Vengeance, thy name is Aang

Ch. 19- Touchdown at the North Pole

xXx

Increasingly frigid air whipped around Aang as he and his animal companions soared high over the vast oceans of the North Pole. It had been days since the young Avatar's trip into the Spirit World and the newly brunette youth sat, meditating, in an effort to sync his mind and body so he could better handle the great well of power that had been tapped by Vaatu. Because, while the prodigious airbender had managed to employ the power upon awakening, Aang soon found himself overwhelmed when he tried to work through one of the basic kata of his people.

While focusing the flows of his chi Aang recalled the way he'd nearly blown his arms off while executing a wind-cannon! This perturbed the young Avatar, as he recalled how easily he'd managed to tear apart those trees with the wind from his fingertips. At least, that was before the svelte sword-wielding airbender worked out a hypothesis. Unleashing the power in such a raw fashion the first time only worked out because Aang was letting loose more energy than he realized; it was wild, and tired the young Avatar out quickly because he was simply dumping his chi rather than concentrating it. This meant that his pathways, while flooded when he used his bending, only suffered a brief strain whereas attempting to concentrate that power forced his chi paths to sustain the pressure for much longer periods of time, and as such the pain and unusually high levels of power resulted in dangerous and sloppy expulsions of backlash when Aang used his abilities.

This realization nudged the young Avatar in a bad way, as he realized his fighting abilities would be greatly hindered until he could better control the flow of his chi. And while he could just take advantage of those bursts of extreme power, the youthful warrior knew that it would tire him out immensely and as such needed to be used sparingly in battle.

Soon however, Aang realized that his meditation wouldn't be bringing him any form of synchronization when he found himself being carried mentally to thoughts of his past battles; and more importantly, how badly he'd been getting beaten. Many of his major skirmishes had ended in defeat or, worse, retreat on his end and this ate at the Avatar's mind. What hope did he have of defeating Ozai if just the man's son was giving him so much trouble? And then there was that woman, Jun, who had shown a frighteningly adept ability for non-bending combat.

Even with all of his time training after leaving Kyoshi Island, Aang was finding himself coming up short against many of his major foes and the realization worried him. Even if he'd never say it out loud. Instead he buried it under his anger and fought it back with reasoning; all of them had years of training and experience under their belt, while he himself was working with only a couple of months. Yes, he was hailed as a prodigy back at the temple he'd been raised in, but natural skill and comprehension did not completely close the gap as Aang was coming to understand.

'The only thing I can do is increase the intensity of my training,' the boy resigned with a sigh.

Opening his large, gray eyes Aang looked out over the open sea below him and noticed that there were a significant increase in the number of icebergs and snow-covered landscapes as there had been just yesterday. This gave the young avenger joy as Aang took this to mean he must be close to his destination, which meant he'd soon be learning waterbending from a true master, and coming that much closer to having the tools necessary to take on the Fire Lord.

Unfortunately this prodding came with another, one that flashed the memory of his last conversation with Roku to the forefront of Aang's brain. He could clearly recall the look that the elderly Avatar had given him, the light of pleading shining in his amber orbs that spoke of how badly Roku wanted Aang to forget about vengeance. The memory brought with it the heavy stone of guilt that had settled in the youths stomach the first time, as Aang had turned his back on the elderly visage of his past life, and not for the first time he wondered if he'd done the right thing...only for Aang to shove those thoughts and feelings into the darkest corners of his heart. There, he sealed them away with his seething need to avenge the lives of the airbenders.

There would be time for guilt and apologies after Ozai was made to pay for all the lives he and his countrymen ruined, and not a minute before!

At least, this was what Aang tried to tell himself in order to sleep at night, but the truth of the matter was that his dreams were still being haunted by memories of the man he knew to be Shu. His past life, and the lover of the powerful earthbender Oma, were the central theme of many dreams the young bender awoke from in a cold sweat over the length of his journey to master the other three elements.

It had begun when he and the Water Tribe siblings decided to head into Omashu in search of an earthbending teacher for Aang, and the dreams only continued to pester the once naive youth since their departure from the city. The young Avatar had tried many different mental techniques and exercises in an effort to rid himself of those memories, but they persisted like a stubborn virus until Aang finally decided to simply let them come.

The problem was, while a rough night of sleep was better than none at all, Aang was still feeling the effects of not being able to really rest during those cycles of REM. Most mornings the young avenger found himself immersed in whatever icy patch of ocean he could find in order to fully chase away the bogs of slumber that encroached on his weary mind and body. Aang shivered from his place atop Appa's head as he recalled the burst of freezing cold that had slammed him awake that very same morning; truly a most unpleasant way to fight back the edges of exhaustion, even if it was effective.

However, Aang finally decided not to dwell on such things, and instead set his mind to the task of finding a waterbending master once he arrived at the North Pole.

His arrival came quickly after those thoughts too, which was something the cloaked Avatar was thankful for; with the gashes and other various rips and tears scattered across the muddy-brown clothe Aang's protection from the elements was significantly reduced. The young bender hadn't had much chance to mend those damages, and seeing the weathered condition of his cloak every morning agitated Aang's heart strings, as it had been one of the few remaining things left in tact at the Air Temple he had once called home.

The wind slicing against his robed body through the breaches in his once thick and hearty cloak reminded Aang of his damaged outerwear, and had his mind setting itself to the task of settling into the North Pole quickly. Thankfully, making his way to towards the native's walled in home via a flying bison helped to get the locals interested in his identity quickly.

"My name is Aang and I am the Avatar," he answered when one of the guardsmen standing atop the ice wall asked for his name. "I've come here in search of a waterbending master so that I might learn how to better synchronize with the element of Mother Moon and call upon her aid to help me defeat the Fire Lord."

The guard, a burly man with a head of thick dark hair, eyed the young boy in front of him with caution. "While my people and I have heard whispers of the Avatar's return, what proof does a child such as yourself have that you are him?"

"Well," Aang began with a raised eyebrow. "If the tattoos and flying bison aren't enough for you I can also do this."

A set of small, colorful marbles soon spun and whirled around above the palm of the Avatar's outstretched hand, and it was with an eye roll and a sense of slight disbelief that Aang then watched as the men in front of him gawked in wonder at such a simple trick taught to children. This disappeared though when the Avatar remembered that they all had never seen such a feat before, and as such he decided the soldiers couldn't be blamed for their amazement.

Once his identity had been confirmed Aang was taken by two of the guards and lead through the vastly different structure of the North Pole. Seated in the canoe that had been chosen as his transport, Aang looked around at the amazing architectural structures that made up the native's homes. Unlike the South Pole, where everyone lived in small igloo-like dwellings, the people of the North seemed to live in sound, four-walled homes made from solid ice. They created roadways and streets that cut through the large ocean below and even used bridges to connect sections of the frozen city together.

And that was to say nothing of the wall that defended the city. The memory of how many benders it took simply to allow the young air nomad into their home still boggled the boy's mind, as did the level of skill it must take each and every one of those Northerner's to have created such a fierce defense.

Aang honestly had to say he was impressed.

Another thing, one that the young airbender was a little slower to notice due to his amazement over the people's ingenuity, was that the natives up in the North Pole seemed much happier than their kin from the southern end of the world.

People walked around, couples easily spotted by held hands or wrapped bodies, smiling or laughing together. There were excited pitches to some of the voices Aang could hear as well as the occasional punchline to a joke if he strained a bit. Contentment, joy, love; these emotions all seemed to radiate from the natives in waves so palpable waves. And yet, the Avatar found he couldn't blame them for there upbeat attitude when he thinks back to the solid mass of defense the people of the North had surrounding their home, or the obviously trained soldiers that kept seemingly vigilant watch over the seas beyond.

Two things Aang easily recalled the South Pole sorely lacking.

'But then, who's supposed to keep watch or build fortifications when all their able bodied warriors are out fighting the Fire Nation head on?' It was a question of defended complacency vs active retaliation.

These were the types of questions Aang knew he needed to put to rest, and why he had to find a waterbending master to teach him now that he'd arrived. Yet, thinking of such things also had the young Avatar thinking about the other person who had wished to fully learn the technique; Katara. Thoughts of the dark-skinned beauty pricked at Aang's brain and had him shuffling in the canoe uncomfortably. The pure silence of his journey had left the boy with large spans of time with nothing to do but reflect on the past, and his actions.

Guilt was an emotion Aang hated being reminded of, as he had attempted to bury it alongside all others in an effort to focus on revenge, but one that persisted in making itself known now that he had time to settle down and let it run its course. Memories of words spoken, harsh and hurtful, filled the budding brunette's mind and made Aang's stomach knot uncomfortably; the bile once again rose in his throat as the 'old Aang' pushed his way back through the dark shadows of the Avatar's heart to tell the avenger that he was pushing away someone who only wanted to help him, who wanted to be there for him, simply because they cared.

And unlike before, when there was noise and distractions, Aang found himself hard pressed to push back those thoughts. Even trying to over-run it with anger failed, as the boy's underdeveloped emotional system began to run itself ragged with the effort. Because as much as the Avatar tried to hide it behind his title, tried to dress it up with his mission, or compensate with his tattoos, Aang was still in fact...just a boy.

The truth churned the cloaked youth's stomach just as badly as the guilt, and as Aang pulled his tattered cloak tighter around himself he heaved a heavy breath through his nose as the boat finally pulled up to what was clearly where he would be formally introduced to the Northern Water Tribe.

High ceilings and intricately carved columns greeted the Avatar as he walked along beside his guides into the hall. Looking around with each step Aang tried to wash away his earlier dump of thoughts with the pristine walls and contrasting blues that that made up the decorative tapestries hanging from them. Some chronicled historical battles while others were depictions of various spirits the tribe worshiped, many of which Aang recalled reading about during his travels atop Appa.

Paramount among them, of course, were the twin fish that circled one another on the largest cloth Aang could find as he finally reached the center of the building. One a ghostly white, the other a charcoal black, both sporting a single blot of their twins color along their spine.

Aang's mind locked in on this particular piece of woven art and the youth allowed himself to slip a bit away from the goings on around him enough to no hear as he was introduced to all who had gathered to meet him. Yet, even the complex combination of colors hadn't been enough to fully draw the Avatar from his heavy thoughts, so when a familiar voice rang out among the applause Aang found his shoulders jerking and his heart thudding heavily in his chest.

"Aang, you made it!"

Grey eyes blinked rapidly before shooting over to find Sokka standing from the table he'd apparently been seated at next to his sister and another pretty young girl with hair the color of newly fallen snow. Aang gave a brief nod to the older boy before letting his gaze fall on his sister, and found himself surprised at what greeted him.

An unsure wave and confused, but welcoming, grin were not what the young airbender had come to expect from Katara. If anything, her brother's more exuberant shock was what Aang thought would be the waterbending beauties response.

For the Southern Water Tribe girl the encounter wasn't any easier. Sure she knew Aang would be coming to the North Pole to learn waterbending, but Katara thought she'd have more time to center herself before the younger boy arrived. It had been weeks since she'd last seen the Avatar, but the fledgling waterbender still felt the strange sting from his dismissal of she and her brother back then. She wanted to be Aang's friend, to help him carry the burden on his shoulders, but his constant cold shoulder, added to what she now viewed as her mission, left Katara in a strange place.

Before she could think much more on this however, the Chief of the Northern tribe stood from his seat and addressed the young airbender once he was stood in the center of the hall.

"Avatar Aang I am Arnook, Chief of the North. Chief Hakoda and his children informed me of your impending arrival, but I must say I am surprised to find you so...young." The discomfort was clear on the man's face, but for the youthful avenger didn't take this personally; he'd probably react the same way if the roles had been reversed.

Bowing, Aang returned the bear-like man's greeting before walking up to take the offered seat beside the leader of the Northerner's. He saw the look on Katara's face as he passed, but chose to turn his attention to the odd behavior of her brother instead. Flicking his gray orbs across the room Aang noticed that the one who Sokka seemed to be watching with such intensity was a white-haired girl settled into the other seat beside Arnook; and while he may be young, there was absolutely no mistaking the furtive glances the two shared.

What was it with these two and their need for romance?

Deciding it was of no importance, let Sokka flirt if it made him happy, Aang walked as quickly as dignity would allow and sat down smoothly in his offered spot. There he watched as a tray of Northern cuisine was set before him. Side-stepping the fish he picked through the rest of his meal as the man beside him began to speak again.

"We were just going over what the next step should be for handling the Fire Nation threat; my people have held out for many years thanks to our defenses, yet I feel that stagnation will eventually lead to ruin. If they are not stopped, Ozai and his ilk will control the rest of the world, and then our walls will count for nothing against their numbers. However, now that you are here Avatar Aang, I believe we have just the piece we need to turn this war around."

Aang took a sip from his drink before answering. "While I do wish to see the Fire Nation defeated just as much as anyone, I'm ashamed to say that at my current level I am no match for the Fire Lord; his son, were it one-on-one, I'm more certain of. But Ozai has far too many years of experience over me, as well as my lack of control over the other three elements; that second bit being exactly why I'm here."

"Hmm," Arnook stroked his beard for a moment before responding. "If it's a teacher you're looking for, Master Pakku would be best; he is the North's foremost expert on waterbending after all. You can begin your training in the morning if you feel you'll be up to it."

"I will be, and thank you. I've tried self-teaching since my reawakening, but it's difficult without the initial guidance of a sifu. I only hope Master Pakku is truly as skilled as you say; I'm a quick learner, and would like to absorb as much waterbending as I can in the shortest time possible."

Arnook eyed the young Avatar incautiously, sizing up his words with what he himself could make of the boy, but made no move to counter Aang's claims. In fact, the Chief of the North hoped if nothing else that the monk truly was as gifted as he boasted.

All the sooner this war will be over if he is.

xXx

The training, Aang soon found out, was everything he'd needed and more. Waking bright and early the following morning and dressing in his newly mended robes, the young Avatar made his way on swift feet towards the training hall to meet up with Master Pakku. Upon his arrival Aang was quickly instructed to remove his cloak and settle into a mirror image of the elder's own stance.

"We'll begin with basic movements so that I can see how well your body flows," he explained as he circled the tattooed youth. "This way, I'll have a better understanding of where to start you off from, and we can progress from there."

That had been hours ago, just as the sun had begun to crest over the horizon. Now, well past breakfast time and nearing the middle of the day, Aang could easily make out the proud gleam in his instructor's eyes as he watched the Avatar work through the Sea-Serpent's Roar. Twisting on his right foot, sliding forward on his left, Aang's arms moved in a seamless wave while directing a roaring dragon's head over his shoulders and off his outstretched fingertips.

Master Pakku stood tall, his gloved hands rising to clap, when suddenly the pair were interrupted by an exclamation of awe.

"Wow Aang, that was amazing!"

Katara stood at the edge of the steps, panting with her hands on her knees, but the Southerner's eyes were wide with excitement and a thirst for instruction. "And you've only been working with Master Pakku for a few hours; I can't wait to see what I'll be able to do after today-"

"You?" That single word was spat with so much venom, Katara almost believed she'd been bitten by a real serpent. "I do not train anyone who does not take my lessons seriously. Avatar Aang was here when the starts could still be seen in the sky, while you slept in and have wasted half the day doing who-knows-what; even though you knew there would be lessons today. No, Miss Katara, I will not be your instructor. Instead I think the healer's camp would be a better fit for someone of your...discipline."

The gasp that left Katara's lips was tinged with righteous anger as well as hurt. She was being denied simply because she hadn't thought to get up before dawn? Surely that couldn't have offended Master Pakku that much? Turning to Aang, who just seemed to be standing there staring into his hands, the water tribe beauty made an attempt to plead her case to him.

"Come on, Aang, even you can see how ridiculous that sounded right? So I wanted to get a little more rest before training, is that really so wrong? Not everyone can just get up and go like Master Pakku, or even you if I'm being honest, some of us need a little more time but that doesn't mean we're any less willing to get the work done."

"Do I agree with his decision? No; but this is war Katara." Aang's eyes had left his hands, but his gaze did not turn to her. Instead, the young monk chose to stare off into the horizon, catching the same glimpse she had of her brother walking with Princess Yui, as he went on. "And you of all people know just how important it is to be ready for anything during war; there can't be any stragglers, everyone involved has to keep up, or else the whole effort risks falling apart. You chose rest over readiness, and as the one doing the teaching, Master Pakku has the right to turn your instruction over to someone else. I'm sorry Katara, but it's out of my hands."

Angry tears glittered at the edges of Ktara's brilliant cerulean orbs as she clenched her own gloved fists. Her head down, shoulders shaking, the Southern Water Tribe girl could barely speak between her clenched teeth.

"Out of your hands? You didn't even try! What am I supposed to do then Aang, how else do you expect me to learn how to fight properly with waterbending without a real teacher, how else am I supposed to be of any use!?"

It was Master Pakku who answered. "It is your belief that you need to be a fighter that is the problem then; you are not a warrior. You do not have the mindset of one ready to go out into the field and do what needs to be done, something I gleaned simply from your tardiness, which was why I told you to join the healing lessons. Just because you wont be fighting, does not mean you cannot help. I doubt the Avatar will return from every fight unscathed, no matter how talented he is, and that is where you will be, as you put it, useful. We all have our parts to play; this one is yours."

The coppery taste of her own blood as she bit down on her lower lip was the only thing Katara could process as she shuffled inside, away from Aang and the man who'd made her feel like nothing.

After watching the downtrodden girl enter the hall itself, Master Pakku turned his sharp gaze onto his newest pupil and appraised the boy with a new light in his eye. It wasn't easy telling someone something they didn't want to hear, even if it was for their own good, and the waterbending master respected Aang all the more knowing that, even at a young age, he was willing to set aside selfish desires for the betterment of the war effort.

"Now that that's been taken care of, I do think we ought to break for lunch Aang. Your next lesson is going to be unlike anything I'm sure you could imagine, and you'll need energy if you're going to even attempt it."

Walking next to the hunched old man, cloak retrieved and wrapped snug over his lithe frame, the Avatar turned his hooded head to address the waterbender directly. "May I ask just what sort of training I'll be doing, Sifu Pakku?"

"Tell me, Avatar, how would you like to start attempting cross elemental techniques?"

xXx

Soft, her lips were always soft, like Earth Kingdom silk; and yet sweeter than even his mother's sea prune tarts. Gently leaning her back against the wall, drowning them both in shadows just as his hands roamed underneath the hem of the Northern beauty's dress seam. Grinning a little against her mouth as she shivered against his cool fingertips the young man was soon treated to the delicious sound of her breath being taken away as those same sinful digits trailed over that secret spot along her spin, right before they nimbly unhooked the velvety wrap cradling her heaving breasts.

"Mmm~"

Practiced hands massaged those wonderful globes, soaking up their warmth as they gripped with just the right amount of pressure to excite but not bruise. Rough, calloused thumbs gently rolled twin, puckered, peaks in lazy circles before flicking them lightly in rhythm with the coos that made their way into the air between open-mouthed kisses.

It went on like this, the two of them touching and teasing, a sweet but slick game of cat and mouse, until his hand dipped low and began to fiddle with the violet obi wrapped around her waist.

"Sokka, wait...you know we can't." A single sentence, a single hand pressed against his chest, yet they held the strength of Ba-Sing-Se's great wall. The Southern Water Tribe warrior immediately pulled back from trailing tongue over Yui's pulse point to look into her mist-blue eyes.

Searching her gaze Sokka found what he was looking for, and his face molded into a mask of confusion. "But...you don't love him."

"No...but I do love my Father, my people, and understand how important the union is for their future." The voice that spoke was resigned, yet firm; that of someone who did not enjoy their fate, but had accepted it all the same. "Sokka I like you, but...I couldn't marry you...even without this agreement."

Confusion began to give way to pain, and the pony-tailed teen took a shaky step back as he stared at the white-haired princess as if he'd never seen her before. "W-What do you mean? I-I thought that you...you just said-"

"Sokka I've never been allowed to so much as look at a boy, let alone what we've been doing since you've arrived. I-I just wanted to feel normal, even if only for a little while, my intentions were never anything else...I'm sorry."

Where there would normally be a slick grin now sat a facade of heart break and desperation. Sokka didn't even remember when he'd dropped to his knees, only that his entire body felt numb, lifeless, even as he felt his heart begin to break.

"B-But Yue, I-I love-"

"No." Such finality in that one word. The poor boy had never imagined a single syllable could hurt so bad. "No, Sokka, you don't. You hardly even know me, so how could you even think to say that? What we've been doing has been nice, fun, but that's all; and I think it's time to put the game away now. Again, I apologize for hurting you, but this is the end...goodbye Sokka."

And with that, Princess Yue turned and began to walk away. Back to the palace, back to her bed, back to her life. A life that had no room for him. With every step Sokka felt another piece of his heart crack and splinter until the woman he looked at like a goddess was out of sight, and then, vomit spewed from his mouth at the same time hot tears sprang from the Southerner's eyes. Agony the likes of which Sokka had never known, never truly understood, ripped through his very core. Try as he might, the usually proud teen couldn't even bellow out a cry, so chocked up was he by his sobs.

So instead, he did the one thing he could do. Curling up into a fetal position and bringing his knees to his chest, Sokka wept. He wept for his broken heart, for the unfairness of life, he wept for the irony that he too had been played by a charming smile...

But most importantly, he wept for the fact that in his moment of need there was no one there to comfort him. Even with his father and sister a walk away, Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe had never felt more alone.

xXx

A/N: Welp, I guess I'll just wright it as I see fit rather than try and cram things into X-amount of chapters. I think, with this story in particular, that was one of my biggest issues. I wanted to not have this split apart in an effort to get to book 2 faster, but I think all that did was put pressure on me and make each chapter feel like a large task even when I tried to break it down.

Anyway, after FOREVER we've finally gotten to the beginning of the end for Book 1, and hopefully I wont keep you all waiting that long for another update.