Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or its characters. However, I do own a bag of Dove dark chocolate hearts. (Pops another one in her mouth) Yum…
Summary: Koh threatens to return and finish what he started centuries ago. New alliances will be formed, friendships will be tested, and characters will be challenged like never before.
Providence
Chapter Two: Explanations
- - - - -
The sun fully ascended into the morning sky, creating flattering shadows where the mountains dipped and swelled. It also succeeded in brightening the inside of the temple.
Aang's knees suddenly felt like jelly and he was forced to sit down on the cold stone floor, "Koh…he is coming here?"
"Wait a minute, Koh?" Sokka knelt down next to the Avatar to face him directly. "That monster you talked to while you where in the spirit world?"
Aang could only nod.
"Why is he coming here?" Katara directed her question to the temple's keeper.
Lei's face remained impassive, despite the staggering weight carried by the words she was about to say. "Someone desires to make a bridge into the spirit world. If this should happen then Koh may cross over."
"A bridge?" Katara lifted a brow. "But the Avatar is the only one capable of crossing over…isn't he?"
"There is another way," she explained. "And if it is successful, Koh will return to the mortal world to finish what he started eight hundred years ago."
Aang got to his feet after the initial shock faded. If the Face Stealer was going to return he needed to be strong, no matter how uncertain he may feel. "What happened eight hundred years ago?"
- - - - -
It took every ounce of Zuko's self-control to gather his thoughts and bring his anger under control.
The sun was rising on the eastern horizon, giving Zuko a better view of his opponent. Or rather, his opponents. One by one the pirate's comrades appeared from his ship and boarded the prince's. Were there fifteen or twenty? Zuko couldn't tell, but if they were as skilled as the boss it might cause a problem.
Three more pirates also made their way onto the fishing ship, closing in on the ex-general. Though they were armed, the three made no attempt to draw their weapons or even touch the old man. The tallest spoke in an almost polite tone, "General Iroh, we'd like you to come with us."
"A tempting offer," he played along. "Your ship does seem quite charming, but I'm afraid I have to decline. You see, we are in a bit of a hurry. So if you will just excuse us…"
"I am afraid 'no' is not an option." The three pirates closed in around Iroh, preventing him from getting away. Although they still did not reach for their weapons, the atmosphere indicated that one wrong move from the ex-general would be dealt with severely.
"What do you want with my uncle?" Zuko's words were tinged with malice.
"The old man will take us to the location of the Fire Nation's Houshu."
Zuko risked taking his eyes off the pirate leader for a quick questioning glance at his uncle. But Iroh would not look him in the eye and if the man's order shocked the Fire Nation's former hero he did nothing to show it. His amber eyes were set in a cold, stern glare. He was silent. No retort, no denial, and no explanation.
The prince was tired of this. Every moment spent wasting time with these pretentious morons was time spent from capturing the Avatar. "Enough of this," he growled. "Leave my ship now or be humiliated in front of your crew when I throw you off."
A sharp intake of breath could be heard from the other pirates. The narrowing of the leader's ominous eyes told Zuko he had struck a chord. Good. If he could draw the leader into a duel, he could send the pirates home with their tails between their legs by defeating just one. Besides it had been weeks since he had a decent fight. The pain from his wound was fading as his adrenaline surged, preparing his body to fight with everything he had.
The man took a step towards him, "Don't be arrogant, boy."
"You're the arrogant one!" Zuko shot back. "Thinking you can demand anything from us!"
The pirate attacked with a lightning swift lunge, his blade formed a deadly arc aimed at the prince's neck. Zuko ducked and the sword narrowly missed the top of his skull. He retaliated with a hard, fiery punch into the man's stomach, feeling satisfaction from the groan he drew from his opponent. Then Zuko jumped back out of the sword's range and readied his fighting stance again.
The leader steadied himself after the blow, looking slightly taken aback. If the prince was trying to draw him into a one-on-one fight it was working. He'd be damned if he was showed up by some brat. "Chen," the pirate offered.
Zuko stared blankly.
"My name," he added. "And I accept your challenge."
Chen's mocking tone didn't go unnoticed. "Prince Zuko," he offered reluctantly.
"I know who you are, boy,"
How he hated that arrogance. He hated being called "boy." He hated the pirate period. Zuko took a deep breath, trying to bring his anger under control again. Anger clouds your mind, said a voice in the back of his head that sounded suspiciously like Iroh.
"Everyone stand down. This won't take long," Chen barked.
Zuko studied his opponent. He had underestimated the man's speed. His large build gave the impression of someone who was more inclined to strength over agility, but he had moved with a speed that defied his appearance. Zuko would not make that mistake again. The blood on his chest would remind him of that.
Even though he was confident in his ability as a firebender, he could not ignore the fact that firebending was offensive by nature. If he was going to defend against the cold steel of Chen's sword he would need more. He was going to have to be creative.
- - - - -
The murals that adorned the walls of the hidden Earth Kingdom temple didn't just show random benders or legends or spirits. They told a story, starting at the very top and gradually winding to the ground floor in a single extensive legend. It was chronologically put, starting from the very beginning and ending with the temple's construction.
"It's beautiful," Katara admitted. "But why did you bring us all the way up here?"
"For you to fully understand the events that are about to unfold I must start at the beginning."
"Of the story?" Sokka asked as he inspected the top floor.
"Of time," Lei answered.
Three pairs of eyes widened and three pairs of eyebrows rose.
Lei ignored their quizzically stares and continued her mission of storytelling. She gestured towards the domed ceiling with four ornately decorated sections, each depicting scenes representing the four elements. "In the beginning, the world was dark and void until the four elemental spirits brought forth all creation. The Earth created the trees, plants, mountains, forests, and animals. The Wind created the sky, breezes, clouds, and windstorms. Fire created the sun, lightning, volcanoes, and all forms of light. The Ocean created the rivers, seas, snow, and rain. However, these alone were not enough to satisfy the spirits. They felt something was still missing and thus decided to create humanity."
She turned, pointing them towards the wall to their right. It showed a tree of tremendous size, a tree that was familiar to the Avatar.
"That's the tree from my vision!" He exclaimed.
"It is Nu-gua," she nodded, "the first tree that sprang forth from the Earth. For one season the spirits transformed the fruit from this ancient tree into human beings. The fruit that fell upon the fertile soil became the people of the Earth Kingdom. The fruit that fell upon the riverbeds and near the oceans became the Water Tribes. The fruit that fell on the rocky lava of the volcanoes became the Fire Nation. And the fruit that never touched the ground, but was swept away by the wind, became the Air Nomads."
Katara and Aang listened with fascination, but Sokka was skeptical. "Wait, wait!" He threw up his hands defensively. "Humans came from a tree?"
"That's right," Lei didn't seem the least bit fazed by his doubt. "At first mankind, animals, and nature lived together in harmony. However, man became greedy and started fighting amongst each other. To bring back the peace, the spirits called a meeting. They argued for a long time, but finally decided to create one last human, an incarnation of all their power. And so the last fruit that fell from Nu-gua was touched by all four elemental spirits and became the Avatar, whose spirit is eternally reincarnated in a cycle to maintain the peace."
A wordless quiet filled the temple for several moments as the group tried to absorb this newest piece of information. Sokka once again broke the silence, "This is all very interesting, but I don't see what this has to do with Koh."
Lei stepped towards the spiraling staircase, "To answer that we must move on, follow me."
- - - - -
"Don't make me wait, boy," Chen growled.
Zuko immediately began a barrage of fireball after fireball. The sword is a close combat weapon; he could defeat the pirate as long as he kept him at a distance.
Chen's unnatural agility did not fail him. His feet were constantly moving allowing him to evade each of the prince's fire blasts with his speed and the wind created by the swings of his swords. But with each dodge Chen was gradually closing in the distance between himself and his opponent.
Sensing that his first strategy was quickly about to fail him, Zuko took the initiative and charged forward. Chen swung his sword sharply downward to meet his charge instead of horizontal, anticipating the exiled prince would repeat his last attack. However, as the sword came down Zuko threw himself to the left out of the blade's path instead. He landed, twisted, and with a look of utter determination he rammed a blazing fist under Chen's jaw. There was a sharp cracking sound and the man's head snapped back. Just as the large man reeled backwards Zuko prepared to finish the fight once and for all, but Chen's foot caught him in the stomach before he could register anything more than the pirate's look of fury. He went flying as the air burst out of him and landed hard on the wooden deck.
Zuko cursed, but his voice was cracked, hoarse and painful. This was the second time he had underestimated the man's speed. And Chen was already back on his feet, running towards him, and lifting his sword in the killing blow. There was blood dripping from the corners of Chen's mouth and Zuko wondered briefly if he had bitten through his tongue. But even that briefest of thoughts was quickly forsaken as the sword swung down and he rolled to avoid it. The pirate fell back, taking the opportunity to spit blood from his mouth and prepare for his next attack. Zuko's breath was coming in shallow gasps.
Chen was no fool. Although he had hoped to defeat the young man before the sun rose and thus empowering the young man's firebending, there was another way. He knew that firebending came from the breath and knocking the wind out of his opponent was putting himself in the advantage, reducing Zuko's power to a minor irritation.
The exiled prince pulled himself on his knees, desperately trying to recover and accidentally bumped up against glass. The bottle of wine. He hadn't even noticed it was there.
Chen began his steady approach like a lion about to pounce on his prey.
Zuko thrust the bottle of wine forward. The pirate instinctively knocked it away with his sword.
Big mistake.
The cheap wine spilled from the shattered glass and landed on Chen's face, stinging his eyes.
Zuko took advantage of the distraction and charged forward, summoning the most powerful kick he could muster into a blazing arc of fire. The force of the blast pushed Chen back, but he landed on his feet with his sword still gripped tightly in his right hand. The prince scowled seeing his firebending was at such a weak level, but he expected that considering his condition. He achieved the goal of the attack. Now if he was going to win he had to move fast.
He charged again. Chen lifted the shining steel above his head with both hands, intending to cut the prince in two, from shoulder to hip. But Zuko had other plans. He picked up the sheath that had dislodged from Chen's belt and held it above him like a shield as the blade came crashing down. The sheath combined with his armor had slowed the swords path down considerably. It was embedded shallowly into Zuko's shoulder, warm blood started to seep from the fresh wound.
"You little bastard!" Chen yelled in rage. But before he could withdraw his sword, Zuko grabbed the blade. His unprotected hands slid along the dullest part of the blade, where the sword meets the sheath, cutting his palms. His blood stained the cold metal as the injured prince pulled it out of his shoulder. Immediately the blade began to glow crimson from the scorching heat of his firebending. The sword melted, turning it into a useless pile of soft metal.
Chen jumped back from the intensity of the fire produced by Zuko. "Impossible!" He exclaimed. "You couldn't possibly have recovered from my attack so quickly. How could you firebend like that?"
His breath still came in shallow gasps, although it was an improvement from before. "Blood…" he started, "carries oxygen…it was the catalyst…for the heat."
"That's my nephew!" Iroh nudged one of the pirates next to him with his elbow. "You know he takes a lot after me. I am his teacher!"
But the pirate didn't look amused.
Admittedly, even Iroh was surprised by the actions of his pupil. This impatient young man he had spent years teaching was starting to show the signs of a great warrior. Resolve alone could proficiently master the element, but Zuko had gone beyond that. Iroh had never given up on his nephew, but what he had just observed today renewed his hope that the prince's potential was endless. This was only the tip of the iceberg of Zuko's real power. But he would have to survive the counter attack from his opponent first if he was ever to see that day come.
- - - - -
"I wouldn't say disasters."
"You wouldn't say disasters?" Sokka repeated.
Aang and Lei looked at the siblings in bemusement. Somehow, within the short span of time it took to return to the ground floor of the temple, the Water Tribe brother and sister were at it again. Sokka had suddenly regained his appetite, but the only food they had left was some seal jerky Katara had made herself. That's when all hell broke loose.
"What about the last time you tried to make seal jerky?"
"So I burned it, it could have happened to anyone!" Katara tossed her head back defiantly.
"And who used to confuse the salt with the sugar?" His blue eyes were twinkling.
"That wasn't my fault and you know it, because you were the one who switched the labels!"
"Oh yeah," Sokka reflected, chuckling at the memory. "Then there was the time with the spices…"
This accusation seemed to calm the irate waterbender down. She gave a sheepish grin, "Yes, I suppose that counted as a disaster."
"There! See I…Ow! What was that for?"
"For switching the labels you jerk!"
"A-hem" Lei interrupted. She looked like a mother regarding her unruly children. "If you're finished…"
The siblings turned their attention back to the temple's keeper. Sokka delicately rubbed the bump on his head and muttered under his breath about the tempers of certain waterbenders.
"Lei," Aang turned to the knowledgeable woman. "The Avatar is supposed to be the bridge between the spirit world and the mortal world. But you said there was another way."
"Besides the Avatar only the most ancient and powerful of spirits can cross over, such as the Ocean and Moon spirits. Koh was also one of those spirits, although he was not as dangerous as he is today."
"So he's a good spirit gone bad?" Sokka asked.
"Koh was born very near the beginning. Over the hundreds of years he has lived, Koh has grown larger and stronger by stealing faces, earning his nickname. But when Koh steals a face from a human he steals their soul with it."
Gasps echoed in the temple.
"Avatar Roku didn't mention that," Aang added.
"It is because of those souls that he has been able to live for so long. And although the faces and souls he steals make him more powerful, he is still mortal. Koh could not accept that. So eight hundred years ago he began to make his way towards Nu-gua, so that he may eat from its fruit."
"Why would he want to do that?" Katara raised a brow in question.
"Because anyone who eats from the ancient tree gains immortality," Lei clarified. "The Avatar of that time, Avatar Tang, was studying waterbending in the North Pole, the last bending art he needed to master. Unfortunately, while he was gone Koh attacked the village that protected Nu-gua and stole the face of Tang's young wife."
Aang was amazed. This legend was parallel to what Koh had told him, about stealing the face of someone one of his previous lives had loved. The mural showed Koh doing battle against a man. The same strong, noble man Aang had seen in his vision. That was why he looked familiar! "What happened next?"
"Tang returned intent on revenge. He fought against the spirit day and night, but he was not able to kill him. Finally, Avatar Tang summoned all of his spiritual strength and banished Koh back to the spirit world never to return again. But the battle had left Tang weak and the loss of his love affected his mind. With the final act of his life Avatar Tang created a tremendous earthquake, burying Nu-gua and the land surrounding it deep in the Earth so that no man or spirit could find it again. That land is called Idzumo. It is the most ancient, spiritual place on Earth, the birthplace of humanity and the Avatar."
"Wait a minute!" Sokka pointed an accusing finger at the jade-eyed woman. "First you tell us that Koh is returning and now you're telling us that Avatar Tang banished him into the spirit world eight hundred years ago? Make up your mind!"
Lei's stoic face stayed that way, "Koh cannot return by his own power, but if a bridge were created by someone in the natural world he could cross over without interference."
"Which reminds me," Katara spoke up. "You never answered our original question. The Avatar serves as the bridge to the spirit world, so how can one be made without him?"
She paused for the briefest of moments, "The four Houshu."
- - - - -
"This is your last chance," Zuko warned. "Give up, take your men, and leave!"
But it was an obvious bluff. Zuko had been wounded in the chest, shoulder, and hands, all of which were bleeding. His opponent had lost his weapon, but his injuries were minor compared to the prince.
Iroh was still surrounded by the three armed pirates all watching their boss intently. The gray-haired man couldn't help but wonder why Chen was taking his sweet time. Considering the fact that pirates had no code of honor to speak of, Iroh couldn't understand why the leader agreed to fight one-on-one when his fifteen armed comrades were standing by. The most obvious plan would be an attack from multiple fighters against the two of them, but the pirates stood down. Maybe it was just his ego, but Chen was after more than just the Houshu that Iroh was sure of. Whatever his game was, the ex-general wasn't going to help anyone find it. Not after what happened to his son.
They faced each other quietly for a moment longer. Then, with an inarticulate cry, Chen launched himself at his opponent. Despite the pirate's mind-boggling speed, Zuko was starting to read his movements more carefully and dodged the man's punch. If Zuko could stall long enough for his breath to return to normal, he could defeat Chen with one powerful blow. One minute he was strategizing, the next instant he was too busy trying to survive the lethal storm of punches and kicks he unleashed. The pirate leader's strength was not to be underestimated either. His large muscles glistened with sweat from their duel.
But sometimes strategies are only good in theory. Chen's foot crashed into the prince's ribs, sending the smaller frame flying back. Zuko grunted as he skidded to a halt, lying on the deck. He was still aiming for his stomach, intent on knocking the air out of his lungs again.
Zuko's vision was starting to blur, from the blow and from his loss of blood.
"Why don't you stay down, boy," Chen taunted. "At least then you won't have to die."
Zuko rolled to his feet, trying and failing to hide his pain. But he wasn't finished yet. Chen charged, but it was straight into a downward strike from the prince. The pirate only just managed to deflect the fiery blow from his head, landing instead on his shoulder and he stumbled. The attack was impressive, but held no great strength to it. His opponent was weakening.
He confidently blocked the next series of attacks and then immediately took the opportunity to counter. He sent a crushing blow to Zuko's injured shoulder sending him crashing back towards the ground. This time Chen was sure he would not recover and turned to walk away victorious.
"Wait a minute…you arrogant bastard," came a hoarse whisper.
Chen stared at the boy as he slowly, unsteadily got back to his feet. He gritted his teeth and to the astonishment of everyone, Zuko rose and took his guard. Zuko's appearance was filthy with blood and sweat, but his face had hardened to show his grim determination. His amber eyes were feral to their depths.
"Why won't you stay down?" Chen grunted as he faced the exiled prince once again.
Zuko cried out as he charged forward, knowing that this was his last chance. He mustered one last fireball and delivered it with a downward strike. Chen lifted one well-muscled arm to block the attack, but he underestimated its strength. It forced him down on one knee and he could feel the skin on his arm painfully burning. Zuko was stunned and didn't realized that by taking the full force of his blow with one arm, Chen left the other free for a counter attack. The younger man gagged at the pirate leader delivered a crushing blow to his stomach. For the final time, Zuko soared through the air and landed on the wooden deck. And he didn't get up.
"Zuko!" Iroh cried out. But his attempt to aide the boy was in vain, his guards held him firmly in place.
"Damn," Chen inspected the scorching burn inflicted on his arm. It was throbbing unbearably. A scar was sure to be left behind, though he suspected it wouldn't be nearly as bad as the one on the prince's face.
"Now," he turned his attention to General Iroh. "You'll tell me where you've hidden your nation's Houshu or your nephew will not live to see another dawn."
- - - - -
Author's Notes: (Covers her face with her hands) Don't hurt me! (Dodges rotten tomatoes) I know! I know Zuko lost! Just hear me out!
I didn't originally plan for a one-on-one fight, but it eventually became necessary and took on a life of its own. Don't worry, Zuko is going to come back with a vengeance, but for right now it was critical in the plot that he loses. By the way, the whole blood-carries-oxygen-so-it-increases-the-power-of-firebending is all purely speculation. I just thought it sounded cool and clever, even if it doesn't make any sense. However, I can offer evidence to the firebending-comes-from-the-breath thing. It's mentioned twice, once by Iroh to Zuko and again by Jeong Jeong to Aang. So I asked myself, "What would happen if a firebender got the wind knocked out of him?" I answered myself with, "His power would probably be significantly weakened."
A big thanks to all the Rurouni Kenshin fanfiction out there. It was my inspiration for this.
Now to the creation mythology. There has never been any mention of how the Avatar world was created so I made up my own little version after doing some research. According to Encyclopedia Mythica, Nu-gua is the Chinese creator goddess that made the first humans. She basically started making humans from the earth that were nice, handmade figurines until she got lazy and decided to dip her robe in the mud, sling it around, and let the drops of mud become the rest of humanity. I used the same name, just twisted the legend to satisfy my own objective. In Japanese mythology Idzumo is the first part of the earth that was inhabited after creation. Tang is a sort of Chinese messiah that saved the world from a drought. Once again, I used the same names and changed the legends some.
One last thing. Saying that Koh can steal faces and souls is also something I made up. I doubt a body can survive without a face, but for the purposes of this story it was necessary that he could steal both. Corny, I know. So little was reveled about Koh that I sort of had to elaborate and embellish.
Wow. That was a lot of explaining. I think it was mostly for my own peace of mind.