Book One: The Avatar's Guardian (Water)
Chapter Seven: Race to Roku
The moon was bright and full where it hovered over the peaks of a mountain range. It was a good omen. Waterbenders were never more powerful than on the night of a full moon. Xena could feel the cool and refreshing boost of power that flowed through her. In some ways, it felt similar to the power she got from the sun and the power she had as Aang's Guardian.
"Let's go, Appa!. Come on!"
She turned her gaze to Aang where he tried to coax Appa to his feet by pulling at his reins, brown eyes flecked with silver the same color as the moon. Appa simply growled in response.
"I'm sorry, but Katara and Sokka aren't coming to the Fire Nation with us. It's too dangerous and I'd never forgive myself if they got hurt," Aang told the bison quietly as he paused in his tugging for a moment. "So get your big butt off the ground and let's go!"
He tugs at the reins so hard that should Appa suddenly give him any slack, he'd fall directly onto his face.
"I think his big butt is trying to tell you something," Sokka suddenly says, drawing Aang's attention to the fact that he has an audience.
"Please don't go," Katara pleads. "The world can't afford to lose you to the Fire Nation. We can't afford to lose you to the Fire Nation."
Aang releases the reins and walks over to stand in front of the Water Tribe siblings. "But I have to talk to Avatar Roku to find out what my vision means. I need to get to the Fire Temple before the sun sets on the solstice."
He jumps onto Appa's head with a boost from his bending. Xena climbs up into the bison's saddle and glanced at the siblings when they jumped to stand in front of Appa.
"We're not letting you two go anywhere," Katara declares firmly.
"Not without us, anyway. We got your back."
Aang beams happily and Momo perches on his shoulder with a chitter. Appa groans and licks Appa, causing the boy to make a long noise of disgust.
"If you're coming with us then get on. It's a long way to the Fire Nation and we need to leave now if we want to get there before sundown," Xena says and offers a hand to pull Katara into the saddle.
While Sokka climbs up by himself, the village elder steps forward from the crowd of watching villagers to hand a wrapped parcel to Aang.
"May Gaea guide your path and grant you a safe journey," He intones and a few of the other repeat the blessing.
"Thank you," Aang says, accepting the package and passing it back to Xena so he can take Appa's reins in hand. "Yip yip."
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The sun had fully risen and Aang was in the process of encouraging Appa to fly faster when Xena noticed it. The head start she had created for them with her game with Zuko was gone.
"We have a problem," She warns.
"Yeah, and it's gaining fast!" Sokka adds after turning to look at Zuko's ship which was in clear pursuit of them.
Xena narrows her eyes as she sees activity on the deck below. From this height, it's difficult to make out what's going on, but when she does her eyes widen in surprise.
"Watch out!"
"Fireball!" Katara shouts a few seconds after.
"On it!" Aang yanks on Appa's reins so that the burning projectile passes by harmlessly. Xena's noses wrinkles at the smell and Katara covers her nose.
"We have to get out of Zuko's range before he can shoot another hot stinker at us," The younger girl says.
"Coal tar. Burns hot and slow, but it's not the most pleasant smelling."
"Aang, can you get Appa to fly faster!" Sokka shouts without taking his eyes of Zuko's ship.
"Yeah… about that," Aang says slowly. "There's a blockade."
The three teens spin around to stare in shock at the long line of ships ahead of them. Xena scowls and pushes herself into a standing position in the center of Appa's saddle.
"If we fly north, we can go around the Fire Navy ships and avoid the blockade. It's the only way."
"Then we'll have to make a new way because we don't have time to fly around if we want to get to the temple on time," Xena disagrees, brow furrowed in thought.
"This is why I didn't want them here. It's too dangerous." The thought resounds so loudly through their bond that Xena knows it wasn't intentional.
"And that's exactly why they are here," She responds mentally and then says aloud. "We're running the blockade.
The monk nodded."Yip-"
"Wait!" Sokka called. "There's a lot more fireballs in that direction are you sure we shouldn't just turn back."
"We can't," Aang answers and Sokka sighs before nodding. "Yip yip."
Appa speeds up at Aang's coaxing. As they approach the blockade a large wave of fireballs are launched at her. Everyone with an exception of Xena screams as Aang once again yanks Appa to the side. One of the fireballs skims Appa's flank, lighting his fur on fire. Xena who had dropped into a crouch to keep from being thrown straightens back up as Katara and Sokka pat out the fire.
"Appa. You okay, buddy?" Aang asks the bison and gets a groan in response.
The monk starts to pull them above the clouds to obscure them from the ship's view.
"Aang, wait!" He pauses and Xena pointed to the waves below. "Take us under."
"Are you insane, Xena?!" Sokka demands behind her. "I don't know about you and Aang, but us normal people can't exactly hold our breath for that long. Not only that, but our supplies will get soaked."
"Under," She tells Aang and turns to Katara as he does what she asks. "Katara, this will be the first and the last waterbending lesson I ever teach you."
Xena then quickly explains the techniques behind trapping air within a bubble of water. The other girl listens intently without any of the excitement that she would have in any other circumstance. In the time it takes her to finish explaining, the Fire Nation had finished reloading and fire at the bison where it skims over the water. Xena quickly pulls water up above them and Katara quickly stands at the opposite end of the saddle and readies herself to help.
"Katara, if you falter for even a second this bubble will break and we will have to surface or risk drowning." Katara hesitated for a second and then Xena offered her an encouraging smile. "That being said, I know you can do it."
Bending takes confidence and Xena's encouragement gives Katara all the confidence she needs to help seal the bubble around them.
"Aang, down!"
"Yes, ma'am,' Aang replies and urges Appa under the waves as the aflame rocks hit the water around them.
Xena and Katara continue to move in tandem shifting the water around them so that only Appa's legs and tail are in the water. The bison moves them forward by swimming while the two waterbenders keep the bubble in place. Xena offers praise and advice to Katara whenever it seems she's about to lose control of the water. There's a gentleness in the way Xena coaches the other girl that is unlike her usual training technique. After they pass beneath the blockade, Aang pulls Appa back up into the sky and allows the two girls to drop the bubble of water.
"We made it!" He cheers as the turn to stare at the blockade behind them.
"We go into the Fire Nation…" Sokka says in disbelief. "Great."
They all ignore the boy's pessimism and a few seconds later Katara suddenly grins. "I did it. I can't believe I actually did it."
"Congratulations, Katara," Aang says cheerfully and Xena gives the girl a nod and a soft smile.
"A little confidence goes a long way," She says, clasping her hands tightly in her lap to hide their trembling.
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"Xena, wait!"
"Leave me alone, Drake."
He grabs her arm before she can storm out of the house. "Please just listen to me."
She shakes her head without looking at him. "I already know what you're going to say."
"No you don't," He yanks her around to face him. "It's okay that you weren't able to heal him."
"No, it's not! Raiden could have died and it would have been my fault. All because I couldn't stop shaking enough to-"
"No one blames you."
"I blame myself." She pulled away and turns her back to him, wrapping her arms around her stomach. "Am I so broken that I can't even save a friend from dying."
"You are not broken," He says and wraps her up in a hug from behind. "You just need some confidence in yourself and your ability."
"No!" She once again pushes him away. "If I can't use my bending to save a friend's life then I won't use it at all."
"Xe-"
She runs out the door before he can stop her, slamming it shut behind her.
. . .
Perched in the branches of a cherry blossom tree, Xena wrapped her arms around her knees and stared miserably down at the pond. She made no movement when the kindly lord of the estate took a seat on the bench beneath the tree with a loaf of bread to feed the baby turtle ducks that flocked around his legs. It wasn't until he began to speak that she tilted her head to listen.
"My son says you've vowed to never bend again. Quite the strong vow to make for an eleven-year-old to make. Would you like to tell me why?"
"I hate it."
"Bending?"
"Not all bending just my own," She turns her head to look down at him. "I can't even use it to heal. All it does is hurt, people."
"I see," He hums and continues to toss pieces of bread. "Tell me, Xenia, if a man stabs another to death, do you blame the man or the knife."
"The man of course. A knife's just a tool."
"So, then by that logic, can you truly blame your waterbending - which is just as much as a tool as a knife - for the pain it inflicts on another."
"You're saying it's my fault I hurt Raiden."
"Not at all. I'm saying that your lack of control and confidence is what hurt Raiden." He stands and reaches up to carefully lift her out of the tree. She doesn't resist. "If you wish to never bend again, then that choice is yours to make. However, consider for a moment what might happen if you were to get angry one day and subconsciously bend. It's been known to happen as you very well know. Without control, you could hurt someone far worse than what you did to Raiden."
She shudders. "Then what do I do."
"My advice is that you train to regain your confidence and skill with your bending so that you can choose not to bend later on and know for certain you have the control not to hurt someone with subconscious bending. At the same time, you will also have the control to use it when you have to or want to."
She nods. "That seems acceptable."
"Acceptable," He repeats and then throws his head back and laughs. "I see that my wife has been teaching you big words again."
"Dad. Xena." Xena shrank closer to the man's side as Drake entered the garden, bowing her head. "Raiden's awake."
"Is he. . ." Xena trails off as Drake turns his amber gaze on her.
"He wants to see you," He answers with a smile that immediately sets her at ease.
"If that's the case, then you shouldn't keep him waiting. I'll see you later for some firebending, Xenia."
Drake watches as his father, the older Lee Jong, leaves before approaching Xena and holding out a hand to her. "Xena?"
"Xena."
The female warrior blinks sleepily at Aang, having fallen asleep due to the lack of sleep from the past two nights. The sky is orange with the setting sun and the sight of it wakes her up the rest of the way.
"We're here," Aang says, pointing at the temple to her right.
She stifles a yawn before saying, "Then let's not waste any time."
Katara and Sokka are already on the ground, the former rubbing under Appa's chin while the latter was stretching. Xena adjusts the swords on her back before wordlessly starting up the path to the temple with the other three close behind.
"They're aren't any guards," She reports, using her heat vision to scout ahead. The heat from the island threw her off at first, but she quickly adapts.
"The Fire Nation must have abandoned the temple when Avatar Roku died," Katara offers as an explanation.
"I very much doubt it," Xena replies and unsheathes Smoke. "Stay close to me."
"It's almost sundown, we'd better hurry," Aang says.
"We do, but rushing ahead recklessly could result in us walking right into a trap," She answers and pushes open the temple door. "This place isn't abandoned."
"How can you tell?" Sokka asks quietly from the back of their small group, hand hovering over the hilt of his club.
"No dust."
Xena keeps moving farther into the temple as fast as she dares. If not for her caution they would have all been taken by surprise by the five old men dressed in red robes that stepped out into the corridor ahead of them.
"We are the Fire Sages, guardians to the Temple of the Avatar."
"Great! I am the Avatar," Aang declares right away before Xena can stop him.
"We know," The middle most sage replies right before all five attack with blasts of fire.
Xena breaks the flames before it can reach the others.
"Run!" She orders and the siblings do as she asks.
Aang, however, steps past her and swings his staff. A blast of air extinguishes all the candles along the corridor and throwing the elder men off their feet. She grabs the back of his shirt and pushes him in front of her as they take off after Katara and Sokka. When the catch-up, Aang is quick to jump over their heads to take the lead.
"Follow me!"
"Do you even know where you're going?" Sokka demands.
"Nope!" Aang responds and turns a corner.
"I think I preferred when Xena was leading," The elder boy grumbles.
Aang hurtles back around the corner with a shout of, "Wrong way."
He dashes past them and they all quickly reorient themselves to follow after him as one of the sages call out behind them. They skid around the corner, coming to a dead end. Aang shoots them a sheepish glance as the turn back to face the Fire Sage who blocks the end of the corridor. Xena steps forward and draws Frost, preferring to have both swords out when facing an enemy of an unknown skill level.
"I don't want to fight you," He rushes to say, holding his hands up. "I'm a friend."
"Firebenders aren't our friends," Sokka responds and then pauses to rethink his statement. "Xena being the exception."
"Thank you, Sokka," She says dryly.
"You are Guardian Xenia," the sage asks, staring at her with wide eyes.
She answers with a flash of silver eyes. To her shock, he drops to his knees and bows lowly.
"I know why you and your Guardian are here, Avatar."
"You do," Aang asks, moving up to stand behind Xena's shoulder.
"Yes," The sage climbs back to his feet laboriously. "You wish to speak to Avatar Roku. I can take you to him."
Xena narrows her eyes suspiciously, but continues to allow Aang to handle the situation as he asks, "How?"
The sage puts his hand on the nearby wall and lets out a soft burst of fire. The wall slides open like a door, revealing a tunnel beyond. "This way."
"Find them!" The call of another sage echoes loudly in the halls, but Xena can tell that they are closer than she would like them to be.
"Time is running out. Quickly," He urges them, glancing over his shoulder nervously.
"Your call."
Aang glances at his protector at her silent thought of support and then nods at the sage. "Lead on."
The sage closes the wall up behind them and Xena makes sure to watch carefully how he does it just in case they are walking into a trap. Her sword remains drawn but relaxed at her side as she places herself between the sage and the other teens. If he notices, he doesn't say anything about it, instead, telling them about the tunnels.
"Avatar Roku once called this temple his home. He formed the secret passages out of the magma."
"Did you know Avatar Roku," Aang asks curiously.
The sage shakes his head before responding. "My grandfather knew him and you, Guardian Xenia. Many generations of Fire Sages guarded this temple long before me. We all have a strong spiritual connection to this place."
"There are no acolytes in training," Xena points out her observations and the elderly man dips his head sadly.
"We are the last of the sages. The Fire Lord drafted all of the acolytes into his army due to their firebending expertise. I'm afraid that with no acolytes remaining, the Fire Sages will end with us."
"If that is the case then why would the other sages attack Aang?" Xena questions
"Things have changed. In the past, the sages were loyal only to the Avatar and then to you as well, Guardian Xenia, once you were born. When Roku died, the sages eagerly awaited for the next Avatar to return while searching for a firebending master to teach his Guardian. They kept tabs on her training up until she left the Fire Nation for the Air Nomads and then they continued to await the Avatar. But he never came."
"They. . . were waiting for me." Aang stops in his track and everyone stops with him.
"Hey, don't feel bad. You're only a hundred years late," Sokka says, oblivious to the impact his words have on the young monk."
Xena glares at him from over Aang's head and the older boy recoils. When Aang turns back to her and the sage, her expression is one of comfort and understanding.
"They lost hope that the Avatar would ever return. When Fire Lord Sozin began the war, my grandfather and the other sages were forced to follow him. I never wanted to serve the Fire Lord. When I learned you were alive and coming here, I knew I would have to betray the other sages."
"Thank you for helping me," Aang says sincerely with a small sad smile.
Xena sheaths her swords without a word and the sage smiles back at them before continued to lead them through the tunnel.
"We'll follow these stairs to the sanctuary. Once you're inside, wait for the light to hit Avatar Roku's statue. Only then, will you be able to speak with him."
The sage opens the door and steps through first to make sure none of the other sages are there. "No!"
Hearing his horrified gasp, they quickly rushed into the room to see him staring at a pair of large ornate doors with the crest of the Fire Nation and pipes that remind Xena of the airlocks on the sanctuary dorms in the Air Temple.
"What's wrong?" Aang asks in confusion.
"The sanctuary doors, they're closed," The sage answers.
"Can't you just open them with firebending?" Sokka asks, examining the lock.
"No. Only a fully realized Avatar is powerful enough to open this door alone. Otherwise, the sages must open the doors together with five simultaneous fire blasts. Unless . . . Guardian Xenia, could you-"
"I am a master firebender just as you are, but I do not possess the talents that the Avatar does."
"But what about the Guardian State."
"They actually named- No, it only grants me energy and strength."
"Wait, is the Guardian State that thing where your eyes turn silver?" Katara suddenly interrupts.
"I'm not sure it matters at this moment, but I assume so. Although, I wasn't aware it had been given a name," She answers.
"So, you said this just took five fire blast to open, right?" Sokka asks.
"That's right."
"Then I think I can help you out."
Xena pinches the bridge of her nose. "Sokka, the last time I checked you were neither a firebender or the Avatar."
"No, but I am a genius. Check this out." He pulls out several small sacks and grabbed a lantern from the wall. "This is a little trick I picked up from my father. I seal lamp oil inside an animal skin casing. We light oil soaked twine and tada! Fake firebending."
Xena lifts one of the oil filled sacks thoughtfully. "This could work."
"You've really outdone yourself this time," Katara praises her brother, who puffs out his chest in response.
"You do realize that if this fails, it will give away our location."
Sokka's shoulders drop. "You're more of a cynic than I am."
"I am glad you recognize your own cynicism; however, I must correct you. I'm a realist, not a cynic." She places the first sack in the mouth of a pipe and the others grab a different sack to copy her.
"Is there a difference," Katara asks curiously.
"There is, but this is neither the time nor the place to have this discussion.
Sokka fusses over the positions of the sacks until Xena orders him behind a pillar along with Aang and Katara. She turns to face their newest ally only to freeze at the expression on his face as he stares at her.
"What?"
"You are very different then what we sages were taught. We were led to believe that you were - to put it simply - nothing more than brawn that protected the Avatar. But you, Guardian Xenia, are far more intelligent and wise than we were led to believe."
"Wisdom comes from experience, particularly of the negative variety," She replies. "And please call me Xenia. I am not overly fond of my title."
"In that case, you may call me Shyu."
Xena bows her head before asking, "Then Shyu would you mind doing the honor?"
"Gladly."
Shyu lights the twine with a thin controlled stream of fire. She quickly, but gently, pulls him behind a nearby pillar before Sokka's homemade bombs go off. Small, but powerful the bomb shakes the room with a loud boom. A haze of smoke fills the chamber and Aang rushes out to pull on the handles.
"It didn't work. They're still locked," He reports when the door refuses to budge.
"Oh no," Shyu gasps in horror.
Aang bows his head in despair for a moment the raises it again to glare at the door. With a slash of his arms, he begins to throw large gusts of air at the doors. "Why won't it open?!"
Xena reaches out to grasp his shoulder and pulls him away. "Stop. There's nothing more than we can do."
He hangs his head and turns to face Katara and Sokka. "I'm sorry I put you through all of this for nothing."
"Better to have tried and failed than never to have tried at all," Shyu says wisely.
"I don't get it," Sokka says suddenly as he inspects the sooty pipes. "That blast looked as strong as any firebending I've ever seen."
"Then you haven't seen very much firebending."
"Sokka, you really are a genius!" Katara exclaims.
"How? His plan didn't work," Aang points out.
"But it looks like it did."
"Did the definition of 'genius' change in the last hundred years?"
"Were you aware that you two have the same exact expression when you've come up with a crazy plan?" Xena says, noting the gleam in Katara's eyes.
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"Xena, you hide there. Tanvi, climb up onto the roof above that window. Kaori, Temari, get those water buckets ready. Drake, you're with me."
"Raiden, you know we're all going to get in trouble for this, right?
"Not if the twins say it's a part of Xena's training. Learning how to ambush someone is a valid skill for her to know after all."
"Come on, Kaori. Just think of the pies."
Xena never thought what had once been a child's game of stealing pies from the Jong family's cook would teach her skills that would ever be useful outside their game. She watches from behind a pillar as Shyu lures his fellow sages into their ambush.
"Hurry! The Avatar has entered the sanctuary."
"How did he get in?" The lead sage demands.
"I don't know. But look at the scorch marks and down there!" Shyu points to the bottom of the door where a shadow can be seen moving about.
"He's inside. Open the doors immediately before he makes contact with Avatar Roku."
She glances across the room to where the siblings are hiding behind their own pillar as Shyu and the other four sages line up in front of the door to shoot fire blasts into the lock. The doors slowly open with a creak, revealing a sitting Momo. The lemur looks at the sages quizzically and sneezes.
"It's the Avatar's lemur! He must have crawled through the pipes. We've been tricked."
"Looking for someone!" Xena calls as she steps into view.
With their attention on her, they don't notice Katara and Sokka bursting from their hiding places until it's too late. The siblings each grab a sage and restrain them. Shyu grabs the lead sage while Xena surges forward to put the final sage into a choke hold.
"Now, Aang."
"Go, Avatar, before it's too late."
With the four sages incapacitated there is nothing stopping Aang from getting into the sanctuary.
"The Avatar is coming with me."
Except for Zuko. The Fire Nation Prince drags the young monk out into the open, his arms held behind his back. After that, several things happen at once. Xena's grip loosens in surprise, her captive's elbow jabs into her bruised ribs and drives the breath from her body, and the other three sages reverse their positions so that Shyu and the siblings are now the captive ones. Zuko pulls Aang back towards the entrance to Roku's tunnels.
"Close the doors. Quickly."
For such an old man, the sage Xena is fighting is surprisingly strong and has no qualms about taking advantage of her current weakness. He manages to land several blows on her ribs, but it will take more than a few hits to bring her down. His assault does keep her from going after Zuko or rushing to the aid of her allies as the other Fire Sages chain them to a pillar. She's not sure how he does it, but Aang manages to free himself only to hesitate when faced with the choice to either help his friends or go through the slowly closing door.
"Go!" Xena and Katara shout together.
He does as ordered, sailing through the doors just before they close and the lock clicks. A bright flash of white light seeps out from behind the door. The other sages join the assault against her shortly after. Too busy defending herself, she has no time to draw her swords and comes to the realization as she avoids a blast of fire that she has no choice but to use her bending.
She isn't given the chance to. Zuko joins the fray and lands a stunning fire-filled blow on her cheek, splitting and burning her skin. Dazed and partially blinded in one eye from his assault, she is unable to put up a fight as the sages chain her to a pillar by herself.
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He has never seen the Avatar's Guardian so disheveled before. Her clothes are burnt and covered in soot, the laces on her vest loose. Her long black hair is coming undone from her braid and her pale skin is as dirty as her clothes are. The bright red blood that trickles down her burnt cheek stands out vividly in comparison to the silver crescent moon on her brow and the brilliant blue tattoo on the opposite side of her face. The tattoo starts at her forehead and curved down around her left eye to end at her cheekbone. She is slumped slightly in her chains, muscles trembling, and obviously in pain. However, when she shakes off her daze, her one good eye fixes on him and her expression twists into one of rage. Her strength of will and dedication to the Avatar is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Even injured and chained, she still seems unbeatable. Her will unbreakable.
"The immovable object and the unstoppable force," his uncle had said when Zuko expressed something similar after one of their earlier confrontations with the Avatar's group, "She is not, Prince Zuko. She has great power, but she is as human as you or I. So do not be discouraged, there is still a chance you could beat her and capture the Avatar."
With those words in mind, he turns to face the door to the sanctuary. The four sages still loyal to his father take up positions next to him and together they blast fire into the pipes that will unlock the door. Nothing happens and the door remains completely sealed.
"Why isn't it working? It's sealed shut!" He demands.
"It must have been that light. Avatar Roku doesn't want us inside."
Hands clenched into fists, Zuko turns on the traitorous Fire Sage. "Why did you help the Avatar?"
"Because it was once the sages' duty. It is still our duty," Shyu replies evenly, showing much courage in the face of his nation's prince.
Suddenly the sound of slow clapping fills the chamber and Zuko turns slowly.
"What a moving and heartfelt performance. I'm certain the Fire Lord will understand when you explain why you betrayed him." The man with his pompous sideburns and attitude is one that Zuko is familiar with.
"Commander Zhao," the lead sage greets with a bow.
"And Prince Zuko, it was a noble effort. But your little smoke screen didn't work. Two traitor in one day, the Fire Lord will be pleased," Commander Zhao says as one of his soldiers steps forward to grab Zuko.
"You're too late, Zhao. The Avatar is inside and the doors are sealed," Zuko replies. Oh, how he hates this man.
"No matter. Sooner or later, the Avatar will have to come out and when he does we'll be ready for him."
There's a loud rattle of chains following Zhao's statement. Zhao and Zuko break out of their staring contest at the sound, attention drawn to the Avatar's Guardian. Zuko had seen her angry and furious before, but this was the first time he had ever seen this expression. She was downright murderous and had she been free Zuko had no doubt that she would have killed Zhao without a second thought.
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Narcissistic. It's a word that fits this new enemy perfectly along with arrogant and sadistic. He is a man that revels in causing pain to others and there is no way that Xena is going to let him succeed at capturing Aang. She would rather let Zuko capture him than this . . . this Commander Zhao. She strains against the chains holding her uselessly as Zhao orders his men to spread out in front of the doors. If she could just free her hands.
"Patience."
The word drifts through her bond with Aang and she freezes. That was not Aang, the mental voice carried to much weight to be from him. There was only one person it could belong to.
"Roku," She breaths quietly.
"All will be well, child."
She relaxes against the chains with a soft exhale. Reining in her anger, she looks over to see Prince Zuko watching her curiously from where he is chained up as well. She meets his gaze evenly and then returns her attention to Zhao and the sanctuary. Light begins to seep out from the door seams, growing brighter and brighter with every passing second. Xena winces as it becomes almost blinding and tilts her head to the side. While unable to see the door, she can hear when it begins to slowly open. The light fades as the doors finish opening. The inside of the sanctuary is pitch black save for two glowing eyes. Xena can feel the power of the Avatar State flowing through her bond with Aang. This is the second time she has felt it and never has it felt this controlled.
"No! Aang!" Katara shouts over the rattling of her chains.
"Fire!" Zhao commands his soldiers.
The Fire Nation soldiers' fire blasts stop at the door, combining into a huge ball of swirling flames. The fireball shifts, revealing the tall figure of Avatar Roku with his glowing eyes.
"Avatar Roku!"
Roku draws the fire towards himself before blasting it outward. The fire moves in an arc, knocking the soldiers to the ground and then melting the chains holding the five captive. Xena staggers forward and then stares at Roku as his entire body begins to glow the same pale blue as his eyes. He turns his gaze to the four Fire Sages and they are quick to flee the room.
"Avatar Roku's going to destroy the temple! We have to leave now!" Shyu shouts and Xena starts to move towards them.
"Not without Aang!" Katara informs him, eyes locked on Avatar Roku.
The imposing figure raises his arm before sending it down towards the floor. They all stagger as the entire temple shakes, a long crack splitting apart the floor. The siblings and Shyu are on the side close to a broken window while Xena had fallen back on the opposite side with Zuko, Zhao, and the soldiers.
"Xena!" Katara calls in alarm.
Xena meets her gaze on the other girl, one hand holding her twisted ankle. A large wall of lava blocks their view of each other as Roku continues his rampage. The heat is almost unbearable and Xena closes her eyes. They snap back open when an arm slips under her own and pulls her upwards. Someone else supports her other side and she is admittedly surprised to find herself standing between Zuko and one of Zhao's soldier as they pull her behind a pillar.
"What-"
Neither answer the broken confused sentence. The wall of magma lowers and Xena feels the power of the Avatar State slipping away, leaving Aang behind.
"We need to move before this temple comes down on our heads," Zuko says, before starting towards the stairs and forcing the soldier and Xena to follow him. She looks back over her shoulder and sees the fearful look in Aang's eyes.
"Go. Get Katara and Sokka out of here. I'll be fine."
She can tell that he is against the idea, but he drags the two siblings towards the window anyway. It's not like they have any other choice anyways. The crack separating them has grown even larger and it was doubtable that any one that wasn't Aang would be able to safely jump the gap.
"No," Zuko says weakly.
Xena can understand his upset. Lava had completely covered the stairs. They were trapped. She couldn't help laughing bitterly.
"And this is why you don't take the time to save your enemy, gentlemen."
"Come on. There has to be another way out," Zuko says, ignoring her comment.
"There isn't unless you can fly," She says, gesturing to the hole in the ceiling above their heads and resisting his tug by leaning closer to the soldier.
Honestly, she had no idea what was going through their minds when they rushed to save her, but they would have been better off just getting out of here when they had the chance earlier. Now all three of them were going to die. If one of them were an earthbender they would have at least been able to tunnel out.
. . . Tunnel.
"That's it!" Her shout took the two men off guard and they both turned to give her questioning looks. "Roku's tunnels, help me over to it."
"Those tunnels are farther underground. They're probably already filled with lava."
"Maybe. Maybe not. Look it's the best chance we got."
Zuko exchanged glances with the soldier. Finally, the prince nodded and she sighed in relief as they helped her towards the tunnel. Zuko pressed his hand to the wall to open the door and all three peered nervously down the spiral staircase. The building shakes even harder than before and they waste no time stepping into the tunnel that appears relatively clear of lava for the moment. The going is slow at first as the stairs are narrow and not suited for three people to go down them side by side. Eventually, the soldier just scoops Xena off the ground in a bridal carry, leaving Zuko to finish leading them down the stairs. It's only once they are in the main wider part of the temple that the soldier sets her down so they both can support her weight again.
"I don't understand. How is this tunnel not flooded with lava?"
"Avatar Roku made these tunnels with the volcano in mind. He had to have made the walls sturdy enough that should an earthquake happen they wouldn't collapse and allow the tunnels to be flooded."
lxxxXXXxxxl
Zuko is thankfully more familiar with Roku's tunnels than Xena is as he manages to lead them straight onto the island's beach. Unfortunately, that tunnel also happens to open up right in front of where Zhao and his men had docked their boats. Its also unfortunate that the soldiers, in the process of pushing their boats out, notice them immediately.
"I see you're still alive, Prince Zuko," Zhao remarks and then gestures to his soldiers. "Take him and that girl prisoner.
The soldier holding Xena up suddenly lets her go completely, forcing Zuko to support her weight alone. He turns to face them, dropping into a firebending stance. For the first time, he speaks to them.
"Sorry, but I have to do my job."
Zuko narrows his gaze at the soldier, body filled with tension as her hand flexes against her side. The smart thing for him to do would be to drop Xena and run, but she can tell that he won't. There's really only one choice left to make.
Xena forces all of her aches and pains to her mind as she pulls herself away from Zuko, forcing herself to balance on her one good leg. When he glances at her, she meets his gaze evenly.
"You saved me now I get to return the favor. Run."
He hesitates, but as she draws his swords he finally nods and takes off across the beach. The soldiers, including the one who had helped her, made to give chase but were quickly cut off by shining steel. With her sprained leg, she was rooted in one place, but this particular section of the beach was narrow enough that she could hold them at bay long enough for Zuko to make his escape. Who ever would've thought that someday she'd be helping her enemy after he'd saved her life?
Got a confirmation from Fuzzy Fire'chu saying he will Beta for me, but he's been busy so it might be awhile before he can.
Anyone that has read my previous stories most likely knows of the impending Xena/Zuko interactions coming up within a few chapters. I have plans to do 1-2 completely original chapters focusing on them and was curious to know what type of interactions you might like to see between them or what moments that occur before The Northern Air Temple that you may like to see expanded upon. You can post your suggestion as a review or PM me. All I ask is that you try to keep in mind the rating, but other than that feel free to suggest any awkward, embarrassing, tense, angry, adorable, etc. situations you like. I have no guarantees that they'll be used in the first book, but they may inspire scenes in the next ones.
Keep on being awesome and I'll see you next chapter whenever that may be.
Momochan77- Hope this is fast enough for you. I didn't take a month or more to post this time. :)
lizyeh2000- You're very welcome.
SagicKnight- There's a possibility their game will continue later so stay tuned.
MultiFandomLover99- Glad you like it.
Mogor- Here you go.
Phill.F- Many thanks for the cookies and for the review.
