You Can't Fight Fire with Fire
Chapter 1 – Prologue
Jiu Zhu refugee Colonies, Southwest Earth Kingdom
Tap tap
Zuko quickly turned his head from the book currently resting in his hands to the shuttered window on the far side of his room, automatically knowing what the subtle noise was. However, trying to avoid confrontation, the black haired teen turned back to his studies.
Tap tap tap
Three more slightly louder noises prompted the young teen to put down the mathematics book he was trying to comprehend. Quickly and quietly, he stood up from his small desk and tip toed to the window. Pushing open the wooden shudders, Zuko stared intently while his eyes adjusted to see his older cousin staring in.
"Geez, took you long enough. C'mon and climb out." An older teen – almost an adult now – stood before him. With sharp sideburns, a barely growing beard, and shoulder length brown hair pulled back in a bun, his golden eyes and pale skin glowed from candlelight escaping Zuko's room.
"We're gonna get caught Lu Ten, I don't want to get in trouble." Zuko said quietly to his older cousin. Although the pair had been sneaking out for ages, the younger cousin's father had recently been growing suspicious of creaking floorboards and the sound of opening shutters only hours before sunrise.
"It'll be fine Zuko, nobody will even notice you're gone." The older of the two responded impatiently.
"They could check my room. And if I'm not here, I might as well run away. I'd rather be a street rat than get beat some more." Zuko hissed. His father had some serious anger issues and he did not want to be the subject of said anger under any means.
Lu Ten, groaning in frustration, reached up into the window. He grabbed ahold of Zuko's pale arms and tried yanking him out the window. However, Zuko had rather good reflexes and pulled his arms back just before he would've toppled out the window.
"Come on Zuko! Who knows when bending will be useful. It could save your life someday." Lu Ten pleaded.
"Ok! Whatever. Fine. If we get in trouble, you get to explain, though." The younger complied with Lu ten's pleading. First walking to his desk, blowing out a few candles sitting on the corner of it, then slipping on ragged shoes before quickly sliding out the window. Gracefully, Zuko landed the three foot drop and then gently pushed close his shutters, leaving only a slight gap to open them upon his return.
Lu Ten smirked and began creeping around the back side of his Uncle Ozai's modest house, trying to be as quiet as possible so nobody would wake up and find them. Zuko stealthily followed his cousin's lead, and once they were out of earshot of the house, the two fire benders relaxed.
"Remember, if we get in trouble, it wasn't my idea." Zuko said with a sigh.
"Right. You just went along with it." Lu Ten responded with a faint laugh.
Spring had barely arrived in the Jiu Zhu Colonies dotting the South Western coast of the Earth Kingdom, where Zuko had grown up in one of the farthest south providences on the edge of the meager farming village, Koganeno. It was still a few weeks before planting season and the snow had barely melted. Zuko grumbled slightly at the fact he didn't grab at least a warmer shirt before leaving, as a rather cold breeze gave him goose bumps. It would take a little while before his body adjusted and heated up to compensate.
In peaceful silence, Zuko and Lu Ten began trekking up the hills behind Zuko's house, and then eventually reached the thick, dark woods separating them and their destination. Tiny shreds of moonlight reached through the trees, but not enough to illuminate their whole path. Zuko, palm outstretched, summoned a flame to serve as a guide only to have Lu Ten smack the flame out.
"Wait until we're at least in the woods, alright?" Lu Ten requested. He'd already been caught fire bending before, and wouldn't stand a good chance if he was caught again.
"Yeah, sorry." Hesitantly, Zuko took the first steps in to the forest. Thankfully, his eyes adjusted soon enough and he found a worn path from him and Lu Ten's previous trips. As if they were a part of the dark themselves, although ironically representing quite the opposite, the two fire benders made it through the mountainous forest quickly and quietly.
"Now you can bend, Zuko. There's no chance anyone will see us this far in." Lu Ten said in a calm voice.
Zuko then proceeded to chase away the shadows surrounding them by bringing a small flame to his palm and outstretching his hand part way in front of him. Neither of the two talked for a while, both too busy absorbing the peace and relaxing effect of the walk and the forest. His mind wandering, Zuko began to question why something so useful and so extraordinary, and as natural as fire bending could be banned. How could those rules even be enforced? Weren't there other people out there who ached for the ability to bend freely? It was ridiculous; that something you didn't even chose to have could be banned. But yet, it was.
The grassy earth suddenly came in to view, being illuminated by the pale moonlight. The light snapped Zuko from his thoughts, and he then extinguished his palm since he could actually see now. Ahead of him for quite a ways was a large field of short grass, with some spots of knee high reeds and mountain flowers. Some large rocks speckled the landscape as well, shining from the moonlight, and the entire field was surrounded by thick high shrubs and dense forest. The perfect place to practice bending in secret.
"We should warm up and stretch first, then we'll start with basic bending maneuvers and see what we can do from there." Lu Ten instructed. Zuko nodded subtly, then walked with Lu Ten to the center of the field and began deeply breathing in sync with his oldest cousin.
First, breathing exercises.
Then, stretching to keep energy flowing smoothly.
Strength exercises.
Basic forms.
Basic forms while fire bending.
Defensive maneuvers, then offensive.
Control exercises.
Meditation.
Nearly two hours passed, Lu Ten instructing and working with his cousin, while Zuko listened intently and worked with focus and determination. Both fire benders took turns sending their element through the night sky, or across the field, or passing balls of it between each other. It was draining, yet invigorating. They could change everything in front of them from a black abyss of nothing to a world in shades of red and orange, blue, pink, they could change it from night to day, even if only for a second before the flames died. Nothing could compare to how empowering that was.
Wiping a few drops of sweat from his temples, Zuko stood and bowed to his cousin. It was the tradition of the people in the old fire lands, and he intended to keep his far away traditions alive in some way or another.
"Why do you go through so much trouble to teach me bending? Wouldn't you be imprisoned if you were caught?" Zuko asked his older cousin attentively on the walk back.
"Because you were born to bend Zuko, whether the United Nations like it or not. They can ban it if they want, but it won't stop you. They can't take bending away from you, or anyone else for that matter. You should learn it. Agni gave you this gift, you should know how to use it properly. Educating you on how to use your gifts is worth a few years in jail." Lu Ten responded calmly after a few minutes of silence.
"I don't think fire bending is as much a gift as it is a curse anymore." Zuko mumbled quietly to himself.
If it weren't for his pride, Lu Ten most likely would've thought the same, thought Zuko. But he was proud that his cousin would consider his heritage a gift, when so many were trying to oppress it even after nearly a hundred years since the Bloody Siege.
Hopefully, times will change.
After a while longer of walking in silence, Zuko and Lu Ten returned back to the edge of Zuko's family's property, and stayed out of hearing range for a few minutes.
"Come by the tea shop tomorrow, my dad wants to talk to you about something important."
"Alright, I'll try. No promises though."
"You'll never hear the end of it if you don't. You know how my dad is." Lu Ten laughed lightly. Zuko smiled, thinking of his dear Uncle Iroh.
"Like I said, I'll try. Thanks for the bending lessons." Zuko hugged his slightly taller cousin. Even though Lu Ten was average height for a nearly grown man, Zuko had always been relatively tall for a 14 year old and was only a few inches shorter.
"No problem. See you tomorrow." Lu Ten smiled before turning and taking a short cut through one of Ozai's fields to reach the rough, dirt road leading back to the town Koganeno, only two miles from Zuko's home and where his cousin and beloved uncle lived. As soon as Lu Ten disappeared past a line of trees, Zuko crept back to his window and gently opened the shutters.
One of the hinges creaked rather loudly, causing Zuko to wince and immediately stop. But after a few minutes of still silence, he gracefully jumped up on to the window sill and quietly climbed through. Shutting the wooden shutters behind him, the young fire bender then kicked off his shoes, pulled off his shirt and lazily discarded of it on the floor, and then climbed in to bed.
Little did he realize that the entire night, a pair of eyes had been following them and observing them rather closely. These suspicious eyes did not fail to see him fire bending, nor did they fail to see what window on what house he was climbing in to, or who was teaching him these taboo ways.
Meanwhile, at the Southern Air Temple
A middle aged, gray haired man sat at the front of a short table, drinking a cup of steaming herbal tea. This man, with pale blue arrows decorating his body and a long grey beard hanging from his chin, was currently leading a restoration and preservation of the Southern Air Temple.
Nearly 80 years after a vicious attempt to genocide his people, and the destruction of much of his culture, Rojjiki would finally be able to reclaim what was stolen from the Air Benders.
"Where would you like all recovered documents to go?" A young, brown haired woman with glasses asked from next to him.
"They are to be taken back to the Western Air temples, to the hall of artifacts to be sorted." Rojjiki responded after a moment of thought. He'd been going over all the excavation plans with his 'under study' of sorts, planning where all artifacts would go and what buildings would be renovated first.
The young woman nodded before scribbling notes down on a long scroll detailing all of the excavation plans.
"Since there were no survivors..and no prisoners taken….what should..what about human remains?" The young woman, Teena, asked quietly.
"Have them examined, then log the age, gender, anything peculiar with them or on them. We can use those records and compare them to previous ones, see if maybe there were chances of survivors or something we don't know." The man replied quickly, in an attempt to keep any feelings out of the conversations. After all, the past was the past and the victims had already been mourned over for decades.
"Anything else you want added to the list?" Teena sighed, put down her quill, and adjusted her glasses.
"Yes, but don't put it in the one we're presenting to the council of elders. But I want 3 scout teams searching the surrounding woods, mountains, and islands. One with a sky bison and the other two on foot or gliders."
"Why not put it in the one we're going to present-"
"Because I told you not too. That's the only reason you need to know." Rojjiki placed his now empty cup down, and stood up. Deep in thought, he walked to one of the narrow windows in the Northern Air Temple library. His mind was crowded with so many possibilities and hopes for his soon-to-be-underway operation. In only three years, the Southern Air temple will be a habitable place for his people. All the lost information and artifacts would be safely in the hands of his people. Air benders could adapt to their ways again, and leave the old Fire Lands. He would soon be changing the world, definitely for the better.
After nearly twenty minutes of being lost in his thoughts, Rojjiki was disrupted by Teena tapping his shoulder gently.
"Everything's complete, the ships have been packed since noon, and the bison are ready for tomorrow morning. We can take this to the council in the morning right before we leave for approval. It's finally done." Teena smiled widely, with bags under her eyes from the amount of work she'd been doing lately to keep the plans in check. She embraced Rojjiki out of sheer joy. Almost 3 years of planning had gone in to this, and tomorrow their mission would begin. To restore the Southern Air temple, and relocate refugees from the old Fire Lands to a former home for Air Benders.
"You better get to bed, we'll be doing a lot tomorrow." Rojjiki said with a smile, affectionately rubbing her arm.
"You better go to bed, too."
Teena walked out of the large library, leaving Rojjiki to himself.
There was no way either would be getting any sleep knowing what lay ahead.
Southern Water Tribe
"For the sake of Tui and La, we can't adopt every single injured animal we come across, Katara." Sokka threw his hands in the air in exasperation.
"But, Sokkaaaa! It's just a baby, and it'll be better in only a few days, then we can put it back." The boys' 12 year old little sister pleaded with big, blue, puppy dog eyes.
"Absolutely not."
Tears began pooling in Katara's eyes and she sniffled.
Sokka sighed. He knew how this was going to end.
"But he'll die, Sokka!"
"We can't tak-"
"You're killing a baby otter penguin! How could you live with yourself like that Sokka!"
"You know what. Fine. Grab it and let's go home." The 13 year old sighed while his baby sister wiped away her fake tears, then skipped over to the baby otter penguin while humming a happy tune. Gently, she scooped it up and cuddled it to her chest. The poor thing had gotten tangled up in a fish net, and had some lacerations and sores from the strong, knotted chords wrapped all around it.
"Don't worry little buddy, it'll be okay!" Katara said cheerfully to the tiny animal cradled against her chest.
Sokka slowly shook his head, starting the walk back to his home at the heart of the Southern Water tribe. First it was a buffalo yak limping through the streets, then a stranded turtle seal, and now an otter penguin. What next?
Sokka walked quietly through the powdery snow, his younger sister holding and talking to her new friend, keeping up with her brother's rather quick pace through the tundra. The two had been out playing in the snow drifts outside the city where they lived for the past couple hours, and of course Sokka was hungry and in a hurry to return.
It took only a few minutes for their home, the capitol of the southern water tribe, to come in to view. A tall, thick ice wall with multiple military towers surrounded hundreds of igloos, shops, fish hatcheries, military barracks, libraries, vendors, and busy streets. The Walls had a large gap where a wide river flowed through, leading to the city's harbor. Something even more impressive was just outside the walls, a huge rock dome was covered with rows of small, sturdy windows allowing light inside. Built partially underground, was a large agricultural farm that provided the city with a small supply of fresh fruits, vegetables, and wheat. Nearly a thousand feet underneath the dome was a hotspot; a tunnel filled with flowing magma. After its discovery, hired earth benders and the tribes water benders had worked together to create a system of elaborate pipes, bringing heated water up and inside the walls of the dome. This kept the temperature inside the gigantic room hovering around 30 degrees Celsius. After this amazing engineering feat, the Southern Tribe flourished. Fewer resources were spent on trading and more on adding to the formerly tiny village. It had now become a large city, which was filled with Northerners seeking a more relaxed society, earth benders, and even a couple air benders.
The city's chief was the great warrior Hakoda, Sokka and Katara's father. Their mother, Kya, also played a large role in managing the city.
Upon entering the city's bustling streets, Sokka stopped at a trading post to sell the string of fish he'd caught earlier, before Katara found her new animal friend.
"Your catches keep getting bigger and better, son. I won't have a problem selling these at all." The vendor smiled, first examining the string of fish, then handing Sokka a sum of yuans.
"Are you selling that baby otter penguin, too?" The vendor asked, right before the siblings turned to leave.
"No! He's not food!" Katara said angrily before stomping out of the vendor's hut. Sokka simply responded, "No, not today. He's injured and my sister just had to bring it home to nurse it," Before walking out of the hut also.
"I can't believe he would buy a baby to butcher and sell." Katara said with a frown on their way back to the large igloo they called home.
"It might be a baby, but it can still be used, Katara." Sokka told her plainly, while pushing open the wooden door to the polished, 11 room igloo where the Chiefs of the water tribe had lived for ages. Katara followed him inside while mumbling something about the butcher being stupid, then the two hung their hunting packs on wooden hooks next to the door. Quickly, Sokka pulled his parka and snow pants off, along with his boots, choosing to wear only his thick seal hide socks and plain blue tunic and pants. Katara then demanded he hold the baby penguin while she took off her outer clothes and boots, as well.
"I thought I heard you two out here." A short, white haired older woman walked from the kitchen to the main room.
"Look what I found, Gran Gran!" Katara ran over to the woman excitedly after taking the baby otter penguin from Sokka's arms. Gran Gran laughed before taking the scared animal from Katara.
"What's this wrapped all around him?" Gran Gran said after closer examination.
"Fishing net, we gotta get it off him Gran Gran." Katara responded, concerned.
"Well, c'mon. Let's go take care of it." Hand in hand, Gran Gran led Katara to the kitchen to cut the netting tangled on the small animal.
Sokka sat down next to the fire on one of the plush furs covering the floor, and continued carving away at a small wooden soldier until his father walked in the door.
"Hey, Dad. How was your day?" Sokka said, still working intently on his wooden creation.
"It was frustrating. More and more of the tribe wants another expansion added to the trade district, which would drain the tax accounts. And we need that money to build another fleet and expand the training barracks so we'll actually have a standing chance with the army. But nobody worries about having an army until after an attack. It's ridiculous." Hakoda said, shaking the snow off his boots and removing his outer clothes. The tall, blue eyed man then sat next to his son and began telling him more about the difficulties of being chief.
At dusk, Kya walked through the door, carrying several woven bags full of food for the next week. Living in the South Pole's frozen land was rough, but at least preserving food in chests filled with snow and ice was easy, so you only had to shop every few weeks.
"Here, let me help with those, sweetie." Hakoda hopped up from his seat next to Sokka, pecked his wife on the cheek, and then grabbed a few bags from her hands.
"Thank you. Here Sokka, you can carry these two." Kya beckoned to her son and handed him the remaining bags from her right hand. He carried the woven bags to the family's kitchen, and dropped them down on to a stone counter in the center of the room. His mother started a fire, and began boiling some fish fillets and vegetables to make in to soup.
"Where's your sister?" Kya looked over to Sokka from her spot in front of the fire.
"Probably in Gran Gran's room. We found an injured seal and she brought it home to take care of."
Kya smiled gently at the thought of her compassionate daughter saving yet another animal.
"What have you been up to today?" Kya asked her son.
Sokka began talking about him and his sisters hunting/fishing trip turned rescue mission, before Katara and Gran Gran walked out in to the kitchen. Katara ran over to her mother and hugged her, before putting away the food on the counter. Gran Gran began grabbing plates from a wooden chest at the end of the counter, and carried them to the short table in the main room.
Soon, dinner was brought out to the table and everyone sat around it on plush furs and pillows, talking and laughing.
"Can we eat yet?" Sokka whined, after everyone had been talking for a good 5 minutes.
His mother sighed and laughed. "You're just like your father. Let's thank the spirits for this life, our home, and all we are given." Kya recited, before scooping some soup in to 5 bowls and passing them around the table.
The family laughed and talked happily over dinner, like every other night in their peaceful home.
Gaoling, Earth Kingdom
"And you certainly think her vison will be repaired?" Poppy said, astonished at what she'd just heard.
"Most likely, yes. But it'll be at a great cost. Spirit oasis water is extremely hard to get, plus the treatment will take multiple sessions." A water bending healer was explaining the process of curing her daughter's blindness.
"Yes, of course. But it would do a great deal for my family if she was no longer blind." Poppy responded, thrilled at the idea of having her daughters vision repaired.
"We'll require three quarters of the payment before the treatment, to get the spirit oasis water. It could take two to six months to get it, and then we'll start the treatment right away."
"How much will the total cost be?"
"5,000 gold pieces."
Poppy stood silently for a moment, debating the number in her head. That was more than her husband had paid for the property to build the Be Fong estate! But, it's not like money was an issue anymore. Not Since they began hiring fire natives for cheap to tend the large plantations her husband owned. It would be worth it, if her daughter would be able to continue on the family legacy as a fully capable person.
"I will pay the 3,500 in measures of gold bars. I will have a few trusted guards bring it to you in increments in the next two weeks. The rest will be paid in a check after her vison is returned."
The healer nodded, shaking the earth kingdom nobles had firmly.
"Thank you for meeting me. Toph will have her vison back within the year."
Poppy nodded subtly, then bowed respectfully before leaving the healers small house and returning to her ornate carriage outside where her chauffer was waiting to take her home.
…
It was early evening when her mom had returned, and upon 'seeing' the carriage pull in, Toph nearly sprinted across the large yard in the gardens and earth bent a large pillar up to her bedroom balcony. She brushed all the dirt off her suffocating dress, smoothed her hair back in to its usual uniform bun, and then ran in to her bedroom and sat on the edge of her bed. Only a second later, her mother slowly pushed open the bedroom door.
"Toph?" Her mother's voice had that we-have-something-to-talk-about tone.
"Yes, mother?"
"Good, you're in here. I have something I want to tell you." Poppy walked further in to her room and sat in the wooden arm chair next to her daughter's bed.
"A lovely young gentleman at one of your father's parties told me about a water bending healer a few weeks back. Today I went to make her acquaintance, and we discussed your predicament…your blindness. Now, the woman said, your vison can be completely repaired and you will be able to see normally after a few treatments."
Toph's mouth parted slightly at the thought. To actually see?
"How do you know it would work? How come she would be able to fix it but nobody else has been able to." The young, black haired girl asked. There was no way this was real.
"She's had experience with these sorts before. Returning hearing, bringing back sensations in injured arms or legs, even bringing people back from death. Although the last part sounds like quite the exaggeration. However, the lady claims to use 'spirit' water. I honestly have no idea what it is. But it might work, Toph! Then you'll be normal."
Toph couldn't believe what she was hearing. She didn't even know what to feel. In a way, she could already see through earth bending, but it definitely wasn't the same. How different would it be? What are colors and patterns and light and dark like?
No. Don't get your hopes up. It most likely won't work.
But, still.
"That's….wonderful news. Thank you mother." Toph said, remembering her manners after sensing her mother get a tad bit angry. Most likely due to her lack of manners.
After the healing sessions, you will be able to read and write, make tea, meet with dignitaries, study, dance, learn earth bending, there's so much for you to learn. And maybe some fine young gentlemen will take interest in you in the next couple years, since you'll be without any disabilities like that." Her mother said, smiling, before standing up and leaving her alone.
"Maybe.."
For the first time in a long time, Toph felt warm tears slip down her cheeks. The earth bender knew her mom didn't care how she felt about seeing or being blind; the only reason it mattered to her was because having a blind child was like a disability. It greatly decreased her chances of marrying a noble, after all who wants a blind wife. And that was what her mom cared about.
It stung, that Poppy did not love her as a daughter but only as a way to make herself better.
But, at least there's a chance my vison will return, thought the little earth bender. Quickly, she wiped the tears from her cheeks and quickly tip toed down the stairs. It was getting late, and if her mom saw her, she would surely be 'escorted' back to bed. Quietly, the earth bender slipped out the back door and in to the gardens. She walked between large bushes, jumped over flowerbeds, and ducked under trees to get to her sanctuary; the caves.
When she was younger, Toph had been stumbling through the woods after a ball she'd kicked and couldn't find. Terrified, lost, and crying, she got down on her knees and began crawling to try and find her way home. In a surprising turn of events, however, she crawled in to a hole and fell quite a ways before hitting a soft pile of dirt. Good thing it was soft and freshly dug up, or that would've been the end of it for the 6 year old. Before having much time to react to the fall, the small girl felt something soft and warm gently touch her. She screamed, while it continued to touch her and move around her. Then she felt fur, and warmth. After realizing the beast wasn't trying to eat her, Toph had patted it in various spots until realizing it was a badger mole.
Toph ended up stuck in the cave for two days before being found, but in those 2 days the badger moles had taught her something wonderful. After realizing the badger moles were using earth bending to navigate around, Toph tried something similar. She would focus, and then move a small rock from one spot to another and looking for its vibration. Once she was home, the little girl kept practicing until slowly she could sense the vibrations of everything; animals, people, furniture, anything in contact with the ground.
Those caves were now where the 10 year old would run to if she felt upset or angry. It didn't take long for her to find the small hole, and she dived right down it before stopping her fall with an earth column. The earth bender walked through the cave, searching for her old friends. It didn't take long to find them.
"Hey, bud! Did ya miss me? Of course you did." Toph said to one of the badger moles before sinking to the ground next to it and burying herself in its fur. She happily explained what her mother told her, and what the outcomes could be to the large creature.
Even though the fluffy mole couldn't understand, it still cared. And that was more than Toph got from anyone else she explained things to.
BAM! Chapter 1 is complete. (: I realize that all might be kinda confusing, but I promise it'll come together in the next few chapters. Right now this is just a snippet of everyones lives before we get down to the real story. Anyways, please comment/favorite/follow if I did okay, I love feedback guys!
Until next time ~
Disclaimer – I obviously don't own Avatar the Last Air bender. This is just a story I imagined based on the show.