Lost and Found

Kyo paced uncertainly around the front yard of Mr. Yao's house. This was the last day she was able to stay, nay, the last ten minutes. He hadn't written a will, so her former mentor's house and all his possessions were being sold to the community. It broke her heart, to see all this stuff go, and once again she wished that she had the money to buy it back. But she had gotten all of her money from Mr. Yao and she wasn't ever going back to her parents. She watched the muscled men come and go to the house, taking stuff out, debating prices, ignoring Kyo where she sat next to the rose bush. She had grieved for his death yesterday, and today was the day for shock. Disbelief. Her teacher, who was like a father, had died of a heart attack three days ago. He had left her with nothing. She hated herself for letting these hateful thoughts enter her mind. It wasn't his fault he had died and left her on the streets once again.

Rubbing her temples, Kyo finally stood up, wincing at the creaking of her bones. It wouldn't do her good to stick around a place with so many memories. Shoving her hands in her pockets, Kyo hunched her shoulders to her neck and stalked out of the green lawn with the perfect white picket fence. Time for a new life, my third one so far, she thought. She circled the block once, running her hands through her silver bangs and redoing her sloppy pink ponytail twice. Her hair was too short for a ponytail in the first place, but she didn't care, so putting up her hair mainly consisted of pinning it up with a few pins. Taking the last one from her mouth and redoing her hair once more, she turned her back on the house and walked briskly down the road.

Her revived energy didn't last long. She had no where to go, and her swift pace slowed to a walk, and then to a shuffle. Finally, she found herself standing still in the middle of a four way crossroad. Completely lost.

The day was drawing to noon and the area seemed to be quiet. A girl walked down the road from the west, more limping than actual walking. She wore red kimono with pink flowers patterning the silk cloth and black 'n ruby colored 'shorts'. Long red hair and ribbon fell on her shoulders as golden tattoos stripped her face. Her feet were bare and she seemed tired. Blood along with tears also covered her elegant body as she gasped for air as if she had been run a long way.

As she drew closer to the center of the cross roads, the details of her condition bacame more clear. She was holding her hand to her chest in pain as she bared scorch marks. Tear lined the dark skin and Fear feeled The girl light rose colored eyes. She opened her mouth, saying something but was silent from lack of Water. Her name was Pu Chumahu'kou, a missing daughter of one of the great noble in the fire nation.

in the distance there were men on horse galloping towards her, weapon in hands and Fire in the other. They laughed and yelled at Pu, asking 'where she was going' and 'Come play with us'. The Girl was in fact a young women of about 19 to 20, with the fear of the worst. Pu reached out a burned hand to Kyo as she hobbled along.

Valem was had just entered the vast colony when he found himself lost among the small and large houses. Just entering a large crossroad in his black and red turban and robes, his sword strapped to his back. He heard the yells and comments before he actually saw the horsemen and their 'game', two young girls standing alone as the men came at them with swords, spears, and the like...not to mention they were brandishing their fire abilities as if it were a parade. Any other day he'd had just passed them by, but today felt different in comparison to the others. He hesitantly limped over to the group to give off the idea he was a cripple.

You have no business with these people, please leave!

He called out in a cool clear voice as he prepared himself mentally for the fight that was sure to come. His cloak draping around him as he streadied himself, it would be interesting to fight men on horses, especially firebenders...very interesting!

OOC: Anyone wanna fight??

Kyo had found herself standing in the streets for who knows how long. She had stopped walking and taking to staring at the floor, when a gentle touch awoke her from her haze. She wasn't startled, and looked over you see a young woman grasp her hand. The lady looked badly injured, she was clutching her chest in pain and blood was splattered on her rich silk robes. She was limping, and her eyes were wild on her stunningly beautiful face. For a minute Kyo took in the woman's eye's, a soft violet/rose color, starkly contrasted by golden marking on her face. Then she heard the call of horsemen.

Darting her simple green eyes, in comparison to hers, up to the streets, she saw a few riders wielding swords and fire. Fire Benders. Sudden anger flared up in her as she realized that these men must be after the injured woman, and Kyo closed her hand around her burnt one, pulling the lady behind her. Prepared for a fire assault, Kyo quickly changed her skin composition to iron, to avoid burns. The riders let out an amused cackle, they didn't seem serious in their work. Just before they were upon the two girls, a cool voice rang out.

"You have no business with these people, please leave!"

Her eyes fixated themselves on a figure shrouded with black and red robes, and adorning a red turban. It was difficult to make out the age or gender in that outfit, but the voice sounded young and masculine. The boy seemed to be limping as well, and she wondered if he was crippled for she couldn't see an injury. The horsemen faltered and glanced at the boy, stopping their steeds. Sudden fire filled their eyes, it seemed likely that a battle would take place. More confused than she had been in a very long time, she just had to ask,

"Who are you people? What's going on?"

She looked back at the frightened woman behind her, hoping for answers.

((OCC: As in, my character fight's yours? Possibly, though with her emotional state at the moment she wouldn't be very good. =p))

Pu stumbled along as the girl pulled her along and away from the fire bending bandits. Her hands hurt but she said nothing as she feared by being captured by these babaric men again. She was to injured to move very fast and the horseback men gain closer and closer. Just then Pu noticed a limping young man step between the men and the two girls.

"You have no business with these people, please leave!" His voice was stern and echoed in Pu's ears. She found it familiar as it sounded alot like her fathers voice for when she was a child and he was young. It must be that aspect though, the trait that make people people.

The men Stop eyeing the boy up and down. A few began to laugh as the others growl in rage as this boy or man dared to step between them and their pray. "step aside and you and that wench will leave with your pitiful lives!" Yell the man at the front of the group. He seemed to be in command or at least 2nd in command. All members of this bandit group wore a Black and red arm band or cloth some were on there bodies.

Pu's eyes glared at him. Her body trembled with fear but even through a few days of being captured and what not, she remained resistant and defiant. In fact her hand where burned after trying to escape the last time, and for using firbending, killing a man. Her face was swallon and black and blue, noted from numberous beatings over the past days.

"Who are you people? What's going on?" Asked the girl who stood between her and the stranger. Pu knew she wanted an answer but she wasn't exactly sure who they where besides people who wanted a ransom for a child that hardly knew her father. She didn't even knew if her father would pay it at such a high price, He cared more for his statis that for his own childern, exspecially one that hated him.

"Bandits.." Pu breathed, remembering when she heard them over talking, "Call themselves the Black Wings..." The voice was soft but cracked as she was thirsted and weak. "they want.." She paused, "Me... They're after me. Ransom.."

Valem stood still as his words sunk in and the smaller woman stood uterly still as Valem challenged the men. "Who are you people? What's going on?", the younger woman asked Valem and the horsemen.

"I am known as Valem", he replied cooly, his face unmoving as he glared at the men.

"Bandits..", the older (and burned) woman replied to the younger one, "Call themselves the Black Wings...", she finished as she glanced around but not particularily at him. "They want.." She then paused as if she were nervous, "Me... They're after me. Ransom.."

Valem paused at the idea of ransom but he ignored it, honor and dignity were over powering greed in this issue.

"Step aside, and you and that wench will leave with your pitiful lives!", one of the men comanded.

Valem smiled as he prepared himself for the fight, "I think not, for these women are now under my protection", he replied as he glanced at them, "So I will thusly defend them with my life".

"A crippled protector?" The man laughed, "Get a load of this boys! This kid is crazy!" All the men began to laugh, movinging there horses to surround The boy and two girls. They grinned arrogently as they had no clue of the boys powers or abilities. Men torwards the two girl wielded spears and pointed at Pu back laughing deviously, "come of Sweet cheeks, your going to get these people killed and its will all be because of you!" He laughed, taunting her in a dark humorous voice.

Pu whinced at the sharp blade on the end of the long stick as it poked at her wounded body. Pu growled out of fear and attempted to fling fire there way but her hand burned and the fire was merily reflected away.

"Come with us presious, your father is waiting to pay us." A wide disguesting grin swept his face as he looked to the younger girl. "Ohh... Maybe we can snagg you too as a puppet for our camp. We'd love you." He said in a crude manner.

The other laughed and agreed as they had focused more on the women than the 'crippled boy'. The leader smiled and finally looked down at the boy, "Walk away and I promise to allow you to leave.. Just now not with the wench there." A cricked finger pointed to Kyo.

The same officer looked directly at Valem and annonced, "Walk away and I promise to allow you to leave.. Just now not with the wench there." Normally Valem would have surely agreed to these terms, but the sight of the appearing defensless women before him seemed to force his hand into action.

Valem smiled a dark and evil smile, "Not what I had in mind", he replied, he paused taking a breath as he eased himself into a somewhat dangerous situation, then finished, "How about you leave and I, let you live...sounds fair".
Valem then called all his fire power to his hand, readying his most famous attack, the Compressed Flame, or Dragon's Tongue!

OOC: The compressed flame or Dragon's Tongue is when Valem takes normal firebending attacks and focuses them into a more deadly and focused attack. (Also is there gonna be a posting order?

((OCC: I don't think so, I would of posted sooner but I couldn't get on.))

Kyo's eyes widened as the cloaked boy announced that he would be their protector. He couldn't of been older than herself.... All doubts were cast aside as she listened to the bandit's taunts and the boy's cool eyes.

"I am known as Valem," he said, back to her.

The older woman behind her didn't say her name, but whimpered something about bandits, and that these men wanted her for a ransom. Kyo would of been content to stand rigid as she was, but the men advanced, ignoring the crippled Valem and grazing the woman behind her with a spear. She shrunk back in fear, and the previous shock and confusion that Kyo had experienced was gone. She couldn't let these men hurt anybody, and they needed to keep their mouths shut.

"Ohh... Maybe we can snagg you too as a puppet for our camp. We'd love you," sneered one of the bandits at Kyo. She could feel rage contort her face, and was just about ready to snap their little necks.

"You wish," she growled. Kyo suddenly morphed her arm into a sharp point, a blade. Her skin was already in it's iron state, and she glimmered silver in the fading sunlight. She raised her morphed arm and cut the spear that one of the bandits had been threatening them with in half. It cut like butter. She relished at the expression of the men as they saw her skin and her arm, for only a few Skin Benders still existed. She was fully prepared to turn all her grief from yesterday into anger and take it out on them, but she faltered as she noticed Valem.

"How about you leave and I, let you live...sounds fair," he hissed, combating a previous remark from the bandits that she had missed. A grin spread across her face, she was starting to like this boy. Kyo stepped back to the woman, morphing her arm back to it's original state but keeping on her iron armor. Her eyes gleamed as she watched Valem ready for an attack.

Pu's breath began to slow as she felt helpless and wanted to help but was for to beaten. She watched as this girl morphed her arm and body into iron, cutting the spear like a twig. A slight glimps of satisfaction passed through the noble women's face, only regret was her not being able to do it her selfand actually to the man.

The bandit eyes widend as he noticed the youngest girl's body transform and slash at his spear like it was nothing. "Ha! A skinbender..." he man then smiled, unmounting his horse. The others a un mounted also, moving the horses out of the way. "I've never kill on of those before!" Shouted another, practically drullling at the mouth. "I Have, Little foggers they are to kill too. Got to be careful with them." Shouthed the next smirking. "Got to be care with them in every way; Might lose something!" Laughed another. Half focused on the girl and the other half on the 'crippled boy'.

"You let me live?! HA!" The leader laughed, gritted his teeth, "Your out numbered son!" the man as she then, slashed his hands through the air, stepping forwards and splattering fireat the boy as a sneak attack. The rest of the bandits saw there leader attack and also attacked, throwing flames at the group, continuiously.

Pu turned her back to Kyo, facing the flames as the circle of bandits blasted fire at them all. She waved her arm weakly and flushed him out, clearing only a section of flames around her from scorching her skin. She looked at the girl behind her as the flames beat against Pu's bending. She knew she couldn't hold it and was too right. Just in a moment, her strength was completely drained and she could control her bending. The barrier vanished, allowing the flames to lick their way towards the women.

"Keep it burning boys!" Madly laughed the leader, with a blood thristy smile on his face.