I breathe the fresh air on the deck as I bring my body into different firebending movements.
"Relax your soul, let yourself be one with the energy in your body." I open one eye to look at Iroh who has a smile on his face. I close my eye again pushing my right arm upwards, I can feel the heat of the flames kissing my skin.
I put my feet together, turning back to Iroh and bowing to him with one hand in a fist below my other flat hand, "Thank you for the training, Iroh. I really appreciate it." I wipe the sweat from my brow.
I look over my shoulder to watch Zuko train with Lieutenant Jee. Zuko's fighting style is very aggressive as he repeatedly thrusts his fists at the Lieutenant.
"That is all for today Prince Zuko." Lieutenant Jee says as he turns away from Zuko.
"But we've barely done any training!" Zuko angrily replies. I roll my eyes and walk over to the outraged prince, "I'll spar with you." I say looking him in the eyes.
"No." Zuko leaves me standing alone.
"Why not, Firefly? I can hold my own or," I run up to his side, "Are you worried you'll hurt me again?" I whisper.
"I'm not worried about anything!" He stomps back into the middle of the deck taking a fighting stance, "Are you going to fight me or are you just going to stand there?" He grumbles. I walk a few feet in front of him taking my own stance.
Zuko starts blasting shots at me as soon as I am ready. I quickly dance around all of them. I stomp on the ground sending a fireball up to eye level kicking it in the prince's direction. Quickly running to his other side I swipe my foot along the deck creating a blade of fire heading to his feet. He agilely jumps away from the two attacks launching his own attack with a thrust of his foot. I roll to the floor landing in a crouch. Breathing deeply I leap at Zuko blasting flames from both my hands, Zuko leans back making me soar over his body, landing on the other side of him. Leaning onto my hands I flip my legs above my head sending flames out in all directions. Flipping backwards onto my feet I watch Zuko from across me. Our breathing is in sync as we continue to circle each other looking for an opening. Clapping distracts me from my focus.
"Very good!" Iroh cheers from the upper deck giving Zuko the upper hand. He kicks my feet from under me. As soon as I fall to the ground Zuko's flaming fist is glowing in front of my face. His body leans over my own. I can feel my face flush slightly at the position we're in, hoping I can just blame it on the heat of the flames.
Zuko pulls back wiping his hands on his pants, I push myself off the ground into a sitting position, heaving a big sigh. Slowing my breathing to calm my racing heart.
After my heart rate calms down I stand up and walk to the upper deck where Iroh sits at his Pai Sho table. I take a seat across from him, "You made me lose." I snark.
Iroh simply smiles at me, "I did not want my nephew's pride to be hurt when you won."
I drop my jaw slightly, "You really think I would have won?"
"Indeed, you are a strong fighter, Li Mei." I smile gently at the older man's words.
"But, Zuko's as good as they come. I'm not better than him." I shake my head.
"Prince Zuko is a strong fighter, but he is reckless. You are calm and calculated. That gives you the advantage."
"Thanks, Iroh," I say softly. "There is something I've been meaning to ask you about Iroh," Iroh hums in approval still looking at his Pai Sho table, "I was wondering if you could teach me lightning bending."
Iroh looks up from the Pai Sho table with a serious expression. "Lightning bending is a very dangerous form of bending. You must be sound in mind and soul to achieve it. But, I know that with your stubbornness, I will not be able to stop you from wanting to learn... So, tonight when the ship docks to resupply we will train upon the land where it is safer." He nods his head looking back down to his Pai Sho table.
"Thank you, Iroh!" I clasp my hands together.
-
Once the ship has docked, Iroh and I slip off from the market where the crewmen are shopping. We make our way through the woods eventually finding a clearing that will suit my training needs.
I stand in the middle of the clearing, "So what do I do?"
"There is energy all around us," Iroh begins, "Yin and yang. Positive and negative energy. To create lightning, you must separate these energies. Once separated there will be an imbalance. The energy wishes to be balanced, within a moment the energies will come crashing together again and you must guide them. Creating lightning."
"Seems simple enough," I say jokingly.
"Once you divide the energies you must guide them not command them... Just breathe."
I take a deep breath listening to Iroh's directions. I channel my energy focusing on splitting the yin and yang energy, I thrust my arm out but all I got in return was an explosion in my face.
"Maybe we should try a different technique." Iroh starts.
"No!" I blurt out, "No. I can do this." The sun begins to set beyond the trees as I stand in silence on top of a rock in the clearing. I take another deep breath trying to create lightning again but once again I blast myself in the face a second time.
I stand in the clearing and try for hours but I make no progress. My body is now covered in soot from the number of explosions I've created. My hand is damaged and sore from the explosive blasts it has endured.
"I believe it is time to quit, Li Mei." Iroh lays a hand on my shoulder as I sit down on the rock, tired.
"I've almost got it, I can feel it. You can go back to the ship, Iroh, but I'm going to keep practising." I flash him a tired smile.
"I cannot leave you here. What if you hurt yourself?" Iroh asks, concerned.
"If I die out here I'll have no one to blame but myself. Now please, go back to the ship and do not let Zuko leave without me!" I say seriously. The older man nods slowly giving me one last concerned look before heading back into the thick woods around me.
I stand back up on my rock and focus all my energy and clear my mind, thinking only of the energy around me. Now that Iroh is gone I have no fears or worries of accidentally hurting him. My mind is completely clear. I circle my hands around each other focusing on the energy held within them. I take one last deep breath jutting my hand upwards. A sensation of electricity flows through my body. I open my eyes to see a strike of lightning come shooting out from my fingertips. Shock flows over me.
I jump off the rock looking at my hands with a huge grin on my face and I'm sure I look stupid, "I did it!" I scream, "Iroh's never gonna believe it!" I throw a few punches in the air to assert my dominance over the world.
I run through the woods, my smile never leaving my face. I run through the market waving at merchants happily while they just look back at me in confusion.
I walk onto the ship and head towards the door to the lower deck. A voice stops me, "Where were you and Uncle?"
"Were you stalking me?" I whip around to look at Zuko. He shakes his head, "You and uncle seemed suspicious slinking off into the woods on your own. I want to know why."
I frown, "That's my business."
"While you're on my ship, it is my business." Zuko quips. I cross my arms. "He was helping me train."
"Why would you need private training with my uncle? And what's with you? You're covered in soot." He looks over me judgementally.
I bite the inside of my cheek, not wanting to reveal that Iroh was teaching me how to lightning bend, "He was helping me improve my technique. Making sure that I understand really firebending movements."
"Your technique is sloppy." Zuko nods in agreement.
"Hey! I didn't say my technique was sloppy, I just said I needed to practice the proper forms."
"Then why is it that you still fight like an earthbender?" Zuko retorts. I scoff, "I like fighting that way. If you're so great, show me your firebending form."
"No." Zuko declines.
I sigh, "You dish all that out, but you have no intentions of showing me how to fix it? Why even bother to comment on it then?"
Zuko runs a hand over his brow, "Fine."
Zuko takes his stance. I mirror his stance across from him and he already looks at me with disgust, "If you stand like that, someone can knock you off your feet just by breathing too hard." At an unbelievable speed, Zuko grabs my right arm, twists it behind my back and pins me to the ground.
"Ow!" I whine, "A little warning next time! I would have been able to dodge that!"
He lets go of his tight grip on me, "If somebody wants to kill you, they won't give you a warning."
I get up off the ground, rubbing the sore part of my arm. I take up my position again, "Instead of tackling me to the ground this time, how about you show me the proper way to do it?"
"Like this." Zuko spreads his legs and holds up his arms. I slap my forehead, "I meant show me, by adjusting my body. It's the best way to learn."
He stands up straight again, looking over my body. He walks painfully slow towards me.
"We don't have all the time in the world here, Zuko. Hurry up!" At my words, he picks up his pace and stands next to me.
He wordlessly uses his foot to move my feet further apart. Then - still silent - he puts his hands on my waist and pushes me down slightly so that I sit in more of a shallow squat. Finally, he moved my hands carefully into the correct position.
He steps back from his masterpiece, "Now it's perfect." He turns on his heel and walks towards the lower deck.
"Wait!" I jump out of my position, "We only did one thing! What about all of the other movements!"
"I'm going to bed." Zuko doesn't look back at me. He opens the door to the lower deck and disappears.
"Lazy bum." I spit.
I walk up to the command deck and when I spot Iroh I smile widely, "Iroh! I did it! I really did it! I lightning bent! And look!" I gesture to my body, "I'm still in one piece!" I hop over his Pai Sho table and sit down. Iroh smiles at me, "I could see it from here Li Mei... You are a brilliant firebender."
"I could definitely beat Zuko in a duel now!" I say clenching my fist.
"I'm not so sure anymore. He seemed to easily take you down a few moments ago." Iroh looks up from the Pai Sho table to smirk at me.
"You were watching that?" I can feel my ears grow warm.
"I was." Iroh chuckles, "Perhaps you just wanted him to win. You seemed happy to have him teach you."
"What do you mean by that? Iroh?!" I look at him, feeling slightly flustered.
Iroh smiles to himself and shakes his head, "I would not suggest using lightning bending on Prince Zuko, that is if you want to keep him alive." Iroh moves a Pai Sho tile.
"Oh yeah, right. I won't." I relax and watch Iroh plan his Pai Sho strategies, still feeling slightly embarrassed by Iroh's prior suggestive comment.