Sunburn

28

"We should invite him back here. Whack him and take him as our prisoner!" Sokka said smashing his first into his palm.

"Stop! You all are insane!" The red head roared in frustration.

Suddenly, the ledge above the fountain exploded. Katara gasped and swung her arms, bringing the water from the fountain up to shield the group from the falling rocks. Tsai, Sokka and Aang and Toph quickly retreated, but stopped when they heard Zuko's voice.

"Stop! I don't want you hunting the Avatar anymore."

Zuko ran towards a massive muscular man he looked like a bounty hunter. He was standing in front of him with his arms spread out to keep him from attacking them.

"The mission is off!" Zuko shouted at the man, further shocking the group by the fountain, "I'm ordering you to stop!"

"It's Combustion man!" Sokka said.

Combustion Man shoved him to the side and fired another blast from a third eye in the center of his forehead. The blast hit the top of the fountain destroying it. Aang, Sokka, Katara, Tsai and Toph ducked behind the fountain's edge and covered their heads from any incoming debris.

She looked up just in time to see Zuko rush towards Combustion Man with his hand pulled back and covered in flames.

Zuko charged towards the Fire Nation assassin with his flame-covered fist pulled back, "If you keep attacking, I won't pay you!" He shouted as he ran.

Combustion Man didn't even glance at him as he grabbed the prince by the shirt. Zuko grunted and threw the fireball in his hand but missed. He struggled against the assassin's grip on his shirt, "Alright! I'll pay you double to stop!" He quickly swung his arms down, finally breaking Combustion Man's grip.

Zuko turned on his heel and slammed his foot into the assassin's gut just as Combustion man fired another shot, knocking his aim off and pushing Zuko away with the force of the kick.

Aang peered over the edge of the fountain and stared at the incoming shot with fright the blast hit the pagoda below the fountain, destroying it.

"We have to help him!" Tsai looked at the group who had no reaction to her words. She looked at the man with determination and leaped off from her hiding spot running towards them.

Zuko grunted as he landed on in a crouch and he whirled around when he heard the assassin step towards him, staring at him in shock. He lurched to his feet and turned fully, creating a shield of fire in front of him just as Combustion Man fired a blast at him.

The blast hit the shield and exploded, pushing Zuko across the ground and over the edge of the platform where he vanished. Combustion man was approaching the group walking across a thick cloud of dust and debris ready to terminate them with an explosive blow when he felt a hard blow to the back of his head. It was then that the dust cleared. He winced and snapped his head to the side to see a teenage girl with red hair bouncing a medium sized rock in her hand.

"Hey!" She called as she threw a second rock at him this one hitting him on his temple. The man's head moved back an inch and he glared at her seething. A string of blood ran down his temple. "Why don't you pick on somebody your own size?" She shouted out a teasing laugh. A smug expression on her face. As she threatened the man from a safe distance.

The man then looked at her furiously.

"Woah!" She said as she was barely able to dodge one of the man's sudden blasts.

"Uh-Oh.." She said as she saw him angrily leap from across one ledge to the other.

Aang leapt to his feet and ran towards the edge of the courtyard, executing a quick spinning back kick that kicked up the dust around him and jumping straight up just in time to whip a whirlwind of air that made the man stumble on his stance. The man turned his attention to the Avatar who avoided a blast as he spun in mid-air and airbended a mini-tornado then kicked it directly at him.