"Feel the water flow around you, stay in control - there's no raw power in our art, Siku," The man explained, letting the wall of ice in front of him melt into a large puddle on the floor.

"I've been water bending for years, dad, don't give me that spiel again," She retorted, drawing from the pool behind her. A tendril wrapped around her in a circle and began to spin as a second joined to revolve in the opposite direction, creating a gimble. With a series of spins and flourishes, she began to move forward, the water reacting in kind, speeding up before both rings lashed out as whips at her father maliciously. When both cracked, they met only air, the large water bender ducking astonishingly low to avoid the strike. His arms thrust outward into the lengths of water, catching them as he twisted full-circle, turning the attack.

"Gyah!" Siku almost yelped as the counter attack stopped just shy of her neck. Her father had aimed a lash at her, but sharpened the edge of the attack into ice and then held it firm before meeting her flesh, as usual. Her foot stomped into the ground, "Dammit! One of these days..." She muttered angrily as the attack was returned to the pool of water surrounding them.

"You're improving, don't worry about it, Siku. You just need to keep practicing. Maybe it's that pro-bending; it's significantly weaker than traditional, you know that," He argued for what had to be the thousandth time.

"I know it's not the best for practicing my bending, but the restrictions placed on it for the arena make it a viable way to practice versatility. You might learn a thing or two trying to fight me with those rules."

Her father waved a hand and rolled his eyes, "I let you do it yourself, don't pull me into it."

The girl laughed softly and shrugged, "Fine, fine. I guess that's fair." She lifted her hands and slowly pushed them away from her, the water flowing from her clothes and out of her hair. She was still slightly damp, but it helped make her a bit more comfortable. With a sigh, Siku headed for the bathroom, "I need to shower and get to bed, tomorrow Saturday, I've got a match in the afternoon. You wanna go see it?"

Her father sighed and shook his head, "Sorry, Siku, you know I have work, I'll be gone all weekend. I'm heading to the North Pole very early in the morning until later this week."

She nodded - that was fine, he wasn't a fan of the sport anyway. After a warm shower and changing into pyjamas, the girl clambered into bed and extinguished her lights, rolling over. Ahh... sleep. There was nothing more valuable before a match day than a bit of shut-eye.

-----

Republic City was an upstanding, cleanly and respectable place. Its buildings reached for the skies, its people were a conglomerate of every nation and the city enjoyed prosperity unlike anything else in the history of the world. At least that was if you had any semblance of power or influence, for most everyone else Republic City was little more than a home. It met one's needs and little more, it scarcely cared for the individual so long as they continued to do their part. A cog in the machine, day in and day out, keeping the monstrosity that was the city running.

Occasionally one of those cogs would break and the machine would continue on as if nothing were amiss. Pieces could easily be changed out and replaced so why worry? Of course to the parts that broke it was awful but their concerns were hardly heard, everything was for the good of the city.

A cynical view? Perhaps, but it was the one that Katsu had since arriving in Republic City. His initial enamored outlook was quickly replaced with a harsh reality: you were nobody in the city unless you knew the right people, and immigrants were even lesser still. In hindsight it had been his own fault for coming to the city empty handed but the first few months had been terribly rough. No money to his name, no home, he had no friends and routinely had to avoid some of the gangs that roamed the less desirable parts of Republic City's streets. Ironically it would be the same gangs he'd feared at first that would be his salvation.

Bending was by no means a rare ability, thousands if not more had it to some degree, certainly more so in the city it seemed. Of course the extent of which people could use these powers varied but most everyone seemed to be able to practice. Without wanting to oust himself Katsu had stuck primarily to fire bending when he'd arrived, and while young he had a certain... Proficiency that most others lacked. Coupled with his naturally fleet-of-foot style and he'd easily managed to enlist himself in one of the smaller gangs.

It wasn't long until he'd taken over the gang which had been his first and only home, renaming it the Khimori Bandits after his home town. Scarcely two dozen people made up its ranks, many younger than even him, but they made a comfortable living for themselves all the same. They were wealthier than some merchants by the time Katsu had taken over and yet for all the wealth he still hardly had a penny to his name. Wealth wasn't something that interested him any, he wanted the enjoyment that his jobs brought. And, on a personal level, he'd wanted a home. Both he found within this gang and he fully intended never to leave it.

Petty thefts and small crimes were hardly the only thing that the Khimori Bandits undertook for work. Often times the more elusive members, Katsu included, were hired by some influential people to sneak into homes and steal valuable posessions. It was such work that had landed him where he was now: the Tsukiko residence. He knew the family perfectly well, in particular the daughter, Siku. That an uptown, well-to-do girl had anything to do with a street rat like him had always struck him as funny, and all of her sarcastic comments about his stealing from her home were going to come back and bite her tonight.

Katsu only knew two things about the Tsukiko residence: where the item he was meant to steal was, and where Siku's father's room was. He was to avoid the head of the household at all costs though the idea of challenging a capable bender excited him. But he was not here to pick fights and certainly doing so would ruin any chances of getting his mark. So in the dead of night, quiet as a mouse, he slipped into the home and stuck to the shadows, wandering about with only the vaguest idea of where his target might be. So long as no one got up to take a late night piss he should be fine!

------

Unbeknownst to Katsu, a professional earth bender and Metal Corps Officer slept only feet away from his prowl through the house. However, luckily enough for him, the man slept like a rock unless too much noise was made. Siku, on the other hand, was having difficulty falling and staying asleep once she'd laid down. She tried and tried, but no sleep met her. Her stomach twisted in a knot - the match tomorrow could make or break the Ice Wolves' careers as pro-benders.

Against the softly colored lavender walls were a few ornate decorations - mirrors and paintings, a desk rested in the corner as well. Beside her bed, mounted on a rack on her dresser, was an incredibly beautiful, ocean blue sheath covering the blade of a dao. The hilt was wrapped in gorgeous, high quality, white leather and the golden crossguard formed a perfect circle at the base of the blade. It was engraved with crashing waves and clearly cost a fortune.

The girl sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes in frustration, looking around. The curtains on her four-poster were drawn and the soft glow of moonlight filtered comfortably through the thin fabric. She had always loved the nighttime, but of course mankind had chosen to live under the sun's light. Perhaps getting up to wash her face would help... No, but some air would. Her room had an attached balcony, with large glass doors and thick curtains to block the light, when she chose to draw them closed. Pulled them back and pushing the door open quietly, Siku stepped out onto the ledge and placed her hands on the rail, inahling deeply as the brisk air met her lungs. At night, she took the braids out of her short hair and let it fall near to her shoulders and now the soft breeze caused it to wave gently. The soft, silk fabric that wrapped around her body was little more than a tunic and pants, dotted with stars and crescent moons. How comforting the silence of night was...

How big was this bleeding house? Suddenly Katsu was kicking himself for not accepting the map from the messenger earlier. He'd been skeptical about how thorough or how accurate it could be and yet even a scribble would help him now. Or it would if everything wasn't pitch black. Of course he couldn't risk creating light either, someone was bound to notice a little flame floating around in the darkness. He'd have to make due then by following along the walls and blindly searching for doors.

Katsu had to have checked at least a dozen rooms by now. Bathroom, hall closet, a bedroom yet not Siku's bedroom, another bathroom, how many bathrooms did one family need? Assuming the paltry furnishings in the bedroom meant it was a servant's then good chances were the family had their own bedrooms upstairs. How typical, the rich lived over the poor and those that worked for them. It was why he hated much of the city and why he hated money, it made people think they were better than they actually were.

"Come on... Where's the damn... Aha!" To his chagrin and delight he'd found the stairwell leading up... And it was illuminated. Biting his lip tentatively Katsu eased a foot onto the lowest step and tested it, sighing silently when the wood did not creak. Regardless he took it painstakingly slow, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end as he expected someone to see him any second. When he reached the top step and the second floor he allowed himself a second to catch his breath, taking stock of where he was now. Left or right? Judging by the outside of the house it looped around on itself so either way he should eventually find Siku's room. With that in mind he simply went left, hoping by sheer luck her room would be among the first.

The long drapes of her balcony billowed into her room with the wind as Siku's door creaked open softly. The girl was too preoccupied with the freshness of the air, her eyes closed as she looked out over their yard. They didn't have the largest house in the city by any means, but they were one of only a handful of families to own a full plot of land complete with a yard and garden, right in the middle of the city. It was a house given by status more than payment - they could only live in it while her father worked his very same position. Siku loved it. The air was just a little fresher, the area was just a little quieter, and the life was a lot more lavish.

No way... Did he actually find her room? It certainly looked like a girl's room, though then again fancy people always did adorn their homes in flashy ways. He could just make out a figure by the balcony, utterly unawares to his trespassing and hopefully she would remain that way. Now the sword, where was that dang sword? Ah! Even in the dim lighting the dao shone beautifully and stood out like a sore thumb, just begging to be pilfered. Grinning broadly Katsu slipped into the room and left the door ajar for a quick escape, deadset on fetching the weapon.

There was but brief hesitation when he remembered Hiresh might be nearby. That pesky guard followed Siku around everywhere like a dog and he always gave Katsu the most sour of looks. Good, the disdain between them was mutual.The guard appeared to be absent however which was a blessing, and after reaching the dresser he reached up and easily snatched the weapon from its rest. To think it had been so simple, and right under Siku's nose too! Part of him almost wanted to call out and tease her before making a break for it but he decided better against it. Besides, there was something else he just had to do.

As young women went Siku was rather attractive, no one was going to argue that. And naturally as any hot-blooded male he was rather interested in what Siku looked like underneath her stuffy clothing. Knowing full well THAT was never going to happen perhaps he could get a more... Intimate look, just a quick peek before he left. Perhaps he'd even steal something as a trophy for later to share with his fellow Bandits. Slipping the sword into his belt he eased open the top drawer and immediately broke into a wide grin, stifling an excited giggle as he sifted through its contents. A pair of otter penguin panties, he didn't know whether that was pathetically hilarious or adorable. Either way he absolutely planned on taking these as well!

SNAP!

A whip of water would snap Katsu squre in his ass, and then a second in the shoulder blade. She had heard the sound of her drawer opening when he began rifling, but she couldn't identify the silhouette of her thief yet either. The water had come from a small pond in the garden below her balcony and there was plenty more where it came from.

"Stop right where you are, pervert," her voice spoke softly, but was filled with malicious intent.

Katsu had been dangerously close to sniffing the panties when something sharply struck him in the ass. Barely biting back a yelp of surprise he spun around and stared wide eyed at Siku's silhouette. Well shit, he'd gone and screwed up hadn't he? Did he answer her? If he spoke she'd immediately know who it was, though by this point it wasn't like it mattered. He could easily outrun her and he had the sword, so long as the entire house wasn't woken up he'd be fine.

"Pervert? Hey I resent that statement!" Katsu whispered back with a chuckle, holding up the panties with a grin plastered on his face, "I prefer voyeur, sounds much more refined, don't you think? By the way... Otter penguins, who knew!" Chuckling again he held the band of the panties in both hands and lifted them to the light, stretching them out to examine the item more closely. "You ever going to wear these for me?"

Katsu. He was dead. So dead. Was he holding... a look of horror crossed her face, but it was quickly replaced by fury. The hue of her cheeks reddened tenfold with the conflicting embarrassment and anger. She didn't want to wake the house and it took everything she had not to shout at him. The girl hissed and raised her hands, "I'll kill you... Rifling through my drawers a- wait... is that my dao?!" She asked in a venomous whisper. From behind her came another stream of water, creeping around, "If you don't get out of my room... this... instant... so help me, not even the Avatar himself could save you from the fate you're going to face inside it."

Yikes! Maybe he'd gone slightly too far with the teasing? Just his luck too the very girl he was stealing from would be wide awake when he stumbled in. "Uh... Would you believe me if I said no?" Katsu asked rhetorically, taking a step back towards the door. "I-If you insist though I'll just be going! I'll uh... See you later!" Spinning on his heel Katsu bolted straight for and right out of Siku's bedroom, throwing the door closed behind him as he hurried to the stairs. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! All but clearing half of the stairwell by jumping down he darted right for the front door, laughing as he was absolutely positive he was home free already.

Siku sneered as he darted out with yet another joke. Wait... He didn't even return the sword and... Oh that son of a bitch didn't drop her garments either. He was daft if he thought he was getting away. She stepped back to her balcony and vaulted over it, catching herself with the pond quietly, only just before getting to the ground. Her feet kicked powerfully off the ground as she bolted for the front door around the other side of the house. She easily beat Katsu there, as he had more obstacles in his way, and before the door open, a splash of water covered the walkway directly in front of it, freezing over instantly. The girl waited - it would be a matter of seconds before he was out.

"Thanks for the panties Siku! I'll be sure to keep them safe!" Katsu roared with laughed as he vaulted from the house, vanishing back into the darkness outside. He was out and free, no one was going to catch him now. That certainty quickly faded as his foot hit concrete and for some reason slid out from under him, and in a fitful effort to save himself his other foot went down only to go as well. Pinwheeling his arms madly he fell straight onto his ass and slid comically down the walkway, spinning until finally coming to a rest as he crashed into a neatly trimmed bush, his rear and legs sticking out as both kicked haplessly. It was hard to make out just what he was screaming inside, but it sounded vaguely of "cheap tricks" and "panty raid".

The girl watched him fall to his ass and slid and forward, her lip curled with contempt. She approached quickly and wound her foot back, kciking him square in the ribs from behind before forcing his hand open and ripping the cloth from his fingers. After pulling Katsu from the brush, Siku knelt over his chest, her knee helping pin him down. She yanked her dao from his belt and rose to her feet, "You'd better get out of here... Quickly - and don't try any shit like this again, or I'm going to really beat your ass. HIresh'll be here any second, no doubt he woke up when you shouted."

As if right on cue, the metal bender came sprinting out of the house, also slipping on the ice. He hit the ground, but didn't move forward as Katsu had. The boy needed to run or he'd end up in real prison really soon.

Katsu almost thanked Siku for the help until she struck him in the ribs. Completely empty handed and deprived of both of his "trophies" he sat on the ground and looked up at Siku and Hiresh bashfully. "Aw come on... I was going to give them back! Maybe... Probably not..." he trailed off, sighing as he unsteadily climbed to his feet. Stupid ice, in hindsight he probably should have just melted it huh? "Don't promise me with a good time Siku, and I'll be a good boy from now on. Straight as an arrow!" Katsu grinned as he spouted his nonsense, waving to the pair and backing away slowly from them. "I'll uh... See you guys tomorrow? Good luck at your match, Otter penguin!" With another laugh Katsu spun around and ran out the gate, waving to the pair as he vanished again into the darkness.

Siku's lip curled back as her face reddened again, fists clenched at her sides. He ran off with far less injury than he deserved. Hiresh came running up beside her just as Katsu got slipped away.

"Siku! Are you alright..? What happened?"

"I'm fine. It was just a petty thief who didn't realize who he was stealing from. He... didn't get anything valuable," She muttered, stuffing the bogarted undergarments into her pocket before Hiresh could see. "I'm going to bed again. See you tomorrow, Hiresh," She muttered, clearing the walkway's ice and heading back upstairs. At least now she felt tired.

---

Siku was up early the next day, getting ready for her match. Asha was sent over to help babysit Sesi, her nine year old sister. The girl was a young, sweet airbender from Air Temple Island. Hiresh would be accompanying them, but he was hardly good at taking care of kids, he was more of a protector. The time was fast-approaching to leave and Katsu was supposed to meet them here before they left. That idiot... The memory of the night before was infuriating, and the thought of him coming over and joining them for the match was angering enough. It was kind of cool having her dad gone for the week - she didn't have to feel uncomfortable inviting her less... favorable friends over.

Roaming the streets on a day of a pro-bending match was an entertaining one to say the least. Many people were gathered around in drinking establishments, chatting excitedly about the upcoming match and making bets for which team would win. Asha held her hands behind her back as she walked, listening to the chatter of city life. Air Temple Island was indeed apart of Republic City, but it was its own entity, in a way. It was more quiet and a lot less hectic than the land that circled it. It tickled her to know that she was an acquaintance with one of the pro-benders who would be participating in the match today. She was excited to see the Tsukiko family, as it had been a while since they last contacted her for a babysitting job. Sesi was so sweet and she had missed seeing her.

Coming up to the lovely home, the air bender gave a few taps to the door, signaling her arrival. Asha greeted who opened the door and walked in comfortably; she had been here many times before and was fairly certain there was no need to be nervous around the Tsukikos. She made her way to the main room and said 'hello' to everyone, giving a hug to Sesi when she approached her. Laughing, the brunette patted the younger of the two on the head and smiled at Siku. She was getting ready for her match and Asha felt a brief flash of excitement for her. "I know you'll do amazing. Sesi and I will be cheering you on from home!" Asha said to the water bender, watching as she got her final preparations in order.

Although it wasn't usually necessary, Asha always carried her glider around with her. She set it up against the wall gingerly, as she treasured the item dearly. Other air benders laughed at her for using such an out-dated form of gliding, but Asha loved the antique, it reminded her of her air bending roots. Sesi from time to time asked Asha if she could use the glider and have the brunette use her air bending to make her fly. Maybe someday, but as of right now, she didn't have the confidence in her abilities to attempt that feat.

Last night had been utterly humiliating for Katsu and his gang. Not only had he failed in fetching the dao like he was supposed to but he'd been denied his "trophy" as well. The gentleman that had hired them would never work with them again, that much he'd expected, and his own crew was giving him a hard time for botching a job. He never failed a job and by all rights this one should have been simple and gone off without a hitch. It may well have too if he hadn't gotten overzealous and tried to snatch a pair of Siku's undergarments for himself. What was she so angry about anyway? She should be flattered any guy was that into her! He'd go back at another time and try again for it was no longer just work but a matter of pride. Plus he'd love to see the look on Siku's face when he brandished a pair of her underwear brazenly later.

There were more important ways to spend his afternoon today however; Siku's match was today and he had every intention to go and visit it. Pro-Bending embodied almost everything he hated about Republic City and yet he enjoyed the spectacle of it all the same. It was entertaining too watching people bash each other about all for the sake of some silly sport. Some fat bloke up in the stands probably owned each team and they sat their on their fat asses, eating their food and drinking liquor while the competitors sat down below and fought it out. Atypical of the city if you asked him, but he could appreciate the bending enough to look past that. It wasn't like he was in much a position to be complaining or bringing it up with anyone anyways. Most people with any power would know him as a thief and he'd be in a cell before he could blink so it was pointless to try talking about it. He didn't get why teams couldn't just own themselves and someone else had to pay for them. Oh right, there was no money if someone else couldn't own them!

Cynicism aside Katsu was excited for the match and knew the stakes of it as he entered the arena. Siku's team, whatever it was called, had to win this one. From what he remembered they weren't exactly awful but they were far from the best and winning meant getting more sponsors, better gear and maybe more matches. And more chances for the pigs upstairs to push whatever it was they were pushing. Jerks.

Katsu stopped partway through the maintenance tunnel and pressed against the wall, going silent as he listened to a pair of security guards walk by. Going in the front door was never really an option which left sneaking in the only way to watch the event. Plus this way he wasn't buying a ticket either or spending ridiculous amounts of money on simple snacks. Smiling as he continued along the way Katsu arched an eyebrow seeing an access panel resealed from before, probably replaced after he ripped it off last time. You'd think if someone had broken in they would have better security around here. Rolling his eyes he reached out with one finger and fueled flame at the tip, cutting the sheet of metal before easing it out of place and setting it aside. Clambering up the ladder he pushed open the door at the top and climbed up onto the rafters high above the arena. Best seats in the house and they were absolutely free!

"Now we sit back and wait for the show!" Grinning as he sat down on the edge of the beam he reached into his coat and pulled out a bag of chips, nursing at it as he watched the workers below finish setting up the arena itself. He could do it so much quicker than them with a little Earth bending but he sincerely doubted anyone was going to let him. Besides it was more fun to sit up here and play around with it during matches, see people trip over rivets and bumps he created. Maybe he'd influenced a game or two in his time but who cared, it was nothing more than a game! "Maybe I should trip up Siku for ruining my job last night," Katsu chuckled as he swung his legs back and forth, scanning the crowd below for familiar faces. Definitely a lot of security present which was a little odd, was there some important person here today? He'd have to be mindful of what exactly he did while here.

Just as Asha arrived, Siku's mother was leaving. From the parlour, Siku could hear them exchanging pleasantries and she shouldered her gym bag, full of her equipment. She looked to Hiresh and nodded, "I'm glad you're not going in uniform... I hate when you follow me around in that. Feels like I can't talk to anybody and it doesn't exactly make me an easy person to talk to either."

Hiresh simply shrugged, "It's fine. Not like I'm on guard duty at the arena - plus, I like a good match as much as anybody. Even if I'm a sucker for traditional earthbending."

It was then that Sesi came into the room, eyes glued to a book. She almost tripped over the edge of the rug before catching herself and plopping into the couch, sighing. "It's not fair," The girl of nearly ten years said with an irritated sigh. "You get to go to probending matches and hang out with friends and do cool stuff and papa doesn't even like me watching your matches if he can help it..."

Siku grinned as she looked at her sister, "Oh, poor Sesi never gets to do anything fun with her big sister..." She lamented teasingly, waiting for Asha to enter the room with her glider. "Hey, Asha," The young woman greeted cheerfully, "I'd say sorry that you have to sit in this stuffy house while we go out to a match but..." From her pocket, Siku retrieved three box seat tickets to the day's match. "It's a qualifying match and they didn't sell out - between being a competitor and my father's name, it wasn't hard to get a hold of these. Great set of seats, and since papa's gone home for a few days and mom'll be out all day, I figured you, Siku, and Hiresh could tag along."

The girl grinned, handing Hiresh the tickets, who was even shocked himself at the quality of the seats. Sesi nearly had a meltdown, dropping her book on the end table and bouncing up and down next to Asha. "Can we go? Can we, can we, can we?!" She pleaded with sparkling eyes. Of course, as the babysitter, Asha was ultimately in charge of whether they went.

---- A Walk Later ----

Hiresh took his seat beside Sesi, opposite Asha in a balcony seat overlooking the arena. From here, they could see everything, including the monitors which showed the fight up close. The angle was perfect, free food and beverages were served, and Siku's match would be one of the last of the qualifying tournament. This particular qualification was more important than any other she'd competed in - this was professional. This would be what determined whether they were just some local team of rookies, or a legitimate team of competitive probenders. He wouldn't show it, but the Metal Corps Officer was ecstatic to get to see it, and when the drink attendant came around, he ordered something with a little more kick than he'd normally have on duty.

Match after match, amazing benders from all over the world and Republic City itself battled it out for who would make it into the official tournament. Siku's team had one shot - they were on a side bracket due to their rookie status. Depending on how well they did this year, they'd have more opportunity to rank higher out of the gate.

Meanwhile, as the next fight was called by the announcer, Siku and her two teammates were putting together a couple of last minute strategies. One of the teammates was a firebender about her age named Hiro with uncharacteristically sandy-blond hair. His mother was from the former Earth Kingdom, but he inherited his father's bending. The other, Miyuki, had deep roots in the Earth Kingdom and moved to Republic City from Omashu only a few years ago. Siku had met her through school and she was the only reason Siku had been given the space on the team at all.

"This is it," Siku said with a grin, pulling her helmet over her head. The Ice Wolves didn't have much of a sponsorship yet, but they had a few local shops backing them, enough that they only needed a couple of patches on their sleeves in exchange for beautiful, icy blue gear with a snarling wolf head on the friend and another full-body wolf howling on the back.

Hiro nodded in response, a goofy smile plastered across his face, "Hey, but if we don't make it this year, we just gotta show 'em what we got and try to move up again next year. At this rate, we could have one of the youngest teams in the professional league. Let's just do what we joined the sport to do - have a blast and maybe show off a little bit!"

Miyuki simply nodded in agreement - for an earthbender, she was surprisingly shy. Of course, nobody in the world could make her do something she didn't want to, she just wasn't one to argue out loud very often or be too vocal.

The waterbender nodded, fastening her helmet under her chin, "You're right, you're right..." The girl inhaled deeply and then let it out gradually. "Let's just do our best. We got this."

The bridge opened up and the loudspeaker rang throughout the stadium, "Introducing... The Dynamo Eel Hounds and the Ice Woooollllves!"

The two trios faced off at the middle of the arena as the referee briefly explained the rules and stepped away. He rose up on a pillar and waved a flag to mark the beginning of the first round.

Siku's lip curled back in contempt as the cheering crowd disappeared from her perception and she opened up the hostilities with a pair of pinwheeling kicks, sending two fast blasts of water at the enemy water and earth benders. The earthbender was not nearly as prepared to receive it as Siku's counterpart and he lost his footing, only to be met in the center of his stomach by a disc from Miyuki, immediately blasting him into the third zone. This was one of their strongest strategies - each fighter attacks two opponents at once to keep them guessing. Unfortunately, this often left them open to attacks and Siku had to roll to narrowly avoid a blast from the enemy firebender, pushing her out of center ring and into the second zone with her two teammates.

"Hiro, Miyuki, water," She shouted as the two double-teamed the waterbender with their own attacks. Siku came up between their assaults and knocked the firebender back, her attack full of vengeance. Suddenly, she was tumbling over the ground, her shoulder screaming in agony as she was clipped by the earthbender's attack and sent into the final zone. However, her teammates recovered the space and pushed the remainder of the enemy team back into their last zone, allowing her to advance again. The territory changed hands several more times back and forth, the first round ending in a draw and the second going to the Eel Hounds. The third round was, without a doubt, the most intense of them, of course. After several minutes of pushing and pulling for ground, Miyuki rolled backward over the edge of the ring just after the enemy's firebender did. Then Hiro went down and Siku was left alone with the advantage on ground, but disadvantage on reinforcements.

She grit her teeth and dropped into a crouch, narrowly avoiding a disc of rock before launching herself to the side and tucking over her stronger shoulder, sweeping her leg to blast her attacker's teammate square in the chest simultaneously. The enemy waterbender skid to a halt just at the edge of the ring, trying to regain his bearings to redirect any further attack. However, Siku's second deluge was too strong and sent him over the edge too, leaving her alone with the enemy earthbender who had damaged her shoulder at the beginning.

Blows were exchanged in rapid procession - dirt and rock chunks blasting every which way as Siku whipped them with water. Mist sprayed as her attacks were deflected by discs. Sweat poured down her face - how long could this guy keep it up? This was exhausting, but they couldn't lose outright, she wouldn't give up after working this hard to reduce them to only one combatant. She could feel her blood pumping as far as her fingertips, the rhythm thumping hard against her chest as she panted, trying to think of just the right way to fight back. If she could crack a whip at just the right time... now!

She let loose an attack and the sound of it breaking air filled the arena, hitting the rock just at the edge, reversing its spin and sending it hurdling back at her opponent. Without skipping a beat, Siku spun around and took her whip back, turning it into a blast to follow the disk and sending the earthbender into the air over the water. He hit the pool with a heavy splash and Siku grinned. As she moved to cross her arms in victory, she flinched and let her arm drop, holding her shoulder with the other... Fuck that hurt, they'd hit her square in the joint with that disc in the first round and the agony was starting to seep in.

"This brings us to a draw... Since the Eel Hounds are the senior team, we'll let them choose their element," The announcer called out. The other team huddled up and Siku looked to her teammates. They all thought the same thing: if the other team chose water, she'd be out. There was no way she could fight like this.

"We choose fire!" They finally decided, giving Siku a thumbs up. They might be enemies, but they didn't lack honour.

Hiro and the enemy's firebender stepped into the center ring, which rose above the rest of the ring, giving the two of them the stage they needed to fight one on one. When the bell dinged, Hiro didn't hesitate to begin his attack - he expertly blasted the air with an onslaught of punches and a few kicks, many of which were dissipated by the opponent. The rest were dodged and countered. Fire struck out in every direction from the raised stage before one lucky kick landed Hiro on his back, tumbling off the stage and to the floor of the outer ring. Siku and Miyuki sighed and looked at the ground - it was a bit too much to ask of fate that they get it their first try anyway, right?

When Hiro returned, he seemed to be the most dejected of the three, but it could hardly be his fault. Siku punched his shoulder, "Better luck next year. Hopefully they won't get a lucky shot like this in, will they?" She asked, rubbing her aching joint again. "I'd better get a healer on it later... C'mon, let's go. That's the end of our season anyway..."

---

In the box seats, Hiresh had been doing well measuring his alcohol intake and tolerance, but he was a little more boisterous than usual anyway. "Oh c'mon, ref! That firebender was bending for an illegal duration! OPEN YOUR EYES!" He called out, the sound getting lost in the sea of cheers and shouts from the rest of the crowd. Was there really a violation? Who could say - a loss was a loss. He looked at Asha and Sesi, "C'mon, let's go to the gate leading out to meet her. Give her a chance to change before we go," The man suggested, gesturing for the exit.

It would be a few minutes before Siku joined them, back in her regular clothing, a little damp from a quick rinsing she'd had before changing clothes. She shrugged with a half smile, "Better luck next year, right? That's weird though... I thought Katsu said he wanted to come watch the fight..." She mused passively, sucking the inside of her cheek. It was a bad habit she'd been trying to quit, but at this point she couldn't even tell when she was doing it. Katsu probably dropped out of the plan after being caught last night, for fear of being murdered in public. No, Siku wasn't that stupid, she wouldn't murder him out here.

"What'd you think, Asha? Sesi? You guys like all the matches?"

Sesi was still bouncing, "Oh, it was so cool!!" She cried out excitedly, "And you did so good, even after they hit your shoulder! I can't believe papa still beats you when you fight him, you're amazing!"

Siku blushed and shook her head, patting the small girl's hair, "Thank you, Sesi, but papa is not somebody to take lightly. He's really incredible." She looked back to Asha, "Thanks again for coming and watching Sesi. I wouldn't trust Hiresh to take care of anybody," She confided teasingly, giving Asha a small wink.

Asha smiled at the sisters. They got along so well, it was nice to see. Not too many siblings get along that well from what she observed on Air temple island. Fighting seemed natural for siblings...but she couldn't say from experience. The brunette focused her attention on Siku who had just greeted her. "Hey!" She said cheerfully, looking over at Sesi who looked a bit disappointed at the fact that she would be stuck at home; or so she thought. Just then, Siku whipped out three box seat tickets to the match today, and Sesi was ecstatic. Asha glanced down at the tickets, then back up at Siku with a huge smile. She was surprised but at the same time, she knew the other girl to be a bit rebellious at times. Sesi was still excited, bouncing up and down and begging Asha to go.

"Yeah, definitely! Let's get going~!" The air bender said with a giggle, taking Sesi's hand as the group made their way to the arena. This was going to be a fun day; it wasn't often that Asha got to go to pro-bending matches and since Siku was participating in this one it made it all the more interesting.

They made it to their seats up top and Asha gazed out from the balcony, admiring the view. She'd love to be able to glide around in here! Getting a huge head start from the height would be amazing; Asha felt a jolt of adrenaline rush through her as she thought about it. She sat down next to Sesi on the other side from Hiresh, so that the young girl was in the middle. Asha raised her eyebrows together in amusement when Hiresh ordered a beverage that wasn't non-alcoholic.

Soon, the matches were about to begin so everyone got settled in for the games. The brunette wondered when the Ice Wolves would be playing and was a bit ansty, but she managed to enjoy the other teams. For a brief moment she gazed up along the rafters high above the arena, and thought she had seen something akin to a figure. Asha blinked, focusing her sight on that same area. "Huh..." she muttered to herself. It looked an awful lot like the figure of a person. Asha brushed it off completely when she heard Siku's team was up next, and all three of them were solely focused on the arena. It was an intense match and the air bender had clasped her hands together in anticipation, wondering just how this match would end. Unfortunately, the Ice Wolves ended up losing, but it was still a great match. She turned her head to look at Hiresh, who had mentioned something about cheating. Asha quirked her lips to the side in thought; that fire bender did seem like he held that one attack a bit too long. The trio made their way to meet Siku, who had just gotten out of the changing room. Asha smiled at her and nodded. "It was great, I enjoyed watching you play." She knew Siku had to be a bit disappointed at losing, but she had a strong will. She'd come back next year tougher than ever.

"Thank you so much for bringing us today," Asha added and bowed politely to Siku. The tickets couldn't have been cheap, but even if the girl had gotten them for free since she is apart of the tournament, she still gave one of those to her. She was grateful and honored to be thought of in such a way.

Well that was... Disappointing. Katsu had figured Siku was a sure win and yet somehow she'd managed to blow it. He placed the blame on the shoulders of her teammates though, they were definitely dragging her down. He'd even tried to influence the match a bit by bending the discs and even that hadn't been enough to help them. Clearly her team had been outclassed from the start but he'd hoped to get a big better of a show from her. Ah well, good thing he hadn't paid for tickets! With the match over and the teams retreating to their locker rooms Katsu decided he should go and meet Siku once she was out, if only to tease her a little. She would probably have his spine if she could after last night but they were in public, and while being out in the open was risky due to his... Extra-curricular activities it also meant she wouldn't attack him. Hopefully. He really didn't feel like fighting right now, he was hungry!

Scaling down a nearby service ladder Katsu waited until most of the crowd was in the hallway before exiting the maintenance tunnel, using the swathes of people for cover from the security posted around the building. Sneaking past these idiots was child's play and with no trouble he was in the arena itself, scanning the few lingering audience members for traces of Siku and her little gang. It wasn't too hard to spot her thanks to that idiot Hiresh, even out of uniform the guy looked like he had a stick up his ass. Seriously did he have to follow her everywhere she went? What was going to the bathroom like for them? Getting closer to them he noticed there was a young girl with them too, Cecily or something like that, Siku's younger sister. The other girl he didn't recognize at all but she was kind of cute, that was a win in his book!

"Well if it isn't the champions! Oh wait..." Katsu chuckled as he stopped a few feet away for his own safety, grinning as he held his hands up, "You lost, so sorry about that. But hey you gave it your best right! Maybe you just needed a lucky charm today." He accentuated the 'lucky charm' with a wink and he was certain Siku knew exactly what he was implying. Was she wearing them today? He hoped not because otherwise he wasn't going to be able to steal them. Not easily anyways. Since half of the group didn't quite know him Katsu felt certain he could act without impunity, and with dear little sister present and a friend he was positive Siku wouldn't lash out at him. Nope, she'd be the preppy, well-behaved little daughter she was supposed to be.

"Really though tough break Siku, those guys were a joke! You should have beat them hands down. I mean did you see the Earth Bender's form? And the Fire Bender couldn't light a match if he tried, plus I'm pretty sure some of the crap he was pulling was illegal." As if he knew whether it was or not, the only rule Katsu was even positive of was no killing each other. And hell he'd seen some matches where even that was nearly breached, some Pro Benders could be real assholes! "Who is this young lady by the way? I don't think I've ever had the pleasure of meeting you before," Katsu said with a sweet smile as he reached out and took Asha's hand, "What's your name, my beauty? And why are you only now falling into my life?" Heh, Siku was going to absolutely murder him later but he just wanted to get under her skin right now. Payback for last night.

"You're welcome, Asha. I felt better having a few watchers in the stands," Siku responded with a smile. "I don't think we would've done so well if we didn't have so much support. We're ashooin' for a spot in the qualifiers next year." The girl was rather optimistic about their chances, but they were definitely a good team. Like nails on a chalkboard, Siku heard a voice coming from nearby, causing her to physically cringe. The previous night came rushing back and her fist clenched tightly by her side as he began to ramble on and she couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or sincere. What did he mean by 'lucky charm,' anyway? If he was talking about what she thought he was talking about... Ooh, her face burned softly with redness, but upon remembering the presence of her friend and sister, she just let out a slow, deep breath.

"To be fair, Katsu... I don't know where you were sitting or how well you could see, but you wouldn't be able to tell that from so far away. They were good, don't try to patronize me just because you don't know a talented bender when you see one," Siku snapped, crossing her arms over her chest with a sneer. It was now that Sesi looked up at her and frowned.

"Siku, that's not nice... He was just trying to make you feel better," The small girl, who was almost a carbon copy of her older sister, "You shouldn't be so mean!"

Siku was visibly shocked by her younger sister, at a loss for words for a moment. "Yeah, but... Sesi, you do- He's so... It's not what y-..." She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose before shaking her head, "You're right, Sesi... I'll be kinder," The girl finally ceded and gave her little sister a smile, still glancing at Katsu with a scowl afterward. "Watch yourself," she warned as he tried hitting on her younger friend.

Hiresh clearly looked irritated by Katsu's appearance. The boy had been a thorn in his side for a while and the force struggled to catch him concretely on anything illegal. He sighed, "What's your game, Katsu? What're you doing here?" He asked, trying to take the boy's attention away from the young airbender. As he tried to divert Katsu, the young man also began working on herding his small flock back to the house they had come from. However, something caused the hairs on the back of his neck to prickle. Something was wrong. Hiresh furrowed his brow, "C'mon, let's just go... something feels off." As he looked around, he felt a few pairs of eyes on all of them - standing in the crowd of moving people, by the entrance to the arena... Some seemed to be alone and others still were in pairs or threes. Why did they keep glancing this way?

Asha couldn't control the small giggle that escaped her lips when this boy (who obviously knew Siku) took her hand in his. He was an interesting fellow, to say the least. His eyes held this sort of fire within them, dangerous yet strangely comforting. The brunette smiled politely at the boy before letting their hands fall back to their sides, "My name's Asha, it's nice to meet you." She would have inquired about his name as well, but Siku didn't appreciate his presence and with her growing frustration had called him by his name, effectively giving Asha the information.

Katsu appeared to be irritating Siku on purpose, a sort of playful flirting, perhaps? It was pretty entertaining to observe. Asha had a small feeling that the boy had only focused on her to get on Siku's nerve, but it felt nice to have the water bender try to 'protect' her from this guy; it felt like having an older sister. Hiresh even joined in the conversation, trying to derail whatever tactic Katsu was trying to use to get what he wanted. Asha had a pleasant smile on her face before the earth bender's expression turned a bit more serious, and her's followed suit. The air bender was now hyper sensitive to her surroundings, looking and feeling for any sort of hidden danger. She wasn't exactly trained for this sort of thing, but she was going to try her hardest to protect her friends from any danger...Even the new guy.

Asha tightened her hold on her glider, trying to scope out the area without looking too obvious. She slowly reached out for Sesi's hand, grabbing it and giving it a small squeeze. The brunette wanted to bring comfort to the young girl, but also make sure it wasn't easy for Sesi to get lost...or if someone tried to grab her. Asha was still her baby sitter after all, so it was her duty to make sure she got home safe!

"My game? I have no idea what you're talking about, officer. I'm just a paying patron and a friend come to cheer up Siku after her devastating loss," Katsu offered with a smile, "After all that's what friends are for right? I'm just being a good friend Hiresh." With both Sesi and this Asha present there was a very good chance Hiresh wouldn't try anything with him, not so long as he behaved. He could poke and prod until the sun set and there wouldn't be a single thing that stupid officer, or even Siku, could do to stop him. Grinning tauntingly at the clearly annoyed Hiresh he folded his hands behind his head and started walking with the group, winking at the water bender to his left playfully. He was going to enjoy this, and as far as Sesi knew they really were friends. Which they were... Sort of. Did the occasional run-ins and exchange of "pleasantries" constitute as a friendship?

Most people would feel completely comfortable in a crowd on a busy street, and why wouldn't they? No normal person was going to try anything in broad daylight with hundreds of witnesses and certainly not with so many officers around for the event. Katsu's only concern was the officers themselves, though it wasn't as if any of them had proof to take him in for anything: if the police had proof then Hiresh would be cuffing him and dragging him away right now. Flashing Siku a grin as he asked about visiting her at home later he turned to Sesi to see what her little sister thought, catching himself as he caught a flash of white out of the corner of his eye. No... He'd been seeing things, there was no way they were here right? Slowing his step and turning part way round his eyes widened spotting a man clad in a dark blue robe and cowl with an insignia on the front, and a patterned mantle around his shoulders. Scanning the crowd he spotted a second, and a third, there was no doubt it now.

"H-Hey, how about we go to Siku's house now, huh? Let's get some food and go have fun!" Katsu said suddenly as he placed a hand on Siku and Hiresh's backs, trying to push them along faster as he laughed nervously, "My treat even! Whatever you guys want, its on me! I'll even feed Sesi and your friend here!" The path to Siku's home was a diversion from the main roads which meant unfortunately losing the cover of the crowd. Taking his hands off of his friends backs Katsu hurried ahead of them and spun on his heel, walking backwards and waving them on to move quicker. As expected two men clad in the outfits broke from the crowd and were following behind, just entering the street they had turned onto themselves. "Uh.... Hey, I know a shortcut! Follow me!" Shit, why were they here? When the hell did they see him? He'd been so careful and had been damn sure not to let anyone know where he was. Turning down an alleyway he again waved for the others to pick up the pace, a slight bounce in his step as he resisted breaking into a run. He didn't want them knowing something was wrong because then they'd look and what would they think? The White Lotus only really had one purpose and, assuming they knew it, things were going to become awkward very quickly.

Couldn't they take a hint? He hadn't ran away from home because he wanted them around and he sure as hell wasn't running away now because he wanted to see them either. Taking a sharp turn down another alleyway he had probably lost the others by now but he couldn't be bothered to care, not with the White Lotus snooping around. Glancing back over his shoulder and finding no one behind him he smirked, stepping out to the streets confidently. Without seeing where he was going he bumped into someone and turned to apologize and instead stepped back, ducking under a reaching hand and creating a flash of fire in his hand, driving the White Lotus member back.

"Katsu wait! We're been searching for you, we're here to help!"

"I don't want your help, that's why I left you idiot! Tell your boss to leave me the hell alone!" Katsu shouted, turning and running back down the alleyway again towards his friends. Halfway through a second White Lotus member joined them and cut him off, their hands up as a show of non-aggression. That was just fine by him because he wasn't going with these clowns and he'd gladly fight to avoid it. Igniting his fist with flame he threw a strike and forced the White Lotus member to jump up to a low hanging stairwell, giving Katsu plenty of time to run under him and back out to the road... And into another two members. Cursing aloud he turned to run again and was once more cut off, now surrounded by six members of the White Lotus. Looking between each and every one of them he grit his teeth, forcing a smile as he ignited both hands with flames. "Piss off before you make me mad, I'm not going to hesitate to attack you."

"We're only trying to help you Katsu, please understand. We've been searching everywhere for you, the Grand Lotus is very worried, as is your family. Come back with us, we will not harm you."

Hearing footfalls approaching one of the members turned and saw Siku and company fast approaching, holding out a hand to signal for them to stop. "Please leave, we're here on official business. This isn't something that civilians need to be involved in."

"Oh guys, there you are! How's about helping me kick these guy's butts? They're trying to kidnap me!" Katsu lied, rolling his eyes as one of the men contradicted him. It was probably a waste of breath anyways, everyone who knew anything was familiar with the White Lotus enough to at least understand they weren't bad people. So trying to sick the others on them probably wasn't going to work. Groaning and rubbing at his head he spun on his heel and picked out the senior member, pointing a finger at the man with a sneer. "I'm NOT going with you, got it? So you guys just pack your bags and go back wherever you came from, I'm done!"