Hello everyone, and thanks for clicking. :D
I hope you enjoy this fic as much as I enjoyed writing it. :3
The Aang calling Katara sweetie came from the comics called The Promise. Just so ya know.
I don't own Avatar in no way, shape, or form. I do own Huanzhe. That's probably not something to be proud of though.
Huanzhe wandered around the catacombs under his palace. He had no reason to be there, and really didn't remember why he even ventured there in the first place. He just continued to wander aimlessly and laugh to himself to whatever he thought funny at the moment. This to the mentally unstable Fire Lord could be his own shadow. The Fire Lord started taking turns and wandered deeper into the catacombs. He came to a giant sealed door and stared up to it. He tilted his head to the left, and then to the right. A slight smile crossed his face as he walked up to the door and knocked on it, as if expecting someone to answer.
"Hello?" He asked the door, half expecting a reply.
Huanzhe began to laugh at the door and even pointing to it. All of a sudden, he heard a banging sound that seemed to be deeper into the room. His laughter stopped as he stared at the door, half expecting it to make another noise. Huanzhe walked to the door and tried to open it. He heard another noise from behind the door and quickly backed away. He saw the doors quickly open, revealing a bright white radiating from the room. The Fire Lord felt a sudden surge of energy. He looked up towards where the sun would be and blinked.
"The sun…" He said, almost wistfully.
Huanzhe continued to stare at the ceiling of the catacombs. He noticed the light radiating from the room and shrugged off the feeling of power the sun gave him. Huanzhe wandered blindly into the light, not thinking of the consequences.
oOoOo
The tables of the Jasmine Dragon began to shake slightly. A slight rumbling sound could be heard. Just as fast as it came, it was gone. The patrons of the teashop stopped and waited for what would happen next. People began to wander to the streets to see what damage was done. The Upper Ring still looked as it did before, except for a few of the buildings missing a few tiles and window shutters. The patrons paid their fees and walked home to assess the damage to their own property. While the worried patrons exited the building, a small blind girl walked into the building.
"Glad to know that everything is still intact, unlike the rest of the place." Toph commented. She began to help pick up the mess that the worried patrons left behind.
Iroh took the small pile of dishes from Toph and walked to the kitchen. "Thank you, Toph." He paused. "I'm curious on how people around here can overreact to such a small earthquake."
Toph laughed in response. She tilted her head up towards the ceiling. Iroh looked up to see what the blind girl could sense. "You need to fix some of the tiles."
Iroh laughed. Soon after a pair of Dai Li agents followed by Sokka appeared in the doorway. The Water Tribe warrior pushed his way in between the agents and into the teashop. Sokka turned back to the Dai Li agents and tried to shoo them away. He sighed and turned towards Iroh and Toph.
"These guys want us to check the crystal catacombs for any damage there. They said something about the city collapsing." He gestured to the Dai Li agents at the door. He turned towards them and sighed. "Ok, I told them, now you guys can go." He sighed in relief once the two agents began to walk away.
"Well I guess you'll need my help then." Toph turned her head towards Sokka. "Considering I can actually feel if something's about to fall and crush us."
"Go ahead; I don't have much left to clean." Iroh picked up the remaining cups from the table. "When you get back, there will be some warm tea waiting for you." Iroh waved them off as he went to the back kitchen.
"Come on Snoozles." Toph was already walking past Sokka as she spoke. She stopped and waited for Sokka to catch up. They waved goodbye to Iroh as they walked away.
Toph and Sokka continued walking to the Palace to get to the catacombs. They noticed that shingles and small trees were scattered across the ground due to the earthquake. The duo soon got to the Palace. As soon as they got there, a pair of Dai Li agents escorted them to the passage way down to the catacombs. Toph and Sokka soon went down a long, winding passage way, and eventually made their way into the main cavern. The sight of the waterfall and the glowing crystals greeted them. They soon walked down a winding staircase down to the bottom of the cavern. Sokka broke off a piece of a glowing crystal as they began to walk into a darker tunnel.
Further down, they could hear the sound of crashing rocks. The pair began to run towards the sound to see if it would affect the city above. They ran down a long forgotten path that was bumpy and hard to navigate. The light of the crystal illuminated the small cavern that they ran in to. Sokka could only see a wall of fallen rocks. Toph walked further in and nodded that it was safe for them to go in further.
"Do you think that this would affect the city at all?" Sokka asked, looking at Toph.
"No, it's too deep to make a difference." She replied. Suddenly Toph turned towards the rock wall. "Someone's there." She pointed to the far corner.
Sokka looked to the wall and cautiously inched closer. He stretched out his hand with the crystal to lighten up the dark corner. He saw a figure kneeling, facing the wall while rubbing their head. The person stood to their full height and continued to stare at the wall. Soon Sokka heard a fit of laughter coming from the person who was still staring at the wall. Sokka quietly turned to Toph and gave her a questioning look. Toph was also focused on the strange person. Sokka took a small step closer to the odd person. Suddenly the person stopped laughing and silently turned their head towards Sokka and Toph. The cavern was filled with an eerie silence.
"You're not my servants." The figure faced the two. "This isn't my palace either…" A pause. "Who are you?"
Sokka gave the person a questioning glance. "We're not anyone's servants. Who are you?" Sokka stepped backwards from the questionable person.
"I asked you first." The person walked slowly closer to Sokka and smiled. "Who are you?"
Sokka groaned. "Hey, whoever you are, you shouldn't be down here. You should come with us." He motioned for the person to follow him.
"Why should I take orders from you? I am the Fire Lord." The self-proclaimed Fire Lord announced proudly. He smiled slightly.
Sokka raised an eyebrow. "How can you be Fire Lord? I know the real Fire Lord and he's probably up in his uncle's teashop right now." Sokka eyed the stranger suspiciously.
The man tilted his head slightly. "But I am the Fire Lord. I have the crown to prove it." He said with a laugh. The stranger pointed to the top of his head.
Sokka raised the crystal upwards and saw a slight gleam of metal atop the stranger's head. He raised an eyebrow. He quickly and cautiously grabbed the so called Fire Lord by the arm and began to drag him out with Toph in the lead. While they were walking, the man yanked his arm out of Sokka's grip and continued to walk slowly behind. He marveled at the glowing crystals and the large waterfall. Sokka grabbed and pushed him the rest of the way out of the caverns.
Sokka sighed in relief when he saw the light of the palace. He greeted the two Dai Li agents and told them of their findings. Sokka noticed the new comer craning his neck towards the ceiling and muttering something about the sun. He also noticed the somewhat ornate Fire Nation clothing that seemed to be too loose and baggy. Sokka also saw the crown in more detail in his lopsided bun that looked as if was coming loose. The Water Tribe warrior blinked in confusion. He reached for the crown to see if it was real or not. Suddenly the stranger whipped his head and looked at Sokka. The Water Tribe warrior saw how his bangs fell haphazardly in his face, unlike Zuko or Ozai, and how his eyes had an eerie similarity to Azula's.
"Sokka, let's go already." Sokka snapped back to reality and turned to Toph was tapping her foot in boredom.
"Right." Sokka glanced back to the strange person and motioned him to walk with them. He didn't trust him in the palace, or even behind him. Soon they made their way back to the Jasmine Dragon.
Sokka was relieved to be in the safety of the teashop, even though the presence of the strange supposed Fire Lord was unnerving. Here he thought he would be safer with the company of his friends and sister. Not even a Fire Lord could face the Avatar and his friends. The teashop doors opened to reveal Aang and Katara walking towards Sokka and Toph, hand in hand.
"So how was poking around the catacombs?" Aang asked with a smile on his face.
Sokka shrugged. "It was fine I guess. Even though it was your job to go 'poking around the catacombs'." He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Well, at first I didn't notice the earthquake because I was on Appa with my sweetie, Katara and-" Sokka held his hand in front of Aang's mouth.
"Not another word." Sokka shook his head as if trying to expel the memory from his brain. Toph let out a snort of agreement.
Suddenly Sokka and Toph felt something push between them. The warrior looked to see the strange person almost nose to nose to the shorter Avatar. A smile crossed the odd person's face. "Sweet things taste delicious." He said, almost innocently. Aang backed away cautiously.
Katara backed away from the strange person and looked over to Sokka. "Uh," she asked while pointing to him. "Who is this?"
Sokka shrugged. "We found him under the catacombs. We thought it'd be best to bring him here."
"Because?"
"Well, he keeps claiming he's Fire Lord, when obviously Zuko is…" He paused and glanced at the so called Fire Lord. "He seems a little off to me." He got in closer as he said this.
Aang looked from Sokka and Toph to the strange person and back to his friends. He took a deep breath and led the way into the teashop, motioning for the rest to follow. Aang led them to their usual table in the corner where Zuko, Suki, and Iroh were sitting. Zuko gave a small wave to his friends, but stopped when he saw the older man. He and Iroh exchanged confused glances and continued to stare at their new guest. Sokka and Toph sat at the table and explained their trip to the catacombs and how they came across their new acquaintance.
"He has to be crazy." The young Fire Lord whispered. "Obviously I'm the Fire Lord, and considering Ozai is my father and tried to burn down the Earth Kingdom…" Zuko shrugged.
"I don't know. I'm getting a big red flag here." Sokka stopped and stared at the two Fire royals across from him. "Err, no offence." They shrugged it off. "The thing I want to know is how he got a crown like yours." Sokka pointed to Zuko's crown. They looked over to see him on the floor, looking under the table at Momo. "See what I mean? Crazy."
At that moment, Aang walked over to him and kneeled down to eyelevel. "So… How are you?" The person ignored him, still trying to grab Momo from under the table. "Um… So… What's your name?" The person got out from under the table and sat cross-legged in front of Aang.
A smile made its way onto his face as he chuckled slightly. Aang couldn't help but back away. "You airbenders are quite nosey." He said with a deranged laugh. He looked under the table to see Momo cowering in the corner. He smiled slightly at the lemur, and then looked over to Aang. "Do you really want to know my name?" He asked. Aang nodded slightly. "Huanzhe. I'm Fire Lord Huanzhe." A wicked smile crossed his face.
Aang backed away and gulped. "Um, no offence, but you're not the Fire Lord." The Avatar tried to choose the best words. Huanzhe tilted his head slightly in confusion. "You see, Huanzhe…" A pause. "My friend Zuko, the guy sitting over there," He motioned to Zuko who was watching them carefully along with Sokka and Iroh. "Is the Fire Lord."
Suddenly Huanzhe bolted and stood in front of Zuko, almost nose to nose. Zuko leaned backwards slightly, but Huanzhe just leaned forward, not giving Zuko any space. A deranged smile crossed the older man's face. "So, apparently you're the Fire Lord." His voice sounded as if it was full of venom. He leaned closer to Zuko, who was now leaning on Iroh.
Zuko took a deep breath and tried to shove the other out of his space. "Yes, got a problem with that?" The Fire Lord growled. The stranger backed away slightly.
"Since when were you the Fire Lord?" Huanzhe asked. He raised an eyebrow and tilted his head.
"You have got to be kidding me." It was Toph who spoke. "Did you live under a rock for the past few months?" She marched up to Huanzhe and pointed her finger to where it almost touched his nose. "Zuko became Fire Lord after the war ended. Everyone knows that."
Huanzhe tilted his head once again. "Last time I checked there was no war." His voice had a child-like innocence in it.
Everyone exchanged glances.
"When was the last time you checked?" Toph asked sarcastically.
Huanzhe looked up to the ceiling in thought and tapped his chin in thoughtfulness. "Hmm, around breakfast this morning." He looked down at Toph who had a baffled expression on her face. "Yes, around breakfast I remembered that there wasn't a war…"
"You had to remember that there was no war? Of course there's no war, Aang kicked the old Fire Lord's butt!" Toph exclaimed.
Huanzhe blinked in confusion. "What's wrong with forgetting that there's not a war?" Toph sighed in annoyance. Huanzhe stood up and began to speak. "Yes, I remembered that there was no war. Well, the servants were getting annoying so I decided to go to my special place under the palace." He laughed like a child as he spoke.
Suki stopped him. "You had servants? How can you if Zuko's the Fire Lord and you're not?"
"But I'm the Fire Lord." Huanzhe narrowed his eyes slightly. Suddenly he blinked and began to go on with his story. "Yes, so I went to my special place and the sun was acting weird…"
"I think he's delusional…" Sokka whispered to Katara. She nodded in agreement.
"I walked down a winding corridor and knocked on a door. No one answered. Suddenly…" He paused for effect and held up his hands. "The room started making noises and then the doors flew open." He moved closer to Sokka, who moved away. "There was a light so I walked into it."
"You walked into a mysterious glowing light that you knew nothing about?" Sokka asked in disbelief.
"I was curious." He stated. "Suddenly I walk into a cave and rocks are falling. I ran from the rocks and once they stopped falling, I laughed at them. Foolish rocks." Huanzhe began to laugh manically.
Everyone was silent once again.
"You're nuts." Toph stated.
"Definitely." Sokka added.
"What was your name again?" Iroh asked. Everyone looked at him.
Huanzhe cocked his head to the right. "Are you deaf, you foolish old man? I'm the Fire Lord." Sokka opened his mouth to speak, but Iroh quickly shushed him. "I'm Fire Lord Huanzhe."
Iroh took a sip of tea in contemplation. As he did, Huanzhe followed Momo into the back of the teashop. The Dragon of the West waited until Huanzhe was out of earshot before he spoke. "I've heard of Huanzhe."
"You have?" Katara asked.
"I'm pretty sure everyone would if he went around saying he was Fire Lord." Aang added.
"Yes. As a matter of fact, he is the Fire Lord. Or was should be the proper statement." Iroh began. Everyone stared at him, wanting to hear more. "Yes. A few centuries ago, he was indeed the Fire Lord. One of the earliest."
"Then how is he here?" Sokka asked.
Iroh shrugged. "I do not know, but if the history books are correct, and I'm sure they are, then I wouldn't cross him."
"Why?"
"Apparently, he was… Mentally unstable as some would say." Iroh replied.
"So we have another Azula on our hands." Zuko said.
"Why would they let him be Fire Lord anyway?" Katara asked.
Iroh sipped some tea before he answered. "He was the only living heir to the throne, they really had no choice."
"The real question is," Sokka started. "How did he get here? He mentioned a light, but apparently, he's insane."
Iroh shrugged. Sokka began scribbling strange theories down onto a piece of parchment and mumbling to himself. Suki looked over his shoulder to try to decipher what Sokka was even writing in the first place. Katara looked to Toph who simply shrugged. Aang sighed.
"Maybe I should talk to Avatar Roku. He'd probably be more help than anyone here…" The young Avatar sighed in frustration.
"Or maybe, talk to the Avatar who knew Huanzhe." Sokka suggested. Everyone looked towards him. "If this guy was a nut like Iroh said, then the Avatar probably had to interfere in some way or another. Especially to keep the peace."
"Sokka has a point, Aang. Maybe Roku knows who this past Avatar is and can help you there." Katara added. She put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "You can do it, Aang. I know you can." With that she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "We all know you can, and we'll be right there with you."
"Thanks. It means a lot." Aang smiled to Katara and then to his group of friends.
Suddenly a series of loud crashing noises, screeches, and hysterical laughter erupted from the kitchen. Momo went flying out while being chased by the insane Fire Lord with a bag in hand. He grabbed the lemur and quickly shoved him in the bag and began to laugh once again. Aang quickly fired a gust of air at the bag. Huanzhe dropped it and Momo flew out, landing safely on one of the lights close to the ceiling. Huanzhe stared dumbly at the bag and then at Momo. He began to laugh once again.