A Recognition of Shadows

[Rikugurl]

The Fire Lord watched the short boy walk to the front of the group and heard his words. His smile grew some as he nodded at the statement. "We have been looking near and far for you Avatar. I hope the Air Nomads didn't think of skipping our Nation." The master airbender blinked at the statement, quickly glancing at Soran. How did he--- and then he realized that Soran was in his Air Nomad clothing. Of course... The bald brunette browed airbend spoke hesitantly but the Lord rose his hand to silence him. "It does not matter now. We are just glad to have you back. I wished my scout would of sent message that he found you sooner."

Axel paused before frowning, remembering that he had written to the king when he was literally done with the test. "But, my Lord---"
"Enough, Axel. At least you were able to bring the Avatar here unlike Master Xehanort. He hasn't shown his face in this court for awhile now..."
Axel's brows pinched, a bad feeling making his gut turn. Why didn't the Fire Lord get his message. Surely the dragon-hawk wasn't harmed. They always made sure to get a message to.... someone. The redhead frowned more, pulling back some as he thought. Something was wrong...

"Nonetheless, Axel, the test?"
"Yes, my Lord." The firebender placed his fist over his heart again before walking closer to the platform, grabbing some supplies that had been sitting there so long, he had to brush the cobwebs from them. Much like the scene in the Air Nomad village, Axel placed an iron tray in front of Soran with three items. Much like before, each item was placed in front of the boy and for those who had not seen it, truth stood right in front of them.
Soran was truly the Avatar and though each nation does the test differently, they all can prove the same thing.

Axel stepped away when he finished all the test and the man on the throne gave a deep, tired sigh. "Finally... our quest is over. Welcome back home, Avatar Soran. I hope he have not inconvenienced you too much to bring you here but you can understand our concern. Now we can truly enjoy the Fire Days Festival without worry. I will guess that you have found tutors for your bending. I will supply you with the best firebender the Fire Nation has."
Axel's eyes widened some before he looked away, realizing that the Lord didn't have him in mind.

[Reno]

"Ah well.. see that is..." Soran started, trying to explain the reason behind his absence and why he was under the Air Nomad kingdom's care - even if it was filling his mouth with a bad taste; he felt very 'owned'. Though, he knew just as well as Aqua that saying the wrong thing could end in disaster. Luckily he never even had to find the words before the other brushed it off.

But even he was surprised when he heard... the message had never gotten here. He glanced at Axel, also remembering the glorious red dragon-hawk that the other had called down; remembered seeing him write the short message that said the avatar had been found.

He bit his lip nervously but didn't say anything, just standing still as the test was done once again and he sighed patiently, seeing it again was a success. Not that anyone seemed to have any doubts - especially not Roxas, who had seen Sora's Avatar State firsthand. He would swear up and down that the brunette airbender was the real deal. No tests necessary when you've got power like that.

"It was no inconvenience at all." Soran said truthfully; he was after all planning on coming here anyways. Axel just ended up finding him first. And as he looked up towards the fire Lord, looking tired as if he held the weight of too much pressure for too long, he knew it had been the right decision. What worries did they have, not knowing where he was and why he wasn't in the Fire Nation? Did they worry the Universe was punishing them for their crimes of the past?

"And yes, I have found the benders I wish to teach me... as long as they are willing to." He glanced over his shoulder, meeting eyes first with Ven who gave him a carefree smile, exuberantly happy; then with Terra who smirked and crossed his arms, a picturesque of strength; and finally with Aqua who seemed surprised but excited, her grin wide. He faced the Fire Lord again, straightening some and said with confidence, "And I mean no disrespect or offense... but I hope you will understand that... I have already found who I wish to teach me Firebending."

Beside him, Axel seemed to tense some and glance at him in shock. There was, after all, only one Firebender he knew. Sora gave him a sidelong glance, and smiled, finishing his statement. "As long as he wishes to, that is."

[Rikugurl]

Axel blinked a few times before looking away, his arms crossing as a small frown came to his face.
"Axel? Your tutor? Well young Avatar, if you survived this long being in his company, I cannot say no. However, there are and always have been wildfires in this Nation but none have been a pure Sun Warrior. You'll have your work cut out for you and I will suggest you learn from him last." He paused before suddenly laughing, shaking his head. "The irony! The fire Avatar will learn fire bending last."

He looked down at the young boy before nodding some. "Well then, I hope you all enjoy the festival. When it is over, I hope you will focus on your lessons, Avatar Soran."

"Your Lord...." A soft voice suddenly spoke out, making the man on the platform look over at the air master who stepped up slowly. "Are you not worried about the black creatures during the festival? I mean, surely there will be an----"
"Black creatures?" The Fire Lord interrupted, raising his eyebrow some. "What black creatures?"
"Have you not seen or heard of the shadows that have glowing yellow eyes?" The guardian was next to speak, frowning some and the Lord seemed to think about it.
"No... I have not received reports about any 'shadows' with yellow eyes.'

The group slowly looked at each other, finding this all rather strange...

[Reno]

Why was the Fire Nation safe? Was it because the element of light scared the shadows away? But fire didn't burn all the time did it? "Well, that's actually why we are so late, and how we got a group so large," Soran started to say.

That was when the group told the Fire Lord about the shadows that attacked them. The attacks in Terra's hometown, Aqua's tribe, and the now deserted town by the beach. Explained to him what they looked like and what they could do. As soon as their story was through, they were dismissed, the Fire Lord looking no less at ease then he had before Soran walked in. Not even the Avatar's assurance that he was already on the job did any good.

"I think we just caused him more worry." Sora sighed his shoulders slumping as they stepped out of the palace and back into the sunlight. "So much for helping."
"Perhaps, but he needed to know." Aqua said understandingly, "A leader is always worrying about her people and her territory. It is simply how things are."
"Maybe... we don't have time to stick around for the festival..." The brunette said worriedly, not noticing how Axel tensed. "It's still days away and every day those shadows attack more people... We don't have time to -OW!" The brunette winced, rubbing the back of his head.

He turned his head... and was surprised to see it was Roxas who had done it. "What did you do that for?!"
The blonde scoffed and glared at him. "You know just because your the Avatar doesn't mean you're immortal!"
"I know that!"
"Do you? So how the hell are you going to beat this... Shadow Lord or whatever he is! You don't even know how to make a spark of fire without being in the Avatar State and light is your greatest weapon! And I really sincerely doubt he'll just step into the sun for you!" Roxas snapped.
"I..... Well I......" Sora hesitated before frowning looking at his feet. "I don't... Maybe I can just talk to him?"
"Oh sure." Came a sarcastic jab, "And once you two are done having a tea party, the rest of us just might still be alive. You need training idiot."

[Rikugurl]

"I'll have to agree. You cannot help anyone if you're dead and resurrected as a baby, Sora." The wise guardian of the Northern Water Tribe oasis spoke, looking down at the bald boy. "You cannot always rely on your Avatar State to help you in bad times. You'll have to train at least everyday and though I know you want to get this out of the way as soon as possible to help the world, I believe finding him after the festival would be wise. You wouldn't want to anger the Spirit anymore than he already is and jeopardize the lives of people in the Fire Nation during time of celebration."

Ventus nodded, agreeing with what the silverette said before glancing up at the firebender. Axel for the first time looked rather troubled. "Axel?"
The group stopped and looked at the redhead whose arms were still crossed and his eyes narrow. He stopped and continued to look at the floor some before looking at the group. "Something is very wrong here. My message had to of been delivered or someone stopped it from being delivered... and there's no just reason for the shadow creatures not to appear here..." He looked at Aqua before asking a simple question, "When did the shadow things show up in your Tribe?"

She claimed it was around a few days before the Avatar showed up and it matched around the same time Terra was attacked.
Axel's eyes narrowed more and his tteth suddenly gripped.
"Someone... is trying to make the Fire Nation look evil.... again. Someone didn't want the Fire Lord to know that the Avatar was found and someone... is making those things attack everyone else but us..."
"But why...? Why would... a Spirit want to do that?"
"I.... I think we're going to have to find out."

[Reno]

"Well... then what are we going to do?"
The group fell a little more quiet, eyes full of worry and distress, no one sure how to answer Aqua's question. It seemed... there was a lot more evil at work here then just an angry spirit and they weren't even sure how to even START their search. Soran especially looked uneasy, finding it hard to imagine... ANYone wanting to hurt so many. He had heard stories about the war... the cruelty of the Fire Lords that were searching for glory and power.

Finally there was an aggravating sigh and heads turned to look at Terra. "First, let's get something to fu-uuuh... to eat! Then we'll figure out where to go from there."

There was no arguing with the Earthbender - and it wasn't like the rest of them weren't hungry as well. It had been a long trip and well into the afternoon now; they had only a small breakfast and no lunch. Just the mention of food made them all remember how hungry they were.


Chopsticks clattered loudly in the small space of the table, the seven enjoying their meals - whether it had meat or not. Under the table, a green tail wagged Invidia eating from her bowl and having to follow it across the floor as her snout pushed it away.
"Alright, so..." Terra spoke first, hardly anything left of his stir fry . "We have three days before the festival, right?" Once he got confirmation he nodded. "Alright then, we need to try and find what happened to Axel's lost dragon hawk. At the same time, Sora, you need to learn at least the basics of firebending."
The brunette hesitated, his chopsticks half-raised, suddenly nervous. "Y-Yeah but-"
"Unfortunately, he's right." Aqua pitched in gently. "You know just as well as anyone that firebending is the only real element that can take down these shadows."
"So, Axel can start teaching you - the rest of us can try and find information about the dragon-hawk." Terra nodded as if that was all settled.

"Wait, but I'm not the only one who needs to train!" Sora cut in quickly. When everyone looked at him in question the avatar glanced at Riku, then to Roxas, then back to the silverette, raising an eyebrow at him. He still hadn't asked the warrior about swordsmanship...

[Rikugurl]

"Don't you think the best person to find the dragon hawk is the person who sent it out?" Axel frowned some, having hardly touched his meal much. The group probably figured it was because of the sudden stress the redhead was under but Roxas wasn't fooled.
"Ah---" Ventus started before Soran cut him off, making everyone look at him and then the odd looks he gave the warrior and guardian. A silver eyebrow rose before a soft blush came over his cheeks. "Oh... I... I don't think this is the right time for that, Avata---" He was cut off by the once brunette, saying that it was the only way he could protect himself if they split and the moon wasn't in the sky.

Chopsticks were placed on their stand before aquamarine eyes looked down into spiral blue. "I was wondering... if you would teach me how to use a sword, Roxas.
"Well, at least Soran isn't going to be the only person dying in the next three days~" Axel grinned, suddenly getting an elbow in his rib. "ACK! ANYWAY, Soran and I can train in the Agni Kai Chamber."
"What's an Agni Kai Chamber?" The curious air master asked before placing another eating another mouth full.
"Agni Kai is the name for fire duels fought within the Fire Nation," Axel explained, pushing his bowl into the middle of the table for anyone who wanted more. "It is possible for the opponents to fight to the death, though this may not always be the case. The outcome affects the honor of both opponents. The duels are a popular method of resolving conflicts and are a source of entertainment for spectators. The goal in these duels is to knock an opponent off-balance, and incapacitate them with a final blow. The favored finishing move is generally a direct fire blast to the face~" He gave a wicked grin, making the young group members gulp their food down.

"The palace has its own special chamber. It's a place for nobles and the royal family as well. Anyone challenged to an Agni Kai must accept or be branded as a weakling. On the other hand, anyone who steps into the Agni Kai chamber knows it could be his or her last fight. These duels have claimed the lives of many Firebenders, and they've been even more unforgiving to people who have shown mercy on their opponents. However, I try to go a little easy on Soran... at first. The Fire Lord did warn you about having me as a tutor Soran."
"Surely you will not hurt him!" Ventus suddenly cried, standing and making everyone look at him.
Axel was silent for a moment then felt a gaze on him, knowing it was Roxas. "I'll make sure to waste a lot of energy before we train..." The table became silent, a little unnerved about their firebender friend but luckily he changed the subject. "Any ideas on how to find the missing dragon hawk?"

[Reno]

Roxas raised an eyebrow as Soran sent him a look, then his eyes widened just a little when he heard the request. Riku wanted him to teach him...? He wasn't sure if he should be flattered or worried. "I... uh..."
Before he could think of an articulate response though, he heard Axel step in. He scoffed and elbowed him hard in the ribs. "Jackass!"

Soran frowned a little though when he heard Axel explain about the Agni Kais. It sounded... brutal and terrible. And they were supposed to be challenges of glory? What glory did you have, killing your opponent? He kept his thoughts to himself and his eyes narrowed in determination when the other told him he isn't exactly a master he probably would want.

He wasn't afraid of Axel. And he did want to train under him; he would, no matter what!

"Well," Terra said, picking up the discarded bowl ignoring Roxas' glare - hey, he wasn't going to let food go to waste! "I figure between Invidia and Ventus searching the skies and Aqua and I on the ground searching for information, we'll be able to at least get a lead."

Axel wasn't very hopeful about this, but there wasn't time to really put up an argument. There was too many things they needed to do... and for once he'd needed to put his trust in someone who wasn't an animal.


Of course, for Soran he had ltitle to worry about.

Because he and Axel wouldn't have a fight until he could actually make fire.

"Come on... just... spark!" Sora said to himself, each word accented by him changing his stance in a different fire-bending form Axel had taught him. But no matter how many times he tried it, no fire would lit. Not even a brush of smoke. Watching from the sidelines, Axel hid a yawn behind his hand. He tried once more and when he was met with no result...
"Ugh!" He called, running his hands through his hair. "Why can't I get this?!"


"Alright well... I've never trained anyone before." Roxas said plainly. His swords were no longer on his hips, the belt strung carefully on a tree branch... as were two snakes, their slithering bodies curling around the sheathes that held the opposing colors of themselves.

The two took no notice. Both of them were holding wooden swords; it was the first time in a long time that Roxas only held one. "So......" He hesitated, grasping for words. "Alright. Show me your stance."

He raised an eyebrow when the other did, his legs spread wide apart and the sword held in front of him. "Erm... that;s it?"
"What's wrong with it?!"
The blonde blinked before silently walking forward and stood a sword's length away from Riku, the tip of the wooden sword pointed at his collarbone. He reached up with his own sword and tapped Riku on the chest and the silverette stumbled back. "Nothing, other then a good gust of wind will knock you right over."

The silverette frowned some and sighed and held out the sword, asking him what the proper stance was then but Roxas took it and shook his head, "I can't tell you that. Your stance has to... to be your own. It has to..." He paused, frowning. "It has to be one where you are comfortable with it like... ugh..." He ran a hand through his hair, trying to think of an example, his eyes searching the area as if he would find the answer. He hesitated as he looked at the surrounded trees though and the answer popped into his head. "Don't think of it like your weapon. Think of it as a part of yourself." He took a few steps back, holding both swords behind him the tips pointing to the sky. "You have to be like a tree and stand firm. So when you parry an opponent thats come to strike you down they can't be able to knock you down. Without a good stance, you can't keep your balance; and if you treat your sword like it is not as apart of you as your clothes, you'll also fall. In a real fight you'll be moving constantly, your weight will always be shifting."

He shifted suddenly, cutting the swords through the invisible enemies around himself gracefully, the wind around the wood whistled as the swords blurring with the speed. When he stopped, his stance had changed some the swords now held at his side and at the ready. The blonde warrior didn't look like held be getting knocked over by an opponent anytime soon. He straightened though and walked back over to Riku, handing him back his sword. "Do you see what I mean?"

[Rikugurl]

There was a shake of the head, red hair moving slightly before the tall, thin firebender stood from the bleachers and walked down to come up to Soran. "You can't do it because you're doing it wrong." This made Soran frowned, and he chuckled at he was glared at. "Alright, alright... I'll give you a secret." He spoke as he stood in front of the Avatar. "There are two things you have to learn before you can call on fire. One, is that firebending means you have to create your own fire from your own internal body heat as a source. And two, Firebending is an offensive talent and as the Avatar, your body is custom to defensive. You are the living balance and you will have to train yourself to trick your body that you offensive is defensive. Fire is the element of power. Most firebenders of the Fire Nation's talent is fueled by rage, hate and anger. Where I am from, fire represents life and energy, as if there was a sun within every Firebender."

He stood up straight and took a deep breath, slowly moving his hand over his abdomen. "This is where its produced." He breathed before relaxing, breathing normally. "When I was first taught how to bend by a master, he told me that the dragons have a 'fire sac' where they store the fire in their body. It's not a proven fact but he told me to convince myself that I too have a sac in my abdomen that contains the fire in my body.This sac is like a second soul and it will guide you to create and manipulate fire. So...." He paused, moving his wrist around before opening his palm and a fire erupted, small yet hot and strong. He flicked his wrist and both palms curved around it, making it float into the air.

"I want you to make this flame grow. Concentrate on it and feel the fire inside you."


"So..." Ventus frowned as he looked up at a large tree, his glider blowing in the wind some before spiral blue eyes looked back at the earthbender and princess. "How are we suppose to know if we find the missing dragon hawk? Don't they all look the same? I mean... I saw it when Axel summoned it but I did not pay so much detail as I wasn't aware that I would be looking for it one day."


The guardian glanced down at the sword for a moment before taking it back from the warrior. He frowned some, examining the wood like he wished to bend it himself. "Like a tree...?" He questioned, hearing a faint conformation. The only tree he knew of, or anyone knew of in the Northern Water Tribe, was the tree in the oasis. It was beautiful and elegant, its arms spiraling and tall. He suddenly gripped the handle and moved his arm up, his blade facing Roxas. His body turned some, as if he was about to spin around with one foot out front. His other arm came out and turned into a fist and unlike before, it didn't look like he'd be getting knocked over by an opponent anytime soon either. "How's this? Better?"

It was a rather odd looking stance but it looked strong and unbreakable.

[Reno]

Sora pouted, looking quite unhappy when Axel plainly told him he was doing it wrong. Well, obviously! However, his expression fell away as the other started to speak, and he even smiled. And Axel thought he would be a bad teacher? He placed a hand over his own abdomen. A fire sac, huh? It was the same with all the elements, he knew. They all had a place of origin within the body.

But even still, the red-head's inspiring words did little to calm his racing heart when he was faced with the fire itself. He looked timidly from Axel to the flame and swallowed before taking a deep breath and shutting his eyes. Calm down. You can't be afraid of it. Fire is life, not just destruction... How hilarious, he was afraid of the very element he was meant to control first. Or... no, he wasn't afraid of fire exactly. But maybe all it represented for him. Fire-bending was where his roots were... and he didn't know what those were anymore.

But Axel... he was an orphan too. Had the same questions and the same worries as he probably had. For him... was Fire-bending a release? Did he embrace his bending ability because it was something certain in his life and made him content? Would it be the same for him?

Blue eyes opened staring at the fire before he exhaled and reached out plucking the fire right from the air, the fire hovering mere inches from his skin. For a moment the flame flicked in the uncertain hand, as if it were going to go out, but then it strengthened.

Sora looked down at the little spark of light in wonder, the color reflecting in his wide eyes and then he smiled. It was the same way probably every young fire-bender looked at it when they first made the flame. That amazement and joy. "It's really warm."

The red-head said plainly that it WAS fire, but secretly he seemed a little... proud maybe. Sora chuckled, looking up at Axel with a grin. "Alright, so how to I make it bigger?"

Some time later, the Axel again watched from the sidelines as the Avatar played with the flame he had given him, joyful laughter echoing off the walls. Some might think it discouraging that Sora had yet to make his own... but it wouldn't be long. The brunette seemed to be having a lot of fun, in fact.

"Ha-ha! Look at this one!" The brunette called, making a hoop of fire in the air and then splitting from it three little balls of fire. He started to juggle them before throwing them threw the hoop. Instead of being thrown threw and falling towards the ground like a normal ball they curved upwards into the air and back around the Sora who caught them and threw them again.


"Didn't anyone consider this stupid bird got eaten by a bigger bird, maybe?" Aqua spoke up, rolling her eyes.
"Birds aren't exactly like fish." Terra said gently, "And dragon-hawks are fierce fighters. They are very rarely struck down. I feel it's too much of a coincidence that the hawk got injured or halted in his journey, though it is possible."
Aqua looked at him, raising an eyebrow and held out her hand. "Um hi, I'm Aqua. Have you met my friend Axel? He's the most unlucky jackass you'll ever meet."
Terra chuckled, shaking his head. "Aren't you being a little harsh?"
"I'm not sure; he did nearly drown by getting hit by a Lion-Seel." The bluette sighed.
"Anyways, we don't need to find the bird exactly. Just where he ended up." Terra said.
"Err Terra... How exactly are we going to do that? Search the entire town."
"No, not necessary. Messenger Hawks are trained to follow the same path every time. And since we know the Hawk was headed to the palace, we just need to determine what path it took from the beach to where it got stopped."
"And HOW exactly are we going to find that out?" Aqua asked. When Terra looked up at her grinning, she knew this part of the plan included her. "Oh no - Oh don't you even THINK about it!"

Twenty minutes later...

"Hi there~" Came a sultry voice, a woman approaching the desk of the messenger hawk store, her eyelids fluttering at the man. Her face was dolled up nicely and her lips tilted in a sweet smile. She leaned against the table... waaaay over, "I was wondering if you could tell me about these birds?"

Twenty more minutes later...

Terra and Ven looked up from where they were leaning against the building, seeing Aqua approaching them with a bright red blush on her face. She rubbed her lips and shoved a map in the brunette's arms and pointed at his face. "You. Owe. Me. Big time."
Terra smiled back at her nervously. "Alright, alright." He opened the map and raised an eyebrow. "T-This is the path!?"
"Thats what he said. It's not surprising. You think they would give the hawk an easy path? One that even the citizens could figure out?"
The brunette sighed and lowered the map, Ven looking over his arm. It was a disaster, the bird criss-crossing all over town. "Well, it's good we have three days..."


A blonde eyebrow rose, seeing the peculiar stand, but he too could see the other's guard so he smiled and nodded. "If you can fight that way, then it's fine." He pointed towards him with his sword, "But if I can get through your guard, it's not. Now..." He got into his own stance. "Let's start with the basics."

Almost an hour later the sound of wood clashing on wood could be heard in the private space, the two moving across the ground carefully but quickly. Blue eyes narrowed, ducking under a swing, his foot sliding forward and behind one of Riku's ankles. He smacked his sword upwards right into the hilt of the other's and it went flying through the air and elbowed the other in the chest, sending him tripping over his foot and spiraling to the ground. Roxas straightened, panting soon and rubbed the sweat away from his forehead but smiled, offering a helping hand to the other. "Let's take a break."

[Rikugurl]

Axel let Soran have some fun but he frowned when he was having TOO much of it after awhile. "Alright! That's enough..." He spoke as he stood, walking down from the audience, heading towards Soran who made the fire small again. "It's easy to manipulate fire and keep it burning but you still have to learn how to dispel it and create it. Dispelling a standing flame is much easier than dispelling a fire attack. Not many firebenders actually can dispell fire attacks but instead fight fire with fire. It's not a bad way to block it but it's more dangerous."

He paused in front of the avatar, giving him a shallow smile. "Luckily, you have the power to dispel fire. You did it many times in your past life and I'm sure you'll be able to do it in this one too."
He suddenly snapped his fingers and the door behind Soran opened, making the boy look back to see a woman come in, her hair wild and red much like Axel's. She was in much nicer clothes though and walked with pride on her shoulders.
"This is Lady Ashbel, a firebending noble. I've asked her to make some time in her schedule to help me demonstrate some key moves." He pointed to the bleachers and smiled. "Watch and learn."

Soran walked up and sat close as the male walked away some bit before calling out. "There are two ways you can dispel fire from an attack... and both are very dangerous. The first way," He started before nodding and Soran could see the woman call up a ball of fire before shooting it across the arena at Axel. Axel quickly side stepped and made his hands into a fist before making a strong motion towards his pelvic. As the fire passed him, it suddenly went out. Again, Ashbel shot another fireball out and this time, Axel moved the other way, bringing his hands out and cupping them. Again, when the fireball passed him, it went out. Another was shot and this time, Axel didn't step out of the way. He put his arms over his face, crossing each other and when the fire was about it hit, it suddenly stopped, spun a bit before he pushed his arms apart, one facing up and the other down. The fire went out.

"That technique," He continued, hardly out of breath, "is what I like to call Heat Stealing. You absorb the heat from the fire as it comes close to you and it will go out. This might be a bit easier for you to learn as air was your first element. It might be easy to just take the oxygen from the flame. The other way to dispel fire," He started, nodding again and another fireball was shot at him. As the fire came closer, Axel moved his hands and fire encased his palms and he literally made a cutting motion, facing his palm to the ground and making the fire hit before going out. Another came at him and he did the same, only doing it on the other side. The last fireball came at him and his hands moved some before it seemed like he caught the fireball for a split second before both his arms pushed off and behind him, making some flames go on either side and out.


Light feet landed on top of one of the decorative houses, hearing the sound of even lighter touching down close by. There was some panting and the figure finally fell onto the rooftop. "Man... we flew all day and no sign of any dragon-hawk..." The boy sighed, looking down at the green creature with white wings. "I wonder if the others are having better luck..."

[Reno]

"Uuuugh... My blisters have blisters..." Aqua groaned, sitting down heavily on a randomly placed bench. She took off her shoes and started to rub them. They were indeed very red. Terra sighed and sat beside her, leaning back and looking up at the sky. It was just starting to shade lightly, telling them that the sun was due to set soon.
"I think we'd better call it a day and continue again tomorrow." Terra said, before making an X marking where they had stopped. They too had found nothing. "I suppose we'd better go find the others."
"More walking?"


The fox creature gave a soft bark, flopping down on the ground, her idle eyes watching a horned beetle pass by not an inch from her nose. She hadn't flown so much in ages! Her ears, however, perked when she heard something on the wind and stood quickly. She hurried to the edge of the roof, looking down at the plaza below... and gave a happy bark, alighting right off of it.
"Well, maybe tomorrow I'll make my own fire and WHOA! Vi! Where'd you come from!" Soran laughed as he took the fox up in his arms, cuddling her. He heard another call from above and smiled when he saw Ventus waving from the roof. He waved back. "I think we're done for the day! Let's go to the meeting place! Oh Ven you won't believe it! I dispelled fire!!"


The meeting place ended up being the place Roxas and Riku were training at. It was secluded so it was easy to talk their and also easy to find. The four warriors went down a narrow ally, able to here the clacking of wood in the distance. Soon it was no longer just sound but sight as well.

And what a sight.
"Woow look at them." Sora said, impressed. Though he said they, he was only looking at one person really. Riku was a bit uncertain on his feet but he had learned well and fast over the course of the day. Everytime he moved, he could see the way the silverette's muscles tightened and his face was flushed with exertion. His hair was pulled back in a ponytail but most of it had fallen out of it by now, stuck against his back and neck from sweat.

And the best part?

He didn't have a shirt on.

Sora was so preoccupied with staring he didn't hear the voice echoing down the alley. But Ven did and he glanced back to call a greeting. And paused.
"Why am I doing this again?" Terra asked dully to the woman on his back.
"Because this is your fault!" Aqua responded, her shoes dangling from her fingertips her arm wound around Terra's neck and her legs held up by his hands. "It's not a princesses right to walk anywhere! Now keep moving slave!"
"Haha," Came a sarcastic laugh, but he perked up a bit when he saw Ventus. "Hey!" He called coming out onto the ally. He glanced towards the arena, noticing the sparring match. It seemed Riku nor Roxas hadn't noticed their presence quite yet. "Huh, they sure didn't waste any time."

Riku didn't have a clue they had on-lookers to intent on bringing his master down. But Roxas knew there was someone there. Several someones. They weren't offering any threat to them so he paid them no heed. He was focused instead on trying to keep Riku from bringing him down. The silverette was still a bit sloppy but his strength exceeded his own. The strikes of their swords clashing, even just wooden, left the bones of his arms jarring.

His eyes narrowed seeing an opening in the silverette's right side, about to end the match, when, as they whirled along the concrete he caught a flash of red. Unmistakable red.
A-Axel

His focus broke just for a second and if it weren't for the sound of wind whistling in the air around wood, he would of lost with the broad side of a wooden sword smashing into his temple. He ducked just in time - though he felt the sword slide through the bare tips of his blonde spikes. His foot swung out and he drove his sword up and with a cry and a grunt Riku hit the ground and his sword went spiraling through the air and clattering far away.

Roxas panting looking towards the ground, little droplets of sweat splattering on concrete. He looked back when he heard applause though. There they all were.
"That was awesome!" Sora chirped happily.
Roxas quirked a smile before standing on shaky legs, helping his pupil up once again.

[Rikugurl]

"Bravo~" A clap came from the firebender who was a bit sweaty himself. Working with fire all day would do that to someone. "It seems a few of us got pretty far today..." He paused, glaring at Terra who help the princess. "and I guess some of us didn't get anywhere at all."
"Oh come on!" Ventus cried, his arms feeling like mud from all that gliding. "We looked for the dragon hawk non-stop and there wasn't a sign of any!"
"That's because you're looking for a ghost. If the dragon hawk was in the sky, it wouldn't be lost." He rolled his eyes, sitting down on a log that had fallen over.

"Well then, what's YOUR idea?" The air master frowned, some, plopping down on the grass to rest his body.
"Well, dragon hawks that I work with are royal birds. They are trained to only deliver messages to royal subjects and nobles."
"Are you saying you're royalty?"
"No... well... I am a royal scout, obviously since the Fire Lord sent me to find the Avatar. But anyway, the birds will only be with nobles or royal families so if you're looking everywhere but, you're wasting your time."
"What if some kid captured it though?"
"No Fire Nation kid is going to capture a Fire Lord sealed dragon hawk... it is against the law."

The guardian yawned some as he handed the sword to his 'master' and bowed. "Thank you for your time, Roxas." He panted some before walking to the tree where the snakes still waited. His arms reached up and they wrapped around them, slithering down his sweaty muscles. He was quite exhausted that he could not feel the eyes that were still on him.

[Reno]

"You're welcome." Roxas said, his own voice laden with exhaustion. Well, he was going to sleep well tonight at least.
He watched the silverette go before going across the arena at another side where a small bucket of water wash, a cloth hanging from it's edge. He dipped it into the cool water and wrung it out, before wiping the sweat from the back of his neck, listening to the argument of the others.

As for Soran he didn't even notice it taking place as he walked across the concrete to the tree, swallowing as he stared at Riku's back. Ahh... what nice shoulder blades... His cheeks flushed a little and he cleared his throat nervously, smiling. "H-Hey Riku. You did really good! I can't believe how fast you're picking it up!"

"Well if you KNEW that, why didn't you tell us?!" Terra snapped, huffing setting down Aqua without really noticing. He did all that calculating for nothing!
"Well why do you think?" Roxas answered before the red-head could. "He just wanted to send you on a wild goose chase for the hell of it."
Aqua, standing on her own, looked at Axel accusingly and the look alone said he better give a better answer, fast.
Therefore, Axel answered quite plainly that they never asked and that he, meaning Terra, had been so eager to set out without any help. Green eyes narrowed wickedly, as he jabbed that the brunette wasn't as smart as he looked. The brunete's teeth ground down hard, about to shout at the other, feeling as if the other was goading him into a fight for more then just fun.

Instead he got a shoe in his face.

And so did Axel.

"UGH YOU ARROGANT, STUBBORN, PRIDEFUL JACKASSES! Do you know what I went through FOR NOTHING?!!?!" Aqua screeched before stomping away, muttering curses under her breath before sitting down next to Roxas, taking some of the water out of the pail to heal her feet. "Men!"
Terra rubbed his face but looked a bit ashamed, picking up her shoe and walking over to the bluette, setting it down beside her. "Sorry..."
"You are lucky I can heal myself. Or I'd kill you." Aqua growled.
As they talked, neither of the two noticed Axel's eyes narrowing even more, but Roxas did. Aqua forgot to add 'jealous' onto that list. The blonde frowned unsure why this unsettled him so but he stood, leaving the two to their talk, and wandered over to sit beside Ven who was now looking a bit lonely in the grass. He didn't say anything, too tired too, but he ruffled the little growing hairs on his brother's head, offering him a smile.

[Rikugurl]

Slowly, the aquamarine eyes glanced back, his eyes meeting Soran's and the guardian smiled. "Thank you, Avatar. I hope my training will one day help you in your quest." He bowed his head slightly but blinked when he felt one of the snakes tighten around his arm and looked over, seeing La reach out for Soran. He smiled when the bald boy took the snake and he wrapped around him easily. "La really has liking to you. This is probably because when you first came to the oasis, you showed some fear to the Spirits in their snake form. I think he didn't want you to be afraid so he spent more time with you."

He noticed Soran blush more and his smile widened. "Don't worry. Time is a good thing. Time is one of the best healers. Time makes bonds and friends. It makes families and wisdom."

Near matching blue eyes glanced up and over, looking into perfect reflecting orbs. A soft smile ran over the air master's face before his arms wrapped around the sweatier boy. Riku truly was right and though he did not hear his wise words, he knew they were true. Time had brought him and his twin back together and time healed their wounds and filled their holes. Another thing time did... was bring him hunger though. He pulled away when they both heard his growling stomach and he blushed. "Hehehe... I guess it would be best if we ate!"

Axel easily volunteered to get them food, walking off by himself into the city while Riku started to make some tea. When he was finished, he too started to wet himself down with the cold water and his eyes widened when Soran offered to cool his back. "T-thank you, Sora."


Axel came back awhile later with a large iron tray, hot, steaming food displayed in an artistic fashion. Everyone came around the center of the area and Ventus was quick to put up a log to support it. "Woooooow!!" His eyes grew twice their natural size as drool started to seep from the sides of his mouth. "It all looks so good!"