"Where are we Roku?" "We're on the wrong site Aang..."

[Zai Saika]

Fire, Air, Earth, and Water. The four elements, three of them vastly inferior to one, his element...FIRE. Or so he had been raised to believe in school and in every day life. They were a proud Nation of warriors whose duty it was to bring the benefits of their superior abilities to the world and to snuff out any resistance as resistance was only an obstacle in the way of progress. Now that he was a young man however, Zai's father had taken him away from Capital City, knowing that Zai would be molded into a tool and instrument rather than a true Fire Bender. Zai was unimpressed with his father's lack of loyalty the Nation and to the Fire Lord himself, but he was after all his father, so Zai reluctantly stood in the vast open field still dressed in his finest school uniform, black and red with gold accents and piping with the fire nation crest on his belt. He crossed his arms, he tied his hair back in a pony tail as the wind threatened to become an annoyance.

"What are we doing here father? I'm should be in school!"

"School only teaches you to serve a man Zai, here you will learn what it is to serve our nation and the world."

Zai rolled his eyes, his teenage mind rebelling at the idea of anything but obedience to the Fire Lord.

"WE ARE THE WORLD! Serving the Fire Lord is SERVING THE WORLD!!!

Zai's brow narrowed and his face radiated anger and frustration about the obvious treasonous words his father dared to speak aloud. Normally Zai would not be so disrespectful to his elders and he snapped his feet together and bowed in the traditional Fire Nation custom to his father, the older man merely twisting his graying beard with two fingers.

"I meant no disrespect Father, I just don't understand you."

"Of course not Zai, of course not and that is my fault. For too long now I have allowed them to teach you their savage ways, of course I do not make any sense to you my Son, but it is my duty change that. It is my duty as your Father to teach you what being a Fire Bender and the true history of our people. Not this raw power they speak of, they yield power of course, but they do not respect their power and it will destroy them and us if they continue on their path. I cannot allow you my only son to become one of them, because it will lead you to your end."

Zai grit his teeth, trying to remain calm, planting his feet into the ground to stop himself from running, or worse charing full force at his father. Everything he said was treason, and even if he could get over that, everything he said was wrong. Fire WAS power in it's purest form what did he mean that power would destroy them? THEY WERE POWER!!!! That's what a Fire Bender was, that's what the Nation was, he must be failing in his old age. Maybe he should humor him a bit, but this was still treason and any acceptance of these thoughts or ideas flew in the Face of the Great Fire Lord and could be used against him.

"Father, you're going to get us both killed with talk like that..."

[Zai Saika]

Spring had come and gone and summer was ripening in the air, gone was the crisp cool morning air, taking it's place was the heavy and humid air of mid summer. The kind of air that makes one question whether or not they are on land or on water. In the many months since they had ventured to his place General Saika had taught his young son many of the hidden and often times glossed over techniques of fire bending. He had taught young Zai so much more than he would have hoped to learn in school or any of the academies that he was destined for. Most importantly he had taught him the true origin of fire bending and the roots behind it. Slowly but surely he drove most of the animalistic ways out of his son and done his best to replace them with true honor. Zai had been reluctant through most of his journey, but General Saika had been subtle and careful not to reveal too much at any given moment, but now was the day of truth. Now was the day all would be revealed to young Zai, who would find himself in a position not many of his age had found themselves in before.

Sweat dripped from the young man's brow as he moved quickly through their training yard, he rolled one way and sprang up a burst of fire flying from his hand and impacting the training dummy made out of dried hay igniting it instantly. Zai had spent the better part of the last week constructing several of these dummies to be used in his training exercises. "To be willing to destroy anything you must understand the pains of creating it." Or so the General had said countless times. Two more dummies came flying towards him on a spring loaded track, again of his own construction. Zai spun around as the dummies came at him from either direction his arms flew out and fire flowed from his palms as naturally as the sun rises and sets, both dummies burst into flames and Zai stood there triumphantly. He turned on his heel, smoke filling the air, the track the on which the dummies traveled igniting and slowly burning as well. He placed his fist into his palm and bowed proudly to his father.

"I have defeated all enemies Father."

General Saika stroked his beard and nodded at his son's accomplishment, of course it was a course of his own making but the instruction had been to make it as challenging as possible and Zai surely had done so.

"Indeed, gaze upon your victory and your destruction."

Zai turned and looked on the smoldering dummies and listened to the crackling of wooden track as it burned. He remembered the blood and sweat that went into their construction, he glanced at his hand and the one blackened fingernail from where he had jammed his finger in the construction of the track that would soon be nothing but embers. He nodded fully understanding the lesson.

"It's about responsibility and restraint? I have this power but if I don't use it wisely it can destroy anything, even something I love..."

The General's face lit up.

"Exactly Zai! You have grown well these many months and I do believe you are now wise enough to understand why we have truly come here."

TheFire Nation youth's face lit up. Finally, after all these months of intense training, making his mind and body do things that he did not know they were capable of doing he was going to hear the real reason he had been pulled out of school and taken away from his family and friends. Careful to not reveal too much emotion he simply turned to his father and met his eyes and nodded quietly.

"Zai, you know of my military service of course and you know of my retirement last year after many years of loyalty to the Fire Nation and to Fire Lord Sozin. What you do not know is why I decided to retire."

He studied his son's facial expression and then when satisfied he continued.

"I led Fire Nation troops in the attack on the Air Nomads. We were told that they were a threat to our way of life to our Nation, our wives, our children and everything we believed in and stood for. The next Avatar was supposed to be an Air Bender and he was supposed to be among them and as a result he would destroy the Fire Nation and Fire Lord Sozin. At least that is what we were told."

He lowered his eyes.

"Like any good soldier, I did my duty, I led a soldiers into battle against the Air Nomads at one of their Sacred Air Temples. You know this, but what you do not know is that it was less of a battle and more of a massacre. Yes the Air Nomads did fight back and yes many Fire Nation soldiers under my command did meet their end at the hands of Air Benders. However, what we were attacking was not a military force like we were. We were attacking civilians, who were living a peaceful life. They were Monks Zai, they were innocent and we killed them all. It was not war, there was no honor in anything that we did. It was simply a massacre and a war crime, we even killed their children, children younger than you were at the time."

The General swallowed hard.

"After that day Zai, I was confused and heart broken. My loyalty had always been to our nation and Fire Lord Sozin, but what he had ordered and what we...what I had done flew in the face of everything I have always personally believed. It was a direct assault on my code of honor as a soldier and as a man. I will go to my grave knowing that I did not stand up and refuse to follow the order."

He watched Zai's eyes for reaction, his son looked confused but he held his tongue for the time being.

"Months after I returned home, I made the decision to retire and a vow that I would never allow you to be forced into the position I was in. I've always stood for loyalty, honor, and patriotism. Now I know that I cannot stand for any of those things and support the Fire Lord. He is a an evil man Zai and he must be stopped. I have brought you here to share this with you and undo as much of their brainwashing as I could. However, you are a young man now and not a child. I am telling you this because you have a choice to make and no one else can make it for you. You must decide where you stand my son and what your values are."

Zai stood there for a long moment in silence. He had heard everything his father, the once great General had said, every last word. That was not what they were taught in school to be sure, that was not what he had heard or read on his own. In fact it sounded as if it was enemy propaganda. He thought back to all the lessons he had learned in the long months he had been here with his father. All the countless hours training to make him a better Fire Bender and all the time he had spent listening to what his father said. Words of Wisdom or treason? He felt his brow scrunching and anger building up in him. His father had just openly spoke about betraying the Fire Lord, those words could get him killed, they could get them both killed. He bit his tongue daring not to speak too sharply out of turn. If his father was willing to commit treason what would stop him from being willing to kill his only son if he did not stand with him? Especially when he had groomed his only son into a deadly and powerful weapon. He needed time, he would not do his Father the disrespect of calling him a traitor, especially now when it meant he himself could be made to disappear. They were in the middle of nowhere, no questions would be asked. He had only seen one person from back home in the past several months and she had no reason to suspect his father of any wrong doing should something happen. Zai had spoken to her highly of the training his father had bestowed upon him. No, Zai could not say anything just now.

"Fa..ther."

His adolescent voice cracking at the most inopportune time.

"With respect, I need time to think on what you have said today. Maybe I could sleep on it and we can discuss more in the morning? I am grateful for your training and that you shared this with me, but it is a lot to think about."

General Saika smiled warmly at his son and patted him on the shoulder. He was proud of the young man he was becoming and asking politely to think it over was most certainly not out of the question. In fact it should a grace and maturity that he had not seen in young Zai months earlier.

"Of course. It is a lot of information, you have done well in your training. Take the rest of the day to think upon what I have told you. We will meet here at sunrise."

"I will Father."

Zai gave his father the customary Fire Nation bow which was returned to him in kind and then he made his way back to the hut that he had called home since arriving here. He did not need the rest of the night to think about his course of action, but he would still would think a bit, but as time passed it was clear to him that he had no choice. He could not stay here any longer, he had to go if not just to save himself but possibly to save his Father as well. Perhaps leaving abruptly would knock some sense into his Father before he dared share these thoughts with anyone else. As night Fell, Zai was packed and he ran off into the distance, the moonlight guiding his way...