Author's Notes: Hello, again, much appreciated. I would like to start off by saying that I fixed my factual error in Chapter 1, when I said that Aang's pupils shrank. According to the show, his pupils should've widened, so from now on, his eyes will widen. As for everyone following this story, would you please review and let me know your opinion? I'm wondering if anyone actually reads this. Now, I shall respond to my newest review.
Pikachugorawrz: Thanks, your stories are amazing too. i hope you enjoy this chapter. Can't wait to see more of your stories!
KingRock980: Well, here's the next chapter for you. Hope you find it as interesting as the others! Also, YOU ARE SO AMAZING FOR PUTTING THIS STORY ON YOUR FAVORITE LIST!
Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, owned A:TLA.
Gather 'round children, it's story time.
Zuko began rushing to the asylum as soon as he heard, dragging a half-asleep Sokka with him. This came out of nowhere. How long has the place been under attack? Has my sister been freed yet? Zuko pondered in worry. He voiced his questions and concerns to the guard.
"It's been a few hours. We were fighting off the Rebels, but they're such good fighters. Finally, the captain sent me to get help, and I came to you," the guard responded.
"How many are there?"
"Really, there aren't many. The main problem is that they fight so well, and that the Dai Li are helping them."
"They are?!"
"Yes, they are, and combined with the fighting force of the Rebels, we stood no chance without back-up."
Zuko summoned a formidable fighting force, and led them into battle.
Aang scanned the rooms carefully, searching for one that might contain the Fire Nation princess. Feng ran alongside him, ready to help incase anything might happen to Aang. The boy knew it was a risk to join in this attack, considering his injury, but he didn't mind. He was happy to be able to fight.
Finally, Feng stopped him. He motioned to a room where from which frighteningly insane cackles were issuing. Aang took a peek inside. He let out a gasp of horror. The sight inside was terrible. A girl who looked about fourteen, most likely the princess, was letting out insane, despicable laughs. She had a crazed look in her eyes, and a messy tangle of black hair atop her head. It was quite a pitiful sight.
"I-is this her?" Aang whispered to Feng in shock. The hypnotist nodded sadly in reply.
Aang also felt an unexplainable anger and hate at the sight of her, though he wasn't sure why. He assumed it must be anger at Firelord Zuko for reducing such an esteemed Fire Nation princess to this, though a small part of him protested that it was something else. He pushed that nagging thought to the back of his mind.
When Azula noticed that she had visitors, she immediately went silent. She glared at them for a minute, and Aang felt a thrill of fear at the look she was sending his way.
"What do you want?" she finally let out.
"We've come to rescue you, Princess Azula," Feng answered. Aang was grateful for not having to say anything.
"Who are you?" Azula asked Aang suspiciously.
"We'll explain later, but right now we have to go, Princess," the Dai Li agent said before Aang had a chance to respond.
"How dare you not answer me! I am a Fire Nation princess, and I am the rightful heir to the throne!"
"Please, Your Highness, all your questions will be answered soon enough, but right now we have to go!"
"I refuse to travel with someone I don't even know!" Azula thew a nasty look at Aang.
"He's a Fire Nation Rebel, and Admiral Khon's trusted apprentice. If you can trust anyone, it's him."
Azula looked at Aang again and slowly nodded.
"Great, now let's get you out of hear, Your Fieryness!" Aang finally spoke up. He was beginning to get excited.
Firelord Zuko was battling Rebels left and right. They bombarded him with furious attacks, and it didn't hurt that the Dai Li were helping the Resistance. After battling Rebel after Rebel, Zuko finally managed to get to Azula's room.
"Gone!" he yelled as he peered inside. "I should've gotten here sooner!"
"Relax, we might be able to catch up to her. She may not have gotten very far," Sokka, who had accompanied Zuko, said.
"How will we find her in all of this?"
"We may not, but we have to try."
Zuko sighed, "Okay, let's keep looking."
Twenty minutes later...
After looking for awhile, Zuko, having split up with Sokka, finally managed to locate the runaway princess, along with a Dai Li agent and a boy with black hair and a sash tied around his forehead.
"Stop right there!"
The three enemies whipped their head around.
"Dear brother, I know it's been fun, but I'm afraid it's time for me to leave. Do take care of Father for me, and be sure to tell him how strong his followers are."
"We're getting Princess Azula out of here, and there's nothing you can do to stop us!" the boy protested in rebellion. Zuko thought he detected something familiar about the child's voice, but he ignored that.
"As firelord, I command you to surrender!"
"You're no firelord!" the kid yelled.
"And who are you to judge? As a Rebel, who knows how many people you've killed!"
The boy did not react so kindly to that.
Aang couldn't believe that the firelord had just accused him of murder. He would never, ever, even consider taking another human being's life as an option in battle. Unable to contain his fury, he sent a huge blast of fire Zuko's way.
Zuko managed to dodge the blast. Creating a whip of fire, he brought it high in the air. Aligning it with Aang, he brought it down. Aang, however, was able to jump out of the way in time. Zuko noticed that it was an unusually high jump, but he didn't bother to think about it. He had a Rebel to beat.
Zuko charged at Aang, sending a stream of fire behind himself to propel forward. Aang did the same, and as they were about to collide, the two benders stopped,brought the fire in front of them, and forced it at one another. Both of them were knocked backward, and they lay on the ground for a second, gasping for breath.
Feng decided it was time to step in. He shook the earth beneath Zuko's feet, creating a small earthquake right below the firelord. He then rose the earth and shaped it to where it trapped Zuko within, making the firelord unable to maneuver.
Zuko struggled from within the trap, but the Dai Li agent had done his job well. He was completely unable to move.
Turning away from Zuko, Feng fixed his attention on the real reason he was hear. Aang wasn't looking too well. He was clutching his head and groaning in pain. Feng deduced that hearing something so against Aang's morals had managed to trigger some old memory or emotion. Feng needed to get Aang to his brainwashing chamber, but that was all the way back at the Rebel hideout! Would Aang hold out that long?
Azula laughed at her brother.
"I guess being the firelord hasn't toughened you up one bit, dear brother. You're still as weak as you've always been. You were getting beaten up by a child!"
Zuko opted not to respond to the insane girl in front of him.
Aang, who was in no mood to listen to two siblings' bickering, gave Feng a pitiful look. He was so dizzy, and his mind was becoming filled with thoughts that went against everything Admiral Khon had taught him. He really needed another session with the Dai Li agent. He needed one now.
Getting the message, Feng turned to Azula.
"We must leave now, Princess."
"Very well, goodbye, Zuzu!" Azula yelled at her brother.
The three Rebels left, leaving Zuko struggling to be free of the earth that kept him rooted.
As Aang left with the rest of the Rebels, he felt quite sick. What were all these visions and thoughts, and where were they coming from? Aang felt like there was another person inside of him. The other person had completely different memories, a different fighting style, and different priorities. These memories were at total conflict with Aang's beliefs, except the belief about killing. They seemed to share that.
The more Aang fought this other person, the more the other person seemed to fight back. Aang didn't want to stop fighting the memories and visions though. They were too confusing. He wanted them gone.
However, there was a part of Aang that liked these memories and visions. They seemed to call to him, urge him to know more about them. It was quite an odd sensation, really.
Feng hovered over Aang and kept a close eye on him. This was not good. If whatever thoughts that were plaguing Aang took over, there might be no coming back for the Avatar. He might revert back to his old ways. There was also something else bothering Feng, something that might please Admiral Khon and the rest of the Rebels, but deeply troubled him.
If Aang didn't overcome these thoughts, and these thoughts didn't overcome him, then they would forever be at war with each other. The boy would go mad. Admiral Khon might be okay as long as Aang didn't go back to his old life, but this troubled Feng. He'd seen people like that before, and it wasn't pretty. He didn't want to see anyone end up like that again.
"Feng...please...help..."
Feng's heart went out to the poor boy. He looked miserable. At that moment, Aang wasn't the Avatar. He wasn't Feng's latest project. He was just a poor, sick child.
"You'll be okay. We'll be at the hideout soon, and I'll be able to make you feel better."
Aang smiled gratefully at the hypnotist. Feeling very tired, he leaned on Feng's shoulder as they went back to the hideout.
Well, what did you think? Please review and let me know. It would mean a lot if you let me know your opinion. Also, what do you think of how I wrote Aang and Zuko's fight? I was nervous about writing a fight scene, so please let me know if there's anything I need to work on.
