Avatar: The Darkness Within

Book One: Truth

CHAPTER ONE

Ziran grabbed his sister's arm roughly, whispering in her ear, "Remember the plan Nariko. Draw their attention and lead them back to me."

She nodded in understanding before heading towards the ambush that her brother had setup. Ziran had hired a group of twelve bandits, all wielding swords and some apparently had the power to bend. Though it mattered not neither way.

The three White Lotus members were now making their way through the entrance of Omashu, seeking another city or village to scout the Avatar for. They would find her brother soon enough. The plan was simple. She would run into the bandits who would proceed to attack and kidnap her. The White Lotus, who her brother had described as do-gooders and simpletons, would see and rush to her aid. She would take out all the non-benders out and feign that she couldn't handle the numbers, running back towards her brother who would jump in and save her, "revealing" himself in the process.

Nariko understood the hatred for the White Lotus, trying to indoctrinate the Avatar into their twisted way of thinking. To make the Avatar docile to their desires and demands. The Avatar was meant to bring balance to world, to save and preserve it. People like the White Lotus dedicated their lives to ensure that balance wasn't kept. This time the Avatar would be different. What she didn't understand was why Ziran was playing with the White Lotus. They weren't worth the time or energy. The reports that Kavan delivered certainly didn't paint them in any intelligent light. Why play along with their beliefs when he had nothing to gain from it? It would just mean that they would follow Ziran in their attempts to convert him, meaning they all had to hide what they were truly up to. Then again, the older her and Ziran got, the less she was able to understand and follow her brother.

That itself should have terrified her but he was all she had. The only life she knew. She knew the moment she started to question it, was the moment her life unraveled. She would have no purpose, no home, no family. Nothing. She might not share the same extremes as her brother, but she believed n their cause, and she didn't want to imagine a life without it.

She haulted her movements, when a group of dirty and armed men circled around her. Nariko inwardly growled. She could take this lot easily, even with any benders. She hated playing the damsel in distress. She could handle herself. Well in battle anyway.

She eyed the man, with a false sense of nervous, and had to bite her tongue from smiling when half the group charged at her with swords. From the corner of her vision she saw three people screaming and running towards them, but she paid them no further mind. Lurching forward she used the water whip to bring them down. The seven of them smashed heavily against the nearby trees, the swords dropping to the floor. Nariko assumed a defensive posture waiting for the four benders to attack. Boulders launched towards her and she drew the water in front of her as an ice shield.

She felt them pause for a moment, as they reassessed their method of attack. Nariko used that moment to propel herself back towards Ziran, sliding along the water and ice. And just in time too. The White Lotus where nearly close enough to assist in the fight and that wouldn't do.

She spotted her brother ahead and screamed his name, "Ziran!".

Her brother whirled around, as if pretending to notice his sister being attacked for the first time and screamed back, "Nariko down!".

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...

Sakari, Sozin and Jaya exited the city of Omashu, defeat echoing each step they took. It had been three months since they had left Republic City, and still they hadn't located even a whisper of someone being the Avatar. They were beginning to think that their predecessors where right – that Avatar cycle hadn't continued on after Avatar Korra's death. Twenty years and not a whisper.

Sakari just happened to look just off the side to where they were heading in time to see a young woman, about his age if he had to guess, be surrounded by a group of unsavory bandits. He nudged his friends Sozin and Jaya to get their attention just as part of the group splintered off to attack the woman. They sprinted off towards them, hoping that they wouldn't be too late to help and almost sighed in relief when the earth kingdom dressed woman moved forward defending herself with waterbending.

That just seemed to piss the other bandits off, as the four remaining charged earthbending towards her. She paused before running behind her rather than choosing to fight. They were almost in the range to help her when she yelled out a name, and they noticed for the first time the slightly another earthbender, who look very similar to the woman. Sasaki assumed they were brother and sister, by the similarities.

Sakari drew water from his gourd ready to attack, when the man yelled, "Nariko down!".

She dropped down instantly, hiding herself in a cocoon of ice as her brother launched his own waterbending at the bandits. He threw a wave of water at the bandits, which did no damaged for which they laughed. He just grinned and pointed down. They followed his line of vision only to see that their feet were frozen to the ground. Sakari's own eyes grew wide as the man levitated the rocks nearest him and launched them at the bandits, unable to move. There was a deafening crunch as the rocks hit the bandits. The woman, Nariko, detached herself from her ice shield and readied her water whip. The bruised bandits took one look at the couple, once more free of the ice, before running away through the forest.

Sakari breathed out a sigh of relief, echoed by Sozin and Jaya. They had finally found the Avatar.

...

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...

"Are you okay Nariko?" She felt her stomach clench nervously. She knew this was an act her brother was putting on, but it still unnerved her. Her brother was never this caring, at least not towards her. He had more precious things to do with his time, and it had her on edge by pretending to be anything other than he was. She was used to her brother, accepted he was never going to change. But he was family, so she loved him anyway. She knew she should hug him, for the sake of the act, but the thought just made her stomach knot even further.

Timidly she nodded her head. Before she could even come up with a response, they were interrupted by the White Lotus.

"Are you okay? We saw what happened and were about to intervene, but you beat us to the punch."

Nariko nodded her head, preferring not to talk. She didn't like to talk to people she didn't know. She preferred to hide in the shadows, in the quiet and darkness, rather than socialize and mix. Her brother was the complete opposite. He reveled in the attention. But she was okay with that. They balanced one another out in that respect.

"Thank you." Ziran said, with a false politeness that the White Lotus didn't pick up. "When I turned around and realised what was happening, I saw you three chasing after the bandits and my sister. Whilst you may not have had a chance to help her, the thought was there and I appreciate that. She's my little sister, twins infact. We're all each other has. I'm Ziran, and as I'm sure you heard this is Nariko."

"Do you know of the Order of the White Lotus?"

Nariko watched as her brother acted out to his hearts content. "The White Lotus. Can't say that I have. But then again, we come from a small village. Is this some sort of gang in Omashu? Was that who the bandits were?"

It took Nariko every bit of strength to not giggle at the horrified and affronted expressions notion of the bandits being the White Lotus.

"Dear god no." The tallest male of the group muttered. He was what she described as the rugged one of the group. Dressed in indigo and ice blue robes fitted for the Earth Kingdom rather than the icy planes of the Water Kingdoms. His dark brown shoulder length hair, fell messily around his face, and he had the palest green eyes that seemed to like to dissect everything that happened around him.

"I'm Sakari, and I'm from the Northern Water Tribe. This is Sozin," he said pointing to man dressed in traditional Fire Nation guard on the right of him. She saw Ziran clench his fist at the sound of his name, and knew in that moment that he would be the first in this group to be taken out. "And this is Jaya. She's an airbender, and Sozin is a firebender and I myself am a waterbender. We are part of the White Lotus."

"Well it was nice to meet you, Order of the White Lotus." Nariko added, sensing her brother was still recoiling from the sound of the name Sozin. Sozin and Ozai, people whom he hated most in the world. "Shall we head back home brother?"

"You both truly don't know who the White Lotus are…" Sakari breathed.

"The White Lotus serve as protectors and teachers of the Avatar." Sozin added. "You."

"Well I can protect myself, and I'm not sure what you're meant to be teaching me but we need to home."

"Wait your just leaving? Your not even a little bit curious." Jaya asked.

"Well yes. We were supposed to be at the village an hour ago, and its still a couple hours walk. People will worry. Me being the Avatar doesn't mean anything anyway." Her brother replied.

"And what about your training?" The firebender, Sozin, asked again.

"Training?"

"That's what we're here for. Each of us to train you in the elements – Fire, Water and Air. To help you master them so you can be prepared for the mantle of what it means to be the Avatar."

"Whilst I thank you for the offer, I have no intention of following any Avatar mantles. I live a simple life in my village. With my sister, I help protect them from the threats of the mountains. They need me."

"And what of the world?" Sakari asked. "They need you too."

"The world doesn't need an Avatar. They are just used to having one. They have done fine since, what was her name…ah yes…Avatar Korra. Since she died."

"The world is not fine. Leaders are being assassinated. Important people are going missing and never found. The Fire Nation being targeted."

"And how exactly could I help. Do you expect me to declare myself as the Avatar and all the wrongs in the world will be right again?"

"No." Jaya said sternly. "But you can help. You represent balance and peace, not inaction. Whilst you sit and do nothing the world goes continues to spiral further out of control."

Ah there it was. The White Lotus pitch, trying to sink their teeth into her brother. To use him as the Avatar, as a tool of their destruction. Well it wouldn't work. He might pretend, but he would never be on their side.

"Well as fascinating as this discussion is, we need to get back home. It's a couple of hours walk from here, and it's getting later and it will be dark soon. You are more than welcome to accompany us though."

"I'm so glad you offered. We were going to ask."

"Wait just one moment." Jaya said. "We each have a Mongoose Lizard that we travel with. We left them at the gates when your sister was attacked. I'll go get them. It will be much quicker to travel by."

Nariko perked up at the sound of that. She loved animals. Animals were simpler, easier to trust and understand than humans were. As an animal from the fire nation, she had never seen one before and was eager to, and to ride one.

"Really?" She asked, failing to disguise her hope at the prospect. Her brother scowled at her apparent liking of a Fire Nation tool. But the animals weren't responsible for the past, and it was wrong to hold them like they were.

Sakari grinned at her. "You can ride with me if you like."

This had Ziran glaring at her now, which she decided to ignore for once. Jaya had returned with the three lizards, Sakari jumping on his and pulling Nariko up onto the lizard behind him. With her riding with Sakari, that left her brother with the airbender or the firebender. She watched knowingly as her brother refused to ride with the firebender and directed them to their village.