A/N: WWII/Avatar:TLA AU. I can't really explain it, but is should be self explanatory. If you have any questions, feel free to ask :) This installation is heavily based off of the Boiling Rock episode and follows a very similar plot.
This is written for my friend kagamination-heart as payment for the homework she let me copy. Sorry it took so long. Lately my only inspiration has been for Glee and X-Men, neither of which you like, so I really had no idea. Thanks for the prompt :) I hope you like how this turns out! Oh, and I can't write Toph worth crap.
I had a hard time figuring out how to do the weapons (other than bending). I didn't want to take away some of the iconic weapons (Zuko's swords, Longshot's bow, etc.) but I also wanted to modernize this some in an attempt to make it more WWII-esque. So in that department they're kind of in an in between stage. Some people will carry guns, some swords, many both. I'm sorry if this muddles it at all, please forgive me.
**Warnings: Cursing. Mentions of war and genocide. Nothing too graphic, but this is based off of WWII and the Holocaust, so I want people to be warned.
A young man clad in a thick, black leather coat appeared from the shadows. His long dark hair hung over his face, hiding his searching golden eyes and infamous scar from onlookers. He ducked behind a building and slunk out through the fences that surrounded the city. He pulled the collar of his coat up a bit higher; the winds were stronger out here. Out of the city, he was concealed by the trees and darkness, alone once again.
He knew the path too well. To anyone else, every tree looked like the other and every rock the same, but to him, the way couldn't be more obvious. He hardly had to think anymore as he leapt across streams and navigated over rocks and outcroppings, the movements came as simply as breathing.
As he wound his way through the trees, the final rays of sunlight slipped from the earth, and the moon began her climb into the sky. He smiled to himself. They'll have an advantage on the warfront now, he thought. Hopefully the Allies will push them back far enough to not have to worry when the sun rises again. As for himself, he lit a small flame on the tips of his fingers, just enough to light his way in the quickly spreading darkness. He knew lighting the flame was risky, making him easier to see, but he knew that his far superior skill made him too formidable for any other firebender to scuffle with after the sun had set.
It wasn't until the moon had reached her halfway point in the sky that he began to see his destination in the distance. The flame on his fingertips quickly extinguished and he pulled the coat a little closer around him in an attempt to further hide his uniform. He took a deep breath. This was always the most daunting part of the journey. If anything were to go wrong, it would happen here.
A tiny, barely audible rustle in the bushes to his right caught his attention. He dared not look in that direction; if they knew he saw them the hidden sniper in the trees to his left would most surely skewer his throat. He kept his golden eyes locked forward, but his body tensed, prepared to strike.
Suddenly, a voice called out in the darkness. "Stop right there."
He instantly froze and his hand instinctively flew to his swords' hilt. His breathing remained steady, should the need to firebend arise.
The tip of a hook sword leveled itself at his throat. "Who are you and what are you doing here?" the voice hissed.
"I am an Ally. I come with reports and updates from the Front," he responded, his voice level and calm.
The voice let out a low chuckle, causing the point of the sword to move against his throat. "And you expect me to believe that load of shit? I can smell the Fire Nation on you." The sword point began to dig into his esophagus, threatening to draw blood.
He took a deep breath in an attempt to quell his rising temper. "I told you, I am an Ally. I have news for General Hakoda—"
"LIES!" the voice shouted as its owner stepped into view. A young man about his own age now stood face to face with him, dark eyes now boring into his own gold ones. His ruffled brown hair hung low along his face, adding to his feral presence.
The man was too close now for his twin swords to be of any use. The last thing he wanted to do pick a fight with this guy; it could potentially destroy his fragile relationship with the Allies. But really, if this guy didn't get out of his face soon, he would have absolutely no problem setting those damn eyebrows ablaze. He could feel the palm of his hand begin to heat up, though no actual flame had lit yet.
He was even closer now, so close that their noses nearly touched. He could feel his hot breath on his face, his voice icy in contrast, "Now, you're going to tell me the truth, or—"
"Cool it, Jet! He is telling the truth," a female voice shouted. A girl a few years younger than him stepped into view, her pale green eyes reflecting the moonlight sharply.
"This isn't time for your little earthbending tricks, Toph!" the boy, presumably Jet, snapped. "This guy is a Fire Nation spy, and needs to be dealt with accordingly." His hook swords, which had fallen since the girl had called him out, rose and pressed against his throat again.
"Yeah, he is. He's our spy! We've been working with him for the past year now, and he is completely trustworthy. Now let him go, or I will make you."
With one last snarl shot his way, Jet lowered the swords and slipped them into his belt. The dark haired boy offered him a sarcastic smile in return. He turned toward the girl and offered her a polite nod.
"It is good to see you again, Toph," he remarked as he came up beside her.
"Yeah I know. Glad to see you're still alive, Zuko."
Zuko gave an agreeing nod. "So who was that guy?" he motioned with his head toward where Jet was grumbling to two other people he presumed to be the person in the bushes and the sniper in the trees. A small girl with two daggers and a pistol strapped to her belt placed a hand on his arm in what seemed an attempt to calm him down. Beside her stood a stony faced boy with a sniper rifle slung across his back.
Toph shrugged. "We picked 'em up a few weeks ago. They're just a band of Earth Kingdom rebels that escaped from one of the ghettos."
Zuko's eyebrows shot upwards. "They escaped one of the ghettos? Which one?"
"Fire Fountain City."
Zuko stopped dead in his tracks. "You're kidding."
"That's what they said. Why?"
"Fire Fountain is one of the most heavily guarded ghettos in the Nation. It's been basically a monument to Fire Nation strength since the war started. For a prisoner to escape there-much less three-would be a massive disgrace to the city." Toph gave him a look like she was waiting for more, so he continued. "In the Fire Nation, honor is everything. Without honor, you're nothing, not worthy. Fire Fountain has prided itself on its strength and superiority as long as the ghetto has existed. It's become a symbol of the Fire Nation, and to dishonor it is pretty much synonymous with disgracing the Fire Lord himself."
Toph didn't even try to suppress the laugh that burst forth from her abdomen. "Well in that case, I have a bit more respect for these guys. Anyone who makes the Fire Lord look like shit is alright in my book. No offense to you."
Zuko wasn't quite sure how to respond to that, so he settled for a simple nod.
"So why exactly are you here, Zuko? We weren't expecting you to check in for another week or so."
"Well, like I was trying to tell that Jet guy, I've got some updates from the Front that I felt needed to be shared with General Hakoda. And there's something else I think I need to speak with him about, but I can't talk about that kind of stuff here."
"Ah, covert, classified spy stuff? I smell ya. Ok, well, the General's right in there," she indicated toward a large tent with the Allies' insignia plastered above the entranceway. "See ya later, Sparky," she offered him a companionable pat on the shoulder before heading off toward a group of earthbenders.
Zuko took a deep breath before he parted the curtains that were the doors to the tent and stepped inside. "I request permission to speak with General Hakoda."
The General was not alone in the tent, but rather accompanied by his two children. His son, Sokka, was overlooking detailed map of the northern area of the Fire Nation while his daughter, Katara, was neatly copying down reports and letters from various high ranking officials. Upon his entering, the trio shifted their gazes toward him. Katara's glare was as icy as the water she bent, but Zuko had gotten used to that and overlooked her disdain for him.
Both Hakoda and Sokka, on the other hand, offered him friendly smiles. "Prince Zuko, good to see you!" General Hakoda boomed. "Permission granted. Please, come in," he gestured toward a chair at the end of the table they were situated at.
Zuko nodded and approached the table, an air of formality acquired from years of military upbringing swirling about him. He knew being heir to the Fire Nation throne and son of the Fire Lord already made him suspicious in the eyes of many of the Allies, even though he had already proven his loyalty to them several times over, so he always strove to behave in a most official and respectful manner among them.
"Thank you, sir," he stated, pointedly avoiding eye contact with his superior.
"At ease," General Hakoda announced, a hint of a smile in his voice. "Really, Zuko, you think you'd be comfortable around us by now."
The firebender's shoulders visibly relaxed as he adopted a more comfortable stance. "Er, sorry, sir. I'm just trying to keep things in their proper sense of formality."
Hakoda let out a short chuckle as Sokka slung his arm around the spy's shoulders. "Zuko, my friend, when are you going to learn that when it's just us, there is no 'proper sense of formality'?"
Zuko rolled his eyes as he playfully shoved the other boy off of him. Since Zuko had defected to the Allies, he and the General's son had become fast friends. As the two boys were of similar age and swordsmanship, they were often paired together on missions, leading to the formation of an odd sort of bond. Despite Sokka's occasional antics and comedic quirks, Zuko felt comfortable around him and (surprisingly) trusted him with his life.
Sending a somewhat-but-not-really annoyed grumble toward the other boy, Zuko shrugged off his coat, and laid it gently across an unused table. He felt completely out of place, standing there in his full Fire Nazi regalia, but only Katara seemed to take any notice. And besides, her glares had little to no effect on him anymore.
"So, Zuko," Hakoda began, pulling out a chair and motioning for Zuko and Sokka to do the same. "What brings you here today? We weren't expecting your next update for another week."
Zuko again took a formal posture, though it was slightly more relaxed than before. "I have some updates from the Front that I think are noteworthy, as well as some…classified news from the Camps."
The General raised an eyebrow. "What kind of classified news?"
"Something that could turn the tides of the War in the Allies' favor," Zuko said seriously.
Hakoda's other eyebrow arched to join its partner. "Well ok then. Give us the Front updates first."
The dark haired spy gave a short nod before complying. "While the waterbenders have been doing an excellent job of holding their own against the Fire Nazis in the trenches, they have yet to make any substantial land gain, and I have been informed that the Fire Nation will be sending in fresh troops very soon. Luckily, though, a large regiment of earthbenders arrived yesterday, making the Fire Nazis in the opposing trenches an easy target. As far as I know, they were almost completely wiped out and the few remaining survivors were forced to retreat."
"Fantastic. Do you know if the Fire Nation is still sending the reinforcements?"
"As far as I know, they are still en route. I don't know if they will also be forced to retreat once the news catches up to them."
Hakoda nodded. "Katara, could you go close the door please? And get Toph to make sure no one overhears us."
She nodded and headed towards the door. Zuko could faintly hear her speaking to Toph, and then the tent dimmed as the curtains were shut.
General Hakoda's cool blue eyes locked onto Zuko's imperial gold ones. "Now what is going on at the camps?"
Though he was confident that they weren't to be overheard, Zuko kept his voice low. If anything, it just added to the intensity of the subject. "As you know, the Fire Nation has been setting up labor and death camps for the Air Nomads in hopes of weeding out the next Avatar before he becomes too powerful."
The Allied General nodded.
"Well, I've done it."
"Done what?" Katara asked as she resumed her place beside her father.
"I've found the Avatar."
Well, there it is! Part 1 of my Avatar/WWII crossover. What do you think so far? The next part should be up shortly. Just a note: This isn't going to be too long. Probably not more than 5,000 or 6,000 words. I may do more in this universe later, but this story isn't going to be very long.
Also, there will be some Sukka in the next chapter. I promise!