The Lightning One, an avatar: last airbender fanfic

Prologue

The prophecy was made in the Fire Nation capital, where the ruler of the fire nation people, the fire lord, made his residance. In the ten years since the end of the one hundred year war, the bending nations had still not made eternal peace. The city was wealthy, clad in red, white, and black, which were the colors of the fire nation. Each house looked like a palace, but none was grander than the fire lord's palace, which rested at the far edge of the city.

It was the dead of night, which was lucky for one particular traveler, who preferred not to be noticed by anyone. He had a hood over his head, so it protected his easily recognizable face. This was because everyone in the world in knew who he was. He was bald, tall, and strong, and had a stocky build. He had blue tattoos of arrows running down his forehead, back, arms, and legs, and brown eyes. He was 23 years old and already married. He was kind and peaceful and spoke in a calming voice that always made anyone who talked to him to settle, but he also had something about him that radiated power. This man's name was Aang, and he was the avatar. Being the avatar, he could control all 4 natural elements: air, water, earth, and fire. Others, like his wife Katara, could bend a single element, in her case, water. The fire benders (the ones who could control fire) had once tried to take over the entire world, but Aang managed to master all the elements and defeat the evil ex- fire lord Ozai at age 13. That's why he was famous, for he was the peacekeeper, and even though there had been other tragedies since then, he had managed to find peace and order throughout those situations.

However, keeping the peace would be hard to do at this night. According to good friend Fire Lord Zuko, a fortune teller, an old man, had been out in the town square for days, screaming about a prophecy he had made. While he didn't know what it was about, Aang knew it could do no good, because the people were terrified and rioting in the streets. Being the peace keeper, the avatar had been the one chosen to find out what exactly was the great prophecy, and who was it about. He already felt that this so called prophecy, whether true or not, would be trouble.

As he walked along the road, his feet, clothed in fabric-like boots, made strange pounding noises on the ground. He wore a robe across his bare chest that was dark red. He also wore tan-colored pants that were thin but tight against his skin. It was here he came across a hut, which looked like a pathetic pyramid made out of sticks. He heard someone mumbling to themselves inside the hut, so he assumed this was where the fortune teller lived. Aang bent down and entered the hut and he had to keep bent down to avoid hitting the pathetic ceiling. He could see nothing except two candles and an old man meditating on a rug, which was worn and faded red. The old man was bald, toothless and thin, and covered with wrinkles. He had no beard, but had the faint tracings of a mustache. He wore purple robes, and had bare feet. He sat cross legged, with one hand over the other in a state of meditation. He smiled once Aang walked in and opened his eyes, which were black eyes that seemed like they went on forever. "I have been waiting for you, Avatar." The man said in a raspy voice. "Finally, we can meet face to face. My name is Razu." Aang sat down and crossed his legs in front of the old man. "You have been causing trouble." Aang said in his deep voice. "This prophecy you talk about… what does it mean?" Razu laughed softly and said, "Avatar, you should know. It is the prophecy of the end of the world, and your demise at the hands of your greatest foe." Razu then took a deep breath and continued, "A few nights ago, I was cooking soup and keeping to myself, when the flames of my candle burned exceptionally high. A slip of paper rose out of the fire, not bigger than my finger." The man pulled a piece of paper from under the candle, unrolled it, and read the words on it aloud. "The world's end approaches, so all must beware. The Lighting One rises, so the Avatar has death's stare. And while he must answer the call, the world may fall, and its savior will." The old man grinned again and held out the paper in a wrinkly hand. Aang took it, a frown on his face and read it again, and made sure the old man's words were correct. Razu smiled. "That is all. Did you expect a lecture? You must admit though, when, not if, the Lightning One rises, it will be very interesting to see how all this plays out." Then the old man leaned against the wall of the hut and fell asleep. Aang tucked the paper inside his pants pocket and scowled at the limp old man. The prophecy had been terrible, but most weren't true. Only one that he had known of had truly come true, and that was the one of his foretold marriage to Katara. Speaking of Katara…

Aang jumped up. Katara had reminded him this morning "Sweetie, don't be out too late. Mai is expected to have her baby tonight. Try to remember and make it to the birth of Zuko's son." Aang got up and ran out of the hut, unknowingly tearing a small hole in his pants' pocket. The prophecy fell out of the hole and into the street, and then blew away in the growing wind. Aang didn't notice, he was already across town and at the door of the fire lord's palace. Being the last airbender, Aang had super speed and could cross far distances in a matter of seconds. Aang burst open the large doors, and inside their was the rich sense of a palace, with stocks of firebending armor lining the halls, along with huge pillars and fire nation symbols patterned the door at the end of the hall. All of these were covered in red and black, yet Aang took little time to notice the details. He burst through the door at the end of the hall and shouted "Am I to late? I'm here now. Where is everyone?" The hall was deserted, besides the fire lord's throne, which was a red mat with two smaller pillars on each side, also covered with fire nation symbols. Aang had a horrible thought. I'm late. I missed it; the baby has already been born. Aang was just kicking himself for not remembering when a voice said, "Aang? Is that you?" Aang spun around, and as usual with Katara, she took his breath away. She wore her black hair long, down to her shoulders, and had beautiful blue eyes. She was a little bit shorter than Aang but no less stocky, but she had gotten a little bigger around the stomach mainly because her and Aang's second child was due in a few months. She was beautiful, and Aang knew she had plenty of secret admirers. But her beauty wasn't the only thing Aang admired about her. Katara, in his opinion, was the most unselfish, caring, and loving person in the world. He had had feelings for her since that first met, when she freed him from the iceberg that had trapped him for a hundred years but because he was perfectly preserved, Aang did not age and remained twelve years old. After he ended the 100 year war against the fire nation, Aang knew he could not afford to lose Katara and once old enough, he asked her to marry him. And since then, things had been happy around the fire nation town in which he accompanied Fire Lord Zuko for help in keeping peace across the four nations.

Aang grabbed Katara's hand and started talking really fast. 'Katara, I'm so, so sorry I'm late. Did I miss it, is the baby born? What's his name? Is Zuko…?" "Aang!" Katara said and moved in closer to him, shocked. "You haven't missed anything. The baby isn't born yet." She smiled and kissed him, silencing Aang for a few seconds as he kissed her back. They broke apart yet Katara still held on to Aang's hand tightly. "Come on, they're in the back room." Together they walked to the left of the fire lord's throne and pushed through the door to enter the back room.

In the room were a peculiar group of people surrounding a white bed. The room was practically ashen and violet, and felt barren and empty despite the crowd of people. On the bed was a pretty woman who seemed to be in a lot of pain but was trying to push through it, and who had pale white with black hair and a usually agile body for combat and fighting, and she wore whit nightclothes. Holding her hand and sitting in a chair next to her was a handsome man with black hair, seemingly looking older given the long nights of working, and a large horrible scar covering his left eye. That mark was given to him by his father, former Fire Lord Ozai for failing to face him in a duel. He wore the red and black robes and the golden crown of the fire lord, and seemed to be almost to be having a nervous breakdown, though he still had his composure. These people were Mai and Fire Lord Zuko, the parents of the baby now being born. Standing together to the left of the bed were a strong woman and man. The lady was Toph Beifong, strong, short, but powerful. She had short black hair and grey eyes, but she was blind, so she used earth bending to feel her way around places. She sensed vibrations in the earth and could sense things in the earth, like a person or place. She wore a gray tiara and seemingly metal dress, but Aang knew Toph only too well to know that that was warrior's clothing, and a symbol of achieving what no earthbender had thought possible, bending metal. The man next to her wore Southern Water Bending tribe armor with the water tribe symbol across the chest. He had black hair like Katara's and her blue eyes, but the resemblance pretty much stopped there. He was strong, and a bit taller than Aang, but he was also a lot more joking and sarcastic than Katara was, not to mention he did very little with feelings of others, and sometimes would make stupid remarks. He couldn't bend an element like his sister, but was still a capable warrior and he was a master of the sword, and the boomerang as an offensive weapon. His black hair was in a short pony tail and he had a goatee on his chin. This was Sokka, Katara's brother and warrior of the Water Tribe. All these people Aang had known since he was a kid, and he felt like each one of them was his family. They're all my family. Aang thought. He looked at Katara and smiled. Some, literally.

Aang smiled and greeted everyone, hugging most of them but shaking Mai's hand, because she was lying on the bed. Zuko stood up and gave Aang a hug of his own and said "Good to see you." In his slightly hoarse voice. Then he leaned close to Aang's ear and whispered, "Did you get it?" Aang nodded and Zuko jerked his head to the door, indicating that he wanted to speak with him privately. Zuko went out to the throne room, and Aang let go of Katara's hand and nodded again, this time slightly. Katara smiled and went over to see Mai and Aang followed Zuko.

Once they were in the throne room, Zuko asked Aang,"Ok, so what is the prophecy the townspeople have been telling me about?" "It's right here." Aang said and reached into his pocket for the prophecy but didn't find it, and looking down he saw the hole in his pocket. "I can't believe it, it's gone!" Zuko pounded the wall. "You lost it?!" he cried. "Don't worry, I've memorized it." Aang said hastily and quickly recited the prophecy to Zuko. Zuko paced around the throne room slightly. "Not exactly a bright ray of sunshine." Zuko said. "Zuko, that's what the townspeople are scared of. They're deathly afraid of this Lightning One. They're afraid of that he or she will destroy the world." "But prophecies are false, everyone knows that!" Aang looked at Zuko's face, which seemed to be twisted in knot of rage. "Not all of them." Zuko seemed to gain control of his rage. "Don't' worry. If this Lightning One's a threat, then you can handle him. You beat my father, right?" Aang looked down at the cold floor and pondered this. He had a bad feeling about this Lightning One, but he didn't speak his suspicions to Zuko. He would deal with this problem later. Than Katara ran out of the back room and stopped in front of them. She looked breathless as she said "It's a boy. Congratulations Zuko." Zuko went white in the face and took a deep breath. Then he went over into the back room, Aang and Katara following him behind him.

Everyone took turns holding the small, round baby wrapped in cloths that was now the new fire nation prince. The baby cried a little bit but stopped after Katara held him. Sokka smiled. "I knew it. Katara is a natural born mother." "Be quiet." Katara told him but smiled down at the little bundle in her arms. She then handed it to Mai, who whispered, "So handsome, like his father." And held the baby for a little bit. Then she passed the baby to Zuko, who breathed and held the baby in his arms. Then, what was a rarity for Fire Lord Zuko, a huge smile crossed his face and he said, "Wow, I…" and then he seemed to lose his voice. Aang patted him on the shoulder. He wondered whether or not he would look like that when he would be a father again. When it was his turn to hold the baby, Aang looked overtop to the baby's face. Then the baby opened its eyes and to reveal beetle- black eyes, and then it squeezed Aang's thumb tightly. Aang smiled and gave the baby to Sokka to hold. Aang felt that he was going to like this boy, already.

Suddenly, a man wearing tan rags burst into the room. He was a servant of the fire lord, usually getting him food or passing messages. Other servants did other jobs around the palace, but his was to warn about dangerous events were occurring. He had long blond hair that fell to his shoulders, and he had bright green eyes, and his skin, usually a dark brown had gone pale white. "Avatar Aang, Fire Lord Zuko! You must see this. It is important." Aang and Zuko immediately followed the servant out of the room. "Aang, what's going on?" Katara asked behind him. "Stay there! I'll come back." Aang said to her, and Katara slowed to a halt in the corridor. Aang and Zuko made their way outside to a group of servants at the foot of the palace. "What is it?" Zuko challenged the servant who had brought them here. The servant pointed at the sky. It was a clear night sky with no overcast, but lightning racked the sky. No clouds, or rain, but lightning boomed and crackled, causing vibrations throughout the village and the servants to shake. "Aang, what does this mean?" Zuko asked, looking shocked and confused. Aang didn't answer; all he knew was that somehow, this was not a good omen.

Sokran had a plan, check on his dad, and then go to Tenzin's house. It seemed like a good plan, for the most part. Yet as he tried to bustle himself through the crowded streets of the Fire Nation capital, he couldn't help but wish that school had let out a little earlier. He bumped, in and out of rushing pedestrians, some of which cast him dirty looks as he passed. He had his school books under his arm, but he already had his homework finished. He just needed to look them over in case they had a test tomorrow. That was another reason he had to go to Tenzin's house, Tenzin needed help with his homework obviously. He always needed help with his homework.

Sokran stopped for a minute to check out his appearance in a puddle on the streets of the capital. He checked out his tall thin body, coupled with strong arm muscles and legs filled with running speed. His pale white skin matched that of his fathers, as did his black hair, which was short and spiky on the top. His beetle-black eyes seemed to reflect like coals in the puddle, and his black and red school boy suit represented him being a fire bender, though he had never shot a streak of fire in his life. It was strange, and horrible, being one of the few boys in his class that couldn't bend an element. All he could make if he tried was a puff of black smoke. His dad thought it might be something with his qi, the natural energy that flows within a bender's body, giving him control over an element. Whatever the cause was, Sokran wished he could fix it soon.

Soon Sokran arrived at the fire lord's palace he pushed his way through the open doors and dodged some fire nation guards, decked out in the traditional fire nation armor, including the skull- with- flames type helmet on their heads. He then pushed his way through the doors leading to the fire lord's throne room. There was a large table decked out with maps of the world. The table was surrounded by different kinds of people. On the left side of the table, one council member was large and old; with a large mustache and beard which was snow white. Along with the blue and white water tribe symbol decked out on his long robes, he represented the north and southern water tribes in the United Council. The earth council member next to him was young and tan, with long black hair that curled at the shoulders. He was wearing white robes with a light green Earth kingdom symbol in the middle. He had a scar running down his right eye which was a single line that continued down to his chin. Next to him, however, was a man they Sokran recognized on sight. The bald head with the air bending tattoos running down his body. The sign of age, now being 36 years old, now shown barely on his face, and the beginnings of a goatee on his chin. He wore tan robes with dark red pants and sock like shoes. This was Avatar Aang.

Yet, at the head of the table, was the man Sokran was anxious to see. His black hair, topped with the small fire lord crown. He wore typical fire nation soldier armor, and a black cape that almost touched the floor. His pale skin reflected in the candle light around the table, and his black eyes had small black circles from being up late at night. This was Fire Lord Zuko. The council stopped talking as Sokran entered the room. He felt all eyes on him, but he kept his own eyes on the head of the table. Sokran breathed, "Dad." Zuko regarded him. "Son." Sokran spoke again, trying to keep his usually quiet and calm voice from breaking out of nervousness. "I just wanted to tell you that I practiced fire bending this morning." "Still no results?" Zuko's voice cut through the air like a knife. Sokran sighed, "No sir." Zuko leaned back against the wall from his mat at the head of the table, seeming disappointed in Sokran's lack of progress. "And by the way, will you be off late tonight?" It was Zuko's turn to sigh, "By the looks of things, yes." "Ok." Sokran said and headed out the door. "Where are you going?" Zuko called at Sokran's back. Sokran stopped for a moment. "To Tenzin's house." When there was no reply, Sokran continued out of the palace and bumped into two guards outside the doors. They bowed, putting their hands together and said "Prince Sokran." Sokran bowed back the same way, and continued down the steps to see an old friend.

The house was only a few blocks away from the palace, and was in Sokran's opinion, the best looking place he had ever seen. It was pearly white, and not nearly as large as the fire lord's palace, but Sokran thought it was much fancier. It had two pillars supporting the balcony above him. It had the four nations symbols emblazoned on the top of the door; each sporting their respecting colors, and the door had a large handle used to knock on the door. Sokran grasped the handle, and then knocked on the door three times. Clang, Clang, Clang went the handle as it pounded on the door. Sokran heard the shuffling of feet and soon the door opened. A beautiful woman, 38 years old, stood there with a slightly lined face and long, black hair that ran down to her soldiers. She wore a green dress with a pink flower in her hair. Her blue eyes reflected in the sun. "Sokran!" she cried, smiling and making Sokran feeling cheerful and warm, "It's good to see you!" Katara ran over and hugged him, and Sokran hugged her back, feeling her soft hair in his hand. Katara always made him feel good, and acted like his mother all the time. Sokran didn't mind though, considering his real mother died when he was young. It felt good to have a mother by his side.

Katara brushed off some dirt on his clothes. "Tenzin is inside; you can go see him now. He's been waiting for you. Does your hair ever stay flat, Sokran?" Sokran laughed and said, "It hasn't stayed flat in my living years, Miss Katara." She smiled, "Okay, Tenzin is in the living room." Sokran made his way inside the house. He knew his way around, the living room to the left, the kitchen to the right, the bedrooms upstairs, and an indoor pool in the back. Sokran went into the living room, which was colored red and black for the fire nation and filled with fancy furniture and a small wooden table. Sitting on the couch behind the table staring at a work sheet of questions with a quill in his hand and an ink bottle to his right was a tall boy wearing similar robes to Aang's. He had blue eyes and long arms and legs. He also was bald and had blue tattoos of arrows. This was Tenzin, an air bender and Aang and Katara's son. Sokran had met Tenzin in school two years ago when he had helped him study for a test. Since then Tenzin had become his only friend. Sokran remained quiet in school and usually never talked when people were around, even though he was very attractive to the girls in school. Tenzin, however, was a popular boy and a joking type of person, like his Uncle Sokka. He smiled as Sokran came in and sat down next to him. "Good to see you Sokran, I'm almost done, just need help with these three questions." "Okay" Sokran said. Tenzin picked up the paper and put down his quill, and began to read. "Ok, so why is tomorrow an historical occasion?" Sokran let out an exasperated laugh," Seriously, Tenzin. Tomorrow is the anniversary of when Avatar Aang defeated Fire Lord Ozai to end the a hundred year war and created the United Republic. Your dad, Tenzin!" Tenzin flicked Sokran's fore head and smiled. "Hey, I need to you to know the answers so I don't get a huge head like yours." Tenzin wrote down the answer and then asked, "Hey isn't Ozai your grandfather?" Sokran rarely thought of this, "Yeah he is." Tenzin smiled and stroked his chin, like he had Ozai's thin goatee, "Join me grandson." Tenzin said in a deep voice, "Join me before I wipe you off the face of the earth!" Sokran smiled and laughed lightly. "Okay, next question."

"Last question!" Tenzin said happily, one question later. "Okay, why was the practice of lightning banned for fire benders thirteen years ago?" Sokran new this one from overhearing his father speak in council meetings. "Lightning was outlawed because of the prophecy made about a being called the Lightning One, who was said to destroy the world we know in the future. To prevent this from happening, the council passed a law saying that all practices of lightning bending are banned." Tenzin wrote down the answer and laid down his quill, and leaned back on the couch. "The poor lightning guy. He probably just wants to open a tea shop." Sokran laughed, "Yeah, like my great- Uncle Iroh." Tenzin stood up and got a wicked grin on his face. "Want to go swimming?" he said. "Sure." Sokran said excitedly, and the boys got into bathing suits and spent the next few hours swimming in the pool, laughing and talking and playing and having a good time. Soon they came out of the pool to dry off and get dressed. "You know what?" Tenzin said lightly as he walked upstairs with a towel around his waist like Sokran,"You are a lot like my dad." Sokran sighed. "I get that all the time." It was true. He had known Aang his whole life and his dad had known Aang since they were kids, and everyone told him as long as he could remember that he was a lot like Aang. Sokran himself, grudgingly thought that was sort of true, they acted the same, spoke the same, and seemed to have the same opinions about real world situations. "There are a couple differences though." Sokran said, grimacing, "I'm not a vegetarian, and I'm not BALD." Tenzin laughed and let out a gust of air using his air bending abilities to dry himself, and Sokran was glad for a subject change. He didn't like being told he was so similar to Aang. Why didn't anyone tell him he was like his father?

As soon as the boys were dressed Katara came upstairs and told them to come down for dinner. Sokran ran down the stairs behind Tenzin. He smelled good food as he entered the kitchen, which was a small room with a counter topped with cooking supplies and food to cook with. The room was blue and white, representing Katara's heritage of the Southern Water Tribe. There was a large table with food on it, like a feast. Katara was a great cook, and whenever Sokran ate at Katara's house, he knew he was in for a treat. Sokran felt his stomach rumble, there was turkey and soup and things he didn't know what on the table. "Thanks Mom." Tenzin said, eyeing the food hungrily. "I'm starving." "Wait for your father, he should be home shortly." Katara said sternly. Right on cue, there was a knock on the door. "That must be him." Katara said excitedly. She ran toward the door, and a few seconds later, Aang walked into the kitchen, his arm around Katara's waist. "Dad!" Tenzin cried and ran up to Aang to give him a hug. Aang laughed and pulled away from him, "Good to see you Tenzin. Don' try to crush me." He then turned his eyes to Sokran watching shyly at the foot of the table. "Good to see you, too Sokran." Sokran bowed like the soldiers did in the palace. "Avatar Aang." Aang nodded. "Wow Katara, you really outdid yourself." Katara kissed his cheek. "I know you've been working hard." Aang grinned. "Well, I won't deny you boys this pleasure any longer." Katara smiled. "Dig in boys."

Sokran pulled up an extra chair and sat down on the left side of the table next to Tenzin, while Aang and Katara sat on the right side. Everyone was talking and laughing. Tenzin and Sokran talked about school and how their school work was going. Then Aang brought up the subject of the meeting he attended. "It was long and boring. I only just got home in time for dinner. Narcissus kept shooting down all my ideas." "Narcissus?" Sokran asked. Aang looked over at him. "You've seen him. He's the earth kingdom council member." "Oh." Sokran said. "What was the meeting about?" Tenzin asked. Aang stared down at his food awhile before answering, "Rebellions." He said quietly. "Rebellions?!" Tenzin, Sokran, and Katara looked at him. Aang shifted uncomfortably. "Yes, Zuko sent a couple soldiers out a few days ago to arrest someone for practicing lightning. He sent them to the man's house and arrested him. They thought he was the Lightning One." He shook his head, "Poor guy, never knew what hit him. He was put in jail. So there was a rebellion in his home colony and a couple of soldiers got killed." Katara put her hands over her mouth and Sokran and Tenzin stared, dumbstruck. Aang held Katara's hand, and looked up at the boys. "I don't' know who this Lightning One is, or if he exists. But the very idea of him is causing a lot of problems." He concluded. Silence fell on the table. Sokran picked at his food. Soldiers dead? All because of a stupid prophecy? Aang cleared his throat and spoke. "Tenzin, I've got some good news." Tenzin perked up and said "What is it, Dad?" "Your mother and I talked about it, and we will go to Ember Island for our vacation." Tenzin jumped up, a huge smile on his face "Really?" Ember Island was a popular beach where many rich and famous people went on for vacation. Sokran had never been there but he had heard the place was amazing. Katara nodded "We'll leave tomorrow night." Tenzin smiled and said "Wow!" bringing smiles to his parents' faces, but Sokran stared down at his plate. "Sokran, what's wrong?" Katara frowned, looking worried. "Nothing, nothing's wrong." Sokran said hastily. Aang put down his food and wiped his mouth, then stared at Sokran, a serious expression on his face. "Something's bothering you Sokran, what is it?" Sokran slumped in his chair, defeated "I wish…I just wish my family did stuff like that." An icy silence fell upon the table. "Sokran, your dad is trying." Katara said softly, her blues eyes piercing him. "He's a busy man, but he's doing his best." "He hasn't' played with me since my sister was born, because my mom died right after she was born." Sokran said, sudden anger rising "He's shut himself in his stupid personal shell." Silence again. "It's late, I need to get home." Sokran stood up and began walking toward the door. "Sure you don't want to finish your dinner?" Katara called. "No, I'm good." Sokran called back. "Thanks for having me over Tenzin!" Sokran opened the door and took a few steps out of the house. "Sokran." Aang called. Sokran turned around to see Aang, and his family, one hand linked with Katara's hand and the other on Tenzin's shoulder. "Your dad loves you a lot Sokran, trust me." Sokran stared at Aang in bewilderment. "Ok." He waved, and Tenzin waved back before Aang shut the door. He stood there a minute listening to Tenzin and his family laugh and talk together, and wondered why his family could not be more like that.

Sokran walked through the streets, taking his time through the road that led to the fire lord's palace. He walked slowly and stared at the stars above, glittering like white crystals in the night sky. He got distracted as he watched the stars seemingly dance in the blackness. He almost didn't hear the gruff voice that whispered "It will happen tomorrow night." Sokran froze, stopping cold in the dead street. He looked to his right, and saw an alley with two figures in it. One was buff, strong, and had two huge blades on his back, that were steel and had a hook design used for cutting through their target. The man wore gray robes like those that the servants wore in the fire lord's palace and had stark white skin with a black pointed goatee, a small mustache, and a thinning hair on the top of his head. He wore red, boots which looked like the ones Sokran had seen on the fire nation armor in the palace. The figure next to him was indistinguishable in the darkness, yet Sokran could see the figure was small, thin, and shaking greatly. Sokran ran to the edge of the alley and crouched behind the concrete wall. Cautiously, curiosity soon overwhelmed him, and he began to listen in.

"There is no better time than tomorrow!" the large man snarled and raised a huge fist, making his adversary cower. "Unless the Avatar is dead by the next night, Ozai's legacy will all but be forgotten!" Sokran froze. Aang, dead? But he was the peacekeeper. Who could possibly want him dead? The small man's whispering broke the silence, "But sir, Avatar Aang wants to help the fire nation, not hurt it. Besides, he's got a kid…" The large man roared and smashed his fist into the concrete wall of the house in which Sokran hid behind. Sokran winced as small slabs of concrete flew in front of his face. "Who cares? His family is as a disgrace to fire nation as he is. The Bloodline Brothers and Bubba have already joined my crew, and with you on my side, the Avatar can dig his own grave. Of course, you wouldn't want to disappoint me." The large man pulled out the blades, which shimmered in the moonlight. The small man fell to his knees, "Please, I beg you! I have a family, please…" The large man laughed and once again put the blades on his back. "I will leave your family alone, as long as you help me slay the Avatar. So it is your choice. One death or four?" The small man's will appeared to be broken, and Sokran saw him nod sadly. The large man exited the alley, and Sokran hid behind a cabbage stand only a few feet from his original place. The small man followed, revealing a tiny man with curly orange hair and water bending armor shivering in the moonlight. The men turned in the opposite of Sokran's direction. Soon they were gone, just more shadows in the thickening night world.

Sokran only stood in place for three more seconds, in the shock of what he had just heard. Then he took off running for his dad's palace. He needed to get to his dad, his dad could warn Aang, and his dad could get guards for Aang, his dad could… Sokran stopped for a minute to calm himself down. Just got to calm myself down. Sokran thought to himself. Rest a moment. A voice in the back of his head then said The Avatar and his family might not have another moment. Sokran shook himself off and continued running, he was breathless and tired by the time he reached the palace. He pushed open the doors and ran right into a heavily armored person in the corridor. He fell to the ground and put his hand to his forehead, now aching from the impact of the armor. "Sokran!" a steely voice cut through the air, confirming Sokran's fear that he had run into the very last person he wanted to meet now. He looked up, seeing the gray metal bending armor, short black hair, and gray eyes, lined face, and short, strong body. The gold tiara on her head shimmered in the torch light of the corridor. Sokran picked himself up and looked her in the eye, "Hello, Toph." Toph held up her hand to silence his greetings. "Never mind that, what are bolting down this hallway for? You look like you've seen a ghost!" Sokran put down his hand to his side. He didn't hate Toph; after all she did help protect his dad. Toph led a group of metal benders to protect the Council and defended them from threats like assassinations. He just hated the fact that she was always on top of him about everything. He hoped she wouldn't stop him tonight, and that she would believe him.

Sokran breathed and said, "Toph, you got to tell my dad! I was walking home from Tenzin's house when I overheard these two guys talking. One was large and strong and the other looked skinny and weak, but that's not the point. They're going to try and assassinate Aang and his tomorrow night!" For a moment, Toph stood motionless, and then she cocked her head back and laughed. "Is that all?" Sokran stared, and felt his mouth open slightly in the shock of Toph's lack of concern. "I appreciate you telling me this Sokran. But people have tried to assassinate Aang before. There is nothing in this world my metal benders can't handle." Sokran tried to speak. "But…" Toph cut him off. "That's final. Get to bed, or do I have to escort you there personally?" Sokran gulped and bowed, then ran off to his room. He knew better than to argue with Toph, especially because he couldn't bend. Even if he did know how to bend, Toph was a master, and probably could kick his butt. Sokran came to a set of metal stairs covered in a red carpet, and trudged up them quietly. He came to a bare metal corridor and entered the third door on the right. The room was lit by candles and there was a king sized bed in the middle of the room. The bed was black entirely with red sheets on the pillows and there were two shelves on each side of the room. The shelf on the right was filled with clothes and the one on the left was filled with writing utensils, paper, and whatnot. Sokran took off his shirt and put on the pile of clothes to the right of the door, which is where the servants took his laundry from. Tomorrow was laundry day, but Sokran suspected he could still wear the pants another time. Sokran rubbed his bare chest, got into bed, and as soon as his head hit the pillow, he was asleep.

"Where were you?" a voice called out through the darkness. Sokran opened his eyes and saw his twelve year old sister, Mai, looking down at him. "Don't you ever knock?" Sokran mumbled as Mai leapt of his bed. Her black hair like Sokran's was tied in a short ponytail and ran in loops on each side of her face. She had a small nose and beetle-black eyes with freckles on her face. She wore a pink and red dress and dark red shoes. She smiled as Sokran got up out of bed. "C'mon, buff guy. You didn't come home last night and I had to eat dinner alone with dad." She grimaced. "That was uncomfortable. Anyway, you've got to come down for breakfast. Wear your prince uniform, and this time you've got to hang around the palace for more than five minutes." She left the room as Sokran got changed into his prince uniform, which basically looked like fire nation armor, except mostly black with yellow stripes. He got out his prince's crown, which was a lot like his father's, but smaller and more bronze than gold. He ordered breakfast to his room, as he preferred this instead of having to go done and have breakfast with his father. Gulfing down his breakfast, he then exited his room, and went outside to the palace courtyard. Here there was a fountain of an old man wearing robes of some kind, and brown sandals. The man had three elements in one hand held out at his side, but his other hand stuck out in front of him, here having fire, and the statue seemingly glared upon it with furious pride. "That's Avatar Roku, the Avatar before Aang. He was a fire bender, and he is highly beloved by our people." Sokran remembered his dad telling him this. It was probably the longest time they spent together. Then Sokran noticed a girl sitting on the steps at the foot of the courtyard. She had blond hair and beautiful features, and she wore light pink and red armor. Her boots were crimson, and her eyes were light green. She had a quill in her hand, and was staring at a paper, her face screwed up in concentration. An ink bottle lay at her right. Sokran walked over next to her and tilted his head to look at the paper. He realized it was their homework for school. She goes to my school. Sokran thought. How could I have missed her? Sokran sat down and said quietly, "You know, I could help you with that." She jumped and turned her head toward him. She blushed when she saw him and smiled. Sokran had seen this before; girls who liked him did this when they first saw him. "It's okay, I just finished. I'm just thinking about the last question." She whispered, softly and sweetly. Sokran nodded, "The Lightning One?" She kept her eyes on him. "Yes, I just wondered. Do you think he's going to destroy the world?" Sokran didn't delay his answer. "Yes." She turned away from him. "Are you sure? I hate it when people do this. They judge people before they know them. How do you know the Lightning One doesn't want to help us?" Sokran gaped. That possibility had been joked about, not really considered. She continued, "Everyone deserves a second chance, even the most evil people. We all make wrong choices, but we all need forgiveness for our wrong doings. The poor Lightning One hasn't done anything wrong, yet they mark him as a villain. Nobody's willing to give him a chance." Sokran thought about this briefly, then realized he would to change the subject to get on good terms with this girl. He pointed at the statue, "Do you know who that is?" "Oh, you heard of Roku?" she asked excitedly. They stuck up a conversation and soon Sokran had told her nearly everything about him. Her name was Lily, and she was the daughter of a fire nation general. In seemingly only minutes, he heard Zuko calling out "Time for lunch!" Sokran got up, and so did Lily. "See you later, Sokran." She walked out of the palace to meet a woman that looked a lot like her, but wearing fire bending armor. She turned around and waved, and Sokran waved back as he made his way into the palace, in which his sister then walked up to him promptly, and said, "Sorry Sokran, I ate the soup, you'll have to settle for the rice." Sokran hated the rice that the cook of the palace made, but smiled and said, "Oh, that's okay. I'd love a bowl of rice." She stared at him, dumbfounded. "But you hate the rice. EVERYONE hates the rice." Sokran patted her should nicely, whereas on most days he would have given her a noogie or whatnot. "Everything deserves a second chance." Sokran left his dumbfounded sister at the doorway, for some reason feeling that today was going to be a lot better than a normal day.

Sokran still hated rice. Afterward he stuffed his mouth full of cake, hoping to wash down the awful taste. Still he held his head high, and spent the day studying, playing with his sister and for the first time in a long time, having a conversation with his father. Sokran had approached his father at lunch and had asked him about his meetings. To his surprise, his father seemed to be in a good mood and responded. Then he asked Sokran about school, and the two spent the next ten minutes talking. Then there was a pleasant surprise when Tenzin came over with his father and the friends soon joined Mai in a game of hide and seek. Sokran was hiding in the fountain, which had been shut off and now was starch dry in the hot sun, when he heard footsteps pounding on the ground. They soon stopped, and Sokran heard Toph's voice speak. "It's nothing to worry about Aang. You know kids; they usually make these things up." "Sokran is not one who I presume to be a liar." Sokran heard Aang respond. "I feel I can trust him, and he heard what he heard." Brief silence, and then a whistle followed. "Alright, whatever you say, twinkle toes. I'll send over two metal benders tonight, but they leave tomorrow. The fire benders need our help squashing the rebels." "The protests have turned more violent?" Aang asked, sounding shocked. "Yeah…" Toph began, but then paused, "Wait, someone is listening in." Sokran remembered Toph's ability to use earth bending to see things others couldn't see. A hand grabbed his neck tightly and picked him up out of the fountain. "Who are you?" Toph asked harshly and squeezed his neck tighter. "Toph, that's Sokran drop him!" Aang said hurriedly. Toph let go and Sokran hit the ground. "Oh, sorry small fry." Sokran remembered also Toph couldn't see people that were in the air. Sokran gasped out, "Mr. Aang, you've got to believe me. This isn't just for two metal benders. These guys mean business." "Alright, three metal benders then." Toph snapped before Aang could respond. "Sorry, but we're more than capable of handling small threats." "Found you!" Mai called from across courtyard, dragging Tenzin by the arm. "I found this guy trying to hide behind the bushes." Sokran turned around and waved, but Aang and Toph took the brief moment to slip into the palace. Sokran turned back and heard the doors slam shut. He realized that he had to tell his dad, but he was in a meeting. Who could help Aang's family? As Mai and Tenzin ran across the yard toward him Sokran realized that the matter was now in his hands. He looked down at his hands. Hands that still can't bend one flicker of fire.

"Time to go, Tenzin!" Aang called at the gates of the palace. Tenzin jumped off the steps and looked at Sokran. "Alright man, see you next week." Tenzin said. Sokran stared at Tenzin, "Next week?" "Yeah, we're going to set off for Emerald Island tonight, remember?" Sokran felt as if a wait had been lifted off his shoulders. "Okay." Then the assassination then couldn't happen tonight, because Aang was leaving with his family for Emerald Island. Unless the assassins knew about his vacation, they couldn't possibly affect them. "See you later, Tenzin." He shook Tenzin's hand, and Tenzin walked toward his dad. "Tenzin!" Sokran called, remembering what day it was. "Give your dad my congratulations." Tenzin looked back, smiled, and nodded. Sokran saw him walk up to his dad and say something. Aang nodded and waved at Sokran. Sokran bowed back. He then made his way into the palace. But as he entered the corridor, Sokran felt a tingling in the back of his head. A voice said, sounding unbelievably ancient, "All is not well." Sokran turned around in shock, but there was no one there. The corridor was abandoned. The ancient voice continued, "The Assassination will take place tonight, in two hours. No one will believe you if you tell them this. The Avatar's life is in your hands now. Sneak out alone, and I will help you unlock unlimited power." Sokran placed his hand on the back of his head and spun around frantically. "Where are you?!" Sokran called out frantically. He heard the voice laugh and then it spoke again. "You will find out soon enough, child. Let something be clear, I despise the Avatar. I wouldn't help you if I wasn't about to unleash my ultimate weapon." "What is your weapon?" Sokran asked, quietly. The voice then cackled, and it filled the whole corridor, growing louder and louder, and then Sokran placed his hands on his ears and dropped to his knees, eventually screaming above the loud, painful, cackling. "You, boy. You are my ultimate weapon." The laughing stopped, and Sokran found himself on his back, staring up at the ceiling, the corridor empty once again.

"Sokran, are you okay?" Zuko lifted his son up, and brushed the dirt off his clothes. "I heard you scream, so I ran and found you on the floor." "Why do you care?" Sokran snapped. He heard the words, and felt his mouth move, but it felt like it wasn't him speaking. Zuko looked shocked. "Of course I care. You're my son. Why would I not care?" Sokran shook his head and shoved his father aside, making his way to his room. "Where are you going?" "Bed." Sokran snarled, glaring once more at his father, who was standing emotionless in the corridor. Sokran ran, making loud pounding noises on the stairs, and slammed his door shut once in his room. He lay down on his bed and buried his face on his pillow, now regretting his uncalled for response against his dad. He felt angry and bitter for reasons he couldn't understand. He kept his face buried in his pillow, until the voice spoke again, a while later, saying "It is time. Go to the Avatar's home now, and I will grant you power." Sokran sat up quickly, but the voice was gone. Sokran muttered insults about the voice under his breath but made his way out of his room. He quietly ran down the stairs and crossed the corridor, faster than he normally did, but he didn't notice. The guards the guarded the palace doors were propped up against each other, sleeping. Sokran grimaced. If this was Aang's security, then he was already dead.

Sokran made his way down to Tenzin's house, feeling stupid. He was obeying an imaginary voice; he must have completely lost it. He got to the house, and saw the three metal bending guards lying on the ground. Sleeping. Sokran thought. Lazy. Sokran made a step to leave, but then saw the one guard's eyes were open, and he seemed to be in great pain. Sokran ran to him and lifted his head up. "What happened?" Sokran asked. The guard didn't look at Sokran so much as the stars. "A group of people overtook us. The large one, I think Bubba, knocked us off our feet. The two others, the Bloodline Brothers, did the rest. One can temporarily paralyze and the other can temporarily take your bending away. They want to kill the Avatar… and his family." The guard gasped. Suddenly there was a shout, from Aang. "Let them go!" Sokran looked up and saw the door of the house ripped off its hinges. Sokran let down the guard's head and slowly made his inside the house. Everything looked normal, but he heard a scream from the living room. Sokran peeked around the corner, and almost let out a gasp. The large man had his two blades put in an x shape in front of Tenzin and Katara. Katara held Tenzin close, fear visible in her eyes. The large man stood behind them, his blades in his hands and a smirk on his face. Aang stood in front of them, a finger pointed at the man, his face showing rage. Looking closer, Sokran saw a red mark on Katara's cheek, like someone hit her. Sokran felt rage course through his veins when Aang spoke. "Let my family go, or I will make you hurt." The man laughed. "Too late for that." Suddenly, two figures fell from the ceiling that they were clinging onto behind Aang. They were identical, both sporting dark purple fire nation armor, but, they had a purple cloth on their face, covering everything but their eyes, which were dark blue. Aang didn't turn around in time, and the two men each grabbed Aang's shoulders. Aang yelled in pain and fell to the floor, not moving. "NO!" Katara yelled. The large man laughed. "Those are the Bloodline Brothers. The left one takes away bending, the one on the right paralyzes you." Katara had tears streaming down her face, and Tenzin looked at his dad's limp body in shock. "Don't worry, it's only for a few minutes." The man cackled. "But a few minutes is all that I need." "Hey boss, check it out!" A voice from behind Sokran said. Sokran felt himself being picked up and put under someone's arm. Sokran was carried into the room by someone strong and powerful. The two brothers now had their hands on Tenzin and Katara, while the large man one hand on Aang's throat, and the other with one of the blades pointed at Aang's face. Tenzin and Katara stared dumbfounded at Sokran and the giant, who laughed deeply. The man, however, lifted his blade away from Aang's face and looked at Sokran, eyes shining. "Now what do we have here?"

"Well, looks like you've bit off more than you can chew, kid." The large man cackled. Sokran felt fear at first, but that was replaced by anger. "You're one to talk. You attack a man and his family. That looks like a coward to me." Sokran spit at the man's feet. The giant man roared in rage and threw Sokran against the wall. Sokran's body felt crushed on impact, but as he hit the floor, the pain went away, filled by more rage. The large man pointed the sword at the giant. "Down, Bubba." Sokran got a good look at the giant. He was bald, with a large head, and large body. He towered over the large man, and everyone else for that matter. He wore nothing except large pants around his waist and big shoes. He looked like he wanted to rip Sokran in half. Sokran grinned at the large man. "Let the ugly ones do the work. I see how it is." The large man smiled. "Excuse Bubba. He likes to protect his employers. Especially me." The large man dropped Aang onto the floor and walked over to Sokran. Sokran, out of the corner of his eye, saw Aang's fist begin to clench. The Bloodline Brothers' power was wearing off, but maybe not soon enough.