The gang had set down in a large clearing in the middle of forested area, taking a break from flying to give Appa some rest and so that they could stretch their legs and avoid 'saddle-butt', as Aang had called it. While they stretched and relaxed, Sun had the monk practicing his Waterbending, by bending a small ball of water around his body that the blond would randomly freeze. If he failed the exercise, Sun would drop the ice down the back of his shirt.
After Aang shrieked in surprise again, Ty Lee, after containing her giggling, noticed that someone was missing. "Hey, where's Momo?" She asked, wondering where the lemur had gone.
As if on cue, a yowling cry echoed through the forest. "That's Momo!" Aang called, scrambling into the forestry. "This way!"
He lead them through the undergrowth to the base of a large tree. Hanging high up in the branches was a trio of metal cages, swinging pitifully in the breeze as animal noises sounded out from inside of them. Aang jumped from tree-to-tree, landing at the top of the branch holding the ropes. He found a metal winch and slowly unwound it, lowering the cage containing Momo to the forest floor.
Sokka pried the metal slats open with his hands and freed the winged lemur, who hopped out and proceeded to feast on the lychee nuts that had ensnared him in the first place. "You're welcome." The warrior muttered, letting the snare close. He noticed Aang slowly climbing to the other winches and decided to get to the point. "That'll take forever."
He whipped his boomerang out and threw it with precision, slicing through both ropes and dropping the cages to forest floor, where they broke open and allowed the hog monkeys that had been trapped to flee.
"These are Fire Nation snares," Sun remarked, poking one with his toe. "And the ones who set them likely aren't far off. Break time's over; let's pack up and get moving again."
"Yeah, alright." Aang sighed, landing softly next to them. "But don't blame me if you get saddle-butt!"
They made it back to the clearing and quickly packed up their gear, but as they began to tie it down to Appa, Sokka interrupted them. "Ah, no more flying."
Ty Lee gave him a questioning eyebrow. "Why not?"
"Think about it," The warrior explained, lightly tugging on Appa's fur. "Somehow, Zuko and the Fire Nation keep finding us, and it's because of Appa. He's too easy to spot!"
"Appa's not too noticeable!" Aang protested, hugging the bison's head.
"He's a gigantic fluffy monster with arrow on his head." Sokka said dryly.
The Avatar huffed, scratching his friend's head soothingly as he lowed in distress. "Don't worry, buddy, Sokka's just jealous he doesn't have an arrow."
"You're right Sokka, but for the wrong reasons." Sun interjected calmly. "We've been hiding Appa pretty well, and yes he's noticeable; but it's Aang who is even more so. We've tried to disguise him, but the arrow, the staff and the robes are too obvious. And more often than not, we'll end up having to Airbend or introduce Aang as the Avatar."
"Yeah, as far as stealth goes, we haven't exactly been subtle." Ty Lee agreed with a shrug of her shoulders. "We usually move too fast to be pinned down, so it's not a problem."
Sokka crossed his arms and nodded grudgingly. "Alright, so it may be Aang who gets the attention, but we still can't fly. If those Fire Nation trappers are still around, they'll spot Appa before we know where they are. It'll be safer if we walk, and my instincts are telling me we can slip by easier on the ground."
The others looked to Sun, who hummed in thought. "Instincts are important, and if you really feel we should walk, we'll walk." Seeing Sokka nodding, he clapped his hands affirmatively. "Alright then, let's get walking."
Katara sighed and set her pack on her back. "I can already tell this is going to be a long day." She grumbled.
"Cheer up, Katara!" The acrobat said, cartwheeling over to her pack. "Walking could be fun!"
"Like an adventure!" Aang cheered in agreement.
…
A few hour of walking later, Ty Lee threw her hands up in the air. "I was wrong! Walking sucks! Why aren't we flying again?" She complained, wiping her sweaty brow.
"You'd have to ask Sokka's instincts." Katara snarked back, glowering at her brother's back.
"Oh, ha ha." Her brother muttered, brushing the undergrowth aside. Sun had decided to let Sokka lead them through the forest, seeing as they were already following his instincts. "Come on, it's not that bad."
"My back hurts." Aang whined, shifting his pack uncomfortably.
"I can carry that, if you like." Sun offered, looking completely unfazed despite his pack being the heaviest.
"Why don't you ask Sokka's instincts to carry it?" Katara added.
"Come on, guys, I'm tired too, but our safety is more important than our comfort." Sokka tried to explain, pushing through a bush. "This way, we're avoiding the Fire Nation and…trouble."
The group came to a stop as they looked around and realized they had been led into a Fire Nation camp. "You sure about that?" Sun asked sarcastically.
The soldiers, most in the middle of eating lunch, stared at them in surprise. A one-eyed soldier who must have been the leader, given the decorations on his armor, stood up and cried, "Seize them!"
"Run!" Sokka shouted, dropping his pack and bolting away. The others made to follow, but the one-eyed man shot a fistful of flames into the bushes ahead of them, cutting them off.
"Wait." Sun whispered urgently. "Let them circle us, make them think we're helpless. Then, when I say 'quack', hit the ground."
The group gathered back-to-back as most of the soldiers surrounded them, wielding swords or in Firebending stances.
"Why have you attacked us?" The blond asked loudly. "We are simple travelers simply passing through."
"Ha!" The leader laughed. "As if! That white cloak, that sunny hair…you are obviously The White Cloak, a bounty hunter wanted by the Fire Nation! And if you're here, traveling in a group of five…" He pointed at Ty Lee, followed by Aang. "The runaway Airbender…and the Avatar."
"I think they know who we are!" Aang said lowly.
Sun shrugged. "Well, it was worth a shot." Then, he reached into his pocket and loudly said, "Quack!"
The group hit the ground as he pulled his shrunken staff out and spun it over his head, extending it beyond its usual length, whipping it in a circle. The end slammed into each soldier's head with a loud clunk, and they collapsed to the ground.
"Oh, I get it!" Sokka crowed as he stood back up. "Quack, because that's the sound ducks make!"
Katara whipped a ribbon of water from her waterskin, sending a soldier flying into a tree. "Yes, very clever, but there are more of them!"
The Fire Nation soldiers who had stayed back and avoided the staff joined the fight, firing balls of flame. Ty Lee threw up a wide air shield that dispersed the attacks, leaving them open to a combo from Aang and Sun, who lifted them into the air and blasted them into a wide tree. As the Airbenders pulled the majority of the attention, Katara and Sokka worked together to fight. She would whip her attackers away and he would defend her back as the soldiers attempted to flank them from behind. Katara would freeze a few in place and Sokka would take his club to their frozen forms, knocking them unconscious.
Groaning, the one-eyed leader stumbled to his feet and growled, taking a Firebending stance as his hands lit up with fire. He targeted the unaware Katara's back as she and her brother were dealing with another Firebender and prepared to launch a ball of fire, until a body fell from above and landed heavily on his back.
Sun deflected the slashes from a pair of swords with his staff with a quick twirl, the heavy metal knocking the blade away from one soldier before driving his staff into the man's stomach, sending him up in the air with a spin. The other recovered from and charged at the blond with a yell, only to stagger and collapse on the ground, an arrow sticking out of his back.
The blond looked up into the trees to find a plain-faced teen wearing a conical straw hat giving him a stiff nod, before quickly drawing another arrow and shooting the sword out of a Fire Bender's hand.
More teenagers dropped from the surrounding forestry with mixed battlecries, descending on the remaining soldiers like a landslide. A thin man with red face-paint wielded a knife with some skill, while another showed impressive martial arts skill, taking armed soldiers on with his bare hands. Another pair consisted of large, thickly muscled man and child who couldn't have been older than nine.
They fought wildly, quickly routing the already panicked Fire Nation soldiers, driving them off into the forest. Except for the few bodies lying still on the ground.
They regrouped as the other teens searched through the camp and the one who appeared to be the leader approached them. He wore patched-together clothes, with a dark red vest being the most prominent, along with long sleeves and pants. He had light armor on his shoulders and thighs, with every piece being different from the others, giving him a raggedy look, which he shared with the other teens. Along with messy brown hair, a piece of wheat in his mouth, the pair of cared-for hook swords at his waist and the confident, rebellious air, he gave off the aura of a bad boy.
"Those were some nice moves." He said by way of introduction. "I've never seen an Airbender in action before. I should thank you; we've been waiting all morning to ambush those soldiers. All we needed was a distraction, then bam! You guys came onto the scene and set it off. And took out most of them."
"Glad to help." Sun replied diplomatically. "I can tell you're all guerilla fighters, but who are you exactly?"
The teen thumbed his chest. "I'm Jet, and these are my freedom fighters. Sneers," He gestured to the bare-handed fighter, who was eating from a bowl of food, "Longshot," Then the teen wielding a bow, who nodded silently, "Smellerbee," The thin boy brandished an appropriated sword as a greeting, "And The Duke and Pipsqueak." He finished it off by pointing at the young boy and the giant, respectively.
"Well met." The blond nodded in greeting. "My name is Sun, and with me are Aang, Katara, Sokka and Ty Lee."
Jet looked over the group, giving Sokka a nod and the girls a wink and a smirk. Katara blushed rather heavily, and Ty Lee simply gave him a polite smile. Then, his eyes fell on Aang. "You must be the Avatar."
Aang frowned thoughtfully. "I am, how'd you know?" He wasn't that noticeable, was he?
The rebel leader reached for the back of his belt and retrieved a scroll, letting it unroll to show them the contents. On the paper was a full-body sketch of Aang, robes, staff and arrow all clearly visible. "They've got wanted posters out all over the place. If I were you, I'd think of disguising myself." He offered politely. "After seeing what you can do, I'd ask you to join us, but you obviously have bigger things to take care of."
"Nonsense!" The young Avatar decried. "Nothing's too small for the Avatar! I help people whenever I can."
Jet smirked and nodded. "Perfect, we could use the help."
"What exactly do you need help with?" Sun asked carefully, wondering why his senses were itching at him.
The rebel leader shook his head. "Not here. We've got a place, we can talk there."
"Hey, Jet!" The Duke yelled, standing near an open barrel, holding a green finger in the air. "These barrels are filled with blasting jelly!"
Jet gave them a thumb's-up. "That's a great score."
Pipsqueak hefted a wooden crate on his shoulder. "And these crates are filled with jelly candy."
"Also good, but let's try not to get them mixed up."
"Yeah, blasting jelly may taste fine, but you don't want to find what it does later; trust me." Sun added with a rueful expression. "Seems to be all of value here."
"We'll take this back to the hideout." Pipsqueak told them as he and the others began to stack the gains in a nearby cart. "You guys can get a head start."
Jet nodded in agreement and began to lead the group through the forest, the large man catching up a few minutes later. Eventually, they came to an empty clearing. "Here we are."
"Not to burst your bubble or anything," Sokka said, gesturing to the lack of a hideout. "But there's nothing here."
He was handed a looped rope with a secretive smirk. "Hold onto this."
The Water Tribe warrior examined the rope curiously, finding it to be nothing special. "Why? What does it doooooooo…" As he spoke, the loop pulled tight around his wrist, yanking him up into the air, darting through the foliage.
"Aang?" Jet offered another rope.
"Nah, I'll get up on my own." He refused, hopping up onto a branch and disappearing into the boughs.
Ty Lee gleefully snatched the loop from Jet and glomped Sun tightly. The blond nearly stumbled from the sudden embrace, hugging the acrobat back as the rope went taut in her hand and quickly pulled them up. Sun found himself looking at Ty Lee as she laughed happily, the wind rushing around them, her smile wide and her grey eyes glittering.
She felt his gaze on her and turned to him, her grin going soft as she pecked his cheek and they broke through the greenery, detaching from the rope and floating down to land on a wooden platform. They found themselves in the midst of small village, made of wooden platforms that ringed the wide trunks of the trees and were connected by simple bridges and a series of ropes. Aang was zipping along one such rope, Momo clinging to his collar.
"Nice place." Sun said, impressed.
"It's nice," Jet replied, landing next to them with Katara quickly stepping out of his arms. "And more importantly, the Fire Nation can't find us."
Smellerbee let go of his ascending rope, landing easily. "And they'd just love to find you, wouldn't they, Jet?" He asked rhetorically.
"Not gonna happen." He replied simply.
"Have you been doing…this, for long?" Katara asked, looking over the small village.
Pipsqueak answered, having joined the walking group. "We've been ambushing their troops, cuttin' off supply lines and doing anything we can to mess with them since they took over an Earth Kingdom village a few years back." He explained, sounding sad near the end.
Jet patted the large man's shoulder. "We'll drive the Fire Nation out of here for good one day and set that town free." He declared firmly.
Katara looked up at the rebel with wide eyes. "That's so brave." She murmured.
Behind them, Sun narrowed his eyes on Jet's back. My neck's itching again. Something is off, but what?
As Jet gave backstory on the others in the gang, Sun tried to figure out why his senses were going haywire around the group of guerilla fighters. They didn't seem to be hostile to anyone other than the Fire Nation, but the blond didn't miss anything as Jet revealed to Katara that his parents had been killed when he was a child.
…
Hours later, night had fallen, and the gang had gathered around a banquet table with rebels, Jet standing on end with a drink in his hand. "Today, we struck a great blow against the Fire Nation swine!" He announced proudly.
Sokka was the only one of the gang to glance over at Sun and Ty Lee and notice that their expressions were carefully schooled to not show how that comment had affected them. Aang and Katara were caught up in the atmosphere and cheered along with the rebels.
"I got a special joy from the look on one soldier's face as Pipsqueak picked him up by the leg and tossed him into another." He toasted, Pipsqueak raising his arms in victory as the others clapped. "Now, the Fire Nation thinks they don't have to worry about a couple of kids hiding in the trees. Maybe they're right." He said with a nod.
The rebels booed loudly.
"Or, maybe, they're dead wrong." Jet growled, his face twisted in an angry grimace, the shadows of the lanterns dancing menacingly across his visage.
Sun and Ty Lee traded concerned looks, and Sokka felt his spine prickle. Jet hopped off the table and took a seat between the Tribal siblings, kicking back and relaxing. "That was good speech, Jet." Katara praised with a smile, her eyes flickering from the rebel next to her to the blond sitting across the table.
"Thanks." He thanked with a smirk. "So, I figured out a way you guys can help us in our struggle."
"How so?" Aang asked interestedly, looking up from his salad.
"Sorry, but we can't." Sokka interjected, standing from the table. "It's been fun, but we have places to go."
"You're kidding, right?" Jet asked incredulously. "You're the one I need the most for an important mission tomorrow!"
Sun watched as Sokka hesitated and turned back. "Mission, you say?"
…
Even later, Sun was still awake as the moon rose high into the sky. He sat on the edge of a wooden platform, his legs dangling off the side. "Sun?" He looked up as Ty Lee emerged from the tent they had set up on a free platform. "You're awake."
"Yeah, couldn't sleep." He replied with a sigh.
The acrobat sat next to him with a shrewd look. "You're getting a bad feeling too." She stated.
Sun nodded seriously. "Something's off about Jet, it's making me feel suspicious. It's like I can sense some ill intent, but it's muddy."
"I didn't want to say it around the others," Ty Lee confided, "But his aura is…it's not pleasant. It's all grey and angry red. It makes me feel sick."
"Something's going on with him." He stated in agreement. "I think Sokka can feel it too, though he got swept up in the storm that seems to be Jet. Did you notice how he knew how to play on Sokka's ego to get us to stay?"
"Or how he knows just what to say to flatter Katara and Aang?" She replied lowly. "I don't like it."
As they talked in hushed whispered, they were unaware of the blue eyes watching them from the mouth of their tent. Katara couldn't hear what they were saying, but their whispers sounded intense. She wondered if it had anything to do with Jet, the rebellious bad boy who had drawn her attention with his confidence and roguish air. Something about him niggled in the back of her mind, but she didn't know what. It might be a good thing, who knows?
…
"Since our cloaks are wider than Aang's glider, we have to take wider turns." Sun explained, waving to the surrounding tree trunks. "This is the perfect place to practice controlling flight around obstacles. I'll make a quick circuit and mark the path I want you to take. You can follow me if you want."
As he secured the loops of his cloak to his arms, Aang spoke up from his spot on a higher up platform. "Hey Sun, I've always wondered. How can you fly with that really heavy staff in your pocket?" He asked in confusion.
Sun, who had just jumped, paused mid-air, his face dawning with shock. "Oh, spirits, Aang, you're right!" With a surprised scream, he plummeted through the air like a rock, disappearing through the leafy branches.
The Airbenders looked over the side, giving each shocked looks. "Did that really just happen?" Aang asked quietly.
"No." Sun's sudden statement from behind made them jump, making the young monk windmills his arms to keep from falling off of the edge. He laughed at their faces, shaking his head as Ty Lee punched his arm ineffectively. "As I said before, my staff is a weapon from the Spirit World, a different plane of existence. It doesn't follow the same rules as a metal staff made here would. I can carry it in my pocket just fine; but for most other people, it would rip a hole in their pants, if they could actually lift it."
He pulled his cape taut and dropped from the edge. "Come on, Ty Lee." He called, flying through the air. As Sun flew, he wove through the trees, marking specific spots with a swipe of his hand. Completing the circuit, he flew back to the starting point, watching his childhood friend fly. She could fly straight, but she seemed to have trouble banking, her form shaking as she curved around a trunk.
"Here I go!" The acrobat announced, looping around the starting tree and heading back into the makeshift circuit.
Sun followed her progress closely, noting how slow she was going and how shaky her form was. "She's trying too hard to control her path," He said to Aang, who was playing with Momo. "She's not following her instincts."
Ty Lee landed on the platform, breathing hard. "How'd I do?"
"Not too bad, but your banking is shaky. You need to stop trying to force the turn; just let the air flow around you." He instructed, waving to the course again. "Try again, but let your instincts guide you, and don't be afraid to fly faster. If you think you're going to crash, just bounce off the tree and try again."
She nodded in understanding before stepping off of the platform and letting the wind catch her. Sun clicked his tongue as he noticed she was still trying to control it, cornering slowly. He waited until she had completed the circuit before waving for her to do it once more. As she looped around the starting tree, the blond inhaled deeply, releasing a wave of air from his mouth that caught Ty Lee in the back, making her fly even faster.
Ty Lee yelped in shock at the sudden acceleration, her eyes going wide as she sped at a tree. Closing her eyes, she felt her instincts crying out. Letting them take over, she loosened her grip on her cloak, opened her body a bit more to the air and felt a difference immediately. Her slipstream was smoother and she could feel the wind flowing around her even more.
She opened her eyes and took the course at a high speed, smoothly looping through the trees. Ty Lee flew back to the start with a wide grin. "I did it!" She shouted. "I listened to my instincts and I did it!"
She whooped as Naruto and Aang cheered for her. "Good job!" The blond yelled, "I want you to run it again, see how it feels now!"
The acrobat ran through the circuit one more time, whooping in joy as she easily maneuvered through the trees. She came back around and dived at Sun, tackling him to the wooden floor. She smiled down at him before hugging him tightly, rubbing her cheek against his. "Thanks so much!"
He chuckled and hugged her back. "It's part of your heritage, Ty. It's a balancing act between knowing your skill and trusting your instincts, and you are an acrobat, after all." Sun let Ty Lee cuddle with him for a bit longer before getting up and continuing the lesson.
Back along the platform, Katara shrunk back into the tent she had just emerged from, sinking down to sit on her sleeping bag. The latest scene only seemed to confirm what she had thought and feared; Sun and Ty Lee were too close for her to make any sort of move on the blond bender. Whatever joy she might've had from making Sun hers would be flattened by the sad face Ty Lee would make, an expression she could already see in her mind's eye.
The Waterbender sighed and steeled herself. It wasn't the end of the world, just a lost chance. She could deal with lost chances, and it shouldn't be hard to shift her view of the handsome, caring guide from potential love interest to how she saw Sokka and Aang, would it?
As she stepped out of the tent, she was ambushed by Sun, who lifted her into a warm hug. "Sun!" She squealed in surprise, her face flushing red. Katara hyper-aware of how could feel his warmth penetrating her clothes as his strong arms encapsulated her against his broad chest and his soft blond hair brushed against her cheek. "What' are you doing?!"
"Well," He drawled, grinned widely, "Ty Lee's learned how to fly and she gave me a hug, and Aang felt left-out, so I'm making sure no one is left out!" Over his shoulder, she could see the acrobat hugging the monk gladly, Momo flying around them while chattering loudly.
As her cheeks burned even more, Katara hugged the bender back, burying her face in his shoulder. Oh hell. She swore in her mind. This is impossible.
Sun set her down as Sokka came trudging up to the tent, his shoulders slumped and his face stony. "Sokka! Hugs for everyone!"
The warrior grunted and began to roll up his sleeping bag. "Hug your pack, we're leaving." He said shortly.
The blond was instantly suspicious. "What happened?"
"Her boyfriend," He grunted with a jerk of his head at his sister, "is nothing but a thug."
"No he's not!" Katara protested as the others joined them. "He's a freedom fighter."
"He's messed up," Sokka insisted, giving her a serious look. "Seriously messed up. 'Freedom fighters' don't rob harmless old men." Out of their sight, Sun and Ty Lee traded suspicious looks.
His sister stepped back in shock. "What? What do you mean? Jet wouldn't do that!"
Her brother dropped his pack roughly and spun on his heel to face her. "And how would you know, Katara? You just met the guy yesterday!" He barked, his visage troubled.
Katara crossed her arms stubbornly. "I want to hear Jet's side of the story." She insisted.
"Yeah, there may be something you don't know about." Aang agreed fairly. "I'll go find him, he'll tell us everything."
Jet had swung across to them and listened intently, turning a concerned look on Sokka. "You told them what happened, but you didn't mention that he was Fire Nation?"
"He was bent over, using a cane to walk!" Sokka protested hotly. "A cane that you kicked away!"
"I had to." Jet shrugged, reaching into his belt and retrieving a curved, wicked-looking knife that he sunk into the tree he was leaning on, leaving the spiked hilt next to his head. "He was going for this. He was an assassin, Sokka."
Sokka looked between the knife and the rebel in surprise. "I didn't see a knife on him!" He said quickly.
The rebel tapped the blade. "That's 'cause he was concealing it. Look," He pulled on the ring pommel, revealing a glass tube filled with red liquid, "there's a hidden compartment for poison. He was sent to eliminate me. You helped save my life, Sokka."
The Water Tribe warrior threw his hands up in the air. "There was no knife, I know it!" He denied, before stomping away. "I'm packing my things and we're leaving!"
Jet gained a worried expression. "Please tell me you guys aren't leaving." He said desperately. "We really need your help. The Fire Nation is going to burn down our forest and destroy our whole valley!"
Aang and Katara gasped in shock. Sun affected a look of surprise. "Oh man, that's terrible." He said with a shake of his head. "I'm going to talk to Sokka, guys. Can I take that?" The blond gestured to the knife, which Jet pulled out of the trunk and passed it to him.
Ty Lee joined him and they left, barely hearing the rebel leader asking Aang and Katara to help fill a water reservoir. They stepped into the tent, finding Sokka angrily packing his things. "Sokka."
"Don't try and stop me, guys!" He shot over his shoulder. "Jet is messed up, and I want no part in it!"
"We know, Sokka. We felt it too." Ty Lee soothed, patting his shoulder. "Jet's been giving me the creeps since we first saw him; this just confirms it."
Sun held the knife up. "And his story rings false to me." He removed the poison vial, along with a small stone bowl from his belt. The blond poured a bit of the red liquid into the container and added a bit of water before holding it over his palm, a handful of yellow fire crackling in his hand. He heated the mixture until it steamed, then wafted it up his nose shortly before he grimaced and turned away from the concoction in disgust. "Screaming Red."
Ty Lee felt a shiver crawl up her spine at the pronouncement. "What's that?" She asked lowly.
"A very dangerous poison, made from a mixture of plants, mostly rat-snake venom, curare and Red Flowering Cacti." Sun listed solemnly. "If cut, the victim would be paralysed and wracked with terrible pain, but completely unable to move as they hallucinate horrible things. It's called such because the victim ends up lying on the ground, only being able to scream in pain."
Sokka shuddered in horror. "That's…terrifying."
"It is." Sun confirmed with a nod. "And it's also something the Fire Nation would never use. Using poison would make the user seem too weak and cowardly to fight for themselves, and they would be disgraced. This poison and the weapon come from the Corsairs, a group of Fire Navy deserters who got tired of blindly following orders and turned to pirating instead."
"So Jet was definitely lying about the old man." The warrior concluded, smacking his fist into his palm. "But that leaves more questions. What does he have planned? Why is he lying? If only we knew more."
Ty Lee shared a knowing look with Sun. "We overheard a little bit, but involves a nearby reservoir." She shared.
"We'll have to search around, see what we can find out." Sokka suddenly thrust his hand in the air. "I know! He wants us to help him tomorrow, so that must mean he's going to set it up tonight!" He deduced. "We should wait until it's dark and follow him."
Sun grimaced slightly. "Uh, it would be better if it was just Ty Lee and myself, Sokka." He said carefully.
"What? Why?" The warrior asked, frowning.
"Well, you're not the most sneaky guy around," The blond worded delicately, trying not to hurt Sokka's feelings. "We're Airbenders, we're naturally quieter when we walk. It would make more sense for us to go instead of all three of us. And if we get made, at least one of us will know what happened and why."
Sokka crossed his arms, definitely not pouting. "But what if you get caught and you have to fight?" He questioned, waving a hand.
Ty Lee raised her hand and twirled her fingers, a miniature tornado forming above her palm. Sun blinked slowly and arched an eyebrow at Sokka, who gained a sheepish expression.
"Good point."
…
That night, when everyone else was asleep, Jet and a few of his followers descended from the tree tops, pushing the wagon full of blasting jelly through the forest. A pair of cloaked figures followed the group from above, dashing over the thin branches with no more noise than a light breeze.
They traveled quickly through the forest, heading down a narrow cliff to plant the wagon at the base of a wide stone dam, the reservoir of which was currently empty. "Listen, make sure not to blow the dam before the reservoir is full; the Fire Nation troops might survive if it isn't."
"What about the people in the town, Jet?" The Duke asked worriedly, hopping down from the wagon. "Won't they get washed away, too?"
Jet sighed and knelt near the child, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It's the price we have to pay for getting rid of the Fire Nation, Duke." He said kindly. "Those people would suffer for years. This way, they get set free."
Sun gave Ty Lee a grave look. "Now we know." He whispered, his face twisting in disgust. "Jet's not a freedom fighter; he's a bastard, no better than the soldiers he hates."
Ty Lee shook her head. "How are we going to deal with this?" She asked curiously, playing with the hem of her cloak.
"I'll deal with the blasting jelly," He said back, grabbing her hand comfortingly. "You go back and tell the others when they wake. I'll catch up before sunrise."
Sun made to leave, but was caught up when the acrobat grabbed his cape and pulled him back, throwing her arms around him and meshing her lips to his. "Stay safe." She whispered, pulling away a minute later.
He smiled briefly. "Good night. Good luck." Then, with a swish of his white cloak, he disappeared into thin air.
…
That morning, Jet knocked loudly on the trunk next to the Avatar group's tent, not noticing the hushed whispers dying down under the chirping of birds. "Morning! Come on people, we got a forest to save!" He called cheerfully.
The group, minus Sun, emerged from the tent with determined looks. Well, Ty Lee and Sokka looked determined, Aang and Katara looked uncertain.
"Something wrong?" Jet asked curiously.
Katara shook her head and smiled at him. "Not at all. Let's get cracking."
They moved quickly through the forest, finding themselves along a river that had banks dotted in rounded holes, steam escaping from the water. On the other side of the left bank, a deep, dry gully ran. "Here we are," Jet announced, gesturing to the vents and the river. "There's an underground water vein escaping from the vents; all I need you to do is help it along."
The bushes rustled as Sun dropped from a tree, landing next to them with stumble. "Hey guys, seems I caught up with you right on time." He greeted with a smile.
"Where were you?" Jet asked carefully.
The blond grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I had to go to the bathroom." He said in embarrassment. "Sorry."
The rebel leader shrugged uncaringly. "It's cool. With three Waterbenders, this should go quick. I'm going to check on things at the reservoir." He gave them a winning smile and thumb's-up. "Remember, I believe in you, and I know you can do it." Without another word, he swung himself up into the trees and leapt off.
Contrary to his beliefs, the group didn't even start to fill the reservoir. Instead, they waited and talked. "Are you absolutely sure about this?" Katara asked sadly.
Sun nodded seriously. "Absolutely. Ty Lee and I saw it with our own eyes. If we wait another few minutes and head out, we'll find them at the dam, unloading the blasting jelly." He said, before motioning for them to follow and jogging off into the forest.
Soon enough, they arrived at the dam and descended quickly, finding Jet directing Pipsqueak, Smellerbee and Sneers as they unloaded the red barrels and stacked them at the base of the stone dam, while Longshot kept a lookout from a tree and Pipsqueak watched from a rock.
"I don't believe it." Katara muttered, her voice carrying over the distance. "You lied to us, Jet!"
Jet stiffened and spun around to find the group staring at him accusingly. "What are you guys doing here? We need to fill that reservoir!" He shouted desperately.
"There's no point in lying anymore!" Aang yelled, gripping his staff tightly. "We know what you're planning to do, and we're here to stop you!"
"You don't understand!" Jet called, his hands on his hook swords. "This is the only way to set these people free! Sokka, Katara, think of what the Fire Nation did to your mother! We can't let them do that to anyone ever again!"
Katara clenched her fists and looked down, her face scrunched up. "I will never forgive the soldier who murdered my mother," She whispered through gritted teeth. Releasing a heavy sigh, she met Jet's eyes evenly. "But it wasn't everyone in the Fire Nation who was responsible for it. I won't let my anger at one man poison my view of an entire people. Not when two of them are my friends."
She stepped up and put a hand on Sun and Ty Lee's shoulders, gripping them tightly. The rebels gasped. "You-?"
"Ty Lee and I were born in the Fire Nation, Jet." Sun said blandly, glaring at him from under the lip of his hood. "And I don't appreciate you calling us swine. Also…" He raised his hands and clenched his fist, yellow fire engulfing them.
"You're a Firebender!" Jet screamed, nearly frothing at the mouth. "You tricked us!"
Ty Lee sneered, the angry look alien on her cheerful face. "And you're a damn hypocrite!" She shot back. "You say the Fire Nation is full of monsters, but you're no better! You cry for freedom, but you try to wipe away a town to do it? And what town is it, huh? Do you even know the name? Or do you just not care?"
Jet charged at her, brandishing his swords wildly. "You shut your mouth, you monster!" He shouted, leaping into the air as Ty Lee took her Airbending stance.
Before he could land his attack, Sun appeared in front of him, slapping his swords aside before slamming his palm into the rebel leader's chest, sending him flipping back. Jet landed heavily, pushing himself to his feet with grunt of pain.
"You. Do not. Call her a monster." Sun whispered furiously, his eyes nearly glowing in the shadow of his hood.
"Chivalry from the Fire Nation?!" Jet shouted, whipping his swords in front of him as the other rebels ran to his side, brandishing their weapon of choice. "Stop pretending you care, bastard!"
The group made to attack, but the blond held his hand out, stopping them. "Normally, I would let you guys fight." Sun announced calmly, undoing the clasp and shrugging his cloak off. "It's a good exercise for team-building. But…"
He cracked his knuckles, his lips pulling back to reveal his sharp white teeth. "They threatened a town full of innocents, lied to our faces, and insulted us. I. Am. Angry." He rolled his neck. "I'll handle this myself."
"Get him!" The rebel leader shouted, charging at the blond with his followers at his side.
Sun hopped forward and slammed his hand on the ground, making the earth rumble and shake, knocking the rebels off-balance. Then, he leaped into the fray.
Sneers attacked him a flurry of fists, and Sun dodged or blocked every one, before catching a punch and pulling the rebel at himself, kicking him in the stomach and throwing him away. Smellerbee dashed at him with a yell, swinging a pair of swords wildly.
The blond blocked her slashes with his bracers, sparks flying as steel met gold-inlaid stone. He knocked her swords aside and spun, catching an arrow shot at him by Longshot, snapping it between his fingers and throwing the remains in Jet's face, before dropping and sweeping the rebel's legs out from under him. He came out of the spin and jumped over a low slash from Smellerbee, who ducked under his retaliatory kick but was unprepared for the open-handed slap he landed on his face, sending him cartwheeling into the dam.
Pipsqueak shouted in rage and attacked the blond with his log, swinging the wide weapon with angry abandon. Sun ducked under the first swipe before coming back up and catching the next, stopping it cold to the large rebel's surprise. Then, he punched the log into splinters, making Pipsqueak gasp in pain from the splinters digging into his hands. He brushed his palms off roughly before clenching them into fists and throwing his right at Sun.
Sun caught his fist with a blank face, the impact echoing through the air. He slowly squeezed the larger man's hand, making the bones creak and Pipsqueak groan as he sunk to his knees. The blond punched the giant in the chest hard, sending him flying through the air and into the tree Longshot was hiding in, making it snap in half and tumble to the ground.
The archer nocked two arrows to his string and ran at Sun, firing them at his chest. The blond smacked them aside and followed Longshot as he leaped over his head, firing another arrow that Sun dodged as he spun, his hand chopping through the wood of the bow, snapping it in half, before he stepped forward and palmed the archer's chest, throwing him into a tree trunk.
Nearly incoherent with rage, Jet charged at him with his hook swords flashing through the air, the blades singing. Sun deflected the slashes and dodged under his kick, catching the hooks on his bracers, grabbing the blades at the curve and, with a flick of his wrist, snapped them off.
Jet stumbled back, looking at the ragged points of his swords in shock. "You really are a monster." He whispered, before dashing forward to engage him again. Sun pushed his attacks away with his bracers and caught the follow-up stab, nearly crushing Jet's hands and yanking the swords away when he reflexively released them. With contemptuous ease, he crumbled the weapons into scrap and tossed them aside.
The rebel leader screamed in anger and punched at him; the blond dodged the wild blow and back-handed Jet's face, sending him spinning roughly to the ground. Sun stood victorious over Jet, looking down at him with a stony visage.
"You think you've won, swine?" Jet asked quietly, using the back of his hand to wipe the blood dribbling from the corner of his mouth away. "You haven't won anything! Longshot, now!"
Longshot had recovered just enough to pull his backup weapon, a small crossbow loaded with a single bolt wrapped in cloth and lit it with a flint and tinder. Taking aim, he fired it at the red barrels. The bolt sailed right past Aang, who was watching the proceedings with an awed expression.
Seeing his plan about to come to fruition, Jet grinned bloodily at Sun, before something dawned on him. Instead of panicking, like he expected, the blond was staring down at him with disappointment on his features.
It was then that Jet realized something was wrong.
The metal bolt impacted the barrel, splitting the wood and allowing liquid to gush forth…and douse the lit rag. Water poured out of the barrel, gurgling softly as it emptied.
"We followed you last night." Sun revealed blandly. "I disposed of the blasting jelly this morning. And, we didn't even fill the reservoir on the off chance you would do something like this."
"You…" Jet whispered at seeing his plan completely and utterly foiled. "You son of a bitch! I'll kill you if it's the last thing I do!" He screamed, leaping at the blond from his crouch, pulling a hidden dagger from his belt.
Sun caught his wrist and twisted him around, ripping the knife away before spinning and giving the the rebel leader an Airbending enhanced kick to the chest, sending him into the forest. The blond bender followed quickly, dashing through the trunks to find Jet slumped at the base of tree, defeated. "You disappoint me, Jet." He muttered, gripping the rebel by the front of his vest and pulling him up.
"I don't care!" Jet spat. "Go ahead! If you're gonna kill me, then kill me! But don't waste your breath with-"
Sun's eyes began to glow yellow, as did the sun mark on the back of his left hand. He grabbed the rebel's head, his eyes going blank as the blond scanned his soul.
"Somehow, your soul has yet to be stained with the blood of the innocent." He whispered, his voice deep and ethereal. "This allows you a second chance, Jet. Just one. Change your ways. There are other ways to fight for freedom, and this is not it."
Jet gasped as the hand released his head, slumping back on the tree trunk.
"Do not mistake this as mercy, Jet." Sun ordered, staring down at him with glowing eyes. "I will be watching you. You are marked, now. There is nowhere you can hide from my sight. If you even think of trying this again, of hurting innocents again, I will find you." He crouched, looking directly at Jet. "And you will feel the Flames of the Sun. Do not squander this chance."
Standing, the blond walked off, the glow fading as he strode away. Sun blinked, wondering just where that had come from, feeling the back of his hand tingle. Master? He wondered, clenching his fist. How did that happen? That was not just myself speaking.
He exited the copse to find the group standing near the dam, the other rebels piled near it and the red barrels filled with water. Katara handed him his cloak as Aang blew into his bison whistle. "I'm sorry I kept you from fighting, guys." He apologized. "I just…I was angry. I wanted something to hit."
"It's alright." Ty Lee replied with a small smile. "I didn't mind not fighting."
Appa landed near them, his saddle fully packed with their bags, Momo chittering from his head. Aang hopped onto the bison's head and took the reins, flicking them and bringing them into the air.
"You know, sometimes I forget just how scary you can be." Sokka said to Sun, who smiled ruefully.
"I don't want to be scary, Sokka." He said quietly. "But, if it can keep innocent people safe, I don't mind."
They fell silent for a while, until Aang slipped into the saddle. "Hey, Sun, I was wondering…how did you get rid of the blasting jelly?" He asked curiously.
Sun grimaced for a second, before leaning back and literally belching a tongue of flame into the air, making Appa low in surprise. "Well, I did say it doesn't taste too bad…" He said, smiling.
The others in the saddle gaped at him. "But-you said…" Sokka stammered with wide eyes.
Sun shrugged humorously. "I have the stomach for it, I can deal with it." He belched again. "That's going to last for awhile, sorry."
Aang frowned in thought. "Hey, Sun…"
"No, Aang, you don't have the stomach for it."
…
…
…
A/N: And finished. Quite the long chap, eh? A good amount of things happened here, including a beatdown by the blond hero. I'm not going to apologize if Sun's OP, he's seen and done more than all the others. And in canon, when Naruto got angry, he got scary. I'm just being true to the lore.
And a big thanks to Kurogane7, who helped edit! Why don't you check out his work, eh?
Kurogane7: Danke, mein freund.
So yeah, Jet was dealt with, and the gang moves on to more adventures. Sun kind of took the forefront of the chapter, but then again, he is the main character. And I'll be skipping the Great Divide episode. It adds basically nothing. So no.
And once again, Naruto's staff weighs EIGHT TONS. He can snap swords and break stones with ease; the fact that he didn't kill any of the rebels is a testament to his self-control even when angry, more so than his strength. And again, it'll play a big part in some of the upcoming chapters.
Kurogane7: Nothing like channeled anger to put a sniper rifle to shame.
So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and if you did, why not leave a review? And if you like it a lot, why not also check out my other stories? You may like what you find, wink-wink.
Stay Awesome.
~Soleneus