1. The Dark Side of Destiny: Beginnings

Chapter 7 - Master of Fire

A/N: I think that this would be a good time to remind you all that I haven't seen anything from Season 7 and on yet, so there may be some things that go against cannon, specifically in chapters like this that deal with Kai and Nya's family.

. . .

"Sit down."

Kai obeyed, kneeling at the dining room table while his father loomed over him from the other side, arms crossed. His mother stood there, too, though in her eyes he saw more disappointment than anger, and he had to lower his gaze.

"We are very disappointed in you, Kai," his father announced.

Kai said nothing, his gaze fixed on the table in front of him.

His father continued, "Your behavior was unacceptable. Your mother and I aren't going to stand for this kind of thing, you hear me?"

"He had it coming," Kai muttered. He had thought he was doing the right thing, that his parents would be proud of him. Seems he was wrong.

His lack of remorse only made his father angrier. "That is no excuse –" Kai's mother laid a hand on his father's shoulder, cutting him off as she reminded him to remain calm. He paused a moment to reign in his emotions before continuing more calmly. "Look, son, the problem isn't whether or not you think you were justified, it's that you thought fighting was the best option."

"What we mean," his mother cut in, "is that we would rather you told one of us about it instead of taking matters into your own hands."

Kai clenched his fists as he remembered the bully's words. "I . . . I just couldn't let him get away with it!"

Now his mother came around the table and kneeled beside him. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders, saying "Look at me, Kai. Let me make this clear: we do appreciate you standing up for your sister. But violence is not the way to solve your problems. It only leads to more violence, more anger, and more pain. We want you to understand that."

Reluctantly, Kai nodded.

"Alright. If you've already learned your lesson, then I don't think there's any reason to punish you. This time. But it had better not happen again."

Kai nodded again.

She kissed the top of his head, then stood to leave, gesturing for his father to go as well. His father threw him one last glance, as if he had still had more he wanted to say, but relented and followed her out.

For a while, Kai stayed where he was, still trying to justify his actions to himself. Of course he had known that he would get in trouble for fighting the guy. But Nya had been in tears and in the moment it hadn't seemed like the consequences really mattered. He didn't feel bad about it, either. He couldn't. That bully definitely deserved what he got.

Standing, Kai sighed to himself. Even so, his father was making him apologize tomorrow. That was punishment enough.

When he exited the dining room, he could hear his parents and Nya in another room. Of course, she wasn't in any trouble, she was the victim. But Kai wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone, so he made his way outside instead.

The evening air was crisp. It sent a chill down Kai's spine, but he was too stubborn to go back inside for a coat. So he continued down the road away from his house. The afternoon sun was getting lower in the sky and did nothing to warm the air. Two or three trees were spread out along either side of the stone path where the wind blew through, causing the reddened leaves to drift aimlessly to the ground.

As he walked, his attention was caught by an unfamiliar man kneeling further ahead under the shade of one of the trees. Ignacia didn't get many visitors, and this man didn't seem to be searching for anyone or anywhere in particular. Kai wondered if he may be lost, or if he was waiting on someone. "Hey, sir!" Kai called out as he drew closer. "You need anything?"

The man turned his head. "Not at the moment."

Kai paused on the road, having reached the visitor. He could now see that the man was holding a teapot, pouring himself a cup. Kai squinted against the sunlight, but he couldn't make out any of the man's features. "What are you doing here?" he asked. "We don't get many visitors."

"I have friends here. It's been a long time since I've seen them, so I stopped by to see how they're doing. Would you like some?" The man offered, but Kai shook his head. He knew better. The man lifted a cup to his lips and Kai picked up the herbal scent of green tea wafting from the cup. Then the visitor spoke again. "May I ask you a question?"

Kai shrugged, indifferent.

"Where did you get that bruise?"

Without thinking, Kai's fingers reached to test the bruise forming on his cheek still tender and throbbing. "I was in a fight," Kai answered, his gaze drifting to his feet.

The visitor nodded. "I've been in many fights, myself. But choosing which fights to pursue and which to let go is an important skill to learn. Tell me, what was this fight for?"

"Just some bullies."

"Ah, I see," the stranger nodded. "A fight for honor. That is a noble cause. Did you win?"

Kai shrugged.

The man hummed thoughtfully before taking another sip of his tea. "What did your parents think?"

"They were pretty mad." Kai wasn't enjoying this talk with the stranger and all his probing questions. Kai decided to turn things around again. "What kind of fights have you been in?"

The man chuckled. "Mostly with bullies. The world is full of them. You say your parents were angry? Because you defended yourself?"

"Well . . . ."

"What exactly happened? Who started this fight?"

Kai scuffed his feet, slowly feeling more and more ashamed of his actions. "Well, I sort of hit him first. But he was being a real jerk, he really deserved it! I mean, I couldn't just let him get away with it. And there was no one around to help and . . . before I knew it, I'd already hit him and he was going to hit me back so I had to defend myself," He looked guiltily at his feet again. "I'm not even sorry I did it," he mumbled, knowing that the stranger would be disappointed in him, too.

"You shouldn't be." Kai looked up in surprise. "It sounds like he deserved it. And if there was no one else to help, I don't blame you for taking matters into your own hands."

At least someone understood. "My parents don't feel that way," Kai grumbled.

The visitor shook his head. "Parents just worry that you'll get hurt. They tell you not to fight because you don't know how. They just want you to be safe."

"I guess I never thought of it that way." He supposed it made sense. After all, he had gotten hurt in the fight – that was probably the real reason they were so angry with him. Maybe if he'd won they would have been more proud. He really couldn't have been doing anything wrong, protecting his sister. That's what he was supposed to do.

"Does this bully bother you a lot?" the visitor interrupted his thoughts.

Kai shrugged. "I mean, he's always been a bit of a pain . . . Yeah, I guess."

The visitor nodded solemnly. "This isn't the end. He'll be back to finish what he started." He paused, swirling the teacup gently in his hand, stirring its contents. Though Kai couldn't see the details of his face, Kai sensed the man was thinking hard. "Destiny has brought me here today," the man continued. "It just so happens that I have been assembling a group of boys your age to teach them how to fight." Kai's eyes widened at that. "Perhaps you would like to join? I could teach you how to properly fight that bully so he'll never hurt you or your sister again."

Destiny . . .

Could it really be? What were the chances that this stranger would come to this small town with such an offer on today of all days? Kai looked back up the road behind him at his house. Maybe the man was right. Maybe if he learned to fight properly, if he could win next time, maybe then his parents wouldn't be so angry with him. Maybe then they would be proud.

Kai turned back to the visitor, a smile on his lips. "When can I start?"