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- February 20th, 20XX -
At some point that evening, even Ryuji’s favorite video games could no longer hold his attention. He laid supine on the couch, staring blankly up at the ceiling fan as it slowly spun dusty air around the living room. His mother was transfixed by the television. She sat in an armchair to his right, knees pulled into her chest and hands wrapped delicately around a mug of lukewarm tea. It was late at night – she must be tired, but still she was captivated by the same old drivel they were always spewing on the news.“The Fire Nation should be embarrassed” A plain looking politician was saying. “The Avatar hasn’t gone unidentified for this long since Kyoshi over 500 years ago. A couple of years is understandable. But even Avatar Aang, who disappeared for 100 years, had been correctly identified by his Nation’s elders as a child. Avatar Korra was only three when she was identified, and Wakaba was five. Our current Avatar, whoever they may be, has now reached sixteen years old. By that age, most Avatars have already mastered their native element and should be readying themselves for public debut. But the Fire sages don’t even know who it is. Shameful.”Several equally boring looking adults were nodding their heads. Ryuji glanced over at his mom who was still glued to the tv, cup of tea practically forgotten. He knew how much the Avatar meant to her personally, but still, how she could stand to listen to people like this was beyond him.“It’s unbelievable.” A middle-aged woman with a shrill voice chimed in. “By the time that the Avatar is identified they’re not going to be prepared to fulfill their duties on a global stage. Think about the educational gaps they may be facing. Bending aside, Wakaba and Korra also attended some of the most prestigious schools in their countries. Not to mention the private tutoring and mentorship that they received. Our current Avatar should be touring the world right now, but for all we know they’re washing dishes in some dingy little Fire Nation café. Could you imagine? The most powerful being in the world – with access to knowledge us regular folk can’t even fathom – waiting tables or scooping ice cream like some average teenager? It’s laughable.”“I’m more worried about what this might mean for the world.” Another man was saying. “The beginning of the Era of Kyoshi was extremely violent. Crime was at an all time high in the Earth Kingdom. Pirates and bandits terrorized the southern territories. Villages were ravaged, burned and their people sold into slavery. There’s a reason we refer to the period of time between Kuruk’s death and Kyoshi’s coming of age as the Dark Age.”“True, but what’s your point?” The woman prompted.“Historically, bad actors always try to take advantage of the period of time between an Avatar’s death and rebirth to fulfill an agenda they know they never would be able to accomplish should the Avatar be present.” The man explained. “Take Fire Lord Sozin, for example. He waited what? Two days after Avatar Roku’s death to invade the Earth Kingdom?”“So you think that might happen again?” The shrill woman laughed, apparently making a joke. “You think Fire Lord Carmen’s going to roll up to Republic City and try to finish what Sozin started nearly two centuries ago?”The people sitting around the table all began to chuckle, even the man that was the butt of the joke.“No, no. That’s not what I mean at all.” He clarified as the chuckling died down. “I’m not suggesting we may be going to war anytime soon – simply that there will be people – greedy people – who may have been deterred from attempting to take advantage of others due to the presence of the Avatar. Now however, with the current Avatar’s prolonged absence, they might be encouraged to try something.”“You’re talking an awful lot about this ‘something’, without really telling us what you think this ‘something’ might be.” The other man interjected jovially.“Well, you see, that’s because I don’t know exactly what that ‘something’ might be.” The speaker quipped back, equally jovial. “I only mean to remind everyone of our history – the absence of the Avatar tends to embolden criminals who start to act without fear of significant repercussions. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the United Republic of Nations is experiencing such a drastic rise in crime. Crimes, mind you, that are largely being committed by youths who would have been very young when Avatar Wakaba was still alive.”The table broke out into a new discussion, exchanging stories and statistics regarding the rise in domestic terrorism, police burnout, and lazy entitled young people – the same old shit every selfish adult was always spewing on about. Ryuji would quite literally rather watch anything else, but another glance in his mother’s direction was enough to confirm that they wouldn’t be changing the channel any time soon. She was eating it up, occasionally scoffing at an opinion she didn’t agree with, or nodding along when she did.Ryuji sighed, averting his eyes from the assortment of boring adults to watch the ceiling fan spin once again. When Ryuji was a kid he didn’t really “get” the whole Avatar thing. All he understood was that every Era was named after them, and that he had to memorize a bunch of boring facts about them for history class. The whole “bending all four elements” thing sounded cool as hell, but then learning that the Avatar typically spent most of their time acting as a diplomat rather than fighting dark spirits and knocking down tyrants really killed that spark for him. Studying the Era of Avatar Szeto in school was particularly mind numbing.Growing up, his mother would always chastise him for his indifference towards the Avatar. She had this wide-eyed admiration for the work that they did in the world. For a while there, after they had separated from Ryuji’s father and gotten set up with their new apartment, she would stay up late watching an old docu-series about the lives of past Avatars. Aang, Yangchen, Korra, Kuruk, - she loved them all. But she especially loved Wakaba. This was particularly strange to Ryuji since Wakaba had spent most of her time locked away in a lab somewhere and rarely made any public appearances.Aang ended a world war. Yangchen prevented one. Kyoshi was badass as hell, and Korra revived the Air Nation. Of all the Avatars for his mother to favor, Wakaba seemed a strange choice. Even among other adults, she hadn’t been all that popular. Sure, people respected her. She was the Avatar after all. But Ryuji gets the sense that she was rarely involved in the world, based on the way other adults talk about her. Apparently, before he was born, there was a serious energy crisis which she helped fix. But as far as Ryuji knew, that was her only real accomplishment. She was otherwise pretty reclusive, pretty private. Uninvolved, even. Why his mom admired her so much would forever mystify him.Growing bored of the ceiling fan again, Ryuji turned his attention back to the television.“If I may cut in,” a bald man with glasses that Ryuji hadn’t noticed before joined the conversation. “I have a bit of a different perspective on the matter.”The rest of the group was quick to give this new speaker their full attention.“You spoke earlier of the Era of Kyoshi and the violence that took place during her youth. While I understand where you’re coming from with that analogy, I don’t think it truly applies to what we’re facing today. We are facing a crisis of crime to be sure, don’t get me wrong, but the crime we are seeing is largely domestic. Kyoshi dealt with slavers and bandits – people who acted without boarders all across the Earth Kindgom. These are issues that simply do not exist in the modern era. We are experiencing what can only be called domestic terrorism – our own citizens are sabotaging our society for their own misguided reasons – threatening to drag us back to the dark ages you spoke of earlier. Take the train derailment that killed ten people just last week – investigators found no evidence of international interference. It was an attack staged by our own citizens on our own citizens.“The point that I’m trying to make here is that for the most part we, as a society, are facing internal issues. The Avatar exists to ensure peace on a global stage. Perhaps the Avatar’s absence is not an omen of bad times to come, but rather a product of our progress as a society.” The rest of the people at the table looked intrigued. To be fair to them, even Ryuji himself was a little bit curious to see exactly where the guy was going with this. It kinda seemed like nonsense to him, but at least it wasn’t the same ‘doom and gloom’ attitude that so many politicians had.“What do you mean by that?”“There haven’t truly been any international issues since the time of Korra – maybe we simply do not need the Avatar. Maybe this is a sign that we as a society should take responsibility for our own inernal issues and work to secure the future of this country ourselves. Without the oversight of the Avatar.”To his right, Ryuji’s mother was scoffing over her tea. She looked irritated in a way that had Ryuji’s lips curling up at the edges.The rest of the news people were nodding along. “That’s an interesting perspective for sure,” one of them was saying. “Though, some people might find it offensive.”“Sensitive youths no doubt.” The man was saying, “Look, I’m not denying any of the amazing things that past Avatars have accomplished. I knew Avatar Wakaba personally, and even worked with her for a brief period of time before her unfortunate death. The Avatar has a fundamental place in this world – that was never in question. I am simply stating that we cannot rely solely on the guidance of the Avatar to shape our society. We too are capable and driven. We too – can lead, can prosper, can steer our country forward towards a brighter future.“And for the past sixteen years, I believe, we have been going in the right direction. That’s why I find all of the panic surrounding the Avatar’s absence to be wholly unfounded. If we take a good look at how far we’ve come on our own – we see that we’re doing just fine. We don’t need the Avatar – we’ve evolved on our own.”Ryuji’s mother was shaking her head and scowling, but the people on TV were nodding thoughtfully. Frankly, Ryuji didn’t know where he stood. He got what the guy was saying – society shouldn’t solely rely on an all-powerful spirit to maintain peace and stability in the world. But also… wasn’t the Avatar like… nature itself? Like… part of the fabric of reality? That did kind of seem necessary.“Thank you Councilman Shido, you’ve given us a lot to think about.” The woman was saying. “Now let’s get some insight from one of the Fire Sages. On the line, directly from the Fire Nation we have Fire Sage Lavensa. Lavensa can you hear us?”“Yes, I can.” A soothing, youthful voice floated from the speakers. There was no accompanying video.“First of all, thank you for being here with us today – on the anniversary of Avatar Wakaba’s death. We’re wondering – as a spiritual leader and a citizen of the Fire Nation, what is your take on the absence of the Avatar? Is it nothing to worry about? Or an omen of bad times to come?”The Sage, Lavenza, chuckled gently. Even without her face being broadcasted, Ryuji got the sense that she had a very peaceful energy – it radiated from just the sound of her voice. “Well,” she started. “I’m not sure that I agree with either of those statements. It is certainly not good that the Avatar has yet to be identified, but it isn’t something to be concerned about either. You see, during a time of great crime, turmoil, and political instability – Kyoshi was born to a pair of bandits. As the Air Nomads faced genocide, Aang found himself in a situation that led to his being frozen and then revived – ensuring that the Avatar, and airbenders alike, would live on. And as the world approached a period of great intellectual inequality, Wakaba was born a scientist.“These might not seem like equal comparisons to draw, however the list goes on. When the world needed a hunter, we got Kuruk. When the world needed a diplomat, we got Yangchen. When the world needed a teacher, we got Roku. I can see why some people are concerned and others are not. This debate exists even among the scholars at the Fire Temples. Should we fear for the worst? When the Avatar is discovered will they be able to handle these sudden, new responsibilities? These are all valid concerns but… I shall leave you with one piece of wisdom – something that after years spent studying the Spirit World, and the history of the Avatar, I believe confidently, wholeheartedly, without a shadow of doubt.“The Avatar is always – always – born into the exactly correct circumstances to serve the needs of their time.”
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- Saturday April 9th, 20XX - The pavement glistened, spraying fresh drops of water up into the misty air as black tires rolled to a stop in front of a large modern-looking concrete building. Beyond a tall iron gate, a series of empty planters lined a wide staircase leading up to the building’s main entrance – doors set in glass. It was too early in the spring for anything to be growing yet, so everything was a dull, cloudy gray. To most, the building looked like exactly what it was – a high school. To Akira, however, it seemed more like a prison. “Alright kid, here we are.” The man behind the wheel said, shifting into park. “Shujin Academy.” The drive into Republic City from West Air Temple Village had been long and silent. Between the tearful goodbye from his mother, the cold shoulder of his probation officer, and the persistence of the spring rain, the whole trip had been rather somber. The sight of Shujn Acadamy, looming tall gray and gated against a stormy backdrop, failed to inspire in Akira any hope that the upcoming year away from home would be anything other than unbearably lonely. As the driver-side door slammed shut, Akira jolted into action. As much as he wanted to stay seated and hidden from the judgment of the uncaring, distrustful adults in whose hands he’d be placing his life, there was no use delaying the inevitable.He swung his door open and stepped out into the rain.Hardly giving Akira any time to brace himself, Office Li handed him his luggage, nodded towards the school entrance and began walking at a brisk pace. Akira scrambled to follow him, hobbling up the stairs after him as his probation officer raced forwards as if he were trying to lose him. By the time he reached the top of the steps, Akira was winded. Gingerly he set his suitcase down, eager to roll it the rest of the way and hoping there wouldn’t be any more wet staircases in his near future.Inside, the school looked like any other – blank white walls lined with lockers, wooden floors, fluorescent lights. The only real difference between this school and the one he went to back home in West Air Temple Village, was that Shujin was considerably larger. No surprise, considering it was located in the third largest city in the world after Ba Sing Se and Hari Bulkan. The academic building alone was at least three times the size of Akira’s entire high school. And that was just one building. Shujin had three – one for academics, one for sports and bending, and one for administration. Currently, Officer Li was leading him in the direction of the administrative building.They walked across a roofed bridge that cut across some kind of courtyard. Akira looked around, taking note of future places he might be able to relax unbothered should things at school take a turn for the worst.Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of walking, they arrived at their destination: the principal’s office.Officer Li knocked on the door. “Mr. Kobayakawa? It’s Li, we spoke on the phone.”“Come in!”Officer Li held the door open for Akira, who entered with practiced neutrality. Behind the desk sat a large bald man wearing a mustard-yellow blazer. Presumably, this was principal Kobayakawa. He assessed Akira with a look of grim curiosity, smiling in a way that was likely meant to be friendly but didn’t quite meet his eyes – strained. To his left stood a young woman with frizzy, shoulder length hair. She was outwardly displeased, head tilted downward. It seemed she was intentionally avoiding meeting anyone’s eyes.“Hello Officer Li,” Kobayakawa stood, offering a hand to Li, who politely accepted. Then, he turned his attention to Akira, suddenly stern. “And this must be Kurusu-kun. Welcome to Shujin Academy. I hope you know just how lucky you are to be here. We pride ourselves on being one of the best schools in Republic City. Our academics are top-notch and our athletic department is unmatched. Parents send their kids from all over the city just to get an education here. If it weren’t for your excellent academic record and Air Nomad ancestry, we wouldn’t have even entertained the idea of accepting you . However, your case manager made a good argument on your behalf – that this was a fluke incident – perhaps a psychiatric episode of some sort or a side-effect of that medication you’ve been on. We hope she was right.”Kobayakawa paused as if waiting for a response. Akira simply nodded to acknowledge that he was listening, deeply conscious of the fact that everyone was staring at him.After another moment of awkward silence, in which Kobayakawa stared him down as if he weren’t really sure what to make of him, he continued. “To reiterate, just so we’re clear, you will be immediately expelled if you cause any problems. In my opinion, you’re nothing but a liability… but we have our public image to consider, and the schoolboard believes the successful rehabilitation of a delinquent will raise our social status. Just remember, whatever you might’ve gotten away with in your hometown… those days are over. If you are thrown out from our school, there will be no place for you to go. Keep that in mind.”Then, Kobayakawa turned to his left, finally acknowledging the downtrodden young woman.“This is the teacher in charge of your class.” He stated simply.For the first time since Akira had entered the room, the woman lifted her eyes. “I’m Sadayo Kawakami.” She introduced herself. Her voice was soft, and she spoke with considerably more kindness than Kobayakawa had. Still though, her lips slanted downward, her body angled away, and her arms crossed her chest in a tight lock. Everything about her posture conveyed disapproval.Akira did his best to maintain a neutral expression, hands firmly in his pockets and eyes hidden behind thick lenses. He’d already gotten the lecture from his probation officer, so he knew people would be guarded around him. But still, he was unused to being treated with so much blatant hostility – especially at school. Biting the inside of his cheek to keep from frowning, Akira braced himself for whatever admonishment would come next.However, instead of launching another lecture, Kawakami handed him his student ID and began to outline the school guidelines. “Be sure to read the school rules.” She said, “Any violations will send you straight to the guidance office. And, if by chance you cause any problems, I won’t be able to protect you at all…. That is your promise, right, Principal Kobayakawa?”At this statement, she turned her attention away from Akira and back to the principal.“That was the agreement, yes.” Kobayakawa affirmed. “He is responsible for all his own actions.”This response didn’t seem to appease Kawakami. She tsked, averting her gaze once more as her mouth set in a hard line. “But really though? Why me? There had to have been better candidates.”“Yours was the only class that had an opening.”Kawakami sighed in defeat, her look of displeasure only growing. “Alright then, we better get started. Officer Li, Kurusu-kun, I’ll show you to the boy’s dormitory.”“Thank you, Kawakami-san.” Kobayakawa said. “I’ll let you take it from here. Oh and Kurusu – behave yourself. We’ve given you a great opportunity for a second chance. Don’t squander it.”“Yes sir.” Akira responded dutifully. He may have family among the Air Nomads, but his parents had both been Fire Nation, and the Fire Nation valued duty and honor. He’d handle this year of exile as gracefully as possible – and hopefully be on a train back home before he knew it.Kobayakawa huffed at the politeness of his response and waved his hand, dismissing the group. Officer Li, Kawakami, and Akira all stepped out into the hall, door sliding closed behind them.“Well,” Officer Li said, addressing Kawakami with a smile. “He’s in your good hands now, Kawakami-san. Remember, Kurusu, I’ll be checking in with the school monthly to see how you’re doing. I’ll also be visiting Shujin once a semester to see you in person. For the time being, you are not permitted to contact your family, as the investigation is still ongoing. Should we find out you’ve been in communication with any of them, that will count as a violation of your probation and you will be sent to junior detention. Understood?”Akira fought to keep the frown off of his face, unsure of why he needed another reminder. As if he would forget the court’s cruel sentence, the danger in which he’d placed his entire family – that it was all his fault.“Yes sir.”Officer Li frowned. It seemed no matter how obedient he tried to be, there would always be something to disapprove of.With one final nod to Kawakami, Officer Li took his leave.“Alright then,” His new teacher sighed. “follow me.”Surprisingly, she lead him back the same way he’d come – towards the front entrance and out the door.“Um…” Akira started, once again facing the ordeal of having to tackle that dreaded wet staircase with his luggage. “Are the dorms not connected?”“No.” Kawakami said, pulling out her umbrella. “Most of our students commute from close by, so we don’t have a need for a large building of our own. However, there’s an old hotel up the street that we bought and renovated about twenty years ago for the use of any students that might have a longer commute. Of course, these students typically still have families in the city – they just stay here for convenience and tend to go home on the weekends. Of course, that doesn’t mean you will be unsupervised, so don’t go getting any ideas.”Kawakami’s voice was stern, even as she watched him struggle to carry his suitcases down the stairs without slipping. Then, abruptly, as he reached the bottom of the steps she asked, “Do you have an umbrella?”“Um…” Akira pointed at his suitcase dumbly, hoping he conveyed his meaning as the rain continued to pummel him.“Of course,” Kawakami sighed. “Let’s get going then so you can unpack. This way.”They walked the rest of the way in silence, until finally they turned a corner and stopped under an awning.“Here we are.” Kawakami said. “Take out your student ID. You can scan it to get into the building.”Just as she said, Akira was able to scan his ID and unlock the front door. Kawakami held it open for him, and Akira thanked her quietly as he pushed his wet hair out of his eyes, shivering a bit at the rush of cool, dry air from inside.“Alright, now show your ID to the man behind the desk. Very good. You’ll have to show your ID every time you come home, so don’t lose it. See the elevators ahead? You’re on the second floor.”The elevator was slow to arrive. As it did, it screeched somewhat unpleasantly. Still, he stepped inside alongside Kawakami and pressed the button for floor two. When it started moving again, it rattled a bit, and Akira silently thanked whoever it was that decided to put him on floor two – he was never taking this elevator again. It was stairs for him from here on out.Kawakami grumbled under her breath as the fluorescent light flickered, and Akira wondered if she was thinking the same thing.“Thank god,” she said when the doors finally opened again. “This way.”She led him down the hall, stopping at a door labeled “21” and pulling out a key. Unlocking the door, she led him inside.As he expected, the room was small and plain. The walls were all painted white, the floors a cold gray tile. To his right there was a door which upon quick investigation, revealed a small connected bathroom – at least that was a perk.What he wasn’t expecting, however, was the second bed. Or the obvious signs of another person already living here – like the stack of books on the desk, charging laptop, and collection of sports posters from teams Akira didn’t know or follow stuck haphazardly to the walls.Kawakami gestured towards the unclaimed bed. “Alright, Kurusu-kun, here it is. There’s a minifridge in the corner there, and a communal kitchen at the end of the hall. You can use it whenever you like just be sure to clean up. It looks like your roommate has already settled in. I’m sure he’ll be back tomorrow night to get ready for classes on Monday. Please try to get along. If there are any problems, you know who they’ll blame… so just – behave, okay? Oh, and there are security cameras in the main lobby and halls – so don’t even think about trying anything okay? That means no parties, no girls, no drugs – nothing that could get you flagged for bad behavior. Also, curfew is at 8pm. Your probation officer will be informed if you break it. Understood?”As Akira nodded, several drops of water flung from the ends of his hair. If Kawakami noticed, she didn’t say .“Good,” She said instead, handing him his room key. “I’ll see you on Monday.”With that, Kawakami turned to leave, and for the first time in weeks, Akira was left by himself.Strangely, it doesn’t make him feel much better.Instead, Akira finds himself overcome with a wave of dread – one that he can’t quite rationalize. After all, this is supposed to be a new start – and his probation will only last a year. As long as he’s good, as long as he behaves… he can go home.Unzipping his suitcase, the first thing Akira pulls out is a framed photograph. The picture is one of his favorites – it was taken by a colleague of his father’s, back when they were living on Ma’inka Island. It was summertime, and his father had permitted Akira to join him on one of his shoots for the very first time. They had been camping in the highlands when Akira had one of his episodes. He ended up wandering way up into the mountains before he woke up – and when he did he’d had no idea how to find his way back to camp.But he also wasn’t alone. Unbeknownst to him, he’d been followed by a pair of black panda leopard cubs. Floored, Akira simply took a seat on the rocky earth only to deepen his bafflement as the cubs climbed into his lap and started nosing at him like he was the most fascinating thing they’d ever seen. As far as he knew panda leopards were an endangered species – and highly elusive. Not even his parents had seen one in person before, and they’d been working in conservation for longer than Akira had been alive.Eventually, one of the cubs started nipping at his shirt, tugging him towards the cliff. Strangely unafraid, Akira allowed himself to be pulled along. Peering over the cliff’s edge, Akira spotted what appeared to be the cub’s mother – alive but with an obviously broken leg. Instead of running for help like a normal eleven-year-old should have done, Akira had opted to scale the cliff. There was just something about the mother – laying there panting and scared, unable to move – that pulled Akira forward. He landed next to her, spoke to her gently even though there was no way she understood what he was saying – although thinking back, maybe she did, because when he stroked the fur between her eyes, she didn’t nip, didn’t flinch, didn’t even growl. Instead, she met his gaze head on, licked the tip of her nose, and let her head fall back into the palm of his hand.Akira sat with her and the cubs until sunrise, when his father’s frantic yelling reached his ears.Akira remembers calling back – alerting his father to his location. He remembers the relief and the terror written all over his face when he finally spotted Akira at the base of that cliff, dangerously close to a wild animal. He remembers stubbornly refusing to leave until help arrived for the black panda leopards, and his father’s exasperation. He remembers being pulled into the tight embrace of his father’s arms when he finally separated from the leopards, the way he hovered close by for the rest of the day, the way he stroked his hair and whispered, fond and angry all at once, “Don’t you ever scare me like that again.”And, he remembers this picture – the two of them back at Ma’Inka Wildlife Rescue Center, each holding one of the cubs and smiling wide, his mother throwing up a peace sign from way in the background.It was a fond memory – or it used to be. As Akira stared at the picture now, all he felt was dread.
It would only be a year. As long as he’s good, as long as he behaves… he can go home.
Akira’s throat tightened, vision growing blurry.
Home….
Somewhere deep down, Akira knew the truth – he would never go home again.Setting the photo down on his bedside table, Akira turned to examine his roommate’s posters. Most of them seemed to depict some type of runner. How fitting, he thought.For his entire life, even before the incident that led him here, even during the good times, like up in the mountains with his dad, Akira had felt this sense of impending disaster. Sure, sometimes it wasn’t as prominent as others, but it always caught up to him, one way or another – it always came back. And every time it did, Akira would run. First, he ran to his parents who distracted him and stroked his hair and let him sleep in their bed. Until the nightmares got too bad. Then he ran to the doctors, who put him on anxiety meds and said it was depression, no actually schizophrenia, no actually it appears to be some sort of sleep disorder. And while the meds kept the nightmares at bay, that terrible creeping feeling always came back. So, he threw himself into his studies, picked up baseball, volunteered at the Zoo with his mother, and jumped at every opportunity he got to travel with his dad. He kept running.You’d think that feeling of impending doom would be gone now – after all hasn’t it finally caught up to him? Wasn’t his arrest and probation the “disaster” he’d felt chasing him his entire life? Is this not the exact scenario he’s been running from?It’s not. Akira pulls off his wet shirt and grabs a dry one from his suitcase. It’s something else.
It’s something worse.
After he finishes unpacking, Akira is at a loss for what to do next. Feeling kind of gross from the rain, he opts to take a quick shower. Too tired from his travels, he decides to forgo dinner for the evening and turn in early. He towel-dries his hair, sets his alarm, and swallows one of his sleeping pills before climbing under the covers.Still, the feeling nags at him. It's catching up.As his head hits the pillow, the full force of his exhaustion overcomes him. He takes a deep breath, praying, like he always does, for a dreamless night. Then, with a bit of hesitation, he closes his eyes.We’re running out of time, you know. A woman’s voice lulls him to sleep. She's spoken to him every night for the past four years. He thinks he knows her, but he can never recall how. It won't be as bad as you think, she says.
Consciousness fading, Akira nuzzles his face into his pillow. “I’m not ready yet.” He mumbles. “I’m not ready….”Showing great mercy, darkness finally takes him.
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Sunday, April 10th 20XX
With no one to talk to, Akira decides to spend the majority of the day exploring. There isn’t much to do around Shujin Academy. The surrounding area is mostly comprised of offices, banks, and government buildings. There are a few shops here and there, and Akira does manage to find a nice place to buy groceries, but overall, there’s no good way to pass the time. No arcades or movie theaters or parks. Just buildings.Overwhelmed by the sheer size of the city, Akira chooses to spend the rest of the day inside preparing for school. He packs his lunch, organizes his books, reviews the curriculum, and sets out his uniform. Once he’s completed all of his necessary tasks, he sits down to mindlessly scroll on his phone for a while. Eventually, he gets so bored that he actually cracks open one of his textbooks and starts studying ahead.The majority of the day is uneventful, peaceful even. Until about 6pm sharp when his roommate finally shows up.The door swings open so abruptly Akira actually jumps in surprise. His roommate doesn’t notice right away though, too busy loudly talking with someone on the phone.“I know dad, wh- yeah, I know. I know. I’m working on it. I know. I’ll see you next weekend. Bye.”The guy pockets his phone, muttering something under his breath as he kicks off his shoes. Then, just as suddenly as he arrived, he looks up and spots Akira sitting cross-legged on his bed.“FUCK - !” The guy startles, looking shocked. “You scared the hell out of me. How long have you been there?”“Uh,” Akira starts, “I’ve been here all day. I would have said something when you came in, but you were on the phone…. I’m Kurusu Akira by the way. Your new roommate.”“Oh.” The guy purses his lips. “That’s right they told me I’d be getting a roommate this year. I’m Takeishi. Sorry for yelling I was just surprised.”To his credit, Takeishi seems to recover easily enough. He drops his school bag on the floor next to his bed and starts to make himself comfortable.“No worries.” Akira says, gingerly closing his textbook. Kawakami’s words from the day before return to the forefront of his mind. Try to get along. If there are any problems, you know who they’ll blame. “You a second year too?” Takeishi, thankfully, seems friendly enough.“Yeah.”“Oh really? We haven’t had any classes together before have we? I don’t think I recognize you.”“Oh no, I just transferred here.”“Really? I – oh. Oh. You’re the new transfer student?” Takeishi turns to him now with his full attention. He assesses Akira with a strange look on his face. His shoulders tense, his mouth settles into a flat line, and his eyes bug out ever so slightly. The energy seems to have changed somehow, but Akira can’t for the life of him figure out what went wrong. Is there some weird city etiquette he doesn’t know about?He tries to elaborate. “Yeah, I am. I’m originally from the Fire Nation but my family moves around a lot. I’ve lived in parts of the Earth Kingdom too but for the past three years we’ve been in The United Republic of Nations.”“Oh uh… cool….” Takeishi’s suddenly very interested in a thread that’s hanging off the cuff of his sleeve.“Yeah….” Akira trails off. “I see you’ve got a lot of posters up. You into sports?”“Oh… uhuh.” Takeishi squirms a little.Akira blinks. Well, this is weird. “Cool.” He says, “I play baseball.”Takeishi doesn’t even bother to use his words. He just nods and starts fiddling with his phone.After a weirdly long pause, Akira tries again. “How about you?”“No, I don’t really play anything. Not anymore.”“Ah….” Akira nods slowly, somewhat annoyed. It seems his roommate has already decided to dislike him after only thirty seconds of conversation. He can’t fathom what he said wrong. There’s no reason for him to be so cold unless… unless he somehow knows about his record? But that shouldn’t be possible. Only the staff is supposed to know about that.Weird.He and Takeishi don’t speak for the rest of the evening. At one point, Takeishi even leaves for a little while without explaining where he’s going or what he’s doing. He doesn’t return until around the time Akira’s getting ready for bed, and when he does the only acknowledgement he offers is a small nod in greeting. Akira returns it with only a little bit of hesitation, before turning to his drawer to grab his sleeping pills, paying Takeishi no mind.Once he’s settled into bed, he turns to find Takeishi just sort of… staring at him. His expression is hard to discern, but regardless, it makes him kind of uncomfortable.“Uh….” Akira says, “Goodnight, man.”This seems to snap Takeishi out of whatever funk he was in. “Night.” He replies tersely, climbing into his own bed and turning off the lights.Plunged once more into darkness, that feeling of dread returns, even more urgent than it was the night before. More urgent, it seemed, than it has ever felt before.Akira sucks in a sharp breath through his teeth. Now was not the time for this. He has to keep it together in front of Takeishi, who, for some reason, already hated him. He doesn’t want to start off the semester as the weird night terror kid. So, it was absolutely not the time for this.When is? The woman’s voice was back.Akira ignores her. His breath quickens. No nightmares tonight, he begs. Not tonight. Please. You’ll have to face it eventually, you know. You can’t run forever. The voice responds, gentle, even if the words are harsh.Face what? Akira wonders, eyes growing heavy as the medication kicks in.Butterflies dance behind his eyelids. Don’t you already know? For what would be the last night for a long, long time, Akira is blessed with a dreamless sleep.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Monday, April 11th
On the morning of his first day of school, Akira wakes up to an empty room. Considering that Takeishi’s backpack is missing, Akira assumes that he left early.It’s raining again, so after Akira has finished getting ready, he makes sure he grabs his umbrella. He pauses at the door, exhaling deeply with his hand wrapped around the handle. Memories of his strange interaction with Takeishi flash through his mind, and Akira’s mouth curls downwards. He pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose, letting his bangs obscure his eyes. Then, with a quick shake of his shoulders, he secures his school bag and holds his head high, pulling the door open and stepping out into the hallway.It’s only one year, he reminds himself.There are a few other students walking about. Most of them seem to know each other. They chatter on the way down to the main lobby, paying Akira no mind.Once outside, most of the other students immediately rush out into the rain. Akira, however, pauses under the awning to pull out his umbrella. He watches the group of boys shove each other playfully and disappear around a corner. He leans back against the side of the building, still staring after them.
Impending disaster.
The feeling has returned. Akira furrows his brows, frowning a little. The feeling usually doesn’t catch him like this in the middle of the day. Usually, it creeps up on him in the evening, if at all. But now, as he watches the retreating backs of his new classmates, his heart hammers, his throat tightens, and his hands begin to shake.Something stirs in his chest. Jealousy?A sudden splash to his right snaps Akira out of his self-pitying. He turns towards the sound and blinks in surprise. A girl has joined him under the awning.The first thing he notices is her hair. It’s unusually pale in a way that’s only seen in the people living in the southernmost part of the Earth Kingdom. She shakes her head, untucking the long blonde strands from under the collar of her blazer and letting the ends of her ponytails spill over her shoulders with a gentle curl. Finally noticing Akira’s staring, she turns to look at him. She smiles, offering a friendly wave before returning her attention to her phone. Akira waves back and tries to look away, as to not be too creepy. It’s hard though; she’s unbelievably pretty – her eyes a shade of blue that he has never seen in person before. She doesn’t look like the people of Republic City, which is largely a blend of Northwestern Earth and Fire Nation people. Of course, he knew in theory that people from all over the world settled here. But still, he wasn’t prepared to see that for himself firsthand.Now, his heart hammers for another reason altogether. He stands there, under the awning with the beautiful girl, unsure of what to say.But before he’s able to gather up enough courage to offer his umbrella to her, a car pulls up along the curb.“Hey there!” A deep, friendly voice calls out. A middle-aged man pokes his head out of the window. He has dark eyes, dark hair, and a strong jawline. If Akira had to guess, he’d say the man was Fire Nation, based on looks alone. “Need a ride to school?”“Oh um,” The girl replies, ducking her head a little. She glances in Akira’s direction once, almost bashfully, before turning to nod towards the dark-haired man. “Sure, that would be great. Thanks.”Not sparing him another glance, she runs across the sidewalk and slides into the passenger seat of the man’s car, closing the door behind her. Surprisingly though, the man turns his attention to Akira.“How about you? Want a ride?”“Oh um, no thanks!” Akira calls back, unsure why he turned down the kind offer. The tightness in his chest returns with a vengeance. As the man drives away, Akira exhales in relief.Just as Akira is about to pull himself together and start walking towards school, he is distracted by the sound of someone running. Another kid in a Shujin uniform chases after the car, splashing Akira a little as he sprints by.When the car turns a corner, the kid curses to himself and stomps. “Dammit…. Screw that pervy teacher.” He mutters under his breath.“Pervy teacher?” Akira wonders aloud, finding his voice again.The kid turns to him with a startled expression, like he hadn’t even noticed Akira standing there. From the way he’d been running earlier, Akira wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case.The new guy’s look of surprise only lasts for a second, however, before he rearranges his features into an expression of such open hostility that Akira actually takes half a step back.“What do you want?” The guy approaches slowly. He’s frowning, hands in his pockets, and staring at him like he’s ready for a fight. “You plannin’ on ratting me out to Kamoshida?” He challenges, shoulders squared, brows lowered, nostrils flaring.Akira feels a cold wave of irritation wash over him. He hasn’t even started his first day of school and he’s already making enemies? First Takeishi and now this guy? Did he just… radiate loser to these people? Or could they just clock an outsider from a block away? Either way, Akira swallows his pride and does his best to focus on something small and inoffensive… something that won’t get him sent straight to juvey three days into his probation.“Kamoshida?” He asks. He’s genuinely confused, but in all honesty, he really doesn’t care to know any more that he already does. He just wants to deescalate the situation, put his head down and get to school already.“Huh?” The guy looks at him like he’s got two heads. “That guy in the car just then. That was Kamoshida.”The guy scoffs, staring off to the side where the car had been moments before. He looks pissed again, but at least this time it’s not directed at Akira. “He does whatever the hell he wants. Who does he think he is – a king? He’s a total asshole. Don’t you agree?”“He thinks he’s a king?” Akira asks, feeling dumb.“No, no, I mean – ” The guy pauses and really takes a look at Akira. The hostility from earlier has faded away, but the discerning look the guy’s giving him has Akira on edge all over again. After a moment of intense staring, something seems to click for him. He shifts his weight onto one leg, crossing his arms and staring Akira down with a vaguely judgmental frown. “Wait… you don’t know Kamoshida? Are you for real? You’re from Shujin right?”“You go to Shujin too?” Is the only reply Akira can muster, as thrown off as he is by this whole interaction.“Uh, yeah?” The guy scoffs. “What do you mean? No other school’s got a uniform like this. What year are you?”“A second year.” Akira replies.“Huh,” The guy starts, “we’re in the same grade then. I’ve never seen you before though…. Oh! You that new transfer student?”Akira nods, relieved that the new guy doesn’t seem hell-bent on picking a fight with him anymore. Surprisingly, as opposed to Takeishi the other night, this guy doesn’t seem to be put off by the fact that Akira’s a transfer student. Instead, he continues the conversation with considerably more warmth than before.Weird.“Oh! Then no wonder you don’t know him.” He changes the subject. “Well, this rain ain’t letting up anytime soon. We better hurry up or we’ll be late. Come on, I’ll show you the way.”“Oh cool… thanks.”Finally moving out from under the awning, Akira observes his new classmate. The guy was a little bit shorter than him and was definitely not following the dress code. For one thing, his jacket was fully unbuttoned, revealing a bold graphic tee as opposed to the plain white turtlenecks all of the students were supposed to be wearing. Additionally, his hair was bright yellow. Unlike the girl from earlier, whose hair was obviously natural, his was clearly dyed. Akira was surprised the school let him in looking the way he did, considering how much grief they’d given him about following all the rules.When they arrive at school, the guy turns to him and, with the brightest, sincerest grin Akira has experienced in a long time, announces “We’re here! Shujin Academy. It was nice meeting you, dude. Good luck with everything.”Akira thanks him and they go their separate ways. Warmth blossoms in his chest, loosening the knot of anxiety that’s been with him all morning. Maybe Shujin wouldn’t be so bad? Regrettably, Akira had neglected to ask the boy his name, too caught off guard by the anger that he had exuded in the first few moments of their meeting. Although, maybe it wasn’t too late. Maybe they’d have class together? Akira hoped so. He’d like to be friends.As Akira makes his way to the faculty office to check in with Ms. Kawakami, he can feel eyes on him. When he looks around, no one will meet his gaze. At first, he assumes that the other students are just absorbed in their own worlds. That is, until he overhears a couple of girls whispering to each other.“Is that the new transfer student? The guy that walked in with Sakamato?”“Yeah, it totally is. I heard he stabbed someone. Of course he’d be hanging around Sakamato already. I can’t believe they let someone like that in our school.”Akira’s blood rushes cold. They… knew about his record? They thought he’d stabbed someone? No wonder Takeishi was so weird with him the other night. What other sorts of rumors have been circulating about him?This doesn’t bode well for him.When Akira enters the faculty room, even some of the teachers turn to whisper to each other.“Kawakami-san?” Akira timidly approaches her desk. The good mood that the boy with the dyed hair (Sakamato?) put him in earlier has been completely shattered. He tries not to hunch his shoulders too much. He’s not sure he succeeds.“Ah… Kurusu, you’re here.” Kawakami sighs, gathering her things. “Well, let’s get this over with. Follow me and I’ll introduce you to the rest of the class.”Akira complies, following his teacher to their classroom. Upon entering, the students’ chatter dies down.“Settle down.” Kawakami orders, taking her place behind the podium at the front of the class. Akira stands to her side, facing the rest of the class. All eyes lock on him, not one person looking friendly. “I’d like to introduce our new transfer student. This is Akira Kurusu. He’ll be joining us for the rest of the year. Alright… please say something to the class.”“It’s nice to meet you.” Akira says, thankful that he doesn’t stutter.“He seems normal….” One girl whispers.“I bet its an act.” Another student responds. “He acts quiet… but then when he loses it…. I mean, he was arrested for assault.”“Um, so….” Kawakami interjects before the whispers can get too out of hand. “You’ll be sitting at that open desk in the back there. Thank you Kurusu-kun. Now please take your seat.”Ignoring the hushed voices of his classmates, Akira moves towards his seat. As he looks up, he notices, for the first time, that the pretty girl from earlier that morning would be sitting in front of him. As he passes her, she mutters something that he doesn’t catch.“Huh?” He asks. She pointedly turns away, looking out the window.Feeling stupid, Akira takes his seat.“Did you see that?” More whispers reach his ears. “They totally know each other. Do you think he hit on her before school started?”“No way. That would mean she’s cheating on Mr. Kamoshida.”“Well, this is Takamaki we’re talking about.”Huh. Akira spins a pen across his fingers. That explained Sakamato’s ‘pervy teacher’ remark from earlier.Soon enough, Kawakami begins their first lesson, effectively silencing his classmates’ budding gossip. Thankful for the distraction, Akira puts his head down, opens his book, and hopes the rest of the day goes better.The rest of the day does not get better. In fact, arguably, it only gets worse.For starters, during the breaks between class periods, no one would interact with him. At one point, a group of girls even jumped and ran away when he dared to ask them where to find the cafeteria.The rumors get progressively worse too. As the day goes on, the initially accurate rumor that he was on probation for assault gradually becomes more and more outlandish. He’s overheard people stating that he beat up an ex-girlfriend, that he was arrested for arson, that he was caught selling drugs to kids at the park, that he actually killed a guy. The fact that he’s not a native-born United Republic of Nations citizen gets out too (likely courtesy of Takeishi) and people start wondering why he wasn’t simply deported.Also courtesy of Takeishi is the new rumor that, apparently, Akira was a hardcore drug addict. “I heard from Takeishi-kun that he caught the transfer student taking pills in their dorm last night.” Akira overhears seconds after exiting the classroom for lunch.“Really? Do you think he used to deal or something?”“Shh! He’s coming this way!”He scoffs out loud at that, causing another group of students to stare at him anxiously, as if he were seconds away from going crazy and attacking them.By the time lunch rolls around, Akira has resigned himself to the fact that he’ll be eating alone for the foreseeable future. He grabs the lunch he packed for himself out of his locker and is about to go looking for a quiet place to eat in silence when Kawakami stops him.“Kurusu-kun,” she says, that same, perpetually grim expression on her face. Once he’s allowed himself to be pulled to the side of the hallway, she continues. “Uhm… it seems the reason for your transfer has gotten out. I’m… sorry about that. I’m not the one who told them about you but… just… try not to let it get to you. And don’t get into any more trouble. I heard you were seen with Sakamato-kun this morning. I’d hate for you to develop an even worse reputation.”Akira flounders for a moment, unsure of what to say. It seemed like Kawakami was trying to look out for him, but something about it rubbed him the wrong way. Still, she was a lot kinder than most of the other adults here, so Akira decides to probe her for more information.“Sakamato? You mean the boy with the dyed hair, right?”She sighs. “Yes. Don’t get involved with him, okay? He’s nothing but trouble. Didn’t used to be like that when he was devoting his time to track and field though…. Oh… speak of the devil.”Kawakami’s eyes sweep past Akira to stare at something behind him with abject disapproval. Akira turns to look and is surprised to see Sakamato himself approaching them. He looks… different than he did that morning. His mouth is set in a hard line, shoulders hunched, and brows pinched. He keeps his hands stuffed firmly in the pockets of his pants and walks with considerably more stiffness than he had outside of the school. Still… he doesn’t look angry per se – at least not like he had that morning. If anything he looked… guarded… cautious.“What do you want?” Kawakami questions as Sakamato reaches them. She mirrors his body language, pressing her lips together and crossing her arms. “I heard you missed first period, even though your homeroom teacher saw you walk into school on time today. You’re not cutting classes again, are you? Oh, and you still haven’t dyed your hair back to its natural color. I’m surprised no one has written you up yet.”Sakamato turns away from her, tilting his head down to stare at the floor. His scowl deepens. His eyebrow twitches. He looks up, and in the least apologetic voice Akira thinks he’s ever heard, says, “Sorry ‘bout that” as if he had just accidentally bumped into her on the street.And with that curt sentence, it seemed Sakamato was finished speaking with her. He turns to Akira, boxing Kawakami out of their conversation as if she were the one intruding. Kawakami puts a hand on her hip and arches an eyebrow, clearly annoyed but not bothering to do anything about it.“Meet me on the rooftop.” Sakamato says. Offering no explanation, he turns and walks away – leaving just as abruptly as he’d arrived.Kawakami shakes her head, frizzy bangs falling in her eyes. “See?” She exhales, “That’s why I don’t want you getting involved. Understood?”Akira nods.“Good.” She says, rubbing her temples. “Now… just… try to enjoy your lunch. Classes resume at 12:45…. See you then.”As Kawakami walks away, Akira considers his options. On the one hand, Sakamato did seem like trouble. He clearly had a bad reputation, and his demeanor when interacting with Kawakami was abhorrent. On the other hand… it wasn’t like Akira had anything better to do.Akira wasn’t used to being a social outcast. Sure, his family moved around a lot, so he never really got established in any particular school system but… he’d always been well liked. Typically, other students were interested to hear about where he’d lived before, and he’d always gotten good grades and was pretty good at sports too. Sometimes he had to take time off when his sleeping issues flared up, but that had never affected his popularity before.But here… now… there wasn’t anything he could do to salvage his reputation. It had been ruined before he’d even set foot on campus. He couldn’t make any new friends, he couldn’t contact his family, he couldn’t leave. The only thing he could do was follow Sakamato up to that rooftop and hear him out.The idle thought that Sakamato might be leading him into some kind of trap crosses his mind, but Akira’s curiosity wins out. If he ends up getting beat up, well, it wouldn’t be the worst thing that’s happened to him – and at least he’d know to stay away from Sakamato in the future. But if there was a chance – however small it might be – that Sakamato actually wanted to be friends? Well, Akira would take whatever he could get – as long as it didn’t get him into any more trouble.Steeling himself, Akira heads for the staircase.There’s a sign posted on the rooftop door announcing that it’s off-limits. Worried that he might get locked out should he step through the door, Akira hesitates to open it. However, the fear of facing the whispers of his peers just a floor below outweighs his fear that Sakamato might be punking him. He turns the doorknob.At some point that morning, the rain had stopped, clouds parting to bathe the city in sunlight. The rooftop was a pale gray shade of concrete only made interesting by the leftover scattering of puddles and the set of garden boxes sequestered off to the side. Nothing was growing.Sakamato was alone – or he appeared to be, at least. There was a set of spare desks clumped together haphazardly. That’s where Sakamato had made himself comfortable, leaning back in his chair with his feet kicked up on a tabletop. His arms are crossed, and he’s staring down at his lap, pensive. As he hears the door to the rooftop click shut, he looks up. His expression does not change.“There you are.” Sakamato takes the lead. Unlike their first meeting where he’d been aggressive and then cheerful, his voice lacks any emotion at all. He seems to have pulled back in some way. Akira can only assume it’s because he’d finally heard the rumors. If he really was some type of delinquent like Kawakami had implied, then it would make sense that he hadn’t heard about him before like Takeishi had. Akira tries to stop a frown from forming as the puzzle pieces click into place. Either he succeeds, or Sakamato doesn’t notice. “Sorry for callin’ you up here like this. I bet Kawakami already told you stuff like, “don’t get involved with him,” huh?”“She said you’re trouble.” Akira admits, not seeing any use in lying.“Heh,” Sakamato laughs humorlessly, “well, we’re pretty much in the same boat. I heard you got a criminal record. Everyone’s talking about it.”Akira shrugs.“So….” Sakamato prompts. He stares at Akira expectantly. As the silence drags on, Akira grows more and more uncomfortable.“So… what?” He asks.“So… do you?”“Do I what?”“Have a criminal record?” Sakamato presses. Akira has to give it to him – unlike the rest of the student body, he was pretty unafraid.Still, it wasn’t like Akira was eager to admit that the rumors were true. Rumors were one thing but… if people heard firsthand from Akira’s own mouth….“Listen,” Sakamato slides his feet off of the desk and plants them on the floor, leaning forward. “I’m not tryin’ to like hassle you, man. The last thing this place needs is any more gossip. It’s just… we talked this morning and I gotta be honest… you don’t really seem like the type. You’re like….” Sakamato scrunches up his face as he grapples for the right word “… hella normal.”Akira chuckles, more a surprised exhale than a real laugh. “Gee, thanks.”“I mean it as a compliment, dude! Like… you’re just like… kinda chill? I dunno. I don’t really get the vibe that you’re the type to fly off the handle is all. I mean, like, if you were that kind of guy, you totally would have freaked out on me this morning… right?” Sakamato seems a little unsure. He looks to Akira like he wants some kind of reassurance. Akira just shrugs again.“Geez… you’re not really one for words, huh? I get it though. People around here… image is everything to them. And there’s no room for error… fuck up just once and it’s all over… doesn’t matter what you did before – not if the wrong people don’t like you. Ugh, never mind. I’m rambling.” Sakamato shakes his head. “Anyway, I figured since people were giving you such a hard time you’d need someplace low key to relax. That’s why I asked you up here. I usually eat here – it’s a good place to like… get away. And none of the teachers ever check up here.”Sakamato kicks out a seat. “Come on, man, sit down. We only got like twenty minutes left to eat.”Akira blinks, strangely touched. It’s the kindest gesture he’s experienced since his arrest. Though a part of him is still doubtful of Sakamato’s intentions, the desperate need for comradery wins out. He sits down, offering his fellow delinquent a hesitant smile.“Thanks.” He says – and means it.Sakamato laughs. “No problem. I’m Sakamato Ryuji by the way.”“Kurusu Akira.”With introductions officially out of the way, the tension dissipates. An easy smile washes over Sakamato’s face and Akira finds that it helps him relax. It’s hard to believe that someone as seemingly cheerful and easy-going as Ryuji has just as bad a reputation as Akira. Part of him really wanted to ask about it – to dig and find out why exactly he’d been warned against associating with him. But Akira refrains, even as the curiosity eats at him. After all, prying into Ryuji’s past would only open himself up to questions too – and he really didn’t want to talk about his arrest.So, as Akira opens his lunchbox, he opts for an easier topic. “So, what’s the deal with that guy we saw this morning? Kamoshida I think?”Sakamato’s mood sours. He shoves a large glob of rice into his mouth and chews it like it had personally offended him. It’s kind of funny. “Ugh, that asshole.” Sakamato speaks with his mouth full. “Don’t worry about him. If you’re lucky, you’ll never meet. You’re in the non-bender class, right? He teaches firebending so you should be in the clear.”“I heard he’s dating a student.”Sakamato snorts. “Damn. Word really travels fast. Yeah, that’s what people say. It’s this girl – Takamaki. Real pretty but real full of herself. They’re a match made in heaven if you ask me.”“Is that just something everyone just… knows? Isn’t that illegal?”“Of course it is.” Ryuji scoffs. “Probably even some of the teachers know, I bet. It’s just that nobody gives a shit. See, Kamoshida is like, a big deal. He was the International Agni Kai Champion like five years in a row. People say he’s the best firebender of this generation and he was chosen by the International Association of Benders to train the next Avatar.” Ryuji laughs suddenly, smirking at Akira with a sparkle of petty glee in his eyes. “What an effin’ joke! Bet the guy’s such an asshole ‘cause the Avatar’s been MIA for like, years. Bet he’s worried about losing out on the glory of being the Avatar’s Firebending Master to some new guy if the Association changes their mind before they're identified. God… if that happens that would like… make my life.”Abruptly, Sakamato stops laughing. All the glee falls from his face. He stares at Akira with something like… concern?“Hey man… you okay?”Confused, Akira opens his mouth to ask what he means but freezes as the words get stuck in his throat. Suddenly, he’s aware of the fact that he’s not breathing. He forces a quick inhale so that he can respond. His voice comes out strangled. “Uh, yeah why?”“Dude.” Sakamato frowns. “You’re shaking.”“I am?”He was. Akira’s chopsticks clatter to the floor.“Yeah… and you’re looking really pale.” Suddenly Sakamato is lunging across the table to place a hand on Akira’s forehead. Akira jerks back, startled, and Sakamato flushes as he realizes what he’d just done.“Shit! Sorry, man I wasn’t thinking! You just really don’t look so good all of a sudden.” He stammers.“Tha – that’s okay.” Akira breathes. “You just surprised me.”“Maybe we should get you to the nurse?”“N-no! No, I’m fine.” Akira insists. “Really, I just – ” He cuts himself off, gasping for air.“Dude, you are so not fine.” Sakamato stands. “Come on, I’ll take you to the nurse. Let’s go.”Utterly mortified but unable to find the energy to refuse, Akira lets Ryuji lead him to the school nurse, who takes one look at him and decides to send him home early.Great, Akira thinks as he collapses back on his bed at one o’clock in the afternoon. The one person at this school who was kind to him probably thinks he’s some kind of basket case now, and the rest of the school would think he was too cowardly to face them. What a great way to start the year.Groaning, Akira pulls his pillow over his face and attempts to smother himself.