Welcome back! A few things (nothing integral to the story, so if you're here for that go ahead and skip this):
1) It seems that I've unwittingly put two months between this chapter and the last, so sorry about that. School has started up, so I can't guarantee frequent updates, but I'll do the best that I can.
2) Thanks to Redleafs16 and "Me" for reviewing. About Rin's relationship, RinXSokka is definitely a possibility I've been considering, though I've considered Rin X any other character, so that's not saying much. Who knows, she may not end up with anyone at all. Even I don't know. For now, consider all relationships possible, except for maybe RinXZhao, RinXYue, or other stuff like that. Rin is not a necrophiliac. Also, thanks to everyone who favorited, followed, or read the story.
3) I know I've said this before, but another thanks to DreadingTheDayWhenYou'reGone for beta reading my story. He/she has been a great help. If you have the time, please go and support him/her by reading his/her stories.
Chapter 10: The Avatar State
"You're back again."
I should be saying that to you. I thought you were a spirit. You shouldn't be here.
"Don't you remember? I'm more than just a spirit. I'm-"
-part of me, I remember. You have some explaining to do.
"I cannot answer everything."
Then what can you answer? Who are you?
"A spirit, as well as part of you. I believe I already said so."
That wasn't really the answer I was looking for, but okay. How are you talking to me? This isn't the Spirit World. I'm supposed to be in a hammock below deck, peacefully dreaming instead of talking to you.
"I'm part of you. Wherever you go, I go."
Then why haven't we talked before I got pulled into the Spirit World by glowing spirit water? Where were you all this time?
"I've been here longer than you can remember, Rin. I simply revealed myself to you when the time was right."
You've been with me the entire time? Wait, do you know who I was before I woke up in the forest all those years back?
"Yes, I do. I've been with you ever since you've been born."
Really? You know who my family was? Where are they?
"I... cannot tell you. That is something you must find out on your own."
So if you didn't appear to give me answers... why are you here?
"I need to give you one last thing. A gift from both me and my friends... as well as your past."
What is it?
"It's something you've always had. You'll know when you use it."
It's still night... but I can't sleep.
Rin was lying in her hammock as it gently swung from side to side, mimicking the gentle tilting of the Water Tribe ship as it sailed through the ocean, heading towards the Earth Kingdom.. She had just woken up from her dream - no, not a dream. She had been talking to that spirit again.
"Hopefully she doesn't appear every time I dream," Rin muttered, sitting up and swinging her legs out of the hammock. Aang and Sokka were sleeping soundly in their own hammocks, but Katara was nowhere to be seen. She climbed up to the deck. She looked around and saw Katara leaning against the railing, looking out towards the ocean. Rin silently walked up next to the Water Tribe girl, looking over the railing with her.
"I guess I'm not the only one who can't sleep," Rin remarked. For a few seconds they stood there, watching the stars fade in and out of the clouds. The moon was nearly full in the sky tonight, a reminder of the battle they were in just a day before. It was a peaceful scene: just the two girls, the vast ocean, and the dark sky filled with twinkling stars.
"Aang had a nightmare," Katara said, breaking the silence. "We came up here just a few minutes ago. He already went back below deck, but with a full moon, it's hard for me to do the same."
"It's weird thinking that the princess, Sokka's girlfriend, is now that giant ball in the sky," Rin said. She stared at the moon for a moment, then asked, "Did Aang tell you what his nightmare was about?"
"He had a nightmare about seeing himself in the Avatar State," Katara explained. "While it's powerful... it's also terrifying. He was scared of himself. "
"I can't imagine what it would be like to have so much power," Rin muttered. "Being able to control just one element already makes you powerful. To control all of them, and then become even stronger through some sort of glowing thing... I can see why he's scared. It's a lot of power for a single person, let alone a naive boy like Aang."
"He's not too naive, it's just that he's... an optimist," Katara said, turning to Rin. "He's cheerful, friendly, and likes to look on the positive side of things. He may have a lot to learn, but I think he knows what he has to do."
"Hopefully," Rin replied. They once again fell into silence, watching the dark waves below them roll past the ship. The stars were still glimmering in the sky, and the moon was still illuminating everything around them. They stood there, leaning on the railing as the ship quietly drifted through the waters towards the Earth Kingdom. This time, Rin broke the silence.
"I was thinking," Rin told Katara. "Do you remember, back when Sokka was trapped in a storm and I was too weak to stand? The day I formally met all of you?"
"I remember," Katara said, grinning and chuckling slightly. "I hated you a lot. Probably because you stole my stuff the day before." Rin wondered why she no longer hated her, possibly because of her saving Aang from the Fire Nation, or her volunteering for the Northern Water Tribe. Whatever it was, the two of them were a bit more civil when they spoke.
"I'm pretty sure I made up for that by rescuing Aang," Rin said. "But that's not what I wanted to talk about. I told you a bit about myself back in the cave, remember?"
"All you said was that you woke up in a forest or something."
"Well, that's about what happened. A few years ago, I woke up in a forest. I knew enough to function and barely survive, but that was it. I had no idea who I was, where I was from, or where I was going."
"So why are you bringing this up now?" Katara asked.
"I didn't really think much about my past before I met you three," Rin explained. "I focused on surviving and making sure that I would have enough money or food to make it to the next town. It was a lot simpler back then."
"It must have been hard to live like that," Katara commented. "Not to mention frightening, wondering if you would have enough for your next meal. It was similar back in the South, when we went hunting. All of our trade routes were blocked off by Fire Nation ships, so if we didn't manage to track and hunt enough prey, the village would starve. I still remember nervously waiting for Sokka to come back, not knowing whether we would have enough food or not."
"To be honest, it wasn't too hard to get enough to eat," Rin said. "But I didn't really focus on anything else until I met you. Now... I'm thinking of tracking down my past."
"Really? But how?" Katara asked. "Do you know where to start searching?"
"I'll be honest and say that I'm not sure," Rin muttered. "I have no idea where I actually came from. Maybe my family was fleeing the Fire Nation and I fell off a wagon or something, and we ended up on the opposite sides of the kingdom. I have no idea where to start."
"I see..." Katara said, sighing and looking over the railing towards the water. Suddenly, her face lit up. "Wait! I have an idea."
"What is it?" Rin asked.
"Even if you don't know your actual name, you should still be a citizen of the Earth Kingdom, right?" Katara asked.
"I guess so," Rin said. "But I didn't have a passport on me when I woke up, so I can't be sure."
"Well, I think we're going to have to pass by Ba Sing Se if we want to eventually take down the Fire Lord so that we can get help from the Earth King and his armies," Katara explained. "They should have some sort of archives library or records system. Just look for reports of a girl with your description who went missing a few years ago, and that should lead you to your family."
"I'm not too sure about that, but I can't think of anything else," Rin admitted. "However, even if there is a record about me, there's still a few problems."
"Yeah, how are you gonna get into the archives anyways?" Rin heard Sokka say behind her. Turning around, she saw Sokka climbing up onto the deck with his eyes half-shut, yawning. "No offense, but you're just some random girl from wherever, not to mention an outlaw."
"Well, I figured being a companion to the Avatar would help," Rin said to Sokka. "I thought you were asleep."
"It's hard to sleep when everyone's going in and out of bed all the time," Sokka muttered. "Seriously, you two are a lot louder than you probably think you are. Also, I have some business to take care of."
"Hm. Anyways, as I was saying, there might be a few problems," Rin said, turning back to Katara. "These are written records, right?"
"They probably are, what's the prob- oh," Katara replied. "Well, I guess I could help you go look through the archives, since you won't be able to read them."
"Really? Thanks," Rin said, before letting out a long yawn. "I'm tired. Let's go back and sleep."
"Agreed," Katara replied as she rubbed her eyes and started heading back down. Rin felt satisfied with herself; she was on her way to finding out her past, and hopefully discovering what the spirit was withholding from her.
"SOKKA!" Rin heard Katara shout from the deck. She immediately came back up on deck to see Katara, who had a disgusted look on her face. Sokka was standing against the railing with his pants halfway down, a golden stream of piss illuminated by the moonlight.
"That's the last thing I wanted to see tonight," Rin grumbled.
"What, did you want me to do it on the ship?" Sokka asked. "I told you that I had some business to take care of."
"Hey, hurry up! We need to go!" Rin shouted down to the three others as they climbed onto Appa. It was morning once again, and the Northerners were saying their farewells before the group flew off. Master Pakku gave a couple of parting gifts: a box of waterbending scrolls to Aang, a vial of water from the spirit oasis for Katara.
"Fly straight to the Earth Kingdom base east from here," Pakku instructed. "General Fong will provide you with an escort to Omashu. There, you will be able to start you earthbending training with King Bumi."
"Got it. Yip yip!" Aang commanded, and they took to the air.
"Say hi to Gran-Gran for me!" Katara shouted back to the boat, waving to Pakku one last time before the ship receded into the distance.
"It shouldn't take long," Aang said. "Master Pakku said that the base should be next to the shoreline."
"We're finally going back to the Earth Kingdom," Rin sighed. "Where the temperature is above freezing and the ground is actually made of dirt."
"I thought you said that you weren't bothered by the temperature," Katara pointed out.
"I also wasn't bothered by the ground being ice," Rin replied. "It just, well, feels better in the Earth Kingdom. I guess I'm used to it. So, what's the plan?"
"We get Aang to Omashu and stay there until he finishes earthbending training with Bumi," Sokka explained. "After that, I'm not sure. It's going to be hard to find a firebending teacher."
"Maybe we should just go find Jeong Jeong?" Katara suggested.
"I don't think he's gonna want Aang as a student after Aang screwed up and burned Katara, from what I've heard," Rin said. "Also, we have no idea where to find him."
"Uh... we'll think of something after Aang learns earthbending," Sokka said. "There's got to be some firebenders that don't want to kill us."
"I know someone who might want to help," Rin muttered. "But I'm not sure where he is right now."
"That's the same situation we have with Jeong Jeong," Katara said. "I mean, if we can find either him or the person you know, that'll be great, but if we can't-"
"Hey, there it is!" Aang shouted, interrupting the conversation. Sokka, Katara, and Rin turned towards the front of the bison and saw the Earth Kingdom base reveal itself from behind a coastal mountain range. It consisted of a large tower surrounded by a large, flat area and smaller buildings, all surrounded by a high, circular wall. Raised paths led off in each cardinal direction, going through the mountains and out of sight. Aang brought Appa down onto the top of the tower, where a large group of soldiers were waiting for them.
"Welcome, Avatar Aang! I am General Fong," a man said, stepping up to the group as they climbed off Appa. Fong was an older man, with a large brown beard and a cape tied to the back of his armor.
"Wow, that guy has as much beard as Zhao had sideburns," Sokka whispered to Rin, who replied with a grumble of annoyance.
"And welcome to all of you great heroes!" General Fong continued. "Appa, Momo, brave Sokka, the mighty Katara, and... the cunning outlaw Rin, who has accumulated countless cases of thievery, armed robbery, and other various crimes while avoiding Earth Kingdom authority most of the time. However, you have stacked up many unanswered crimes."
"Uh..." Rin started, stepping back as everyone paused. For a moment, she considered rushing back to Appa and flying away, but the general suddenly smiled.
"However, such a noble cause as helping the Avatar on his quest is more than enough to repent and repay for such petty crimes. Welcome, all of you!" General Fong finished, and Rin let out a sigh of relief. Out of nowhere, fireworks started bursting above their heads to celebrate the arrival of the Avatar and his friends.
"That was a scare," Katara muttered, turning to Rin. "I guess you won't have to worry about going to jail anymore."
"I'm still a criminal in the Fire Nation, "Rin reminded Katara. "But then again, I think we all are."
"I will meet with all of you later," General Fong told the group, turning and waving farewell to the group. "We have a lot to discuss."
The group went down the tower and met with General Fong in a large, circular chamber that looked big enough to hold every soldier inside the base. Though the sun still shone through the large windows, glowing green crystals were placed along the pillars supporting the tower, giving the chamber a dim, green hue.
"Avatar Aang, we were all amazed at the tales of how you singlehandedly wiped out an entire Fire Navy fleet," General Fong said. He sat at a raised desk a few meters away from the group, who were sitting in the middle of the chamber. "I can't imagine how it must feel to wield such devastating power. It must be an awesome responsibility."
"I try not to think about it," Aang replied.
"Avatar," General Fong started before taking a pause. "You're ready to take on the Fire Lord now."
What the heck? He's not even close!
"What?" Aang exclaimed. "No, I'm not ready!"
"Aang still needs to master all four elements," Katara explained. "He's only mastered airbending so far. It would take months for him to learn the rest of the elements."
"Why wait for so long?" Fong argued. "With the kind of power he possesses, enough to destroy an entire fleet of battleships in a matter of minutes, he could defeat the Fire Lord now!"
"But the thing is, Aang can only do that when he's in the Avatar state," Sokka pointed out.
"You see, it's a special state where-"
"I'm well aware!" Fong exclaimed, interrupting Aang. "A state where your tattoos and eyes glow, and you can summon unbelievable power. Without you, we would be slaughtered before we reached their shores. But with you, our ultimate weapon, leading the charge, we can cut a path straight to the heart of the Fire Nation!"
"But... I don't know how to get into the Avatar State," Aang told Fong, "and I don't know what to do when I'm there."
"It's decided then," General Fong declared. "I'll help you figure out how to control the Avatar State. Then, you will face your destiny."
"No, nothing's decided," Katara argued, standing up. "We already have a plan. Aang is pursuing his destiny our way, not yours."
"Well, while you take your time learning the elements and pursuing your destiny, the war rages on," General Fong reminded the group. "Let me show you something that may change your mind."
General Fong took the group to a window overlooking the base. Below them, Rin could see many soldiers mingling around. Many were injured: broken bones, severe burns, even amputated limbs. Rin was sure that the number of injured troops outnumbered the ones who could fight. It was a spectacle of how much damage the war was doing, and Rin knew exactly why the general showed it to the group.
"Down there is the infirmary," Fong explained. "We are the closest base to the Fire Nation, so we often receive the soldiers that are too injured to fight before they are sent back home. Even then, these are the lucky ones. They came back. Many don't. Every day, the Fire Nation takes lives and loved ones. People are dying, Avatar Aang, and you could stop it now! Think about it!"
As General Fong walked away, Aang looked silently down at the injured soldiers. Rin knew that he was debating the two options in his mind, whether to try to master the Avatar state, or learn the elements in order. I'm not sure what I would take myself, Rin thought. But I'm have a bad feeling about General Fong's idea.
When the group arrived at their quarters, they immediately saw a glaring problem with the room: there were only three beds.
"Well, I guess I'm sleeping on the floor tonight," Rin said, throwing her bag down on the floor. It was a fairly small room, with just the three beds and a couple of dim lanterns casting a dull, green glow over the room. The walls were plain and brown, and each bed had a footlocker at it's end, making Rin wonder if the room was supposed to be used for soldiers. After all, it was an army base, and one overflowing with injured personnel.
"Are you sure?" Aang asked. "We could go ask for a room change or something like that."
"Not likely," Sokka replied. "We passed by a lot of living quarters on the way here, and they were all occupied by either soldiers or injured people. Rin's lucky that she gets the floor to herself.
"Remember, don't unpack too much," Katara reminded the rest of the group. "We're leaving for Omashu first thing tomorrow. Aang needs to start learning earthbending."
"About that..." Aang muttered, trailing off into silence. Rin could see that the Avatar was having second thoughts. The general's speech must have gotten to him.
"Maybe we should stay here," Sokka suggested. "The general's plan seems pretty good if it works."
"I have a bad feeling about his idea," Rin said. "But I'm not sure why. I honestly don't see any downside to it. The worst that can happen is that we get delayed a few days when we find out the Avatar State can't be activated manually or something like that."
"I still think we should leave tomorrow," Katara said. "Let's do this the way we planned."
Tap. Tap.
What was that?
Rin woke up to a quiet, almost inaudible noise. As she focused, she realized that the noise was footsteps coming down the hall, heading towards their room.
Who is that? Rin thought, silently getting up from the floor. It was still nighttime, but dim lanterns and torches lit the rooms and hallways, providing enough light to see. As the footsteps came down the hallway, Rin next to the doorway, ready to pounce onto the intruder if she deemed him or her hostile.
"I guess I'll tell them tomorrow morning. Time to get back to sleep."
Rin heard Aang's voice from the hallway and relaxed. She had completely missed the fact that Aang's bed was empty, but then again, she didn't expect the boy to be up so late. As Aang came around the corner towards his bed, Rin tapped him on the shoulder.
"Wha-"
"Be quiet, Katara and Sokka are still sleeping. What was it that you wanted to tell us?"
"I... I'll tell you all in the morning. I'm a bit sleepy right now."
"I'm right here, you know. Just tell me."
"Fine..." Aang sighed. "I decided to help General Fong. I'll try to unlock the Avatar state."
"Really? Then I guess we're not leaving tomorrow," Rin muttered. "Are you sure, though? I have an uneasy feeling about this."
"We'll be fine," Aang assured Rin. "Besides, less people will get hurt if I end the war sooner."
"Well, it's your call. I don't think Katara will be too happy, but whatever."
"Oh, right... she should understand."
"Who should understand?"
Katara sat up in her bed, surprising Rin and Aang. She still looked half-asleep, and her hair was a mess, but she was awake. The resulting commotion must have also woken up Sokka, because he sat up and stretched out his arms, asking, "What is it?"
"I told the general that I'd help him by going into the Avatar State," Aang explained.
"Aang, don't you remember our plan?" Katara asked. "This isn't the right way. You shouldn't be doing this."
"Why not? Remember when he took out the giant fleet of warships?" Sokka reminded his sister. "He was amazing!"
"There's a right way to do this," Katara insisted. "Practice, study, and discipline."
"Or just glow it up and stop the Fire Lord," Sokka suggested. "It worked against the Fire Navy."
"And we only had to sacrifice the moon spirit to make that happen," Rin pointed out. Once Rin made her comment, Sokka turned away and fell silent. "What major spirit do you want to kill this time so that Aang can 'glow it up' and defeat the rest of the Fire Nation?"
"Look, if you two meatheads want to throw away everything we've worked for, go ahead and glow it up!" Katara shouted at the two boys before heading towards the door.
"Katara, I don't have time to do this the right way! The comet will be here in less than-" Aang tried to tell Katara before she stormed out the door and slammed it shut behind herself. Aang sighed and sat back down on his bed.
"Oh, by the way, I was kidding about the spirit thing," Rin said to Sokka. "Forgot that's why your girlfriend died."
"It's okay," Sokka muttered back, but his actions said otherwise, as he was currently looking towards the wall on the other side of the bed. Rin regretted her little bit of sarcasm - she hadn't meant to hurt Sokka.
I'll apologize to him in the morning, Rin thought as she lay down on the floor, going back to sleep.
The next morning, General Fong met with the group outside of the base, eager to start work on Aang's Avatar State. Rin didn't know what to expect, but she was thoroughly disappointed when the general led them to a tea table, a brewer boiling a pot of tea over a fire.
"Wait, you're trying to activate the Avatar State with a cup of tea?" Rin asked.
"Not just a cup of tea. It's the tea that will bring the Avatar to a higher state!" General Fong exclaimed as he directed Aang to sit down.
"I don't know much about tea, but I'm pretty sure that a mouthful of hot leaf juice is not gonna give the Avatar absolute power," Sokka said.
"This isn't any regular tea," the brewer explained, pouring a cup of tea for Aang. "This rare chi-enhancing tea is a natural stimulant. In an ordinary warrior, it increases strength ten-fold. In the Avatar, it might just induce the Avatar State."
"Ten-fold energy, huh?" Aang commented, taking the cup of tea and downing the contents in one swift gulp. Everyone waited in anticipation as Aang sat still, waiting for the tea to take effect on his body. After a tense few seconds, his eyebrow started twitching.
"So, is it working? Are you-" Sokka asked before Aang suddenly blew past him, riding his air scooter up and around the walls faster than anybody could track.
"Isitworkingisitworkingicanttellidonthaveagoodviewofmyselfamiintheavatarstateyetamitalkingtooloud?" Aang chattered before descending into an incomprehensible series of high-pitched noises. Suddenly, as quickly as he had started up, Aang fell face-first on the floor and immediately went to sleep, quietly snoring while everyone else tried to understand what had just happened.
"I think he crashed and burned," Rin commented.
"Maybe he could talk the Fire Lord to death," Sokka suggested.
"The tea didn't work," General Fong muttered. "There must be another way."
After going back inside of the base, General Fong led them to the top of the tower, where they all gathered in a large courtyard on the roof. It was about noontime, and the sun was beating directly on their heads. Rin flipped up her hood to protect herself from the rays of heat, but none of the others had that sort of luxury.
"Maybe we could shock Aang into the Avatar State," Sokka suggested. "Who knows, it might work."
"You know him better than I do," General Fong replied. "Go ahead."
"Okay... Katara, Rin, I'm gonna need you over here for a moment. Aang, try not to listen," Sokka requested, taking the two girls off to the side and away from Aang.
"So, how are we going to do this?" Rin asked.
"Here's the plan. Katara, we'll need you to cover Aang's eyes. While Aang's blind, I'll duck down into my shirt and Rin will put Momo where my head was. It'll look like me, but with Momo's head!" Sokka explained. "It'll be perfect."
"That's the stupidest thing I've heard of," Rin groaned. It was a dumb plan, but then again, she could see it working on Aang. However, she had another idea brewing in her mind.
"Who knows, maybe the shock will knock him into the Avatar State," Katara suggested. "We don't have anything better to do."
"Actually, I have an idea-"
"Let's go, we shouldn't keep them waiting," Sokka said, interrupting Rin. "Rin, if this doesn't work, feel free to tell us your idea."
"Okay..." Rin sighed, going back over to Aang and General Fong. Katara got behind Aang while Rin and Sokka stood in front of him.
"Aang, we're gonna try to shock you into the Avatar State, so be prepared. Actually, don't, since we need to shock you," Sokka explained.
"Oh, I love surprises," Aang replied as Katara covered his eyes. Rin quickly grabbed Momo and, despite the lemur's best efforts to push itself loose and fly away, stuffed it down Sokka's shirt until only Momo's head peaked out of the hole where Sokka's head should have been. As Katara removed her hands from Aang's eyes, Momo let out an ear-piercing shriek into Aang's face.
"SHRIEEEK!"
"Ah!" Aang yelled, recoiling back before checking on his tattoos. "Still not glowing."
"A little help here?" Sokka asked as Momo dragged him around, trying to escape from the confines of the boy's shirt. Rin let out a small chuckle watching the scene before remembering what Sokka had told her.
"Hey, I have an idea. You mind if I go through with it?" Rin asked Aang.
"Sure, go ahea-" Aang started to say before Rin rushed him, knocking the boy to the ground. With one hand she grabbed Aang by the throat while pulling her hatchet out of her bag with the other. As she swung the blade of the hatchet towards Aang's neck, Katara knocked Rin off of the boy with a blast of water.
Huh, no glowing.
"Rin!" Katara shouted, holding out a tendril of water defensively while Sokka picked up Aang from the ground. "What are you doing?!"
"Whoa, hold on, we said that he needed to shock him, right?" Rin asked, holding up her hands to show that she wasn't going to attack anymore. "I'm pretty sure that would have made Aang jump a bit. Sorry about that, by the way."
"At least tell one of us before you do it," Sokka grumbled, finally getting Momo out of his shirt. "I think you scared us more than you scared Aang."
"I don't think I had time to be scared," Aang commented. "It kinda happened too fast. Plus, you're a friend, and I kinda trust you enough to not, well, you know."
"So that was all pointless. Great," Rin grumbled. "So what's next?"
"Is it just me, or did Aang suddenly go blind between the last time I saw him and now?" Sokka asked quietly, looking at the wildly-dressed Avatar standing in the center of the ceremonial chamber. He was wearing a blue fur coat, some sort of red skirt, a hat with large fronds protruding from the top, and a strange, five-inch wide belt.
"Look, I don't know why he's dressed up like a clown either. Maybe the general's trying to embarrass him into the Avatar State," Rin replied before General Fong shushed them. The room fell silent as an old man walked up to a raised platform, holding a large metal dish in front of him.
"You are wearing a ceremonial piece of clothing from each of the bending nations," the old man began. "Now, I will join the four elements into one! Water, earth, fire, and air!"
What is he - that's the stupidest thing I've ever seen, Rin thought as she watched the old man add each of the ingredients into the metal dish. It seemed dumb already when he started pouring dirt and water into the dish, but then he grabbed a torch and threw it into the mixture. He literally threw a torch into mud. This is just mud and a torch, and no amount of blowing air is going to help that.
"Four elements together as one!" the old man shouted, holding the dish high over his head before splattering the contents onto Aang.
"This is just mud!" Aang said, repeating Rin's thoughts.
"Well... is the mud working?" the old man asked. Aang started to say something, but his face suddenly started twitching, his mouth still open and about to give an answer.
"Aaaa-CHOOOO!" Aang sneezed, forcefully blowing the mud off of him and around the room, covering Rin, Katara, Sokka, and General Fong from head to toe.
"We need to find a way," Fong muttered.
"Hey, general," Rin said, turning to the man. "These ideas of yours aren't working. How long are you going to waste our time?"
"This is not wasted time," Fong argued. "I am weeding out the methods that don't work. Eventually, we will find a way to activate the Avatar State."
"And how long is that going to take?"
"As long as we need to achieve the Avatar State."
Well, I guess I can't convince him, Rin thought, wiping the mud off her clothes. She looked over to Aang, who was taking off the soiled ceremonial apparel he had been wearing. Rin marched over to him and put a hand on his shoulder, grabbing his attention.
"Follow me outside. I want to talk to you."
"What is it?"
Rin and Aang were standing outside on a large balcony, watching the sun as it approached the horizon. It was almost sundown, but there was still plenty of daylight left before night came.
"I think we should leave and do the plan you guys originally had, learning the elements one by one," Rin said. "I don't think you'll learn how to activate the Avatar State here."
"Why's that? I don't see why we can't."
"The general doesn't know what he's doing, and I'm pretty sure his last try was clear evidence of that."
"Huh? It might have worked. I mean, combining the four elements doesn't seem too crazy. I am the Avatar after all," Aang said. "I can see why you don't like General Fong, with him being part of the Earth Kingdom government, but-"
"Aang, I don't hate the government; I just don't care about the laws it makes," Rin corrected Aang. "And that ceremonial clothing is just clothing. It's not going to make you magically go into the Avatar State. Besides, that's not the only reason I think we should leave."
"Then what's the other reason?" Aang asked.
"I don't think you're supposed to activate the Avatar State manually," Rin explained. "It's just a hunch of mine, but I've learned to trust my instincts, so I have a feeling that I'm right."
"Well... where did you get this 'hunch'?"
"I might be wrong since I don't really know a lot about the Avatar, but the Avatar is known for bending all four elements, right?" Rin asked as Aang responded with a nod. "I don't think the Avatar is known for glowing it up and becoming a weapon of mass destruction."
"That's right... I'm not supposed to be a weapon. I'm supposed to be a peacekeeper," Aang muttered. "But defeating the Fire Nation should be the quickest path to peace. If I learn how to control the Avatar state, I can restore order much quicker than if I try to master the elements."
"If you want to do that, then go ahead," Rin told Aang as she sighed. "But I'm not sure if this is the best way to do things, and I have a feeling that Katara feels the same way."
Rin then walked back inside, leaving Aang alone with his thoughts.
"Do you think the general will be mad?"
"What can he say? You're the Avatar. Who knows better than you?"
Rin woke up to the sound of Aang and Sokka quietly talking a few feet away from her. She opened her eyes to confirm that, yes, it was still nighttime. Rin yawned and sat up from the floor, alerting the two boys.
"So, you changed your mind?" Rin asked.
"I guess so," Aang replied. "I've been having dreams... no, nightmares about the Avatar State. I don't think I should be trying to activate it."
"Well, I guess you should probably listen to your dreams then," Rin advised. Especially when they get invaded by a spirit and start talking back to you. Oh, speaking of spirits...
"Sokka?" Rin called quietly, not wanting to wake up Katara.
"Mhm?" Sokka replied, tilting his head over to look at Rin..
"I... kinda want to apologize about the comment yesterday," Rin said. "About your girlfriend and the moon."
"Don't worry about it," Sokka replied. "I'm fine."
"You didn't look that way," Rin told him, remembering how he suddenly became silent when she mentioned the moon spirit. "Are you sure?"
"..."
"I'll take your silence as a no."
"It's hard," Sokka admitted as he started to tear up. "I was supposed to protect her, but I couldn't. I still remember the moment she fell, and her body went cold. It was dreadful."
"Before I met you guys, I made it a point not to get attached to anyone, so I can't really say I know how you feel. However, maybe if you let a bit of your grief out, help me understand what it's like... maybe you'll feel better," Rin said. "Remember, we're your allies. We can give you a shoulder to lean on if you feel tired, or someone to talk to when you're depressed."
"Thanks," Sokka muttered, wiping away his tears. "It's hard to keep it welled up inside, but I have to be strong, for me and my sister. By the way, I think it's time you called us something a bit more close than allies."
"What, you mean lovers?" Rin asked.
"What?! Not that close!" Sokka shouted, earning himself a glare from a half-asleep Katara. "I just mean friends. I mean, we've traveled together and looked after each other for at least a few months, I think we're past 'allies' by now."
"I've traveled with other 'allies' for longer than I've traveled with you guys, but that's a good point," Rin said. "I guess you guys are my friends... and my new family, seeing that I don't know where my old one is."
"I heard you and Katara talking back at the boat. You'll find them eventually," Sokka assured Rin.
"Hopefully," Rin muttered. "Anyways, we have a long day of traveling ahead of us now that we're leaving the base. We should sleep."
"Mhm."
"Hey, what are you still doing here?"
Once morning came around, Sokka and Aang went down to tell General Fong that Aang wasn't going to try to activate the Avatar State. Rin had been tasked with packing their equipment and bringing it up to the bison, but strangely, Katara had been lingering inside of their room, staring at a wall.
"I'm not going down there," Katara muttered. "What Aang and the general are doing... it's not right."
"So they should continue trying to get Aang to glow?" Rin asked. "I thought you were against that."
"Wait, what?" Katara asked back, confused. "What do you mean? I thought Aang and Sokka went to continue with General Fong."
"We had a talk last night while you were asleep. Aang doesn't want to bring around the Avatar State anymore," Rin explained.
"Oh. That's... a relief," Katara said. "So we're going back to the old plan."
"Exactly. Now, instead of standing around, help me bring all of the equipment up to Appa. We're leaving once the boys get back," Rin said.
"Okay."
After grabbing all of the group's equipment, Rin and Katara started climbing up the tower to where Appa was resting. As they stepped up staircase after staircase, Rin realized that climbing was much harder with two people's worth of equipment on her back.
What I would give to install those elevators from the air temple, Rin thought as the two girls took a break on one of the upper levels. They sat down next to each other in the corner of a long hallway. They heard a commotion outside, but were too tired to get up and look out the window.
"What's going on down there?" Katara wondered out loud. "I thought they stopped with their crazy experiments."
"Who knows," Rin replied. "It's a base full of earthbenders. Maybe they're just training."
"It sounds too frantic to be training. Training is supposed to be orderly. It sounds like fighting," Katara said. "I'm going to go check."
"Go ahead," Rin muttered as Katara dumped the equipment off her back. She made her way over to the window and looked outside. Rin heard her gasp. "What is it? Fighting?"
"They're attacking Aang! We need to get down there!" Katara shouted. Rin quickly threw down her stuff next to Katara's and bounded down the stairs behind her. As they sprinted down the flights of stairs, Rin suddenly remembered back to yesterday.
Threatening the Avatar with violence... I did that yesterday. Did I give Fong the same idea? It was a possibility. General Fong was determined to bring about the Avatar State, and it seemed that he would do anything, even attack the Avatar. As they reached the bottom of the tower, the two girls found Sokka running towards the fight.
"What's going on?" Katara asked. "Why are Aang and the soldiers fighting?"
"The General's gone crazy! He's trying to force Aang into the Avatar State!" Sokka explained as they ran outside. Aang was trying to avoid disks of stone that were being thrown around by soldiers. The three immediately went to work, protecting Aang and taking down soldiers.
"Aang, get out of here! Get to the bison!" Rin shouted, clubbing a soldier over the head with the blunt side of her hatchet. "Remember, if you escape, the general has no reason to fight the rest of us!"
"I don't have my glider!" Aang shouted back. "I left it with Appa!"
"Then run up there! You have legs!" Rin yelled. Aang jumped over Fong's head and was about to escape into the building with Sokka, who had somehow managed to commandeer an ostrich-horse and was right behind the airbender, leaving Katara and Rin alone with an entire base full of soldiers, along with a crazy general.
"You may be able to evade me, Avatar, but your friends can't!" Fong shouted to Aang. The soldiers gathered around the general and the two girls, creating a wall of earth disks so that the only way out was through the general.
I'll accept that challenge, Rin thought, charging Fong with her hatchet drawn back, ready to leap forward and attack him. Katara had the same idea, throwing a tendril of water directly at the general. However, in one smooth motion, he drew multiple pillars of sand to block the water, turning it into harmless mud. He then drew his fist down, sinking Rin's legs into the ground.
"I can't move!" Rin heard Katara shout behind her. Looking back, she saw Katara struggling to pull herself free from the ground.
"Here goes nothing," Rin muttered, looking at the bag of stones attached to her waist that she used to defeat Hahn back at the North Pole, along with so many other muggers, soldiers, and rich-looking people. She untied the entire bag from her waist and, with a grunt, heaved it towards General Fong's head. It wasn't until he raised his hand and the bag stopped in midair that Rin realized her stupidity. Oh, right. Earthbender.
"Don't hurt them!" Aang shouted, leaping towards Fong and throwing a gust of wind at him, which he blocked with a wall of earth. Suddenly, Rin and Katara sank up to their waists.
"Katara, I'm coming!" Sokka shouted, trying to charge past General Fong, but a stomp buried Sokka's ostrich-horse into the ground and sent him flying over the wall of earth disks.
"Stop! You have to let them go!" Aang pleaded, latching onto General Fong's hand, but the boy's words were ignored.
"You could save them if you were in the Avatar State!" Fong shouted, sinking the two girls deeper into the ground.
"I'm trying!" Aang said as his eyes started to well up with tears.
"Get him! He's right in front of you!" Rin shouted, expecting Aang to blow away the general at any second. However, the intensity of the situation, coupled with the boy's sobbing, blocked out her words.
"I don't see glowing!" General Fong said, sinking the two girls to their shoulders.
"You don't have to do this!" Aang pleaded once again, kneeling down in front of the general.
"Apparently, I do," Fong replied as the ground reached to Rin's chin.
Not now. I fell off a cliff and survived. I battled at the North and survived. I can't be killed by some crazy general. I can't die because the Avatar can't attack what's in front of him. I can't die here. I want to find my family. I want to liv-
Rin's head finally sank into the ground, and everything went black.
Everything was black again. Just like before. Rin had a feeling she knew why.
Is it time? Did I die?
"No. It's merely the beginning."
Unless the gift was earthbending, I'm pretty sure I'm dead.
"No... but that doesn't mean you won't use my gift right after our conversation."
What?
"It's exactly how I said it. Now go back... and tell an old friend that I said hello."
The first thing Rin noticed was the fierce wind blowing against her. She opened her eyes and saw a giant tornado of dust in the middle of the base, Aang riding atop the cyclone in the Avatar State. Katara was lying beside her. General Fong stood on the other side, calling towards the Avatar.
"Avatar Aang, can you hear me?!" the general shouted into the wind. "Your friends are safe! It was just a trick to trigger the Avatar State! And it-"
"YOU ASS!" Rin shouted, grabbing General Fong by the back of his uniform and throwing him to the ground. She jumped onto him and grabbed his face, repeatedly slamming the general into the stone courtyard. She noticed her hand becoming unbearably hot, but she didn't care. "You almost killed me!"
"It was just a - Stop! Stop! IT BURNS!" the general cried out, confusing Rin for a second before a giant blast of wind blew her off of the general and into a nearby building. As she got up, she saw that the entire base was devastated by Aang. Cracks lined the ground, the wooden buildings were splintered and torn, and the tower had cracks running up to the top.
Wow... I never knew it was this powerful. I mean, they told me about it, but wow... As Rin stood up, a stinging pain shot up through her right arm, the one that she had grabbed the general's face with. Looking down, she gasped.
"What the..." Rin muttered before the pain hit her. Her arm was covered in one large burn, reaching all the way up to her elbow. The skin was a feverish red, and blisters marked the surface of her hand and forearm. As she moved her other hand closer, she could feel the heat radiating off the burn. Wincing in pain, Rin walked off to meet with Katara, who was comforting Aang. I need to get this to her. Hopefully, she can heal this.
"I'm sorry, Katara. I hope you never have to see me like that ever again," Aang muttered as Katara held him.
"Are you joking? That was almost perfect! Now we just need to think of a way to control you!" Rin heard General Fong say from behind her. Turning around, she saw Fong approaching the three, covered in dust and debris. A hand-shaped patch on his face was burned - no, not burned, scorched. The skin was raw and blistered, and some of it had outright been scorched black. Did... did I do that?
"You're out of you're - what happened to your face?" Aang asked, shocked by the injury. "Did I do that?"
"No, you can blame your impulsive firebender friend here. But no matter! We can think of a way to control the Avatar State on our way to the Fire Nation," General Fong said before Sokka strolled up behind him on an ostrich-horse and clubbed him in the head, knocking him out.
"Anyone got a problem with that?" he asked, and the soldiers shook their heads.
"Do you... still want an escort to Omashu?" one of the soldiers offered.
"I think we're all set," Katara replied.
"I mean, we have a bison. All you guys have are ostrich-horses," Rin added. "Hey, Katara, can you look at this for me?"
"Sure, what is it?" Katara asked. "And what did he say about a firebender-"
"Look," Rin interrupted, holding out her injured arm to Katara. "I did that. I think he's talking about me."
"You're... you're a firebender?" Katara asked, surprised. "Can a firebender even burn themselves?"
"I don't know. I just found out I was a firebender a few seconds ago, if that's even the case," Rin explained. "I didn't even see any fire. It was just... hot."
"I don't have any water with me right now. Once we get back to Appa, I'll heal you," Katara told Rin.
"Let's go," Rin said.
"So, you burned General Fong's face?" Aang asked. They were flying towards Omashu, away from the base. The sun had already started to set. "You were a firebender all this time?"
"I guess? It's not like I knew before today," Rin said, punching the air and trying to create a fireball. However, nothing happened. "I can't seem to firebend right now. Maybe burning General Fong's face was a fluke or something?"
"Well, I guess he deserved getting his face burned off. But wait, aren't you from the Earth Kingdom?" Sokka asked. "If anything, shouldn't you be an earthbender?"
"Maybe I'm from the colonies," Rin surmised.
"If that's the case, then I don't think there will be records of your family at Ba Sing Se," Katara said. "They'll either be in the Fire Nation or the colonies."
"That's true... wait, don't you guys hate firebenders or something like that?" Rin asked. "Didn't they kill your families or something? If your uncomfortable traveling with me, then I can leave, if you want."
"... the Fire Nation did that. Not just firebenders," Aang explained. "Jeong Jeong was a firebender, but I wanted him to teach me firebending."
"And we've traveled too long together to hate you," Katara added. "Now, let me see your arm."
"Okay, go ahead," Rin said, sticking out her arm. However, this time, the skin was not burnt and blistered but delicate and pink, as if it had already been healed. I... I swear it was burned. The heat, the pain, that couldn't have been fake.
"This can't be right," Katara muttered, holding the water out in a globe over Rin's arm. "I saw your arm. It was burned and blistered all over..."
"That's not normal," Sokka said. "That's definitely not normal. Burns don't heal that fast."
"Nothing's really normal for me at this point," Rin sighed. "First I'm a firebender, and now this..."
Not to mention I've been speaking to a spirit in my dreams. Maybe this was the gift she was talking about?
I'll have to have a talk with her when we meet again.
A few after-chapter things I want to talk about (Again, not integral to the story).
I've had an idea for a new fanfiction, but with this one currently going, I'm not sure if I want to start it before I end this one. The ideas for the new story have been swirling around my head for a few days/weeks. It will be an A:TLA story, since that's the fandom I'm most familiar with, but that's not to say I don't have ideas for stories about other fandoms. I'm actually being careful to separate ideas from this story and the one I have planned in my head, going to the point where I've reworked both future and already-told events so that they won't overlap with my new story (don't worry, I'll make sure this doesn't detract from the quality or plot either story).
I would appreciate it if you, the readers, would leave a review. It doesn't matter whether the review is a single sentence about your opinion on the story or a multi-paragraph essay on how (insert character here) is out of character. Actually, right now I'm worried that the established canon characters (mostly the gaang) are out of character, or dull, outside of already-made scenes (scenes where I take lines from the show). However, if you just want to say whatever you think of the chapter, that's completely fine, as it lets me know that you guys read and appreciate my story. So, on your way out, please leave a review.