly. He hated thinking about his past, about the family that must have been lost to the Fire Nation. Though nobody knew exactly what had happened before he wandered into town, his recurring nightmares made it pretty easy to piece the puzzle together.

Tang glanced at him apologetically. He looked like he wanted to cross the room, pat his shoulder, even hold his hand, like he always did when MK was reminded of those awful memories, but the soldiers filling the space made movement impossible. 

MK tried to convey with his eyes that he understood.

“And how long ago was this?”

“About eight years.”

The captain hummed and marked something else on his roster. “Are any of you earthbenders?”

MK felt his heart sink.

Tang cleared his throat. “I am, yes,” he said softly. MK wished he had lied.

The captain looked at Pigsy again. “Either of you?”

MK felt his breath quickening. 

“I’m not, no.”

“And the boy?”

Everything was quiet. He twisted the blanket in his hands.

“Yeah,” Pigsy said quietly. “He is.”

The captain hummed and finished writing. “Well, as I’m sure you’re aware, the savage practice of earthbending has been strictly forbidden from here on out. Refrain from participating in the crude craft, and we will have no reason to quarrel.” He tucked the roster behind his back and stepped forward, towards MK. Pigsy shifted to block his path, eyes blazing. The captain smiled threateningly. “Otherwise,” he said quietly, “there will be severe repercussions.” His gaze returned to MK. “Do you understand, little boy?” 

MK shivered and nodded rapidly. Anything to get them to leave sooner. 

The captain turned away again and eyed Tang. “You teach at the school, yes?”

Startled, Tang nodded. “Yes, that’s right.”

“An educator from the Fire Nation will be arriving within the next week to give those children a proper education,” he continued dismissively, waving a hand. “Your services are no longer required.”

Tang’s jaw dropped. Anger showed itself for the first time, rising up against his fear, but before he could speak, they were gone again. The door slammed shut with a sense of finality. 

MK buried his face in his blanket. His muscles felt tired and slack, heart pounding. It felt like he’d just run to Ba Sing Se and back.

Where they probably should have run in the first place.  

Pigsy sat next to him again and rubbed his back. After a moment, Tang joined them.

“Everyone okay?” Pigsy murmured.

MK nodded.

“Everything’s going to be fine,” Tang assured him quietly. “As long as we’re all together, right?”

MK sniffled and wiped his nose. “I’m still so worried about -”

The door slammed open again. Everyone jumped at the tiny hurricane that swept inside.

“MK!” Mei shouted, toppling a chair in her scramble inside.

MK’s heart leapt. He dove from his seat for her. “Mei!” he screamed. They collided so hard it felt like he’d run into a wall, but they hugged each other so tightly he worried they’d never let go and he hoped they never did.

“Are you okay?” Mei pressed, voice shaking with tears. “I - I was so worried, they were right outside your shop but I couldn’t see you -”

“We’re fine!” MK cried, squeezing her even more tightly. “Are you okay? I’ve been so scared all day! They were in your house!”

Mei was quiet for a moment. She pulled away and wiped her eyes. “I’m okay,” she whispered. “Mama and Baba too, but. . .” She shook her head, tears brimming in her eyes. Her shoulders shook with rage as she aggressively wiped her eyes again.

“Here, Mei, sit down,” Tang said gently, leading the both of them back to the table. 

“I’ll get somethin’ to eat,” Pigsy added, shuffling behind the counter.

The rest of them settled around the round table again. Mei patted Tang’s arm. “I’m glad you guys are okay, too,” she added quietly. “I was really worried.”

Tang smiled at her and squeezed her hand. After a bit, Pigsy set a bowl in front of each of them. Mei pushed the noodles around for a bit. After a moment, she sighed and set her chopsticks down. “My parents,” she sniffled, gritting her teeth. “They - they just gave up!” She looked desperately at Pigsy and Tang. “They didn’t try to fight or anything! They just said yes, and let them in!”

“They were probably just trying to do what was safest,” Pigsy said gently, patting her shoulder.

This did nothing to abate her righteous fury, and she cried for quite some time after.

“We have to do something!” she snapped, slamming a tiny fist against the wall. The stone cracked in response to her power. “We should fight back!”

“No, Mei, not now,” Tang said quietly, sending a fervent glance towards the door. He rested a hand on the crack in the wall. The wound mended under his touch, slowly melding back together.

“Listen,” Pigsy said, leaning forward so he was closer to eye level with her, “we all want them gone, but there’s not much we can do, alright?” He took MK’s hand with one hand, and Mei’s with the other. “The most important thing right now,” he said seriously, looking each of them in the eye, “is staying safe, and staying together, you got it? We can get through this, as long as everyone’s together.”

Tang rested a hand on Mei’s back, smiling sadly at her. “We’ll figure it out,” he said softly. “But we need to make sure we’re all here to do it, okay?”

Mei looked up at him, then back to Pigsy, then MK. She dropped her gaze and nodded tearfully. “Okay.” 

That night, MK knocked lightly on the door to Pigsy and Tang’s room.

“C’mon in, MK,” Pigsy called tiredly.

MK shifted the door open hesitantly. “Can I stay in here tonight?”

The next day, they found out that not only was the school being taught by a Fire Nation tutor, but that only the wealthiest children in the town were permitted to attend. Mei could attend. Most of the other children could not.

Which meant that Mr. Tang was out of a job, and most kids were out of school. The solution presented itself easily enough.

Tang already spent most days after school in the small shop, reading and taking notes in one of his many journals. After the invasion, however, he would sit in the corner all day, quietly teaching whoever came to him whatever they wanted to learn. A steady stream of children now made their way through the shop every day - both for the teaching, and because it was well known that Pigsy would never let someone go hungry. Food was stretched thin across the town - the whole kingdom, really - but anyone with anything to spare sent it to Pigsy’s, because they knew he would ensure it ended up with whoever needed it most.

“Mr. Tang!” 

Tang looked up from his seat and smiled. “Good morning, Lin,” he greeted.

The little girl grinned widely and hopped onto the chair next to him, swinging her feet. “Can you show me some math?” she whispered, wiping the dirt from her hands onto her pants.

“Of course,” Tang said in a low voice with a secretive smile, procuring a few blank sheets of paper and a pen. “Can you show me what you remember?”

After the child was satisfied or called away, he’d hand the paper to Pigsy, who tossed it into the fire under his stove. If the soldiers found out about this rogue teaching, there would be grave consequences for anyone involved. 

Tang’s extensive book collection, in which he took great pride, also fell victim to the laws of the Fire Nation. It seemed every week there was another topic restricted, and Tang would have to hand over whatever he had pertaining to the subject. His eyes blazed with anger every time, but he never argued. 

MK did notice, though, that he’d started hiding his journals under a loose floorboard upstairs.

Mei, too, spent most of her time in the shop. Despite her eventual understanding for her parents’ surrender, she never quite forgave them. That, coupled with her family’s constant and anxious subservience to the Fire Nation, disgusted her enough to keep her from home.

It was a hard life. But they were together. To MK, that was all that mattered.

“MK!” Pigsy called, setting a basket on the counter. “Run these out to the Hsus, would ya?”

“I’m on it, Pigsy!” MK called cheerfully, bouncing up to the counter. He shuffled the cloth lining of the basket a bit to see a small vial of herbs carefully tucked in the bottom. Medicines were one of the many resources that were always commandeered by the soldiers occupying the town. As such, the herbalists of the town had begun delivering their medicinal goods to Pigsy, telling the soldiers that they were ‘culinary herbs’. Of course, none of the soldiers could tell the difference, and the medicines would be dropped off, all carefully, secretly labeled with a family’s name. They were then stowed in a delivery basket and sent to the ailing person through the delivery service that had conveniently started around the time of the invasion. 

MK carefully adjusted the vial to ensure that it was better hidden, then closed the lid of the basket and picked it up. He waved to Tang, who was teaching a young boy how to read while also answering an older girl’s questions about history. He still found a moment to wave back.

Mei loitered by the doorway, watching for soldiers. She waved as he passed. “Be careful, Noodle Brain!”

“I will!” he assured her brightly. And then he was off, down the hot, dusty streets of the town. The empty spaces left by people who had fled before the invasion had been quickly filled by Fire Nation citizens. Their town had been declared a colony, and people seemed more than happy to colonize. They were everywhere. They were easy to spot, the only ones who still smiled and laughed, the only ones whose faces weren’t drawn with hunger, whose eyes weren’t sunken with exhaustion and stress. Although the soldiers insisted that the Earth Kingdom was now part of the Fire Nation in every sense, nobody made any pretenses about who was higher class. 

MK was just rounding the corner to the Hsus house when a deep voice barked at him.

“You!”

MK froze and glanced over his shoulder at the three soldiers approaching. He quickly turned to face them and dipped his head. 

“Officers,” he greeted, keeping his eyes down.

“What’s in the basket?” growled the biggest of them, crossing his arms as they came to a stop in front of him.

“Curry noodles,” he answered, struggling to keep his voice calm. His heart pounded in his ribs. No matter how many times this happened, it was always scary.

One of the soldiers hummed dryly. “From that little shop you’re always hanging around?”

“My father’s shop, yeah.”

“Don’t talk back to me!”

MK flinched. One of the soldiers snatched the basket from his grip. MK tensed and prayed to whatever spirits were closest that he’d hidden the herbs well enough. The soldier peered into the basket, then lifted the lid of the bowl within. He snorted.

“Smells like shit,” he muttered, tossing the basket aside. MK squawked and dove after it. He tried to right it before too much spilled out but, alas, the whole thing had been reduced to a goopy mess. He sighed forlornly at the perfectly cooked noodles now spilled onto the dust. A few people stopped and stared at the scene. Fire Natives whispered behind their hands with condescending gazes. Earth citizens clenched their fists or looked away demurely. Nobody helped.

“Where are you taking it?” another soldier piped up. Even though he wasn’t looking, MK could hear the taunting grin in his voice.

“To the Hsus,” he replied as evenly as he could, fighting to restrain his righteous anger and embarrassment.

The first soldier waved his hand. “Well, carry on then,” he drawled. “I’m sure they’d hate to miss out on such a delectable meal!”

MK wiped his hands on his tunic and stood. He had to keep himself from throwing what was left of the noodles in their faces, but he kept his head down and continued on to the sounds of the soldier’s jeering at his back.

Finally, he arrived at the small house by the town wall. He knocked on the door and once again tried to wipe the sauce off his hands. This only succeeded in smearing it all over his tunic. The sauce had stained his hand an alluring shade of yellow, though. MK studied it, moving his hand from the shadows to the sun and back again, watching how the light played on the hue. He’d always liked yellow.

The door swung open, startling him from his thoughts, to reveal Mrs. Hsu, old and bent but still with the strong, skilled hands of a weaver. “MK,” she greeted with a relieved smile, stepping aside. “Here, come in, quickly.”

“Afternoon, Mrs. Hsu!” he greeted with a smile as he walked in. “How’s everything?”

“Oh, not great,” she sighed. “I’m afraid Pia is only getting worse.”

MK frowned at the closed door at the back of the room, where her sick husband slept, and held up the basket. “Hopefully this’ll help,” he said. She took it from him and peered inside. “The soldiers got to it,” he added apologetically, “but the important stuff’s there.”

She looked up in alarm. “You’re not hurt, are you?”

“No, I’m fine, don’t worry about me.”

She smiled at him gratefully. “Thank you, MK. And tell your father thank you, too.”

“I will!”

“Wait here a moment,” she added, trotting back towards the stove in the corner. She turned back with a small bag. “It’s just some cabbages and potatoes,” she added, “but it’s something. Be sure that Pigsy gets it, won’t you?”

MK stepped back, holding up his hands. “Oh, you don’t have to!”

“I insist,” she pressed, dropping the bag into his hands. “Please, he’s the only thing keeping this town fed. We need to make sure he’s got enough to do so.”

MK smiled and slung the bag over his shoulder. “Well, tell Mr. Hsu I said hello.”

“I will. Stay safe.”

With that, he was once again in the blindingly hot sunlight. He tramped down the street, glancing at the stands selling vegetables and cloth and meat publicly, and some more important things, a bit more quietly. The wares had continued diminishing over the years as supply routes were cut off and farming villages burned, but there was still enough to keep the town fed. For now, at least. 

“Stand aside!” bellowed a deep voice from behind him.

MK felt his heart sink as he and the rest of the crowd scurried out of the road. As the masses parted, he saw the too-familiar sight. A pair of ostrich horses pulling a long cart down the street, manned by two Fire Nation soldiers and flanked by four more. In the cart were a handful of people in rough, filthy rags, cheeks sunken, eyes downcast, wrists shackled to bolts in the floor. Prisoners of the Fire Nation ready to be sent to wherever it was they went, never to be seen again. The cart came through every few weeks to pick up whoever had been deemed dangerous enough to be sent away. 

MK watched with the rest of the crowd with a solemn, heavy silence as it stopped outside the prison. The soldiers chatted for a moment, even laughed at one point, which was enough to make MK seeth. The warden of the small prison handed over a roster to the man driving the cart. Then, a few people were led outside, wrists shackled, heads down. MK recognized most of them. He averted his eyes. The prisoners were loaded onto the cart, and then they were gone again. 

“Back about your business!” someone shouted. Slowly, the crowd reconverged, and things continued as they were before - if more quietly.

MK finally made his way back into the noodle shop. The wooden steps creaked under his sandals as he padded up. His eyes took a moment to adjust to the dim interior from the blinding sun outside, rendering everything in black and white for a brief moment as he entered the relative safety of his home. 

Mei was inside the cooler interior now, leaning against the counter. The children Tang had been teaching were gone, and he was now at the counter with her, sipping tea and listening intently to her news.

“My parents said there was an attack further south, by the harbor,” she said quietly. “They managed to fend them off, but a lot of people died, and even more are headed for Ba Sing Se now. The town is almost abandoned.”

Tang frowned thoughtfully. “So it’s only a matter of time before they get control of another port,” he sighed.  

Pigsy grunted. “Explains why we haven’t gotten any deliveries from there for a few weeks,” he muttered.

“Here’s one now!” MK said, forcing a bright tone to his voice as he set the bag on the counter. “Mrs. Hsu sent over some veggies.”

Pigsy peered inside the bag, then looked up and raised his eyebrows. “You okay?”

MK smiled. “Yep!” Everyone frowned at him skeptically. He sighed and looked away. “The prison cart came through,” he admitted, stuffing his hands in his pockets. 

Tang rubbed his back sympathetically. 

Mei shook her head. “We should be doing something!” she spat, thumping her fist on the counter. “We can’t just keep letting these people walk all over us!”

“Mei,” Pigsy hissed warningly, “keep your voice down.”

She scowled, but pressed her mouth shut and looked away.

Tang frowned at MK. “What happened to your shirt?”

“Hm?” He glanced down at the sauce smearing his tunic. “Oh, some soldiers stopped me.”

“What?” Pigsy cried, setting the veggies down with a thud. “Are ya hurt?”

“I’m fine!” he assured him, holding up his hands. “They just tossed the basket around a bit, they didn’t touch me.”

“For once,” Mei muttered darkly. Tang gave her a tired look. 

Pigsy sighed and set the veggies aside. “Well, go get cleaned up,” he said. “There’s still a couple hours to close.”

MK nodded and trudged up the stairs in the back of the shop.

His nightmares had been getting worse. He hadn’t told anyone.

Red Son stood at the helm of his ship, brooding at the vague horizon in the distance.

“Storm is brewing,” mused a childish voice from behind him.

Red Son tilted his head vaguely. “I’m aware, Uncle,” he muttered. “I’ve been at sea long enough to recognize weather patterns.”

Nezha joined him at the rail. He only hummed in response. They were both quiet for a moment. Red Son eyed his uncle with a frown. Though Nezha hardly looked older than Red Son himself, he carried experience and wisdom far beyond his years. His actual age was a bit of a mystery, and he’d once told Red Son that he was cursed by a spirit to look young forever - though he’d said it with a bit of a smirk, so it was hard to tell if he was joking or not.

Red Son turned his attention back to the horizon. “We’re getting closer,” he said firmly. “I can feel it.”

Nezha sighed and turned away. “Red Son,” he murmured, “I know how badly you want to find the Avatar -”

“To restore my title, my rank, my position,” Red Son corrected hotly. “To regain the respect of my parents.”

Nezha waved a hand. “Yes, that, all of it, but the Avatar has not been seen for a hundred years! Ever since the Airbenders were wiped out, there’s been no sign of any Avatar.”

“That doesn’t mean the cycle has ended, as so many others foolishly believe,” Red Son retorted. His palms began smoking, but he ignored it. “There have been several cases of Avatars simply not realizing they were the vessel until very late in their lives!”

“‘Several’ is a bit of a reach.”

“I know they’re out there somewhere!” 

“Yes, but. . .” Nezha fell quiet.

Red Son grit his teeth. “If you have something to say, Uncle,” he hissed, “I suggest you do so quickly.”

Nezha was quiet. He straightened up. “We need to pull into port,” he said shortly. “We’re running low on supplies.”

Red Son glared at his back as he walked away before returning his attention to the sea. 

That was probably a good idea. He still got seasick easily, after all this time, and this horizon trick was becoming less and less effective.

MK frowned at the board in front of him.

Mei groaned loudly. “It’s your turn!”

“I know it’s my turn!”

Pigsy glanced over from stoking the fire and raised an eyebrow. “Mei, you keeping your winning streak going?”

“Well, not if this guy can’t make a move!”

Tang laughed from his usual spot in the corner. “Lock her in an impasse,” he advised, “that’ll keep you even, at least.”

“Ok, fine!” MK snapped, flicking his yellow piece to a different square. “There!” He smirked and crossed his arms, leaning back. “Top that , Dragon Girl.”

Mei grinned and moved her piece, locking him in the corner. “Consider it topped.”

MK shrieked in dismay. Tang nearly doubled over laughing. Pigsy snorted with a smile as he examined the board on the counter.

“Yeah, kid, you walked right into that one.”

“Yeah, but -” MK stuttered helplessly and gestured to Mei, who was parading around the shop in victory. “Why does she always win?”

“Because she can see more than two steps ahead, probably.”

He crossed his arms and grumbled in annoyance, slumping.

“What’s all this noise?”

The shop fell silent as the Fire Nation soldiers shouldered their way in, frowning severely. Tang quietly shut his book and set it on the bench beside him. 

Pigsy spoke up. “We were playin’ a game,” he replied gruffly, though he kept his eyes fixed on the counter he was scrubbing down. “Just got a little excited, is all.”

The biggest soldier, wearing the badge of a captain, approached the counter. MK pressed himself into the wall behind him, but the captain still towered over him as he examined the board.

“What sort of game?”

MK cleared his throat. “Sticks and stones,” he said softly.

“Is it some sort of gambling?” 

“It’s just a grid game.”

The captain hummed dryly and flicked the board aside. The stones used as pieces skittered behind the counter, and Pigsy glared as he turned away.

“Scholar,” the captain said sharply.

Tang stiffened but didn’t flinch. “Yes?”

“What is that you’re reading?”

He suppressed a sigh and held up the volume, allowing them to read the title.

The captain approached and took the tome from him, frowning severely. “History?”

“Just cultural history,” Tang replied. “Mythology and fashion trends and such - nothing military related.”

The captain sent him a cutting glare. Now , Tang flinched. “Do not correct me,” he snarled. “You should learn your place, Earth Kingdom scum.”

Tang dropped his gaze to his wringing hands. “Right, excuse me,” he mumbled. “I apologize.”

MK’s fingernails dug into the counter. He and Mei shared a vengeful look.

The captain kept his steely gaze for a moment longer, then passed the book to one of the soldiers behind him. “This topic was banned yesterday evening,” he said flatly.

MK felt the air rush from his lungs.

“Ah.” Tang cleared his throat. “I, uh, wasn’t aware. I apologize. Again.”

The captain lifted his chin, glaring at Tang down the bridge of his nose. “Unfortunately, that won’t do,” he growled. “Being caught with information pertaining to a restricted topic is a crime against the Fire Nation.”

Mei tensed, her fingers digging into her arms, eyes flashing.

Tang cleared his throat. “I-it was a misunderstanding,” he said, voice hardly more than a whisper. “I’m handing it over now, with no argument. I simply wasn’t aware of -”

“It’s not our job to make you aware!” the captain snapped. 

“I mean, it -”

“Enough!” he roared, roughly seizing Tang’s arm. He dragged him to his feet.

“Hey!” Mei shouted, pitching forward. “Get your hands off him!” Another soldier grabbed her arms and wrenched her back, toppling her off-balance.

“Mei, don’t -” Tang was cut off with a gasp as the captain shoved him roughly against the wall. 

“Hey, now!” Pigsy snapped, rounding the counter. Another pair of soldiers blocked his way, gripping their spears tightly.

Another soldier spoke up, from the back of the group. “He’s an earthbender,” he added. “Guess we’ll have to ship him offshore.”

MK felt head blood go cold. Offshore? What did that mean? They were days from the ocean! What were they going to do to Tang? Where were they taking him?

He met Tang’s frantic gaze, and the reality of the situation seemed to hit MK like a runaway rhino.

They were going to take away Tang.

“Offshore, huh?” the captain echoed in annoyance. “That’ll be a pain.”

Tang took a deep breath. “This - this is all a misunderstanding,” he whispered hoarsely. “If we talk, I’m sure we -” The captain grabbed his scarf and slammed him against the wall again, hard. MK saw the back of his head smack the rough stone.

“This isn’t the first time you’ve been caught with forbidden material,” the captain hissed. He grabbed Tang’s chin with a thickly gloved hand, pushing his head back against the wall. “You’ve been causing problems for us since day one!” Tang shut his eyes and tried to turn away, but it was no use. “I’d even bet you’re hiding something, aren’t you?” the captain mused. “Got some resistance ring you’re supplying? Feeding someone information?”

“What?” Tang cried, eyes snapping open in horror. “No, no, of course not, I’m just -!” He gave a strangled gasp as the captain’s grip tightened. Smoke began curling from his fingers.

“No matter,” the firebender grinned viciously. “We’ll burn it out of you in no time.”

Pigsy was shouting and struggling to get to his husband. Mei was kicking her feet and screaming for the cowards to let her go. MK’s head was spinning. His vision was blurring. He was so small and the woods were so big and someone hid him and told him not to make a sound and suddenly there was fire and screaming and he was running and running and running and -

MK collided with the captain and sent him stumbling. Tang slumped against the wall, shaking, as he released him. MK positioned himself between them, a lone shield between one of the men who had raised him since he was a baby and the horde of monsters closing in on his family. All he could think of were those prisoners with their hopeless eyes and sunken cheeks and the bruises and burns on their arms and he couldn’t let that be Mr. Tang that couldn’t be Mr. Tang.

“Stay back!” he shouted, taking up a defensive position between them. “Leave us alone!”

Tang rested a hand on his shoulder. “MK,” he hissed frantically, “don’t make this worse!”

“I don’t care!” he screamed, anger and rage and years of repressed fury flaring up in his chest, something old and powerful clawing at his ribs. “I don’t care that you’re scared, I’m sick of this! I’m sick of being scared!”

Mei struggled against her captors. “Let me go!” she howled, kicking her feet in the air as they pulled her back. “I’ll show you a real fight! Get off of me, you cowards!”

“All of you, stop it!” Pigsy shouted, struggling against the soldiers holding him. “Get your hands off my family!”

The captain seethed at the scene before him, rubbing his ribs where MK had struck him. “Guess we’ll have a bit of a haul today,” he muttered, drawing his shoulders back. He glanced at one of the soldiers and tilted his head towards MK and Tang. “Get them.”

The soldier drew her fist back. Flames ignited at her knuckles. Then she struck, a great wave of flame flying straight for them.

Mei screamed. 

MK felt all the rage and anger he’d been feeding on seem to swell. Something else filled him, some instinct he didn’t recognize coursing through his veins. Like his skin was nothing more than cobweb, and the wind passed right through.

“I said,” he snarled, “stay back! ” He swung his arm in a wide, defensive arc, more on instinct than anything. 

To his shock, the flame arced back. The firebender screamed as she was thrown roughly against the wall, as though by some great gust of wind.

Everyone froze. Tang’s hand on his shoulder tightened into a vice grip. Everyone else just stared in shock. MK stared in dismay at the scene. Had one of the firebenders done something? That seemed ridiculous. But then, what had happened? Was there some sort of spirit in the shop, providing protection? Equally ludacris.

He slowly turned his gaze to his hands.

Was it him ?

“Don’t just stand there!” the captain snarled. “I said, get them!”

Three soldiers this time, all sending a wave of flame towards them.

Again, that strange instinct, the sense that he’d been doing this his whole life. It felt like the air inside MK’s lungs was exactly the same as the air outside.

“Get away! ” he shouted, throwing his arms up defensively. A great spiral of wind seemed to swallow the fire into nothingness. 

MK stared in horror. What was happening to him?

Mei was the first to find her senses again. She slammed her feet to the ground in a familiar earthbending stance. The ground shook under them. She doubled over, swinging the guard that held her over her shoulders and to the ground. Another moved to stop her. She slammed her hand against the wall. A chunk of stone fell to her feet at her command, and she spun in a perfect kick, sending it flying into the soldier's chest. 

MK grabbed Tang’s arm and dragged him through the gap to the door. “Come on!” he shouted. Mei and Pigsy followed shortly after.

The four of them pelted down the street. A group of soldiers merged in front of the gate, shouting for them to stop or surrender or something. MK couldn’t hear. The blood rushing through his ears drowned out most other noise.

“I said halt! ” A fireball roared past MK’s ear. He didn’t see it land, but he heard Pigsy cry out and stumble.

MK tripped. He pitched to the dusty ground, rolling over the pebbles and grit. Someone called his name. He grit his teeth and pushed himself to his elbows. Blood trickled down his arm. Someone grabbed his shoulder and tried to pull him up, but his eyes were on their pursuers. A crew of soldiers was running through the crowd, carelessly pushing people aside. More fire bloomed in one of their palms.

MK felt something powerful welling in his chest. His fingers curled into fists. Sand and coarse dirt gathered under his nails, coagulating into something solid. The wind picked up around him, whipping the dust against his face. The stones shuddered by his knees. The soil under his fingers grew dark and cold, as though water was springing from deep underground. He tasted smoke on his tongue.

Something was filling his veins. Something deep and strong and old and ruthless .

“And I said,” he hissed, pushing himself to his feet, “leave us. . .”

His vision went pure white.

“ ALONE !”

MK blinked in the white haze. Everything had gone quiet and cool, still. Every ache and pain was gone, the cut on his arm soothed to a cool relief. He glanced around the white void around him.

“Uh. . .” He cleared his throat and raised his voice. “Hello?”

Nothing.

“Ah, damn, am I already dead?”

A lilting voice chuckled behind him, making him jump.

“Not quite yet.” A form took shape before him, turning red and orange and black. A woman took form before him, flowing red robes billowing around her. Long black hair, streaked with white, fluttered around her taut cheekbones and long, thin face. She looked at him with eyes settled just a little too deep in her skull. On her head was a neat bundle of her hair, and in that rested a bronze crown, forged in the shape of a flame.

MK’s blood went cold. A firebender.

“It’s high time we met, MK,” the elderly woman greeted with a slight curve to her mouth.

MK blinked. “Mhm.”

“Do you know who I am?”

He squinted. “Is that a trick question?”

The firebender sighed. “That is unfortunate,” she mused. “I suppose I shouldn’t tell you before you’re ready. You’ll learn of yourself soon enough.”

MK tried to blink away his muddy thoughts and shook his head. “I feel like there’s three different conversations going on here,” he mumbled.

The firebender smiled slightly again. “Well, then, I suppose I ought to get to the point.” Her eyes began glowing white. “Travel north, to the Water Tribe at the pole,” she instructed. “You’ll find a mentor there, and perhaps another along the way.”

MK stared blankly at her. “And you’re sure I’m not dead?”

“You won’t be if you wake up.”

MK blinked awake. His face was pressed into the dust. That was odd. He groaned and rolled over, squinting at the bright sunlight. “Wh -” He wiped at the water on his face. “Why’s it raining?”

“MK!” Mei’s face appeared over him. Her green eyes were stretched wide with shock, her hair disheveled, dust and mud smearing her face. “Holy - dude, what was that? ”

“Passing out?” MK groaned, pushing himself into a sitting position. He rubbed his temple. “Did someone hit me? I don’t -” He froze as he stared at the butcher shop in front of him. It had been reduced to rubble. “What. . .?” He gazed around at the townspeople, huddled under shelter, staring at him with wide, horrified eyes. “How. . .?” The entire town was a mess, mud and wrecked, charred buildings and burn marks everywhere. MK slowly turned his gaze back to the sky, then to Mei. “Why’s it raining?” he whispered, voice shaking.

“That. . .” Mei pulled her hand hesitantly from his shoulder, as though worried he’d suddenly burn her. “That was you, MK.”

“I can’t make rain!”

“No, but you took up a bunch of water from the lake to put out all the fires and -” She shook her head in disbelief. “Do you not remember?”

“Remember what?” MK cried, looking around helplessly. “What did I do? Where -?” He froze. He whipped back to his friend. “Mei,” he gasped, grabbing her shoulders. “Where’re Pigsy and Tang?”

She grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet. They ran hand in hand down the street.

“You went all weird and glowy!” Mei cried, guiding him through the wreckage. “You got rid of all the firebenders, dude, they’re gone! You scared them off!”

“What?” MK shrieked, slipping around a corner after her. “No I didn’t!”

“Yes you did! I lost track of the guys, it was pretty crazy, but I think -” She finally skidded to a stop at the end of an alley. “Guys!”

MK bolted around the corner. He felt his heart jump into his throat at the sight. Pigsy was stuck under a fallen beam, and Tang struggling to lift it off him. Tang looked up at their approach.

“Kids!” he gasped. 

Mei hurried forward. She took up a stance at one end of the beam and, with a deep breath, stomped her foot firmly. A spire of stone emerged from the ground at her command, lifting the beam. Tang sent her a panicked look, but she just laughed maniacally.

“They’re gone!” she crowed. “We can bend again!” She knelt to help Pigsy wriggle out from under the rubble. Tang glanced anxiously between him and MK’s stricken form.

“I’m fine,” Pigsy wheezed, waving to him. “Go, I’m fine.”

Tang hurried forward. “MK,” he said softly. He gripped MK’s shoulders. “Are you hurt?”

MK just stared numbly at Pigsy and Mei on the ground. “They’re gone?” he murmured.

Tang’s brow furrowed. He nodded. “Yeah, they’re gone,” he murmured. “MK, look at me. Please look at me.”

Slowly, he met his eye. 

Tang’s eyes were wide. “MK, do you know what that was?”

MK shook his head. “Mr. Tang,” he whispered, “I’m scared.” He dropped his gaze to his shaking hands. “I - I don’t know what’s happening to me.”

Tang frowned sympathetically. He cupped MK’s face in his hand and gently swiped away a stray raindrop - tear? - on his cheek. “Well, I think I do,” he said softly. 

MK looked up at him again. This time, his gaze landed on the angry red burn on his jaw, right where the captain had grabbed him. His eyes widened in horror. “You’re hurt,” he whispered.

Tang pulled away. “It’s nothing,” he said, lifting a hand to hide the wound. “It wasn’t deep - looks worse than it is. It’ll heal.” He glanced back at Mei, who was helping Pigsy to his feet. 

MK stepped forward. “Are you okay?” he pressed anxiously.

Pigsy nodded, waving him away. “Just winded,” he assured him. “I’ll be fine. Just need to catch my breath, is all.”

Tang glanced back towards the street with a frown. “Let’s get inside.”

People were starting to clean the streets, clearing the rubble from the roads. Everyone stared at the little troup making their way back to the noodle shop. Some shook their heads disapprovingly, others eyed them fearfully. A few smiled. Someone cheered. The Fire Nation colonists were mostly hiding.

MK kept his head ducked, arms wrapped around himself. Tang kept his hand protectively on his back, guiding him down the familiar way to the shop. Inside, all evidence of the fight remained littered about the room. Furniture overturned, scorch marks on the walls. Mei’s foot hit a discarded helmet on the threshold and it bounced and rolled lazily to a stop in the corner.

MK collapsed in his usual seat. He stared vacantly at his hands as people spoke in hushed voices around him. It took everything he had just to stay awake. He heard someone going upstairs, someone else bustling around the kitchen.

Mei just sat next to him and leaned against his shoulder.

After a moment, something crashed onto the table across from them, making them both jump. Tang hummed as he pawed through his extensive collection of journals.

“Not as good as the original material, I’m afraid,” he muttered, “but there should be something here. . .”

“How much have you been writing?” Mei asked in awe, running her hand down the stack of spines.

“A lot ,” Tang replied dryly. “Anything I thought the Fire Nation might want to ban, I started taking notes on.”

MK frowned. “Why?”

“Knowledge is power.” Tang smiled with satisfaction and sat down. “As evidenced. . .” He slid an open journal across the table to the kids, “by this.” 

They leaned forward. On one page was a detailed illustration of a waterbender, his arms stretched out in a delicate dance. Rather than just water, however, around him in the air were fire and earth, the water just an afterthought to the display. Something else was smudged in the back as well, something that MK supposed was meant to represent air. Though the Air Nomads had been wiped out a century ago, the idea of airbending had always fascinated him.

And scared him, somehow.

“MK,” Tang said quietly, leaning forward. “You know about the Avatar, yes?”

MK looked up and nodded. “Yeah, of course,” he scoffed. “Everyone does. They can bend all four elements, communicate with spirits or something, and they’re supposed to protect the world.”

Mei frowned. “My parents always said that was just a story.”

Pigsy leaned on the back of Tang’s chair. “ Mine said the cycle ended with the airbenders.”

“Well, I think we all know better now,” Tang sighed, pulling the book back. “After that whole display today.”

MK felt his blood go cold. “What are you saying?” he whispered.

Tang rested his hands on the table. “MK,” he said firmly, “you are the Avatar.”

The shop went quiet.

Mei’s mouth tugged down. “That’s not funny.”

“It is not, no.”

“Then why joke about it?”

“That wasn’t a joke,” Tang retorted, gesturing to the doorway. “And that wasn’t a joke. That was - oh, what’s it called -” He flipped through his journal again. “That Avatar State.” He frowned and lowered it. “Kind of a stupid name. . .”

MK held up a hand. “No,” he said firmly. “No, don’t do that. No, I’m not.”

“Yes, MK, you are,” Tang insisted, handing him the book again. This page showed an airbender, her eyes glowing white as the elements danced in the air around her. He read aloud, “‘ The Avatar State is a heightened state that the Avatar enters in which they gain the strength and skills of all those Avatars who came before them. Inexperienced Avatars who have no control on the State may lose control of themselves completely, often forgetting the experience after. In instances such as these, the State tends to be triggered by fight or flight rather than intentional activation .’” He set the book down and met MK’s eye with a grave look. “That is exactly what happened out there,” he said quietly. 

Pigsy was staring at the drawing. His eyes seemed misty. “Yeah,” he murmured, “that’s a dead ringer.”

MK shook his head in dismay. “You don’t seriously think this?” he whispered in dismay. “I’m just -” He looked to Mei helplessly. “I’m just MK!”

But she was staring at the drawing.

“You don’t remember, MK,” Tang pressed, “but you were waterbending . And airbending, and fireb-”

“No!” MK snapped, stiffening. He squeezed his eyes shut. “Not fire,” he whispered. “I - I can’t firebend. I won’t.”

Tang broke off and took a deep breath. “Alright,” he said quietly. “But everything else, MK - there’s no way around it. You’re the Avatar.”

MK stared at him blankly. Something stirred in the back of his head. An old memory, dragged unwillingly to the surface.

A young woman - his mother, had he had a mother? - smiled at him as she waved her arms. Gold and red leaves fluttered in the air around her, twisting to her whims.

“Look,” she whispered, “we can make the world dance.”

“They’re airbenders! Get them!”

The woods were so big, and he was so small.

MK pressed a hand over his mouth, eyes brimming with tears. “I’m an airbender,” he whispered. “I was never an earthbender, I - my family, they were airbenders.”

Mei gasped quietly. Tang’s eyes widened. Pigsy just reached over and gripped his shoulder.

MK took a deep breath. He dropped his hands to the table and stared at them. “I had a vision,” he said quietly. “Someone told me to go to the Northern Water Tribe.”

Tang nodded. “Yes, that makes sense,” he murmured, flipping through his journal. “Air, then water, earth, and fire. No wonder you had such a hard time with earth, you skipped one.”

“Two,” Mei corrected with a frown. “I mean, you don’t know how to airbend, really, do you?”

MK shook his head. “Not yet,” he whispered. He took a deep breath and stood. “But I will,” he said firmly. His voice was, for the first time in years, strong, determined. “I’m going North. I’ll learn the elements. I’ll - I’ll fix this, somehow. I’ll stop the Fire Nation from hurting anyone else.” He looked around at his family, eyes blazing.

“I am done being scared.”

“Prince Red Son!” panted a frantic soldier, stumbling into the lavish private dining quarters of the ship. “There’s been news!”

Red Son looked up in annoyance. Nezha hardly spared a bored glance over his shoulder. “I certainly hope it’s important enough to warrant interrupting my dinner,” the prince muttered haughtily.

“It is,” the captain assured him. “The Avatar has been found.”

Red Son stood so quickly, he didn’t even feel the table slam against his knees. His blood roared so loudly in his ears that he didn’t hear the dishes clattering. His heart thundered, breath quickened, chest filled with a thrill at the news. The Avatar was alive.

He could go home.

His hands were wreathed with flames that he couldn’t tame. His sharp teeth ground together. 

Red Son’s eyes flashed as he leaned forward. In his state, he managed to grind out one word.

“ Where? ”

Chapter Text

MK cinched the opening of his bag. It wasn’t much. Just some essentials. Change of clothes, food, rope, fishing line, flint and tinder. It would be a long journey. A difficult journey.

He glanced one last time around his home.

A lonely journey.

But he’d do it.

MK steeled himself and took a deep breath. He was the Avatar now. He had a responsibility. A destiny. A real chance to make a real difference. He could end this war, and he intended to do just that.

Still, he’d miss this place.

Slowly, MK walked downstairs to the shop. It would be tough, saying goodbye, but –

“There you are,” Pigsy huffed, slinging a bag onto his shoulder. “You ready?”

MK stopped on the stairs and stared blankly at Pigsy and Tang, who were both carrying bags and looking at him expectantly. “What?”

“Do you need anything else?” Tang prodded, glancing out the door. He absentmindedly pressed a hand against the patch now pasted over the burn on his jaw. “We’d better get going soon, it’s getting pretty late, and -”

“You’re not coming!” MK cried, trotting down the steps. “It’s not safe!”

Pigsy snorted and tilted his head towards the noise and chaos right outside the door. “Well, it ain’t exactly safe here , either.”

Tang nodded gravely. “Everyone’s leaving,” he explained. “The Fire Nation will be sending an army in no time. We need to make ourselves scarce before then.”

“But -”

“Most folks are headed for Ba Sing Se,” Pigsy added, “maybe that’ll cover our tracks for a little –”

“You can’t come!” MK interrupted frantically. “Go with them! Go to Ba Sing Se! It’s safer there!”

Tang’s expression settled into a dry scowl. “‘Safe’ is generous.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Pigsy said curtly. “We’re going with you.”

“All of us,” Mei added, trotting into the shop with her own bag buckled to her shoulders.

MK shook his head in dismay. “Guys,” he pressed helplessly. “It – it’ll be so dangerous. There’ll be firebenders chasing me every step of the way, and –”

“We’ve dealt with firebenders plenty,” Pigsy reminded him gruffly. He clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Kid, we’re your family,” he said firmly. “When Tang and I took you in, we didn’t do it because it was easy, or convenient, or safe. We’ve taken care of you all this time because we care about you, and we’re not going to leave you now because it’s getting rocky.”

Tang smiled at MK. “We’re in this for life,” he agreed. “We’re a team, remember?”

Mei rested her hand on MK’s open shoulder. “Like all those years ago,” she reminded him grimly. “We can get through anything, as long as we’re together.” Tears glistened vaguely in her eyes, and her grip tightened. She managed to hide it behind a teasing grin. “You’re not getting out of earthbending training that easy, Noodle Brain.”

MK looked at them in wonder, all of them. His whole family, here, and ready to risk their lives to make this a little easier. Hesitantly, he nodded. “Okay,” he decided. “Alright.” He smiled. “Together.”

“Attaboy!” Pigsy patted his back. Tang ruffled his hair. Mei pulled him in for a hug, rough as always. Finally, they ventured into the blindingly hot light once more. 

MK shielded his eyes and squinted at the chaos before him. He’d really done a number on the town. Most of the rubble had been shifted from the main road, though. People flitted in and out of their homes, loading things into carts and strapping them to ostrich horses saddlebags or just lugging them on their backs. Some people were whispering frantically in corners, others were shouting across the streets. Clothes, food, money, rolled and stashed wherever it could be carried. Some were already rolling from the gates. 

MK turned slowly around. Mei, Tang, and Pigsy all paused with him, looking wistfully at the town, their home. MK wondered if he would ever see it again.

With the state it was in, he wondered if he’d ever want to.

He caught sight of a cart rolling slowly down the road. Mrs. Hsu sat up front with the young driver, her sickly husband lay in the back. She caught MK’s eye and smiled.

MK could only offer a hesitant, apologetic wave in response.

“Travel safe, Avatar!” she called over her shoulder as the cart passed. “We’re counting on you.”

A wave of nausea twisted MK’s gut at that. He did his best to ignore it. Instead, he rolled his shoulders back, puffed out his chest, and took a deep breath. Everyone was counting on him. He needed to be brave. Be strong. Be ready to lead the world into an era of peace.

By fighting a war.

That made sense, right?

He stepped down from the stoop to the dusty road for the last time. The others followed after, the soft pat pat of their footsteps close behind him as he trotted towards the open gate, towards freedom.

MK glanced at the crowds around them and frowned. “Hey. . .” He turned behind him and glanced around the muted green and brown dyes. “What happened to the Fire Nation guys?”

“We told you,” Mei reminded him, hiking her bag onto her shoulders, “they ran away when you got all glowy.”

“No, I mean the settlers.”

“Them, too,” Pigsy affirmed, nose wrinkling with disgust. “Just grabbed what they had and bolted.” He spat into the dust. “Cowards.”

Tang sniffed disdainfully. “Of course, you can’t expect an ounce of integrity,” he scoffed. “Not when they’ve had everything stolen for and handed to them.”

MK looked back one more time and bit his lip. Of course, they had all fled like frightened birds upon the first sign of resistance. After all, they had the Fire Nation to return to. What stakes had they here? What was there for them to fight or die for? Not like MK, who had only ever known the woods and the town, who had walked its streets so many times that the prints of his sandals were worn into the stone. Not like Mei, whose family line was so old and deep that ancient runes carried her dragon crest, that an ivory dragon was the most common charm for luck and fortune, and even now she carried the seal with her in hopes of easing their journey. Not like Pigsy, who had fed the community and understood the fruits of the land better than anyone, who knew what herbs were growing in the woods just from the shades of green. Even Tang, though he’d left briefly for Ba Sing Se, knew the children and showed them the world outside their little walls, told them they were more than what the Fire Nation told them, taught them how to ask questions and about the rich history that their oppressors tried so hard to destroy.

This was their land. The Fire Nation had never had any right to it, and so never had any care for it. But even now, even after MK had freed the town, they were forced to use that freedom to flee. Even now, there was no celebration. The threat still loomed over them.

But not for long.

MK turned back to the gates, setting his jaw resolutely.

He was going to fix everything .

Something gold flickered in the spotted canopy. Someone woke up.

The weather was warm and pleasant under the shade of the trees, with a cool breeze rustling the undergrowth. MK closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It smelled like warm dirt and drying green. Mei sprinted past him and scooped up a huge chunk from the ground with a cheer. 

“Mei!” Pigsy called in an exasperated tone, “settle down! We don’t want to attract attention!”

“We’re fine !” Mei crowed, calling a few rocks into the air with a stomp. “We can finally bend again!” She swung her hand, lifting a fist-sized rock into the air. “Mr. Tang, catch!” she shouted, spinning and tossing the stone in his direction. 

Tang yelped and jumped back, holding out his hands. The rock spun away from him and bounced off a nearby tree. “A little warning!” he laughed. 

“I did! I said catch!”

MK laughed. Even Pigsy was smiling as he rolled his eyes.

Freedom felt great . 

“So, MK,” Tang ventured, trotting to catch up with him, “what exactly did you see in this vision?”

MK shrugged. “Like I said,” he replied, “a firebender lady told me to go north and find a waterbending teacher.” He frowned, brow furrowing. “Did she say something else. . .?” he murmured. The memory was hazy, but he almost swore he remembered something about ‘another.’ 

Tang hummed. “That’s odd,” he mused. “The Avatar has been missing for a hundred years, but it sounds like the cycle just picked up where it left off. Fire to air.” He tilted his head, chewing on his lip. “I assumed that there must have been others who just lived and died without realizing it, but. . .”

Pigsy shrugged. “Maybe that’s just it. She was the last one who knew, right?”

Tang just hummed again.

Mei practically skipped up. “Well, you’d know, Brain Boy!” she pointed out, elbowing him teasingly. “You’re the one with the books! Who was the last recorded Avatar?”

“That’s the thing,” Tang admitted. “I could find information on the Avatar as a concept, even some older incarnations, but there was almost no trace of the most recent one. Some early records, but then everything about her seems to vanish without a trace. I couldn’t even find a name.”

Pigsy tilted his head, squinting. “Even at that fancy Ba Sing Se school?”

Tang’s lip curled. “ Especially at the fancy Ba Sing Se school,” he grumbled sourly.

Mei frowned. “What’s your deal with that place?”

He shook his head and waved a hand. “Forget it. Maybe it’ll clear itself up as we go.”

“Great,” Pigsy sighed. “I’m sure that won’t come back to bite us in the ass.”

The ship finally, at long, long last, docked.

Red Son led the descent down the gangplank. He tried not to show how his legs wobbled upon hitting solid ground. He tripped briefly and kicked aside the offending rock.

“We need rhinos,” he announced to whoever was closest behind him – hopefully his captain, or anyone who could get anything done with some basic level of competence. “Contact the nearest stable.” 

Whoever-it-was returned a quick affirmation before stepping around him, walking quickly down the dock to the mainland, marching off to his business. 

Red Son stood at the end of the dock, arms crossed, frowning at the port before them. In the rapidly-fading twilight, the warships and watchtowers stood ominous and proud, backlit into shadow. The sound of soldiers' boots marching in neat rows, the barking of orders, the hissssss of welding torches and steam engines.

Felt like home.

Almost.

A nearby cry of pain caused Red Son to startle and glance over his shoulder. His narrowed eyes landed on a cart nearby, unloading a haul of emaciated Earth citizens. Fire Nation soldiers roughly pushed them from the simple wooden cart, up the gangplank of a dark ship. It was smaller than the others, but it seemed so much more sinister, like it lurked in its berth rather than just floating like the others, something dark and hungry.

Red Son’s nose crinkled in distaste. “What’s all this for?” he sneered. 

Nezha appeared at his shoulder, nearly making him jump again. He never quite got used to his uncle’s soundless footsteps. “Prisoners of the Fire Nation,” the old general said quietly. “Probably from occupied territory.”

Red Son scoffed and looked away. “I know that ,” he retorted. “I’m not a fool, but why load them onto a ship? It seems a waste to use such resources on a few scraggly prisoners.”

“They’re going to the prison camp offshore,” Nezha explained. His voice was low and taut. “Where there’s no risk of them earthbending.”

Red Son paused at that. He glanced at his uncle. “That’s what that’s for?” 

Nezha nodded. His eyes were still fixed on the prisoners being unloaded. 

“I thought it was just a labor camp.”

“That’s just an added bonus,” he muttered, barely-concealed disgust dripping from his voice. “The main idea is to get them so far from any earth that they couldn’t hope to resist.”

Red Son blinked. He looked down at his arms, crossed over his chest, his hands resting on his elaborately embroidered sleeves. He lifted his hand.

Fire bloomed in his palm.

He couldn’t imagine losing that. He couldn’t imagine being locked away somewhere away from it. It was how he interacted with the world, how he saw, heard, felt things. It was how he moved and how the air brushed on his skin and how the sun warmed his hair. 

Bending was everything .

Red Son glanced over his shoulder.

He locked eyes with a child. Someone around his age with sunken cheeks and hollow eyes, watching him with despair.

Something jumped in Red Son’s chest. It was so sudden and painful that it made his heart race in panic. He quickly turned away and cleared his throat.

Well, if they didn’t want to lose their bending, they shouldn’t have been born into an element that was so easily taken away. If anything, this just proved the Fire Nation’s superiority. Nobody could take away his fire with a lock, key, or chain. All it took for these peasants, apparently, was a boat. 

How pathetic.

“Prince Red Son!”

Perhaps too grateful for the distraction, Red Son glanced towards the voice, marching from the row of tents and buildings lining the docks. He sighed and turned to face the speaker fully, drawing his shoulders back, dipping his head slightly.

“Admiral Maer.” 

The Admiral grinned as he marched up, that same unsettlingly wide, friendly smile that Red Son remembered. As always, his hair was combed with uncanny precision, his armor clean and uniform pressed, every crease and button and thread tucked neatly into place.

His smile didn’t waver as he stopped before Red Son and Nezha.

“I had no idea you would be arriving today,” Maer said in that sickly-smooth voice, honeying up whoever he spoke to. “If I’d known he would be hosting the royal family at our humble little port, I would’ve made proper preparations!”

He threw back his head and laughed. Nezha chuckled politely. Red Son pressed his lips into a thin line, his fingernails digging into his palms as he curled his hands into fists. Maer’s mocking tone was not lost on him.

“But, while you’re here,” Maer continued, tilting his head, “I’ll have some rooms prepared for you. I’m sure you’re just dying to get off that cramped little ship.”

Red Son lifted his chin. “We actually must be leaving as soon as possible,” he announced authoritatively.

Nezha cleared his throat obnoxiously.

Red Son paused. “We. . . have a route planned,” he added lamely. Not technically untrue, but still. He didn’t want anyone hearing the news of the incident in Lian, of that Avatar appearing from the sky and wrecking havoc. No, he needed to keep that close to his chest. He couldn’t have anyone interfering until the Avatar was safely behind bars and he, back on his throne.

Maer clicked his tongue. “Yes,” he mused, studying Red Son, still with that dizzying smile. “Your ever-continuous hunt for the Avatar, yes?”

Red Son shrugged and looked away coolly. “Just covering all our bases.”

“Yet you haven’t set foot off that boat since you were banished,” Maer continued, smile growing slightly. “And I hear now that you need rhinos, don’t you?” He raised an eyebrow. “Must be covering quite a lot of ground.”

Red Son tensed. “Indeed,” he agreed. “Which is why we must set off as soon as possible.”

“Well, the rhinos are not machines,” Maer sighed forlornly. “Unfortunately, they still sleep with the sun. They won’t be ready to depart until morning. For now. . .” He tilted his head. “Would you do me the honor of allowing me to host the Crown Prince for dinner?”

Red Son’s lip curled, fingers digging into his arms. 

“Prince Red Son,” Nezha said calmly, quietly, “it would be rude to reject such a kind offer.”

Maer’s smile, somehow, widened even more. “I insist .”

Red Son took a deep breath. “It would be a pleasure,” he ground out between clenched teeth.

“Wonderful!” Maer turned on his heel and began marching back towards the buildings looming beyond, the warehouses and factories and barracks. “I’m afraid Earth Kingdom cuisine can never quite measure up to the motherland, but the tea is really something else. General Nezha, you’ll appreciate the type of ginseng grown here.”

As Maer and Nezha chit-chatted politely, Red Son trailed along behind, fuming. He was sure smoke was curling from his palms, but he didn’t care enough to look.

He did, however, glance over his shoulder.

The prisoner ship had cast off. It was nothing more than a ghost on the horizon now, disappearing over the skyline. Slinking away with its belly full of prey.

Red Son looked away.

MK yawned and stretched. He winced as his joints popped. The sun was just beginning to lighten the sky above the canopy. Birds whistled and cawed in the branches. He sat up and shook off the dewdrops from his hair and blanket. His mouth tasted like leaf litter.

Tang groaned and rolled over. “Oh, my back,” he whined, easing himself upright. “Why is the ground so hard?”

“If we’re going to be saving the world,” Pigsy said dryly, poking at the dying embers of the fire, “you’re going to have to get really okay with a lot of stuff, really quickly.”

“I’m okay, I’m okay. . .”

 MK snorted and stood, dusting himself off. “Any idea where we are now?”

Tang yawned and rubbed his eyes as he dug through his bag. “We didn’t get far yesterday,” he mumbled, tugging a map loose from the mess, “but it’ll take me a minute to figure out where we ended up.”

“Long as we head north, we’ll find it, right?” Pigsy shrugged.

“Well, sure, but we want to avoid occupied territory.”

“Ah.” He rubbed his eyes and poked more aggressively at the embers. He sighed and glanced up. “You kids wanna find us some more firewood?”

MK and Mei both groaned, but they trudged off into the woods. MK hummed as he crouched and began gathering fallen branches into his arms. He looked up to scan for more, but the light filtering through the tree branches caught his eye instead. He sat back and looked up, squinting into the buttery morning light. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the warm air. 

He smiled contentedly.

Something rustled in the undergrowth.

MK jolted and sat up, turning sharply. “Mei?”

She was nowhere to be seen. He could faintly hear Pigsy and Tang talking somewhere, but he could no longer see the campsite. 

Something crackled, this time to his left. MK slowly stood, turning towards the noise. His heart thundered. Firebenders? What if they attacked? Could he pretend to be an ordinary citizen? Did they already know what he looked like? He probably couldn’t fight, he was no good at earthbending!

He stepped back again. “Mei, this isn’t funny,” he said weakly, in a last-ditch effort to convince himself it was nothing to fear. 

The trees trembled. 

He stepped back.

Something gold swung in front of him. “There you are!”

MK screamed and tripped over a tree root in his hasty attempt at a retreat.

“Whoa!” The gold thing shifted forward. “Easy bud, don’t –”

“Hey!” Mei shouted. A boulder flew from over MK’s shoulder, nearly clocking the gold shape, but it dove back into the canopy at the last second. MK scrambled to his feet and glanced back. Mei stood in a defensive stance, holding another small boulder at the ready. Pigsy crashed through the undergrowth to her side, brandishing a cooking knife. Tang stumbled up after him, clumsily clutching a stick.

MK stepped back towards them and turned to face the attacker again.

“Easy, guys!” the newcomer drawled, lounging over the branches on which he rested. “I’m a friend.”

MK squinted. 

It was a monkey. 

Animal demons weren’t too uncommon. Hell, Pigsy’s family had lived in Lian for generations. But they had been the only ones there. Typically, they populated larger cities like Ba Sing Se or Omashu, where they could find a bigger community in each other. Pigsy was a bit of an anomaly simply for existing in such a rural town.

A monkey demon alone, in the middle of the woods? Definitely suspicious. 

The illusion of gold was reflecting from the monkey’s thick, glossy fur. He wore a yellow tunic and loose red pants, with red and blue sashes weaving across his waist. A great staff of etched red and gold rested across his back. His yellow eyes roved lazily over the assembled group, peering from the dark red markings over his eyes.

His eyes landed on MK again. He grinned, baring sharp teeth. MK instinctively stepped back. He wasn’t sure if the expression was meant to be friendly or threatening.

“And look at you!” the monkey chirped. “You’ve gone and grown up, huh?”

“Uh. . .” MK glanced back at the others, who looked just as confused, then back at the monkey. “Have. . . we met?”

The monkey pouted theatrically. “Aw, c’mon, kid,” he whined. “You’ll hurt my feelings!” He rolled back and swung upside down, hanging by his tail, inches from MK’s face. “You remember,” he insisted with a grin. He released his hold on the branch and flipped to the ground, still keeping his gaze even with MK. His feet hardly made any noise as they landed. “C’mon!” he insisted, fangs flashing in that unsettling smile, “think way back!”

MK stepped back again, but he met the monkey’s gaze. His head began to hurt. Something flickered at the back of his head, a memory that had drowned in his dreams. He frowned and rubbed his brow. “I don’t. . .” 

“As far as you can go,” the monkey pressed eagerly.

“MK. . .” Pigsy cautioned quietly.

MK hesitated, studying the demon’s face. Something about it did seem. . . familiar. Faintly. A wispy hint, barely there, like a hummed tune that he’d heard in a birdsong once. He frowned, but squeezed his eyes shut.

The woods were so big, and he was so small.

He winced .

“Follow me!”

He walked, chasing the gold tail flicking back and forth in the trees. It would always jump to the next branch just before he could catch it. He didn’t know why. But he followed it.

“Go on,” someone murmured, gently pushing him forward, a crooked smile and kind yellow eyes deep in red markings. “Someone can take care of you in there.”

Then there were great town gates, great town walls, and the smell of good food.

“Where’d you come from, kid? Are ya lost?”

MK’s eyes snapped open. “You!” he gasped. “You led me to the town! When I was a kid!”

“What?” Pigsy’s voice sounded more startled than upset, now.

“There you go!” the monkey cheered, reeling back and throwing his hands in the air victorious. He flipped back, farther from MK, and bowed deeply. “Sun Wukong,” he introduced. “The Monkey King.”

Blinking, MK cleared his throat and ignored Tang repeating the name inquisitively to himself. “Um, I’m MK. That’s Mei, Pigsy, and Tang.”

“Yeah, I know,” Wukong admitted, half-apologetically, as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ve been, uh, sorta watching you.”

Mei stood up straighter. “Watching?” she echoed. “For how long?”

“Which answer would make you not chuck that rock at me again?”

“Well,” Pigsy cut in, “watching why?”

Wukong shrugged and gestured vaguely to MK. “Gotta keep an eye out,” he replied brightly. “Got attached to this little guy!”

MK frowned and tilted his head. Something in that, the way his eyes shifted or his brow twitched or his hand toyed with the end of his staff, felt wrong.

“Sun Wukong. . .!” Tang repeated, voice rising with realization. “Wait, I know you!”

Wukong laughed awkwardly and shuffled back. “Well, we’ve never met before, but -”

“No, I read about you!” Tang insisted, trotting up to stand next to MK. His eyes were shining with glee behind the thick lenses of his glasses. “Sun Wukong, the Monkey King! You were an Air Spirit, weren’t you? The one who was banished from the Spirit World after a dispute?” He laughed and adjusted his glasses, leaning forward as though hoping to get a closer look. “I always thought it was just a myth, but –”

“Banished?” Pigsy echoed, moving forward, eyes narrowed suspiciously. Mei followed. “What for?”

Wukong sighed, strained smile finally dropping, and rubbed his brow. “Alright,” he relented. “Yeah, the other spirits and I had a bit of a. . . disagreement, centuries or so ago – who can really remember why, y’know? It all feels so petty in hindsight and all that – and I got locked out of the Spirit Realm. Honestly, I think they just kinda forgot about me.” He perked up. “But!” He extended his hands towards MK with another sharp-toothed grin. “Teaching the Avatar airbending to end a hundred-year war? That’s gotta get their attention!”

“Is that why you’ve been watching us?” Mei challenged, squinting suspiciously. “Did you always know MK was the Avatar?”

“What?” Wukong laughed and rolled his eyes. “Please, nobody can tell that without, like, all the rituals and stuff. This was just a. . . happy accident.” He patted MK’s head. MK ducked away and frowned tersely. Wukong stepped back, hands up. “No touching, okay, fair enough.”

MK studied him again, then glanced at his family beside him. Everyone looked tense and suspicious – well, Pigsy and Mei did. Tang looked more curious than anything, almost excited at the scandalous development. He looked back. “You said you can teach me airbending?”

“The best!” Wukong agreed brightly. He held out his arms and spun sharply around, whisking the staff from behind his back. With a great gust of wind, he leapt into the sky, directly upwards. The branches and leaves arced after his trajectory. MK’s heart jumped to his throat, a thrill that he hadn’t felt in all his memory shocking through his chest. Something warm and exciting and familiarly awestruck.

Airbending . 

Before the others had time to process what had happened, he fell back through the trees. The staff hit the ground, standing upright as it spun like a top, and Wukong landed atop it, balancing on one foot. He flipped off and spun it over his head, bowing low, before straightening up, arms extended. “Who better to learn airbending from than an Air Spirit who was around to see it form?” he cheered. 

MK’s face split with a grin. He could hardly contain the glee swelling in him. He stepped forward and reached for the staff in the spirit’s hand. “What is that thing?” he marveled.

“Oh!” Wukong glanced at the weapon. “My staff! And now -” He stepped back and bowed theatrically, presenting it to MK, “your staff.”

Startled, MK stepped back. “Woah, what?”

“Every proper airbender needs a staff,” Wukong insisted. He straightened up and held it closer to the child. “C’mon, take it! I can do without it.”

MK hesitated, shuffling back. “Oh, um. . .”

He felt a hand on his arm and looked up to see Mei. Her green eyes were trained intently on Wukong, brow lowered. “Give us a minute,” she said flatly. She stepped back, dragging MK with her. Pigsy and Tang were close behind.

“I don’t like this guy,” Pigsy grunted, arms crossed. He glared at Wukong, eyes wary and mistrusting. 

Wukong smiled and waved cheerfully back.

MK frowned. “I don’t know. . .” he murmured. “I mean, I do need to learn airbending.”

“Yeah,” Mei hissed, “but from him ?” She jerked a thumb accusatorially towards the spirit, who was clearly pretending not to overhear every word. “He’s sketchy.”

MK shrugged helplessly. “Who else, then?” he reminded her sharply. “There are no Airbenders left!”

“Well, if you survived, maybe there’s others we can find!”

“There’s not.”

Everyone paused and turned back to Wukong. He grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck.

“I’ve been, uh. . . looking,” he admitted. “There’s no others.” He smiled again at MK. “Just you and me, bud!”

Mei pressed her lips together. “Can you, like –” She waved towards the undergrowth. “Can you take a walk? Somewhere you can’t eavesdrop?”

“Yep, fair.” He picked up his staff with a weary sigh and trundled off into the undergrowth. 

MK tilted his head. “I wonder what that whole dispute thing was,” he murmured. “The one that got him kicked out. He doesn’t seem very. . . aggressive.” 

Tang hummed dubiously. “The old stories say otherwise,” he muttered.

MK perked up. “Do you know what happened?”

The scholar hesitated, pushing his glasses up his nose. “It’s an old myth,” he began slowly, “so it’s a little unclear. The general consensus seems to be –”

Mei gasped, so excited it nearly came out as a shriek, and grabbed his arm. “Wait!” she cried, face shining with glee. “The puppets! Can you do the puppets?”

Tang reeled back, blinking in surprise. “Oh, uh –”

“Yeah!” MK crowed, hands fluttering with delight. “Please, you haven’t been able to do them in years!”

“Well, I’m a little out of practice. . .”

“Please?” Mei whined, leaning on his arm, blinking sadly up at him.

“Please?” MK echoed, joining her chorus as he grabbed his other arm. “Please please pleeeeeeeease ?”

Tang tried to step back, shrug them off, make excuses, but, eventually, he was forced to surrender. “Alright, alright!” he sputtered, attempting to shake the two whining kids off his arms as Pigsy laughed. “Gods, just get off for a second!”

Mei squealed with delight and stepped back, dropping cross legged to the ground. MK sat next to her, bouncing with excitement. By the time all four of them were settled, Wukong had reappeared, poking his head from the branches overhead.

“I heard yelling,” he informed them, head cocked.

Mei gave him a suspicious look, but MK shifted to make room in their circle. “Just an earthbending trick we’re excited to see,” he announced cheerfully. Wukong dropped to the ground and approached cautiously. He glanced around the circle, then settled a few feet away.

Tang cleared his throat. “Well, I’m going to be relating what I know of your history,” he said slowly, brow creased. “So, I don’t know if you want to hear all that.”

Wukong shrugged, resting one arm on his knee, and waved a hand. “Don’t mind me.” 

“Right.” Tang studied him for a moment more, then dropped his gaze to the ground. He brushed aside the dead leaves, forming a bare patch on the ground, then scooped up a handful of soil. He closed his eyes and cupped both hands around it, shoulders relaxing, taking deep, slow breaths.

Mei clasped her hands together eagerly.

Finally, Tang opened his eyes and lifted one hand away from the other.

In his palm stood a tiny monkey.

Mei squealed. MK clapped his hands, grinning, that same sense of wonder and excitement filling his chest. He felt like a little kid again, witnessing the art that his father had worked so hard to master, now liberated from their occupiers.

Tang gave them both a secretive smile. Clearly, he’d missed this too.

He lowered his hand to the ground, fingers flexing carefully to control the movements, and the monkey trotted onto the patch of dirt. Little curls of dust swirled behind it like clouds and mist. Pigsy grunted appreciatively.

“Legend says,” Tang began, in his old storytelling voice, “that centuries ago, the Mortal World and the Spirit Realm lived together in harmony, as the four nations lived alongside one another peacefully. And among these spirits. . .” The monkey waved brightly at the kids, “was Sun Wukong, who had a special love for the Mortal World, unusual for a spirit.”

MK glanced over his shoulder. Wukong was watching the show with a dark look, intently staring at the puppet. 

The clouds of dust in the background gathered over the tiny monkey’s head, like storm clouds. The monkey paused and looked around frantically.

“But,” Tang continued menacingly, “as time went on, the Mortal World began to fall into disarray, a great dispute tearing the nations apart.” Dark figures formed at one end of the patch. Tang’s eye twitched with concentration as the monkey began waving its arms, pointing somewhere behind it. “Sun Wukong insisted that the spirits should intervene before the mortals destroyed themselves, but the other spirits refused.” The dark shapes shook their heads and dissipated, leaving the monkey alone. 

“At this point, the veil between the worlds was still thin and pliable,” Tang pressed on. “The other spirits wanted to close it. They believed that the conflicts of the mortals would infect their own peaceful world. But the closure of the veil would mean that nobody could cross the border from one world to the other. The ancient bond between the Mortal and Spirit realms would be lost. They believed everyone should stay in their place and not interfere with one another.”

The monkey looked up, hands on its hips. It picked up a staff from the ground and turned, marching towards the opposite side of the stage.

“But Sun Wukong thought differently.”

When it reached the edge of the stage, it dissipated, collapsing into dirt and dust. Tang dropped his hands with a relieved breath.

“Sun Wukong came to the Mortal World,” he concluded, nodding awkwardly at the spirit lounging just feet away. “After he’d left, the spirits closed the border behind him, and he was cut off outside, vanishing into the Mortal World for good.”

Tang sat back. MK stared at the pile of dirt for a moment more, then looked up at him.

“What, that’s it?”

Tang shrugged. “That’s it.”

Mei sputtered. “That – that can’t be it!”

“That’s the most agreed upon story I could discern.”

“Agreed upon?”

“It’s ancient mythology, Mei, it’s not like there’s any one story. Nobody can seem to agree on what happened once he got here.”

She scowled and gestured to the dirt again. “But what dispute did he want to stop?”

Tang shrugged again. “I don’t know.”

“ Did he stop it?”

“I don’t know.”

MK raised his hand. “Why was the veil so thin in the beginning?”

Another shrug. “I don’t know.”

There was a bit of a pause. Everyone turned slowly to Wukong, who was still staring at the pile of soil with a dark look to his eyes. The red markings on his temples creased as he squinted. 

“What kind of earthbending is that?”

Tang blinked. “Sorry?”

Wukong cleared his throat and pointed to the little stage. “I’ve never seen a technique like that,” he clarified. “How did you do that?”

“Oh.” Tang shook his head dismissively. “It’s more sandbending than earthbending, really.”

“Are you a sandbender?”

“My parents were, they moved to –” He waved his hand. “That’s not – was that an accurate account?”

Wukong nodded slowly, shifting to sit cross-legged. “Yeah, pretty close,” he agreed lightly, dusting the dirt off his hands.

“Well?” Pigsy pressed. “What about all that? The veil and the disputes and all that?”

Wukong hummed and smiled apologetically. “Details get fuzzy,” he admitted, face reddening.

“Fuzzy?” Mei echoed, raising an eyebrow skeptically. “What, you just forgot ?”

 “Well, being out of the Spirit Realm so long can kinda mess with our heads.” Wukong shrugged and looked away again. “It’s not so clear anymore,” he murmured, brow furrowing. “I don’t remember much.”

Mei cleared her throat and looked away. Her ears were tinging pink.

MK studied the spirit. He looked. . . normal, by all accounts. MK hadn’t seen many animal demons, and never any spirits, but Wukong didn’t look otherworldly or ominous or all-powerful or any of the other thousand things he’d thought spirits would look like. He just looked like anyone else – wholly solid, entirely normal. 

MK turned back towards the bare patch of soil. A few dead leaves had drifted over it, stirring lazily in the breeze. He extended his hand, hovering over the loose dirt. He set his jaw and reached out, straining to feel that dirt under his nails, over his skin, without touching it. 

The soil shifted. Slightly.

But that could have been the wind.

MK took a deep breath. He turned to face Wukong, shifting to sit on his knees. Wukong perked up at the movement, sitting up, ears twitching.

“I need to learn airbending,” MK said firmly. “If you’re willing to teach me, then. . .” he bowed his head, “I’m ready to learn.”

Wukong didn’t respond for a moment. 

Then MK felt a weight across his lap. He opened his eyes to see the staff. Wukong had set it across his knees, though his shimmering gold eyes were fixed on his face. MK stared at it. Swirling patterns were carved painstakingly into the wood. The symbols felt familiar, precise, like a language that he knew but couldn’t quite recall, like a rhyme he’d heard once in a dream. The bright red paint had begun to wear away, clearly painted over a thousand times before, but even the most meticulous repair couldn’t save that smooth spot in the middle, where the wood had worn silky and strong where it was always held.

Slowly, he reached down and slipped it into his grip.

His hand fit the mold. Perfectly.

Wukong grinned. “And I’m ready to teach.” He rolled back into a somersault and flipped to his feet. He moved so effortlessly , like the entire world shifted to accommodate his weight. MK stood, much more clumsily, watching with awe as the wind picked up. 

Wukong closed his eyes, bowed his head, and leaned into a steady stance, knees bent, feet apart. The breeze grew faster, whipping at MK’s hair, at Wukong’s fur and all his elaborate sashes. Leaves swirled around the two of them in a frenzied spiral, spinning and leaping and dancing in the air.

Just like he remembered.

Wukong shifted to stand on one foot. One hand rose above his head, the other poised placidly before his heart. The wind whistled, spiraling. MK couldn’t see it but, somehow, he could sense it. He could feel the curve of the air on his skin, could smell its exact trajectory, could sense the tiniest reverberations somewhere deep in his chest. The leaves on the ground fluttered and flicked, rising with the wind in a perfect spiral around Wukong’s body. 

Wukong opened his eyes. He grinned at the look on MK’s face, sharp teeth glinting.

“Let’s get you to an Air Temple.”