Avatar:Genesis

Chapter 1: Lost Souls

(Kohja)
       Another fireball flashed past my head. I quickly launched myself using my staff and blew a gust of air towards the fireball: exploding it in the spot. One wrong move now, and I'll be ashes fluttering among the wind. All around me, fire nation boots made the ground quake in terror. The smell of fire nearly roasted my lungs as I fought them. My name is Kohja. An airbender that lost everything. My family, my friends, even my teacher. All that remains of my nation is me, my best friend, and the staff in my hands. The fire nation took it from me. Like stealing candy from a whining child. Burning everything in a monsoon of fire and brimstone.
I heard a crack as smashed my staff on the fire nation soldiers neck, definitely dead now. I used an air blast to knock the ones behind me off their feet, and launched myself up to the catwalk of the castle. More soldiers. I didn't need to worry as the whole catwalk came crumbling down from a boulder. I looked down to see Gaho, waving confidently as the soldiers fell to their deaths. I smiled and flew over the hole that remained of the catwalk and flung myself up the rafters above the throne room. Time to pay a visit to the lord of the Inferno.
(Six months ago)

I twirled my new staff in my hand as I gazed off at the kid standing infront of me. I normally wouldn't be too afraid of my opponents in duels, but I know with my opponent now I shouldn't hold back. "You ready baldy?" I challenged. He simply just raised his staff behind him and laughed. "Only if you are." I charged forward using air to push me forward, enhancing my speed. Our staffs clashed, and the fight begun. I swung an arm forward and blasted him with a powerful air gust, blasting him towards the wall. He gracefully flipped through the air, and landed on the wall, then rocketed off of it towards me. Before I could even blink he was behind me. With a sweep of his staff he blew my hair in my face and smashed my hand, making me release my staff. I yelped as he laughed, "Gotcha again Kohja! You really should cut your hair."
"Hell no! I don't want to be bald like everyone else!" When I was little, airbenders were supposed to shave their heads. It signified respect for our nation, but I just couldn't. My long flowing hair now makes me different from all the other skinheads here on the mountain. "Aang at least you have a powerboost for being the avatar. It's not fair!" I whined incessantly. Aang has been my friend ever since the airball tournament. We were put on teams and I unwillingly joined his. After our duel we went to the temple where we trained with our Mentor, Monk Gyatso. Gyatso was one of those kinds of teachers that knew what he was talking about, and seemed to know what the kids were thinking nowadays. He always challenged Aang and I to Pai Sho, a sort of card game. I caught him cheating a few times against us (hiding cards in his robes and switching them when we aren't looking) and he also used his airbending to push us away from the table. Gyatso is a cheater when it comes to airball too but I won't get into that. "Kohja I see you found your new staff. Going to break it again I assume?" I always have had trouble with my staffs. I've gone through five so far, but that's only because they were crafted wrong. The glider would snap out of place while I would fly and I would nearly die. Gyatso chuckled, I guess he thought of my accidents too.
I rolled my eyes and walked out of the temple, leaving Aang to his training. Aang unfortunately has to train in private due to an accident the very first time we trained. I won't go into details, but I ended up hanging from a tree by my robes.
"Still in pain from that Kohja? Or did Aang stuff a lemur down your pants again?" I heard a lighthearted voice mock me from above. I looked up to see Leeva hanging from the top of the temple. Leeva was my best friend ever since the day we first met. Similar to me she hated being the same to the other airbenders, and didn't cut her hair. She wore it in a pony tail however whenever she could, giving her an advantage in our duels, it never gets in her face. She jumped and floated gently to the ground like a leaf and giggled, "You must love doing that. Everytime I see you you're always jumping off of things. You're going to hurt yourself one day," I warned.
"Meh, I'll be fine. Wanna go to the earth kingdom? I want to get some more berries for Yao, she makes some awesome pies!" Yao is Leeva's mentor, harsh at times, but sweet when she's away from the training grounds. She also of course makes some pretty amazing berry pies. Airbenders at heart are dedicated vegetarians, and won't go near anything related to meat. Every meal consists of fruits, vegetables, and also some sweets like pies and custard. Yao always brings one of her Juniper berry pies, and always seems to run out then sends me and Leeva to get more at the earth kingdom nearby. "Sure!" I said. I wasn't about to miss an amazing pie. "Wanna glide or use Mara?" Leeva grinned and pulled me towards the bison stables where we saw my hulk of a bison, messing with my lemur Jago. Mara has been with me for 15 years and now got a saddle so we can ride her. She has been flying in her spare time so she has enough practice. Leeva and I jumped up onto the saddle and Jago flew over to my shoulder. I grabbed my reins and prayed that Mara would fly easy. "Yip yip!" I snapped the reins and Mara took off towards the clouds heading for the earth kingdom, the force nearly ripping me and Leeva off the saddle. "There is no way I'm going to get used to that." Leeva said as she shoved one of my sleeping bags off of her, "Wait where's Jago?!" Almost on cue, Jago flew up from underneath Mara using his wings. I almost forgot that Jago was a winged Lemur. Leeva shouted above the roaring wind "How long until we will get there?" I shouted back, "Just a couple of hours, then we will be back soon for dinner."
"Cool! Wake me up when we get there!" Before I could protest Leeva was already asleep. With a smile on my face I gazed at the clouds around me as Jago chirped happily on my shoulder. It's just smooth sailing from here.

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(Gaho)
     "Gaho to your left!" Kasha said as I saw the flame coming towards me. Raising my arms I blocked the inferno with a wall of rock. I could feel the intense heat from beyond the rock, explode on impact. This is ridiculous, who the hell would let a fire bender into Omashu? "Is that all you got hot head?!" I taunted from behind my rock prison. "You earthbenders are all the same. Cowards! Come out and fight like a man!" With a grin I kicked my wall towards him, with all of my might. Using his firebending like a rocket, he cleared over it and started running towards me. Using my earthbending I fired two to rocks with the speed of missiles towards my target and ran forward after giving me some rock armor. He easily dodged them and shot a plume of fire towards me. My rock armor seemed to absorb the fire, protecting me completely: just what I wanted. I launched three boulders after him, two hit his legs, knocking off balance, and the next hit him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him and stunning him.
The next two firebenders tried to rush me, throwing pinwheels of fire and flame daggers towards me. I kicked the ground and sent an earthquake towards the one that launched the pinwheels, incasing them in rock, keeping him in place. The one with flame daggers ran forwards and flurried me with his daggers, burning my arms and chest. Yelling I grabbed his arm and transferred the rock from my body onto his, incasing his arm in solid rock. He panicked and tried swinging the other fire dagger to stab me but I just grabbed the other arm and incased it as well. He isn't moving any time soon. I released his arms and he fell to the ground, crying helplessly like a dog wanting to be put out of it's misery. Grinning I walked over towards the captain, still in pain from the rock I threw at his stomach. I placed my foot on his chest and stared into his serpentlike eyes, "Get out of Omashu, and bring this message to your firelord; 'Omashu will never give in to your forces.' You got that?" Kasha yelled at me, "Gaho you're getting too full of yourself again. Don't let your-" a searing heat latched onto my leg, and I howled in pain. The captain grabbed my leg when I wasn't looking and burned it. I fell to the ground as he started hitting me with burning fists, laughing maniacally. I managed to block them with my arms, but got burned severely. Kasha fired a boulder at him, hitting him in the neck. I saw my chance and kicked him off of me, then kicked the ground, summoning a pillar of stone pinning him to the ceiling. I checked my arms, yeah they're toast. The bastard burned my clothes as well, they were brand new.
I shouted up at him, struggling to push himself out from under the rock, "You must be insane, coming into my city like this! Tell you what, let's play a game!" I let the pillar fall, and the captain started to fall as well. I struck the ground with my fist, and kicked three rocks toward him, smacking him up into the air, like hacky sack- just using a person. I kept him in the air for as long as I could, before he fell to the ground. "Kasha take him to the prison of Omashu. We have someone to interrogate." The other benders fled the area, leaving their captain behind. That's fine by me. Kasha grabbed the captain by his arms, sealing them with rock so he can't use his bending. Suddenly I heard clapping and snorting behind me, as a raspy voice followed, "Good show earthbender! What is your name may I ask?" I turned to see a man with a scruffy beard, dressed in elegant robes. His eyes seemed to change colors from a ocean blue, to a forest green, and had a familiar tinge of madness to them.
There was no doubt to who this man was, I dropped to one knee and said, "King Bumi. It is an honor sir." He walked over to me and picked me up, "No sir, stand. I treat everyone with the same amount of respect, whether it be a peasant, or thief."
Nodding I said, "Thank you. My name is Gaho, of the Defenders of Omashu. We captured this firebender, captain of an infiltration team to take down your city. The others fled, but soon he will reveal their hideout." Bumi grunted in agreement, but said something that stunned me. "Kasha release the captain."
"What?! Sir this man is dangerous! He co-"
"You dare defy a king?"
Saying no more, I motioned to Kasha to release him. Before he could even destroy his stone bindings, in a flash Bumi ran towards the bender and smashed his face with a right hook. Stunned I stood beside Kasha, his jaw hanging in wonder at what just happened. No man can reach that level of speed; and Bumi just dusted himself off and snorted,"Haha! You need to learn to never take a prisoner unless he's incapacitated! He could have hurt both of you!" I looked over at the bender, his entire face swelling from the blow already. He was out like a light. Bumi motioned to me to follow, "Come Gaho. Kasha, you take this man to the cells, I shall deal with him later." Confused, I started after the king and asked, "Where are we going sir?"
"Well we're starting your training of course!" He stated as he munched down on a light blue crystal. "Want some?"
"Um..what is it?"
"Geminite! It's like rock candy!" He said as he bit down on it again.
"No thanks sir. I'm good." And I followed him towards the capital, where I begun my mind numbing, bone crunching training, with the Mad King of Stone.