K: Wow! I'm surprised how many hits and downloads I've gotten for this story in only a few days. I thought everyone was busy being overly-obsessed with Zutara. . . (Is it just me, or is EVERY PLOT THE SAME for those fics?)

Disclaimer:

Avatar: The Last Airbender is copyrighted by Nickelodeon Animation Studios

Dedications:

People who respect the original Avatar pairings (Bit of a hypocrite, there. My fangirly mind won't leave Aang/Zuko alone, even though the 12 vs 16 thing is kinda gross)

The Sadistic Homicidal Child (I plan on staying true to the pairs in the series. That means Aang/Katara and Sokka/Yue.)

Tsu-chan ("It's almost like Aang and Zuko have taken a role reversal." Very perceptive. Yes, it seems that Aang has fallen into the same trap of teenage angst that Zuko just recently pulled himself out of. The way I see it, despite his cheery disposition, it was, in fact, inevitable. As for the pairings, I'll try not to stress anything too much. Especially the friendship between Aang and Zuko. I normally write slash fiction, so forgive me if anything seems overly sappy. It's not meant to be Aanuko. And no, I got the title right. Descendere is Latin. I'll reveal how I came to that title in a minute.)

Storm-of-Insanity (Thanks for putting this on story alert. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. No problem giving you some constructive criticism for your amvs. They were fun to watch. Your main channel page is a bit hard to see, though. You've got way too much going on there.)

SingleServing (Yep. Nice word to sum up Aang's future. Bleak.)

Title Explanation:

Alright. I'm sure a few of you are wondering where the title comes from. Is it French? Is it Elvish? Or is she just too dumb to spell "descend" right? Well, I'm here to tell you. "Descendere" is Latin for "descend," and no, I didn't choose that randomly out of the blue. While researching the series on Wikipedia, I discovered that the series title, "Avatar," comes from the Sanskrit word "Avatāra" which means "descent." That's the connection. As a bonus, the title just happened to fit the tone and theme of the piece. Woot.

Descendere

Chapter II:

Close Your Eyes

After a small meal of bread and dried meat, or fruit, in my case, we broke camp and headed toward the Southern Quarry, intending to follow the Nan Shan River toward Gaoling. It was rumored that the underground arena where Toph had once battled was now one of the largest Earth Kingdom rebel bases in existence, and Zuko, although wary of earthbenders, insisted on joining them. Traveling had become quite a task now that Appa was gone, and a journey that had once taken days to complete now took weeks or even months at a time. It had already been a month since we left the ruins of Ba Sing Se, searching for clues as to the whereabouts of any members of the resistance.

All we'd managed to find there were thieves, treasure hunters, and the occasional survivor still living among the crumbled walls and charred rubble of the once great city. A year earlier, Fire Lord Ozai had commanded his armies to capture the Earth Kingdom capitol, intending to succeed where his elder brother had failed. The Fire Nation's troops came at them from all sides, surrounding their gates and ensuring no one escaped while the aerial fleet commenced raid after raid, raining fire upon the city as the citizens fled for their lives. After their initial attack, the women, children, and the elderly were ushered into secret underground tunnels and earthbended to safety while the men stayed behind, prepared to fight to the death for their country's honor.

It took seven days for the city to fall. The people of Ba Sing Se refused to surrender, defiant to the end. The Fire Nation took no prisoners. I was there on that final day, gazing down on the flaming wreckage as they prepared to execute those proud, magnificent men. Those husbands, those brothers, those fathers and sons… I could do nothing but watch as the flames consumed them, tears flowing down my cheeks as I turned from the horrors below. A hand roughly jerked me back, and I stared sorrowfully into Zuko's heated golden eyes.

"Watch. We must show them respect, for their deaths are glorious."

So I did, bearing witness to the conquest of the last free city and the death of the age of great men.

Moved by the determination of the citizens of Ba Sing Se, Zuko made up his mind to join the resistance movement, tired of the endless suffering his nation caused the people of the world. He had already sworn a vendetta against his father, infuriated by Iroh's presumed death during our siege of the Fire Capitol, and after seeing the misery of those he encountered on his travels, his anger only grew. Watching the cruelty of the Fire Nation as they tore apart the lives of those at Ba Sing Se finally pushed him over the edge.

We've been searching for the rebels ever since.

Around mid-day we reached the quarry, pausing for a moment's rest in the shade of the large, sand-colored boulders on the edge of the canyon. The hot sun beat down relentlessly from above, and as we rationed the water, Zuko considered crossing the dry, barren land after nightfall. Before he could give the notion more thought, the shrill cry of ostrich horses rang out from behind us, startling him out of his reverie. Peeking over the top of the boulder, we found the source to be a small caravan, perhaps three or four carts in all, slowly trekking across the quarry.

Delighted to come across some normal people for a change, I prepared to introduce myself, but was thwarted by Zuko as he yanked me back down, putting a finger to his lips and shaking his head. I was about to retort when a loud rumble sounded in the distance—a sound I knew all too well. Komodo rhinos.

Sure enough, the caravan ground to a halt minutes later, murmuring amongst themselves fearfully as the group of Rough Rhinos approached them. They grew silent as the firebenders surrounded them, helplessly clinging to each other for comfort, and shied away as the leader stopped in front of them. The others followed his example, maneuvering themselves in a loose circle around the wagons and smirking down at the merchant family, striking terror into their hearts. It was obvious that they weren't going to let them pass without something in return.

"Good afternoon," the leader began, his honeyed drawl barely masking his haughty tone. "And what might you be doing all the way out here? It is unwise to travel so far unguarded, you know."

He dismounted, approaching the head merchant and eying his wife and daughter hungrily. "However, we are willing to offer our services and ensure you a safe passage…for a price."

The merchant ushered his family behind him, swallowing nervously and replying, "T-that's quite alright. I- I'm sure we'll manage…"

The man moved closer, a wicked gleam in his amber eyes. "Oh, but I insist…"

The leader's hand shot forth, grabbing the girl's arm and pulling her to him. Her mother cried out in protest, reaching for her child, but her husband held her back, his eyes downcast. The firebender laughed cruelly, hugging the young woman to his chest and forcing his tongue into her mouth. The girl's eyes widened, then sharpened in rage as she bit down, causing the man to cry out and release her. She stood before him, proud, defiant, and pissed off.

"You're despicable!" she spat, wiping her mouth. "Where is your honor?"

The man snarled, narrowing his eyes. "You'll pay for that, wench!"

He moved to strike, but I rushed forward, blowing him back with a powerful gust of wind. As he struggled to his feet, I moved into a defensive fighting stance, my gloved hands ready to counter anything he threw at me.

"Don't touch her."

The firebender growled, racing toward me before he leapt, a flaming kick aimed straight for my left temple. I tensed, prepared to dodge, but was surprised when he was knocked aside before he reached me. Blinking confusedly, I glanced up at my savior.

"Zuko?"

"Quiet, Aang. Just protect the civilians."

I grinned. Apparently, he couldn't stand the thought of these men achieving their goal, either. Turning to the girl, I quickly ordered her to usher her family inside the cart, where they would be safe. She nodded, swiftly carrying out my request, and I turned my attention to the rest of the Fire Nation soldiers.

Time to kick some ass.

I began by shifting the earth beneath them, startling the komodo and causing the soldiers to lose their balance and fall from their mounts. Once on the ground, I showered them with stones, knocking a few unconscious and mildly injuring the others. The ones who had been lucky enough to remain conscious charged at me, attempting to hit me with a flurry of ignited fists. I jumped up, easily flipping over their heads, and used another strong gale to drive them into the rocks.

Smirking, I turned just in time to receive a blow to the face, followed by a kick to the head that rendered me unconscious.

When I woke up, I found myself staring up at a strange man dressed as a Fire Nation commander, one eye swollen shut and the rest of my body sore from bruises I must have received while unconscious. Two soldiers held me tightly, one with a large bruise on his face that I recognized as the leader from before, and the other a nameless grunt who I'd so unceremoniously shoved into the rocks before I was knocked out. Glancing to my right, I saw that Zuko had also been caught and bound, as well as battered and every bit as bruised as I was, and he now glared up at the stranger, the burning flame of hatred shining in his eyes.

"Mongke."

"My, my…" the colonel smirked, meeting Zuko's gaze with cool brown eyes. "If it isn't the banished prince and…"

He turned his attention to me, his eyes glinting as he noted the blue airbending tattoo peeking out from under my hat. "Well, this is certainly a big surprise… I never expected to come across the Avatar all the way out here. I'm sure the Fire Lord will be most pleased…"

Zuko ground his teeth. "Go to hell!"

Mongke snorted, kneeing him in the stomach. "Silence, traitor."

Straightening his clothes, he walked over to the captured merchants and stroked his chin, glancing them over. He sneered, eying the women as an idea suddenly appeared in his twisted mind. Roughly grabbing the girl from before, he tightly bound her hands and threw her to the ground, eyes filled with malicious intent. He then called in a pair of soldiers and told them that she was theirs to do with as they wished. The men gleefully knelt beside their prize, using their machetes to remove the terrified woman's clothing piece by piece. It was obvious what they planned to do.

"Close your eyes," Zuko whispered, breaking me from my horrified trance, and I complied.

I'll never forget those agonizing screams.