Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of its characters…blah blah blah. You know the drill.

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 Four: Decisions

- - - - -

Chen gazed out the window of his quarters with a grim look on his face. "The book also told me," he continued. "That natural law does not allow an immortal to live here in the natural world."

"That does pose a problem," said Iroh.

The pirate glared at the old man, his patience was wearing thin. "Indeed. What good would immortality be if I can not take everything this world has to offer? But I have found a solution."

Iroh's eyes widened ever so slightly.

"The Houshu are a loophole in that meddlesome law. When I possess all four I will be able to travel back and forth from both worlds without hindrance."

"That strategy has been tried before," the ex-general confessed, "and it failed. Miserably I might add. What makes you think it will be different for you?"

Chen hid the confusion from his expression. He knew Iroh had traveled to the spirit world, but surely this wrinkled old man had not eaten from Nu-gua! No, he must have gone for some other reason. Whatever his motivation was it made no difference to the pirate. As long as Iroh knew where the remaining jewels were hidden then that was all that mattered. Chen was more than capable of managing the rest. "When I robbed a temple in the Earth Kingdom capital, I took with me a dagger with an emerald in the wooden handle. Ever since the day I released the jewel from its inferior prison I have been plagued with dreams and visions. A spirit with the face of a Noh mask has spoken to me and told me exactly how to achieve my objective."

"You audacious fool," Iroh spat. "You're being manipulated! You cannot trust…"

"Watch your tongue old man!" Chen swiped at the man's glass, knocking it to the ground and shattering it into a million tiny pieces. A throbbing vein appeared on his forehead. "I didn't bring you here for your opinion! I've already stolen the Earth Kingdom's and the Water Tribe's Houshu. You will tell me where the remaining two are hidden!"

"You have the Water Tribe's as well?" He mumbled. It wasn't just a ruse to stall, Iroh was genuinely surprised that Chen had two of the four already. It was a more desperate situation than he had anticipated.

Chen stared down the old man crossly for a moment. Thr urge to grab a sword and skewer the ex-general was overwhelming, but that wasn't an option. Yet. The pirate had time. After all, once he was immortal time would be irrelevant. "The task was simple enough. You helped me actually."

That raised a brow.

"With so many Fire Nation soldiers preparing to attack the North Pole it was easy to slip in amongst them unnoticed. All I needed was a uniform and no one was the wiser. During the siege I made my way towards their shrine and took the ceremonial cup with the Houshu. Thanks to the commotion the battle stirred up and my own superior abilities it was like taking candy from a baby. Now enough stalling and start talking."

Iroh stared defiantly back. Truly, this man's ego must be the size of a continent.

He had made a vow to never reveal the secrets he learned in that Earth Kingdom temple all those years ago. The memory of his journey to the spirit world still burned fresh in his mind, haunting him to this day. It followed him like a shadow of regret. The temple keeper's words suddenly came to mind. 'A man who lives a life without regrets is a man who hasn't lived.' He sighed, it was time for him to stop dwelling in the past. If he didn't cooperate now he knew Chen wouldn't hesitate to kill his nephew. Iroh failed his son, but he would not fail a second time. Not as long as he still lived and breathed.

- - - - -

"There it is!" Katara pointed excitedly at the spot of land in their view. "It's the diamond shaped island!"

The trip was a shorter one than expected. The sun was beginning to set and they had already arrived at their destination. According to Lei, the Fire Nation's Houshu was located in a cave on a deserted island just off the coast of the Earth Kingdom. The flying bison landed on the coast and the three occupants jumped gracefully onto the rocky shore.

"Whoa!"

Well, two of them landed gracefully.

Aang lost his balance on the landing; his exhaustion was catching up with him. He hadn't slept in almost two days, but it felt longer. He could barely keep his gray eyes open.

The waterbender caught him right before he hit the ground. "You should get some rest."

"There's no time," Aang protested. "We have to find it. They could be here any minute."

"Relax Aang. We could see from the air that there aren't any boats docked on this island or anywhere close to it for that matter. Get some sleep. Katara and I will keep watch," Sokka's tone was placid, but there was an underlying firmness to it.

As much as he wanted to stay awake and begin the search, Sokka had a good point. Besides he was too tired to argue. Aang agreed and settled into the soft, warm fur of Appa with Momo curled up on his stomach. It wasn't long before the monk was sound asleep and snoring softly.

The siblings built a fire to fend off the bitterness of the evening air. For several minutes they sat silently, Sokka absently poking the fire and Katara watching the sunset. It had been a long time since they had nothing to do and if felt strange. When they were still living in the South Pole, before they met Aang and their lives changed forever, a night of free time was a common occurrence. Sokka and Katara would sit around a fire in their village laughing, telling stories, arguing, and creating general mischief.

So much had changed since then. So much had changed in just one day. Now apprehension hung heavily in the air, the desire to find the Houshu and head back for the temple was overpowering. They didn't know who was after the jewels or why, if it was one person or a whole army. And she hated not knowing.

"Do you want to start searching?" She asked her brother.

Sokka kept his gaze on the fire, "It's a small island, but there are probably a lot of caves we'll have to look through. We'd better wait until tomorrow, it's getting dark now. Go ahead and get some sleep. I'll keep watch."

Katara sighed. She lied back on the earth and stared at the stars that were beginning to show, but she knew sleep would not come to her tonight. Her mind was racing. The sound of the waves softly crashing against the shore was soothing. The sound of water always soothed her or it used to.

"Uhg!" She sat back up. "I can't sleep at a time like this! I have to do something!"

Splash!

A very satisfied warrior grinned from ear to ear to see his sister finally getting a taste of her own medicine. He resealed the lid on the now empty canteen, "Ha! You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that."

"Sokka," the waterbender gritted her teeth. "You're such a jerk!"

"I'm a jerk?" He repeated. "So all those times you soaked me with water was okay, but when I do it I'm a jerk?"

"Exactly!"

"Ah! You're impossible!"

"Jerk!"

"Nag!"

The siblings locked gazes. They were two strong willed forces of the same blood, each unwilling to back down. The battle might have gone into eternity had a new, challenging glint not entered Katara's eyes. "Well, if you're such a tough guy why don't you prove it?"

Sokka gave her a puzzled look, "What do mean?"

"How about a fight?"

Silence.

"Are you nuts? I'm not going to fight my own sister!"

"Why not? I'm not talking about a duel to the death, just a friendly little competition between siblings."

Sokka eyed her suspiciously, "Forget it, I know what you're doing Katara."

"What are you talking about?" She asked with fake innocence.

"You want to challenge me to a fight and then hold back so I'll win. Well, forget it. I don't need your pity," the warrior said flatly.

Katara was taken aback. "I was not going to let you win. Have I ever held back and let you win?"

"Good point," he admitted. "But I'm still not going to fight. It wouldn't prove anything."

Katara's blue eyes filled with concern again. Her brother had always been a proud warrior, forever confident of his abilities, cocky even! To see him questioning himself affected her confidence. Sure they fought and bickered, there were always things they didn't agree on. But Katara relied on her older brother's strength and support. It was what helped give her courage. She wanted so much to see her smug warrior back, if only she knew how to reach him.

The campsite went silent as the siblings returned to their own thoughts. Silent with the exception of Aang's snoring.

Katara retrieved two blankets from Appa's saddle and handed one to Sokka. They settled in for the night, unaware of the pair of eyes watching them diligently.

- - - - -

Drip

Zuko sat still on the floor of his cell. His wrists and ankles chafed from his chains tightly constraining him. It still hurt to take a deep breath, but his breathing was returning to normal. However, now that he could firebend properly again it didn't do him much good. If he melted the metal restraints it would only bond painfully to his skin. If it had been rope it would have been a breeze, but his captures were too smart for that. Why couldn't they be complete morons?

Drip

He had examined the room with an expert eye at least twenty times, but no matter how he looked at it the only way out was to melt the bars. Once he found a way to melt his chains without scalding him that is. He was very close to doing so regardless, but backed out at the last second. He wasn't afraid of the pain, Zuko was using foresight. Even if he escaped the cell and ultimately the ship, he had no idea where they were. The prince and his uncle could be stuck in the middle of the ocean for days or weeks looking for land. He needed another solution.

Drip

He hadn't seen his uncle since he regained consciousness and it was beginning to worry him. Zuko was confident Iroh was fine, after all he was a master firebender, but that didn't stop him from wondering just exactly what Chen wanted with his uncle. The old man will take us to the location of the Fire Nation's Houshu. That was what the pirate leader had said. Houshu. He repeated it over and over in his mind, but couldn't place it to memory. Iroh had never mentioned it before, he was sure of it.

Drip

As much as he hated it, Zuko was going to have to wait. Once he found his uncle and the ship was docked safely on land he would make his move. Until then he sat meditating and focusing on recovering from his wounds. Or at least he was trying to concentrate.

Drip

"Ah!" He let out a roar. How the hell was he supposed to meditate with that damn dripping? Zuko looked around irately for the source of that annoying sound. He found a corner of the ceiling that was responsible and was about to stop it for good when a droplet fell on his forehead. He growled in frustration as it made a trail down his face. He could smell the drop when it reached his nose, and he realized it wasn't water. It was oil! They were storing oil just above his cell.

Before Zuko could fully process this newest piece of information the sound of footsteps could be heard coming towards him. He peered down the dark corridor and saw Shing with his shackled uncle Iroh. A metal door was opened as the older man was ushered inside the cell next to Zuko.

"I must give credit where credit is due, General Iroh. I don't think I've ever seen anyone make a dent in Chen's ego. Seeing that vein pop on his forehead just made my day." Shing gave a small bow in gratitude.

"It was my pleasure," he replied modestly.

Zuko stared with a mixture of disbelief and contempt. Seeing Shing speak against his leader was surprising to say the least.

"Well my friends, I'm sorry to cut our meeting short but there are some things I really must attend to."

"You're just going to leave us here alone without a guard?" Zuko asked roguishly.

The pirate grinned, "You won't be going anywhere. At least not until we say so."

A few moments later, Shing left the two firebenders alone. Silence reigned until Iroh's concerned voice interfered. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," Zuko insisted. "What happened with Chen?"

Iroh chuckled, "His arm is burned pretty badly. You did more damage than he expected."

"You know what I meant."

The retired general sighed. This was one conversation he hoped he would never have.

- - - - -

Shing strode casually back towards the Captain's quarters. He didn't bother knocking, but let himself in with a cockiness that is uncommon of a subordinate. "It's hard to travel through the rough waters of the northern Earth Kingdom this time of year," he said pleasantly.

"It's no matter," was his response. "The crew will have us to our destination by tomorrow afternoon. How is the brat?"

"Boorish as ever," Shing replied. "He's in pain, but he'll live."

"How very charitable of me."

The younger man raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment. Truly, this man's ego had no limits. "You know they're probably down there planning their escape as we speak."

Chen regarded him evenly, "I guarantee they won't try anything until we land. Now that the old man has revealed the location of the third Houshu he has no choice but to go along with us as long as we have the boy as leverage. And if they try to betray me then I'll just kill them both."

Shing didn't doubt his words. "I've been able to find the locations of two jewels, but General Iroh is the key to finding the remaining two. If you kill him how do you plan of finding the temple with the remaining Houshu? Have you forgotten about the spell that keeps it hidden from human eyes?"

"A triviality," Chen's voice was growing harsher. "I'm sure I'll be able to think of something. Is there anything else you wish to question my authority on?"

"There is just one more thing," Shing continued undisturbed. "Once we have all four how do plan on finding Nu-gua? No one has been able to find Idzumo since it disappeared eight hundred years ago."

Chen looked broodingly out the window of his quarters. The moon was full and the stars were shining brightly in the cloudless sky. "The spirit told me once I found all four Houshu Nu-gua would make herself known. A tree hidden in the shadows will eventually wither and die without light. The light of the Houshu will draw the tree from the darkness."

"How very metaphorical of you." The younger man's usually lighthearted expression suddenly turned serious. "You are relying a great deal upon this spirit. I hope for all our sakes he is telling us the truth."

"I'll be the one to worry about such things. You just concern yourself with keeping my guests detained."

Shing gave a small bow and then exited the room. He sighed. His suspicions were confirmed. Chen was unchallenged as a fighter, but his foresight left a lot to be desired. The man was nothing more than a puppet being pulled along by the strings of an unseen phantom. With this thought in mind, Shing strode casually towards the kitchen, whistling freely.

- - - - -

"A tree whose fruit makes humans immortal?" Zuko asked skeptically. "It sounds like nothing more than a fairy tale."

"I assure you it's no fairy tale," Iroh replied. "Years ago, one of our battalions took control of an Earth Kingdom town in the mountains. There was an abandoned castle just outside the city that used to house a noble family. Most of it had been plundered by thieves and damaged by harsh weather, but the underground library was still intact. The ancient texts told the story of Idzumo and that it was located underground somewhere near Ba-Sing-Sei." He paused, "That was why I laid siege on the capital."

Zuko could hardly take this in. "I thought the purpose of the battle was to defeat the Earth Kingdom. You're telling me it was just a fishing expedition?"

The older man sat down on the cold floor of the cell. For once he was glad he could not see the look on his nephew's face. "Zuko, when I was a young man I was full of anger and resentment."

If the prince was shocked before, now he was just downright stunned. He couldn't even picture his uncle as anything but the wise, light-hearted mentor he had always known.

"Your father was picked to be the next ruler of the Fire Nation even though I was the oldest…but I was not the strongest. I was terribly jealous of my brother and focused all my hatred into firebending. I was determined to prove my country wrong and eventually became the highest ranking general in the military. But even then my thirst for power was not quenched. When we learned of Nu-gua and the power she bestowed I thought it would be my opportunity to finally surpass Ozai. So I volunteered to lead the mission eastward to Ba-Sing-Sei to win the war and find Idzumo."

Zuko was lost deep in thought. This newest revelation left him one step short of denial. He was almost afraid to ask, "Did you find it?"

"No," Iroh confessed. "I didn't find it, but your cousin did."

- - - - -

Author's Notes: Well, as you can see I have made my theory of Iroh and Ozai known. I didn't go into detail, because that is not the focus of the plot. I'm just going to leave it as a bitter sibling rivalry. Next chapter will reveal more about Iroh's son and what really made Iroh withdrawal from Ba-Sing-Sei (well, my theory of it anyway).

One more thing, I sort of…kind of…messed up my time line. I meant for both parties to arrive at the island with a much shorter time span between them, but alas, now I will have to stall Aang, Katara, and Sokka for a while. But it will lead to some interesting twists. I hope.