I should probably explain why this took so long to come out. The truth is, I've been distracted and busy.
The main reason for that being the fact that I am going to graduate college in a few hours. I just had this close to done, so I decided to finish and publish the chapter before I head out. I'll be honest, I'm still having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that I'm about to be a college graduate. Still seems surreal.
I also am going on a trip to California to celebrate, which I hope will be fun. Since I will be gone for a while, none of my stories will be updated as frequently. Just letting you all know.
Anyway, I do not own Avatar. You should know who it belongs to by this point.
Enjoy!
The sky had turned orange by the time Zuko and everyone else was close to making it towards the village.
Zuko had a few ideas about what Vaatu might be doing. He didn't like any of them. So he was understandably worried as he, Uncle, and Toph followed behind Due.
"Come on. I don't know how much longer they can take it."
"Take what? You haven't told us what Vaatu is doing yet."
"No time for that. Come on!"
Not thinking he was going to get anything useful out of Due anyway, Zuko followed after the man. When they reached the main village. They were surprised at what they say.
Vaatu was among the tents. Talking to a small child.
"Um, what exactly is going on?"
"Just listen," Due said with concern and... exasperation?
"Hello, there tiny human. Have you considered following my path as your guide in life?"
Zuko could feel the moment all the previous anxiety left his body, only be replaced by pure annoyance in exactly the next second. This was what he left lightning training for?
"Vaatu?"
"Hm?" The ancient spirit turned around just in time to see his vessel walk towards him. This gave the swamp kid just enough time to run away and find his mother. But Vaatu didn't seem to care anymore.
"What are you doing?"
"Ah, vessel. Good. I need your help to turn these people."
"What? Turn them?"
"Yes. They seem reluctant to accept me as their new sage and prophet. I was hoping you might help me convince them."
"Sage? Vaatu, what exactly are you trying to do here?"
"Convince them to follow the path of chaos. Have I not been clear about that vessel?"
Zuko's eyes widened in realization, and then he groaned in exasperation. He looked towards Due.
"How long has he been doing this?"
"All day. Can you please put him back inside you now? I don't think anybody in the village wants to keep dealing with this."
Every person who was listening quickly nodded.
Zuko sighed. "Vaatu, can you please stop doing this? I don't want to have to keep coming here just to learn that you're annoying everyone."
"Go back inside you. I spent nearly ten thousand years inside a tree by force, over two years inside of you due to circumstance, and now you want me to go back inside willingly?" Vaatu asked rhetorically. "I must say vessel, I did not know you were growing a sense of humor."
"I'm not... Vaatu I..." Zuko had no idea how to start or continue a sentence with Vaatu.
"If I may ask," Iroh interjected. "Why is it that you suddenly seek followers? You have never seemed concerned for the thoughts of humans before."
"It is not their opinions I care for. It is their respect, and possibly their worship," Vaatu explained. "Raava was able to spend ten thousand years among you humans. She was able to build a following using her Avatar as a proxy. If I am to get back at her, I need my own following."
"You seriously want to start a cult just to get back at someone?' Toph asked.
"That is correct."
The response was a grin from Toph. "I like this spirit guy."
"And I like you little Badgermole," Vaatu answered with a slightly condescending tone. "Now, do any of you know how to build statues? I hear those are fantastic."
"Vaatu, we're not here to build statues for you," Zuko interjected. "We're here for me to learn waterbending. Did you forget that?"
"It is called multitasking. A skill that humans named. I thought you would know about it even if you don't seem particularly good at it.."
It was at that moment that a swamp toddler walked by. And Vaatu sensed it.
"Hello there, smaller human. Would you like to dedicate your life to my cause?"
The baby, not even slightly bothered by the dark spirit in front of it, simply giggled and happily waved its hands in the air.
"I will take that as a yes."
"No. Don't do that. Can someone take this kid away?"
As Due quickly grabbed the child and ran for what he thought was his life, Zuko stepped directly in front of Vaatu.
"Vaatu, you can't just force people to make a cult for you."
"It is not a cult vessel. It is simply a following. I am not one to force them into doing so. I believe in freedom."
"Really? Because I feel like you're just trying to annoy all of them until they decide to just give you what you want."
If Vaatu had a face with which to grin, he would be.
"I will not force them. But persuasion could be just as effective."
"If I might make a suggestion," Iroh interrupted again. "Perhaps you could consider why Raava and her Avatar were so revered?"
"She was the only one in the physical world. Who else were the humans going to worship?"
"A fair point," Iroh admitted. "But there is more than that. Raava was held in high regard because of all the work she did while inside her Avatar. She left a mark on the world, and that is why people remembered her."
It didn't take long for Vaatu to understand what Iroh was saying, he instantly turned to face Zuko.
"Vessel. I will need you to take all the credit whenever you accomplish anything."
Zuko reeled back. "What?"
"If you have any noteworthy accomplishments in your life, make sure you are credited for them. If my name is to grow, I need you to do it for me."
"Is that all I am to you? A way to deal with your problems?"
"I helped you escape from the spirit world. You owe me for that vessel."
"You didn't even want to do it Vaatu. I convinced you."
"What's done is done vessel. Now go to sleep so that you will be ready to waterbend tomorrow. I expect you to make at least moderate progress at least."
Before Zuko could respond, Vaatu had already gone into Zuko and Druk's tent.
"This isn't going to be dealt with anytime soon, is it?"
"I very much doubt that it will ever be over nephew," Iroh said with a sigh of his own. "The sun is coming down. If you wish to rest before tomorrow, I suggest. I myself will enjoy my sleep."
"I'm going to go find something to break before I turn in. Later Sparky," Toph said as she turned around to walk away. Zuko considered going with her, but then he remembered that Toph didn't need him. And he was going to rise when the sun did, so he might as well get some rest.
So he and Druk went into their tent. Zuko laid on his sleeping bag while Druk rested his head on Zuko's chest. Vaatu was on the other end of the tent, staring at them both.
"Are you asleep Vessel?"
"Shut up Vaatu."
"I will wait for you to sleep."
It took some time, but Zuko did eventually close his eyes and drift off. Thankfully, with no Vaatu dreams bothering him, he was able to sleep well.
Kyoshi Island...
"AH!"
Sokka's emasculated scream bought giggles to the entire dojo full of girls. This was the fourth time they saw him falling on his butt. And it was still funny to see.
"I'm not done yet. I'm not giving up!"
"By all means," Suki said with a massive grin on her face. "Keep going. I haven't had this much fun in a long time."
Growling (yes, Sokka was growling now), he picked up his boomerang and charged at Suki. He didn't care that she was a girl anymore. He just wanted one chance to knock her down.
A chance he wouldn't get, since Suki was easily able to grab Sokka's arm, using his momentum to trip him and make him fall on his back.
"That was the fifth time you tried tackling me. Can't you try something different?"
"It doesn't matter," Sokka blatantly said as he forced himself back up. "Once I win, you'll eat your words."
Now Suki could only roll her eyes. This had been fun. But now it wasn't so much.
"Look, if you want, I could show you how I keep winning. Maybe you could learn from it."
What Suki was intending to do was be helpful. She was starting to feel bad for Sokka, and she thought that maybe helping him improve could be a way to mend his aggression. Maybe they could find a way to get along.
But apparently, Sokka didn't see it that way.
"Oh, so you're saying I'm so bad at fighting I need a girl to show me?"
Suki frowned. "No. What I'm trying to say is..."
"Save it. I'm out of here."
Before Suki could even get another word in, Sokka had already stepped out of the dojo. He didn't know if the murmurs he heard were judging him or laughing at him, but he didn't care. He didn't want to be on this stupid island anymore.
Going back to the place where he and his group had arrived, he saw that no one had moved the canoe from its place. Which worked just fine for him.
He was about to untie it from the ground when he heard a voice.
"A bit of an overreaction, don't you think?"
Turning around, Sokka saw Gyatso walking towards. His face was still serene.
"Look, go back to working with Katara and Aang. Don't worry about me, I'm not deserting anyone."
"Really? Then where are you heading?"
"I'm- going to the next point. I'll set up camp and wait for all of you there. Since Aang wants to wait for his flying buffalo to grow up before we move out, I might as well go ahead."
"Really?' Gyatso questioned with a raised brow. "And where is the next point on our journey? I do not remember explaining where we are going next."
Sokka's eyes widened, but he tried to work it off. "No, but I can guess."
"Really? What is your guess?"
"We.. we're, uh..." Sokka had to rack his brain for this. Where would the best place to go to next be?
"We'd go to... the Northern Earth Kingdom."
Gyatso raised a brow. He hadn't expected an answer like that. "And why would we go there?"
"Well, it's not the Fire Nation, first off. And since Aang and Katara need to learn waterbending, we would need to go to the North Pole. The Northern Earth Kingdom is the closest place to the North Pole I can think of."
"I'll admit, that is a good guess Sokka. Even if you just came up with it the second I asked you."
Sokka's shoulders slumped. Even if he hadn't expected the lie to work, he had hoped.
"Why don't you tell me what is actually bothering you? I would be more than happy to share any wisdom I might have."
"Of course you would," Sokka practically spat. "You have your wisdom. Katara has motherliness and waterbending. Aang has all the bending and a flying buffalo. And that Suki girl... she's a girl and she's a better fighter than me. All of them are better fighters than me."
Sokka looked in his back pouch. "All I have is a boomerang that doesn't even always come back. What am I even contributing here?"
Gyatso was now a little concerned. While he had hoped that Sokka would humble himself on the island, he was not hoping for anything this drastic.
"You came to protect your sister, did you not? You are the only one here with that specific drive."
"But you and Aang can do an even better job of it than I can. You're both airbending masters, and Aang is going to learn to use the other elements too," Sokka disclosed. "I'm not even that good of a fighter. I'd just be a liability if I stayed here."
"This doesn't sound like you Sokka. What happened to the confident Southern Water Tribe Warrior?"
Soka frowned. "He only existed in the South Pole. And that's only because there were no real warriors around. He was just the best by default."
Sokka turned around to the boat, hoping to get it out to water before anyone else came around.
"You are right. The powerful warrior you envisioned only existed in the North Pole. Here, he is weaker than a bunch of girls."
Mouth agape, Sokka turned to Gyatso. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"
"Not in the first part, no," Gyatso admitted. "What I mean to say is that you have two options before you Sokka. One is to wallow in self-pity and weakness and leave the island. Or, you can be like water and adapt."
"I'm not a waterbender Gyatso."
"But you are Water Tribe. And your people are known for adaptability. How else were you able to learn to survive in such a harsh environment?"
Soka was beginning to see his point. "So you're saying that I should try to be better? How would I even do that?"
"I am merely giving you suggestion Sokka. Whatever you decide to do, the decision is yours to make."
Gyatso promptly turned around and walked away, leaving Sokka with the boat. He left him with a decision to make.
The Next Morning...
Suki was setting up the dojo when she heard the footsteps being her. She reached for her fan but stopped when she saw who it was. The same Water tribe boy who got knocked down six times yesterday. She assumed he came back for more.
But she was shocked when she saw him kneel down in front of her.
"I'm not going to beat you in a fight. Not the way I know how to, anyway."
Suki was now very confused. She hadn't expected a fight so early, but having him complain at her wasn't out of the question. This was unexpected.
"I didn't want to say it yesterday, but you are a better fighter than me. There's no way I could beat you the way I am now."
Sokka swallowed the little pride he had left and forced the next sentence out of his mouth.
"Could you- maybe teach men? I want o get better so I have something to contribute."
Suki was not expecting the Water Tribe boy to humble himself in just one night. That was the sort of thing that almost never happened. But as she smiled, she realized that she didn't mind the change of pace. In fact, she preferred it.
"Alright. Get up. Let's see where we can start."
Smiling himself, Sokka got up to work with Suki. It was time to see what he could learn.
From his hiding spot outside the dojo, Gyatso smiled at the display of humility Sokka was showing. To admit weakness and work to improve upon it was a sign of growth. And he was glad to see the Water Tribe boy finally showing signs of maturing.
Now if only he could convince Aang to do the same. Maybe then he would be able to get some peaceful sleep again.
Foggy Swamp...
A few miles from the campsite, Huu was working on the basics of his own waterbending. He stopped when he heard the footsteps behind him. He turned to see the chaos avatar stop and greet him.
"Sifu Huu, I'm ready to continue my lessons. I think I finally understand how to waterbend."
"Really? Well, why don't we take a look? Let's do something really simple. Move the water up and down. Change the current just a little bit. Sand right there so I can see how you do it."
As Zuko got in position to train alongside Huu, he made sure to keep his mind open. Adaptability was an important part of waterbending. And if he wanted to succeed, he would have to adapt.
Vaatu in this chapter is a representation of all the Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses I have encountered in my life. Not a fan of any of them, personally.
Like I've been saying, Zuko's waterbending practice should be progressing with much more ease from this point. Now that he has an understanding of the arts' basic philosophy, it'll be a cakewalk to learn the rest.
With Sokka beginning to gain self-awareness, Gyatso now has to work on getting Aang to actually mature a bit. We'll see how well that turns out.
Anyway, please leave reviews, tell me what you think, and I will see you all next time.
Bye!