Chapter Eleven

The days passed with grueling uncertainty. While Aang trained with the others, Moria sat on the back deck that overlooked the ocean and continued to try and make that stupid little white ball explode. She had not mentioned this ability to Aang yet. She didn't want him to know about it until she could do it herself, but her concern was growing. This move could really be the nail in the coffin for the Fire Lord and considering how quickly Aang was able to grasp techniques, perhaps it was time for her to teach him what she knew.

She stood and stretched, curling her toes in her newly repaired sandals. The clear sky stretched over the gently swelling ocean. It was a perfect day. The beaches were crowded with Fire Nation tourists who didn't have a care in the world. But Sozin's Comet was only two days away, and the crushing pressure loomed over them all. It was time.

Moria entered the courtyard just in time to hear Sokka yell "Beach party!" at the top of his lungs, see him strip down to his undergarments, and make a mad dash for the private strip of beach that belonged to the Fire Lord. She raised a brow as Suki, Katara, and Aang followed his lead and made a beeline for the beach.

"I thought he was supposed to be doing nothing but training," Moria remarked to Zuko, who stood in the middle of the courtyard with his fists clenched.

"He is," he seethed.

Moria sighed. "I have to tell him something important."

She left Zuko alone in the courtyard and stepped onto the white sandy beach. Already, the gang was enjoying themselves. Katara was surfing on a block of ice, Toph, Aang and Sokka were working on sand sculptures, and Suki was spread out on a towel, soaking up the sun. Once again, everyone was behaving like normal teenagers and Moria's heart sank knowing she had to pull Aang away from this. He was so young, but the responsibility on his shoulders was massive. There was no time to waste.

She walked over to Aang as he put the finishing touches on his Appa sculpture and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I need to-."

She was cut off by a fireball whipping by her face and she let out a startled cry as she fell backward into the sand. Aang yelped and immediately took on a battle stance. He turned and narrowed his eyes as Zuko came barreling towards him, fists flaming.

"What are you doing?!" the avatar cried, quickly blocking Zuko's attack.

Zuko did not reply, he only continued his fiery advances. He had managed to get the attention of the entire group, and everyone had stopped what they were doing to watch in confusion. Before anyone had a chance to step in and try to stop them, Zuko and Aang's battle path took them back towards the abandoned house and the rest were left dumbfounded on the beach.

"Are you okay?" Suki asked as she helped Moria to her feet.

"I'm fine." Moria brushed the sand off her clothes and shook her head. "What has gotten into him?"

With a scowl, Katara began making her way back to the house. "I don't know, but I'm going to find out. If he's turned on us again…" She continued grumbling, the rest of the group trailing behind her.

By the time they reached the courtyard, Aang was yelling and fending Zuko off at the same time. Broken boards were scattered in the dirt. It looked as if they had been rampaging through the house before making it outside.

With a roll of her eyes, Toph slammed her foot on the ground and a wall of earth rose up to encase Zuko up to the shoulders. He struggled to free himself while Aang slumped his shoulders and sighed in relief.

Before the avatar had a chance to ask Zuko what he was trying to do, Katara stormed up to the trapped firebender, placed her hands on the edge of his earth confinement, and stared him down with a dangerous look in her eyes. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Proving a point!" Zuko snarled back. "Sozin's Comet is in two days and you're all playing around! We don't have for this. Aang needs to be ready!"

"Oh, is that it?" Aang sheepishly rubbed the back of his head and glanced down at his feet. "I guess I forgot to tell you, but I decided to wait until after the comet to try and fight the Fire Lord. I just don't think I'm fully prepared yet."

Toph nodded in agreement and released Zuko from her hold. "Yeah, your earthbending is pitiful. And your firebending could use some serious work."

Moria crossed her arms. "And there's something-."

"What do you mean you're going to wait?!" Zuko interrupted, his eyes wide with alarm. "Nobody told me you were planning to wait!"

"But Toph's right," Aang replied. "I do need a lot more training. I need to face the Fire Lord when I'm really ready."

"No," Zuko muttered. With a shake of his head, he began to pace and twist his hands together. "You need to fight him before the comet passes."

Katara wrinkled her brow, and she reached out to place a hand on Zuko's arm and stop him. "There's something you're not telling us."

Zuko stopped and let out a long sigh. He crossed his arms tightly over his chest and looked up at the fading sky. He shifted on his feet and began to speak quietly. "Look, I wasn't going to say anything because I always thought the plan was to take him out before the comet, but…when I attended a war meeting with my father, it was decided that the day of Sozin's Comet would be the day the Fire Nation took out the Earth Kingdom just like the Air Nomads."

Jaws dropped all around him, and a stunned silence washed over the group.

"You can't be serious," Suki whispered.

Katara darkened. "And you didn't think to mention that important piece of information?"

"I didn't think I needed to!" Zuko said defensively. He turned back to Aang, nearly pleading. "Don't you see? If you're going to do something, you need to do it soon. Thousands of lives are at stake here!"

Aang kept his eyes firmly locked on his feet. "I would lose if I tried to fight to him now."

"You don't just need to fight him." Zuko placed his hands firmly on Aang's shoulders and squeezed. Aang lifted his head and Zuko met his gaze head-on. "You need to kill him."

Aang's mouth fell open. For a moment, he grappled to find words. He could feel everyone's eyes on him, waiting for his response. "I can't," he said, voice strained. "I could never kill anyone."

"Aang," Katara stepped closer and frowned. "I know this is hard for you, but you need to think about what's best for the world."

"No, there has to be another way!" Aang protested.

Zuko shook his head. "With my father, there is no other way."

"Think of all the lives he took," Moria added gently. "An eye for an eye, remember? One in retribution for many."

Aang shook his head, faster and faster as he pulled away from Zuko's hold. "I can't. I can't do that. There's another way. I know it! I just…I just need to think about it for a while, that's all." He backed up, further and further until he reached the porch. He began backing up the stairs as if in a stupor, shaking his head and mumbling under his breath.

"Aang," Moria walked briskly to catch up with him. "Wait, I need to-."

"Not now! I need to think!" And with that, Aang turned on his heel and disappeared into the house.

With a frown, Moria turned to face the rest of the group. No one seemed sure what to do, but everyone appeared distressed. Katara was chewing Zuko out for withholding such important information. Sokka, Suki and Toph were talking quietly amongst each other. Moria hesitated, suddenly feeling left out, and lowered herself to sit on the step.

"What do we do now?"

Katara turned away from Zuko, shoulders slumped. "We don't really have much of a choice. We're going to have to convince Aang to fight. We can't let the Earth Kingdom burn."

Toph cracked her knuckles and began stepping towards the house. "I'll take a crack at him."

"Hold on, there." Sokka grabbed the back of Toph's shirt and kept her firmly in place. "He just had some major news dropped on him. Give him some time to process it."

"Fine," Toph reluctantly agreed. "But once he gets over himself, I get the first swing."

"Deal," Sokka said as he released the hold on her collar.

By dinnertime, Aang had still not come out of hiding. The rest of the group sat in the courtyard around a warm campfire and surrounded by palpable worry. The picked at the food in their bowls, each lost in thought.

As darkness settled around them, Katara let out a sigh and glanced towards the shell of a summer home. "We need to do something."

"Yeah, something." Sokka agreed. "But I don't see anyone coming up with any brilliant plans here."

Toph rolled her eyes and cracked her knuckles. "I said I'm ready to knock some sense into Twinkle Toes anytime."

"I don't think we should jump straight to violence," Moria said as she placed her hands on Toph's wrists and gently lowered her hands back down. "I still think he can be reasoned be with once he has a chance to calm down. He can accept what he needs to do."

"I doubt it," Zuko put in as he absently scribbled in the dirt with a broken stick. "He's an air nomad, raised by monks. My uncle said the monks had very firm beliefs about the sanctity of life. They refused to eat meat and lived alongside animals. Being raised that way, he's going to have a hard time accepting that he needs to take a life."

"But he's the avatar," Suki said, arms crossed. "He was supposed to be taught differently."

Katara shook her head. "Aang didn't have the chance to undergo any real avatar training. The same day he was told about his destiny, he was trapped in the ice. He only knows what the monks taught him."

"There's got to be something we can do," Sokka said, deflated. He looked over to Zuko and frowned. "Your father wouldn't just willingly let himself be put in jail, right?"

Zuko scoffed at the absurdity and shook his head. "The way I see it, there's only way to take down the Fire Lord."

"Are you really okay with that?" Moria asked, eyeing him levelly. "He is your father."

Zuko remained quiet for a long time. Only the sound of the chittering bugs surrounded them. A cloud drifted lazily over the crescent moon, creating deep shadows all around. The glow of the crackling fire gave Zuko's face a haunted look as he mulled over the question.

Finally, he raised his head, amber eyes drilling into Moria's deep brown orbs. "That man was never a father to me. My whole life, he used his authority to manipulate people into his doing his bidding. He used whatever means necessary to get what he wanted. Fear, threats, violence. He did it all. And he deserves to pay for the countless lives he's taken. When I joined the team, I had decided that he isn't my father. He is the enemy. And I will do everything in my power to make sure he never hurts anyone ever again."

His words, filled with hatred, settled over them like an electric charge. Empowered, Katara stood and clenched her fists at her sides.

"We'll give Aang until morning. Then we have a serious talk with him. All of us."

No one disagreed, and with a plan in place, the small group retired to their rooms in an attempt to get a good night's sleep. Wanting to be useful, Moria wandered up and down the old hallway for a while, strumming her lute and softly singing the lullabies of her people. When she was sure that everyone was soundly asleep behind their closed doors, she went into her own room to lie awake and watch the clouds drift over the moon.

In the morning, everyone gathered in the courtyard while Katara searched the house for Aang. No one had seen him since the previous afternoon, and tensions were high. They knew what each person was going to say. They were prepared to counter any argument Aang brought up. They were determined to make him see reason and committed to ensuring he fulfilled his duty as the avatar.

But, when Katara emerged from the house pale and wide-eyed, their resolve shattered.

"Where is he?" Sokka asked impatiently.

Katara took a moment to answer, but when she did, dread dropped over their mismatched group like a boulder. "He's gone."