Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or The Last Airbender.
Bodyguard of Azula
Chapter 34: Hunting and Blindsided
"Talking"
"Thinking"
"Bijū/spirit talking"
"Bijū/spirit thinking"
(Location: Western Air Temple)
Morning had come. Everyone was still sleeping. Today was the last day they were going to spend at the Western Air Temple. It had been three days since the Boiling Rock incident. At dinner last night, Naruto told them that they would have to move somewhere new. Most of the group had agreed with him, so they had bagged their stuff. They were supposed to leave that morning. But, of course, things have never gone that smoothly for them.
Aang woke up first. He drank in the peaceful morning, listening to the birds chirp. However, the birds stop chirping and flew away when a bomb sailed through the air and into the temple. He grabbed his staff and bent the air to shove the bomb back outside the temple. But it was only the first of many.
As the others woke up, airships rose up from the morning mist. They launched more bombs at the temple. Aang and Appa, along with Fǎn Yìng, ran back to where the others were. Using his staff to help, he used his Airbending to close the area up, slamming several ceiling-high, metal doors shut. The bombs still bombarded them, knocking some of the ceiling loose. "Watch out!" Zuko shouted, pushing Katara out of the way when rocks almost fell on top of her.
"What are you doing?" She asked him as they rolled away.
"Keeping rocks from crushing you." He answered.
"Okay, I'm not crushed. You can get off me now!" She got out from under him and stood up.
"I'll take that as a thank you." He stood up as well.
"Zuko, can you and Katara flirt later? We're kinda busy here!" Naruto told him.
Toph and Haru bent a hole in the back, creating a tunnel. "Come on!" Toph called out to the others. "We can get out through here!"
They all gathered at the tunnel. Aang was trying to pull Appa into the tunnel when he saw Azula hadn't joined them. "What are you doing?" He shouted at her.
"You guys go ahead." She told them. "I'll hold them off. I think I know who's here." She charged out past the metal doors (which were already being destroyed).
"Azula!" shouted Zuko and Naruto. She didn't stop to listen, she just kept moving.
"Come on, you guys! We've gotta get out of here!" Sokka told them as he and Katara tried to help Aang try to get Appa into the tunnel.
Meanwhile, Azula had gotten to the edge of the temple, just through the blast of a bomb. She threw a big fireball at one of the bomb launchers on the airships. At that point, another airship came up out of the mist. Standing in the crow's nest was Yāo Jing.
"I guess Naruto was right after all. You're here for something, aren't you?" Azula shouted at her.
"Of course I am. I'm here for a celebration." She answered.
"What's the celebration for?"
"Becoming an only child!" She swung her feet, shooting fire from them. Azula backed off, but the force of the blast still sent her flying. Noticing the surrounding rocks were about to collapse, she ran forward, running up a column that was slowly falling down and leapt for the airship. When it looked like she wouldn't make it, she used her Firebending to boost her up onto the airship. Yāo Jing leapt down from the crow's nest to face her.
The rock had collapsed around the others, but Toph was able to bend it into a shield, protecting them. "I can't get him to go in there!" Aang said as he tried to get his sky bison to move. "Appa hates tunnels!"
"Aang, there's no way we can fly out of here." Katara told him.
"We'll have to find a way!"
"We need to split up!" Sokka declared. He turned to his father and the others. "Take the tunnel and get to the stolen airship." He ordered.
"No! The Fire Nation can't separate our family again!" Katara protested.
"It'll be okay." Hakoda reassured her. "It's not forever." She gave him a quick hug before heading back to Appa. Sokka gave him a quick hug as well, then grabbed Suki and headed for Appa too. Zuko climbed onto Fǎn Yìng.
"I'll be able to keep an eye on you guys." Naruto told them, putting his hands into a handseal. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Another Naruto appeared in a cloud of smoke. "Go with them and report back when they're safe." He ordered. The clone nodded and followed them down the tunnel. The original Naruto climbed aboard Fǎn Yìng as well, right behind Zuko.
Toph placed a hand on the rock, checking the surroundings. "I can clear that away and we can fly out through there." She told them, getting into Appa's saddle.
"Um…there's an awful lot of fire in that general direction." Suki pointed out.
"We'll get through." Aang told her. "Let's go." Appa burst through the rock and flew through the airships, his head covered by couple of rocks before they fell off due to the speed he was flying at. Fǎn Yìng was right behind him. As the dragon and the sky bison flew past, Azula and Yāo Jing (both were in the midst of fighting each other) stopped and looked at them.
"Azula, we are leaving!" Naruto shouted down at her. Zuko turned Fǎn Yìng around so that Azula could get on. She understood and used her Firebending to send her flying up next to the dragon. Naruto reached out a hand for her to grab. She took it and got on behind him. Fǎn Yìng flew away, following Appa.
They flew hard and long the entire day. By the time the sun had set, they were far away from the Western Air Temple and had already set up camp. "Wow, camping…it really seems like old times again, doesn't it?" Aang asked as they sat around the campfire.
"If you really want it to feel like old times," Zuko said as he tossed a piece of meat to Fǎn Yìng. "I could…uh…chase you around for a while and try to capture you."
"I guess that means I'd have to join in the chasing as well." Azula said.
"And that means I'm on babysitting duty again, thank you ever so much." Naruto told Aang. When she heard that, Azula swatted him on the arm. "Hey, it's the truth and we both know it." He defended himself.
The entire group laughed, except for one person. "Ha, ha," Katara said sarcastically.
"To Zuko, Azula, and Naruto," Sokka announced, holding up his cup. "Who knew after all those times they tried to snuff us out, they'd be our allies?" Akela barked in agreement.
"Hear! Hear!" The others cheered, minus Katara. Toph gave Zuko a light punch on the arm.
"I don't about you two." Zuko said to Azula and Naruto. "But I'm touched. We don't deserve this."
"Yeah, no kidding," Katara snapped, before getting up and walking away. After a minute of somewhat awkward silence, Zuko stood up and followed her. She was standing on the edge of a nearby cliff, looking down at the waves. When she heard footsteps behind and saw that it was Zuko, she became hostile and walked away.
"This isn't fair!" He protested. "Everyone else seems to trust us now! What is it with you?"
"Oh, everyone trusts you now!?" She demanded. "I was the first person to trust you, remember? Back in Ba Sing Se. And you turned around and betrayed me, betrayed all of us!"
"What can I do to make it up to you?"
"You really want to know?" She asked, walking closer to him. "Hmm, maybe you can reconquer Ba Sing Se in the name of the Earth King! Or, I know! You could bring my mother back!" She stomped away from him.
Later that night, he made his way over to Sokka's tent, running into both Suki and Naruto. "Do you guys need to talk to Sokka too?" He asked the two of them.
"It's nothing we can't talk about later." Suki told him a bit hurriedly, walking away.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, Zuko, we're sure." Naruto said. "You go have a talk with Sokka; we'll get to him later." He walked off. Zuko just shrugged and walked into Sokka's tent.
Sokka looked up from where he was writing in his journal, Akela resting at his side. "Hey, Zuko," He greeted, putting his journal down. "What's on your mind?"
"Your sister," He answered as he sat down. "She hates me, and I don't know why! But I do care what she thinks of me."
"Hey, I'm surprise she's able to hate anyone in the first place." She had always been the goody two shoes of the family.
"Listen, I know this may seem out of nowhere, but I want you to tell me what happen to your mother."
"What?" He asked, slightly surprised. "Why would you wanna know that?"
"Katara mentioned it before when we were imprisoned together with Naruto in Ba Sing Se and again, just now when she was yelling at me." The Scarred Dragon explained. "I think somehow she's connected her anger at that to her anger at me, Azula, and Naruto."
"…It's not a day I like to remember."
(Flashback)
Both Sokka and Katara were having a snowball fight against each other. Just as Sokka was about to throw a big snowball at Katara, black snow started to fall. "I'm going to find Mom." Katara told him, running off.
He ran towards the walls, despite being a child. Many of the men were heading that way too. When he climbed up to the wall, he saw the black ships and the bad men, who gave a battle cry and charged forward, cradling fire in their hands. The warriors stood ready and gave their own battle cry. The fight was short-lived, with the warriors winning. Sokka hopped down the wall and grab a boomerang off the snow. Just as he was about to join the fight, the bad men ran away.
(End Flashback)
"Many of the warriors had seen the black snow before and they knew what it meant: a Fire Nation raid." Sokka told him. "We were badly outnumbered, but somehow, we managed to drive them off. As quickly as they came, they just left. I was so relieved when it was over, but that's because I didn't know yet what had happened. I didn't know we had lost our mother."
"Wait." Zuko spoke. "Can you remember any details about the soldiers who raided your village? Like what the lead ship had looked like?"
"Yeah…sea ravens." He answered, remembering the flags on the Fire Nation ships. "The main ship had flags with sea ravens on them."
"The symbol of the Southern Raiders," He realized. "Thanks, Sokka." He stood up.
"No problem." He replied. Zuko walked out of the tent and almost ran into Naruto.
"You're going to do something stupid, aren't you?" The blonde accused him.
"Would you believe me if I said I wasn't?"
"No." He sighed and walked away. "Just make sure to take Appa."
Zuko was confused about what he said, but didn't ask what he meant. When morning came, he was sitting on a rock outside Katara's tent. When she came out and saw him, she scowled. "You look terrible." She stated as she walked past him and reached for her bag.
"I waited out here all night." He told her.
"What do you want?" She asked as she brushed her hair, trying to ignore him.
"I know who killed your mother." She stopped brushing. "And I'm going to help you find him."
She looked back at him. "Are you lying to me?"
"Why would he lie about something like this?" Azula asked as she and Naruto joined them.
"What are you two doing here?" The Waterbender asked.
"We're coming along with you." Naruto told her with a firm voice and folded arms. "No arguments and no objections."
Normally, she would've objected. But this was too good of an opportunity to pass up. "Fine, we better get our stuff together and get on Fǎn Yìng."
"It's probably better if we took Appa." Zuko said. "Fǎn Yìng is not really a long distance people carrier. The more people he's carrying, the more exhausted he is." He looked over at Naruto. "I guess that's what you meant, huh?"
Naruto just nodded his head. They grabbed the things they needed and made their way over to Appa. Aang was feeding him while Sokka was fiddling with a flower necklace. "I need to borrow Appa." Katara told Aang.
"Why? Is it your turn to take a little field trip with Zuko and Azula?" He asked jokily.
"Yes, it is." She replied.
He was slightly surprised at that. "Oh. What's going on?"
"We're going to find the man who took my mother from me." Sokka stood up when he heard this. He dropped the flower necklace to the ground.
"Sokka told me the story of what happened." Zuko explained. "I know who did it and I know how to find him."
"Why are they coming?" Sokka asked, gesturing at Azula and Naruto.
"Because we are," Azula answered shortly.
"Um…what exactly do you think this will accomplish?" Aang asked.
"Ugh, I knew you wouldn't understand." Katara said, shaking her head. She turned around and walked away.
"Wait! Stop!" He told her. "I do understand. You're feeling unbelievable pain and rage. How do you think I felt when the Sandbenders stole Appa? How do you think I felt about the Fire Nation when I found out what happened to my people?"
"She needs this, Aang." Zuko told him. "This is about getting closure and justice."
"I don't think so." He objected. "I think it's about getting revenge."
"Fine, maybe it is!" Katara snapped at him. "Maybe that's what I need! Maybe that's what he deserves!"
"Katara, you sound like Jet."
"It's not the same! Jet attacked the innocent. This man, he's a monster."
"What? You're not going to say anything?" The Kyūbi asked his host.
"Why should I?" He asked back.
"Kit, please remember I can read your thoughts. You don't think I haven't noticed your feelings about that man?" There was enough hate inside the blonde for that particular person to make an avenger proud.
"That is not revenge. That is justice." He said firmly.
"Why do I have a hard time believing you?"
"If it was revenge, would I have stayed here for three years without ever going back?"
"It could just mean you took Lesson number 5 to heart." The fox commented. He had all but beaten those lessons into his Jinchūriki's skull.
"Enough, we're done talking about this."
"Katara, she was my mother too." Sokka told his sister. "But I think Aang might be right."
"Then you didn't love her the way I did!" She retorted.
"Katara!" He was horrified and a little saddened by her words.
Before anyone could say anything else, Naruto smacked her on the back of her head. "Apologize." He ordered. "That was uncalled for. Sokka loved your mother as much as you did and you just spat on that love. You will apologize to him."
"Sorry, Sokka," She said half-heartedly.
"Katara, the monks used to say that revenge was like a two-headed rat viper." Aang told her. "While you watch your enemy go down, you're being poisoned yourself."
"That's cute." Azula commented. "But this isn't your air temple preschool. It's the real world. Things are different here."
"Now that I know he's out there…now that I know we can find him, I feel like I have no choice." Katara explained. She had to find him and make him pay.
"Katara, you do have a choice: forgiveness." Aang told her.
"That's the same as doing nothing!" Zuko protested.
"No, it's not. It's easy to do nothing, but it's hard to forgive."
"It's not just hard, it's impossible." She told him before walking away. Zuko, Azula and Naruto followed her. They waited until night and tried again. They had put black cloaks over their clothes, along with a face-mask. Naruto had tied a bandana over his head to cover his hair and Katara had tied her hair into a ponytail.
As they readied themselves to climb aboard Appa, Aang and Sokka came out from behind a rock. "So, you were just gonna take Appa anyway?" Aang demanded.
"Yes." Katara answered shortly.
"It's okay, because I forgive you." He paused for a moment. "Does that give you any ideas?"
"Aang, shut up." Naruto told him. They didn't any of his antics right now.
"Don't try to stop us." Katara warned.
"I wasn't planning to." Aang replied. "This is a journey you need to take. You need to face this man." Katara climbed atop Appa's head while the other three tossed the packs up into the saddle. "But when you do, please don't choose revenge. Let your anger out…and then let it go. Forgive him."
"Okay, we'll be sure to do that, Guru goody-goody." Zuko said sarcastically.
"Just get in the saddle, Zuko." Azula told him. He climbed up and she followed with Naruto behind.
"Thanks for understanding, Aang." Katara said. She turned her attention to Appa. "Yip-yip," She told the sky bison. He took off and started flying.
"You know, you're pretty wise for a kid." Sokka told Aang.
"Thanks, Sokka." He replied.
"Usually, it's annoying, but right now, I'm impressed."
"I appreciate that." His face fell when he realized what Sokka had said.
"Hey, can I borrow Momo for a week?"
"Why do you need Momo?"
"I have to do something to entertain Akela." The wolf perked up when he heard that and the lemur looked scared for his life.
(Location: Appa)
They flew through the air, in the light of the moon. "We need to find a Fire Navy communication tower." Zuko told Katara. "All the navy's movements are coordinated by messenger hawk. And every tower has to be up to date on where everyone is deployed."
"So once we find a communication tower, we bust in and take the information we need." She declared from where she sat atop of Appa's head.
"Katara, we're not wearing this stuff as a fashion statement." Naruto told her, gesturing at his cloak and bandana. They were trying to do this silently.
"He's right." Azula agreed. "We need to make sure no one spots us. Otherwise they'll warn the Southern Raiders long before we reach them." Katara didn't reply. She was focused on her mission.
They soon found a communication tower. She landed Appa behind a large rock. They got off Appa and ran towards the water. Katara bent the water to form a block of ice. She, along with Zuko and Azula, got on the ice and she bent the sea to push the block of ice towards the tower's wall, which was the island's natural rocky perimeter. She then bent the water to push them up, allowing them to jump into the tower base. While she did that, Naruto simply ran across the water and then up the side of the rocks.
Once they were inside the base, Naruto took the lead. They hid behind a building when they heard the sound of a door opening and a pair of guards walking out. Seeing that the door was left open, they ran in and then climbed into the air ducts.
They crawled through the ducts, using Naruto's knowledge of the tower's layout to get around (you've seen one layout of a Fire Nation communication tower, you've seen them all). They soon found the information room. Noticing that the guard at the desk was writing positions on a map, Katara bent the ink in the nearby pot to spill, covering the guard's hands. The guard walked out of the room to clean them, allowing the four to drop into the room.
While Naruto and Azula covered the door, Zuko and Katara went through the records. "Okay, the Southern Raiders." Zuko announced as he found the scroll for their location. He unfurled it and examined it closely. "Bam," He stated, pointing at a particular spot on the map. "They're on patrol near Whale Tail Island."
"Whale Tail Island, here we come." Katara declared. They put the scroll back and climbed up into the air ducts. They made their way back to Appa and flew off. Zuko, Azula, and Naruto had fallen asleep. When they woke up, the sun was raising. They also noticed that Katara had stayed awake the entire time.
"You should get some rest." Zuko told her. "We'll be there in a few hours. You'll need all your strength."
"Oh, don't you worry about my strength." She told him. "I have plenty. I'm not the helpless little girl I was when they came."
(Flashback)
"I'm going to find Mom." She told Sokka as they watched the black snow fall. As everyone ran towards the wall, she ran back to her igloo. "Mom!" She cried, running through the curtain, only to see her mother and a tall, scary man with her. The scary man turned to face her.
"Just let her go and I'll give you the information you want." Katara's mother pleaded.
"You hear your mother." The scary man told her. "Get out of here!"
"Mom, I'm scared." She whimpered.
"Go find your dad, sweetie. I'll handle this." Her mother reassured her.
She looked at the scary man one more time before bolting out of the igloo. She ran towards the walls as fast as her little legs would allow her. "Dad, Dad!" She called out as she saw her dad shoved a bad man's head into the ice. "Please, I think Mom's in trouble! There's a man in our house!"
Hakoda realized what that meant. "Kya!" He shouted. Both he and his daughter ran back to the house and pushed through the curtains. What they saw made them wish they hadn't.
(End Flashback)
"I ran as fast as I could." Katara told them. "But we were too late. When we got there, the man was gone. And so was she."
"Your mother was a brave woman." Zuko declared.
"I know."
Naruto climbed out of the saddle and got onto Appa's head. "Get some rest, Katara." He told her. "I'll take care of the flying." She handed him the reins, climbed into the saddle and fell asleep. Azula, Zuko, and Naruto kept handing off the reins to one another for the rest of the day, allowing her to sleep.
By the time night had fallen again, they had found what they were looking for. "There!" Zuko shouted from Appa's head, waking up Katara. "See those sea raven flags?" He asked her, tossing the telescope at her. She looked through it and a Fire Nation ship. But she also saw the flags on the ship. "It's the Southern Raiders."
"Let's do this." She declared, lowering the telescope. Appa went under the water and swam though it, Katara bending an air bubble for him. As they got close to the ship, she bent a water whip to shoot up and grab one of the Raiders. It sent him flying into the ocean and got the other Raiders to run over to the railing.
Appa swam underneath the ship and rose up to the surface. As he did, Katara bent the sea to rise up into a wave and sent it at the ship. Just as one of the Raiders noticed, it hit the ship and sent most of them over the edge. The one Raider who managed to stay aboard was quickly sent overboard as well when Appa landed on the deck and Katara used her Waterbending to send him flying.
Zuko opened a nearby door and they went into the ship. When a Raider came out of his cabin to stop them, Azula grabbed the sword he was holding and shoved him back in. She closed the door and stabbed the sword through the door handles, ensuring the Raider couldn't get out.
They kept moving until they reached the door to the helm. "This is it, Katara." Naruto told her. "Are you ready to face him?"
She simply pulled her facemask down and hurled the water she was carrying at the door with a shout. The water collided with the door and forced it open. Zuko quickly stepped into the room and brushed aside the fireballs sent at him.
"Who are you?" The commander of the Southern Raiders demanded.
"You don't remember her?" Azula asked, briefly looking over at Katara. "You will, soon enough."
The commander tried to bend another fireball at them, but out of nowhere, his body stopped obeying his commands. "What's…happening to me?" He asked as he was forced down to the ground. As they watched this happened, Zuko, Azula, and Naruto realized Katara was making him do this.
"Think back!" Zuko ordered the commander. "Think back to your last raid on the Southern Water Tribe."
"I don't know what you're talking about. Please, I don't know!" He begged.
"Don't lie!" He bent down and then pointed at Katara. "You look her in the eye and you tell me you don't remember what you did."
She bent his body up so that she could look at his face, only to realize something important. "It's not him." She said, her expression going from one of hate to one of shock. "He's not the man." She let her control over his body go away, letting him fall to the floor.
"What? What do you mean he's not?" Azula asked her. "He's the leader of the Southern Raiders! It has to be him!" The Waterbender didn't say anything. She just turned around and started walking out of the room.
Zuko grabbed the commander and slammed him up against the glass. "If you're not the man we're looking for, who is?" He demanded. When Katara heard this, she stopped and listened.
"You must be looking for Yon Rha." He answered. "He retired four years ago." When she heard that, Katara walked out of the room. She now knew who her target.
Zuko demanded the location of the retired commander. When he got it, Naruto stepped in. "That's enough, Zuko." He said to the Scarred Dragon. "You and Azula follow Katara back to Appa. I'm gonna have a quick chat with the commander." The two nodded and left the room.
"Who are you people?" The commander asked again. To answer him, Naruto lowered the facemask and untied the bandana, making his eyes go wide with fear. "Lord Naruto, I thought you were imprisoned!" He said in both shock and fear.
"I broke out with some help." He answered as he slowly drew his jian. "But now, we have a problem on our hands."
"A…problem?" asked the commander. His eyes were riveted on the blade in front of him.
"Well, you know I can't really let you live now that you've seen us, especially me." The blonde said with a casual tone in his voice.
"The Fire Lord won't know, I swear!"
"…So you and the rest of the Raiders will take part in it?" The commander nodded almost frantically. "Okay then, that's what I was hoping you'd say." He sheathed the jian, put the bandana back on and walked out of the room. He made his way down the corridor, out onto the deck and back onto Appa, who then took off.
"What did you talk to him about?" Azula asked him.
"I ensured that the commander and the Southern Raiders would be a part of a time honored tradition." He answered as he leaned against the saddle.
"And which tradition is that?"
"The tradition of not seeing a damn thing," He answered a small grin. But when he turned to look at Katara, who was holding the reins, the grin disappeared. "That was Bloodbending back there, wasn't it?" He asked her.
"Yes." She answered shortly.
"…Not gonna ask how I know?"
"I don't care."
"Katara, you need to calm down." He told her. "If you keep going like this, the hatred you hold will consume you."
"What gives you the right to say that?!" She snapped at him, turning her head to face him. "Who did you lose, huh? Probably no one, I'll bet!"
"You're wrong." He replied with a harsh tone and a hard look on his face. "I told you when I was posing as Shù Yè that my parents were dead. They had died when I was born. But I would like to think I had a grandfather figure when I was young and he died in an attack. So yes, I have lost someone. Don't ever think that you're the only one who's lost somebody."
She didn't say anything back. She just her head back around and kept facing forward.
(Location: Fire Nation)
The man knelt before his garden, raking the soil with his trough. "Yon Rha, you lazy piece of work!" screamed an old woman from the house behind him, standing in the doorway. "I need something."
"Yes, Mother." He answered. "What is it?"
"The tomato-carrots from your garden are too hard for my gums. I need something soft and juicy."
"Would you like something else from the garden?" He offered, turning to face her. "I would be happy to—"
"Forget your stupid garden!" His mother shouted at him. "Get your grimy hind to the market and get me some real food!" She walked back into the house.
He made his way down to the village and started buying grocery. When he was getting a few things from one store, he felt someone's eyes on him. "Hello?" He called out, turning around. He didn't see anyone. "Did you see someone?" He asked the store owner, who shook his head. Thinking it was just his mind playing around with him, he shrugged it off. Once he had all his groceries, he started to walk back to his house. As he went down a set of stairs, the feeling came back, making him stop. "Hello?" He called out, looking back the staircase. "Is someone there?" When he didn't get an answer, he scowled but he kept on walking.
However, his feelings were right, someone was watching him. "That was him." Katara told the others as they watched him walk away. "That was the monster."
"He's not a monster." Naruto told her. "He's just a man."
The storm clouds overhead had finally opened up and poured down rain. Yon Rha kept on walking home. The feeling of eyes watching him never went away. "Nobody sneaks up on me without getting burned!" He declared, suddenly whipping around and bending fire at a bush. As he watched it burned, he sighed and picked up the groceries he had dropped. He began walking again, only trip over a wire and making him fall down. A burst of fire made him leap back.
"We weren't behind the bush." Zuko informed him as he stood in a Firebending stance. "And I wouldn't try Firebending again!"
"You really shouldn't." Azula said, leaning against the tree behind him with a hand on one of her daggers. "It might be good for you."
"Whoever you are, take my money." He told them in a frightened voice. "Take whatever you want, I'll cooperate."
"We're not here for your money." Naruto said as he walked up beside Zuko. "But you will cooperate with us."
Katara walked up to him and pulled her facemask down. "Do you know who I am?" She asked him.
"No. I'm not sure." He answered. The face seemed familiar, he just couldn't place it.
"Oh, you better remember me like your life depends on it!" She told him. "Why don't you take a closer look?"
"…Yes, yes, I remember you now." He recognized the face. "You're the little Water Tribe girl."
(Flashback)
"Just let her go." The Water Tribe woman pleaded with him. "And I'll give you the information you want."
"You heard your mother." He told the little girl. "Get out of here!"
"Mom, I'm scared." She told her mother.
"Go find your dad, sweetie. I'll handle this."
He watched as the girl ran out of the igloo before turning his attention to the mother. "Now tell me, who is it? Who's the Waterbender?" He demanded.
"There are no Waterbenders here." She told him. "The Fire Nation took them all away a long time ago."
"You're lying. My source says there's one Waterbender left in the Southern Water Tribe. We're not leaving until we find the Waterbender!"
"If I tell you, do you promise to leave the rest of the village alone?" He gave a single nod. "…It's me. Take me as your prisoner."
"I'm afraid I'm not taking prisoners today." He told her with an evil smile.
(End Flashback)
"She lied to you!" Katara told him, looking away. "She was protecting the last Waterbender."
"What? Who?" He asked, surprised.
She turned her gaze back on him, her eyes filled with anger and hate. "ME!" She shouted at him before bending the surrounding rain to stop and form a dome over their heads. It held there for a minute before she bent it apart and hurled it at him, changing it into a barrage of ice spikes. He flinched away, covering his eyes with his arms. When he felt no pain, he looked beyond his arms, the spikes just floated in the air, inches away from his face. Closing her eyes, she lowered her hands, turning the ice back into water and letting it collapse to the ground.
"I did a bad thing!" He admitted, getting onto his knees. "I know I did and you deserve revenge. So why don't you take my mother? That would be fair!" He offered with a weak smile.
"…I always wondered what kind of person could do such a thing." She said. "But now that I see you, I think I understand. There's just nothing inside you, nothing at all. You're pathetic and sad and empty."
"Please spare me!" He begged, bowing his head.
"But, as much as I hate you… I just can't do it." She walked away and the others followed her. He stayed there on the ground. The three of them walked away, leaving the retried commander of the Southern Raiders weeping on the ground, his groceries scattered all around him.
(Location: Ember Island)
They had flown to Ember Island, to the beach house the royal family once used. While everyone shared what happened, Katara went down to the beach. She sat on the dock, kicking her feet back and forth in the water and looking at the sunset. "I miss you, Mom." She thought to herself in sadness. "I miss you so much."
"Katara?" said Aang as he, Zuko, and Naruto joined her on the dock. "Are you okay?"
"I'm doing fine." She answered.
"Zuko and Naruto told me what you did. Or what you didn't do, I guess. I'm proud of you." The Air Nomad told her.
"I wanted to do it." She replied, casting a glance at him. "I wanted to take out all my anger at him, but I couldn't. I don't know if it's because I'm too weak to do it or because I'm strong enough not to."
"You did the right thing. Forgiveness is the first step you have to take to begin healing."
She stood up and faced the three of them. "I didn't forgive him. I'll never forgive him." She turned her attention to Zuko and Naruto. "But I am ready to forgive the three of you."
"I'm sure Azula will be glad to hear that." Naruto told her. She gave them both a hug and walked away.
"You were right about what Katara needed." Zuko told Aang. "Violence wasn't the answer."
"It never is." He replied.
"Then I have a question for you." He turned to look at him. "What are you gonna do when you face my father?"
He looked away. "…I don't know." That was the sticking point for him whenever he thought about how to end the war.
"I've got a better question for you." Naruto said, looking directly at him. "What do you do when you go up against someone who doesn't deserve forgiveness?"
"Everyone deserves forgiveness, Naruto." Aang answered.
He snorted in derision. "Spoken like a true naïve idiot." He turned around and began to walk away. "That's something about the real world you need to learn. Not everyone deserves to be forgiven. Some just deserve to die."
"Naruto," Zuko spoke. "When you told Katara that if she went on like that, the hatred would consume her, you sounded like you knew what would happen. Did something like that happen to you?"
He stopped and then looked back at them. "…Let's just say it was one of the reasons I came here." He kept walking.
"What happened?" The Scarred Dragon asked, wanting to know.
"If you want to know, go ask your sister about Itachi Uchiha." He left them alone on the dock.
"You're a fucking hypocrite, you know that, right?" The Kyūbi asked him.
"Yeah, I know."
(Location: Beach house)
It had been two days since Katara and the others came back to Ember Island. That morning, as Katara and Toph relaxed, Aang and his teachers, Azula and Zuko were practicing their Firebending. Nearby, Naruto was sparing against a clone of his. Aang, Azula, and Zuko finished their sets, breathed in deep and bowed to one another. "Doesn't it seem kinda weird that we're hiding from the Fire Lord in his own house?" Katara asked.
"I told you." Zuko said as he wiped off the sweat he had created from the practice. "Our father hasn't come here since our family was actually happy. And that was a long time ago."
"It's the last place anyone would think to look for us." Azula agreed as she splashed water on her face. Both she and her brother were sitting around the fountain in the middle of the courtyard.
"You guys are not gonna believe this!" Sokka announced as he and Suki entered the courtyard.
"Believe what?" Naruto asked as he beat the clone, making it vanish, and walking over.
"There's a play about us."
"We were just in town and we found this poster!" Suki explained as Sokka showed the poster.
"What?" Katara asked as they all gathered around. "How is this possible?"
"Listen to this…" Sokka turned the poster to face him and began reading it. "'The Boy in the Iceberg is a new production from acclaimed playwright Pu-on Tim, who scoured this side of the globe gathering information on the Avatar, from the icy South Pole to the heart of Ba Sing Se. His sources include singing nomads, pirates, prisoners of war, and a surprisingly knowledgeable merchant of cabbage.'"
"'Brought to you by the critically acclaimed Ember Island Players,'" Suki finished reading, making Zuko, Azula, and Naruto groan in disgust.
"Our mother used to take us to see them." Zuko explained as everyone looked at them.
"They butchered Love Amongst the Dragons every year!" Azula said.
"I went to go see that play when I was first here." Naruto told them. "Believe me when I say I was glad when the play was over."
"It wasn't that bad." The Kyūbi argued.
"Yes it was!" He replied silently.
"Sokka, do you really think it's a good idea to attend a play about ourselves?" Katara asked her brother.
"Why not? It's the kind of whacky, time-wasting nonsense I've been missing." He told her.
"Please, let's not," Naruto half begged. "I really don't want to gouge out my own eyes."
"It can't be all that bad." Aang told him.
"At least give it a try." The fox agreed.
"Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you." The blonde told the non-Fire Nation members of the team.
That night, they went to the theater to watch the play. By the end of it, they were thoroughly depressed and disgusted with it. The so called 'play' was nothing more than Fire Nation (or to be more precise, Fire Lord) propaganda. The 'characters' acted nothing like their real-life counterparts. By the time the second act had started, Naruto was seriously considering leaping onto the stage and murdering everyone there. By the time the third act had started, Zuko and Azula had joined him in the planning. Unfortunately, they didn't actually put any of it into action (might've saved a lot of misery if they had). When the play ended (with the Fire Nation's victory, of course), the rest of audience gave a standing ovation. They, on the other hand, couldn't have left the theater faster.
"That…wasn't a good play." Zuko stated as they walked away.
"I'll say." Aang said.
"No kidding." Katara agreed.
"Horrible." Suki declared.
"You said it." Toph supported.
"But the effects were decent." Sokka commented.
"Oh great, a saving grace," Azula remarked dryly.
"Kit, I am so sorry for doubting you." The Kyūbi told his host. Even he had been offended by what he had just seen (and considering how long he had been around, that was saying a lot).
"No problem." He replied.
"I want you to promise me something."
"What's that?"
"Promise me that that abomination never gets into the hands of one of those movie makers back home."
"Kyūbi, if that happens, I will gladly kill the entire movie crew, okay?"
"Thank you. Thank you so much."
The walk back to the beach house was quiet. But when they got back, it was quiet. "That's strange." Aang remarked as they entered the house. "I thought Momo or Akela would greet us."
"You're right." Naruto said, taking the lead. "That is strange. Everyone, be ready for a fight, something tells me we're not alone here." They walked carefully through the house. Sokka and Zuko had their swords out while Azula readied her daggers. Katara, Toph and Aang were ready to move into a Bending stance at a moment's notice, the same as Suki. They didn't see anyone, but the fact they also didn't the animals made them uncomfortable.
"Hey! There they are." Suki said as they entered the courtyard. Sure enough, Appa, Momo, Akela, and Fǎn Yìng were all piled up next to each other.
"They look like they're sleeping." Aang noted. "Um…maybe we shouldn't wake them." He said as Sokka and Zuko sheathed their swords and went over to check on them. "I don't know about the others, but Appa gets kinda cranky when he's suddenly woken up."
"Hold on, Fǎn Yìng's not asleep." Zuko announced when he checked his dragon. "He's knocked out!"
"The same with Akela," Sokka said as he looked over the wolf.
"Well, they are asleep." Suki told them as they quickly checked Appa and Momo.
"They're not asleep. They're unconscious!" Zuko explained.
That was when Naruto noticed that paper was attached to stuff in the courtyard. But it wasn't just paper, it was seal tags and there was enough perfectly positioned to cover the entire courtyard. "Oh no," He thought in realization. "Everyone, get out!" He suddenly ordered, surprising the others. "We need to get out of this house now!" But before anyone could ask him why they had to get out, the seal tags went off. There wasn't an explosion because these were not explosive tags. They held something different.
"It's knockout gas, kit!" The Kyūbi warned him.
"I kinda noticed!" He replied as he covered his mouth and nose, trying to protect himself from it. "How much did I breathe in?"
"Not enough to take you out."
He looked around and saw that the others were already collapsing. "I have to get them out of the gas." He thought to himself. But before he could even reach for one of them or even create clones, he got a swift punch in the stomach, making him pull his hand away to gasp. The gas flew swiftly into his mouth and nose, making him begin to feel woozy.
He fell to his knees. He tried to stand up but it was impossible. When a shadow fell over him, he looked up. The face was blurry due to the fact he was falling unconscious, but he could still hear the voice. "Hey gaki, how've you been?" It asked him. He didn't answer. He just fell over, completely knocked out.
End
Author's note: Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.
Okay, I'm going to give you guys fair warning. I know I've been posting the new chapter within two days or so of the last one. But now, I don't know how long the next chapter will take, considering I'm going to get a little original here.
If you want to know who exactly Naruto hates, you can figure it out yourself or you can wait until it's revealed. Either way, I'm not telling you.
I know I said I wasn't going to write the Ember Island Players, but how else was I supposed to get to this point. I just did the beginning and the ending. And yes, that promise about killing an entire movie crew over the play was necessary. I'm pretty damn sure that anyone who saw the movie (I shamefully count myself among them) probably felt the same way.
I'll see you all next chapter.