Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Avatar
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***
"Okay, so how the heck are we gonna get in there," Sokka voiced. He, the gang (still switched in each other's bodies), and a group of spear-wielding children were crouched on a rocky outcropping above a giant fortress, which was made out of black stone. Guandao had been left behind because he was in Toph's body and was not able to adapt to blindness the way Toph had. He would be of little use.
Surrounding the prison was a moat filled with what Sokka really hoped was not blood. There was a main entrance, and two large, burly creatures stood guard – Oni! They wore thick, furry clothes, and elaborate headdresses.
"Leave thet to us," one kid said as he and the others withdrew a couple of bows. Sokka raised his eyebrows. "You guys know how to handle those things?"
The lead kid smirked. "Watch this."
There was a sharp TWANG, and the next thing anyone knew, the two Oni guards were dropped like flies. "Awesome," Toph exclaimed. "I love being able to see – those arrows just soared and BAM!!! Those two guys are down!" She frowned as Sokka's stomach rumbled. "Though being trapped in Snoozle's body does have its downsides…"
Zuko (in Katara's body) looked at Sokka (in Zuko's body) expectantly. "Okay Mr. Plan Guy, now what?"
Sokka pointed at the two dead Oni, laying there. "First Toph and I nab those guys' outfits and disguise ourselves."
"Why can't I be disguised," Zuko inquired.
"Because you're in Katara's body! Sorry, but I'm pretty sure the Oni would be pretty suspicious of a girl!" Katara (in Guandao's body) "humphed."
"Okay, then what," Zuko asked.
"Then, Toph and I act like you and Katara are our prisoners. We sneak you in and find Aang. We'll be in and out before you can say 'Zuko has B.O.'"
"I really hope that things go as smoothly as you make it out," Katara said.
"Relax, Sugar Queen," Toph replied, gently punching her in the arm. "What can go wrong?"
"What should we do," the warrior children asked.
Sokka shrugged. "I dunno? Stand guard?"
The lead child saluted. "Will do, Chief!"
***
Aang stared blankly at the wall, despondent, crushed, almost all hope lost.
No, he couldn't let himself lose hope. He would not allow himself to walk down that path – he'd been there before and he was in no hurry to be there again.
But what if no one comes for you? What if you're trapped in here forever?
Shut up, Aang mentally argued with himself. Stop thinking like that! Someone will come!
But what if they don't?
They will!
Might not!
Will, will, will, will! Will times infinity plus one!
You're acting childish.
Am not!
Are so!
Am not, am not, am not!
See? You just proved my point!
Have n- … oh, for crying out loud!
"You know, I think you've finally snapped."
Aang looked up to see that merciless guard standing there, grinning. "What do you mean I've snapped?!"
"Well, when someone's arguing with themselves, that pretty much means they've gone a little loopy, if you get my meaning."
"I was not -." He cut himself off as he realized that he must have been arguing with himself out loud. His cheeks turned red.
The guard passed through the fiery barriers and the excited look on his face told Aang that he was in for a hell of a time. The guard produced a small box, which he opened with the flick of his thumb. Aang gulped as he saw, within the box, literally thousands of tiny needles.
"I thought we'd try some acupuncture today." He kneeled down before Aang, who just grunted. The guard took Aang's hands and chained them to the wall, so that he would be unable to move. Humming softly to himself, the guard then reached into the box, and took out the first of a thousand tiny needles. The point gleamed in the light of the flaming bars.
"Hmm, but where to put this first," the guard thought aloud. He raised his finger. "Ah, I know!"
And Aang inhaled deeply as the point moved towards his eye. He squeezed his eyelids shut. "Now, now," the guard chided. "We need to keep those nice eyes of yours wide open so that Mr. Needle can do his work."
With a swift motion, he violently forced Aang's eyelids apart. "Keep her nice and steady," he warned. And ever so slowly, the point of the needle moved for his exposed eyeball.
Aang winced as the point drew closer and closer.
The tip reached his eye and Aang braced himself for the stinging pain he knew was just a moment away.
"Hey, Lulu," a voice from outside the cell called.
The guard dropped the needle, and Aang breathed a sigh of relief. "What," the guard shouted, visibly flustered.
"I got a job for you to do, Lulu."
Aang giggled as he looked at the guard's mortified face. "Your name's Lulu?!"
Lulu the guard whirled around. "Shut up!" Grumbling to himself, he neatly placed the pin back in its box before getting up to leave the cell. He looked over his shoulder. "I'll be back – we still have our acupuncture treatment to finish."
He then spun around to his fellow. "What's the problem chief?"
"We got some fresh meat. I need you to take them down to Cell Block A."
***
Sokka and Toph were clumsily dressed in Oni guard clothing. The uniforms were at least three sizes too big for them and the furry headdresses sunk down over their eyes. It was a constant struggle for them to maintain their walking.
They led Katara and Zuko throughout the halls. They had placed makeshift handcuffs around their wrists – lightly, of course, so that they could be ready to fight in a pinch.
Sokka was hoping beyond hope that they wouldn't get stopped by anyone. Most of the Oni guards they passed had given them funny looks, but so far, no one said anything.
Yet.
Sokka's hopes were dashed a moment later. "Hold it right there!" He and Toph stopped short, their eyes bulging and their hearts racing a mile a minute.
They slowly turned around to find Lulu the guard rushing after them.
Sokka put on the deepest voice he could muster. "Uh, yes fellow Oni guard person, how can we assist you?" Toph rolled her eyes, muttering. They were so busted.
Fortunately for them, the guard didn't seem too bright. "I've been ordered to escort these new prisoners to Cell Block A."
Oh fishpaste, Sokka thought to himself. This wasn't supposed to happen. Katara and Zuko were not supposed to get separated from them; this could blow all their plans.
"Boy, good job thinking this whole thing through, Snoozles," Toph whispered.
Sokka was stammering, trying to find an excuse to not allow this guy to take Zuko and Katara away. "Uh … well … you see … the thing is …"
Lulu was beginning to visibly lose his patience.
Thinking quickly, Toph spoke up. "We just figured that, you look so tired and all, that we would take them there ourselves."
"Yea, but I was ordered to -."
Toph cut him off. "We know that, and you're doing a mighty good job, let me tell you; but we're kind of new here and we'd like to learn the layout of the place ourselves."
Lulu scratched his chin. "Makes sense. And I guess I am kind of tired. What the heck, you guys take them. I sure as heck don't feel like doing it."
Sokka and Toph were immensely relieved. Crisis averted.
"Besides," Lulu explained as he began walking in the other direction. "I've got an acupuncture appointment to keep."
"Wait," Sokka called after him. "One last thing! Just a real quick question."
"Whatcha need, newbies?"
"Have you seen a certain prisoner? He's a kid about so tall with an arrow tattooed on his head."
Lulu narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "The Avatar? He's a high-priority prisoner. Now why would you guys be interested in him?"
"Uh, like we said," Toph replied. "We're new and we'd kind of like to know where everything is."
"Good save," Sokka whispered.
Lulu straightened up. "Oh, yes, of course. High priority prisoners like the Avatar are in Cell Block C. And I have the responsibility of handling the Avatar myself!"
"Cell Block C," Sokka repeated. "And that would be…?"
"Thata way," Lulu pointed. "Is there anything else you need?"
Sokka and Toph shook their heads. "Nope. You've been plenty helpful already."
And Lulu jovially skipped down the hallway, feeling all warm and tingly inside that he helped some newbies out.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking," Sokka asked Toph.
"You mean about how bad that guy smells?"
Sokka smacked his forehead. "No! He could lead us to Aang!"
"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
***
"Honey, I'm home," Lulu announced as he returned to Aang's cell. "Have you missed me?"
"Implicitly," Aang groused.
"Oh, don't feel that way. Come on, don't we have so much fun together?"
"You torture me everyday; you make fun of me, AND YOU TRIED TO STICK A NEEDLE IN MY EYE!!!"
"Yea, I haven't gotten around to finishing that, have I?" He took a step forward to enter Aang's cell, only to stop. He tilted his head, as though he were listening for a noise.
Footsteps.
Those two new guards and their prisoners were approaching. "What are you guys doing here," he inquired. "This is Cell Block C. Those prisoners belong in Cell Block A! I thought we discussed this?"
The two guards and their prisoners didn't say a word. They just keep advancing on Lulu, who was beginning to sweat. "Uh, guys – you're starting to freak me out a little bit." His eyes widened as he saw the two "prisoners" easily slide their handcuffs off. He pointed at Sokka and Toph. "You guys are fakes!"
"What gave us away," Toph asked bitingly.
Aang, meanwhile, was ecstatic. "You guys came! You guys actually came! I didn't think you'd be able to get here!" His lip trembled. "You have no idea what I've gone through!"
"Can it, would you for a minute, Twinkletoes," Toph shot.
Aang was taken aback. "Sokka, why does your voice sound like Toph's? And why did you just call me Twinkletoes?"
"It's a long story," Toph called. "To sum it all up, our bodies got all switched."
"Okaay." His eyes fell on Katara in Guandao's body. He let out a fearful yelp. "What is Monk Guandao doing here?"
He was even more horrified to hear Katara's voice come from Guandao's mouth. "Another long story, Aang."
Lulu just stood there, confused. "What's going on here?"
"We're freeing our friend," Toph shouted, punching her fist forward.
Lulu just blinked. Nothing happened.
"Oh, yeah, forgot," Toph said. "I'm in Snoozles' body; I can't bend."
Cackling, the ferocious guard brought out a chain mace, riddled with studded spikes. "Now it's my turn!" He brought the weapon down towards Toph, who quickly rolled out of the way. The heavy mace landed where Toph had been standing a second ago with a thud.
"We don't need bending to take this guy down," Sokka laughed as he tackled Lulu to the ground. The two grappled with each other; they rolled around on the ground and Sokka ended up on the bottom, with Lulu's immense weight crushing him.
"Hey, you guys are pretty fun," Lulu giggled as his clawed hands gripped Sokka's throat.
"Guys," Sokka rasped. "A little help here?" His vision began swimming as his air was cut off.
Toph rammed Lulu. It wasn't enough to push the enormous monster off of Sokka, but it did budge him a little for Sokka to pull himself out from under him.
Lulu stood up, his claws retracted, preparing to strike.
"Leave my friends alone," Aang shouted.
The Oni monster just stared at the Avatar and laughed. "Nah. I think I'll have them join you in your cell. Think of all the fun we'll have together! Yup, that'll be us; together, forever!"
The word "forever" stirred Aang up. "Guys, you gotta get me outta here!"
"We're working on that," Zuko replied.
Picking up his mace again, Lulu prepared another strike.
Sokka saw an opening.
As he brought his mace down, Sokka charged forward, kicking his legs out from under him. The Oni monster let out a roar and fell, face forward.
You see, even though the monster was incredibly powerful, he, along with his mace, moved very slowly. It gave Sokka enough time to get under his defenses and trip him up.
The monster let out a groan and struggled to get up. Toph gave him a little knock on the head with her knuckles, and Lulu was out cold.
"Good job guys," Aang cheered. "Now get me out of here!"
Sokka investigated the bars. "Hmm, these bars appear to be made out of some burning, fiery substance."
"You mean fire," Zuko replied.
"No, I don't think so."
"Look, it doesn't matter," Aang said. "You need some way to shut down these bars." He pointed to a keyhole next to his cell. "That must be how to deactivate it."
Katara observed a ring of keys attached to the unconscious Lulu's belt. "How about these?"
"Wow, there must be like thirty keys on that thing," Sokka whistled. "Which one's the right one?"
"We'll have to do trial and error; see which one's right."
Sokka took the keys and inserted one. Nothing happened. "This may take a while."
"Uh, I don't want to pressure anyone," Toph said in a rushed voice. "But I don't think we have a while!"
A dozen Oni guards were marching towards them, armed to the teeth.
They were trapped!
***
Woods – Somewhere in the Earth Kingdom – Evening
Eena kneeled down before the lake and the face of Kahn, the Anti-Avatar appeared. The excitement was clear in his voice. "Tonight's the night. The full moon appears tonight. I can already feel my power surging."
"I worry about the Avatar," Eena said. "His friends have already entered that spiritual prison … they could have him freed by tonight!"
Kahn grinned. "Don't worry; he was never intended to remain there indefinitely."
Eena's face twisted. "But you said …"
"Never mind that. I knew his friends would go after him … I still have plans for him."
"But why put him there in the first place if only to have him set free?"
"I needed him out of the way until tonight. He could have ruined my plans to enter your world. I still need him; he is necessary if I am to receive the ultimate power."
Not pretending to understand, but blindly following him all the same, Eena nodded. "Yes master."
The full moon began to peer over the treetops.
"Soon, Eena. Soon we will be together…"
***
"You might want to hurry up, Sokka," Toph warned as the Oni guards drew closer and closer.
"I'm moving as fast as I can!"
"Faster would be nice!"
"Would you prefer to do it," he yelled as he jammed another key into the lock.
"I would prefer you to get that darn cell open!"
And the Oni prepared to attack.
Being in each other's bodies prevented the gang from bending. They had no way to defend themselves against a dozen Oni.
They were doomed.
The guards raised their weapons to attack.
The attack never came.
The first few guards dropped like flies, arrows sticking out of their backs. The other Oni guards looked around confused.
The children that had escorted them to the prison stood there, bows raised. "I thought I told you to stand guard," Sokka yelled.
"Aren't you glad we don't obey you," the lead kid said, tossing his bow aside and drawing his spear.
The Oni regarded these weapon toting children to be the bigger threat than the gang, and began advancing on them.
Sokka continued trying keys out as all hell broke loose in the prison corridor. The children were effectively putting up a decent fight against the Oni. What the children lacked in size and technology they more than made up for in speed and intelligence. They began pushing the Oni back.
"Got it," Sokka shouted joyously as he finally fitted the right key. The flaming bars ignited one last time before disappearing altogether.
And Aang was free.
And it was payback time for the Oni. The Avatar jumped into the fray with the children, using his Airbending to throw several monsters around. Suddenly, something grabbed his foot, knocking him to the ground. Aang looked down to see a fully conscious Lulu dragging him towards him. "You aren't getting away from me that easy," he hissed.
The memories of all the torment that monster had put him through came surging back. How he had poisoned Aang's food. How he had whipped him with a spiked whip. How he wanted to insert needles into his eye. The horrifying things done to him whipped Aang's emotions into a frenzy. This was more than a survival instinct. It was about whether he was going to stay trapped in here and face torture or not.
And white light began pouring out of his eyes.
Lulu seemed to become very concerned. "What's going on …?"
Aang sent a focused blast of wind at the monster, sending him flying and slamming him hard against the wall.
The fighting stopped as a sphere of air surrounded the Avatar and he rose upwards. Pure energy shot out in all directions, nearly zapping the bystanders. Everyone watched in awe as the ceiling was blown clean away.
Aang pointed his hand at the Oni and suddenly, the ground beneath them gave way and they collapsed into a giant crater. He was no longer in control of his actions and his hand began glowing with fire, preparing to roast the Oni trapped below.
And then a voice like a dove tore into his mind.
"Aang, that's enough."
Katara.
Her voice was always enough to bring him back. Whenever he went too far, and the Avatar State took hold, hers was always the voice to awaken the human inside of him.
The light faded, and an exhausted Aang collapsed into Sokka's arms. "I'm sorry," he said weakly. "I didn't mean it to go so far…"
Sokka eyed the unconscious Oni. "It's okay, Aang. Everyone's alive and you did no permanent damage." There was a moan from one of the guards. "Well, no damage that we can see. Let's get back home."
***
Eena stood over the lake. Long Feng and the Dai Li were behind her, watching with anticipation. This is where their plans had finally drawn them. The Anti-Avatar was about to be fully born. Long Feng couldn't wait to see what he could do. Yes, he should be able to put those who oppose us in their place. He particularly relished the thought of that blasted Fire Princess, who betrayed him, lying broken on the ground, the Anti-Avatar's foot crushing her face into the dirt. He grinned.
Concreto didn't seem to really be that interested. So the Anti-Avatar was coming to power, so what? So long as he got paid.
Eena was by far the most ecstatic. She had never been in the physical presence of her master. Now she would be. And Eena loved it. Loved him. When he had saved her life, he said such sweet things to her. He had been so kind to her. How could she not love him? And tonight, she would be in his arms…
The full moon waxed overhead and Eena stood up determined. "It's time."
Several Dai Li surrounded them to make sure no one interrupted the ritual.
At the same time, several hooded figures emerged from the woods. They bowed their heads low and began chanting.
Kahn's face appeared in the water. He was pure glee. "I've been waiting for this moment for millennia! My waiting will have finally paid off!"
"I've been waiting for this from the moment I first heard your voice," Eena said. "Now you and I can finally be together!"
"And together, we'll crush this world and make it over however we like!"
***
The children led the gang back to their base, where the sorceress was waiting for them. Aang couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was something familiar about her.
"Avatar Aang," she said with the air of someone that was old friends. "How good to see you. Your prison experience wasn't too bad, I hope?"
"Let's put it this way," Aang said. "I won't be committing any crimes ever."
"Was the food good at least," Sokka questioned hopefully.
"Don't remind me," Aang replied, clutching his stomach.
"As much as I hate to ruin your happy-mushy reunion love fest, we really have to get going!"
Aang recognized that voice…
"Monk Guandao …?!" He was shocked to hear the monk's voice. It was even more shocking to hear it coming from Toph's diminutive form.
Guandao pursed Toph's lips. "Didn't think we'd be meeting again, did you? Well I can tell you, it's not pleasant for me either."
Aang didn't know what to say. "Uh … nice to see you, I suppose?"
Guandao turned to the sorceress. "It's been fun, lady, but we have an Anti-Avatar to crush!"
The sorceress nodded. "My troops will lead you back to the portal."
The gang turned to leave, but the sorceress called Aang's name. Aang turned around, and she was smiling bitter sweetly.
"We'll be meeting again, Avatar…"
***
Earth Kingdom – Woods – Nighttime
The chanting of the robed figures reached a fever pitch. Eena was ecstatic as she saw the water begin glowing furiously. The light was brilliant and blinding. But if one were able to stare directly at it, they would notice the form of a man taking shape under the water.
And a glowing hand shot out of the water.
Eena could barely contain her excitement. "It's happening! It's actually happening!"
Even Long Feng and the Dai Li seemed impressed.
Another hand appeared above the water, pulling itself up. Arms, shoulders, a bowed head appeared to rise out of the lake.
And a loud scream emerged from the form's mouth.
A furious wind whipped up, and everyone braced themselves as their clothes were blown about. The tree branches were going nuts.
Above them, the sky seemed to turn blood red.
Pure electrical currents flowed around the figure's body, and suddenly, a plume of pure blue energy surrounded it and rose into the darkening clouds overhead.
The Anti-Avatar was finally entering the world.
***
The gang all collapsed through the portal and found themselves back in the haunted prison from whence they came. It was nice visiting another dimension, but it felt good to finally be home.
"Oh, I just love this place," Sokka commented about the haunted island, remembering that incident of possession. He looked down at his hands and his face brightened. "Hey, I'm me again!"
"I'm me, too," Katara exclaimed.
"Just as I predicted," Guandao said, back in his own body. "Going through the portal transferred us back to our original bodies!" Now that he was able to see once again, his eyes fell back on Aang.
Aang withered under the monk's gaze. He sensed pure anger and hatred behind those eyes.
After defeating Guandao, Aang had hoped that the monk would change his ways, but Guandao seemed just as cruel as ever.
But why did Guandao, of all people, agree to save him? It didn't make any sense! Aang would question the monk, but he wouldn't do it now. Guandao seemed too moody right now to probe for answers. Besides, it was late and after his harrowing experience in prison, all he wanted was to hit the sack.
But he made a mental note to talk to the monk first thing in the morning.
Guandao, meanwhile, began stirring. "Something's wrong," he shouted. All of a sudden, he bolted upstairs and out the front door of the haunted island's prison.
"What's his deal," Sokka asked.
"He probably caught sight of your face," Toph teased.
The gang followed the monk outside, only to find him on his knees, looking ahead in horror.
The sky had turned blood red and a plume of concentrated energy was swirling upwards. Aang immediately knew that this meant trouble.
"It's happening," Guandao breathed. "The Anti-Avatar has arisen. We've failed."
***
Eena and her followers watched in amazement as the plume of energy suddenly dissipated. They watched with baited breath as a man stood before them. The man's form was glowing a bright bluish-green light, and they had to shield their eyes.
After a few seconds, the glowing stopped and they all gazed upon the body of the Anti-Avatar.
He had an average sized body, not too tall or short. It's lean but strong muscles rippled in the breeze. But besides his well-built body, he looked almost … harmless. In fact, there was a slight resemblance to Aang in his face, which was partially hidden under a head of shaggy, silvery hair.
"That's the great and mighty Anti-Avatar," Long Feng said, shocked. "You gotta be kidding me! I was expecting someone … you know … large and powerful. This guy looks like a total pushover!"
"He's … he's …" words couldn't even form in Eena's voice. She gave Long Feng a stern look before returning her gaze to Kahn's form. "He's beautiful! He's even more handsome than I thought!"
Eena rushed over and handed Kahn some makeshift clothes. The Anti-Avatar gazed at them. They weren't exactly his taste, but he would make do with them until he found something a bit more his style.
Eena quickly prostrated herself before him. "Is there anything … anything I can do? Name anything, and I'll give it to you."
Kahn regarded her with a leer. "Your services have been more than adequate so far."
She lowered herself further. "I surrender myself completely to you, master."
"I know. You've been my most faithful servant, and you will be greatly rewarded."
Long Feng, meanwhile, began circling Kahn. "So you're the Anti-Avatar, huh? Well, give us a demonstration! Show us what you're capable of!"
Kahn stiffened his face as he stared ahead.
"Well," Long Feng asked, annoyed. "I want to see what you can do! Do some impressive bending!"
Kahn shrugged nonchalantly. "But I can't bend anything."
Everyone practically fell over. "Y-you can't bend anything," the head of the Dai Li hissed through clenched teeth. "Then what the heck did we go through to bring you here for?! You're useless!"
Eena was more confused than anyone. "I have to admit, master. I myself am wondering the same thing. You said that you would be the most powerful being in the world."
"And indeed I shall! But you see, in and of myself, I have no bending capabilities."
Eena was even more lost. "So then how can you crush the Avatar?"
He grinned. "Remember when I told you that I can feed on life force?" She nodded. "You're about to have a demonstration of that. You see, when I feed on the life force of others, I can also steal their bending capabilities. Unlike the Avatar, who learns bending from masters, I take bending from masters!"
He began advancing on Long Feng. The leader of the Dai Li was beginning to tremble. "Hey, what are you doing?"
"You have something that I need," Kahn grinned sadistically. That expression of malice on such an innocent looking face was disquieting. In an instant, he had Long Feng in his grasp and lifted him off the ground with just one hand. With the other, he placed two fingers on his forehead. Red energy poured out of both of their mouths, and Long Feng started screaming.
Kahn was Energybending him, stealing his bending abilities. But much more than that.
Kahn was draining Long Feng's very life force.
Long Feng screamed louder as his face began to wither and his skin thinned, as though it was being drained of fluids.
And in an instant it was over. The light faded, and Kahn tossed Long Feng aside like a rag doll.
Everyone looked in utter horror at Long Feng. His skin was withered and his limbs were like twigs. His body was completely emaciated, a thin sheet of skin covering his skull.
Long Feng was dead.
Kahn, still smirking, raised his arm. With a graceful flick of his hand, a giant mound of earth was sent flying at incredible speed. He had stolen Long Feng's Earthbending – along with every ounce of life the man had.
Kahn felt invincible. In a matter of weeks, he would be master of all four elements. Not even the Avatar would be able to stand against him.
Now it was only a matter of picking his next victim…
***
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