Auhtor's Note: Sorry for the long delay. I've just joined the monotonous ranks of our nation's military. My calling: aviation mechanic.

:laughs:

Ok, ok. Its a long shot from an astronaut and even a cook. But, at least I'll get some college out of it, and a reason to stop moping around the house. :P

Anyways, I'll be leaving for boot camp on the 24th, so I've been doing all the good prep stuffs for it, and haven't had much time to write. But I will try my hardest to complete this story before I leave.

Disclaimer: I don't and will not own Avatar:TLA no matter how much I daydream...

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A Nightmare's Armistice: By KaleidoscopeKitten

Chapter 6

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A penny will hide the biggest star

in the Universe if you hold it

close enough to your eye.

Samuel Grafton

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He cringed as his shoulder hit the chilly, unforgiving surface of the chamber's wall, glaring up at the man who had released his arm at last. Through narrowed eyes he looked up at the towering figure, subconsciously rubbing his sore shoulder. Across the circular room two other guards dropped the unconscious form they were carrying onto one of the reclining surfaces that served as one of two visible furnishings. The action was administered with deliberate cruelty, and it was by no means gentle.

With no more than a 'hmmph' in closing, the three guards marched out, pulling the heavy door shut behind them. The grating of it against the tiled floor sent tremors skittering beneath Aang's feet, making the wall at his back tremble. The sound of a few outside latches locking followed, producing such a tone of finality that the airbender let his eyes fall shut as he slid to the floor.

Things just keep getting better and better! Aang hid his face in his hands, the sarcasm of his own thoughts hitting home, an unsettling display of just how unraveled he was. Unwilling to wallow in pity of himself further, however, he lifted his head to stare at the unconscious boy who lay on his back ten feet away. With a sigh the airbender rose, chewing on his lip as he walked over to inspect his cell mate. In a way, this was all his fault. If he had only been paying better attention, he would have seen the other guard rise up behind the firebender, and would have been able to warn him. It was the least he could have done, after all, as his companion had rescued him a few times.

Some help you are...

Tentatively, the monk reached out a hand, fingers tracing the newest head wound the firebender had acquired. Luckily there was no blood or broken skin, but a slight discoloration was already present, a bump having formed almost immediately after impact. Inspecting the rest of his rival's face, Aang noticed traces of blood beneath his nose. Hoping that it was merely the remnants of the firebender's earlier nose bleed and not a sign of sever head trauma, he leaned closer.

"Aaaaaaaaa!"

Aang screamed as a vice like grip encircled his upper left arm and jerked back in fright. At the piercing sound the seemingly unconscious teen's eyes shot open and he bolted upright. Zuko looked around dazedly for a few seconds before his eyes fixed upon the airbender. He scowled at the smaller boy's wide-eyed face so close to his own.

"Avatar!"

"Who else would I be? Let go!" Aang glowered down at his companion who looked to be, as usual, in a foul mood.

With a look of surprise the firebender's eyes drifted to his hand, which was indeed gripping the airbender's arm. He relinquished his grasp and watched as the kid retreated a few paces, before raising an eyebrow.

"Where are we?"

The airbender's forehead creased in thought. "I'm not sure," he admitted. "It looks kind of like a prison cell…"his eyes traced the outlines of the room, and he walked over to the small, high window on one of the far walls. The tangerine light filtering through it provided the only source of illumination, and a faint one at that, as a result of the setting of the sun. It looked like they would only have an hour or so more before all was made invisible.

Zuko sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. It wasn't an uncomfortable structure, but he preferred to stand in the Avatar's company, disgusted with himself for showing such weakness in front of the other boy at all. He walked over to the small window stiffly, resisting the urge to clasp a hand at his head to pacify the throbbing.

Aang stepped aside as the teen passed, allowing him an un-obscured passage to the window. Maybe he'd be able to tell where they were from what he saw. He watched with hopeful eyes as the firebender lay his hands on the windowsill and peered out over the tawny horizon. Aang waited for him to speak, but he said nothing, just stood there staring straight ahead. It was a long while before the taller boy moved, but when he did so, it was only to let his forehead fall lightly against the glass in exasperation.

Disappointed, Aand walked over to one of the cushioned lounges and plopped down with a sigh. It wasn't as though he had truly believed the firebender would see anything worthwhile, but knowing that he didn't was even more discouraging. He looked sullenly at the floor, kicking his legs back and forth, focusing on the artwork beneath his swinging feet to keep himself distracted.

"I hate this place."

Zuko turned to look at him, elbows now resting on the sill, but said nothing. He couldn't really think of anything worthwhile to say, although his own thoughts were clouded with commentary on their present location as well. Not pleasant commentary, either. An overwhelming question did seem to make itself heard above the rest of the chatter in his mind, however. Where were they?

He let his gaze drop to the polished tiles beneath his feet, each of them a jigsaw piece of the picture puzzle that was the floor. If the situation had been different he might have admired how incredibly eye-catching the whole thing was; a glossy mosaic of the world, the crests of the painted waves and brushstrokes of the trees curling so lifelike beneath his boots. Each tile looked as though it had been hand painted with such painstaking care, the teen scoffed at so much effort having been put into the decorating of a holding cell. Out of the corner of his eye he saw that the Avatar was studying it as well.

"Hey," the young monk said, lifting his gaze to meet that of his silent companion. Seeing that the firebender was paying attention, or at least not looking out the window any more, he let his eyes fall once again to the floor. "About what you said earlier…." He stopped kicking his feet to examine the markings beneath them. "About the 'Gaia' legend, I mean. Where….Who told you about it?"

"History tutor. Why?"

"Just wondering. What all did he tell you?"

"Is there a point to this?"

"I'm not sure," Aang answered honestly. "But I'm really curious about something. Maybe you can help me figure it out…"

Zuko sighed and crossed his arms, not bothering to hide how insignificant he deemed the conversation to be. "Fine." He rolled his eyes as the smaller boy gave him a smile. "What do you want to know?"

"You said that woman was believed to be the spirit of the world?"

"So the legend goes…"

"But that can't be right-"

"How amazing of you to figure that out." He smirked as the airbender shot him a glare.

"I mean, it doesn't make sense…." He held up a hand to halt the teen's next retort. "Because I'm supposed to be the spirit of the world. The Avatar is."

"Yes, so I've heard."

"So how can this Gaia legend exist? Since there have been walking, talking contradictions like me for thousands of years, why does anyone believe in it?" Gyatso believed it…

Zuko sighed and leaned against the wall. "Because you are talking about two separate entities of sorts." He frowned at the look the airbender was giving him. Shouldn't the kid know this stuff already? Suddenly he felt very sorry for whoever possessed any sort of faith in the kid. To know that some placed the fate of the world in the hands of the boy that was presently eyeing him like he had grown two heads in the past few seconds was frightening, to say the least. "Tell me, Avatar…how many trees are in that forest?" he pointed out the window.

"I don't know. What kind of question is that?"

"One that you cannot answer, which gives you the answer to your question."

"You're….Okay, you've lost me."

"You just said you're the spirit of this world."

"Yes."

"Then why can't you tell me how many trees are in that forest? As the spirit of this world, shouldn't you have some sort of attachment to them? Can't you feel how many there are?"

"No. I….can't." Aang tapped a finger against his chin in thought. He'd never really thought about what the firebender asked before.

"Do you know why?"

"Because…because I'm not physically attached to them. Because, although my spirit belongs to the world, my body is human?"

"Exactly."

"So what does that mean?" He was confused now. Really, really confused. And he had a feeling the teen was getting a kick out of his frustration.

"It means precisely what you've suggested. You are the spirit of a world, walking around in a human body. A physical form that exists separately from this planet. And as such, you have no formal influence over the world, or vice versa, save your ability to bend all of the elements."

"And this has to do with 'Gaia'…"

"Think about it, Avatar. If you're not at home, who is? Who's the one keeping those trees alive? Who must remain to keep the world in order after you left it to go gallivanting around in a human body?"

Realization dawned on the monk, lighting up his face. He grinned at the firebender. "Gaia?"

"So some believe." Zuko walked over and sprawled out on the vacant lounge. Maybe the kid would shut up long enough for him to come up with an escape plan, now. He looked up at the ceiling noting with disappointment that it was far too high to reach. Not that it would be possible to climb it anyway, the walls were too smooth. Nothing whatsoever to grab onto.

"Zuko?" Aang ignored his rival's groan. "I just don't understand one more thing. How can we both be the spirit of the world? Is it possible for something to have two spirits?"

"No."

"Then how-"

"Can you talk and think at the same time?"

"Ha ha. Very funny."

"Well, most people can. Think of it as sort of like dreaming. While you're asleep, your body is lying down wherever you went to sleep. But in your dream you're doing something completely different."

"Oh. So, were really the same pers…um, spirit? We're just doing different things?"

"Something like that."

"Then how come I can't communicate with the rest of myself?"

"Its speculated that being in a human body for so long has severed your bond with the planet to an irreparable extent. The part of the world's spirit that you embody has, over time, become human as well. Or close enough to impede your connection with the planet itself."

"Oh."

With a snort Zuko rolled over so his back was to the airbender. Easier to ignore him that way…Although he hoped the kid was through with his annoying questions anyway. They had to come up with an escape plan of sorts if they had any chance at surviving their stay in this fortress. The firebender got the distinct impression that they were not going to stumble upon any kindness from its inhabitants. The actions of the guards had revealed that much.

What the teen couldn't figure out, however, was what were they doing here? The guards, that is. Not that Zuko cared one way or another, but he had a gut feeling that the men who currently held them captive were not, in fact, natives of this fortress. Maybe it was a bit stereotypical in theory, but there was just no way such gruff, coarse looking men had built this place. Their appearance and bathing habits, or lack thereof, left something to be desired, at the very least. A very stark contrast from the pristine beauty of their surroundings.

Also noticeable was their apparent disdain and disregard for the splendor around them. The firebender had seen one of the guards shatter the stained glass window he and the Avatar had been previously discussing, pivoting on the shards carelessly as he raised his weapon over the airbender's head for a strike. He had issued a sort of half glance at the closest remaining portrait, smirking at the figure in the painting. As he attempted to stake the distracted boy in front of him, he regarded the water-color female haughtily, as though he found the idea of "her" witnessing what he was about to do both ironic and amusing.

Zuko had caught all of this, and sickened by the barbarian's blatant arrogance, had sent a fireball at his face, purposely pain-oriented. The Avatar was his, and his alone. No one else's honor rested on the boy's capture. He wasn't about to let some filthy self-proclaimed warrior claim his prize. Especially not one so vulgar or so lacking in respect for spiritual relics.

Not that he believed in the myths that had obviously played some part in the fortress' establishment. But his mother had taught him to respect the beliefs of others enough not to vandalize beautiful relics without cause. He recalled vaguely that the true followers of the Gaia myth were sworn to charity and hospitality, seeking to discover and give a free rein to the balance that was said to exist within the heart of the world. Tedious, spinless stuff, really.

It was probably better this way.

He had never felt comfortable relying on the compassion of others. He'd take hostile hosts over kind ones any day. At least he knew how to react to what would be offered under these circumstances…

With retaliation tactics.

But first, they needed to get out of here…

Zuko sat up and looked at the door. It was a large slab of polished rock, marble maybe. There was no door handle to speak of. Of course nothing could be simple. With a snort he stood and walked over to examine it closely. He ran a hand over the smooth surface, searching for something, anything. A weak spot, perhaps. Large crack, chipped stone, loose hinge? He ran a finger along the edge of the door. It was so thin, barely a crack that separated door from wall.

"Did you find a way out?"

Snort. "No."

"Do you have any ideas about how we're going to escape?"

"No. Why, do you?" the firebender turned around to sneer at the smaller boy. "Does the amazing Avatar have an incredible jail break tactic up his sleeve that he'd like to share?"

"No. I…I don't. I don't know what to do." The airbender pulled his knees up to tuck them under his chin and wrapped his arms around himself. He resumed staring at the floor.

Zuko observed this with a mixture of resentment and curiosity. He hadn't actually expected the kid to come up with something. If anyone should be able to figure out something it was him, being more experienced in this sort of thing, having trained all his life for such scenarios. In truth he was frustrated with himself for proving to be so useless at the moment, not being able to come up with anything aside from the occasional deriding comment aimed at the kid sitting on the half-couch.

The fact that the kid had the nerve to sit there, looking ashamed made the firebender ball his hands into fists. Even sitting there, staring at the floor, the kid was making him look bad. "What's the matter with you?" He glared at the airbender as he looked up at him, eye's wide and questioning. "You've been acting nothing short of pathetic since…" he stopped short, the finished thought cutting off his words. Since he came back after looking for his friends…

So that was it.

"Look," he said, forcing himself to lower his voice and channel his anger. " Acting like you are…it doesn't help. It won't help get us out of here." The firebender lifted his hand to place a thumb and forefinger at the bridge of his nose. He couldn't believe he was saying this, but if it got the kid to stop looking so damn pitiable it might be worth it. Might. He closed his eyes and massaged the area between them. The grimace remained on his face. "It won't help you find your friends, ok?"

After a few moments without hearing a reply, Zuko opened his eyes and lowered his hand to see why. The monk was just staring at him with a strange expression, regarding the firebender as one might regard a snake beneath one's feet. Watching him without moving, unwavering, as though anticipating some sort of fear-provoking gesture.

Or abrasive follow-up commentary.

The prince of the fire nation felt his cheeks redden under the intense stare of the Avatar and spun around quickly in pretense of resuming his inspection of the door. Was it such a big deal for him to say such meaningless things? Well, considering who he was, and who he was talking to, yes. He felt the fury building up in his chest again. Why did the kid have to be so unbelievably irritating? There had been no secret meaning in his words, no underlying sympathy.

"You're right, Zuko."

The teen turned around at last, scowling at the smile that curled the airbender's lips.

"That wasn't an attempt at making you feel better, Avatar."

"I know."

" I'm just sick of your idiotic moping."

"I know."

"……"

"Thank you anyway."

Snort. "Whatever."

"You know what?"

"I don't really care what." The firebender put his head to the door suddenly. What was that sound?

Aang watched as the teen's eyes widened and he leapt back from the door. "They're coming." He raised his fists, bringing them in front of him in a defensive stance. He nodded at Aang to follow suite. They weren't about to just sit there and diffidently take part in whatever their captors had in mind.

When the door swung open a torrent of flames and wind erupted from their hands, billowing out the doorway in elemental fury. A smirk curled the firebender's lips as the airbender lifted an eyebrow, looking past the doorframe and into the hallway. They both lowered their arms simultaneously, eyes fixed on the floor where their opponent surely lay.

But there was no one there.

"What?" Aang took a step forward in puzzlement, but Zuko put out an arm to halt his motion. He narrowed his eyes, scanning the opening.

"It's a trap. They're waiting for you to walk out the door."

"Very clever." A guard appeared suddenly, a tall, rough-looking silhouette. He held a bucket of water, apparently unarmed. "I suppose I didn't expect you to come easily."

"Come where?" Aang asked curtly, glaring up at the man. The guard smiled down at him in a very unpleasant manner.

"Why for you….I think a little justice might be in order. It was you, wasn't it, who was supposed to maintain order between the elements? Let's just say that since we've come to discover your decision to…sleep on the job, we've found a very fitting punishment for you."

Zuko shot a quick glance at the airbender beside him. The kid looked absolutely petrified, and was shaking from fear of the suggested punishment that lay in store, or from the man's knowledge of his past. The man's words made no sense to the firebender, and he did not bother asking for a dissertation. His head snapped forward as the man addressed him.

"And you…" the man took a step closer, seemingly unafraid of the flames that licked the teen's palm. "You will have the distinct pleasure of visiting our interrogation department. But don't let yourself get too cozy there. We have precisely twenty six methods of delivering the death penalty, which I'm sure you'll receive, being not only fire nation scum, but royal fire nation scum."

And with that the man lifted the bucket in his arms and splashed its contents upon the two boys opposing him. They looked at each other for a moment, now dripping, but otherwise unharmed.

Raising an eyebrow, Zuko scowled at the guard as he lowered the bucket with a grin. What was the meaning of that? The water might have doused the flame in his hand, but it wasn't as though it had an irreplaceable source. Was stupidity common of all his opponents? He opened his mouth, preparing a suitable insult worthy of the man's intelligence.

Nothing came out.

What!

His eyes widened as he slumped to the ground. He could see the Avatar fall to the ground as well, beside him. He struggled to roll over, a wave of fear rushing over him as he discovered it to be futile. He couldn't move!

The man stepped closer to peer down at them with malice. He pointed to the bucket in his hands, dangling it over them so the remaining drops splattered on their upturned faces. "Shir-shu saliva diluted with water. Comes in handy when dealing with naughty children." He seemed to be relishing the look of pure hatred in the firebending teen's eyes.

Three more guards approached to look down at the immobile boys, and the first man gestured for them to be picked up. "Take the fire brat to be interrogated. The Avatar comes with me."

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Hope you liked it!

I can honestly say I pulled anything that relates to 'Gaia' in this story outta my butt. It's purely speculation, and likely not even remotely true.

But for the sake of the story, lets pretend it kind of makes sense, k?

:winks:

I promise another update in no later than two days!