A Quick Note from the Author: This is my first multi-chaptered fan fiction. Basically, it tells the story of a young Fire Nation soldier who meets up with Aang and the gang. I wanted to tell a story from the point of view of someone from the Fire Nation and I wanted to send the message that not all Firebenders are evil. I've tried to make this convincing in how the mind of a Firebender works but I'll let you guys be the judge of how well I did that. This story is mostly action/adventure but I'll tell you now, the ships are Kataang and Tokka. I just don't see enough of those out there. However, I encourage any and all readers to enjoy this fan fiction, even the Zutara shippers because the romance is just a side topic, not chapters of fluffy garbage (which I dislike in any ship). With that said, enjoy the story! - TJJK

Disclaimer: I do not own "Avatar: The Last Airbender" or anything related to it.

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The sun beat down on my back as I stood perfectly still and straight-backed on the early summer afternoon. It was outrageously hot out and it had been all week. Even the plants were starting to suffer – all that remained of a clump of bushes was a mass of thorny, tangled branches surrounded by clumps of vicious weeds that were usually deadly to them but now posed no threat to the collapsing brush. A small forest in the east provided decent shade for all the creatures that lived there but was really no help to me, much to my dismay. Only a few thin trees grew along the small creek behind me in the parched meadow, dying and fragile, and I tried to shelter myself from the heat by standing beneath them but they provided very little shelter from the sun's grasping rays.

A few sparrowkeets sang tauntingly from the shelter of their nests high atop the towering beech trees, their brilliantly green chest feathers gleaming impressively in the late afternoon glow. I wanted to strangle those birds; I really did if they didn't shut up. Why should they be having the time of their lives while I was completely and utterly miserable?

When I caught myself thinking that, I mentally scolded myself. Those birds hadn't done anything to hurt anybody. It was their instinct to sing, something they were born to do. But what good would their annoying melodies do to a war-torn world? Nothing much, I had to admit. Still, the thought of somebody killing the birds and burning down their homes was too horrible to imagine. Yet it happened each and every day but on a much higher scale.

Because every day, I knew for a fact, Fire Nation soldiers set fire to villages of innocent civilians, burning and killing hundreds of Earth Kingdom citizens in one simple maneuver. I only knew this because I had witnessed the events with my own eyes on countless occasions. Most of the time, I hid behind the trees that were still standing, trying not to get involved. I wasn't always that fortunate.

The sparrowkeet nearest me gave a particularly loud twitter and I felt my body tense. Stupid bird, I thought irritably, trying to ignore the pest's continuing cries of clueless joy. It won't last much longer, somebody's going to kill that thing. But even as the thought passed through my head, I felt assured that the bird would live. There was nobody near me and nobody was coming. Not now and not ever. And it was all because of me.

Which brought me to wonder, why did I have to be here? Why was I always targeted by the general? If I could be anywhere else in the world but here… Even back at home would be better than this. Back with my father. Or maybe that was just the heat getting to me. I knew I'd regret thinking that later.

But just standing still all day was torture. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if I suddenly dropped dead from a stroke or something. It would be better than standing here. No! I thought quickly, feeling slightly sick and dizzy. I shouldn't think like that… What's the matter with me?

The fact was I didn't even know what was wrong with me. Neither, apparently, did my father. Or General Zhong. Because I had never been close to either of the two men. But did that mean I wasn't close with myself? Did it mean I was insecure? Well, my lack of friends has certainly had an impact on my life, I thought bitterly. But it was true. I had never really had any friends, other than those I was now forbidden to see and the ones had who died in the war. Why couldn't I just do what I wanted with my life? Instead being a stupid soldier, I could be doing better things. Pffft! Yeah. Right.

To accompany the sparrowkeets' so-called peaceful song, the sound of gently flowing water was also taking a toll on my temper. Why did it have to be so hot out and why did the water have to be so cool and refreshing? If there wasn't a creek near me at all, I'd have no problem staying focused (okay, another lie, I corrected myself mentally with a small scowl). But the sound of water was so alluring… Like it was calling to me. Like the water wanted me to do something. Like something might actually happen…

I shook my head slightly to rid it of such tempting thoughts. I had a job to do. Being a soldier meant defending your nation and that's what I was going to do. I couldn't help but smile a little. I was protecting my nation by standing near a river. Yeah, pathetic. Thanks General Zhong, for giving me a stupid, pointless job, I thought viciously, glaring inwardly as a picture of the general popped in my head. I'll have to remember to thank you later for torturing me.

I was so distracted mentally abusing General Zhong (which was a wonderfully soothing hobby that I'd come to adopt) that I didn't even notice the two Earthbenders. Crouching behind the spiky bush remains, two boys, one who looked to be around eight, the other twelve, crept closer and closer to where I was standing, smiling broadly. If I had been watching, I would have been able to defend myself.

WHAM! The first boulder hit me straight in the chest and I was knocked completely off my feet, landing in a painful heap in the dust. Even my armor wasn't strong enough to withstand the close-ranged attack. A searing pain tore at my side and I squeezed my eyes shut in pain, feeling winded. As I struggled to get back up, something cool and wet dripped down from my side on to my thigh and slid smoothly down my pant leg and on to my bare ankle. Had I not been under attack, I would have taken my armor off to see what it was but standing up, I was met with a hailstorm of rocks. I winced and cowered as clumps of rough stone and flint pounded against me. I managed to regain my balance only to meet a rather large and unpleasant boulder right in its path to strike me. A blinding pain that felt like my sides were splitting opened erupted inside my ribcage as the rock collided hard with the left side of my body. Somewhere, I could've sworn I'd heard something snap but there was no time to investigate.

Laughing and slapping each other high-fives, the young Earthbenders started to quickly retreat back into the sun-scorched plant remains but I was one step ahead of them. Before they had managed to crawl back through the brush, I sent a nasty wave of fire at them, causing them to yelp in fear and struggle even harder through the branches, the thorns ripping and clawing at their tanned skin. I heard them scuffling off even after their backs disappeared into the forest and saw with some satisfaction that the dried bushes had caught fire. I hadn't intended to actually hurt them; just scare them. And it worked, I thought with a small smile as I stomped the baby fire out with my boot and returned to my post.

Because I was so sick of being attacked for no reason at all. Maybe a little fear would keep them away. Every day, I would be peacefully doing my job when a group of Earthbenders or just a few kids, even, would ambush me and throw rocks at me or hurl prickle-snakes down at my feet and then even my armor couldn't protect me because prickle-snakes are sharp.

They were about a foot thick and up to six feet long, covered with two-inch long, poisonous spines. They had venom-green eyes and sharp fangs that could penetrate even solid metal in an instant. They were quite fond of wrapping around my ankles and squeezing their spines right through my thick, plated armor, piercing my skin. I rarely got poisoned by them but even so, those things were painful. Once they have their little quills in you, it will ache for hours after.

This area in general was filled with prickle-snakes. What a coincidence of General Zhong to station me here. To guard a river. But honestly, what idiot wanted a river guarded? Zhong acted like you could go panning for gold in it or catch the world's biggest elephant koi, or something, though in reality, it wasn't even a river. It was just a creek. Zhong only wanted me here to make me suffer in the heat. I knew perfectly well that he was relaxing in his nice, little tent with a cool drink, laughing his head off at the thought of me melting in the heat. Which was basically what I was doing.

But he had a reason for everything. He wanted me to "guard" the river in case any rebels decided to lead an invasion from it. Yeah, very likely, considering the fact that nobody came down here. Well, nobody except sometimes the brave Earthbenders who came to harass the soldiers like the two earlier. Just in one week, I had received eleven huge bruises from the attacks, not counting the one today, and two jagged cuts in the ankle from where a particularly vicious prickle-snake had carved its two fangs into my skin. I'd probably return to the tent tonight to find two more bruises and cuts, and maybe even a fractured rib or something judging from the sound of the crack I'd heard.

I constantly complained to General Zhong about the assaults. Now that the Fire Nation had conquered Ba Sing Se and felled the Earth Kingdom, why did I have to be here? But the general would only smile and say, "Don't be a coward, soldier! This is war! Now drop and give me fifty!" Why, yes sir! I'll give you fifty! Fifty fireballs in the face, maybe, I thought angrily to myself.

I was only trying to do the job I despised. Was it really too much to ask to be left alone while I worked? Okay, so there were probably Fire Nation soldiers out there who harassed the Earthbenders. But that wasn't me! I was just an innocent soldier trying to protect my nation. I didn't deserve to be attacked on a daily.

But what did the Earthbenders care? To them, I was just another soldier. Another tall, intimidating figure clad in Fire Nation armor. I was faceless with no identity. Just another ruthless killer. Just another Firebender. Just another target. Just a robot behind a mask. To them, I had no feelings or emotions. To them, my objective was to kill and kill often. And to them, I was the thing that killed their brother or aunt or mother.

I felt slightly dizzy in the hot sun, thinking about my mother. It was weird. I'd never really met her before she died, yet it felt like we'd been together forever. I didn't even know what she looked like in person. I'd seen a lot of pictures of her, but I was too young to remember her when she died.

She always kept her hair short and simple, that's one thing I knew. She didn't braid it, nor did she put it up. It just hung about her face and shoulders. But she was beautiful. That's why I never grew my hair out. My father tried to force me on several occasions to grow it out in a ponytail like the other Firebenders but I kept it short and neat, just like my mom. I don't know why, but it made me feel like she was still a part of me. My hair now was pretty long and messy, though. I could feel it creeping down the back of my neck and my bangs had almost reached my eyes. I would have to steal somebody's knife and cut it soon because General Zhong certainly wouldn't let me cut it. He too thought a ponytail was more practical. I snorted. Ponytails were for girls.

I guess I felt so close to my mom because my father was a failure of a parent. Because when I had been born, my mother had been fighting a deadly disease. She knew she wasn't going to live. The doctor told her I wouldn't live either and she spent many sleepless nights weeping. But I lived. I only had a small case of her disease, but I battled it with her strength. It's like I had the will to live. Which was strange since my mother died a few days after and I was left to my father to be brought up.

Now that I think back, I'm surprised the doctor even let my father take me. He's the most horrible man I've ever known and to think the doctor would have realized that. But he didn't and I spent ten miserable years living with him. He never let me go outside unless it was for something important. And to him, socializing with my friends wasn't a good enough reason. So I was forced to spend every minute of my life inside, catering to his needs and wants. And mostly his wants.

When I was eight, I realized I should be able to do whatever I wanted. So I started sneaking out to meet up with my friends from school. We'd always have a great time and that's how I spent the best moments of my life. Then my father found out and yelled at me until he was blue in the face. He was so mad he locked me in my room for three days straight and practically starved me. He told me if anything like this ever happened again, he'd send me to some military school.

But that didn't stop me. When I was ten, he caught me playing with weapons from a nearby deserted battlefield. He stayed true to his word and sent me to a military camp. It was the worst experience of my life. I didn't seem my father for two years there, which really was a plus.

But he did come back. When I was twelve, he came to the camp and talked with the coordinators. I don't know what he told them, but a few days later, I was drafted into the Fire Nation army and now here I am, two years later. I remember begging the trainers not to make me go, crying and saying I didn't want to die. But they forced me into the army and I haven't seen my father since.

He's still alive. I sometimes get letters from him. Not the comforting letters you get from home, though. Letters saying I better not mess anything up or I'd 'get it'. But I've always disregarded these and burned them on-hand without replying. I'm free of him now, I can do what I want. Now I just have General Zhong to worry about.

Thinking of the general caused shivers to run down my back and I quickly pulled away from my thoughts. From the position of the sun, I could tell it was still mid afternoon. I sighed. My shift didn't end until nightfall. That's another thing, I thought, gritting my teeth, long hours for little pay. I only got enough money to take care of myself and sometimes even less. I hated my life.

I gazed vaguely at the vegetation that crawled around the entrance to the Eastern Forest. How I wanted to curl up in the shade without my armor and just sleep. Take a long nap, maybe wake up in a different place… A better life. I continued to stare intently at the plant life, the sounds of my surroundings melting together into a sweet melody of creek water and sparrowkeet songs.

I would've enjoyed the sound if that scream weren't so loud. Why did people have to scream so loudly? It was penetrating my barrier of sound. Wait a second – that scream? I jerked awkwardly out of my daydreams and peered cautiously around. Had I just heard a cream or had I only imagined it? Was my need for adventure getting the better of me and causing me to hear things?

I scanned the desolate meadow carefully, as carefully as I could with my mask on. That thing was hard to see through and it was extremely aggravating when I didn't have a full range of vision. There was nobody else there, however. Somewhere in my chest, I felt my heart drop just a tiny bit. For once, I thought something interesting might actually happen. Brilliant, Kairo, I thought to myself, now you're hearing things.

Suddenly, I heard another shrill scream and this time, I was positive I was actually hearing it. It was coming from the forest and by the sounds of it, there was a fight going on. There was more screaming, a girl, definitely, and then there was grunting. A few shouts of pain rose over the parched treetops. Instinctively, I started towards the commotion but stopped myself abruptly. What General Zhong would say if he saw me leaving my post? Then I realized I didn't care what he did to me. It was my life and no matter how horrible it was, I was going to live it.

I trotted along the creek until I hit the forest boundaries. The fight was just up ahead from the sound of it. Silently, I slipped along the coast of the river, dodging trees and hanging vines until I reached quite a large clearing. Crouching behind chain of straggly bushes, I watched the scene.

Amongst the thick-growing firs and various conifers, three Fire Nation soldiers stood in a semi-circle, leering at a girl with a long, brown braid down her back, flames burning in their clenched fists. Quite obviously, she had been the one screaming. They must have ambushed her.

One of the soldiers, the tallest of the three, punched a flame at the girl but she quickly retaliated, making a flowing motion with her hand and sending a tsunami of dull, clear water that washed out all three of them. She's a Waterbender, I thought excitedly, leaning in a little closer. I'd never seen a Waterbender before; my great-grandfather told me that since the war started, they'd hidden at their villages, rarely journeying to the Earth Kingdom because of the danger. I felt a slight surge of pride at remembering this scrap of information.

The Firebenders all jumped to their feet but the girl was relentless. She crashed another wave down of them, knocking two of them to the ground again where they lay groaning. However, the broader soldier managed to slip away just before the wave hit and snuck up behind the girl. With a brutish war-cry, he leapt into the air and kicked viciously at the Waterbender. A smoldering fireball collided full-force into her back and she fell to the ground, tears streaming down her cheeks as she struggled to maintain consciousness.

I recognized the broad Firebender at once as Rorin, one of the soldiers back at camp who was particularly fond of insulting me, mostly because I was younger than him. Even so, he was only about twenty-one. That sicko, I thought angrily, glaring at the man. What's he doing harassing that girl?

"Now, you can come with me and live or we'll just kill you now," he was saying to the girl, rolling his gold eyes under his helmet while his two cronies snickered. "We could use a little girl like you to heal us after battle." The girl was huddled on the ground, rubbing her burned, but not ruined, back with one hand while trying to hide her tears with the other. She must be a doctor, I thought instinctively. This part of the Earth Kingdom lacked doctors and wounded soldiers often had to wait out their ailment or else clumsily repair it themselves. Rorin had recently cut his arm throwing rocks at Earth Kingdom citizens (who just happened to be Earthbenders, what do you know) and had been complaining ever since.

I wondered if I should jump out and assist them but something about it didn't seem right. First of all, I hated Rorin and wouldn't help him if my life depended on it. But that wasn't what was stopping me since I wouldn't mind having a doctor around. 'You can come with me and live or we'll just kill you now.' She wasn't Fire Nation and from what my great-grandfather had told me, she was far from home. And she only looked around fourteen. Forcing a fourteen-year old Water Tribe girl into becoming a Fire Nation doctor wasn't right. It was like someone trying to force me into fighting against my nation. It was just… wrong.

From the way the girl was shaking her head told me she was stubborn. She wouldn't turn on her nation… and neither would I. But the Firebenders just laughed at her. Was it really that funny? I'd never enjoyed pain, especially seeing other people in it. She was Water Tribe but she was still human. As violent as the other nations were, I knew I couldn't just leave her to be killed. Not on my conscious. I couldn't handle watching a girl be burned to death just for trying to protect her people while I passively sat behind a bush. I had to do something.

The Waterbender was on her feet again, wincing as she stumbled over to the creek. The soldiers roared with laughter and started to close in on her, cutting her off from the stream. Thinking quickly, the girl opened a pouch at her side and brought forth a long, silver whip. With a rapid slashing motion, she cut Rorin around the neck. Most of the water was deflected off his armor but he still stumbled slightly, cursing and punching a handful of fire at the girl. She recoiled again and I knew my time was running out. I had to act now.

I started to run. I started running as fast as I could away from the scene. My head ached from the heat but I kept on running, not looking back. But I didn't run to my post. I headed right through the forest.

The trees were dense and roots grew profusely along the pine needle-coated earth. I knew the way from here; I had traveled back and forth through the forest so many times I knew it like the back of my hand. First right turn… Then straight… I trampled through the low branches like a Komodo Rhino that had just been struck in the rear with a fiery whip, plowing through the blockage of gnarled stumps and wiry branches easily in my armor. The Earth Kingdom town of Masse was just up ahead. A plan had already wedged itself into my already distracted mind. What a day, I thought with a small smile.

A thick strand of light poked its way into the thicket of brambles to the right and I tore through it, tripping a few times but catching myself before I fell. My armor would need to be polished after this but I didn't care, as long as I could save the girl. I didn't even know what it mattered to me so much. She was just some Water Tribe girl who was being too stubborn for her own good. But for some reason, Rorin's words came back to me again and again. He would actually kill her if she didn't obey. That's just sick, even for someone like him. It was something primitive that the Earth Kingdom might do.

Unnoticed by any of the civilians and even better, soldiers, I leapt out of the woods and skirted the town's main gate where the Fire Navy supply tents were kept. I'm sabotaging my own people, I thought sardonically, but I overcame my hesitation as I stealthily approached one of the tents.

It was a pretty big tent, packed to the ceiling with food, weapons, and clothing. I had never been inside this particular tent but it was an easy assumption; you've been in one tent, you've been in them all. It was several feet taller than myself, blood-red in color with an angry-looking Fire Nation insignia inked across the door flaps which were trimmed with gold. A strong, metal lock bolted the tent shut from intruders and could only be opened by the key General Zhong kept on his trusty key ring, which coincidentally never left his side. But I didn't need to go inside it so the fact didn't really matter.

Shame, it's a big tent, I mused to myself, knowing that I was about to destroy a huge amount of Fire Nation supplies. Crawling over to the tent on my stomach, I glanced around one final time to make sure I was completely alone. I was. Taking a deep breath, I sparked a wisp of fire from my fingertips and set the bottom of the tent pole on fire, letting nature do the rest. Within seconds, the whole tent was ablaze.

Thick strands of stinging, gray smoke rose high into the sky like prickle-snakes slipping away from a predator, a conspicuous signal of trouble for miles around. Somebody would notice the smoke soon enough and I wasn't going to stick around until they did. Quickly and quietly, I slipped back into the forest

On the way back through the woods, I heard the Firebenders from before trundling clumsily through the woods, yelling and jeering about an unfinished job. I quickly concealed myself behind a rock as they darted past, too much in a hurry to take notice of much. With a quiet laugh, I jumped up and continued to sprint back to the clearing.

The girl was still there, sitting exhaustedly by the creek. I squinted through the brush to get a better look at what she was doing. She had her hands over her leg, which was bleeding excessively from a serious-looking burn. But for some reason, her hands had turned pale. No, scratch that, they were completely silver. As shocked as I was to see a girl with silver hands, I kept quiet and watched the scene from my hiding spot. Her hands were also glowing as she moved them back and forth over her wound. Suddenly, I realized what she was doing; she was healing herself! So that's what the soldiers wanted her for – to heal them with water!

Sure enough, she stood up moments later with nothing but a small scratch carved into her flesh. Amazing! I thought ecstatically. If only the Fire Nation had healers like that! The Water Tribe girl, though still weak, had done a marvelous job healing her leg. Perhaps I had underestimated her. Maybe she wasn't so helpless after all. Still, three on one wasn't fair.

I guess what happened next was all because of me. I shouldn't have come back to check on her. I should have just left. I shouldn't have made so much noise. Because it happened so fast, so speedy, just like a Waterbender, that I didn't know what happened until several seconds later. One second, I'm watching the incredible healer, the next, I'm lying flat on my back in the clearing, face-to-face with a very angry-looking pair of ocean-blue eyes…

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Just to clear things up (as this chapter was told in the first-person), the soldier's name is Kairo, which is basically pronounced as "Iroh" with a "k" in front of it. He mentioned it once to himself but I'm not sure everyone picked up on it.