[IC] Avatar: Return of the Airbenders

[pyroman]

To say that Masuto was excited was an understatement. He was a bouncing ball of energy from the minute he woke up in the morning. It was only two days from his birthday, and he couldn't wait to be sixteen. There really wasn't much that he would now be able to do, since he did live a free and happy life, but had a feeling that his birthday would be far more important than the others. He couldn't explain the feeling that he had, but the air around him just felt so much different than before. After some time laying in bed, the red haired man popped out of his sheets and raced to get his uniform on. His firebending teacher only taught a few select people, and two of those people just happened to be Masuto and his older sister, Aki. Both of them were blessed with the ability to manipulate fire, and although Masuto was younger than her by a few years, His skill with bending was far past hers.

His sister was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for him to get out of bed so that they two of them wouldn't miss lessons. It was a miracle that they had been able to been accepted as students by one of the most powerful firebenders in Republic City, and she didn't want to disappoint the man. Her head turned to look at the cloc right above the door that led outside and she sighed. Aki looked back up the stairs and called to her brother. "Come on Masuto! We're going to be late and I don't want to tell Master Hiro that we were late because you decided to sleep in!" She could hear his door opening just as she finished speaking by the way that it squeaked as it opened, and saw her younger brother rushing down the stairs. She smiled at him and turned to head out the door, just barely staying in front of Masuto as the pair headed out to go to their lessons.

The reason that Hiro accepted them was mainly because of Masuto. The boy had a lot of power behind his fire at such a young age, and Masuto wouldn't have accepted the teachings unless Aki was taught along with him. Hiro had no choice but to accept and taught the both of them for the past seven years. He had seen them both improve, but with Masuto, there didn't seem to be a stopping point for his abilities. The master believed that if Masuto kept on training, he might even be able to bend lightning some day.

[tsubasa]

Zenji jumped up and over a fruit cart with ease, causing one of the rogue benders chasing after her to crash into it. She looked over her shoulder to see the fruit falling to the ground. She called to the owner, who was yelling at the rogue bender, "I'm sorry!"

She spun back around and kept running, the people behind her were fast, luckily for herself, she was faster. With ease, she ran up a wall and pulled herself onto the roof. It was dangerous being on the roof, fire, water, and earth had a clear path of hitting her, but she didn't want to get some bystander hurt because she wanted the protect of the crowd. She heard the air beside her crackle and dove to the ground as lightning shot over her head. Lying on the roof, she looked over her shoulder as the rogue benders caught up to her. She rolled over onto her back as they walked up to her. A woman looked down at her, "This will hurt."

Zenji's heart pounded in her chest, "Sorry," She whispered as she rolled over again, swinging her legs, causing a gust of air to throw them back. Zenji got to her feet before they did and jumped into the alley below, legging it away.
~
Nyima cursed as she lay on her back. She hit the ground as she started to stand up, "Follow her," She said as she pulled off the scarf that covered most of her face. One of the men who had joined her looked at her, "Maybe, we should get Rayn..."

She glared at him, "Follow her."

The man ran off as Nyima got to her feet. He was right, this one had been getting away from too many teams. Her bright hair was a dead give away of who she was and yet she always managed to out run them. She ran her hand through her hair and sighed. Instead going in pursuit of the airbender, she went to find Rayn, they worked better together.

[Aerandir]

Rayn slammed his palm into the diaphram of the airbender, crushing it and his ribs along with the process. He stood like a statue as the Airbender fell to the ground, a bored look on his face, or what could be seen as he wore a skin tight black mask that showed only his eyes. He stood out like asore thumb but with his rank and reputation in the police force he couldnt take anymore chances of being caught. not when most of the new police were trained by him...

The Airbender coughed and growned in the ally they were in, begging not for them to kill him. "Pittiful..." he thought to himself and looked discustedly at the man. He looked at the two rouge benders with him at which he said, "Take him and question him. Find out more about the temple, I'm going to check on Nyima." The two men nodded and grabbed the airbender, and dragged them towards their safe house. He in turn started running over to the general area where he knew she was working. It didnt take long to see a trail of chaos and after looking at the trail it was easy to see where they ran off to.

He jumped on the rooftops and ran along them, until he saw people fighting on top of a roof. A blue haired girl on her back and a woman...Nyima standing over her. Suddenly the airbender did a rolling kick with her legs, sending Nyima back as well as the others. He shook his head and sighed before running over and jumping off the roof and landing lightly on the ground. ten feet behind the group. He heard them mention they should get him and Nyima stubbernly glare at them and tell them to follow the airbender. All the while he casually walked up behind them as the men ran off and Nyima stood up running her hand through her hair. He smiled at the thought, Nyima did not like at all saying that she needed help from him...trying to prove herself that he didnt need to take care of her...true to an extent. she had grown up fast in the last three years.

He stood with great possture with his hands behind his back and asked, as she was turning "Looking for me?" with a hint of innocence in his voice.

-
Zhou walked through the city with a partchment in his hand, sealed in a envalope that was given to him from his elders up at the north tribe. He was to go to a certain address at a certain time to deliver it. So he knew where the house was but had much time before it so he spent the time looking for any clues of his younger sister Nyima who has been missing for 3 years. Of all the places he traveled this was not one he had tried yet. figuring she had moved on since then. but since he was here might as well tried.

He looked way out of place with his water tribe out fit, and his weapons. As the entire world had moved on with technology and the water tribes stayed in the pass. A choice he has been deciding might have been wrong. but it was wasnt his desision to make for everyone else.

He came to a stop near an ally and took a drink from his water pouch wondering where he should go,..feeling something, anything...

[pyroman]

Masuto and Aki walked calmly through the streets as they made their way to Hiro's training ground, both of them wearing traditional fire nation clothing that had been popular in their homeland quite some time ago. Hiro had told them that it was respectful to wear traditional while practicing fire bending, and said that he wouldn't teach them unless they did. Neither of them minded it, and they actually liked wearing the uniforms since it reminded Aki of home.

"I'm sorry!"

Both Masuto and Aki turned to hear the voice that had suddenly appeared. Soon after, the two heard much more noise and went to investigate what was going on. Aki knew that they shouldn't worry about it, but her curiosity was getting the best of her and she was following her younger brother to see what was going on. Mastuo was the first to notice that something was running up a wall and onto the roof. Soon after, multiple people climbed up the same wall and appeared to be chasing whoever was up at the front. The only people that he knew that would be able to run up a wall like that were the airbenders... That would make the people chasing that person Rogue Benders. His eyes widened at the realization. He quickly turned to his sister with a calm look on his face. "Aki, you go to Master Hiro and tell him that I'll be late. It's an emergency." Before she had any time to respond, Masuto was running over towards the building that the Airbender and the Rogue Benders went up. He had yet to get the hang of using his fire to propel himself upwards, but he assumed that now was the best time to see if he could to it or not.

The young man ran at the building at full speed and jumped up high, flicking his wrists as soon as he reached the peak of his jump. From his wrists, fire lashed up in thin streams. Masuto put more power behind his flames as he felt himself descending, and smiled once he began to move upwards. It didn't take very long for him to reach the top of the building, but once he did, he sighed lightly. The Airbender was gone, and one of the Rogue Benders was talking about following the Airbender, who was now apparently a girl. "HEY!"

He called out to the Rogue Benders in an act of bravery, and put himself in a ready stance that he learned from Hiro. It was a more traditional stance, and wasn't like the augmented stance that the pro-benders had, or like the modern one that was a long ways away from being anything like the older stance. He wanted to buy that Airbender some time to escape, and he believed that his bending abilities were sufficient enough to take at least one of them out.

---

A young woman had been watching from the distance, watching an Airbender flee up a building, Rogue Benders following her, and a Fire Bender following all of them. It was an interesting sight, and although she wanted to run in and go get the Airbender, but her job at the moment was to stay under cover. She was good at acting and hiding, and if she wanted to, she could become invisible and live the life of someone else. Her long hair was bundled up in a hat that sat above her head, the bill of it covering her eyes so that nobody could see her amber eyes. She wore a long sleeve grey shirt with a brown leather jacket over that, and the collar of the jacket folded outwards so that most of her face was hidden. She was currently sitting at a small coffee shop, drinking her coffee and reading a book. She was just supposed to just watch all of the unfolding events, and she had the urge to do the job herself and take care of the Airbender herself. She couldn't fail at her job, and she needed to stay in line. She worked far to hard to prove her worth, and she wasn't going to mess it all up by going against the boss. With a small sigh, she slowly stood up and grabbed her book, walking slowly and carefully to make sure that she wouldn't give away her true identity.

[tsubasa]

Nyima turned to find Rayn standing behind her with a smug look on his face. She jumped a let out a small yelp of surprise, not expecting him to have been there. She covered her mouth and blushed slightly before punching him in the shoulder, "Don't sneak up on me like that, would you?"

Despite finding it hilarious that he scared her he raised an eyebrow as she punched him In the shoulder trying to conceal her blush. He raised his hands slightly to shrug it off before saying " You need to be aware of your surroundings. Not my fault you didn't see me."

He then looked towards where the airbender ran off to. " the point of surprise and silence is not to draw attention and be caught. I've been following a trail of chaos for about a mile back here. This airbender a little to tough for you?"

Nyima crossed her arms and set her jaw, "Are you going to keep lecturing me or are you going to help?"

When he brought up the 'trail of chaos', she sighed, "I told them to be more careful and they ran into fruit carts. It isn't my fault that their a bunch of bumbling idiots..." She pursed her lips as she looked at him, "We're losing her right now... And she's given more than just this team a bit of trouble."

He sighed and said " You should know it's your responsibility if your team messes up. I just don't want to see you hurt." He said softly after looking at her for a moment. He looked back to the direction of the air bender and said. " alright let's clean this mess up." He said before moving into a run into that direction.

Nyima was a little taken back by the softness in his voice. Sure, she knew that he didn't want to see her get hurt. He felt like she was his responsibility. But when those words came across during one of his lectures, they weren't soft. She rolled her eyes, "And what was I supposed to do. Stop clean up and pray that one of your police officers didn't arrest me?"

He looked back to the direction of the air bender and said. " alright let's clean this mess up." He said before moving into a run into that direction.

When he gave in, she smiled and ran off after him, "About time."

As Rayn ran passed her, she saw a boy fly onto the roof. She turned quickly to not allow him to see her face and jumped into the alley below. She looked at Rayn, "We better move quick," She pointed to a broken box, "This is where the trail of chaos is helpful. Come along."

She ran off, following the trail to find the airbender.

[Aerandir]

As Zhou stands there he perks up as he hears running looking around he sees a blue haired girl running from four other men who were chasing her... He gritted his teeth as he saw no one try to stop the men as they did. He gripped his sword and positioned himself so the blue haired girl would run by him.

Zenji ran through the streets not bothering to look over her shoulder. The sound of pounding feet behind her told her that she hadn't lost her pursuers. Breathing was starting to burn and her sides ached, how long had she been running for. As she ran, she noticed a man in very traditional garbs. Which confused her slightly as she ran passed.

As soon as she ran passed he stepped forward tripping the first man with his step and with out hesitating he knelt down and shoved his elbow into a second mans stomach the force of the two energys colliding caused massive trauma to the area making the man howling In pain. Causing the other two to stop and yell" what's your problem?!"

Zenji turned around when she heard a commotion. She noticed the man had started to fight the Rogue Benders. Her heart dropped... What if he got hurt? She couldn't run off now and let that happen. She ran down and alley and climbed onto a roof. Lying flat on her stomach, she watched, ready to do anything if things went South.
~
Nyima heard shouting ahead of her and Rayn and they followed. She looked at him, "That doesn't sound good."

Rayn nodded and looked back at her he then made a motion with his hands to pull up an invisible scarf. Obviously reminding her to do so as she pulled it off before. After a moment of faster running they rounded the corner to see rouge benders fighting a big water tribe guy. This happens time to time by standers get in the way of their work.

Zhou didn't reply but stood up and balled his fist, at which the two came at him from opposite sides. Quickly side stepping he spun around and chopped a guy in the neck with his hand, a loud crack could be heard as he did so. Then he kicked the same man in the thigh, cracking another bone. He then caught the other guys weapon and twisted it with his body, ripping it out of his hands and spinning more he slammed the man in the back of the head.

Nyima had almost forgotten about her scarf. Which was stupid on her part. She grabbed it and wrapped the material around her face. She glanced at Rayn and smiled, not that he could see. People were scattering away from whatever was happening ahead, which worried her. When they finally made it to the scene, she froze as she stared at the man in the blue water tribe clothing.

Zhou looked over as he saw two more people with their faces covered running towards them. The man slowed down and stopped infront of the woman. Blocking her path. A clear intention of saying stay back. Zhou watched the mans movements and could tell he was more in control of himself, and probably would prove more difficult.

Rayn looked at the water tribe man, he saw how effortlessly and flawlessly he dispatched the last two men. Precise and critical blows. Theman knew what he was doing. Which was great for him. It's been a while since he had a challenge.

Moving forward slowly and casually he came within five feet of him. Both stood tall as if they were going to talk with no intention of fighting.

Nyima looked at Rayn as he stepped in front of her. Had it been any other person, she might have pushed him aside and insisted of fighting along side him. But as she looked at her brother, who had barely changed in the last three years, she felt like her feet were full of lead.

As they walked toward each other, her stomach tightened. She couldn't let them fight... She didn't know how she would live with herself if she let either one of them get seriously injured. At least with Rayn, she could heal him. She was scared to move or say anything though... What if he recognized her?...

[pyroman]

Masuto sighed as soon as the Rogue Benders ran off after the Airbender. He didn't want to run after them and face the consequences of missing his lesson with Hiro, but he didn't want for the Airbender to get hurt. The young man quickly dropped down from the building and ran after the Rogue Benders. he would face his punishment when it came to him, but he had to focus on saving the Airbender.

He came to a stop as he saw a tanned man in blue clothing take out two of the Rogue Benders using little to no effort. Masuto stood at a distance as he watched the events unfold. He didn't see the Airbender in the area, as it was just two more Rogue Benders and the Water Tribe man. He couldn't spend time watching them fight, he had to go and find that Airbender! The young man made sure to stay away from the group of three as he began to run again. He didn't know how many Rogue Benders were after this particular Airbender, so he was going to be as careful as he could in the even that he would be overwhelmed by them all. he didn't bother calling out to the airbender, as it would bring attention to him, as well as bringing the woman out of hiding, which he didn't want to happen.

---

Li watched from a distance as Nyima, Rayn, and the Water Tribe man were preparing to fight. It wasn't a time to act, but if they stood around any longer, the Airbender would get away again and she'd have to come back empty handed. She promised herself that she wouldn't disappoint, but she also had to play by the rules and only watch for the time being. She stayed closer to the group of three than most people did, her eyes scanning all three of them to see what exactly was going on.

[Aerandir]

After a moment of looking each other in the eyes, they seemed to be sizing each other up. Suddenly they both moved at the same time, It seemed as if they knew each others next move as the punched kicked blocked and moved around trying to gain the advantage. Despite the water tribes normal style of fighting it was evident that Zhou didn't fight that way, his style was similar but mix between Earth and water styles.

Rayn was surprised at the unexpected style of this water tribe man, which caused him to slow down enough to be rewarded with a short but powerful blow to the face, sending him backwards, landing hard on the ground. He quickly got up to his knees and spat out blood from his mouth. Wiping what was left with his sleeve. "Nice hit.." He said as he stood up. Chuckling slightly... its been a while since he wasn't able to land a first hit...and have someone knock him off his feet. He didn't wait for a reply from the man as he rushed in with a flurry of punches. High, low, from the left to the right, though despite his attacks the man was able to fend them off. Rayn realized he was sticking too much to the earth bender style... a style that he was teaching the recruits. Not his style.

Changing from his short powerful strikes he feigned a low kick, but instead slammed the ground with his foot to vault over the man and while he was spinning lauched a punch that cracked the man in the side of the head as he was turning around at the same time, sending him staggering. Rayn landed and watched as the man pulled his sword from his sheath, at which Rayn pulled his two metal shafts from his back and slammed them together, bending the metal so it was secure to each other.

Now when Zhou attacked he was surprised at the rouge benders ability to change his style similar to Zhou. As his blade clashed against the mans staff he noted that his motions were much more fluid, much like an Airbenders style of using the bowstaff... he admired despite the fact the man was trying to attack a girl, he saw the uses of learning their style. Very strange but admirable.

They exchanged blows as fast as they could, but both were powerful and skilled, at the same level almost. but it was clear Rayn was gaining ground due to his more experiance

[tsubasa]

Nyima was taken back when Rayn stumbled and hit the ground in front of her before spitting out blood. It had been sometime since she had seen someone land a hit on Rayn so quickly, then again, she knew her brother to be quite the skilled fighter. He, of course, never taught her. She pondered running off again butif she did... She watched as they both removed their weapons and continued their battle, one of them was sure to die. Zhou only saw a man trying to hurt a girl and Rayn saw someone standing up for an airbender. The fate of which was death. She watched as Rayn gained ground on her brother and soon enough, she could not watch anymore.

Rayn was not prepared for an attack from the side and she ran at him as he swung. Pushing a few pressure points, she managed to use his momentum to push him away from Zhou. She did not manage to escape unscathed as Zhou's blade that he swung to block came down on her shoulder. She bit down to avoid yelling out and the possibility of her brother recognizing her as she continued to push Rayn, causing the blade to open her shoulder slightly. She looked up at him and pleaded with her eyes for him to just leave. When they were entering the surprised crowd, she grabbed Rayn's hand and ran. Adrenaline pumped through her system, easing the pain in her shoulder, as she prayed that her brother went to find the airbender rather than following them. Pulling Rayn into an alley, some ways away, she glanced back to see if her behemoth of a brother was following. When she noticed he wasn't, she ripped away her scarf and let out a small cry of pain as she gripped her bleeding shoulder. She looked at Rayn and felt tears in her eyes, she wasn't sure if they were from the pain or from seeing her brother and having to run away. Nyima looked away, "Sorry....... I couldn't.... That... was Zhou....."
~
Zenji winced slightly when the man landed a hit on the Rogue Bender, who fell back. She was only slightly happy. She wasn't one for violence but she was glad that he seemed to be winning. That however, did not last. She tensed slightly when the second man started to gain on the first. She balled her hand into a fist... Maybe, she could knock him over, give him some time. She didn't even get the chance to move slightly before the second Rogue Bender ran into the first and pushed him away, not without getting caught under the blade. They ran off in the opposite direction of her, which was confusing. She slowly started to stand was she heard a noise behind her. She grabbed her glider off her back and turned around, holding it out defensively. She looked at a boy in traditional fire nation wear with wide eyes. Her heart still pounded in her chest from the chase. What was this boy doing here?... He didn't look like a Rogue Bender nor was he covering his face like most. Her hands tightened on the staff, "What are you doing here?"

[pyroman]

Li was not happy with what she saw from the distance. The larger looking Water Tribe man had delivered the first hit in the battle, and the Rogue Bender man and woman had just run off from the fight. She saw the direction that the Airbender went, and the man and woman weren't going that way. She didn't like it, but she couldn't risk coming back empty handed. The disguised woman walked in the direction that the Airbender went. She didn't break her composure, and walked calmly. She knew that there was a possibility to fight the Firebender boy, as he seemed to have wanted to protect the Airbender as well. If she could get away with it, she would return to her boss without having to have fought anyone. Her eyes quickly scanned the crowd as it slowly went back to normal, The girl had bright blue hair, it was near impossible to miss.

---

Mausto held up his hands in defense as the blue haired woman before him turned around and held her staff in a defensive staff. He gave her a small smile on his surprised face and held a funger to his lips. "Shh.." He said quietly before lowering his finger away from his lips and speaking his next choice of words quietly enough so that she could be able to hear him. "You need to hide. A change of clothes too. I won't hurt you, come on." The young man lowered both of his hands and looked at her calmly. It was obvious by her appearance that she was an Airbender, and her blue hair didn't help with blending in.

[Aerandir]

Rayn was taken by surprise when his side was attacked hitting pressure points to jerk him to the side. His surprise turned to anger when he saw it was Nyima. What the hell did she think she was doing?!

She looked up at him with pleading eyes and sink into her shoulder. Despite him wanting to kill this man even more his urge to protect Nyima overrode his process. He can find this man later and kill him for what he did.

As they came to the ally and Nyima let out a cry of pain he tore his mask off and ripped his shirt around the waist. " WHAT THE HELL WHERE YOU THINKING!" He growled as he moved toward her.

He noticed the tears in her eyes and heard her say that it was Zhou, her brother. He only hesitated for a moment when he realized who she was mentioning. Things were clearer now, it explained his style and experience.

He wrapped her shoulder and placed pressure on it. He was still furious over her stopping his fight, but more so that he can't kill that man for hurting her now.

With much self control he said, " We got to get you stitched up soon."

Nyima rested back against the wall and closed her eyes tightly, trying to push the pain away. She shook her head, "I got hit a sword... that isn't exactly something you can explain in an ER..."

Her sting of her shoulder started to throb. She moved and rested her head against Rayn's chest. She took a deep breath as she stood there, "Besides, we have to... get airbender... stop her... from causing more... chaos."

She supposed it wasn't smart to run right after being injured like she had been. Her heart had already been pounding in her chest, even more so now. She wondered how much blood she had already lost. She looked up at Rayn and gave in to getting her stitched up, "Fine..." was all she managed to say before she collapsed.

When she collapsed He caught her and lifted her up In his arms. With out hesitating he bolted through the ally's towards a safe house.
Once inside he laid her on the table and quickly called a doctor that was a friend to the rouge benders. While he waited he replaced his ripped shirt bandage with a proper bandage after he tore her shirt enough to get it. He had her all ready by the time the doc arrived. Who quickly set to re cleaning the wound and stitching it. After he was done Rayn thanked him and payed him for his troubles. Then picking up Nyima gently he walked her over to the bedroom and laid her on the bed. Siting down next to her.

Nyima woke slowly to find herself on a bed. She moved slightly and winced from the pain that erupted in her shoulder again. She was slightly glad she hadn't been awake as she was stitched up. She rolled her head to the side and looked at Rayn. She smiled, she was completely unaware of the amount of time that passed but said, "That was fast."

---

After the two rouges left he stood there surprised. That the woman got in the way and took a hit. She must have cared deeply for the man who he was fighting even though he was the one gaining ground. It confused him why she would stop him. He didn't chase them, he wasn't one who sought bloodshed. He instead turned around to see if the Airbender was near by still. As she cleaned his blade of the blood and at sheathed it

[tsubasa]

Despite her smile he didn't back. " you were out for about 3 hours." He said turned to grab the water he had ready for her and handed it to her. " you think you can drink or do you need me to help?"
-
Nyima shook her head and took the water with her good arm, not wanting to disturb her shoulder, "I can do it..."

She rose the glass to her lips and sipped at it, "I'm sorry... But... You would have killed him," She stared at the water in her glass and shook her head, "I couldn't let you do that...
-
He growled. " you could have warned me before I made my way over to him. Or told me when there was a lull In the battle. That was stupid and reckless of you. You could of died" he sighed and said " I'm the only one allowed to be reckless. You're the one supposed to take care of me if I get hurt."
-
Nyima looked at him, "You didn't give me a chance!" she sighed, "And I was scared... I was worried if he heard me.... Then he'd know... And if I waited... That you would hurt him."

She looked at him when the last of his sentence clicked in her brain. She smirked a little at him, "Well, I'm sure I'm a heck of a lot easier to carry."
~~~~
Zenji continued to hold her staff out in front of her, watching the boy. Luckily, it seemed that the Rogue Benders had all run off or been dealt with. If he made a move, she could jump off the roof and continue her run. She looked him up and down, "You don't exactly fit in either."
-
Masuto smiled sheepishly at the woman in front of her and scratched the back of his head. He didn't have to look at his clothes to know that she was talking about them, and with a nervous laugh, he explained their purpose. "Master Hiro makes it a rule that we need to wear traditional clothing when taking his lessons..."
-
Zenji didn't look away from him. She just hoped that no one managed to fly up the wall behind her. She pursed her lips, "Master Hiro... lessons... You're a firebender."

She sized him up, "Why should I come with you... You could be a Rogue Bender..."
-
Masuto should have seen the question coming. He just walked up to her and told her to follow her. That would warrant questions from anybody, especially airbenders. He nodded when she figured out that he was a firebender, and thought of what to tell her to convince her that he was trying to help her. ".. Because where else can you go?" He asked honestly. "I've heard the reports every morning ever since the purge started. It's obvious that Rogue Benders aren't just in Republic City. They're everywhere. As much as I hate to say it, there aren't many places to hide from such a large group.."
-
Zenji's eyes lowered slightly when he asked her where else could she go. The temples were the most dangerous places for Airbenders to go, now that everyone could access them. She knew of a few hidden places that friends and their families had gone to... but she wasn't even sure if they were safe there. She had a bison but where was it that she could take her? She was a give away of what she was. She looked back at the Firebender and sighed, "With people I trust..."

[pyroman]

Masuto somewhat understood what she meant by talking about people she trusted, but who could she trust? He had no idea if she was just saying that to give herself a reason to keep away from him, or if she still had people that were alive and kicking during the purge, and he wanted for her to know that she would be able to trust him. "If you do still have people that you trust, I think that it would be best to either travel solo or in very small groups. I don't think it's the best Idea to travel in one big airbender group."

Zenji looked at him and nodded, "I never said there were a lot of people I trusted."

She didn't move, just held his gaze, "Even Airbenders will sell you out if they think it will save them... It won't but they are desperate."

She noticed movement at the edge of the roof off to the side of them. Her heart pounded in her chest. She started to step back closer to the edge of the roof behind her, "Did you bring someone with you?"

Masuto shook his head at the blue haired woman and looked around to see if anyone was around them. "I didn't bring anyone with m-" He was suddenly stopped to a silent person in a coat rushing at him and launching a punch that was only inches from his face, forcing him to back away from the airbender in surprise. The person said nothing to either of them, and it was hard to tell what the person was thinking since a large collar covered much of her face, and a hat covered up the rest. The person turned their head to look at the woman for a moment before looking back at Masuto.

Li looked at the firebender with a steeled look on her face. She knew that she would have to take him out first, since it was obvious that he was going to assist the airbender in escaping. She rushed at Masuto again and began to attack him. She didn't expect for him to suddenly shift into a defensive stance and block most of the hits that she delivered. He still got his a few times, but she had underestimated the boy and only put more speed and strength into her attacks.

Zenji jumped when the unknown person practically threw themselves at the firebender. She watched as he was punched a few times. He had managed to block the odd one but Zenji did not like the sound of another person getting pumbled because of her. She thought about it, they climbed up onto the roof and they were clearly after her, despite fighting the firebender. Meaning they were a Rogue Bender up also that it was unlikely that they had any bending abilities, they wouldnt' have taken the time to climb if they had. She swept her staff through the air sending a gust of wind at the two of them. She quickly grabbed the boy's collar to make sure he didn't fall over or off. She looked him in the eye, "For now... I trust you... Trust me... we should run."
Li was a little surprised to see that the airbender was taking action, but soon snapped out of her thoughts to catch herself and keep from falling off of the roof. She had to regain her balance, which forced for her to take her eyes off of the firebender and airbender long enough to escape as soon as she realized it, she let out a grunt of displeasure and made her way down from the rooftop.

Masuto nodded at the airbender and looked at her calmly and seriously. It was obvious that they should run, and he looked down at her hand on his collar and looked back at her. "Can't run unless you let go." He said with a small smile.

Zenji quickly let go of his collar and blushed slightly, "Sorry... I didn't want to blow you off the roof..."

She slid her glider's strap over her shoulder, so that her hands were free and nodded to the boy, "Come along."

She jumped down off the roof with ease. She looked around herself. As she waited for the firebender to join her, she contemplated looking for the water tribe man but she wasn't sure she'd be able to find him and get away from the new attacker.

[Aerandir]

Rayn nodded at her last statement. "True..." He sighed and looked around. "Still you have to think of later on... How is this going to effect your fighting?"

Nyima looked at him, quite unimpressed, "I could have died Rayn and you're here worrying about how this is going to effect my fighting..."

She shook her head and smirked. She rose sipped more of her water, "I'll work around it... Besides, if you keep stepping in front of me like you did, I may never have to worry about fighting again."

He narrowed his eyes. " I only said that after I knew you will live." He stood up. And said as he moved to the window to check outside. "It's how I work. " he looks back at her." If you remember I didn't want you fighting anyway. And if I could have my way... I would keep fighting in your stead.

Nyima looked over at him as he looked out the window. She assumed that he was most likely checking to make sure no one had followed them or was catching onto the safe house. Although, if they had been here 3 hours, it was clear no one had been on their trail. She shook her head, "If you had it your way. I'd be in danger more often than not," She smiled at him, "At least now I can protect myself."

"Protecting yourself is fine. Jumping into a fight unarmed is not." He looked at her as he said it. His voice soft. " you don't realize what I've been going through these last couple hours till I found out your fine.

Nyima sipped her water quietly. It wasn't till a few minutes later that she spoke again, "I... didn't know how else to stop you... I know... I should have paid attention his sword, I should ran in after a strike... It would have been safer for the both of us.... but I wasn't thinking!"

She moved to sit up and winced as she applied pressure on her arm. She placed her water down, "I'm sorry..."

He sighed and sat down on a chair looking at her. "I'm sorry I'm just worrying too much over here." After a moment of thinking he asked "so that's your brother... What are you going to do about it?"

Nyima didn't meet his eye when he asked what she was going to do about her brother being in town. She shook her head, "Nothing...."

She knew he was not going to be happy with that answer. She stole a look at his face and sighed, "I can't... He'll try and take me back to my parents and that horrible man..."

He looked at her for a long moment after she said that. " I don't think he would... Even if he did... I wouldn't let him

Nyima held her arm with her hand, making sure not to disturb her shoulder at all, "Promise?"

He nodded " if that is what you wanted. Not even the entire water tribe army could stop me."

Nyima laughed a little, she could see Rayn taking on the water tribe army. Not even to help her, just for the hell of it. She gave him a small smile, "Thank you, Rayn."

She stood and walked away from the bed. Her legs felt weak, probably from the blood loss or the fact that she had been unconscious for the last few hours. They trembled slightly as she walked over to the window. She tried to figured out where it was that they were, "You carried me all the way here? How did no one notice?"

He nodded and watched as she made her way over to the window, he sat on the edge of his seat just incase she would fall. She then asked him that and he leaned back." It helps when the hospital is in the direction your running in." He said with a smile

Nyima looked over her shoulder at him and smiled, "See, I think before I do some things."

She sat on the window sill, relaxing and taking a bit of a rest. She looked at him as she leaned against the window, "Some times, I wonder what you would do without me," She teased.

He gave her a suuuuuuuuuuuurre look. He then said with a small smile... "Probably bored... But get a lot more done in the process." He stood up and said " alright enough walking around, you lost a lot of blood and it's not the best idea walking around. He motioned his head to the bed.

Nyima sighed and threw her head back as she walked back to the bed, trying to look as displeased with the 'order' as possible. She sat back on the bed and carefully laid back down. She lay there and looked up at him, "I think you'd be arrested by now. I've had to drag you away from fights before too, mister."

He chuckled. "Unlikely, having to watch out for two people makes it harder to cover. And yeah I could of handle them. Besides you nearly got me arrested more times." He looked at her with a raised I brow

Nyima's jaw dropped as she shook her head, "Not true!" She did her best to kick him lightly without moving her upper body, "Take that back!"

She looked down at the blankets that she had tossed to the end of her bed and bit her lip, "Do you think you could grab the blankets for me? It's rather cold in here..."

He smiled and move out of the way of the kick. He then looked back at her to see her biting her lip. She then asked him for some blankets. He raised his eyebrow... It was really warm outside... "Yeah I can do that." He was kinda worried with her statement. He moved out of the room and pulled some heavy comforters from the closet. And brought it back and laid it upon her.

Nyima hadn't expected him to get heavier blankets for her but she was grateful. She pulled them up to her chin and curled up under them. She was still a little cold but she figured once the blankets warmed up she would to. She moved a little under the blanket, making some room. She patted the new spot beside her, "Lie down... You must be tired..."

He was surprised when she offered him a spot next to her. He shook his head "I...I'm fine. Have to stay up and make sure your ok when you rest

Nyima shook her head, "Fine... But I'm just going to die in my sleep," she yawned, "I'm stable, I'm sure."

She pulled the blankets up higher to that it was just below her nose. She closed her eyes. She didn't get why being injured made you so tired but she fell right back asleep.

[tsubasa]

Nyima woke up, still wrapped up in her blankets with a few that must have been thrown on her while she slept. She was shaking slightly as she still managed to feel cold. She spotted Rayn next to her bed and smirked, "Bit creepy... watching a girl sleep," she teased.
~
He looked at her and placed some more blankets on her as she started to shake. He then said "better to be creepy one or two days making sure you survive than to have you die on me.
~
Nyima's shaking slowed after Rayn placed more blankets. She shook her head, "I'm not going to die..."

She found herself saying that more like a question than a statement. Of course, she wasn't going to die... There'd be a doctor checking up on her or Rayn would be freaking out. He wouldn't be this calm about her dying. She adjusted herself in the blankets, "How is my shoulder doing?"
~
Rayn shook his head as she said "I'm not going to die." Call him over protective he didn't care. She then asked how her shoulder was doing." I don't know. I don't feel your pain right now." He said with a smile. " it's still fine. Better than before but don't expect for it to be healed over night. These take time."
~
Nyima attempted to kick him again before she tucked her leg back under the blankets, "I wasn't asking about the pain. I was asking how it looked..."

She smiled, he most definitely wouldn't be joking if she was dying. She looked at him, "Do I get to go home soon?"
~
He nodded. " yes, once you are strong enough to walk with out falling over." He walked over to the door about to get her food
~
Nyima watched him as he walked over to the door. She smirked, "Are you going to let me walk so that we can find out?" She teased, knowing that he always seemed to stress when she got hurt. She wouldn't be surprised if he didn't let her walk for a few days.

She squirmed under the blankets slightly. She hated being in safe houses, they put her on edge. They could be raided by the few police who were still trying to stop them. She looked at Rayn, "What if you helped me walk? I could leave sooner then... Just have you holding me up while I lean against you."
~
He paused at the door when she brought up having him help her walk. It was a good idea. "After you eat well go back to your place " he said as he slipped out the door to grab her food. A few minutes later he returned with soup and placed the tray on her lap.
~
Nyima had been prepared to fight to have him let her go home. She hadn't expected him to give in so easily. Before she fell back asleep, he hardly let her get to the window before ushering her into bed. He didn't want to be either.

She gave him a quiet thank you when he placed the tray on her lap. She picked up her soup and slowly tried to get the liquid to her mouth without disturbing her shoulder or spilling.
~~~~~~~
Zenji and Masuto had managed to find her some clothing that was less airbender-esque. Although, the clothes didn't really fit in, which might have been good. Why would an airbender in hiding want to stand out. So, like Masuto, she wore traditional fire nation clothing. They tucked her hair away under a scarf and thanked their lucky stars she had not been able to receive her tattoos before the purge began. She felt weird, standing their in fire nation clothing. The clothing of people who once nearly wiped out her kind and the reason history was repeating itself. She placed with the bangles a little and tightened the sash around her waist. She looked at Masuto and made an unsure face, "Are you sure that I don't look like an airbender?"

[pyroman]

Masuto could only nod at Zenji as he studied her in her new clothing. It felt off for him to see other people in traditional Fire Nation clothing, especially an airbender. He recalled his older sister telling him something from one of the old books that she read. It was the third and final book in the series and it involved another airbender hiding in plain sight with Fire Nation clothes. Although some of the details from the story and what was happening now were different, the similarities couldn't be overlooked. No matter how hard he tried to push it away, Masuto could only see the clothing on her odd, as he only knew that he, Hiro, and Aki were the only ones to wear such clothing, so having another person wear them just felt a little out of place for him.

"Most to all firebenders have amber eyes, so other than that, you fit in perfectly as a firebender, or someone from the fire nation." He told her calmly and honestly as he gave her his assessment of the clothing on her.

---

Li let out a frustrated sigh as she roamed the streets. She was withing grabbing distance of the airbender, it the mission was the first failure that she had in quite some time. With all of her previous missions being successes, this one slip-up could easily be overlooked by her boss, but she couldn't bring herself to see it that way. She needed to be good, the best. She couldn't afford to continue failing, and she knew that if she did, it wouldn't be good for her.

[Aerandir]

"No. I don't have to... It's a fact. All the men say that too..." He said with a smirk.As they turned on a street close to her house

Nyima laughed and jabbed her elbow into his ribs, "Don't be mean. I'm injured," She jokingly whined.

She looked at her place up ahead. She was grateful that it wasn't to far. She wasn't going to say anything to Rayn, knowing he'd overreact, but her legs were already growing tired and struggling to hold herself up.

"Never stopped you before from poking at me when I was injured." He smiled as the drew close to her house. He could feel her weighing on him more and more. He sighed. "Yeah... Stubburn..."

He then reached down and swept her off your feet. Carrying her The last hundred yards to her house.

Nyima looked up at him, "I heal your injuries when you let me. I'm allowed to bug," She said with a smirk.

Her eyebrows knitted together when he called her stubborn again. A moment later, she gasped as he lifted her off of her feet. She looked at him and shook her head, "Just couldn't let me walk the rest of the way, could you?" She laughed a little and reached into her pocket and pulled out her key.

She struggled slightly but managed to unlock the door with Rayn still holding her and not bothering her shoulder too much. She looked at him, "You can probably put me down now."

He shook his head. "Because I'm stubborn as well." He looked at her " it's just how I work... Earth bender and all..."

As they reached the door and she unlocked it and said. He could put her down now he didn't. He actually enjoyed caring for her.. He didn't do much of this anymore.... As he said she was stubborn. He pushed opened the door with his foot and twisted to get them inside before setting her on the couch.

Nyima sighed and rested her head on his shoulder when it was clear that he was not going to let her walk anywhere. She stayed like that until he put her on her couch. She wondered if she would be allowed to walk to her bedroom. She looked up at him, "Pillows and blankets are in the cupboard," She pointed toward it for him, "So you know... Since I'm doubting you are going to let me grab them for you later."

She brought her legs up to allow him to sit at the end of the couch if he wanted to. She pursed her lips, "Have you slept?"

---

Zhou sat in the middle of the park. Watching those that walked by. Many of who would not look at the beautiful nature around them. To busy to get to their appointment. He sighed it was sad what the world was coming to. He watched as only one woman seemed to be lost in her thoughts.

[tsubasa]

He looked over to the cupboard as she mentioned the pillows and blankets. He nodded, "Why should I? I am taking care of you this time." He went over and got her some more water and brought it back, sitting on the couch and giving it to her.

As he did she looked to him and asked " Have you slept?" He shook his head and sighed, "Nope...its barely becoming night, I don't need sleep like you do at this time. I can go for a few more hours."
~
Nyima looked toward the window, she guessed it only was just starting to become night. Which would make it a little silly for him to sleep. She sipped her water, good she hadn't lost too much time. She sighed, "I think I've slept enough."
~
He watched her as she looked to the window. "probably not... your gunna be a whole lot more tired than usual over the next few days. You body is trying to repair itself, it takes a lot of effort for your body to do that."
~
Nyima looked at her water while Rayn explained that her body needed to rest more to heal itself. She kept staring at it before she waved her hand above it. The water rose out in a slender thread before it fell back into her cup. Nyima closed her eyes, it seemed she would need to rest more, she wasn't even able to bend water let alone heal herself. She sighed, she'd try again in the morning. She looked at Rayn, "Fine..."
~
He was silent for a few moments before saying..." Dont take it so hard... at least your alive. Thats what matters most. who cares if there are a few airbenders running about for couple days... we will catch them" He said with a smile
~
Nyima nodded before looking at him. She rose her foot and kicked him in the shoulder lightly, "And why aren't you going after them?"

She gave him a smile before looking back out the window, "I hope Zhou got away alright... We can't exactly stop anyone else from trying to kill him... Just this lug," She said, kicking him again.
~~~~
Zenji smiled when he agreed that she could fit in as a firebender or some from the fire nation. She spread her arms out and bowed like a performer, "You are too kind," She said jokingly. She straightened a moment later and tucked a non-existent piece of hair behind her ear, "Thanks for helping me with this. And coming to my... rescue earlier... I know how dangerous it is to be doing anything like this..... I hope that Rogue doesn't recognize you.... I'm sorry if I've put you in any danger," She sighed. Of course, she had put him in danger. Standing near him put him in danger. She started to wring her hands, she should go. Leave him, he'd be safer alone... He could tell them that he was going to attack her when the other person came along and spooked her. She hadn't actually given him a chance to do anything.

She looked at him and bit her lip, "I should go..."

[pyroman]

Li had come across another small coffee shop and decided to stay there. She didn't want to come back empty handed, and was prepared to stay in the city all day if need be. He attention was brought back to the world as she was being spoken to you a waiter, asking what 'he' wanted. Li nodded and asked for a simple cup of coffee for the time being. The waited left her and went back inside to get her coffee. Once she was left alone to her thoughts once more, Li sighed and looked around with what vision she had left due to the collar of her jacket blocking her face.

---

Masuto mentally shook his head at the young woman in disguise. He didn't want to leave her alone, as she was in danger. Even in the disguise, she could still be founf out as an air bender, and the Rogue Benders would be after her again. If she was so sure about leaving, then he couldn't to anything to persuade her otherwise. "Okay..." He said quietly. "But if you're free tomorrow.." He spoke as he reached in to one of his pockets and searched around for a piece of paper and something to write with. After finding a pencil and paper, Masuto used his right hand as a surface to write on while his left hand used the pencil to write on the paper. He then wrote down his address on the paper and handed it to her. "I'm having a party tomorrow and I don't think anyone would be looking for airbenders at a little party."

[Aerandir]

Nyima nodded before looking at him. She rose her foot and kicked him in the shoulder lightly, "And why aren't you going after them?"

He glanced at her and said, "Cause we should lay low because of the Chaos left behind cops are everywhere now. " He knew she was just kidding but it was true.

She gave him a smile before looking back out the window, "I hope Zhou got away alright... We can't exactly stop anyone else from trying to kill him... Just this lug," She said, kicking him again.

He sighed and looked at the ceiling. "I told you if you would have said something before I engaged him i wouldnt have... like "Hold on or wait a moment!" Then you wouldnt have to get your head almost chopped off." He glanced at her feet..."Is your foot affected by your bloodloss? it seems to be twitching a whole lot more lately...." He grinned slightly

He stood up and looked out the window...sure enough the police were out in force again... it will be a matter of time before they called him in to work. " We have to find a waterbender that can heal you... so you are not out for a few weeks." Water bending healing was rare nowadays Nyima was the rarity.

---

Zhou decided to stop for a drink at a coffe shop.. he sat down and ordered a tea and sat back with his back against a wall...a force of habit as a warrior in special forces...

{bleh sorry for nothng there i vote timeskip}