Book One: Fire

Chapter Ten

-Avatar and High Priestess-

"Priestess Daiyu. It is an honor for us that you have graced us with you presence."

Daiyu giggled and waved her fan. "Please, rise! We are all here for the same reason, so let's try to act as teammates, you could say." Her bright smile darkened and her red eyes glinted hysterically. "We want to capture the Avatar. I'll use whatever is in my power to stop him from contacting Avatar Roku this evening. Please, show me to his shrine."

The sages nodded and they split, some in front and some in the back in case someone tried to assassinate her. She walked along with grace in each step, her fingers breaking into a cold sweat.

'I swear, Aang! The things I do for freedom!' She scolded in her mind and Daichi chuckled.

'You will be free fairly soon, Little One. Do not worry.' Daiyu sighed and smirked as they stopped at a hallway and opened a grand door that could only let access with firebending. Good thing her and Kailì didn't just sneak in like they thought they should.

"Please, enter." One sage said and Daiyu's mouth hardened into a straight line.

"Whatever you do, do NOT open this door untill I give the ok. For all we know the Avatar could open the door and knock me unconcious. He is the master of all four elements. I'm just a fifteen year old non bender. You have been warned. Breach my duties, and I will let Firelord Ozai seal your fate." With that she walked in and sighed in relief as the solid doors shut tightly behind her. "Now it's your turn Aang. Hurry up!" She whispered, looking at the statue of Avatar Roku in wonder and awe.

"Let's run this blockade!"

Aang and the others were in trouble. In front of them, a blockade of Fire Nation ships and behind was the banished prince of that formentioned nation. Without a second thought, Aang jumped off of Appa to deflect a rock covered in fire. These guys weren't messing around! Luckily they passed them without any other problems.

As they arrived at the island, Sokka ran straight into a tall boy on the steps of the temple. He wasn't in Fire Nation robes so they didn't know who he could be. The boy looked over to Aang and smiled.

"Your the Avatar! Daiyu told me alot about you. Please, let me journey with you inside to meet her." He said bowing. The gang looked at each other and Aang stared at the boy. He looked about eighteen, a young man.

"Name?" Aang asked and the young man stood.

"Kailì."

"Well you better hurry up, Kailì!"

Daiyu was not expecting a furry lemur to slip under the door.

"Daiyu! Can you hear me?! Demand the sages to unlock the door! They'll think Aang got inside!" Kailì yelled from behind the door and she kept quiet. Hiding at the far side of the room she heard the footsteps of the sages approach. Clearing her throat silently she took a deep breath and began to scream.

"OPEN THE DOORS! THE AVATAR IS TO STRONG!"

They did as was told as Daiyu made it seem like she wasn't in the room. She was hidden behind Avatar Roku's statue, her breathing was practiclly silent. When the sages realized they were tricked, Katara, Kailì and Sokka attacked and Daiyu called Aang to hurry up through their connection. What was taking him so long?!

"Aang! Now's your chance!" Katara yelled. Daiyu heard a struggle.

"C'mon Aang!" Sokka encouraged but who's voice Daiyu heard next, made her have a heart attack.

"Sorry, but he's coming with me." Her heart was pounding and she put a hand over it like that would help calm it. Why was her breathing shallow now? She closed her eyes tight.

'Daichi! I'm panicking! Zuko's here and Kailì's been captured.' The dragon cursed in her head as he tried to calm her with a wave of relief but her subconcious just blew it off. Zuko. Was. Here! To say she missed him was an understatement. Not a day did it go by without wandering what he was doing? Was he upset with her? Will he start hunting her down and calling her a traitor? Her heart was clenching and she flinched at what he said next.

"Daiyu! So your with the Avatar now? You betrayed our nation?! You betrayed ME?!" She was about to start hypervillinating. No one could see her but they knew she was still there.

"Don't talk to her like you know the situation!" Kailì yelled, snarling at the banished prince. He was chained, along with Sokka and Katara.

"And I suppose you do, Peasant?"Zuko snapped and Kailì let out a bark of laughter.

"Yeah. I do, actually." He replied cockily and Zuko scowled. Still carrying Aang, he made a knife of fire and held it close to Kailì's neck.

"Enlighten me." He threatened and Daiyu gasped, looking from behind the statue. Obviously things couldn't get worse! Dead. Wrong. Zhao, of all people!, showed up and arrested Zuko. Daiyu was close to tears. She shouldn't have came. She shouldn't have told Aang to come. This was all her fault! Just like it was her fault Zuko was chasing the Avatar right now. Just when she thought all was lost, Katara called Aang's name and he was back in action. He successfully out maneuvered the Fire Nation soldiers and got inside just as the doors closed.

"Aang! I'm so glad your safe!" Not even thinking she hugged him and he immediately hugged back. Maybe it was a reaction of wanting to remember her past or maybe she still thought of him as her little brother after all of this time, but Daiyu realized he was still close to her and she had worried. That's why she was helping now.

"C'mon! Lets talk to Roku." He grabbed Daiyu's hand and they sat side by side in front of the large golden statue. The priestess laid her swords on her side and Aang laid his staff down. Nothing intresting was happening. All though she couldn't help but to stare at the gem that was encrusted into the latter Avatar's head. It was a bright red gem and it almost seemed to glow. Shaking her head from her thoughts, Daiyu watched in awe as the room was getting brighter and brighter. By the way Aang gasped, he was seeing it too.

"Hello, young Avatar. Young Priestess."

In front of Aang and Daiyu were Avatar Roku and Priestess Qiuyue. Aang bowed and Daiyu curtsied.

"My how you've both have grown." Qiuyue murmured and Aang looked up.

"You know us?" The woman just nodded as she smiled softly at the two kids.

"I am sorry to ruin the joys of old memories but, Aang and Daiyu need to know." Roku started softly and everyone turned to him, tense.

"Why am I here anyway? Shouldn't this be an Avatar to Avatar type of talk?" Daiyu asked sarcasticlly but also curious. Qiuyue frowned thinking how her child had changed drastically. She's never been so rude!

"Just like Qiuyue was my spiritual consultant, so are you, Young One. You and Aang are connected, two lives made to trust and support one another. The life of the Avatar is a hard one and so the spirits have blessed us with a friendship that will help us through any storm. That is part of your destiny, Daiyu. To support Aang and to protect him."

Daiyu crossed her arms and frowned. "Look no offense to Aang, I love him don't get me wrong, but it sounds like I would be playing baby sitter and that is not what I want. I want to go and figure out how I was alive for one hundred years. I want to find out who I was!"

Aang looked at Roku and Quiyue as if he knew once her mind was made up there was no changing it. "Well, Im more worried about my vision. What did it mean, Avatar Roku? It was a comet."

Daiyu looked at Aang intrested. A comet? Then something from her memory of the Fire Nation popped into her mind. And she knew it wasn't good.

-Flashback-

"Look, it's simple. You do the research and I'll present it! How hard could it be?" Unfortunetly Daiyu was paired with Azula to do a project of intresting celestial facts for class. They were both attending the Royal Academy for girls. Iroh had insisted she go to school and get to know Azula, Mai and Ty-Lee. The other two had been paired together.

"Ok fine! I suppose it saves me from public speaking." Azula smiled and in that moment, it looked like a real genuine smile. Daiyu smiled back as Azula walked around the priestess's room. They had to make it seem like they were studying together. As Azula messed with little trinkets on Daiyu's vanity mirror, the white haired girl beckoned her over.

"Princess Azula! This is pretty intresting. The comet that your grandfather, Firelord Sozin, used to start the war is going to return in four years time." That peaked the princess's intrest and she plopped down next to Daiyu. "Oh really?" Her face looked calculating but she snapped out of it with a smirk. "Good work, Daiyu! Your not as bad as I thought you would be."

The ten year old firebending prodigy began writing her speech with facts and other useless things as Daiyu drew a picture of the comet since she thought it was fair. Azula was speaking in front of the whole school!

-End Flashback-

"…One hundred years ago, Fire Lord Sozin used that comet to begin the war. He and his firebending army harnessed its incredible power and dealt a deadly first strike against the other nations."

Snapping back into reality, or in this case spirit reality, Daiyu tensed at his words. Qiuyue noticed and waved her fan in front of herself. This indeed would be troubling for the children to hear.

"So the comet made them stronger?" He guessed and the Avatar before him nodded his agreement.

"Yes. Stronger than you could even imagine."

Daiyu shivered. She saw how strong Iroh was. IS. The Dragon of the West powers didn't need to get any stronger. And if that was for the good sibling, Ozai would surley kill them all. Aang didn't seem to get it though.

"But that happened a hundred years ago. What does the comet have to do with the war now?" Qiuyue looked at Roku and he nodded his head as though allowing her to explain. She closed her fan and started informing the two with cold and hardened maroon eyes.

"Listen carefully. Sozin's comet will return by the end of the summer. And Fire Lord Ozai will use its power to finish the war once and for all." At the shock on Aang's face and the anger on Daiyu's, Roku decided to go ahead and finish it, just to show them how awful it would be. "If he succeeds, even the Avatar and High Priestess won't be able to restore balance to the world. Aang, Daiyu. You two must help each other to defeat the Fire Lord before the comet arrives."

Aang began to look around wildly, as if this was all just some crazy nightmare and Momo would wake him up in no time.

"But I haven't even started learning waterbending, not to mention earth and fire." Daiyu crossed her arms and nodded her agreement.

"First, you two seem to be forgetting something important... um what was it?" The girl snapped her fingers a few times and recieved a thoughtful look on her face. "IM NOT A BENDER! Plus, who said I would help Aang? I told Aang what I wanted to do and he understood perfectly."

Roku and Qiuyue both sighed, almost face-palming despite the situation. "Mastering the elements takes years of discipline and practice. But if the world is to survive, you must do it by summer's end." Roku stated looking at Aang and then turning towards his big sister. "And to keep balance, you MUST help the Avatar whenever he is in need. You two will keep balance. Yin and Yang. Oh I forgot to mention one little thing, about you not being a bender. We can fix that."

Daiyu's eyes widened at what the old Avatar was implying. "Are you saying you can give me bending?!" She demanded, a little scared. Qiuyue chuckled along with Roku.

"We cannot provide you that. But thankfully the spirits have already taken care of it." She assured quietly and Daiyu shivered. They were deadly serious about this! "Indeed. The gem that you were staring at on my statue, will be the first one you collect. It will give you the ability to firebend." Daiyu's eyes widened and her jaw slackened. Before she interrupted, Roku continued. "Becareful with it. You have four places on which the gem can consume you. The stomach, which will cause your soul to spark. The chest, on which your heart will beat passionately as well as your emotions. Either of your arms which gives your physical body the deadliness of which flames enhance. Or your forehead, which causes your thoughts to think wildly."

Aang watched his big sister's expression. He could see she was trying to put on a strong front but she looked scared. Terrified, really.

"It is said that the High Priestess will only find at the most three of the four gems. They are the most powerful after the Avatar. You must not abuse these new found blessings of the spirits, Daiyu. Once the gem is a part of you, you are stuck with it untill the day you die. This is also a part of your destiny. These were meant to help you protect yourself and the Avatar."

"No, that's crazy! Me, bending?! No thank you, I can stick with my dao swords." Roku frowned. He knew she was afraid but this girl needed to understand that it wasn't all about her.

"There is another reason why your hair is white, Daiyu. It's to help absorb the spiritual energy that enters your body and balances it. If you do not take at least one of the gems, you could die a week after passing up the opportunity." It was official. You were never to old to piss your pants, the hundred and fifteen year old decided. "Choose wisely, Daiyu."

The girl gasped and looked around the room. She was back inside the temple. Looking over at Aang, she saw he was still in the Avatar State. Trying not to disturb him, she began to walk slowly towards the sculpture. Not liking the sound of this, she raised her hand and the gem flew down towards her. Now where would she put it? Thinking that her emotions were already wrecked, she placed the cold precious stone on her stomach. Flames were hard to put out. If she was close to dying anytime soon, let the spirits forbid, she wouldn't die so easy. The gem slowly pushed INSIDE her stomach and she cried out in pain. A small belly stone type of jewelry settled in the middle of her abdomen. Her core. Her soul. She felt like collapsing and so she did just that. Breathing hard, Daiyu watched Aang's unconcious body with unfocused eyes. Glancing down at the shiny floor she saw her reflection. Her white hair seemed shinier and there were purple streaks on her cheeks. Was this her version of the Avatar State? Her eyes were solid green. To say the least, she felt like dying.

'Kailì... how are you holding up out there?' She questioned in her head but he didn't answer. The connection she had with him and Daichi was gone! She shook and tried to sit up, but she couldn't move. Looking up at Aang without tilting her head, she heard him mutter two words.

"I'm ready."

An unbelievable burst of power rose through Daiyu and she gasped as Aang turned into Avatar Roku. She felt herself getting up and stepping up to be on his side. It's like she didn't have control over her body. She wanted to fight it but it was oddly reassuring.

And then, everything went black.