Minami Sato

Minami is an approachable, friendly young girl. She is always actively seeking knowledge of new teachings and skills. She is a quick-learner, and attentive to those who do have something to show her. Although easy to get along with, the girl does tend to have a temper when confronted. She was shy when younger, but with bending she has found her confidence and become a lot more outgoing. Still young, Minami is always looking for someone skilled in bending to teach her.

Religion doesn't play a large part in her life, but the ancient teachings of the airbenders seeking peace and enlightenment always interested her. She likes that feeling after you have accomplished something, that feeling after a long day of training, and that is the fuel that feeds her inner fire. She wants to soon travel the world, and study under Masters of all teachings. Perhaps spirituality will play more a part in her future.

Minami dislikes mornings, strict ruling, and wars. She has a history of sometimes acting out with authority figures who she finds strict, but has respect for all those who respect her. Some firebenders seek to destroy, but not Minami. For her, firebending should be kept in sparring, training, and defense. It was a gift of nature, a blessing, and could sustain life, but in the wrong hands it was nothing more than a tool for war and destruction.

Minami Sato has been practicing firebending with her father since she was a little over six years old. In those days it was as simple as breathing and focus, learning to control the chi flow and inner fire. Because of learning these building blocks for so long at such a slow pace, Minami feels beyond confident at the beginning firebending moves such as starting, holding a fire in all conditions, and sending out a small fireblast through a punch. With much persuasion, her father has recently started teaching some new techniques to her, and has stopped holding back. The fighting arts were a large part of his study, and so he began teaching her with fighting techniques for hand-to-hand combat. She is still learning the basics, and not very strong, but with time and practice she will learn.

The firebending training also continued, as she was shown ways to kick with fire and how to focus her control to create a stronger fire with whatever it was she did. The most advanced technique she had learned was to create a ring of fire around her body. It was to her like a beautiful fire circle, but dangerous in reality.

Minami has her mother's long, beautiful black hair and light-skined complexion. She keeps side-swept bangs over her right eye. Most of the time her hair is kept down, with the exception of training. Her face has a heart-shape to it. Her yellow eyes are determined and almost exact copies of her father's.

When not in her school uniform, Minami prefers wearing a sleeveless black top and black shorts. Her trademark is the leather red and black gloves she is almost always wearing. She isn't a girl of much jewelry, but sometimes likes to wear some of her mother's old accessories that have fallen to her. Of these, her favorite is a pair of white earrings.

Standing at five feet and four inches, the teenager is average height for her age. She has an athletic build, training a majority of the her free-time. For training, she wears a white shirt and black shorts that a a little baggy, but held up with suspenders. The red ribbon she otherwise wears on her arm is used to tie up her hair, and she is never seen training without her gloves.

Minami Sato was born on a warm summer day thirteen years ago. Her father was a colonel for the Fire Nation, so their family took residency within the Fire Nation Capital; where her father was posted for these peaceful times. Minami didn't really know much about anything her father did, but her mother was always there for her. They were a great pair, always cooking and cleaning together. Minami loved to play the 'little helper' role and stay close to her mother as a young girl.

As time went on, things became more complicated. The day Minami learned she was a firebender will forever be burned into her memories. Minami had just recently reached the age of six, and it was another warm sunny day as usual within the Fire Nation Capital. The young girl was at school, in the playground. As a young girl she was mostly quiet and shy, not a usual trait of the other Fire Nation children in school. There was one child in specifc who wanted to 'make it known that Minami was weak and quiet' and something lit up inside of her that she could not hold in.

"I am not weak!" Minami stood up and delivered a punch to the face of the bully. She was so heated that she could barely feel her body move, it came so natural. When she took away her hand, she noticed a small burn mark on the same spot she had just hit. The other child cried and ran to the teacher, as Minami fell to her knees in disbelief. She did not know what just happened, and this was going to mean for her life.

Colonel Kenji Sato was alerted of the scuffle that had happened in the schoolyard with his daughter, and knew this was a gift. He was excited that his child would be able to carry on his legacy. He spent time each evening to train with his daughter, taking it at a slow pace. Minami was a great learner and always looking to please. She learned through her time with her father how to defend herself, and how to control what was happening. For a few years, everything was elated for the Sato family.

In the late fall of her eleventh year, Minami's mother Naomi Sato became sick. She had a severe illness that the doctors had no help for, and passed on within the month. Before she passed, Noami made sure her daughter understood what was happening, and why not to be so upset. During this time, Minami was taught several airbender teachings. Although nothing helped the pain, nothing took away the true grief in time, the quotes from the wise men did help to calm the young hot-head.

Colonel Keiji was distant; greifing in his private settings. The firebending lessons and dinner were Minami's only sighting of him for many months after Noami passed. Minami read more into the other elemental masters and their teachings, intrigued and interested and most of the wisdom she found. When not reading, she found herself training, and meditating.
Three years after her mother passed, Minami finds herself wanting to focus on her bending and start traveling the world soon.