It is a hard way to Fire Nation – 1

Disclaimer: the Avatar and other characters belong to Mike and Bryan.

II

"Nice place, sir," Zuko said calmly, as he looked around the surroundings. "Very private and business-like, I have to say."

"You forgot to add green," Long Feng said with the same cold smile. "But I suppose that's obvious. Yet where are my manners? Please – sit."

Zuko just shook off the offer. "So, the answers, sir?"

"Ah yes, the answers… hmm. Can you remind me of your questions, your highness?"

"Let me put them as pointedly as possible – what are you thinking? Azula is unlikely to tolerate you for long unless you let her do whatever she wants, and the generals will probably have you executed just on principle, so that they could pin the city's capture for themselves in the history scrolls."

"Very true," Long Feng nodded calmly. "I know that people from Fire Nation are – as a rule – very hot-tempered and short-fused. However, there are exceptions."

"Such as?"

"Such as your father, with whom I used to have correspondence."

"What?" Now Zuko sat down, though mostly it was because his legs suddenly felt cut-off from under him. "How?"

"It was at the time of the first siege," Long Feng mused. "I led the Dai Li by then already, and I also knew that an army led by such formidable generals as your uncle and the ronin Chang-ho will have no problems in breaking down the city's walls, whose formidability, it pains me to admit, was always somewhat exaggerated."

"So, you should've talked with uncle Iroh, him being the army's commander-in-chief."

"Your uncle, I dare to say, was always a bit old-fashioned when it came to such things – the old-school military commander, an aristocrat through and through, good in strategy, not so in tactics, disliked the scouts and similar irregulars profoundly, and so forth. Not to mention, he was a populist – he sought glory to influence people to follow him, he would never agree to something as rational and inglorious as a negotiated surrender. However, your father Ozai, at that time just a prince, was a man of a different mold – a man tired of war and the control of the military aristocracy who thought that making war was the only way a noble man could spend time in, and never gave much thought to peace. Therefore, I began to communicate with him in secret, suggesting, quite honestly, that both of us might benefit from this action. That agreement was lying unsigned practically in our pockets! But the unpredictability of fate! Your cousin, prince Lu Ten, died at the siege from a stray arrow, and your uncle broke to pieces, abandoning the military theatre and making a truce. But the city was yours for the taking! Your father, Ozai, tried to explain this to your grandfather, Azulon, but the old Lord must have grown irascible and dare I say unhinged from the loss of his grandson, and declared your own execution, according to my messenger to your father of that time. Fortunately, for you, though, Azulon died on that very night, and your father ascended to the throne. However, though, this also meant that the city's surrender had to be delayed, as your father had to deal with some homeland intrigues first and firm-up his rule."

"That's very interesting, but-"

"Incidentally, your highness, I kept the letters from our correspondence – see?" and Long Feng handed over to Zuko a rather big stack of parchment rolls. "If you want, you can read them."

"And I will," Zuko nodded ascent as he took the rolls. "But I still have some questions left, unfortunately, starting with my sister."

"Ah yes, your sister, Azula. She, I fear, had inherited this hauteur of the nobility, this concept that blood is the only thing that counts. Now, I am not saying that it is completely wrong, but I am saying that your sister could have used a bit more tact-"

"Azula doesn't have much tact or charm when she feels that she doesn't need them," Zuko interrupted, "and that is not the question I want to ask, either."

"I know that, your highness, I was just thinking of the best way to answer your questions."

"That would be the honest way, then."

Long Feng gave Zuko a sharp look, but the prince's face looked so bland and neutral, that his gaze softened. "Very well, we'll go the long way. As you know, there were talks of the war ending at least in this lifetime, in which case my city would end up in an unenviable position of being saddled with an incompetent Earth King, trapped between Fire Nation forces in both west and east."

"I wasn't aware that we had much of the force in the east."

"Your highness forgot about the general Chang-ho!"

"Chang-ho," Zuko said softly, as if musing over the name. "But if he is still alive, would he be just like Iroh? You know, feeling his age just a bit?"

"Not at all, your highness, not at all! Unlike your uncle, general Chang-ho is still as sharp and powerful as ever, in his strength, his wits, and his bending! And just like before, he hates the Avatar and his allies!"

"Did you say – the Avatar?" Zuko immediately stiffened.

"Why, so I did," Long Feng said with a small smile seeing Zuko's immediate reaction. "The ancestor of general Chang-ho was defeated and killed by Avatar Kyoshi when he was unifying the Earth Kingdom into one country. In fact, contrary to all this rubbish of balance between the nations, Avatar Kyoshi was often interfering in the politics-"

"Sir, can we get to the present and my sister?" Zuko interrupted.

"Right," Long Feng nodded, recovering his train of thought. "Here's the thing. Despite the efforts of my liaison in Chang-ho army, Hsu Wu, the good general remains somewhat suspicious of my plans to join the Fire Nation. He himself is a good vassal of your father and homeland, albeit a bit forgotten over the geographic distance. Moreover, here is when we return to Kyoshi. You see, your highness, the Kyoshi Island and its inhabitants do not consider themselves part of the Earth Kingdom due to the influence of Avatar Kyoshi herself, who is worshipped there as if she was an ancestor spirit of some sort or other! As such, when the Kyoshi warriors agreed to join the coalition of the Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribes against the Fire Nation and its' allies, they got a lot of benefits – trade and such – in exchange for their services, which would've been disastrous for our already struggling economy- anyways, few people, including the Council of Five, regretted it much after Kyoshi warriors perished at the battlefield instead, and even less people rejoiced when their descendents offered the same again. These Kyoshi warriors were just shuffled out of the way – Council of Five's idea – but one of them, Midori, decided to join us instead."

"And you let her?"

"Let's just say I am not averse to strong women – in Joo Dee ranks. However, she also gave us the location of the rest of her crew, and we were planning to take them as a peace offering to the general, when your sister came upon them and defeated them very soundly. My agents, of course, were impressed by this bending display, and pretty much recruited her on the spot."

"You disagreed, I guess?"

"Precisely. Almost anyone knows that good bending does not mean perfection, and your sister demonstrated it very well. The Dai Li aren't aristocracy, they come from humble roots, and they are very displeased with your sister's attitude."

"So, this is where I come in?"

"Oh yes. By your homeland's law, Ba Sing Se will have to have a commandant of the Fire Nation descent, and of noble blood. Prince Zuko, I, the Dai Li, and our allies want you to be the commandant."

"I see," Zuko said, clearly shaken up. "My sister, though-"

"Your sister will leave tomorrow to your home bearing a letter of your shining actions in securing Ba Sing Se unlike hers. She will be accompanied by a retinue of the Fire Nation's allies, who'll provide security and witnesses to this event."

"I see," Zuko said his mouth agape from the excitement. "I guess that Chang-ho will provide the retinue? Good, because I quite want to meet the great general."

"Not quite, prince Zuko," Long Feng shook his head in contrition. "The great general is currently heading eastwards to the Chameleon Bay to destroy some rebels who made their camp there. However, he sent his representative, Hsu Wu – who by a stroke of luck is also my liaison in the general's army – an adjutant of his and the captain of his scouts, to represent him when we sign this accord."

Long Feng produced another scroll to Zuko. Once again, the prince's eyes widened slightly from what he read. "So, when will I meet this Hsu, then?"

"Tonight, your highness. Yuan over there will help you get unnoticed from the city, and will give you a map with which to orient yourself once you are outside. Any more questions?"

"No, sir," Zuko shook his head, already deep in thought.

Long Feng smiled to himself. Like all of his smiles, this one lacked any human warmth.

"So, this is an Air Temple? It's amazing!" the Earth King said almost breathlessly as he and others climbed off Appa and looked around. "And what interesting architecture style too!"

"Yeah, yeah," Toph grumbled, "but what for are we here, Appa? You brought us here, but what for?"

"Because I was waiting for you, of course."

Everybody whirled around when they heard the elderly male voice. Only, Bosco did not move, so the Earth King fell over him, and Momo did not react either, so he fell into Sokka's shirt, causing the Water Tribe boy to start jumping wildly, as the lemur wiggled over his back under the clothing.

"And who are you?" Toph asked coolly, ignoring the antics of Sokka trying to catch Momo and the Earth King trying to get back up over Bosco.

"Ah, I am Pathik, the guru of this temple. I was teaching the Avatar to master the state."

"Didn't do a very good job, then," Toph snapped.

"Toph!" Katara was appalled, but Pathik raised his palm in sign of agreement.

"I am afraid your friend is right, miss Katara. I did not do a very good job with your friend, and right now, I need to heal his spirit as your skill has healed his body."

"So what are we supposed to do while you do that?" Toph insisted.

"Please! Walk around the temple, relax and relieve yourself. You will be facing dire labors soon enough, for now you should rest."

"All right, maybe we will. But what about Aang?"

"I'll take care of him… inside." Without any effort, the old man picked up the Avatar's body and vanished with it inside the temple.

"Did he just do what I saw he did?" Sokka asked, and jerked. "Ai! Momo! Not down the pants!"

The army column moved ponderously and slow, like the foo turtle of the ancient days. However, unlike any beast of past or present, it also moved with a lot of noise, as various war machines, beasts of war, and many hundreds of men did little to hide their progress, nor did they care to – for now.

"Sir, sir?" one of Chang-ho cavalry officers drove up to the general. "We got a message from Hsu about the Avatar!"

"WHAT?" the following bellow caused the army to shortly halt, and a huge paw of a hand grabbed the unlucky officer by the collar and lifted him from his steed. "The Avatar? Where?!"

"He was seen flying in the direction of the coastal area."

"To the rebels?"

"No, further north. There's an old temple of the Air Nomads, supposedly abandoned…"

"So what if it is abandoned?" Chang-ho's voice quieted down to his usual stormy rumble. "Nguen!"

"Yes, general?"

"I'll be taking the cavalry and heading to the old temple. If the Avatar is there, I must try to kill him. You – go on leading the army to the Chameleon Bay. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," Nguen nodded.

"Thanks for the assistance, Toph," Sokka grumbled, as he was busy cleaning up his clothes from dirt and lemur fur. "For a blind girl you are sure more useful than Katara is."

"Yeah, yeah, just don't get carried away thinking that I'll do that to you next time," Toph shrugged, but continued to lean to Sokka.

The two friends were sitting at an edge of the temple's garden, with their back to the fruit and ornamental trees and the faces towards the seacoast. The sun was setting; in fact, it was already more than halfway below the horizon, and over it, clouds – or fog – were forming already. The wind was blowing, keeping the mosquitoes away, but the various crickets and katydids of the garden were slowly preparing their instruments for their nightly concert. And far underneath the temple's high walls, the sea was rumbling its eternal song.

"Ah, what a fine evening this is turning out to be," Sokka sighed. "Even without the meat. The sun is setting, the sea is sighing, and the birds are singing… maybe I'll write a haiku!"

Toph snorted. "Oh, you Meathead. Firstly, the sun has practically set-"

"No, it hasn't. There's still an edge of it peaking over the mountains, see?"

There was an embarrassed pause. "You're right," Toph said faux-brightly, "how could I not see it? It's so bright and shiny!"

Sokka groaned. "Okay, this was my bad, but how did you know that it set in the first place? You are blind, you know? Ow!" Sokka was bent a couple of inches into the air. "Toph that hurt!"

"Sorry, Meathead," Toph sighed. "Look, I am blind, but I do generally know when it's night or day - the latter is brighter than the former, you know?"

"Well yes, but how-"

"I just know, okay? I can know when it is bright or dark, and don't try to explain it to you, all right? "

"Fine."

"Anyways, ignoring the fact that it's night now, there are no birds signing; in fact, there are only the bugs, and they're singing… like it'll be a storm soon or something!"
"I don't know," Sokka again had doubts. "It is somewhat cloudy and hazy right now, but a storm? Maybe sometime around the morning, I don't know…"

Toph just rolled her sightless eyes. "This is the last time I try to bond with you, you Meathead!"

Aang was freaking out. One moment – he is in the catacombs, the next – he was here, in a very impressive-looking

"Where, where am I? Katara? Sokka, Toph? Appa, Momo? Anybody? Where am I?"

"You are in my home, Avatar Aang, so please behave yourself, and do not make your other incarnations be embarrassed on your behalf," spoke a cultured voice.

Aang whirled around, and saw a face and torso of a very refined-looking lady with milky-white skin and cold golden eyes. A low-slung table set with a tea set for several people, though, obscured everything below the woman's waistline.

"Is this a party?" Aang asked the first thing that came to his mind.

"You can say that. It's something of an intervention party, though."

"Intervention, what's that?"

"It means, Avatar, that we get to criticize you a bit," the woman explained further, as she took with her claw-like nails a delicate porcelain teacup.

"Hah?" Aang was lost. "What did I do?"

"It's more what you didn't do, Avatar," another voice spoke up from behind Aang.

The young monk whirled around. Another woman standing there, a woman with leaves and branches in her hair, and her green clothes were covered in purple-blue berry blotches. And behind her stood-

"Hei Bei? That you?" Aang said, unable to believe. "What are you doing here?"

"Holding an intervention party for you – duh!" said the woman with leaves in her hair. "My name is Azee, and the woman over there is lady Bei."

"Are they?" Aang said vaguely, indicating the similarity between the two spirits' names.

"Perhaps," shrugged Azee, "but you got bigger problems."

"Yeah, I know, I got to master fire, I got to get to Fire Nation, I got to-"

"-master yourself," the voice of lady Bei was just as white, smooth, and cold, as the rest of her. Despite that, however, Aang almost fell backwards from the unexpectedness.

"What?" he managed, after he got back on his seat. "What do you mean?"

"Avatar Aang," lady Bei continued, apparently ignoring Aang's earlier struggles to regain his seating, "do you know what you have done?"

Aang paused, thinking. "You're talking about the guru, don't you?" he finally said, his mood changing to misery now.

"That too. You have a mission on your hands, Avatar, and because of it you cannot afford to be distracted."

"If this is about love, if this about Katara-"

"You think you love Katara, don't you?" lady Bei interrupted the young airbender once more.

For a few seconds Aang's mouth just opened and closed in vain, but then he managed to regain his control over himself. "Yes, I do," he said slowly. "What of it?"

"What of it?" lady Bei's voice was now full of incredulity, "what of it? You don't recognize what you have done, have you?"

"No, what?"

"You have died, Avatar. You have essentially failed and died."

Once again, Aang's mouth opened and closed in vain. "I, I died?" he muttered in vain.

"Yes. Azula has killed you in the catacombs under Ba Sing Se," lady Bei's voice was once again dry and passionless, almost inhuman, just like a spirit's should be. "If it wasn't for the water from Spirit Oasis, you'd be dead within minutes – but due to it, you get a second chance of saving the world."

"Um, yay?" Aang said meekly.

Lady Bei just sighed and sipped her tea. At least Aang hoped that it was tea. For some reason, he was beginning to have doubts about it.

"You just don't want to understand, do you?" Azee spoke up from behind Aang. This time, though, the young airbender managed to keep his balance. "The time given to this world is running out. The Four has created this world out of the primeval elements - water, earth, fire and air, and the Fifth has sworn to undo their creation one way or another. Only the Avatar was able to stop the Fifth the first time, and only the Avatar must stop him now!"

"But am the Avatar!" Aang gulped. "Uh, who is the Fifth?"

"Due to your actions, Avatar," the time lady Bei's voice was full of sarcasm, "you no longer will be able to get this knowledge in time. You had your hour, but you were not the man!"

"This is about Katara, isn't it?" Aang finally got a clue. "Look, I am sorry if I didn't do what I was supposed to do-"

"Sorry won't cut it!" the voice of the milky-white spirit cut like a whip. "What do you know about love, boy? True love does not come from just good looks; it comes straight from the heart! If you loved Katara truly, you would not have to worry about how she'll manage without you!"

"Don't be too rough on him, lady Bei," Azee's voice lost of its earlier cheerfulness as well. "He is a boy, he lived in an iceberg and in a monastery, what does he know of love and of women?"

"They're built differently?" Aang said before he could think. Azee slapped him. "Ow! What?"

"A boy," lady Bei's voice was even more impassionate than before. "A mere teenage boy with all the ad's and dis's. Oh, Avatar Aang, what have your choices made you into?"

A low growl interrupted her musing. "Hei Bei is right, your ladyship," Azee spoke up. "Time grows short."

"Why, so it does," lady Bei finally put down the cup. "All right, Avatar, listen up. Though the damage your actions have wrought is great, right now it is still not too late. The Dragon of the West will assist your force, but Black Dragon's minions stand in your course. You must find your nirvana, or else the Avatar cycle is no more. Got it?"

"What's a nirvana?" Aang squeaked.

"Too late, you must learn it on your own!" Azee snapped and slapped him once more.

And Aang woke up.