Avatar: the Last Airbender
Yin and Yang
Chapter 10
By Mdalia and RebLaw
"Wow," Katara chirped happy but exhausted to Aang, who unknown to her was the Avatar of war and not of her world, as they entered into the village. "Kona sure taught us a lot. I think I'm going to need to practice for a month before I'll have everything we learned today mastered!"
"Hey Katara," Sokka greeted his younger sister, coming out of the guest-tent the villagers were letting them use. He had been waiting for her to get back, he wanted to find out from her if Aang was still behaving oddly. "How did your lesson go?"
The siblings started chatting, Katara was glad to have someone she could recap the lessons to who expressions alternated from impressed to confused, instead of bored like Aang's were.
"Hey," Sokka said, after light from the setting sun reflected off of something shiny and caught his eye. "What's that?"
"This," Katara asked smiling, holding up her hand. On a finger of the hand was the ring Aang had given her. "It's just a ring Aang gave me."
"Don't you recognize it!" Sokka exclaimed- pointing at it, surprised that his sister didn't realize something he thought was obvious.
"Oh my!" Katara gasped, her eyes widening. "This is the ring from that Earth Kingdom market."
"Ka-ta-ra," Sokka chided in his 'scolding' voice. "I would've thought you would've learned your lesson about stealing last time."
"What!" Katara couldn't believe he thought she stole it. "Aang gave it to me. I didn't steal it!"
"So," Sokka said with a smirk. "You're saying that the Avatar, the one who will be peace to the world is the thief. Not only that, he happened to give it to you for no real reason?"
Katara frowned, and clinched her fists. She was honestly angry that her brother believed she'd do something as stupid as stealing—especially after how badly it turned out the first and only time she tried it.
"You know," Sokka mused. "Now that I think about it, he did spend much more time looking at the display of rings than you did."
"Yup," Katara grinned feeling vindicated. "Remember that I only briefly glanced at it and went right to the scrolls?"
"You do have a point," Sokka conceded. "But then that definitely proves my theory that Aang isn't the real Aang."
- - - - - -
"Fe?" Iroh questioned, as if it was the first time hearing that name and was as innocent as a newborn babe. He was trying to deceive his brother- Ozai the Ruler of the Fire Nation. This was the world of the Avatar of war, the Iroh of this world was an ambitious trouble maker. He did go by the name "Fe" purposely doing so in order to make it harder for him to be caught and convicted of his crimes.
Ozai sighed. He knew when his older brother was playing dumb. But, he didn't want to call his brother a liar, especially when he lacked concrete proof.
"Say brother," Ozai asked. "I don't suppose you know who did that to my son? Zuko hasn't told me who did it to him, I think he may not yet be comfortable with having been scarred."
"I saw it," Iroh said, stroking his beard as if he was straining to remember some small detail of something long ago. "It was an older man, grey beard, grey hair, fat belly. He was out of shape; he was only able to clobber my nephew because he sneaked up on him."
"Hmm," Ozai appraised. Maybe this was another piece to the puzzle he was working on. "Maybe it was Fe. After all, that fits most of the descriptions I've been getting of that character."
Iroh smirked to himself. He had just given Ozai a description for Fe that was of the other Iroh. But, after Ozai left, Iroh realized that he fit the description he gave as well. Well, not the fat part or the out of shape part, but the rest fit him as well as it fit the Iroh from the world of the Avatar of peace.
- - - - - - - - -
An Iroh who was not only in shape, but worked against the peace. A father who was loving an accepting and to make it more absurd, playing Pei Gow. Zuko decided that this must be a dream. Everything was opposite, and the only possible explanation was when he was hit over the head, he must have slipped into a comma and this dream was occurring as he was in said coma.
"Oh Bro-o-o-other!" a sugary-sweet sounding voice filled the corridor behind Zuko. He turned around, knowing that it was going to be another person who was similar to someone he knew, yet was completely different.
"Azula," Zuko said, recognizing his sister's voice. He didn't like his sister very much, but then again she wasn't terribly fond of him either. Well, that was the case in the normal world, Zuko rolled his eyes unsure of what to expect in this one.
"Oh my gosh!" Azula cried with shock and sadness. "What happened to my brother's pretty face!"
"It's a long story," Zuko said sighing. He really didn't want to have to deal with THIS version of his sister. Bring back the brat who threw temper-tantrums and always had to have her way. At least she wasn't nosy. "I'm busy."
"Oh ok fine," Azula said pouting slightly. "Hey, have you seen Zhao? I was kind of hoping to run into him."
"No I haven't," Zuko said shortly. "I really must be going now."
"Okay," Azula said. She grinned from ear to ear. "I was hoping to see him. Just the sight of him makes my heart go pitter-patter."
Zuko gave an expression of horror when he heard the words "pitter-patter" from his younger sister. He wondered what this girl could possibly be thinking, at least his real sister, with all her flaws, didn't say such silly sentimental phrases. "You know, you should probably not say things like that sister."
"Why not Zuko?" Azula said confidently. "If it's true why shouldn't it be said?"
"Because Zhao is a jerk," Zuko told his sister in a cold tone. "He's not a good person, much less good for the princess."
"Fine," Azula said, shaking slightly with emotion. "If you'll be so kind as to excuse me brother." And with that Azula walked of, and Zuko was more bewildered than ever.
- - - - - -
Meanwhile, the unscarred Zuko, the one who belonged in the world the scarred Prince Zuko thought was some sort of dream. He and the Iroh the scarred Zuko had known all of his life and was his trusted mentor. Zuko, without the scar, agreed to go with Iroh, who seemed a much more gentle man than the Iroh he knew.
- - - - - - -
Things were turning out very interesting, Fe thought to himself. Zuko of the world of the Avatar of peace seemed to be a very different creature than the Zuko he knew. This Aang, the Avatar of peace was also different than the Aang he had know, in some ways the Avatar of peace was more grown up, in other ways more mature.
He was pleased about Ozai assuming Zuko's strangeness and scar was the result of an injury. While he did realize that perhaps he shouldn't have given a description of the assailant that resembled himself so much.
Now all he had to do was squeeze some information out of Zuko. The boy looked confused and lost. The old war veteran figured it wouldn't take much to get the teen to give him all the information he knew about his world. And hopefully he'd have plenty of time to dump the adolescent back in his home world before the real Zuko returned. Two Prince Zukos would be very confusing.