Earth...light...fire...light...water...light...air...light...

AVATAR

The Celestial Sailors

BOOK THREE: DEATH

26: The Avenging Shadow Lights a Spark

The ship made port later that day—or that night, nobody could tell anymore. Usagi disembarked first, with Mamoru bringing up the rear. Everyone was tense and nervous, grim-faced and pale. This was their last chance to rest and plan before the final push to Sumeru—the place where Usagi's destiny as the Avatar would be fulfilled, or annihilated. There would be no more room for regrets, hesitation, lingering thoughts, or distractions: it would soon be everything, or nothing. The world, perhaps the very universe itself, depended on them. It was no wonder nobody had much to say as they left their ship behind and made their way into town.

There were only a few stragglers outside. There were no fishermen, no ferry captains or boats for hire, no dock workers or peddlers or swimmers or anything that would suggest this was a port town. Further in, they noticed very few people on the streets, all of them wearing protection from the glaring light: hats, umbrellas, veils, even darkened glasses. There were no children playing, no merchants at their stalls, no traders or travelers or entertainers, no farmers, laborers, drifters, tourists; nothing. Usagi had long believed that people would shun the darkness and embrace the light, but the only thing she saw was misery, exhaustion, wailing and groaning. The few people still left milling about called out to her, begging for relief, sounding not unlike the voices Hotaru had revealed to her in the Dark. What she wouldn't give to be in that relieving void right now! The night was scarcely gone two days and everyone was already craving it.

"I'm afraid this is where we part, my friends," said Mamoru. "I'll go secure a ship for us, then return to the palace and do what I can to help. I will at least be able to bring Ael and Ann with me, and perhaps Nephrite, too. If I can do no more, then expect to see me on Sumeru in two days." He looked up at the sky, grumbling. "You know what I mean. About fifty hours from now." He stood awkwardly, not sure what else he could do, or say. Usagi called his name, gazing into his eyes, burning his face into her memory. Nothing, not even sharing a night together, could express her feelings towards him. Saying love would not even be half of it.

So they just hugged each other.

"This isn't good-bye, bun-head. Not by a long shot. Even if death itself were to claim me, my spirit would rise once more to fight by your side!"

"I know," she sobbed, squeezing so tight her arms strained. A thousand kisses would be insufficient; she settled for only one, on the bridge of his nose. "Come back safe, though. I don't care if you bring an army or not, just come back. You hear me, weasel-face?" He laughed sweetly, kissing her eyes, and they waved to each other one last time. Usagi took a deep breath.

"You okay?" Rei said, placing a hand on her back. Usagi sighed.

"Let's just do what we came here for. Hopefully there's someone out there crazy enough to sail us to Sumeru!"

So they pressed on. Stores had little to offer. The group took baths, put on fresh clothes, ate their fill, bought up casks of food and water. Most of it was given away, a small contribution to the Avatar, the down payment for services hopefully rendered.

"Come on, you need the money," Makoto insisted. The shopkeeper refused, even to the Queen.

"No, take what you need. Now's not the time to worry about money. Just promise me you'll do something about all this."

"I will," Usagi said firmly. "And if I fail..." She looked around anxiously, at her friends and loved ones, at the shopkeeper and his wares. If she failed...if the Avatar couldn't put a stop to Iblis and restore balance to the world...

"You won't," the shopkeeper stated, his conviction unshakable. "You'll win. Not because you're the Avatar—because you have to. So do it. Give us back the night. Consider everything a gift."

Usagi tried not to shed any tears. She merely whispered a thanks, bowed, and pressed her fist against her palm. The shopkeeper returned her gesture, smiling. That was it, then: they were ready. All they had to do was wait.

…...

While they were waiting for Mamoru's messenger-hawk to give them the go-ahead, the ladies planned their strategy. They'd take the ship to Sumeru, and Usagi would make one last attempt at negotiations. She knew it was futile, but she wanted to give Iblis one last chance to see the error of his ways, just as she had recently been shown hers. If that failed—and there was no evidence to show it wouldn't—they'd tell the captain to leave, and ride Artemis the rest of the way. The shore would be cluttered with Lightbringers; Ami and Michiru would call on the ocean to help sweep them away, while Haruka and Minako carved a path. Makoto would grab whatever trees she could and defend their left flank, while Rei and Setsuna covered the right. Usagi would go into the Avatar State, drive a wedge through the Lightbringers, and confront Iblis. Best-case scenario, Mamoru and his forces would arrive by then to guard their backs, while Hotaru came to finish the job with Usagi.

Worst-case scenario, they wouldn't make it in time, or not at all, and Team Avatar would be dead—along with the rest of the world.

"I don't like it," Michiru sighed. "A lot of this plan hinges on Hotaru showing up. We might be able to make it if Endymion doesn't come, but—"

"He'll be there," Usagi announced firmly, pounding on the table they sat at for emphasis. Everyone gave a little jerk, surprised at the outburst. Michiru drew a deep breath.

"We have to factor in every possibility. What if he's delayed by forces beyond his control? Or worse, what if the Lightbringers kill him en route?"

"He said he'd be there," Usagi insisted, glaring at Michiru until the older woman backed down. "If he said he'd be there, then that's what will happen."

"All right, so let's treat that as a certainty," Rei said. Usagi offered her a little smile as thanks. "But what about Hotaru? Is it a question of if, or when?"

"Just when," Usagi stated. "She gave us her word, too. Hotaru can travel a lot faster than any of us, and she's the strongest person I've ever fought, so there's no way she'd be killed or delayed."

"But what if she is late?" Haruka pressed. "It's fine if you trust her to be there, but there's no telling what could get in her way between now and then. At least consider that as a possibility." Usagi nodded mechanically, and tried to think of what they could do should Hotaru arrive later than they hoped.

"Just hold them off, I guess. Setsuna, could you..."

"Alter time?" the older woman guessed. She pursed her lips, sat back, contemplative. The ladies didn't know it, but even considering using her powers for this purpose was a huge undertaking—but the situation was definitely serious enough to allow it. "I will if I must," she answered at last, softly and with great resignation. "But I warn you, the consequences that come from such an action may be more dire than what Iblis has in store. Time is one of the foundations of the universe; to alter it for one world, or even one galaxy, is an incredible undertaking." Everyone was on edge from this startling revelation, and what Setsuna said next did little to comfort them: "So if it is a choice between altering time, or allowing the balance of the world to be upended...then I will. Otherwise greater powers than my own will interfere, and even I could not imagine what might come of that."

Minako swallowed. "That sounds very extreme and not at all the sort of corner we want to sweep ourselves into."

"That's paint, dear," said Ami patiently, taking hold of her hand. "A corner we paint ourselves into." Minako chuckled sadly.

"Right, right. Always keeping me on the straight and diluted."

"Narrow," Ami insisted. The two of them laughed, rubbing noses affectionately. Their games lightened the mood a little, and everyone agreed that they should avoid depending on Setsuna. As for how they were going to dispatch Iblis, nobody had any ideas. The ancients used to hunt Lion-Turtles, and had driven them to near-extinction, so they could presumably be killed—but how their ancestors went about that operation was a mystery, and how it could ever apply to the largest, strongest, wisest, and oldest Lion-Turtle in history seemed an even greater quandary. That he could conjure up a limitless supply of Lightbringers, each one a considerable threat on their own, made the venture even more hopeless.

Even so, Usagi would fight. Not because this was her destiny, or her duty, but because, well...

Her little brother still needed to go on more dates. And Makoto still hadn't gone on her honeymoon.

Eventually everyone agreed on a plan they felt would work, and suggested they split up for some personal reflection. Usagi was left to wander around on her own again, even though she didn't want to reflect on anything. She had come to terms with all that; now all she wanted was to get it over with. Still, she respected her friends' choices, and set about aimlessly strolling through the port town, keeping an eye out for Mamoru's messenger-hawk. As she wandered past a restaurant, she noticed two of the few patrons still eating there, one with unmistakable fuzzy hair and the other rivulets of fire.

"Naru? Umino?" The two patrons wheeled around, not expecting anyone to recognize them; soon they all merged together in a triumvirate of hugs. Usagi asked what they were doing here, so far away from Omashu, and the joy drained from their faces.

"We're putting on a performance of The Avenging Shadow," Gurio said. He hesitated, grimacing. "Well...it's the last performance, actually. The last one ever. Heh, imagine that: the first episode of the new season and it's the grand finale!" He laughed despondently while Naru confirmed it with a crestfallen nod.

"The director and producer wanted to give the people a final glimmer of hope before...well, he said it would raise people's spirits. It's...not much, but...w-we were honored t...to come here, and..." She sniffled; Gurio offered a napkin; Naru dried her eyes and thanked him. Usagi wept, too; she hugged her friends even tighter.

"I wish I could go see it! But I..."

"No, we understand," Naru said, trying to sound more optimistic. "You gotta try and make things right. That is why you're here, isn't it?"

"Yeah," she nodded, wiping another tear away. "We're about ready to leave. Mamoru's getting us a ship to sail us there, so all we have to do is wait."

"Sail you where?" Gurio asked, and even though she didn't really see the point of indulging them—or worrying them, more likely—she explained everything: Iblis, Sumeru, Hotaru, all of it. Gurio and Naru were completely stricken when she finished; there were no words they could offer.

Just then, she spotted a bird circling towards her, and they made room for it to land. Attached to its leg was Mamoru's letter. Usagi drew a quick breath as she folded it and put it away. This was it: time to head off. One way or another, this would be the final battle. Words failed everyone as Usagi threw her arms around Gurio and Naru, sobbing uncontrollably. She kissed both their faces, and they kissed hers (Gurio with a bit of reluctance). Gradually her hands went from their shoulders to their arms, then their wrists, and finally to their palms, where she squeezed them tightly before slipping through their fingers and away from their grasp, possibly forever. Usagi didn't look back as she ran to the port, and it was the hardest thing she had ever done. Gurio and Naru were left alone.

"Blast it!" Gurio shouted, stomping the ground in anger. "Why can't we do something for her? I hate being so helpless! She's off saving the world, risking her life, fighting doggone Lion-Turtles and armies of Lightbringers, while we're just...putting on some stupid play?!" He smashed the ground again and again, hateful towards the futility, the unfairness of it all. He finally calmed down as Naru reached for his arm, moistening it with kisses and tears.

"I...I feel the same way, Guri. I wah...I w-wanted to think that acting as the Avenging Shadow was helping people, b-but...I have to face facts. Our best performance in front of the largest crowd we've ever had wouldn't even come close to what she's doing! But this is..." She was crying again, so Gurio gave her a fresh napkin. She blew her nose and thanked him. "This is all I can do," she said, her voice hoarse. They stood there, in anger and helplessness and sorrow, with only each other and their pitiful efforts.

"Maybe not," Gurio announced slowly, his head rising as a daring thought wormed its way into his mind. He firmly took hold of Naru's hand, mourning turned to joy in an instant. "Maybe there is something we can do! Maybe it won't work, but...we have to try!" Naru couldn't help but grin; Gurio's infectious zeal was one of the things she loved about him.

"Okay, but what do you have in mind?" Gurio removed his glasses, revealing two breathtakingly beautiful blue eyes, and took her other hand. Naru had never seen him so inflamed with passion before—and was quite aroused by it.

"Naru," he said seriously, "will you follow my lead?"

"Anywhere!" she swore without hesitation. He grinned.

"Good! I knew I could count on you. We're going to put on the greatest performance of The Avenging Shadow the world has ever seen!" He ran off, her following, hand in hand, laughing boldly.

…...

"Take THAT, you dastardly fiend! And that! I'm going to make you pay for what you did!" Gao Chu, the Avenging Shadow's latest enemy, reeled in pain as blow after blow struck him. The hero pressed on, striking hard, forcing his foe further away, towards an ominous cliff. The audience cheered; they had grown to despise Gao Chu in the two hours of the performance, and were glad to see him finally get his comeuppance. The Avenging Shadow was in fine form, fighting like a warrior poet in spite of all the pain and suffering Gao Chu had inflicted on him. He pressed him to the very edge of the cliff and was about to land a final blow when someone called out to him.

"STOP!" It was Allie, Chief of the Kolau Police, and the Avenging Shadow's best ally (hence her name, or so the theory went). She ran up to the hero, drew her prop sword, and pointed it at him. "Stop right there, Avenging Shadow! If you push him over the cliffside, you'll be guilty of murder!" The Avenging Shadow trembled, his fist still raised. He recounted everything horrible that Gau Chu had done, both to him and to other people. He asked Allie how someone like him could ever see justice, especially since he had slipped away from it so many times before. He then asked if she could live with herself if Gao Chu went free again, and caused even more destruction.

"If I kill him now, I could save many lives," he swore, midst encouraging shouts from the audience. "But if he goes free, who knows how many more innocents will suffer? Well, Allie? What would you have me do? Finish him now, or trust in a corrupted judicial system?"

"Kill him!" the audience demanded. "Push him off!"

Allie hesitated. She finally lowered her sword.

"I'll trust you—to do the right thing." Before the Avenging Shadow could act, though, Gao Chu attacked, plunging a prop knife into his body. The Avenging Shadow let out a guttural yell and reflexively shoved his enemy away, where he tipped over and plummeted. He caught the edge of the cliff with one hand and hung there, struggling helplessly midst chants of "Drop! Drop! Drop! Drop!" Whether in accordance with their wishes or fate itself, the cliff crumbled, and Gau Chu let out a piercing shriek as he fell to his death—but then a hand snapped around his arm, saving him at the last second. It was the Avenging Shadow, leaning over the side. With all his might, the hero pulled his enemy up, until they were face to face.

"I told you...Gao Chu," he said in a shaky voice, struggling from the effort, "I was going...to make you...pay. And pay...you...will!" With a monumental effort, the Avenging Shadow threw Gao Chu to safety; Allie was quick to bind him in cuffs and rope. She helped her friend up, and even though he was wounded, he stood tall, triumphant.

"Thank you," he said in a ragged voice, clutching his injury. She smiled humbly.

"Thank you. I'm glad my faith in you wasn't misplaced. As for this monster..." She gave Gao Chu a rude kick, sending him sprawling on the ground. Her eyes looked deep into the black mask of her ally, quivering with conviction. "I swear he'll be punished to the full extent of the law. Even if I have to give up my badge to do it, I swear...he will pay."

"I trust you will come through with your promise," the Avenging Shadow said, placing a hand of camaraderie on her shoulder, "just as you trusted me." She leaned in closer, wanting to peer behind the mask, into his eyes—into his soul.

"Just who are you, anyway?" He placed a hand on her cheek, which she held close.

"I am everyone. I am anyone. I am you, Allie. I am a stranger on the street, a farmer hard at work, a General commanding troops: a vagabond, a diplomat, a King and a beggar. I am anyone who stands up against evil, who vows to bring justice into the light...or avenge it in the shadows!"

That was supposed to be the final line of the play, but Gurio went on, because there was one more evil he needed to do battle with. So he removed his mask and revealed himself.

"My name is Gurio Umino, and I've had the honor—" He had to raise his voice in order to be heard about the shocked crowd. They gasped; they shouted; they were appalled. He pressed on. "I've had the honor of portraying the Avenging Shadow for over a year now! It's been the greatest opportunity of my life, but now... Now I have a new battle to fight: a real battle. A battle against this light that's taken over our world. A battle...that I know I can't—"

"Get him off the stage!" someone shouted. "Who is this nerdy kid, anyway? Where's the real Avenging Shadow?" They booed, they hissed, they demanded he be thrown in jail. The producer and director of the play were on his side, at least; the former stroked his chin, wondering where his star performer was going with this. Before anyone could remove Gurio, a figure marched onto the stage, completely dressed in black, their face covered with a mask. It was the Avenging Shadow.

"Not so fast!" he shouted, waving as the audience cheered and whistled for their "real" hero. "I'm the Avenging Shadow, and I have an important message for this young man, and for you all! You see..." He reached up, removing his mask, and the audience was shocked again. Smiling back at them was a young lady, Naru Osaka.

"He's right!" she exclaimed. "He is the real Avenging Shadow! But so am I! Or don't you remember? The Avenging Shadow can be anybody! It can be a man, or a woman; it can be a boy, a girl... It can be you, or you, or you, or any of you! Don't you see? We're all the Avenging Shadow! We're all here to stand up against evil! We're all here...because the Avatar needs our help."

"That's right," Gurio resumed. "I don't need to explain to you what's been going on in our world. You can see it for yourself! All the shadows have gone, and the night's been taken away! We haven't had rain in weeks, and nobody's been able to sleep or rest or even feel like they're human anymore! This is unnatural! And I know it sounds strange, but the Avatar is fighting to restore all that! She's heading to a place called Sumeru Island right now, to destroy what's causing all this and bring back the night! A few of you may still think that all this light is good, but..."

"But remember the balance," Naru said. "Too much, or too little, of anything...is unnatural. It can even be evil! And as the Avenging Shadow, we stand up against evil! Are you going to stand with us?"

"We'll be heading to Sumeru Island right after this performance," said Gurio. He shifted his foot and pressed a lever he had hidden earlier; a map of the entire world unfolded in the background, with a large red circle where Usagi said Sumeru would be. Gurio pointed to it. "This is where we're going! The Avenging Shadow's plays may be over, but the war against evil always continues! And if..." Trembling, weeping, Gurio reached for Naru's hand, held it, and together they raised it over their heads, speaking in unison.

"If we cannot see justice in the light...then we will avenge it...with the shadows!"

Gurio and Naru flourished their cloak one last time and ran off the stage. They didn't stop until they were out of breath, at least half a mile from the theater. There was no way to tell what sort of impact their performance had.

"So I guess we need a ship, too," Naru surmised. Gurio nodded, still wheezing.

"Yeah...I think it's time I...called in a...a favor. Where is...ah, there!" He spotted a nearby messenger-hawk aviary and marched towards it.

"Who are you going to write?" Naru asked. Gurio smiled boldly and puffed his chest out.

"To the Princess of Omashu! I just hope that it gets to her in time...and I, I hope that..." He stopped in his tracks, more worrisome and dejected than Naru had ever seen him before. He smiled feebly and put his glasses back on. "I just hope we got through to some of them."

The audience hadn't even bothered with applause. Knowing that the Avatar needed their help, and the Avenging Shadow was leading the charge, was enough. The children darted out first, racing back home so they could tell their parents what they had heard. They in turn, hearing that somebody was going to set things right at last, gossiped among their friends and neighbors, who told their friends, who told their friends, who told it to traders, merchants, travelers, anyone who would listen.

The message was the same: spread the word; the Avatar needs our help. Tell everyone you can to arm themselves for battle, and sail to Sumeru at once!

Anyone with a ship, boat, kayak, coracle, yacht, skiff, schooner, barge, ferry, raft, or close ties with a water-bender were encouraged to sail out, tell the neighbors. Runners were sent sprinting across borders; bisons were hired; messenger-hawks were dispatched. The Avatar needs your help! King Endymion spread the word to his people; Unazuki passed Gurio's message on to her brother; town criers announced it to everyone in the streets. Soon the message had spread across the entire region, trickling its way through Omashu and Ba Sing Se. Boatmen passed it along to traveling water-benders; farmers told it to nomads; emmisaries heard it slithering through the streets faster than wildfire. Town halls were bombarded with people begging them to act; soldiers murmured in their barracks; diplomats from all four nations passed the word around like an infection.

What began in a little theater in a minor port town had spread far and wide. The Duchy in Kolau sent it through the Serpent's Pass; riverfolk in Lake Laogai sent it along to Wan Shi Tong's library; swamp folk shouted it at the top of their lungs until all the Si Wong was shaking with the message. Help the Avatar! Sail or fly to Sumeru! It's time to take back the night!

The four major Air Temples launched messengers everywhere. Fire Nation Generals and dignitaries rode on dragons to the corners of the earth. Water Tribe folk sailed, swam, and even surfed to every shore. From Whaletail Island to the Patola Mountains, from the Black Cliffs to Fire Fountain City, from the Crystal Catacombs to the Hinterlands and everywhere else in between, the word passed from one to another, until it had traversed the length and breadth of the entire planet.

And somewhere in the Taku Ruins, two women heard the wind whistling their destiny.

"Bodmall!" Liath exclaimed, bolting upright. She clutched a spear in her hand, eyes blazing. The Derwydd nodded, rising to her feet.

"Yeah, I hear it, too. You realize what this means."

"Wrath and ruin," Liath said, smiling proudly. Bodmall grinned.

"This could very well be the doom of all Fomoriians: our last gasp on this weary old world."

"Well then, we'd better go out yelling as loud as we can!" Liath's energy was infection, and soon Bodmall was laughing. She reached into a pot filled with blood and smeared some on her face.

"Tuatha be with us. Lugh be our guide. Yanluo be our sword. Luonnotar be our balm. Zurvan be the wind at our back. Am I forgetting anyone?"

"About a dozen more, I'd say," Liath replied. Bodmall snorted.

"Well, tell em' to help us or get outta the way!" She brandished her staff and marched to the Sacred Moot. She called to her people in the ancient language, and they came to her, every last Fomoriian still alive. Bodmall took a moment to study her kin, their epochs of history gleaming in their eyes. All of that could very well be overtaken in a matter of days, by a much greater brightness. She stared up at the endlessly bright sky and squinted. What little bravado she had evaporated in the light of the two suns.

So, she thought to herself, this is how we die.

I just hope there are enough people still alive to remember us.

The End of "The Avenging Shadow Lights a Spark"

Next time: "Lux Aeterna"