Bend My Life *Legend of Korra*

(5) My Inner Flame

Chapter five-

I nodded cautiously as I stared into the wide flames. "I-I, I think," I stammered. 

"Good," he closed his palms and the flames were suffocated. A few flames seeped through his fingers and then he opened them up to show that there was nothing anymore. "Fire is the element of power. There are many firebenders in the world that take advantage of their power and use it against others. Those firebenders power their firebending on rage and hatred. This is an old method of firebending, that became very common for many years during the 100 year war. However you can still find a lot of these characters. I'm sure you've met some of the local gangs by now." I nodded. "Their firebending is powered by greed and power. What most people don't know is that it's actually quite easy to defeat any of them. It takes skill and practice, but once you understand how they firebend...their downfall is imminent." 

He stood up and went across the room, "Like for example."  

"I'm very frustrated with my daughter at the moment to be honest." He fired a line of fire a foot away from my head. It disintegrated before it reached the opposite wall. "That was a blow fired by rage, did you see how it just stopped? It actually had no power, no juice, behind it. Now, watch a true blow." He took a deep breath and fired the same shot that went across the room in a big flame and burnt the wall. The flame burnt out immediately in the wall. "See, when the shot isn't fired based on rage then the attack will be much more efficient." 

I nodded, scratched my head nervously and said, "Yeah, but I don't exactly know how to firebend in general. The most I can make is that tiny flame." 

He sat down across from me again. "They say that the avatar has trouble learning  the element that is most opposite of their personality.  This is also true for regular benders. You're not good with your power assertion, you forgive people to easily, you're a pushover. You have the soul of an airbender, you don't really want to hurt anyone do you?" 

"Uh, I-I don't know." I mumbled.

"Fire is a very powerful substance, in some cases it's stronger than air and water. I'm sure you've learned about Fire Lord Zuko in school. He didn't get his scar from a waterbender now did he?" 

"Well, I'm don't want to just go around hurting people, I just want to know how to defend myself." 

He rolled his eyes, "You'll have to do a lot of that in this city. Until I've taught you I'd advise that you shouldn't travel alone. That's a quick way to get mugged or killed." 

For a few more hours, Si-fu Chang gave me advice on firebending, and a few exercises that I should do to help fill up my "inner flame". He also gave me a few tips on how to get around in the city without getting mugged. 

"Now go on now, get some rest. I like you Hikari, come back in a couple days." He said and showed a wiry smile. I nodded and walked up the steps and out into the alley. I walked out into street and made sure that I kept an even and quick pace. I walked to the inn and got into my room quickly, making sure to not make eye contact with anyone. 

I lied down on my bed and stared up at the ceiling. I tried to think about all the things that made me powerful, but it was so hard to think of them. I wanted to be able to firebend, but there's just something about me that makes it so hard to do. 

I walked down to a tea shop the next morning for some breakfast. I sat down at a table and ordered some tea. A group of about six kids walked in, they looked at me and smirked, "Nice outfit loser," one girl said and the others laughed. I looked down at my outfit, it was similar to the outfit that Sifu Chang was wearing. But I guess him and I are the only people I've seen wearing something like this in Republic City. 

"Thanks, it's from my village." I said, trying to not take her rude comment to heart. 

Her friends chorused laughs. "Oh, you're a village girl huh?" He mocked. "Explains why you can only afford the crappy green tea served here." A woman walked over and filled my cup, she looked up at the kids for a split moment and walked back to the counter before they could usher any insults out at her. 

"Well you're here too so I guess this is all you can afford too." I took a sip of the green tea, honestly it tasted pretty generic to me, I didn't see what was so bad. "What's the big prestige with green tea anyway?"

"You wouldn't know, you can't afford to ever have the greater foods they serve in this town. Anyways, we're not here for the poor food, we're here for her." He shouted gesturing at the girl who had served my tea. 

I stood up, this was getting to be too much. "Just get out of here, enough is enough." 

One of the girls pushed to the front to face me. "We can decide that on our own." she said and knocked over the pot of tea, breaking the pot and spilling hot tea onto the tiled floor. The girl behind the counter gasped nervously and pulled out a dish towel from under the counter. She walked over and began to clean up the mess they left. 

They all laughed again, "See, she's like a little servant." The girl looked up at me and then to them as she continued to clean up the hot tea. 

The look in her eyes was just so sad, I couldn't take this bullying. "Enough!" I exclaimed and shot a fireball to their feet, burning the bottom of their pants. I gasped at what I had done, I acted out of rage, just like Sifu Chang said not to. 

"Oh, that's okay too." One of the boys said as he stifled the flames. "Two can play at that game." he bended the tea off the ground and from several other pots and cups from around the shop. He was holding up a pillar of hot tea. 

He bended all of the hot water at me and the girl. It soaked every part of my body and tears welled up in my eyes as every part of me stung. I cried out as my body immediately turned lobster-ant red. The kids ran out of the shop before I could even take a breath. I looked to my side to see the girl rushing to the back, probably to dose herself in cold water I would guess. I wiped away my tears as my entire body stung and took a deep breath and sprinted to Yuu's house.