Chapter 8.1- And so the Dragons Danced

The Fire Nation Royal Military Academy was the premier school of the land. No other school had ever produced a Supreme Military Commander in the history of the fire nation, and not just that highest position. Every War Minister for the last four hundred years had attended the academy. The academy produced more generals than any other.

Why was I telling you this? To drive home just how prestigious the academy was and its place in the fire nation culture. My decision to graduate early had not been made on a whim, and yet everyone seemed determined to assume that it was.

“I’m all for sticking it to authority and all that, but are you sure you’ve thought this through?” Toji asked with a look that could almost be mistaken for concern on his face.

“Yeah, Natsu. I heard the exams are really difficult and isn’t there a rule that you can only take them once” Lee asked, back earnest eyes squinted at me and hesitant smile on his face as he tried to advise caution without making it look like he doubted me.

“The idiots are right. You’re supposed to be smarter than this. Don’t blow your shot now in some misguided quest to regain your family’s honour or whatever it is that’s going through that head of yours” Maki’s bandages creased on her forehead in the telltale sign that she was suppressing a frown taking over her face. For some reason, for all the control she had over the lower end of her face, none of it went to her bandaged top of her head. The dichotomy was something that could only make sense in a world like this one, as if she’d trained to control one half of her face while totally ignoring the other. An insane idea.

“Well, he definitely isn’t listening to us” Zhufu, the latest addition to our eclectic bunch. “I don’t see why anyone would want to fight in the war any sooner than they’d have to, but we all know how stubborn Natsu can be when he thinks he’s got his mind made up” She said, looking at me with narrowed eyes and a placid expression on her pale face. Just like Toji and I, Zhufu was from noble blood. Unlike the both of us though, her family had little in the way of remaining wealth.

They’d invested heavily into the fire nation’s consumer economy over a hundred years ago. When everything was nationalised and turned towards the war effort, they found themselves left to pasture. They did a good job of simulating wealth. Zhufu’s clothing was of the highest quality, silk sewn by the finest and most skilled of hands. It was a convincing illusion until one realised that the clothes were of the style that was common over fifty years ago. The cut was older, and much more modest than what any of the other girls wore now. Zhufu wore it well. She had a timeless appeal to her, ever the classic fire nation beauty.

“Wouldn’t you do what I was doing if it meant achieving that thing we both know you want to?” I asked her, narrowing my eyes right at her to drive home my meaning. Her eyes met mine as she refused to back down. Golden orbs met blue ones as I saw myself reflected in her eyes. The determined set to my brows, the bags under my eyes that told of my tiredness, and the fierce look on my face that Toji was always willing to mock.

It took the better part of a minute, but she eventually backed down and turned her eyes away from mine. “We all have goals. We have goals we’d give anything for. Why can’t you guys accept that this is the best way for me to achieve what I seek?” I asked them.

“Because its fucking stupid” Toji cut in, drawing my glare before he raised his hands in surrender.

“Ignoring the foul language, the brute is right. You’re blowing your only chance at graduation for a pipe dream. The exam is famously hard. You know this. Half those who write it fail, and that’s even with years of training specially designed to help pass the exams. You want to take it as a third year, when seventh years break under the difficulty.” Maki said, not being charitable at all.

“I know the firebending portions will be passable for you” She admitted, but that in and of itself was an understatement. Maki was the second best bender in our class, and it wasn’t even close between us. Even Noaya Zenin, widely recognised as the best of the seventh years, barely ever gave me a good fight. And with the thought of Hiroshi’s dead bodies in their minds, none of the teachers were keen to let me practise with them.

“But that is only 30% of the final grades. There’s strategy, theory, and all sorts of things you still have to pass. And even if you pass, only the top 10 get the right to choose their branch of the military so what if you end up in the navy or the Capital Guard or something like that where you get no chance of seeing combat and getting the chance to restore your family’s honour?” Maki was always the most sensible of us all, but right now I didn’t need her talking sense into me.

“I guess I just have to finish Top 10 then” I said, smiling at all of them.

“Always knew you were crazy, Natsu, but not like this” a voice spoke out from behind me. I leaned back in my seat and was met with the face of the boy I’d mopped the floor with all those years ago in this same hall.

“Naoya Zenin. Just the last face I wanted to see.” I said with a yawn in my voice, affecting a persona of disinterest to get on his nerves.

“I heard the rumour that you put in the application for early graduation and didn’t believe a word of it. I told myself, ‘surely not even Natsu Wu would be so arrogantly stupid’, but I guess that was my mistake. Underestimating the depths of your arrogance and stupidity.” Toji made to rise at his words but both Zhufu and Lee were quick enough to drag him back to his seat.

Beyond a look at my roommate I didn’t pay any attention to him, in favour of his older cousin. “Sorry, I couldn't quite hear you” I said, placing my index finger in my ear and wiggling it around, making a whole show of it.

Noaya’s face flushed. An ugly shade of red as he made to speak before one of his numerous hangers-on grabbed a hold of his hand and pulled on it. The boy took the signal and turned right around, but not before leaving some parting words.

“I’m going to enjoy watching you fail, Natsu” He said, and then twirled around on himself in what I’m sure he thought was an impressive exit and walked away.

After Naoya’s visit, the mood across the table was soured and we switched topics from my decision to lighter things like the time Lee tried to ride a platypus bear.

A/N; First part of the next chappy, I guess.