AN: Well let me first say I was inspired by a hip-hop music video to write this story. However while watching the video, I read comments about it containing signs of the Illuminati and Freemasons. Well after looking up Illuminati and Freemasons I became very intrigued and inspired to write a story based on the illuminati; freemasons I didn't want to get into. So I choose Avatar first because…I don't really know, but most likely my next few stories will be centered on the illuminati and such. And this also my first multi-chaptered story and I don't know where it's going but I think it'll be fun!
Lastly, the only coupled I have planned for right now is ZukoxKatara, sooooo anything else, I wouldn't mind suggestions!
Disclaimer: Nothing but the plot belongs to me, everything else belongs to Nickelodeon and the creators of A:TLA!
"Sokka, come on you lazy bum! If you keep spacing out like that, we're going to miss the train back home!"
A thirteen-year-old Sokka turned away from newly cleaned window he was looking out of. The developing city below looked beautiful under the bright beaming sun shining down on it. He could see rooftops of complicatedly designed buildings made by architects trying to make their mark on the newly industrialized city of Adeian. In one case, he admired the patience and strength it took to build such a sculpture, but also, the gleaming metal buildings annoyed him. Coming from an almost nomadic background, he was used to fresh clean air and clear sparkling water. During the morning, he would rise with the sun and him and Katara would rush through the dewy grass and race to the nearby lake. They would take an early swim while their mother would stay asleep with Gran Gran in their small humble hut. Arriving to the city when he was first ten years old, he had to get used to polluted air and bottled water; that was weird for him since he was used to just drinking it from the creek with his bare hands. He also had to get used the noise; oh what terrible noise! The sounds of nearby construction would wake him from his deep slumber when he first arrived. Whatever kind of monstrous thing that could make that type of noise just couldn't do any good. It took him a whole year before he could sleep soundly again. When the time arrived for him to go home again, he would always feel a sense of relief. However the city of Adeian did have its perks, for example, boiled, fried, and even baked meat! The comfortable mattresses were also a step up from the bed of cotton he slept on back at home. He was actually starting to like this place.
"Sokka, come on! Don't you want to see Gran Gran or do you want to stay here all break?"
Sokka smirked at his twelve year old sister Katara. He knew if he didn't go with right away then her bossy attitude would kick into gear. But he couldn't really blame her. Ever since their mother died and their left, they had both grown up a lot. He took over the role as man of the house, catching fish, and tending the fire for their hut, while Katara took over the role as lady of the home. She would cook and clean and make sure all duties that had to be done were taken care of. Even with Gran Gran's help, it sometimes became to much for them and while he'd never let his sister see him cry about it, she would frequently come to him with short breaths and tear streaked face. So he made sure to never give her too much slack for her pain because he felt it too.
"We leave when I'm ready Katara. Remember, I'm your older brother so you have to listen to me and obey what I say." He said dismissively while walking past her.
"Humph."
Making sure she was following him, Sokka continued speaking. "Just because you may think you're more mature than me, Katara doesn't make you right. Matter of fact, it makes you sound kind of unintelligent-"
"Ohhh big word, did you learn that while you were sleeping in class today?"
"Hey how do you know that I sleep during class? Oh never mind squirt, just know that me being older than you makes me wiser, so you should really start listening to me more."
"If you say so Sokka."
"Katara I'm serious, even Gran Gran says so!"
"Ha! Gran Gran wouldn't say anything like that! According to Gran Gran, a turtleduck has more common sense than you Sokka!"
Sokka stopped, "Hey, when'd she say that?"
Katara rolled her eyes and kept walking. "Forget it Sokka, now come one before the train leaves and we're stuck in this ridiculous city."
It was no secret Katara had an unhidden disdain for the city of Adeian. When she first arrived a year after he did, her attitude towards the new city wasn't exactly welcoming. Even when he went back home after a year of studying in the city and told her about all the new and exciting things, she didn't seem too impressed. In fact she seemed quite the opposite, disgusted.
"How can they just destroy mother nature like that? Who needs all these fancy huge buildings that just waste precious space?"
"Katara, come on now, it's not that bad."
"Gran Gran will be alone Sokka…we won't be with her for a long time."
At that, Sokka knew all the consoling in the world wouldn't help until she saw Gran Gran again.
When they reached the platform it was crowded with hoards of people their age, older and younger, teeming about with multiple suitcases in their arms and hands. After bidding farewells to a few friends, Sokka and Katara began to look for a seat on the locomotive.
"Hey Katara, go say bye to your bald boyfriend over there!"
Looking in the direction her brother was pointing towards, Katara spotted the bald ten years old, Aang, with whom she shared gym. He wasn't too popular with his bald head and scrawny stature, but she remained nice to him even though it garnered her title of his girlfriend. She asked him once if hair just wouldn't grow on his head because ever since she known him, he never had any. His response was he lived under monks at home and it was just the way he grew up. Weird, she thought.
Rolling her eyes at Sokka, she got up from her seat and approached Aang who was sitting by himself in a two-seater next the window.
"Mind if I sit with you for a minute?"
The ten year old looked up at her and instantly a sunny smile overcame his features.
"Sure Katara! You can sit here for as long as you like."
Sokka removed his eyes from his sister and Aang as they began to chat. He rested his head on the back of his seat and began to daydream again. He thought about all the food he had packed for his trip home and couldn't wait to show Gran Gran how to cook meat in all the new ways! He began to drool a bit when he felt someone bump into his seat. Ready to charm a pretty girl into sitting with him he was disheartened when he looked up to see the "great" Prince Zuko, his rumored to be deranged sister Princess Azula, and her creepily stoic friend Mai all standing near his seat.
The Princess cleared her throat loud enough to be heard by all of the train's passengers.
"Excuse you all, but have any of you minions seen a girl this tall with long braided brown hair anywhere?"
Sokka scowled. He really hated Azula. He had no problem with Zuko, they even sparred together a few times, and he didn't know Mai well enough not to not like her, she just creeped him out, but Azula he really hated her and he wasn't used to hating people. The only person he hated besides her was some fat kid named Jan Ji and that was only because he ate the last piece of baked meat one day in lunch! He wasn't the only one either, almost the entire school hated her and the ones who didn't desperately wanted to be her friend. Besides to be Azula's friend you apparently had to be either really creepy or close to being insane.
"I'm here, I'm here, I'm here La La!"
And here's the crazy friend, Sokka thought.
A small girl jumped her way to her friend and tried to squeeze with a hug when Azula held her away in arm's length.
"I told you not to call me that Ty Lee."
"I know Azula, but wouldn't it be more fun for Mai and I to call you La La while you call me Ty Ty and we call Mai…well Mai Mai!"
At this point, their stoic friend chimed in, "Please for the sake of my sanity Ty Lee, never refer to me as Mai Mai for as long as we both shall live."
"Oh, okay." A dejected look crossed Ty Lee's face.
Azula spoke up again, "Can we go now? I'm getting bored and my clothes are beginning to reek of these foreign commoners. But I love this time of year, time for them to go back from wherever they came from. Let's go before Zuko falls asleep standing up."
Sokka and the rest of the train watched as the royal princess walked off of the train with her brother and Mai in toe. Ty Lee looked down at Sokka and winked before attempting to sit down next to him.
"Ty Lee!!!"
She jumped up at Azula's yell and fluttered of the train. As the rest of the passengers on the train resumed with their chatter he rested his head against his seat again.
"I should try to at least get some rest before I'm home again."
-x-x-x-
"Sokka…Sokka! Wake up! They're starting to let people in now!"
Groggily, Sokka lifted his head from the arm of the wooden bench he was sitting on. His neck and back was stiff from laying in the fetal position on the bench for more than an hour. He twisted his back and cracked his neck several times before answering his sister.
"Ugh how long have we been out here waiting?"
Katara looked up at the sun for a minute before answering him, "I'd say two or three hours, maybe a little longer. Are you okay? You seem like you had a rough time sleeping there."
"Oh really, Katara? Gee I thought I was completely comfortable trying to sleep on a hard and cold bench outside of a stinking hotel that we've been waiting to get inside for more than four hours now!"
Not liking his attitude or his tone, Katara gave Sokka a pushed that almost landed him on the ground. She stood up and gathered their things without him and began to walk away from him. Brushing himself off, Sokka stood and followed her.
He looked around at the people looking to be all in same state as himself, weary, tired, and hungry. He took pity on the younger kids that looked to be the just the tender minimum age allowed to travel to Adeian alone. He figured no one to be younger than ten, but as he studied the faces of the children, none of their long faces looked to be ten at all. What a shame, the first time they travel to Adeian alone and we stuck in Middleton not knowing what the hell is going on, he thought. He thought back to his first time traveling to Adeian for schooling. He wasn't alone, he had his best friends Chizo and Tarus with him and they were all excited to be leaving home for the first time alone and going to a new city to live and learn without their parents. It was seven years ago he first traveled there and not once had he ever had a problem; it was always the same routine coming and going. That time of the year would come when it would be his and Katara's time to leave for Adeian. They would take the train seventeen hours out of town to Middleton where it was the pit stop for all students. Then after all the students from each nation would arrive they would take a connecting train two hours to Adeian. His hometown of Unda was always the last to arrive since they lived farthest away, so for that reason it was always a quick process to get a train from Middleton to Adeian. Then he along with hundreds of other students would stay in Adeian for a period no longer than three hundred days to study all forms of "modern" education. At first he wasn't in love with the idea of leaving his family for the better part of a year, but after having a "fun and enriching learning experience in Adeian", as his father put it, he finally warmed up to it; Katara not so much.
Shaking his head at the sadness, Sokka walked to Katara's side and grabbed some of the heavier bags out of her hands and off her shoulders.
"What's going on?"
"Shhh, someone's about to speak."
As she said, a woman in a simple green print kimono walked elegantly to a small stage in a corner. Surprisingly, she did not speak, just waited. The woman stood at the very front of the stage with her hands folded. As more and more people started to take notice of her, the room began to quiet. After everyone was silent, she delicately cleared her throat.
"You don't see many people in kimonos anymore."
"Shhh!"
Sokka turned around to see you had shushed him, but every seemed to have their eyes transfixed on the stage. Irritated, Sokka rolled his eyes and looked back to the woman on the stage.
"Excuse me everyone," the lady on stage seemed to be looking at everyone at once, "Adeian has informed us that there have been some difficulties with the train station there." Everyone in the room groaned in unison. After they were done she continued, "Adeian has asked that we stop the process of moving students any farther from here and that we stay stationary."
"She tells us that now that we're already here," Sokka muttered.
"Shut up will you!"
This time Sokka caught the person speaking and when he turned around, he was met by several people glaring at him. Sheepishly, he turned back towards the stage. He peeked down at Katara and she was also glaring at him. Defeated, Sokka released a sigh and shook his head.
"Adeian has requested for us to accommodate their students for the duration of this situation. So for now, we ask that you bear with us while we accommodate you with rooms. My name is Jai and if you need anything I just come to my office. Just go through the door at the far left of the lobby and you need anything. Thank you for your corporation."
She stepped down from the stage and disappeared behind a wall. Conversation in the lobby returned at once and the topic of conversation was the turn of events. Sokka and Katara made their way through the crowded area and took a seat on nearby love seat. Sokka's weariness began to set in again. It was easy for him to space out again, but not for his sister. With every minute that passed by, Katara's suspicion increased. Something wasn't right, she could feel it. Ever since her father basically abandoned her and her brother, she was cautious of everything. She believed nothing anyone told her and despite what her brother might think, she wasn't naïve. Gran Gran called Katara her "little wise one" and she took that with pride. After her mother had passed, she took role as caretaker and ever since her father left them, well she became a little distrustful of all men besides her brother. Gran Gran and Sokka were all she had left in life and she depended on the wholly.
Her train of thought was veered away when she heard a low growl. She looked over at her brother and rolled her eyes at the face he was making. Not only was he holding his stomach, but his face was also grimaced as if he was in excruciating pain. Tired of his antics she exclaimed, "Sokka, stop fooling around!"
"But Katara, I'm soooo hungry!"
"Well didn't you pack anything to eat?"
"I did but…"
"Oh Sokka," she groaned.
"Well I'm sorry Katara, but I got hungry!"
"Gran Gran cooked us a whole meal before we left Sokka!"
He sighed, "I know."
"Pig."
Sokka ignored her and rested his head in his palm. He looked around the room trying to see if anyone had anything he could munch on. He gave up hope quickly and was about to dig through his bag when he heard someone call his name.
"Katara! Sokka!"
Said people turned towards the yeller and spied a kid a little younger than Katara rushing towards them. Katara let out a squeal of joy and sprung up.
"Aang!"
Aang rushed into Katara's open arms and embraced her with spunk. They embraced for a moment and then Aang and Sokka embraced. After being introduced to Aang when he was fourteen, the two formed a strong bond. Throughout their years in Adeian together, the two boys grew to be great friends and Aang became like a brother to him. They shared only about two classes a year together and outside of school himself, Katara, and Aang would hang out together. The two siblings considered Aang to be part of their families now and Sokka knew Aang looked at him as a brother, but he wasn't so sure he saw Katara as just a friend.
Even though the siblings and Aang lived in different "nations", they tried to keep in contact often. When they could afford it, which wasn't often, Katara and Sokka would buy a train ticket to Aang's home nation to visit him. Since it was cheaper and a lot easier, Aang would visit them. He visited so often that they eventually built an extra room onto their hut just for him. During his visits, they would go penguin sledding and fishing. When they visited his home nation, Whin, Aang would give them a new tour of his home since he lived in the mountains and there were always new places to visit.
"It's good to see you guys," he exclaimed jovially.
"Yeah, it's good to see you too quirt," Sokka said, giving the young boy a playful smack on his bald head.
Aang laughed happily, rubbing the spot on his head where Sokka hit him.
"How old are you now Aang," Katara questioned.
Aang turned to Katara, "I guess I'm fourteen now. I'm not too sure since, you know, they don't keep age too well where I'm from." Both Sokka and Katara were used to Aang not knowing just exactly how old he was. His home nation was filled with monks and people whom Sokka suspected were nomads. They lived a peacefully yet unexciting life in Sokka's eyes, but Aang seemed to love it there even though there were only a handful of other kids his age. Not many people came from Whin to Adeian. Aang once explained that his people believed in a central self and thought that all learning should be spiritual. They also did not agree with many of the modern ways of Adeian as they saw the developing city as a cause of the rape of the natural earth and Mother Nature. Aang said the monks that looked after him never told him why exactly they allowed him to study in Adeian and after that he would just let the subject go.
"This is kind of weird you know…this delay…" A solemn look rested on Aang's young features.
"Yeah I know what you mean," Katara nodded her head in agreement.
Sokka looked from Katara to Aang, "What are you two talking about? They said there are some problems in Adeian with the trains and we'll just have to wait here a while until everything's figured out." Sokka threw his hands in the air nonchalantly.
"Sokka…"
At the troubled look on his sister's face Sokka began to worry himself. Sure Katara could overreact sometimes, but most of the time when she overreacted, she was right. Honestly, he didn't see what all the fuss was about with the train delay. Surely, by tomorrow afternoon himself, Katara, and Aang will all be in Adeian safe and sound; complaining about their new year of studies.
"Katara, come on, you're overreacting again."
Katara looked up at her brother and gave him a small smile, "Yeah, maybe you're right."
"Attention! Attention everyone!" The students and staff members all turned towards the stage where Jai was once again standing. The lobby was silent at once. "We will now be showing you to your rooms. Everyone from Terra will be escorted to the west wing of the hotel. Students from Whin will be escorted to the east wing of the hotel while students from Unda will be escorted to the north wing of the hotel. We will begin moving you in no more than five minutes do please gather your things and be ready to move. Thank you." Everyone began to talk again once Jai stepped off stage.
"That's even weirder; we never had to divide like this before!"
This time Sokka agreed with Aang. Things were beginning to get a little strange. They never had to split up before when they arrived to Middleton, but they also never had any over night delay like this before.
"Terra, over here!"
The trio looked over to where a small plump man in green stood with his hands cupped over his mouth, intending to form a makeshift microphone. Students from Terra began to walk over to him where they formed a line.
"Well I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow…"
Katara gave Aang another hug before he left.
"Aang, if any thing else weird happens…"
"Yeah we should meet here."
Sokka shook his head at both his sister and friend, "You guys are crazy. Well don't bother me if anything else "weird" happens, I'd rather enjoy my sleep tonight."
Katara scowled at Sokka while Aang laughed. "We'll be sure to leave you be Sokka."
"Bye you guys."
The siblings watched after their friend as he rushed off. "Come on Sokka, everyone from Unda is leaving too." Sokka and Katara picked up their bags and followed after their group.
-x-x-x-
In the nation of Terra, an elderly woman sat around a building fire meditating. The sun was setting behind a far away mountain creating a beautiful scenery. The breeze in the air was comforting and once in a while you could hear a bird chirp. Any one other than the woman sitting there meditating would have found all of this to be soothing and relaxing, however there weren't many people like her. In her bones, she could feel something ominous coming or rather something that has already began. She wasn't relaxed at all, she quite the opposite, she was worried. It wasn't that she never felt anything ominous before, but this was something worse…something dire. Nothing good would come out of what was destined to happen.
Her meditation was interrupted by the quiet slide of her shoji. Without having to open her eyes, she knew who came in. She didn't mind the interruption since Meng knew how important her meditation was.
"Meng…"
The young girl paused then shuffled forward some more, "Aunt Wu, someone is here to see you…he said to say Pai Sho…?"
Aunt Wu let a tired sigh as she unfolded herself out of her sitting position and pushed her self off the floor. She patted Meng on the head before walking past her leaving the room. She walked toward the front of her home where she was greeted by a mildly surprising sight.
"Well isn't it nice to see you again…Iroh."
TBC
Flames are welcomed!
