Once Old Now New 3B/?
An hour went by before they were called. Kurt had watched teams leave, smug smiles painted on their faces. Half of them returned angry and broken while the other half returned broken but triumphant.
“Hey,” a man that looked like a bouncer came and tapped Santana on the shoulder, “you guys are next.”
The team across from them also got tapped. Head held high Kurt walked with his team towards the opening of the arena, Finn trailing behind them. The bouncer guy stopped them a few feet from the entrance. Kurt felt someone staring at him.
“Dude,” Finn hissed in his ear, “that creepy demon looking guy from the Warblers is staring at you.”
Puck pulled Finn towards him.
“Don’t look at him Hummel,” Santana said, “just pretend he doesn’t exist.”
Kurt inhaled and then exhaled. He could feel the man’s gaze trailing down his body.
“And now introducing… the Dragons and the Titans!”
Nodding to himself Kurt stepped into the bright light of the arena.
“Wow…”
The arena was huge. It was at least the size of a football field. The crowd was high above the arena. Every seat was filled. Kurt walked behind Santana and Puck. When they got into position so did he. The crowd was stomping their feet.
“It appears that the Dragons have a new firebender in their mists! Let’s hope he’s better than the last one!”
Kurt heard Puck scoff and Santana swear.
“Ready?”
They bowed. Kurt could no longer hear the crowd surrounding them. All he could hear was his heart beat.
“GO!”
The other team struck before they could. A fire ball, hail and several large rocks flew at them. Out of the corner of his eyes Kurt saw Santana raise a blanket of rock over their head to block the hail. Puck sent stream of water at the fire. Kurt jumped to avoid the rocks and didn’t waste any time in sending an even bigger fire ball.
“Duck!” Santana shouted. Kurt ducked and saw the rocks above their head go crashing where the other team was standing. Puck was forming ice columns and sending thick, sharp ice disks at their competitors. For a second Kurt was overwhelmed. What should he do? It’s not until he saw a water whip knock Santana down did Kurt react. He helped Santana up.
“Raise me up!”
She gave him a weird look but raised the earth where Kurt was standing. When he was above their competition he jumped and made a series of kicks. Fire rained down on the team. When he landed Kurt crossed his arms and then sliced the air with them, sending two blades of fire. The waterbender raised a wall of water before sending chunks of ice at them. Kurt let himself fall to the ground and spun his legs high in the air, sending numerous volleys of fire balls. He saw Santana throwing disks of rocks and Puck defending their team from the ice and fire coming their way. At one point the earthbender captured both his feet but Kurt put his hands together before slamming them into the ground. Fire rose from the earth in spikes and the rocks holding him captive disappeared.
Before long Kurt started to notice a pattern with the Titans. They were taking their cues from the waterbender. He attacked first. Not only that, but the earthbender and firebender weren’t “formally” trained. They were relying on the strength of their element .The earthbender especially didn’t seem to know much apart from launching rocks and trying to capture somebody. Kurt jumped back to Santana and Puck.
“Take down the earthbender.”
“Got it!” Puck moved towards the middle and manipulated the water around him until it formed an octopus. Santana launched herself into the air. She formed a halo of rocks into the air. Her hands formed into fists. Each of the rocks shrank and formed a pointed tip. Kurt was confused when Puck launched several water tentacles at the firebender and then he saw Santana launch the rocks at the earthbender and waterbender. It took him a second to figure out that they were trying to get the other two benders away from their weakest member. Kurt felt rather than saw the waterbender form a huge wave off to the side. He turned and widened his arms. Inhaling he drew his hands together in a clap. Fire flew from his joined hands. Most of the water turned to steam. Kurt saw the waterbender try and form a wall of ice. He spun his arms like blades and blew up the ice. Puck was fighting against the earthbender while Santana fought the firebender. The waterbender sent a thin disk of ice Kurt’s way. Kurt moved out of the way but the disk caught his foot a little. Growling Kurt spun around and slammed the other foot into the ground. A wave of fire erupted, catching the waterbender of guard, and bringing him down.
“Now Puck!” Santana screamed.
Puck enveloped the earthbender in a tentacle of water and raised him off the ground. When the firebender was about to attack, Santana opened the ground beneath him. The firebender fell into the hole. Santana knit the earth back together until only his head was left above ground. The leader of the Titans was about to send more ice disks Puck’s way when Kurt charged at him. He rubbed his hands together, creating a circular saw of fire. He sliced through the ice and let the saw hit the waterbender directly in the chest. At that moment Puck flung the earthbender to the side.
“STOP!”
They stopped. Panting Kurt watched the earthbender, his body thrumming with adrenaline and pain. He heard the crowd counting to ten with the announcer.
“...5….6….7”
Kurt didn’t take his eyes off the earthbender. If he got up before the ten seconds were up, he needed to be prepared to bring him back down.
“9….10!”
The crowd roared in approval.
“Ladies and Gentleman the Dragons win!”
“YES!”
Santana grabbed him around the waist and lifted him up.
“That’s what I’m talking about!” Puck shouted. Kurt laughed and hugged Santana.
“Whoa,” he whispered into her shoulder, “oh my God that was terrifying.”
“Honey,” Santana dragged him toward the side, “you’ve not seen anything.”
()()()()()
Finn grabbed Kurt’s arm and pulled him into a tight hug.
“Dude,” the taller boy laughed, “I almost pissed myself man. I’ve never seen-holy crap I thought that waterbender was going to like slice you in half. How the hell would I explain that to Burt?”
“I’m ok Finn,” Kurt winced, “a little sore and really, REALLY hungry but I’m ok.” Kurt wriggled out of his step brother’s hold.
“Oh,” Finn shoved the duffel bag into Kurt’s arms, “here’s the food then,” he looked around, “where’s Puck?”
“Probably went to see our scores.” Santana panted. She was leaning against a column. Her cheeks were bright red and her hair was all over the place, “got to say Hummel. I was impressed,” she cracked her knuckles, “how’d you know the earthbender was the weakest link?”
He shrugged, “He only knew two moves. It wasn’t that hard to figure out.”
Santana grinned, “Puck and I were too busy making sure nobody took down our old firebender to see who the worst one was in the opposing team.”
“Well now you guys have Kurt,” Finn sounded proud of himself, “that’ll make it easier won’t it?”
Santana nodded and blew her hair out of her face. Kurt grabbed the container filled with sandwiches and pulled one out. He ate half of it in under a minute. Finn looked shocked.
“Are you ok?”
Kurt swallowed, “Bending takes a lot of energy,” Kurt explained, “I’m starving.”
“Me too!” Puck jumped right next to Kurt and stole one of his sandwiches, “Santana you’ll never believe what our score was!”
“What?”
“We got a freaking 9.1.”
Santana grinned, “That’s the best score we’ve gotten.”
“I know!” Puck slapped Kurt’s back, “All thanks to you dude!”
Kurt winced and rubbed his shoulders, “Thanks,” he sat down next to Finn and finished the rest of his sandwich, “Hand me the first aid kit please.”
()()()()
The next fight lasted fifteen minutes. Kurt didn’t really watch it. After bandaging his foot he ate a couple of more sandwiches and downed a bottle of soda. He couldn’t remember a time where he’d been so hungry. Kurt was thinking of trying to fall asleep but Santana slapped him upside the head.
“You need to take notes Hummel,” she was holding two notebooks in her hand, “we’re going up against one of these teams next week.”
Grumbling Kurt took a notebook and pen and watched the fighting. He took careful notes of each team. Some of the teams Kurt knew wouldn’t be a threat to them. Others had him furiously writing down strategies and panicking over what would happen if the Dragons would go up against them. While he was writing, Kurt could feel someone looking at him but he tried to ignore it. At around five, the arena darkened.
“What’s going on?” asked Finn.
“The Warblers.” Santana said.
“Ladies and Gentleman, the moment you have all been waiting for,” two bright lights shone at the entrance of the arena, “please welcome the Sharks,” the crowd applauded. A team walked onto the arena, their legs dragging, “and the WARBLERS!”
The crowd went crazy. People jumped up and down and screamed. Kurt felt a rock settle in his stomach. He watched as the Warblers walked onto the arena heads held high. When they got into position, the earthbender turned his head and looked at Kurt’s general direction.
“Dude,” Finn leaned closed, “that guy keeps looking at you,” he shivered, “I think he wants to like, take you down or something.”
Kurt didn’t say anything.
“Ready?”
The teams bowed. Kurt noticed the earthbender dig his toes a little more into the ground.
“GO!”
In a blink, the earthbender was gone. Kurt gasped. The firebender from the warblers jumped into the air and clapped once. Two fireballs erupted from his hands and crashed into the opposing team. Next the waterbender created a wave of movable ice and charged at the opposing team.
“Kurt,” Finn grabbed his hand, “I think someone is going to die.”
The wave of ice broke into several arrows. The firebender in the opposing team managed to dodge most of them but Kurt saw the arrows hit the earthbender and the waterbender. One in particular stuck out of the earthbenders leg.
“Oh God there’s blood,” Finn was panting, “Oh God they’re going to die!”
“Nah man,” Puck was half way out of seat, eyes glued to the fight, “maimed yea but not killed.”
That didn’t make Kurt feel any better. The firebender from the Sharks put his foot on the ground and dragged it, forming a half moon. The fire had barely begun to spread when ice enveloped it. The waterbender from the Warblers raised a blanket of water over their opponents head. Kurt saw the sharks get ready for whatever attack would come. They didn’t notice the firebender also disappear.
“Damn,” Santana’s pen was flying across the page, “oh he’s good.”
Right when the Sharks were about to attack, the earthbender and firebender from the warblers jumped out of the ground behind them. Kurt watched his eyes wide as the earthbender raised the ground where the Sharks were standing. The firebender then sent three small fireballs at the Shark’s heads. The water above them came crashing down like rocks. The Sharks were stunned but before they could recuperate the earthbender raised two walls and tossed the benders back and forth as if they were nothing but a ping pong ball. The rocks moved as if they were water.
“STOP!”
The rocks went back into the ground. The Sharks fell. The crowd was completely silent as the announcer counted to ten. Finn’s grip on Kurt’s hand was starting to hurt.
“4…5…6…”
Kurt looked down at the blank page. He didn’t take notes. He didn’t need to. They needed a lot more training to be at the Warblers level. A LOT.
“7…8…9…10!”
The crowd came back to life.
“The Warblers win!”
()()()()
It was almost six when they managed to get out of the arena.
“I’m so tired,” Finn rubbed his eyes and yawned, “dude I just want to go home and sleep.”
Santana was going over her notebook, “Hope your social calendar is empty lady.” Puck stretched out and groaned, “yours too Puckerman. We have a lot of work to do before our next fight.”
Kurt dragged his duffel bag behind him. When they got to his car, he threw his bag into the back. He felt a prickling sensation on his neck. Slowly he turned around. A few feet away from him were the Warblers. Their helmets were gone but they were still wearing their masks. Kurt blinked. The earthbender cocked his head to the side and ran a hand over his curly black hair. Exhaling Kurt shut the trunk of his car. The earthbender straightened out and bowed to him. Before Kurt could bow back, the earthbender had left with his friends. Mouth dry Kurt walked to the driver’s side. As soon as he got in, Santana grabbed his shirt and pulled him forward.
“What was that?”
Kurt was confused, “What was what?”
“What did you say to the Warblers?”
“Nothing!” Kurt said, “I was just putting away my bag and I felt something weird so I turned around and there they were, staring at me.”
“That earthbender,” Puck shook his head, “he has it out for you I think.”
Kurt froze, “What do you mean?”
Puck smirked, “I mean that earthbender dude wasn’t just staring at you-I think he was checking out your ass.”
“What?”Santana said.
“No he’s right,” Finn looked pale, “that guy was totally looking at Kurt like-like he was a burger or something.”
Kurt felt his face and neck heat up. He started the car.
“You guys are crazy,” Kurt murmured, “he wasn’t checking me out.”
“Dude I can tell,” Puck said, “I mean the guy was wearing a mask but I could totally tell that his eyes were glued to your behind, Hummel.”
Finn made a face, “Could you, like not say that? Kurt’s like my brother. It’s weird.”
“Yea well that earthbender wants to bend your brothers pants off.”
“PUCK!”
()()()(
Finn and Puck talked all the way to Lima. Santana fell asleep as soon as they got on the main road. Kurt might have sped a little to get home but he was in a hurry. His Dad and Carole were usually awake by eight so they needed to be back by seven thirty. They dropped Santana off at her house and then Puck.
“Santana will call you later,” Puck said as he hopped out of the car, “Brace yourself Hummel…something tells me that we aren’t going to have much free time in the next coming weeks.”
They made it home in time. Finn was already half asleep when they trudged into the house. Kurt had to drag the tall boy to his room. After he put Finn to bed, Kurt went to his room where he collapsed on his bed. He didn’t bother to take off his clothes. He just drew the covers over his head, closed his eyes and fell asleep.
()()()()
“Kurt? Kurt wake up.”
Someone was shaking him. Groaning Kurt curled up and tried to go back to sleep.
“Buddy come on, it’s late.”
The voice sounded familiar but Kurt was too tired to recognize who it was.
“Alright now you’re starting to worry me,” the comforter that was hiding him from the world was flicked back. Kurt whined and opened one eye. His dad was looking down at him.
“Are you feeling ok?”
Rubbing his eyes Kurt turned and looked at his clock. It was almost two in the afternoon.
“Oh my God,” he tried to sit up but failed, “I’m ok,” Kurt tried to cover up a yawn, “just didn’t sleep much last night.”
“Yea?” his dad sounded suspicious, “neither did Finn, apparently.”
Kurt smiled, “We may have had a midnight snack and played some video games.”
Burt chuckled, “Well that explains the missing spaghetti,” he patter his son’s head, “you better get up though: An is going to be here soon. Don’t want to keep her waiting.”
Part of him wanted to plead sick. There was no way he was going to be up for airbending lessons after the night he had. He could barely sit up!
“Ok,” he forced his body to get out of bed, “I’ll shower and get ready.”
His Dad nodded and left the room. Wincing Kurt walked to his bathroom. His foot was killing him as was his back. It would be a miracle if he didn’t fall flat on his face today. The shower helped loosen his muscles somewhat but Kurt was still sore when he went up to the kitchen. Finn was sprawled against the table, snoring. Carole and his Dad were in the living room watching something on the television.
“Hello Kurt,” Carole greeted, “I made you guys some pancakes.”
“Thanks,” Kurt smiled and grabbed a plate. He poked Finn with a fork. The taller boy woke up with a jolt and looked around.
“Hey Kurt,” Finn slurred, “pancake,” he rubbed his face, “pancake fairy came and left…waffles.”
“Ok Finn,” Kurt sat down and served himself a stack, “you might want to eat before they go cold.”
“Eat,” Finn looked confused, “yea.” With a sigh, Finn grabbed a spoon and attempted to eat his pancakes. Kurt shook his head. Every time he raised his arm to take a bite out of his food, his body would protest. Kurt forced himself to finish the pancakes. When he was done, he hunted down a bottle of Ibuprofen and took two. He hoped they kicked in before An came. After taking the medicine, Kurt went back down to his room. Finn followed him.
“Kurt,” Finn fell down on the floor, “Kurt I’ve never been this tired before.”
“YOU’RE tired?” Kurt scoffed, “please. I feel as though I’ve been run over by a dumpster truck and then tossed inside.”
Finn mumbled something. Kurt rolled his eyes and tapped Finn’s head with his shoe, “Get off the floor.”
“No…too comfortable.”
“If you say so,” Kurt stretched and hissed, “God I’m going to be feeling this all week.”
“You guys were badass,” Finn looked up, “like seriously.”
“Thanks,” Kurt lied down on his bed, “I wish An wasn’t coming by today. I just want to sleep.”
Finn didn’t say anything. After a minute Kurt looked down at the other boy and found hi snoring on his bedroom floor. Rolling his eyes Kurt got comfortable on his bed. He couldn’t fall to sleep but he could at least give his muscles more of a rest. Ten minutes later there was a knock on the door.
“Kurt?” it was Carole, “Honey your teacher is here,” she climbed down the stairs, “…why is Finn lying on the floor?”
“Because he was tired,” Kurt got up. His body didn’t feel like it been through the wringer anymore. Now it just felt like jelly. It wasn’t perfect but it was definitely an improvement.
“I see,” Carole smiled, “well go on ahead. I’ll take care of Finn.”
()()()(
An wasn’t the only one waiting for him. A member of the White Lotus was there too which was a little odd. The White Lotus members rarely came to his house twice in a row. It put him on edge.
“Hello young Avatar,” the man bowed. Kurt bit his tongue and bowed back.
“Hi Kurt,” An stuck her hand out. Kurt shook it gratefully, “Come on.” She put her hands on his shoulders and steered him into the backyard.
“What’s going on?”
“This is the last element you need to master is it not?”
Kurt nodded. An sat down on the grass.
“The White Lotus members are already making plans. They’re talking to your Dad about what will happen when you pass your airbending test.”
“Oh,” Kurt sat down next to An. He felt sick, “Do you…do you know any of their plans?”
An didn’t look at him, “I know that you still have a few more years left,” she closed her eyes, “I also know that they are looking at colleges and universities for you.”
That made Kurt really mad. An laid a hand on his leg.
“Don’t think about that now,” she smiled, “for now close your eyes and empty your mind. Worry about your future later.”
()()()()
An walked Kurt through some stances before giving him two blue marbles.
“Air is everywhere,” An said, “it is flexible. It is pliant. It can be gentle and kind. It can also be unforgiving and cruel,” An twirled her hands in a circle, “you have to learn to go with the current.”
She stood up, “Airbending does not rely on strong stances like earthbending. It doesn’t rely on aggression like firebending nor does it rely on the softness and power of water.”
Kurt looked at the marbles in his hands.
“In airbending,” An jumped and twirled in the air before gently floating down, “you are constantly moving. You don’t stay in one place for long,” she formed a ball made of air and placed it on the ground. She placed one foot on top of it and sat down with her legs bent. She fisted her hands and brought them together in the middle before riding around the backyard for a moment. Kurt grinned. It looked like fun.
“Now,” An stopped in front of him and sat back down, “I want you to take those marbles in one hand,” she demonstrated, “and then cup your other hand like this.”
Kurt did as she said.
“Now I want you to feel the air flowing between your hands,” Kurt nodded, “use that air to twirl the marble in the air.”
Kurt tried but the marble didn’t move. He frowned.
“Don’t force it,” An warned, “remember, airbending is about being flexible. Feel the current running between your hands and use it to control that marble.”
Letting out a breath Kurt stared at the marble in his hand and concentrated. He could feel a small breeze running through his fingers. Licking his lips he tried to get the marble into the air. The marble wobbled back and forth but didn’t get any lift. Kurt stopped. A stronger breeze blew between his hands. Kurt tried again. The marble rocked back and forth before floating into the air. It spun around in a lazy circle before dropping back. Kurt grinned.
“I did it!”
An smiled, “Good. Now do it again.”
()()()()
By the end of the session Kurt could keep the marble twirling for two minutes. He could also form tiny balls of air.
“Good job,” An said, shrugging her shoulders, “next Saturday we’re going to be doing different.”
“Oh?”
“Yes,” she said, “we’re going to go on a field trip.”
Kurt looked surprised, “Where?”
“You’ll see,” An said, “don’t worry about it.”
The entered the house. The White Lotus member and his father were talking in low tones.
“Hi dad.”
“Hey Kurt,” his father stood up as did the other man, “how did it go?”
“I got a marble to twirl in my hand, “Kurt demonstrated. His father laughed.
“That’s good.”
“Mr. Hummel,” An said, “If you don’t mind I’d like to take your son on a little field trip this next Saturday.”
“Uh,” Burt looked between Kurt and An, “sure, ok.”
“Thank you,” An nodded at Kurt, “keep practicing. I’ll come by next Saturday at the same time ok?”
()()()()(
Kurt watched An and the man leave. Carole came up next to him.
“Feeling better?”
“I guess so,” he turned to her, “still tired.”
Carole caressed his cheek, “why don’t you go sleep?” she shook her head, “I couldn’t get Finn to move so he’s still sprawled out on your floor.”
Kurt laughed, “That’s ok. Thanks Carole.”
“No problem,” she took a step back, “I’ll call you in a couple of hours for dinner ok sweetheart?”
“Yea.”
Kurt doesn’t know how he makes it to his room. His muscles feel as if they’re floating and his head feels as if it’s been packed full of cotton. Finn is indeed still lying on the floor like a starfish. Kurt could see a small puddle of drool but decides to ignore it. He’s too tired to freak out about his carpet. Kurt crawls into his bed and closes his eyes. He remembers the competition. He remembers the adrenaline running through his body and the taste of victory. He also remembers the way the earthbender from the warblers stared at him. Shuddering Kurt curls up on his side and sleeps.
A/N-I think we ALL know who that earthbender is right?
Chapter 4