Azula's Journey

Burned

Ro didn't know how long Hira had been running before he patted her neck twice. Hira slowed, coming to a stop. He was grateful she listened so well. The pain in his chest was unbearable. He needed to rest.

Hira's body went rigid and she growled. Ro didn't have a chance to see what was wrong before walls of earth shot up around them. Hira stomped her feet nervously as she looked for a way out. The movement jostled Ro, making him grit his teeth to bare the pain.

"Put down the front wall, let's see what we're dealing with."

There was a rumble as the wall in front of Hira came down. Ro heard footsteps approach and caught a glimpse of something that looked like water.

"Help." Ro groaned before passing out on Hira's back.

Later that day....

The stars twinkled in the night sky when Ro awoke. The first thing he noticed was the pain was gone. He placed a hand on his chest and found bandages where his burns had been.

He placed his hands on the ground to push himself up, finding a soft bedroll beneath him. Whoever had taken care of him, he owed them his thanks. Ro pushed himself up slowly, getting a better look around.

In the dark, he could make out the shadows and shapes of burned down houses. It was a small village, clearly destroyed by the fire nation. Ro felt his stomach twist. Had his parents really been okay with this?

"You should lay down and rest." A male voice came from his left. "Your wounds aren't completely healed."

Ro whipped his head around, facing the young man who was a few feet away from him. He looked around 18 with dark skin and messy dark brown hair. His blue eyes watched him with a mixture of curiosity and concern.

"Right. Uh....what are you doing?" Ro asked.

The young man struck the rock in his hand against another that was standing up seemingly by itself. A few sparks appeared then quickly died out.

"Dang it!"

"I can help." Ro offered. He lit a small flame in his palm then tossed it into the pile of twigs.

The fire came to life, illuminating their small camp. With the added light, Ro noticed the young man was wearing a blue tunic and trousers. His eyes then landed on the young man's right arm. It was gone.

"You're a fire bender." The young man gaped, his body tensing. "Why are you in Earth Kingdom clothes?"

"My name is Ro." He introduced. "I ran away from the Fire Nation when I was 12. I have no loyalty to my homeland. You have nothing to fear. If anything, I should be thanking you for healing me."

The young man stared at the fire, taking a deep breath. "My name is Takedo. I'm from the Northern Water tribe. You say you have no loyalty to the Fire Nation, is that why you were burned?"

Ro sighed, crossing his legs. "No. I was travelling with someone. Both of us were keeping secrets and it led to a fight. They got in a good hit and I was burned. Looking back, it was pretty stupid. I could have been honest about where we were going and I shouldn't have pushed her so hard. She had every right to hold back."

"Do you.... like this girl?" Takedo asked curiously.

Ro shook his head. "No, not like that. I'm just worried for her. Her mind is clouded and she loses her sense of reality sometimes. She needs help."

"Maybe you're better off without her." Takedo suggested, pointing to his chest. "She clearly didn't care when she burned you."

"I don't believe that." Ro admitted. "She wasn't thinking clearly during our fight. She was talking to people who weren't there."