He guys, here's my most recent update. I know I told you I'd have a chapter up by Tuesday, but this week got the best of be. I was swamped by classes/projects/midterms. Let's just say I'm glad it's finally the weekend.
Thanks again to those of you who reviewed my story last chapter, especially you Bluetiger, I really appreciate the thought you put in. Regardless though, I'd love anything from anyone. Just a sentence or two would be great.
So here's we go...O and I still don't own ATLA
Shyu
Leading Aang and Toph through the halls, Sokka wove his way deeper and deeper into the palace, taking little-used hallways through obscure courtyards and gardens. Most servants and guards allowed them to pass without question, but once or twice Aang had to be coaxed from his stupor to convince others of their less than honorable intentions. Rounding a bend, Toph suddenly stuck out her arm and called for them to stop,
"Wait," she exclaimed, "I feel something under the ground. It's like a really, really big room—like that library we found in the desert."
"Great!" Sokka exclaimed, "That has to be the place we're looking for." He paced for a moment, pretending to stroke a non-existent beard. "Now, if we only knew how to get down there…"
Sokka let his sentence trail off as he heard footsteps approaching. Turning around, he saw an elderly fire sage round the bend in the hall.
The man was old; his face was wizened with age, but still retained a friendly spark. The short tuft of hair that he grew from his chin was a light gray as well. Seeing the avatar and his friends, the sage bowed,
"It is good to see you again avatar," he intoned, "It has been far too long."
"Huh?" Toph questioned, "Who is this guy? Do we know him?"
Aang cracked a small smile and returned the bow, "It is good to see you again Shyu. As you said, it has indeed been too long."
"Huh?" Toph asked again, "Does anyone want to help me out here? Who is Shyu?"
"Shyu," Sokka explained helpfully, "was the fire sage that helped Aang, Katara, and me in Avatar Roku's temple on Crescent Island. He was the one who helped trick the other sages, and Admiral Zhao, so that Aang could slip into Roku's shrine and meet with him on the solstice. Roku was the one who first told Aang about the comet. Shyu disappeared after the battle; we weren't sure what happened to him afterwards."
Turning to Shyu, he also smiled, "It's good to see you that you made it out alright, but if you don't mind my asking, how did you do it?"
The elderly sage smiled sadly, "I was captured and imprisoned, along with the rest of the sages, by Admiral Zhao. We were all sent to prison to rot away for the rest of our lives. It was an awful experience—and I will spare you the details—but thankfully, your mission was a success and after," he nodded to Aang, "your victory, I decided to offer my services to the new Fire Lord in hopes to right some of my nation's previous wrongdoings. Now," he concluded, "how may I serve you again young avatar? I doubt you simply stumbled upon this corridor."
Sokka glanced sidelong at Aang, who nodded discreetly, "Well unfortunately, we need to put you in another difficult situation. We need you to help us find the history of Fire Lord Liang-shek."
A quick frown flashed across Shyu's face, but he easily covered it with a smile, "Oh, that is not much of an imposition, but you are a bit off course if you're looking for a history scroll. I would think there is a copy in the Royal Library. If you want, I could le—"
"No Shyu," Aang cut him off, "We need the real history—the one from the Dragon Bone Catacombs."
This time Shyu's frown was more pronounced, "I don't know how you know of the catacombs. Their existence is supposed to be a secret held only by the Fire Lord and the select few sages that work there; but I cannot allow you to enter them for any reason."
"Shyu," Aang tried again, beginning to lose patience, "I am not asking you as a soldier or a diplomat; I am asking you as the avatar. I regret saying this, but I need to ask that you put your loyalty to the avatar above your loyalty to the Fire Lord again. I need that scroll and the Fire Lord cannot know why or of its disappearance. Its information is absolutely vital to my friends and me, and we need it now. It cannot wait."
Shyu shook his head, "Avatar Roku once said that nothing truly right and pure can be done in haste." He paused for moment, taking a deep breath before letting it out slowly, "However, I see that you cannot be swayed young avatar. I will grant you this, and allow you to enter and leave the catacombs unbeknownst to anyone save me, but I ask you one thing in return."
He waited for Aang's affirming nod before continuing, "I ask that you not come to me again with such a request. I yearned for a time of peace but was born into one of war. I have lived a long and difficult life avatar, trying to stay loyal to Fire Lord Ozai while trying to uphold the balance Avatar Roku espoused. My decision to serve you when you came to me on that day was not one I took lightly. I had seen Ozai's tyranny for some time, but I still believed that balance could be attained in the world. Your visit changed everything; it forced me to accept that the balance that I cherished could not be reached without even more bloodshed—or more personal sacrifice. You are asking me to set aside one loyalty in favor of the other once again, and that is something I will refuse to do if you come to me again," taking another breath, he nodded, "but I do recognize that your problem is one of a personal nature."
When Aang raised his eyebrow, Shyu continued, "Do not think that I have not noticed the lack of the young water bender; her absence is very conspicuous, especially in your countenance. Now I ask you again, will you accept my terms?"
Aang nodded curtly, "It is as you say. On my duty as the avatar, I swear to honor your request."
"Good," Shyu said, "Now, I can only take you into the catacombs, Avatar Aang. Your friends will have to return to their rooms. They will be too obvious if they simply stand around in these hallways and wait for us. The Fire Lord will undoubtedly hear of your presence if they remain. Come," he motioned, "I have some robes for you to wear."
Allowing Shyu to lead him further down the hallway, Aang turned to his friends, "Wait for me in my room. I'll be back as soon as I have the scroll."
Sokka nodded, "Aang," he called after his friend, "Be careful and hurry back."
Aang didn't turn around, but merely paused when he heard Sokka call his name and continued walking when he finished. Turning to Toph, Sokka sighed, "Come on, let's head back. We can't have anyone find us down here."
"Right behind you Snoozles," Toph said, trudging after her friend as they retraced their steps through the corridors and back into the palace.
Aang trailed resolutely behind Shyu as they wove their way further through the corridors. They had stopped in Shyu's room briefly after leaving Sokka and Toph to get Aang a set of Fire Sage robes and one of their distinctive conical hats. He now looked like a passable—albeit a bit young—fire sage, especially in comparison to Shyu. Coming to an opening that led out onto a vast, empty courtyard, Shyu paused, whispering to Aang,
"What I am about to show you, Avatar Aang, has never been seen by anyone outside of the fire nation. It contains some of our most valuable information and greatest secrets. What you are about to see I trust you will not disclose to anyone, and I pray that you know what you are doing when you ask for the history. Because you are the avatar I will respect your judgment and will not ask again, but still I am compelled. Do you truly want to continue?"
Aang nodded once, not trusting his voice to remain steadfast to his heart's desires, and followed Shyu out into the courtyard. They approached a large, inset circle in the middle of the courtyard, and Shyu bent down, placing his hand over a small opening, and called upon his fire bending to open the lock.
A soft grinding greeted Aang's ears as the circle rotated, folding in on itself, revealing a small, spiral staircase below. Descending quickly into the gloom, Shyu grabbed a dry torch from the wall and lit it with a quick snap of his fingers. Aang scrambled to keep up as the circle rotated back to its original position.
Reaching the bottom of the stairway, Aang peered into the darkness, trying to discern what lay at the end of hall. Shyu's torch cast shadows on the wall; silent observers, mutely chastising Aang for his selfishness.
Doing his best to ignore the taunts of the shadows, Aang trudged after the fire sage, hoping that his deed would be finished quickly and his guilt absolved. However, fate would not let him off the hook that easily, and just as they had begun walking, a torch began bobbing its way through the murk toward them. His breath caught in his throat, his tongue thick in his mouth, as they slowly approached the passerby. Taking his cue from Shyu, Aang stepped to the side to allow the other torch to pass, and, seeing another fire sage, he inclined his head, hoping to hide his youth and identity.
As the other fire sage approached, he nodded to Shyu and frowned at Aang's down cast form. He paused for a moment, as if to make a comment, but decided against it. He simply acknowledged Aang's gesture of respect and continued down the hallway. Letting out a breath that he didn't know he was holding, Aang sighed.
"That was too close," he muttered.
Shyu merely snorted and silently continued walking. Finally pausing at a nondescript doorway, he rested his hand on knob and entered. Following him inside, Aang could not help but be impressed by what he saw. Shyu's torch lent a dim light to the inside of the room, revealing row upon row of scrolls and even an impressive dragon statue was coiled in one corner. Beginning to search the rows for Aang's scroll, Shyu finally broke his self-imposed silence,
"Do you know what Fire Lord Liang-shek was known for?" he asked.
"No," Aang admitted glumly.
Shyu shook his head, "He was famous—or perhaps infamous—for his obsession with the spirit world. He, much like Fire Lord Ozai, believed that the fire nation was destined to rule over the world, but his solution was unlike our former Fire Lord's. He believed the key to truly controlling the world came from the spirits, and he was willing to free a spirit from the confines of the spirit world in order to do it. It was said that he came close to achieving his goal before he passed away—under suspicious circumstances—one night. His research, however, was never made known to the public, and as a result his reign has faded into relative obscurity over the years."
Finally pausing and pulling an old, weathered scroll from the shelf, he continued, "It has long been the duty of the fire sages to protect this knowledge—to know it and keep it but not divulge it—and because you are the avatar, I trust you will do the same."
Before Aang could respond, he turned, taking the scroll with him, and began walking back the way they came. Shyu did not pause at the bottom of the staircase or when he reached the top, but merely continued walking until he reached the hallway beyond.
"Remember your promise Avatar Aang," he stated, handing Aang the scroll.
"Thank you, Shyu," Aang said, his hands trembling as he took the scroll, "I will remember my promise—and your kindness."
"Good, now leave before you are seen, but don't forget to leave the robes back in my room," he smiled before adding, "And Avatar Aang?"
Aang turned to face the fire sage one last time.
"I wish you luck on your journey, whatever it might be. Remember Roku's words and follow your heart. It has led you this far and will not fail you if you are willing to truly look." Bowing once, he turned and walked the opposite direction, leaving the avatar to ponder his words.
Finally back at the room, Sokka collapsed into the nearest chair, trying not to let his weariness show. Leaning back, he massaged his temple, trying to rub the last few hours from his memory. Toph, meanwhile, was sitting quietly on the edge of the bed, slouched slightly, her elbows resting on her knees. Her brow was creased in consternation, her usually restless spirit quelled for the moment. Finally she could stand it no longer,
"Sokka?" she began quietly.
"Hmmm?" he questioned.
"Do you think Katara is going to be alright?" she asked.
"What?" he mumbled, not really paying attention.
"Will Katara be alright?" she repeated, searching for her own personal confirmation.
"I don't know, Toph." He answered, "But I really don't want to talk about it right now."
"But when are we going to talk about it?" she pressed, "You didn't want to have a big discussion in front of Aang and now he's gone. Please talk to me. I want to help but," she paused, contemplating her next few words, "I'm feeling kind of helpless right now."
Seeing as this was Toph, Sokka should have realized what it had taken for her to admit that she didn't know what to do, but, the situation being as it was, he didn't take it into account.
"Hmph," he snorted sarcastically. "Aren't we all?"
"Well sorry for caring," Toph quipped, feeling slightly hurt.
Whipping his hand away from his temple, Sokka proceeded to glare at his earthbending friend. In a fit of frustration and pent up worry, he finally snapped,
"Well what did you expect!?" he said sharply. "My sister has been kidnapped, she's being held by some insane psychopath, and we're being forced to complete a list of illegal—and probably dangerous—tasks until this guy either gets bored with us or decides to hurt Katara!"
At the thought of Katara being hurt, or even tortured, Sokka's eyes narrowed, and hands tightened, leaving deep indentations on the arms of the chair. "And I swear to Agni that if that bastard has done anything to hurt Katara, I will hunt him until my dying breath. And when I find him," Sokka paused, a low, ironic chuckle escaping his lips, "and believe me, I will, he will experience pain unlike anything he has ever known. And before he dies, he will look me in the eyes and beg for mercy. And when he begs—"
"Sokka!?" Toph almost yelled, breaking off his rant, her voice quavering slightly, "Stop it, you're scaring me! Do you even hear yourself?"
She paused, not hearing a response except for a quiet sniffle. A large part of her wanted to ignore him, especially after his outburst, but she knew she needed to set her pride aside for the moment. Usually she was the one who needed guidance because of her eyes, but now it was Sokka's turn.
Taking a moment to scoot off the bed and pad over to the chair where Sokka was sitting, she gently lay a hand on his shoulder, "Listen Snoozles, I love Katara too, you know. She's the closest thing I've ever had to a sister and I won't let anything happen to her either," she paused for a moment, "but I need you too. You can't let yourself become the thing you hate. Katara wouldn't want that—and neither would I."
Toph spoke with the quiet conviction that stemmed from a heavy heart and mind, and when she finished, Sokka finally broke. Large, rolling tears began to stream quietly down his face. Unashamedly, he refused to wipe at them, or even dry his eyes; he simply wept. The tears pooled for a moment on his upper lip before tumbling over and cascading down his chin, creating small stains on his shirt below.
Toph's heart, already troubled from the day's events, went out to Sokka when she felt his shoulders heave and heard him sniffle. Slowly walking into the bathroom, Toph grabbed a washcloth off the wall and gently began to wipe the tears from Sokka's chin. She had never really felt this way before—so motherly, like it was her duty to comfort her friend. It was so different from her normal mindset and yet it still felt so natural.
Gently placing her hand under Sokka's chin, she raised his head until it felt like he was looking at her. "Sokka, it will be alright. You still have Aang," she paused for a moment, "and you still have me. We'll get through this like we always have."
Touched by her uncharacteristic tenderness, Sokka stood up slowly and embraced his friend in a tight hug. He didn't say anything—for no words were needed. He merely held her tightly, his faced pressed against the side of her head, tears slowly soaking into her hair, passing the time, and awaiting Aang's return.
Hope you enjoyed it! I struggled a bit with this last part, didn't want Toph to seem OOC. I feel like it turned out pretty good--strenuous circumstances often bring out a variety of emotions. Please review and let me know what you think. Thanks.
