Well, thanks to my planning WAY back two years ago when I first started writing this story, I'm going to be able to post another chapter within the next couple of days. Why? Because after I finished writing the Western Air Temple chapter today, I remembered that I'd already written the Firebending Masters chapter two years ago. So, now I'm up to chapter 42 in what I've got written already. Not much longer before I can finally finish this story. :)
Disclaimer: I don't own A:TLA or any of its characters. I only have Kala and my OCs.
Fires erupted in my dreams, surrounding me completely where I stood in darkness. Oddly, I was not afraid. Instead, I was comforted by the warmth of the flames. A figure approached and I slowly stood to face him. After a moment, Roku's face came into view and I smiled softly.
"Kala," he began, "it's time you learned my history with Fire Lord Sozin. You need to understand how the war began, if you want to know how to end it." An image of an island with two large volcanoes and lush greenery came into view. "Meet me on my home island on the day of the Summer Solstice."
"I will, Roku," I answered politely and bowed my head to him. When I awoke in the morning, I told the others of my dream and the need to go to Roku's island.
"Why the solstice?" Toph asked as we boarded Appa and began flying away, Aang creating a cloud cover around us. I shrugged my shoulders, only realizing a moment later she couldn't see.
"I don't know. The Fire Nation has always been very big on either the Winter or Summer Solstice. I think it has something to do with the sunlight." After hours of flying, we found the island that I'd seen in my dream. "That's it!"
"This was Roku's home?" Aang asked as Appa landed on the island.
"Yeah. It's what I saw."
"But, there's nothing here," Katara said. I had to agree with her. The ground beneath us was nothing but rocks formed from lava cooling. Toph jumped down from Appa and the force vibrated beneath our feet.
"Yes, there is," she answered. "An entire village. Hundreds of houses. All completely buried in ash."
I walked around the island until coming to a cliff that fast faced the sunset. I took a seat atop it and closed my eyes, meditating to as to be able to speak with Roku. After a moment, I could hear wings flapping and I opened my eyes to see that I was now on a lonely plateau. I figured I must have made it to the Spirit World when I saw Roku fly to me on a large, beautiful, red dragon. The beautiful creature placed its snout in front of me and rested a hand on it.
"Fang," I murmured softly, running my hand over his scales. Roku smiled at me and held out a hand for me to climb onto his dragon's back with him.
"Come, Kala," he said and we flew off.
"Where are we going?"
"To visit my past, our shared past." We were brought to a place I recognized well, the courtyard of the Fire Nation Royal Palace. There, I could see two men sparring with each other, until the one with longer hair fell over a tree root, having been pushed back by his sparring partner.
"Looks like I win again, Roku," the winner said with a smile.
"Are you kidding? The tree root did all the work," the other man, the younger version of Roku, answered. He was helped up by the victor with a smile. "Nice one, Sozin."
"You were friends with Fire Lord Sozin?" I asked incredulously as I watched the two walk away.
"Back then, he was just Prince Sozin," the older man beside me answered. "And he was my best friend." I watched as the younger Roku tried to talk to a beautiful young woman, but was unable to find words. He fell back in defeat with Sozin sitting beside him. I couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. "Love is hard, when you're young."
"You don't have to tell me twice."
"Don't worry. It gets better. Now come with me. We have a party to attend."
Roku and I were suddenly standing in the middle of a grand festival, one that I would expect to see for a member of the Royal Family. I'd only seen a few parties when I lived in the palace, and I was never allowed to take part in them. Even as Zuko's personal servant, I was forbidden from joining him for his own birthday.
"Whose birthday is this for?" I asked.
"Sozin and I shared many things, including a birthday." The two young men being celebrated began walking down the steps, and Roku's younger self nearly tripped until Sozin caught the sleeve of his robes. They were then approached by the five Fire Sages, and Sozin stepped forward with a concerned expression on his face.
"Did something happen to my father?" he asked.
"No, Prince Sozin," the leading Sage answered. "We are not here for you. We are here to announce the identity of the next Avatar Half. It is our honor to serve you, Master Roku." The Fire Sages bowed to the floor, followed by all of the party guests and even Sozin.
Roku and I were suddenly placed in a room where we could see his younger self preparing to leave to fulfill his destiny. He would need to not only master fire and water, but also meet the other Half. While there wasn't a war to be fought like Aang and I faced, the Halves always had to meet in order to keep the balance in the world. After a moment, Sozin entered the room.
"Hey, why aren't you packed yet, all-powerful Avatar Half?" he asked jokingly, leaning in the frame of the doorway. "Come on, show me how it's done, using both water and fire! Or go into that cool state that lets you use all four kinds of bending." Sozin imitated the different styles mockingly, obviously trying to bring a smile to his friend's face. I was surprised to see this, expecting the young Fire Lord to be as cruel as Azulon and Ozai.
"I started packing, but then the Fire Sages told me I won't need any worldly possession anymore," the younger Roku answered. Sozin gave his friend a sympathetic look and sat next to him on the bed. "It happened so fast. Everything's gonna be different now." I watched as Sozin removed the jeweled top-knot holder that I recognized from the history books as being reserved for the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation. I'd been told that he'd been the last prince to wear it, before it was lost forever. He held it out to the younger Roku.
"Here," he said. "I hope you're at least allowed to have this."
"But this is a royal artifact. It's supposed to be worn by the Crown Prince."
"I want you to have it." Roku took the holder and put it on. I glanced back to the spirit of Roku beside me, only realize he was wearing the same thing. It seemed he'd kept it for as long as he'd lived. Seconds later, I found myself riding on Fang again, with Roku in front of me.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"After meeting the other Half, I traveled to the Northern Water Tribe so I could master Waterbending," Roku answered.
"Who was the other Half?"
"Kiyoshi. She is the one who guides Aang." I nodded as the Northern Water Tribe came into view. I was still awestruck by the beauty of it, and saddened by the memory of Yue and the destruction I'd caused. Even after trying to open the chakras, it still hurt to think of the lives that were lost.
"It's such a beautiful place here," I murmured.
"Yes, it truly is," Roku answered and we watched for a moment as he battled a Waterbending master atop an arena of ice. "My training was bitter work but the results were worth it." I was shown an image of Roku years after leaving the Fire Nation, able to control both fire and water simultaneously. As I watched, I could only hope I would become as skilled. It had been twelve years since he'd left, and was now returning to the Fire Nation to see Sozin again. Roku's spirit and I watched his younger self approach his old friend in the throne room.
"Sozin," he greeted. "Or should I say Fire Lord?"
"Customarily, my subjects bow before greeting me," Sozin answered sternly and I could fight the scowl on my lips. The Fire Lord stood and approached Roku's younger self. "But you're the exception." The two of them hugged and my scowl melted into a warm smile. While it was surreal seeing this unknown side of Fire Lord Sozin, it was refreshing. For once, there was a Fire Lord that didn't seem to be pure evil.
"After all these years, he was still my best friend," Roku's spirit said. "And a few months later, he was my best man." We were brought to the memory of a wedding. It was between Roku and the young woman he'd tried to talk to twelve years prior after that sparring match with Sozin.
"That's the girl we saw before, the one that ignored you," I said with a soft chuckle. It was nice to see that he'd been able to be with the woman of his dreams.
"Ta Min. I was persistent. When love is real, it finds a way. And being Half the Avatar doesn't hurt your chances either." I chuckled softly and continued to watch the scene play out as the ceremony began. Sozin asked Roku to join him on one of the many balconies for a talk, and I wondered what could be so important as to interrupt a wedding. Roku's younger self seemed to be wondering the same.
"What's on your mind?" he asked his long-time friend.
"I've been thinking hard about the state of the world lately," Sozin answered.
"Sozin, it's my wedding. Have a cookie. Dance with someone. Lighten up."
"I know, I know. But, just hear me out." Roku's younger self nodded and Sozin began telling him of his thoughts. "Right from the start, I was destined to be Fire Lord. And although we didn't always know it, you were destined to be an Avatar Half. It's an amazing stroke of fate we know each other so well, isn't it? Together we could do anything."
"Yeah, we could."
"Our nation is enjoying an unprecedented time of peace and wealth. Our people are happy, and we're so fortunate in so many ways."
"Where are you going with this?"
"I've been thinking. We should share this prosperity with the rest of the world. In our hands is the most successful empire in history. It's time we expanded it." My eyes widened in shock, realizing this was the moment Sozin began his plans to rule the world. Roku's younger self stepped forward, as though not believing what he was hearing.
"No! The four nations are meant to be just that: four."
"Roku, you haven't even stopped to consider the possibilities," Sozin pressed.
"There are no possibilities. This is the last I want to hear about this," Roku said firmly, ending the conversation. He walked away and Roku's spirit beside me began to speak.
"That was my first real test as Half the Avatar," he told me. "Unfortunately, it was many years before I learned that Sozin had gone ahead with his plan, despite my warning."
We were shown Ba Sing Se, with the Fire Nation emblem hanging in front of what should have been the talisman of the Earth Kingdom. I watched as both Roku and Kiyoshi stormed into the Earth Kingdom palace to face Sozin. Kiyoshi was furious, but Roku had asked that she not attack until he'd had a word with his old friend.
"I've seen the colonies, Sozin!" he yelled. "How dare you occupy Earth Kingdom territory?"
"How dare you, a citizen of the Fire Nation, address your Fire Lord this way?" Sozin asked, his voice carrying the tone often associated with a calm fury. "Your loyalty is to our nation first. Anything less, such as coming with the other Half, makes you a traitor."
"Don't do this, Sozin! Don't challenge us. It will only end badly. It's over."
When Roku turned away, Sozin leapt forward attacked with a large blast of fire, reminding me of Zuko's Agni Kai with Zhao that seemed like a lifetime ago. When the fire cleared, both Roku and Kiyoshi were missing, only to reappear from beneath the ground with Kiyoshi's Earthbending. She blew Sozin away with a gust of air and he landed on the other side of the throne room. A pillar of earth then came up and pinned Sozin to the ceiling by his robe.
"You should never have challenged the two of us," the woman said harshly as Roku unlocked the True Avatar State, destroying a large part of the palace.
"We are sparing you, Sozin," Roku said as he began walking toward where the front door had once been. "I'm letting you go in the name of our past friendship. But I warn you, even a single step out of line will result in your permanent end." Roku and Kiyoshi left without letting Sozin down from the pillar the woman had hung him on. The image faded away and I was shown the island I had been meditating on, but in a younger, lush time.
"Sozin and I didn't speak or see each other for twenty-five years after our battle," Roku's spirit informed me. "I spent most of my spare time here, at my home."
I saw Roku now as he appeared to me in spirit form. I figured it must have been nearing the end of his life. In the middle of the night what seemed to be an earthquake shook the house and woke the living Roku from his sleep with a jolt. Through the window, we could see balls of fire raining down on the island. Upon running outside, Roku's living form saw that one of the volcanoes was erupting and he urged his wife to leave with him. They ran as the smoke and force from the volcano began destroying the small town that was on the island.
After Ta Min was given the chance to escape, Roku entered the True Avatar state and began Airbending to fly to the top of the volcano, as well as force the smoke and ashes away from himself. He tried using Earthbending in the True Avatar State to hold back the lava as it flowed from the volcano, but there was too much. Instead, Roku created deep pathways in the mountain that led to the ocean for the lava to cool that way. It seemed to work for a time and I was awestruck.
"This is amazing," I whispered. "You battled a volcano without aid from Kiyoshi, and you were winning."
"Unfortunately, my success didn't last, Kala. There was no way I could do it all, even if Kiyoshi had been there." The volcano continued to erupt with a vengeance, and though Roku was trying as hard as he could, even he was unable to stop it. "Battling the elements was hard enough, but I had to do it while I could barely breathe. The poisonous volcanic gasses were overwhelming."
Fang had tried to help Roku, but he'd told the dragon to leave for its own safety. Roku parted the volcano on the other side to allow the lava to flow in another direction and it seemed to be working. Then, an even bigger disaster struck when the other volcano also erupted. At that moment, Sozin arrived, riding his dragon.
"Need a hand, old friend?" he asked.
"Sozin?" Roku asked, just as surprised as I was to see the Fire Lord.
"There's not a moment to waste." Together, the two of them worked to stop the volcano from destroying the entire island. I was brought to the verge of tears as I watch the two join forces after so many years without speaking. When the volcano became too much, they both fled, but Roku was hit with a strong blast of the poisonous volcanic gas, leaving him unable to breathe. He collapsed to the ground, reaching a hand out to Sozin.
"Please," he begged.
"Without you, all my plans are suddenly possible. I have a vision for the future, Roku."
Sozin mounted his dragon and flew off, leaving Roku to die on the island. Fang returned and, knowing Roku's fate, wrapped himself around his master so they would die together under the ash from the volcano. I covered my mouth as angry tears flowed down my cheeks. Though I'd known what a cruel man Sozin had been from reading of his 'triumphs', as was taught in the Fire Nation, I hadn't expected him to betray his best friend in such a way.
I was taken from this horrific scene to the Southern Water Tribe, where I heard a baby crying. The child was lifted up and revealed to be a baby girl. She was handed to her father, and I suddenly realized I was staring at my own birth.
"Roku… I wasn't the next to be born after your death," I murmured.
"No. I was reborn twice over before you came, but neither reincarnation was able to face Fire Lord Azulon without Aang, who had been locked away in an iceberg. You must make sense of our past, Kala. Once you do, you will restore peace and bring balance to the world with Aang." Roku disappeared and I walked away from the scene of my birth, taking one last look at my young mother. I really did look so much like her. When I left the meditative state I was in, I found myself staring out into the ocean, back on Roku's home island.
"Well, how'd it go in the spirit world?" Sokka asked. I wiped my eyes of the tears that had fallen and turned to tell them everything I had seen.
"You mean after all Roku and Sozin went through together, even after showed him mercy, Sozin betrayed him like that?" Katara asked incredulously after I finished speaking.
"It's like these people are born bad," Toph commented.
"No. Not at all," I answered firmly. I still remembered how Zuko had been when we were younger, how he'd been so kind. "I don't think that was the point of what Roku showed me."
"Then what was the point?" Sokka asked.
"Roku was just as much Fire Nation as Sozin was. Their story proves that anyone is capable of great good, and great evil. And I think it was about friendships."
"Do you think friendships can last more than one lifetime?" Toph asked.
"Of course," I answered as I joined hands with her and Aang. Katara took her other hand and the four of us smiled.
"Well," Sokka began, "scientifically speaking, there's no way to prove that-"
"Oh, Sokka, just hold hands," Katara yelled and her brother grabbed her hand a second later. I chuckled softly and looked around at my traveling companions. No, I realized. They were more than just that. They were my friends now.
So, here is the point where Kala can finally consider herself as part of the Gaang. Cute, right? lol. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. And it was longer than the previous two, so I'm glade. Hahaha.
Please R&R.