Embers in the Wind

Chapter 1: After the Dance Party

FLAMEY-O, HOTMAN! How's it hanging? Or should I say "How's it flamen?" Lol! Sorry! Sorry! I just couldn't help myself, I had too! Tee Hee! Anywho, in to my actual serious Author's Note!

Greetings my fellow ATLA fans and readers! My name's On Ji and this is my second story for Avatar: The Last Airbender. The events of this story takes place in my own version of an AU that takes place after the "Secret dance party" in the "Headband" episode. I really like On Ji as a character and wished that she was more involved in the story of the show.

oOo

On Ji ran after Kuzon and as soon as she got to him, she saw a wall of earth rise up behind me sealing us off from the rest of the cave. So Kuzon is an earthbender, not a firebender like she was. But in all honesty, it did kinda make sense when she really thought about it. After all, Kuzon had said he was from the colonies in the earth kingdom: so him being an earthbender made a lot more sense then him being a firebender.

On Ji was absolutely shocked when Kuzon walked out onto the beach and jumped onto a giant mound of white fur. Shaking her head, On Ji payed the giant ball of fur no mind and called out her friend's name.

"Hey Kuzon!" On Ji called his name yet again as she raced toward the headband-wearing earthbending 12-year-old.

Hearing someone calling his name, (His fake name), Aang quickly spun around, his mouth dropped open and his stormy grey eyes stretching wide upon seeing On Ji racing over to him. Why is On Ji out here? Did she follow us? Oh spirits! Why is she looking at me like that? Does she know that I'm the Avatar? Is that why she's here? Aang's mind was racing with questions that he couldn't quite find the answers to and it was making the young airbender fell a little bit uneasy.

"Huh? On Ji? What are you doing here?" The Avatar couldn't quite fully hide the surprise leaking from his tone. In response to the question, On Ji's eyes dropped to stare at her feet and she froze in her tracks. She felt her face heating up in embarrassment and she slowly looked up to meet the confused and worried gaze of Kuzon.

She looked down at her feet as a bright red blush blossomed on her face. How embarrassing! She mentally smacked herself in the face at how absolutely ridiculous she was about to sound when she next opened her mouth.

"I-I uh, I-I j-just wanted to say goodbye." She managed to splutter out through a series of nervous glances and fidgeting footsteps.

Kuzon looked down at his feet, his own face going a deep shade of red as he hesitantly looked back up to meet her gaze.

"Hey Kuzon, hurry up!" Sokka called to the two from on top of Appa's head. "We're already 42 hours behind schedule!"

Upon hearing this though, Kuzon seemed to deflate like a balloon and he shot the older boy an annoyed look. "Oh! I uh... I was wondering if you wanted to come with us?" He sounded almost hesitant as he looked yp at her with an unsure but small smile forming on his face.

On Ji felt her face heat up and her heart started hammering wildly in her chest. Did Kuzon really just as her to come with him? She could only smile brightly and let him guide her over to what looked like a huge ball of what fur. Oh spirits! Was that a flying bison?

When he said to climb the flat beaver tail of an actual flying bison, On Ji started laughing but got on anyway. Wow a real flying bison, the young 12-year-old girl had no idea they still existed. On Ji heard him yell "Appa, yip yip! You're going to love this."

And they were flying, yes flying over the beach and the Fire Nation. From the air the view was absolutely breathtaking.

She still couldn't believe what she was seeing! A real. Flying. Bison! What luck! But that got her thinking: If there was still a flying bison around these parts, then there was surely an airbender whom had survived the genocide.

"So, uh, hey, Kuzon? Where are we going?" The now former Fire Nation girl asked her companion with a questioning stare and a raised eyebrow. "And how the heck do you have a flying bison if you're an earthbender?"

It took a few more moments for On Ji's question to finally sync in before Kuzon turned to face her with a nervous yet genuine smile forming on his face.

"Huh? An earthbender?" He blinked a few times before a flash of amusement gleamed in his eyes and he turned back to face her with a raised eyebrow. "I'm not just an earthbender, On Ji. I'm also an airbender. I'm an Air Nomad monk from the Southern Air Temple." His eyes lowered and the smile faded from his face after the last few words had left his mouth.

All On Ji could do was stare at him in complete and utter shock. "You're the Avatar?" She spluttered like a fish as she tried to form a coherent sentence. "So, if you're the Avatar... I guess that means you're also the last airbender, aren't you?"

Kuzon lowered his head and On Ji felt her next few words get caught in her throat when she caught sight of the tears running down his tightly shut eyes. On Ji was frozen in place, her eyes wide and her heart catching in her throat. What could she do now? Was was she ment to say after saying something like that?

The 12-year-old firebender shook her head and forced her body to move. She sprung forwards and wrapped her arms tightly around Kuzon's shaking form. He froze for the briefest of moments before returning the hug and burying his face into the crook of her neck.

"Why would you ask him something like that?" Came an angry female voice from somewhere behind On Ji. "The "Avatar" question would've been fine on it's own! But then you had to go and ask him a question that brings back bad memories! What on earth is the matter with you?"

On Ji's caramel-brown eyes narrowed and she glared daggers toward the dark-skinned waterbender. "I-I didn't know this would happen!" She cried defensively. "If I had known asking about the airbenders would result in this," she paused to look back down at Kuzon, who had tightened his hold on her uniform as the argument became even more heated. "I never would've pressed him for answers." On Ji's hands were shaking and she tried to calm the inner flame that was screaming at her to be released. But deep down, in the back of her mind, On Ji knew that using her firebending against Katara in a fight would only make things worse, and picking a fight was the last thing anybody needed right now.