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Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender
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The smoke slithered through the cave, filling Azula's nose with the musty scent while her soul filled with contentment. Everyone save for the Imperial Firebenders and Yu Yan archers were huddled around the campfire, safe from the darkness of night that had overtaken Agni's light, and were satisfied from their meals. Even though Azula was surrounded by several who wouldn't bat an eye if she were killed and the two traitors, who should feel blessed because Aang had convinced her to give them an opportunity, she was also surrounded by those who loved her: Aang, Samir, her mother, and her brother.
She leaned her head back against Aang's bare chest, moving to press her lips against his pectoral and smiled almost greedily when he hummed against her hair, his arms tightening around her deliciously; she didn't care that they were in the presence of the others. The moment when Aang had opened the cave after they had awakened from their shared slumber, it had been immediately apparent to Azula that everyone except Samir had known that she and Aang had had sex. Their faces had been so amusing to observe; the peasants and Suki had looked appalled while Toph herself had been a curious mixture of amusement and revulsion. Mai and Ty Lee hadn't had the courage to look at her but Azula had glimpsed the shock in their bodies, the disbelief.
Her brother had, to her surprise, followed everyone else's lead and said nothing about their discovery, instead handing a black cloak to Aang; her nails had left a lot of marks on Aang's chest and back, leaving physical, tangible evidence of their lovemaking. Azula's mother had been suspiciously misty-eyed when their golden eyes had met, when Samir had jumped at her, pressing her face into her leg, squeezing her small arms around her leg as tight as she could.
Currently, the peasants, Suki, Toph, and her brother sat across the fire from them; her mother sat next to Aang, smiling brilliantly in their direction most frequently as Azula was held against his chest, his legs stretching past her hips. Mai and Ty Lee sat on her mother's other side and nobody had said anything for quite some time, each encompassed within their own thoughts, the sound of Appa's loud snores the only sound in the cave save for the crackling of the flames from the fire.
"Is she still asleep?" Azula asked quietly, golden eyes riveted on the flickering fire.
Aang nodded, his face brushing against her hair. "Yes, her breathing hasn't changed. I'd say that she loves sleeping on Appa's tail; she sleeps soundly on it."
"Just as you do," she pointed out softly. "Like… father like daughter."
"Yes, I suppose so."
"How are your hands?" Azula moved her eyes from the flames to look at them, staring at the dried blood and swollen skin, the inflamed digits. "Are they better?"
"My fingers have more mobility."
"I know they do," she smirked devilishly, remembering what he had been able to do with those fingers, how they had burned against her body more than any fire.
Aang's chest rumbled against her back quietly. "You have a dirty mind."
"Only for you, Avatar," she purred, ignoring the peasants' gob-smacked expressions from across the fire.
He stiffened against her and she delighted in the feel of him leaning down to gently kiss her neck, tongue darting out to wet her skin. Her eyes shut and she tilted her head to the side, sighing as she encouraged him to continue his amorous advances.
"Hey, oogies!" Azula's eyes snapped open, "None of that!" The male peasant was pointing at them in disgust, waving his finger wildly, accusingly, shuddering in time with his words. "None of us want or need to see or hear any of that shit!"
Azula glared at him when Aang left her neck with a slight sucking sound, ceasing his ministrations. "Hypocrite," she hissed; the male peasant leaned against Suki, head sprawled in her lap, one of his arms laying against her stomach, fingers suspiciously absent. "As if you are one to talk!"
"Well, that's different!" The male peasant indignantly informed, face red as he was obviously caught.
"How is this different than what you have obviously been doing?" Aang demanded, his voice brimming with authority, something that caused arousal to spread through her.
"It just is!" The male peasant spluttered, raising himself from Suki's lap, waving his arm in their direction, face turning green. "It's me and Suki, which is more than fine, but you two aren't okay! It's gross!"
"Sokka!" Suki cried out and smacked her husband on the back of the head. "Stop it!"
Azula glared at the male peasant and felt relief when both her mother and brother glared at him, too. She even felt surprised and almost grateful that Mai and Ty Lee looked outraged on her behalf. Apparently, they must still care for her; that was most interesting. The urge to bend lightning into him was intense and she began to feel her fingers curl, felt the sparks begin to spark across her hands, but Aang clasped his larger hands around her own, smothering the cold-blooded fire.
"And tell me, how is it gross, Sokka?" Aang demanded, body tense behind her own. "I love and trust her."
"Are you insane?" The male peasant cried out incredulously, eyes bursting with disbelief and near-scorn. "You can't be serious, Aang!"
"I am utterly serious," his voice darkened behind her and Azula delighted in the unease that crossed the female peasant's face, but her idiot brother seemed immune to it.
"But you can't be! I understand the… you know, the physical appeal, but it's Azula; she's crazy and insane! For fuck's sake, Aang, she was locked up in a Mental Health Ward for years. Have you forgotten that she tried to kill us all multiple times, and almost killed you beneath Ba Sing Se, and almost killed Zuko, her own brother during Sozin's Comet? She can't be trusted or loved; she's a manipulative, sadistic, evil- " the male peasant was cut off with a choked gasp, freezing in place, agony carved into his fearful face; his wife placed her hands on his cheeks, bemusement on her own face.
No sound was heard for moments; all that remained was a stunned silence that permeated the cave.
Aang had raised his hand from her own at the male peasant, fingers curled and Azula suddenly understood that he was using bloodbending, the dangerous waterbending art that he had told her about.
"Aang!" The female peasant exclaimed in horror but trailed off when Azula felt Aang draw himself up behind her and she could only imagine his expression; she could feel his body shake with restrained anger.
"I don't want to hear that ever again; she's changed, and I love her. Do you understand? If you do say something like that again, I will banish you and Suki from the Gaang." Azula watched as Aang's hand dropped and the male peasant then lurched forward, features white. "If you cannot, if any of you cannot deal with the true fact that I love Azula, then you can journey back to your homes, wherever they may be. None of you have the right to judge my choices. Sokka, you clearly think that you know me, but now, as a man, it is clear to me that, perhaps, you never truly did."
A quote that her uncle had constantly recited in her younger years echoed in Azula's mind: 'There are three things that all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man.' She felt many things from Aang's declaration: pride, satisfaction, affection, and lust. He had been unashamed in showing that he loved her.
"You know," her brother suddenly said. "If anyone should have been telling them to stop, it's me and our mother. I mean, after all, Azula is my younger sister and Aang is my best friend, with whom she is… yeah." Zuko finished lamely, hand gesturing towards them from across the fire in a knowing way.
"Speaking of younger sisters, Sparky." Toph grinned devilishly, mischief dancing in her milky eyes as her toes curled towards Zuko and the female peasant's close-but-not-to-close bodies.
Azula saw the female peasant flush slightly and look down at her feet while Zuko hardly reacted, only turning to glare at Toph in response. She was impressed; her brother had gotten better.
"Wait a minute," the male peasant had recovered from Aang's threat. "Younger sister? What do you…" his eyes darted to his own sister and Zuko's position. After he blinked, he gasped loudly, pointing his finger at them accusingly. "What? No, no, no! This can't be happening! What the fuck? Did she give you her maidenhead? I can't believe that you two would- "
"That's enough," Zuko snapped, face pulled into a tight frown, scar seemingly stretched across his face, making him look sinister; Azula was even more impressed. "You've been talking a lot, but now it's my turn. You have taken much out of context. You think that I care for your sister, for Katara? Fine, I do, Sokka, I care about her a lot. She's an amazing person; she's beautiful, fierce, gentle, caring, loving, kind, selfless, and her smile should be a wonder of the Four Nations."
Azula saw the female peasant blush heavily while swallowing, but the male peasant looked scandalized. "She's my sister, Zuko! How dare- "
"How dare I?" Her brother hissed, "How dare you keep acting like a child when none of us are, save for Samir? You are going to be in charge of an entire nation soon, Sokka. After all, Chief Arnook and your father could desire rest and pass their Chiefdoms onto you. You might even become a father soon because, with all of the sex that you and Suki rightly engage in, she could easily become pregnant." Everyone was quiet as Zuko inhaled slowly and it was noticeable to Azula's eyes that her brother's temper had cooled. "Aang has had enough and I have, too. Look, I can understand your need to protect your younger sister because I suffer from the same affliction." Azula rolled her eyes at her brother's dramatic words but didn't say anything. "Katara and I are not in a… what would you call it?"
"A relationship," she offered.
"Yes, a relationship. Even if we somehow or someway were, you know that I would never intentionally try to hurt her, just as I know that Aang would never intentionally hurt my sister."
"I think that's enough." Suki cut through sternly, a frown pulling at her lips as her hand grabbed her husband's. "We've all been through a lot lately and I think our tempers are nearly frayed."
Azula felt Aang nod behind her. "She's right, Sokka. I don't regret what I said to you, but I do regret how I said it and when I did; my emotions are frizzled from Ozai and Dark's attack."
"Almost all of us care for you a lot, Sokka. I know that I would take a sword for you without hesitation." Zuko looked around, "I'm pretty certain that the same could be applied to almost everyone else."
The male peasant didn't speak; he was pale, and his eyes stared at the ground.
"Being child-like and funny is a great gift, Master Sokka," her mother stared at the peasant sympathetically. "When applied timely, it is an art form that rivals bending itself. You are a rare individual from what I have observed; you are a genius, a funny and charming leader, and a Master Swordsman, amongst many more qualities. I beg you, hold onto those traits with everything that you have and then hold onto them even more." Her mother's smile was soft as her gaze darted to Zuko. "In spite of my son's candid declaration, indeed, he is correct: adults need to act like adults, mature in their contentions and mature in their actions. There are times when your humor is needed, but not right now; it's up to you to discover those moments. This is war, Master Sokka, true war. Your entire group, including my children, never saw a glimpse of the true depths of war, and now I fear that my husband will bring about something that makes the Great War seem piteous in retrospection." Her mother's golden eyes connected to Azula's own for a brief moment. "I can understand your wariness towards my daughter; she has committed vile crimes in the past for my husband and she epitomized everything that you were taught as children to despise. I implore you, all of you to give Azula a chance as Avatar Aang did; he eventually forgave her, and he had more reasons to despise her than any of you do."
Silence bore down on everyone; nobody knew how to disperse the awkwardness, not even Azula herself.
The male peasant took it upon himself, looking desperate for a change of conversation. "So, we've got myself and Suki, Aang and Azula, and then, potentially, Zuko and my sister. That's interesting, isn't it?"
"I'd add in Mai and Ty Lee, Snoozles," Toph snickered. "They are awfully close, you know?"
Azula glanced at the two traitors, refraining from the instinctual urge to hurl lightning at them, and watched as Mai rolled her eyes. "That's amusing, but not true," she said dryly.
"Plus, such a union is a deep sin in the Fire Nation, anyway." Ty Lee said cheerfully, "Even if we felt that way about each other, we wouldn't do anything about it; it would bring deep shame towards our Noble Houses."
Toph grinned, "Well, since I'm the little rebel out of our little, newly-reformed group outside of Ursa, Mai, Ty Lee, Azula, and Samir, I have one thing to say to everyone: keep it down!" Azula's lips twitched as the awkward atmosphere was swiftly dissolved as Toph pointed her fingers at all of them. "Do any of you know what it feels like to experience, to be conscious of everything that you guys do, that you engage in? I know exactly what's going on with each and every one of you all of the time!"
Azula felt Aang shift behind her, drawing her further into his chest, his delicious warmth. "I believe that I might know how you feel, Toph."
"Yeah right, Twinkletoes!" Toph snorted, huffing through her pursed lips while the male peasant chuckled, the memory of the past minutes gone. "You're who is the worst one out of all of us, and that includes Snoozles! I mean, earlier when you and Lightning Psycho were engaged in you-know-what, that was intense; my feet are still aching from all of the vibrations that you had produced. Airbender, my ass!"
The echo of the male peasant and her own brother's laughter rang in her ears and Azula turned her head back to smirk up at Aang. "She's right, you know? That was definitely intense," she wrapped her hand around the back of his neck and pulled his head down, darting up to snare his lips in a quick, heated kiss; her tongue stroked his own and she delighted in how his arms tightened around her body.
"Stop it!" Samir's voice drifted from Appa's tail and Azula pulled back as the laughter grew in potency. "I'm sleepy!"
When the laughter continued, Azula narrowed her eyes; the campfire suddenly blazed, blue flames thrashing wildly and the laughter immediately stopped, eyes flashing towards her in wariness.
"As Samir had said, stop it," she dared them with her golden eyes, specifically the male peasant, to test her. "She is trying to sleep."
"Thank you, mommy," her… daughter – her daughter! – said from Appa's tail and she could hear the weariness in the tone. "I'm going back to sleep, now."
"You know," her eyes darted towards Mai's bold and curious ones, observing the pinched eyebrows. "I can't believe that you adopted her. We all know why Avatar Aang did, but why did you?"
Aang's hands wrapped around her own in warning and Azula sighed; all eyes stared at her expectantly, her mother looking particularly attentive, and while she wanted to ignore Mai by shooting her with lightning, she knew that wasn't an option with Aang near.
"She was an orphan," she answered, deciding to be honest; it couldn't hurt. "She never knew her real parents and eventually, she was purchased as a servant by Nobles in Ba Sing Se; she was treated more like a slave, it seemed. Samir needed a family and since she's an Airbender, Aang would naturally adopt her. Since I am greatly fond of Aang, and since I like Samir, I decided to, as well; she is quite clever and resourceful, a good kid."
"You know, she does actually look and act like you two." Suki said quietly, "We can all see the resemblance she shares with Aang and that's because of the energybending; she even kind of acts like him when I first met him on Kyoshi Island."
Aang's breath rustled her hair. "Yes, I acted care-free and innocent then, just as Samir should."
"Indeed," Suki nodded her head. "She acts more like you, Azula, though; she has a maturity that reminds me of you."
"I noticed it, as well," her mother commented. "It's quite striking."
Azula glanced down at the arrow-tattooed arms that were wrapped around her stomach. "Yes, it's one of the things that drew me to her, I suppose. I intend to guide her and help her flourish. I don't want her to make any of the mistakes that I did."
"That's noble of you," Suki met her gaze. "I think that you did the right thing."
She blinked, "Thank you."
Zuko leaned forward, "Yes, you did do the right thing, Azula. I'm changing the topic; something has been bothering me."
The female peasant placed a hand on his arm. "What is it? What's wrong?"
"No, it's okay, Katara. I just had a question for my sister. How did you do that?"
Azula rolled her eyes, "Do what? You must be more specific."
"The campfire, when your flames exploded," her brother gestured at it. "The only time when I have ever felt your fire with that intensity before was during Sozin's Comet."
"I can concur with that," the female peasant added quietly.
"I've grown stronger, Zuzu," she said sweetly, a small laugh escaping her when her brother just raised his one eyebrow in response.
"She mastered her chakras, that's how she did it, Zuko," Aang said from behind her, his chest rumbling with his words. "I helped her while I did it myself with Guru Pathik."
"Wait a minute," the female peasant looked just as baffled as her brother, Zuko, and Suki; Azula's mother, Mai, and Ty Lee all looked confused. "Anybody can do that with their chakras? I thought that only the Avatar could do that."
Toph smacked her forehead with her palm. "Damn. I knew that there was something else that I had forgotten to tell all of you."
The male peasant groaned, "Are you sure that you didn't forget anything else?"
"I told you all of the important stuff, Snoozles."
"This sounds pretty important, Toph!"
"It slipped my mind, I'm sorry."
"Yeah, well a lot of stuff happens to slip your- "
"Anyone can master their chakras," Aang thankfully, sagely interrupted the verbal sparring match. "By doing so, one reaches their full bending potential; for those of the Fire Royal Bloodline, it would be as if Sozin's Comet was blazing through the heavens. In fact, the reason why Azula… why she was even alive after… Ozai's lightning strike was that of her mastered chakras; it augmented her healing capabilities."
"That's incredible," the female peasant breathed out. "Think of the possibilities for Waterbenders while healing!"
"Can you teach me, Aang?" Zuko asked seriously, "I would like to learn it."
Azula smirked, "You're just jealous that my firebending is much stronger than yours, now."
"Guilty," her brother shrugged honestly, and she felt proud of him. "The Fire Lord's firebending should be one of, if not the strongest in the world behind only the Avatar's. So, can you teach me, Aang?"
"I, or actually Azula and I, can teach all of you," he replied calmly. "I must warn you: to do this, you will have to conquer your darkest, deepest, and oldest fears. Your shames, regrets, emotions, failures, and mistakes will all stare you down and you will be unable to look away, trust me. This will, definitively, be one of the hardest things that you will ever encounter in your life. It's beyond intense and it's easy to become overwhelmed; it happened to me."
Zuko's hands clenched into fists several times and his golden eyes looked above Azula's face to meet Aang's. "I understand the risks, but I'm prepared to deal with them; it's time that I did. Teach me, Aang."
"Count me in," Toph said quietly. "I don't want to be… ashamed anymore. Plus, I like the sound of my earthbending being enhanced."
"I would like to learn this, as well, Avatar Aang," her mother declared intently. "As my wise son said, it's time. I cannot let the past hinder me in my journey towards inner peace any longer."
The female peasant swallowed, "I'd like to do this, too, Aang."
"Can non-benders benefit from doing it?" Suki asked, glancing at her husband. "Could it do anything for Sokka and me?"
"Or Mai and me?" Ty Lee finally spoke, avoiding Azula's piercing eyes.
"If you would like to, you can do it." Aang sighed and it rustled her hair, "You would be like Guru Pathik, then, although I doubt that your lifespan will be extended as his own was; his spiritual energy is immense and his chi flows like that of a bender's even though he is a non-bender."
"Then count me out," the male peasant declared. "What about the rest of you non-benders? Will you do it?" Suki, Mai, and Ty Lee all shook their heads and he grinned. "We are united against this spiritual mumbo-jumbo, Aang."
"That's probably best, honestly," he said, and it caused her to raise a brow. "None of you particularly strike me as wanting to be spiritual-minded."
"Yep. We like our emotions, Aang."
"I'll have a big enough group, anyway."
Azula smirked up at him in a teasing manner. "It seems that you will be pretty busy, Sifu."
Aang chuckled against her back and he leaned down and she stared into his eyes. "Yes, but I'm never too busy for you," he winked and grinned. In spite of her best efforts, she felt a small blush bloom across her cheeks, and she saw his gray eyes sparkle at the sight before he turned back to the group. "Yes, I will teach those of you who want to master your chakras but remember what I said about the trials that you must overcome. We will start tomorrow at after dawn."
Azula smirked at them; she couldn't wait until tomorrow.
"If we start early tomorrow, I'm going to pull a Samir and go to sleep." Toph yawned and entered one of the earth tents. "See you guys in the morning."
"Me too. Goodnight, guys," the male peasant swiftly stood up and entered his own tent while his wife was more gracious.
"I think that I'll join my husband, so goodnight, everyone," she followed the male peasant into the tent.
Azula watched as the two traitors wished everyone a good night, eyes refusing to connect with her own as they entered separate tents.
The only ones who remained around the campfire were herself, her mother and brother, Aang, and the female peasant. Based on her mother's inquiring gaze, Azula knew that a conversation was soon to be at hand, but she was content to lay in Aang's arms until it happened. For several moments, the only sounds were Appa's snores and inaudible conversation coming from Sokka and Suki's tent; the Imperial Firebenders and Yu Yan Archers endured their positions as smoke drifted out of the cave into the darkness of night.
"Aang," the female peasant said hesitantly and Azula stared at her with a brow raised. "Can I speak with you for a moment? I can even heal your hands and fingers if you'd like."
She narrowed her eyes, unable to help but feel possessive of Aang. "Surely, you could speak to him and heal his hands here. After all, this is a safe place; nobody would attempt anything, would they?"
When the peasant seemed deprived of words, Azula felt pleasure but it swiftly faded when Aang gently unwrapped his arms from around her waist. "Yes, I would like that. I'll be there in a moment, Katara." The peasant's relief was tangible as she nodded and stepped out of the cave, refusing to look at Azula. "If you'll excuse me, Zuko and Ursa."
Aang then stood up and Azula refused to admit that she missed his embrace. "Should I be worried, Avatar?"
"Not at all," he smiled down at her briefly. "I would like my hands healed and it's easier for her to do it rather than myself."
"Or you could just go into the Avatar State for a moment and then your hands would be healed instantly."
"That's abusing my power; there's no need for such drastic measures." His gray eyes darkened slightly, "I'm certain that Katara just wants to ask me a… question."
By his tone, Azula knew that it wouldn't be just a question, but she raised no protests when Aang glided out of the cave, the black cloak that her brother had given him sweeping behind him.
"He's a good man," her mother said softly to her side.
Azula nodded in agreement. "He's the best, Avatar or no."
Zuko's eyes darted between them and then he stood up. "I think that I should sleep, too. I'll see you tomorrow for the mastering of chakras. Goodnight, Azula and mother."
"Goodnight, Zuzu," her lips twitched when she heard his sigh of annoyed endearment.
"I'm sorry, my daughter," her mother's words floated in the air and rather than battle, Azula nodded her head. If her mother had said that to her when she had returned to the Caldera before the Ba Sing Se fiasco with Kuei, she would have blasted her with lightning and sapphire flames, but now, with true peace in her heart and soul, she was ready to face the past; the girl who she had been was no more. She had matured and was ready to finally listen to her mother because Azula wanted to be better; she no longer desired to be that monster who her father had shaped her into.
"What is it that you wish to say, mother?"
"I was a terrible mother; it was a shameful performance to abandon you and your brother as children. Regardless of Azulon's words and threats, I should have taken you both with me, but especially you."
"You're right," she whispered, ignoring her mother's startled expression. "I was always stronger than Zuzu in firebending and that's what Ozai valued above all else, but in everything that actually mattered, I was… weaker than him. I can see that now. I broke under Ozai's pressure, bending to his will because I was much too malleable. Zuzu wasn't, though; he didn't break as I did because he was stronger than me. His will surpassed my own; he survived under Ozai, but I did not."
"You have become wise, too, and it is a balm to my soul, my daughter. I am so sorry for not being the mother that I should have been. I failed you and because of my negligence, your father molded you into someone who you were never supposed to be, a monster. Then your mind broke, as a result.
"Everything you say is true," she looked down at her hands, hands that were besmirched with the blood of too many. Indeed, her father had ruined her, but she was thankful for his lessons in spite of everything. Because of them, she had learned the depravity of men and about the lengths that one was willing to go to, to attain one's aspirations. She was certain that without Ozai's teachings, she would have long been dead and wouldn't have this glorious second chance that the winds of fate and Aang had offered her.
"Yet, Azula, in spite of the immense failures of both of your parents, you have grown into a magnificent and strong woman; you overcame your past and mistakes, something most aren't able to do. My precious daughter, you are a gift to me, granted by Agni himself. You are remarkable; you have chosen to adopt a girl in desperate need of a mother and family of your own free will. You have managed to capture the Avatar himself with your love while falling in love with him in return, and you will become the Mother of the Air Nomads, I know it. You will have your own nation and find glory; your very name will echo throughout history, side-by-side with your future husband's."
Azula thought of the scrolls that she had read at the Eastern Air Temple and felt a smile curl across her lips. "I know, mother."
"You have worked diligently to compensate for your past sins, clearing away the red that the Four Nations remember. I am so proud of you, Azula. You are much stronger than I or your father, and while I am aware that you might never forgive me, always remember that I am proud to be your mother." Azula swallowed and felt emotions overcome her, emotions that she had repressed because she had been too angry; she blinked rapidly, trying to disperse the tears that she refused to acknowledge. Her mother gripped her hand and she squeezed back hesitantly. "I love you, Azula. I always have, and I will always be proud of you, no matter the past or future."
A tear fell down her cheek and spilled onto their gripped hands. Azula nodded her head shakily and tried to speak but was unable to; her throat had closed off and several more tears began to drip down her cheeks, splashing onto their joined hands. When her mother suddenly pulled her into a fierce and desperate hug, she didn't fight it. Rather, she chose to embrace her mother for the first time in a decade and a half, squeezing tightly as they were finally reconciled.
"I forgive you," she managed to gasp out, the emotions overwhelming her as her mother gently stroked her back, tears spilling into her hair. A weight that had been bearing down on her for so many years vanished, freeing Azula as she hugged her mother tightly.
Aang had told her on Ember Island that forgiveness wasn't always easy; at times, it might be the hardest thing to pursue. It could feel more grievous to forgive the one who had inflicted wounds upon you than the wounds themselves, yet freedom and peace didn't exist without forgiveness. His words echoed in her mind: 'Forgiving doesn't make you weak, Azula. It sets you free.'
Now, as she held her mother, she knew that Aang was correct, his words true; forgiveness had been the key to a reconcilement between herself and her mother, to a freedom that hadn't been felt in what felt like her whole life. Azula had only received this newfound peace because of Aang, had only completed this journey because of him, and now she had to encourage him to forgive his friends, to have his own peace that had been lacking since the Great War ended. Although, in her mind, they all deserved his rage and much more, Aang didn't deserve to have his heart and soul burdened by being in their presence.
He deserved to be like the nation that he was reincarnated into; he deserved to be free.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Aang stepped next to Katara in front of the lake; the water shimmered under Yue's light and the air was crisp, refreshing. The trees swayed gently in the wind and smoke filled his nostrils as it drifted out of the cave, clouding the air with warmth. The Imperial Firebenders and Yu Yan Archers were all scouring the forest for potential threats, leaving them alone.
"What did you want to speak to me about?" He asked, afraid that he already knew the answer.
"Let me heal you first," she whispered and drew water from the lake. Aang held out his hands and sighed in relief when her water-coated hands began to mend his hands and fingers. Slowly, the swelling, pain, and broken skin all faded, and he smiled.
"Thank you, Katara."
She nodded and returned the water to the lake but when she turned back to him, her blue eyes shone with disappointment and anger. "I don't understand, Aang. How could you speak to Sokka like that, reprimanding him in front of everyone? You completely humiliated him! How could you ever do such a thing? I don't understand."
"You're right," he agreed, watching as surprise flashed through her features. "You don't understand and neither does your brother because what you lack in understanding is me. Do you know why? You and Sokka haven't understood me for many years because none of us have truly spoken in years, Katara."
"Aang…" she trailed off, swallowing thickly; her lips parted in dismay.
The rage began to seep through, but he no longer cared. "After I took permanent residence at the Southern Air Temple, I was alone for years. The only company who I had were Appa, Momo, and the spirits of my slain kin. Eventually, I became so lonely and desperate that I called upon my past lives to converse with them; they were there for me when you, Sokka, and Toph weren't. I was isolated and the beginnings of madness plagued me; it's a wonder that I won't be remembered as the Mad Balance-Keeper upon my death. You never messaged me, Katara, you never even tried. You had every opportunity, years' worth, but you didn't. Damn you, I waited and waited for you to write, waited for years because of your weakness!" The pain swarmed him, slipping through the cracks in his mind and he laughed brokenly. "You knew that I was lonely, I had told you as much when I visited your Tribe a year or two after the Great War, but what did you do to the one who you had sworn was family?"
"Aang…" her blue eyes welled with tears, but he was unmoved. If anything, the sight of her tears angered him even more.
"What did you do, Katara?" Aang demanded harshly, fists clenching at his side as the lake responded to his rage, swirling angrily and violently. When she averted her tear-welling eyes, the earth beneath his feet cracked ominously and angry tears welled in his own eyes. "NOTHING! You did nothing! That's what you did," he spat, finishing his own question.
"I'm sorry!" Katara stumbled back as he advanced forward, eyes stormy. "I was a coward! Aang, I'm so sorry!"
He felt his anger reach new heights and he was tempted to give into the power of the Avatar State that was so close. He felt fire roar in his blood, demanding to consume and destroy hindrances as a starved babe. He could feel the air in Katara's lungs. He felt the earth beneath them both, he felt the blood in her body, felt her heart beating rapidly.
He felt his anger cool and stared at her flatly. "I don't know when I will forgive you, if I ever will, if I'm being honest." Katara's crestfallen expression didn't shake his blunt resolution, "You and your brother have much to atone for."
"I understand," she whispered, swallowing. "Your anger is justified, but something else isn't."
"What do you mean?"
He watched as she stood up straighter and her once tear-stained eyes sharpened. "How could you use bloodbending? It's a sadistic art that should have never been thought of! How could you, Aang?"
"Nothing else worked; it was the only way."
"You still shouldn't have used it!"
Aang's eyes narrowed into fierce slits. "Is this your way of scolding me, telling me that you would prefer that I had let Azula die from her wounds?"
Katara stepped back, "No, Aang! I would ne- " she cut herself off and looked triumphant, absolutely certain that whatever she was about to say was correct. "Yes! Don't you see? She's seduced you; she's slipped past your defenses by wearing your own Air Nomad garbs! She's up to something; she's Azula! She shot you with lightning!"
"Stop it," he growled and raised his hand, her body seizing under his control. "I take no pleasure from this, but you've given me no other option. I am going to talk, and you will listen to my words." Aang did feel slight guilt that he was using bloodbending against her, but in his mind, she had brought it on herself because of her mistakes. "First of all, I love Azula; she is amazingly clever and witty, strikingly beautiful, strong, fierce and there are so many other attributes about her that I love that I can scarcely recall them all. You and Sokka think that she is evil next to me, a stain and blot on my legacy, but I strongly disagree. I think that she is perfect, flaws included. I don't care about her past sins because she has dealt with them. Honestly, Katara, I had never thought that I would find someone who would accept all parts of me; she does, and I love her for it." Aang stared at her frozen form, his gray eyes locking onto her angry and fearful blue ones. "As I said earlier, what I said to Sokka applies to you, to anyone. This is your final warning, Katara: accept my decision about choosing Azula and while you don't need to befriend her, you aren't going to forcefully antagonize her. If you disregard this warning, I will banish you from the Gaang as I said I would to your brother; you will return to the Southern Water Tribe without speaking to me again. I've had enough."
Katara's form wavered and Aang released her, watching as she fell to the ground in a heap. "Aang, please, you can't- "
"Yes, I can, Katara. Who are you to say otherwise? I am not that 12-year-old boy anymore. Almost a decade has passed since then and I know what and who I want, now. I want Azula and no one else. There is no discussion about it, no pleading with me to change my mind; my decision is absolute."
"I… understand," she whispered, features forlorn.
"Good. Now, there is something else that I must share, and it is about bloodbending, the true depths of waterbending."
Her eyes ignited, "What else could you say about such a vicious art?"
Aang sighed, "You're just like all of the rest, Katara. You've lost the ability to see what waterbending truly is. For a past millennium and beyond, the Children of Water have become less adaptable, unwilling to change their beliefs and faith."
"What are you talking about?"
"For years, now, you have had the perfect chance to rectify the mistakes of your ancestors since you met Hama. Yet, you have- "
"Don't speak of that woman!"
"Why?"
"She was insane and evil, Aang!"
"I am not denying her warped mind and the suffering that she inflicted on others, but she discovered something that could be good for Waterbenders, for the art of waterbending."
"No, it can't. Your mind has been poisoned; bloodbending is evil!"
"No! You have incessantly continued to allow fear to cloud your beliefs and judgment. Avatar Kirku has enlightened me of the falsehoods that the Children of Water have been preaching for over several millennia."
Katara blinked and her anger seemed to drain away. "What do you mean, Aang? Who is Avatar Kirku?"
"He is my past life, the one who told me the truth about the world, about the birth of the Avatar Spirit and how Dark and Raava are the mightiest of the spirits. Kirku was similar to me in his life because, at the time of his death, he was the last true Master of waterbending."
A gasp escaped Katara's lips. "There was a genocide before the Air Nomads?"
"No, not a genocide, but war. The Children of Water and Earth hadn't lived amicably together. Because of Kirku's negligence as Avatar, same as my own negligence over a century ago, the Children of Water were near extinction, although the Air Nomad Genocide was much, much, much more severe and blood-soaked. Kirku did his best to teach waterbending, but death consumed him before any new waterbending Masters arose."
"That's horrible," she put a hand to her mouth. "I had no idea."
"You wouldn't. It happened thousands of years ago and because of that, the Waterbenders have drifted away from the true teachings of waterbending; they have forgotten the meaning of a Waterbender. Ever since Kirku's demise, these false teachings have polluted the minds of the Sages of Water, and thus leading to every Waterbender's corrupt training. My instincts tell me that the Southern Water Tribe was closer to rediscovering the true teachings, but their Waterbenders were all killed in the Great War before they could reach the heights of their explorations."
Katara numbly fell to her knees before him, tears spilling down her cheeks. "And bloodbending?"
"There's significance in the fact that bloodbending was created by one who was raised in the Southern Water Tribe; Hama must have learned teachings that led to its founding. You have had the opportunity to pick up where Hama, how ever misguided, had left off, but you chose not to because you were too fearful. Bloodbending can be used to heal, Katara; it can revolutionize healing, but you have let your fear and wrong beliefs forbid such thoughts."
"Please, teach me, then, Aang," her eyes stared up at him desperately. "Let me right the wrongs of the past. Help me learn the true teachings of waterbending so that I can restore the right beliefs of the Water Tribes."
Aang blinked and he felt Kirku stir in his soul, seeking to appear. He relented and Avatar Kirku appeared in a blinding tornado, taking Aang's place.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Katara opened her wide eyes to see a tall, handsome Water Tribesman appear before her where Aang had stood; he had dark skin and carried himself with burdened grace. He bore a remarkable resemblance to how she remembered Piandao, but the man's eyes were bluer than water itself.
"I am Avatar Kirku, young one," the man's voice was powerful, ancient, and sounded like roaring waves.
Bowing her head again, Katara infused great respect into her tone. "Please, I beg you, teach me the truth, Avatar Kirku."
"I will teach you what I know, young one."
"Thank you, Avatar Kir-"
He interrupted her, "But in return, you must learn to adapt. You must abandon your fears and cast them aside as insignificant because that is crucial. You must re-learn and remember; water is not just about the push and pull, it is also about the constant change in the flowing of the chi, mirroring water. Your ancestors and my children have neglected to abide by the true teachings because of my failure but that can be rectified, finally. A Waterbender must adapt and because of this, nothing is forbidden in the art of waterbending. Your fear of bloodbending is known to me, but we will work together to overcome it, young one. You still have much to learn; there is much that you don't know. He-Who-Knows-10,000-Things, Wan Shi Tong mastered several understandings of waterbending. Mastering your chakras will be the beginning of your journey in learning to adapt and once you accomplish that, only then will you be hailed as a true Master Waterbender."
Katara swallowed, understanding the big task ahead of her. "Of course, Avatar Kirku."
The former Avatar nodded and disappeared in a blinding tornado. Aang swiftly appeared and looked down at her, eyes hard, causing a sad sigh to escape her. She might have earned Zuko's forgiveness, but she had a feeling earning Aang's was going to be a lot more difficult to earn, and understandably so.
XxXxXxXxXxX
As he stared at Zuko, Katara, Ursa, and Toph, he glimpsed their eager eyes and Aang sighed inwardly. Even though he had warned them multiple times of the incredible trials that they would undertake while mastering their chakras, it seemed that none understood the significance of what they would need to battle with. Thankfully, he himself had no distractions since Sokka, Suki, Mai, and Ty Lee were entertaining Samir while he and Azula, who sat next to him, would guide the others in releasing the blockage that hindered their flow of energy.
"All right, we shall begin," he began and echoed Pathik's words from the Eastern Air Temple. "Chakras are the nexuses of chi within one's body. Everyone, no matter if they are a bender or non-bender, has chakras, but the crucial difference is that a bender can become so much more if they master their chakras. Now, there are seven chakras, each situated at a different location in the body, albeit, they are all located on a central vertical axis, and each chakra has a specific purpose and each one deals with a different emotion, which can then be blocked by another emotion. As such, the chakras can be opened and closed depending on the state of one's mind. So, when a chakra is opened, the energy of the chi is free to flow through the body, achieving someone's full bending potential. But when the flow of the chi energy is restricted, the chakras are sealed and lead to one's bending potential never being attained."
"Are Ozai's chakras mastered?" Zuko asked, sitting opposite him and Azula. "Did he somehow do it as you and Azula did?"
"It wouldn't surprise me," he responded after a moment. "Koh had- "
Katara's eyes widened slightly although she had trouble looking at him. "The Face Stealer?"
"Yes. He had revealed the truth about Ozai's journey to becoming Dark's vessel of power. He would need to master his chakras, but what he mastered were dark chakras, which are the opposite of the ones you will master; the negative emotions inside him would allow him to bond with Dark for longer period of times until they are permanently fused as Raava and I are." Aang thought back to the battle, "That's probably why Ozai was able to stay bonded with Dark for so long."
Azula nodded, "Indeed. During the ambush, Dark separated only once from my father for a brief moment and that was only to attack you, Aang; you were caught by surprise if I remember correctly."
Aang frowned before shaking his head. "Enough of Ozai. Now, I need everyone to close their eyes. Toph, I want you to remove your feet from the ground," he paused, making sure that they had followed his instructions. "The Earth Chakra is the first one that you will deal with. This chakra deals with survival and is blocked by fear. It is located at the base of the spine. What fears do you live with? What haunts you during the night? What always urges you to continuously look over your shoulder?"
XxXxXxXxXxX
Katara flinched as images of death flashed through her mind: her father being killed just as her mother had been, her brother lying in a pool of his own dark and thick blood, mutilated beyond most recognition, and worst of all, a world of absolute darkness encompassing all of the Four Nations and at the top, Ozai ruled tyrannically as Vaatu's own Dark Avatar.
She swallowed when she saw, in her mind, Aang's body hanging as a trophy off of Ozai's throne of skulls for everyone to witness, and the hopelessness the sight caused everyone because it showed that not even the Avatar could defeat Ozai and Vaatu. And kneeling before Ozai's throne of skulls with both arms missing was Zuko; his expression carved with such hatred and fear that Katara whimpered. The scene unfolded silently with horrific precision. Ozai stood from his throne, eyes black as night, and a malicious grin spread across his face; he punched his fist forward and the other side of the kneeling Zuko's face became enveloped with flames.
Zuko jerked and shuddered and tried to scream but was unable to; his lips had been melted shut by the flames; the skin blackened and melted away. Parts of his skull were soon revealed and it, too, was blackened; it splintered and cracked ominously, popping like small explosions. Katara tried to help him but she could do nothing as Ozai stepped closer; lightning condensed into the monster's hands in terrifying sparks. He then placed a single finger on to his son's blackened forehead and before Katara's horrified eyes, Zuko's head exploded in a shower of red mist.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Zuko saw his father looming over his loved ones with a smile that threatened to split his face; his golden eyes were maniac and glowed with depravity. Beneath his father's foot, Aang laid butchered with lightning spasming through his form and quickly, the pain in his best friend's eyes were overpowered by death. Zuko began to breathe heavily as he looked around and froze at the sight of his uncle's head on a pike next to his father; Uncle Iroh's expression was permanently stuck in fear. Katara laid dead by her brother, but she was stripped naked with bruises coloring her once-lovely complexion; her usual bright blue eyes were dull, dead. The final expression on her beautiful face was one of utter terror.
Suddenly, the image shifted before his eyes, color blurring until he could no longer distinguish which was which. Then it all stopped and Zuko inhaled sharply at the sight of his nude mother chained in front of the looming Ozai. Burns wracked her body and harsh bruises littered her swollen face; his father's quick, rhythmic grunts revealed exactly what was happening and Zuko screamed and tried to shove his father away, but his hands passed through the apparition.
He whirled to the side when he heard unintelligibly muttering and there was Azula sitting on the steps away from the scene of their father fucking their mother. Her head was held in her hands, the mumbles of his once-strong sister conveying insanity and it had happened again!
Ozai groaned loudly and Zuko feared what he would see, but he turned back around; his father had spilled himself into his mother. Now, Ozai stepped toward him, kicking his mother aside, staring at him unabashedly as his cock was proudly on display, dripping with juices.
"So, my traitorous son has finally returned home, then?" Ozai gripped his face and Zuko couldn't move, frozen in place as his father's golden pierced his soul. "Tell me, how does it feel to know that everything that you've built will fall? To know that from the broken bodies of your friends and the ashes of this world, that I will make a better one in my image?"
His father forced him down in a kneeling position and he couldn't speak, could do nothing as Ozai raised a flaming fist; fire blazed towards his eyes.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Ursa saw her husband, no longer the man who she had married but still loved all the same. The world kneeled before him in fiery ashes and her beloved children, Zuko and Azula, were at the forefront, pledging their undying loyalty.
Her husband smiled down at them; the joy suddenly lighting her children's faces caused her to whimper. Even though they finally had their father's love as they had always wanted, it wasn't enough for Ozai – it was never enough! Her husband's hands became alight with fire and Ursa watched in horror, with screams stuck in her throat, as her beloved children were viciously killed to the sound of cruel laughter.
Ozai suddenly turned toward her and Ursa found herself chained to a bed, nude body on display. Her husband approached her out of the rising darkness, grinning lecherously; the sight reminded her of the monster who he had become.
"My beautiful, beautiful Ursa," he purred, golden eyes alight with eager lust. "This time, we will have worthier children than those two traitors. Sozin's line will continue and our union will bear powerful sons who will continue my legacy for eons to come."
Ursa wept as Ozai descended onto her, pawing her breasts, mauling her body like a wild animal, hands spreading her legs, and then he entered her.
XxXxXxXxXxX
She was all alone and Toph frantically smashed her toes into the ground, but nobody was around her; there were no heartbeats of enemy or friend. She felt nothing, not even herself and darkness was everywhere, inhaled into her lungs with each rushed breath. She swallowed heavily and felt the familiar fear of loneliness sweep through her.
Vibrations suddenly filled her, and terror erupted in her mind when she realized what the vibrations represented: an enraged Aang in the Avatar State. The voice boomed in her mind with the strength of thousands of lifetimes and divine, sizzling lines of power scorched her feet, causing her to scream and stumble back; the air was suddenly withheld from her lungs and she desperately clawed at her throat but was powerless against the dreadful might of the Avatar State.
"Toph!" The cry of her name was hauntingly familiar and Toph could suddenly breathe. When she regained her bearings, she turned away and tried to hide, but she couldn't escape from their tight, yet delicate hugs; chains suddenly bound her hands and feet. "We will always love you, Toph, but it is time that you learn the lessons that you should already know." Her parents shoved her forward and she heard the click of a latch; she reached around without sight and quickly gripped a metal bar.
She was locked in a cage.
"No, stop!" Toph cried out, "You can't do this, treat me like a trophy to pawn off to suitors! I'm not a fragile girl; nothing will break me!"
"Oh, my daughter," her mother cooed. "You know not of what you speak. You will be safe here with us, instead of the ones with whom you acquaint yourself. If they hold love for you, it is but a speck compared to ours."
She rocked the metal bars but the more that she struggled, the firmer and less malleable they became. "Please, I'm sorry! Let me out!"
"We can't do that, Toph," her father's cool words reached her. "You broke our trust and we are forced to do this because of your reckless and foolish actions."
"I'm not yours to command! You can't do this to me, not again!"
"You have always been ours and we will make sure that you never leave again."
Tears flowed out of her eyes and Toph folded into herself, feeling the cage shrink with her until she couldn't move her body at all.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Aang sighed as he witnessed all of their telling reactions about their darkest fears coming to life in their mind's eye; he wished that he was surprised by what he was seeing, but he wasn't. "What you're seeing is not real," he raised his voice, hoping his words would calm them. "It is but an illusion conjured by your own consciousness. To master this chakra, you must release these fears that plague you. You are all some of the strongest people who I've ever encountered, so use that strength that is inside of you. Vanquish your fears!"
Their sweaty and shaky bodies stilled at his words and with cries of effort, everyone's eyes snapped open with clarity; their fears were released, but they also understood what they would be facing from now on as they mastered their chakras.
"Well done, everyone," Azula congratulated beside him. "It is a most trying experience and you triumphed over it when most could not. Each of your Earth Chakras is mastered."
Zuko blinked and inhaled heavily. "Fuck, that was… intense; it felt authentic."
He smiled sadly, "It's supposed to. Each chakra, more or less, will be intense; it depends how blocked it is."
"I do feel slightly stronger," Toph breathed out. "I can feel more."
"That's good. Your bending will become stronger with the more chakras you master; the path is being cleared and your full potential can be fulfilled."
"You did this twice, Aang?" Katara finally looked at him fully and her eyes shone with realization. "Recently and in the Great War?"
"It's part of my destiny," he felt his true age for a brief moment. "It's a crucial part of my journey as the Avatar. Although, I will be the first to admit that what I did with Guru Pathik all of those years ago wasn't mastering my chakras. It was opening them."
"What's the difference, Avatar Aang?" Ursa inquired, "Is mastering… more complete?"
"Essentially, yes. Being 12-years-old at the time, it would have been impossible for me to master them. Pathik began the process by helping me acknowledge everything, but it wasn't until recently when I finally mastered my chakras, and with it, became much more powerful."
"Whether you believe me, it's worth it." Azula looked at each of them carefully, "I know my word isn't valued, but mastering your chakras changes you for the better."
He nudged her with an offer. "How about you lead the next one, then? You could relate to them more than I could. I've mastered my chakras before in previous incarnations and it's my duty to do it. You chose to do it and so did they; there is a kinship between you all because of it."
"Very well," she smirked and straightened her posture; the perfect instructor. "Now, we will move onto the next chakra, the Water Chakra. This chakra deals with pleasure and is blocked by guilt; it is located in the sacrum. Close your eyes again and remove your feet from the ground, Toph. What guilt do you feel? What terrorizes your dreams with memories of sin?"
XxXxXxXxXxX
The charred and blackened body of her mother flashed before her closed eyes and Katara swallowed thickly, feeling her fists clench tighter. Her mother had died in agony to protect her because of the nature of Katara's gifts; she was a Waterbender, and because of that, her mother had paid the ultimate price. She caused it, how ever inadvertently, and her mother would never glimpse her grandchildren, never be able to create more memories of love and joy.
The image faded and then Katara saw the way that she had treated Zuko when he had first joined the Gaang after the Day of Black Sun. Her suspicion had shifted into utter paranoia and most of the nights, she had stayed awake, waiting for the treacherous Fire Prince to murder all of her friends, her new family. She had never given him a chance to prove his words true, instead choosing to heave scorn and derision at him, something that he never defended himself against.
Suddenly, lightning erupted towards her and Zuko jumped in front of it, shielding her from death and Azula's insane eyes. He had saved her life at what she had thought was the cost of his own; his body had spasmed with residual lightning and the endless screams had been stuck in her throat. Azula had then attacked her as fierce as fire itself and Katara had been unable to help Zuko, to see if he were alive. She had fought Azula without knowing if Zuko had been killed from the death strike that had been meant for her.
The heat and Azula's eyes dispersed in a thick fog and then Katara saw herself in the Southern Water Tribe, happily content as she aided Pakku in restoring the Tribe with waterbending. She was all alone, none of her friends save for Suki were in sight because she had abandoned them. Aang, Zuko, and Toph were nowhere to be seen and she had been too focused, too selfish to realize what she had done. They had needed her, specifically Aang and Zuko, but she had turned her back against their needs; it was her fault.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Zuko saw his crew on his ship while he was banished, all of whom he had treated horribly when they were nothing but loyal. They were good men who he had treated like peasants when most of them had been of Noble Blood. He had worked them relentlessly as he searched for the Avatar, never giving them breaks as they had deserved, and it had eventually killed them. Zhao would have never drafted them if Zuko hadn't been too stubborn; his crew of good men wouldn't have died at the Siege of the North if Zuko had been better.
Slain bodies then floated in his mind's eye and he saw all of those who had died from his hands; he had killed many who were deserving, but many who were not. Innocent lives had perished because of his negligence and the guilt condensed even further when he saw Aang's body falling in the caverns of Ba Sing Se. Behind it all, he saw his uncle's disappointed and heartbroken face, and then what was worse, when Zuko sided with Azula, the image of Katara's devasted expression as he bore arms with his sister instead of her and Aang appeared. Then, there was Fulki-Aridam, or who Sokka had named Combustion Man, who Zuko had paid to assassinate Aang, his now-best friend after he had suspected that Azula's attack hadn't killed him.
He saw all of the concubines with whom he had shared his bed, how callous he had treated them, just as his father had certainly treated his own whores. He had received his carnal pleasures and always, when he was stuck in the pit of loneliness, he had thought of Katara during those times; he had physically ached for it to be her who was beneath him as he rocked into soft and supple flesh with overwhelming lust.
Zuko saw himself, his younger self who was naïve in hoping that Ozai would love him and the guilt was strong. If he had realized sooner that his father was a terrible monster, he could have avoided so much, saved so many lives, but because of his foolish blindness, countless mistakes happened.
XxXxXxXxXxX
The poison floated in her mind and Ursa looked down in horror, seeing Azulon's dead body, the needle jammed into his neck. She had murdered the one who she loved as her own father because her husband had manipulated her into killing him. She had fallen for Ozai's schemes like a novice and taken away her children's chances of knowing their grandfather more; she had taken away Azulon's chance to have a long life like his father before him and to forge powerful bonds with his grandchildren.
Ursa saw herself leaving her beloved Zuko and Azula with the monster who wore the face of her husband; she had left suddenly without even a proper goodbye. She had been able to see Zuko one last time, but she had been too ashamed to see her precious daughter one last time; she had vanished in the night like a ghost and went over a decade without either of them. Frankly, it was of the greatest miracles that both of her children had eventually forgiven her for what she had done.
Ozai suddenly loomed over her, eyes alight with power and lust, wicked depravity. Ursa whimpered in guilt and sorrow because she had never seen her husband's transformation into a foul monster coming, had never even imagined such a thing could happen, regardless of the symptoms that she had seen in her husband. The monster had taken her husband from her, turned him into a stranger, a bad memory that would haunt her for the rest of her life. If she had been more perceptive, she could have prevented it and stopped so much from happening: Azulon's murder, Zuko's scarring and banishment, Azula's fall into insanity, and the new ordeal with Vaatu.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Toph saw the way that she had treated the Gaang when she had first joined; she had acted completely obstinate. She was unwilling to compromise in any way and because of it, they had all parted ways. The fate of the entire world was in jeopardy because of her unruly stubbornness. Aang could have never mastered the elements because of her actions; he might have never learned any earthbending or firebending because of it. He might have died without her earthbending training during the Great War and then Ozai's supremacy would have truly, certainly been inevitable.
Pleading roars echoed in her mind and Toph flinched at the memory of Appa being stolen by the Sandbenders in the Si Wong Desert; she should have been able to do something, but she was unable to. Her inability to keep Appa safe then led to the most scarring moment in her life: her first encounter with the unleashed Avatar State. She could have stopped that terrible moment if she had saved Appa, but because she hadn't, Aang had never been the same; he was wary, save for Samir and Azula, of anybody around Appa, even the rest of the Gaang.
She saw how she didn't have someone write a letter to Aang when, if she had truly tried to, could have done it. Toph had abandoned her greatest friend after the Great War when he needed her; her problems, when compared to his, seemed insignificant and she should have realized that sooner. She should have contacted him, but never gathered the willpower and courage to do it.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Staring at the faces of everyone as their guilt was summoned to the forefront of their minds, Azula briefly wondered if she had looked as distraught as they did. Her own mother's face was carved with such regret and sadness that she swallowed, having a good idea of what haunted her; her brother's fists were clenched tightly, and his breathing was frantic and uneven. Toph's face was pale and tears spilled down her cheeks; the female peasant's features were pinched tightly, and her lips were pursed while she began to hyperventilate.
"All of this guilt that you feel is in the past, everyone," she called out clearly, knowing that they struggled immensely; she had struggled, too. "There is nothing that you can do to change it; the past is forbidden to change, but the future is not. The future is in your power but only if you stop these feelings of guilt; that is what you can do, so forgive yourself. Release your guilt and let forgiveness flood your hearts; feel the freedom fill you from such an action."
Slowly, each of them opened their eyes and Azula observed them critically. The female peasant was glancing at Zuko and Aang, while her mother stared at her and Zuko, regret a visible affliction in her eyes.
Toph fell back against the ground, her toes curling towards both Aang and Appa. "As Sparky said last time: fuck, that was intense."
Her brother sniffed; his weariness was unable to be hidden from Azula's piercing eyes. "I believe that I paused dramatically before your last word."
"Don't worry," Aang cut in. "There's only one more that we'll do today. Mastering your chakras is a taxing and utterly exhaustive process."
"Excellent, my pupils," she smirked at them when she realized that Aang wasn't going to conduct the next chakra. "Now, as Aang had said, onto the last chakra for today, the Fire Chakra. This chakra deals with willpower but is blocked by shame; it is located in the stomach. What are you ashamed of? What forces you to avert your eyes? What past deeds cause you to clench up and feel cold with chills slithering up your spine like the deadliest of vipers?"
XxXxXxXxXxX
Katara saw Aang and Zuko alone whilst she had cowardly kept to herself in the Southern Water Tribe; she had been too afraid and timid to take the first step of reconciliation to message either of them. Previous mistakes flashed through her mind, highlighting the embarrassment of her younger self as her actions were nothing short of a shameful performance. She remembered her infatuation with Jet before she had learned of his true nature, how she had chosen to trust a total stranger to whom she had been attracted over her own brother; she had almost been instrumental in drowning an innocent village.
She recalled the farce of a relationship that she and Aang had shared at the end of the Great War. What had she been thinking, truly? Oh, how foolish she had acted! It did bring her shame, the memory of their so-called relationship because she had been a young and naïve girl, and Aang had been even worse than she had been. Katara should have glimpsed the truth and realized that anything happening between them would only be worse for their future, but it had taken Aang to realize it – and after she had already abandoned him, pretty much. The entire ordeal, including her desertion of both Aang and Zuko, showed a lack of self-awareness that Katara found appalling.
She remembered Hama and how she had trusted that woman, had thought the best of her and compared her to Gran-Gran. Then because of her inability to grasp the manipulation of Hama, she had learned bloodbending and the evil depths of the accursed art. Katara had sworn never to use the art again, but the memory of the man who she had thought was Yon Rha appeared; she had bent his blood relentlessly as vengeance clouded her senses, her judgment. She had tortured that innocent man when he had had nothing to do with her mother's death.
She saw the way how she had treated her father after Ba Sing Se had fallen to Azula and Zuko; she had scorned him with bitter and sharp words. Yet, in spite of the potency of her anger, her father had understood her plight and was willing to give her space. Finally, she saw one of her worst displays of shame: her berating Aang when she had gone with Zuko to find her mother's killer. How selfish she had acted, how utterly shameful! It was egregious and the memories of it pained her.
'I knew you wouldn't understand.' The words haunted her, especially the sight of Aang's horrified and wounded eyes. How could she have uttered such a profane statement? It was a deep shame that ate at her now because she saw with clear eyes, finally! Aang understood better than she ever would, as he had said to her in the Avatar State when they had reunited after years apart.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Zuko saw his younger self, full of naivety and arrogance, seeking Ozai's evil love; he had acted as his father's monstrous agent to please him, desperately striving to earn the approval that he would never receive. He saw how he had treated others, chiefly amongst them his uncle, how he had thought them without worth, that they couldn't possibly compare to himself. How wrong he had been! Zuko had acted the princely title that he had been borne to, but it was at the expense of others.
He remembered his actions beneath Ba Sing Se, how he had sided with Azula behind the underlying promise that Ozai would return his honor to him; he had been instrumental in Ba Sing Se's fall and Aang's almost-death. He had killed any resistance alongside Azula after Katara had escaped and their uncle was captured; he had wanted recognition from his father. After he had received it, he knew instinctively that he didn't want it, but he had instead chosen to remain stubborn; he sent Fulki-Aridam to kill Aang and everyone else.
After the Great War, he saw the numerous concubines who he had bedded; he had never wanted to be as his father, yet he had proved that he was his father's son. Zuko remembered the mistakes at the beginning of his reign, how he had been too lenient with several of his father's old advisors; it was shameful!
XxXxXxXxXxX
Ursa saw her actions as she had killed Azulon; she had always prided herself on her cleverness and wit, but she had failed to see through Ozai's cunning manipulations. She had been played as a fool, like a rookie in the High Class when she was truly anything but. She saw herself flee from the Caldera, abandoning her beloved to children to live with the purloiner of her husband's face; she had failed to see the monster that Ozai had become until it was much too late, changing her entire life.
She saw herself living by herself for a decade; she saw her permit to Azulon's wishes and never seek out her son after news of his ascension to the Dragon's Throne reached her ears. Instead, she had wallowed in misery and self-imposed exile. Ursa saw her actions as a mother flash before her and it was a shame above all shames! She should have done more, but she hadn't; her children were abused by her husband because of it.
She would never forget her part in it all; her shadow of presence was there throughout it all. Ozai had turned his back on their children, made them kill his enemies and innocents, made them nearly kill each other all for a taste of approval that he would never give. Ursa was just as responsible for everything that happened as Ozai was.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Toph saw her childhood, how she was raised: pampered and treated as fragile. She loathed revealing her upbringing to anyone because the shame was too much. She saw her past actions when she was younger, stubborn as the earth that she controlled and selfish beyond any other. She had put the fate of the Four Nations at risk because of her shameful need for control; she had left the Gaang with the slim chance of ever seeing any of them again.
She had always prided herself on being strong and powerful, but that wasn't the truth; it was a lie. She felt ashamed that she had lied to herself for years, telling herself that she was a great person when the opposite was true: she had been selfish and vulnerable. She had never asked someone to write a letter to any of her friends after the Great War when she should have; she had abandoned her greatest friend when he had needed her most.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Azula inhaled deeply after observing them for several minutes. "It is normal to feel ashamed of your past actions; everyone suffers from the past. To continue onward with your journey, you must let the ashamed past die and never look back; it holds no control over you. Vanquish the feelings of shame and tame them instead; they are a hindrance in your life and must be destroyed if you are ever to find true peace for yourselves." Sweat poured down their faces, but slowly, their eyes opened gradually, and she smirked at their exhaustion-carved faces. "It's hard, isn't it?"
"It is most tiring," her mother's words reached her barely. "It's more strenuous than any bending practice."
"It's all mental, spiritual, and emotional." Toph huffed, swiping away several beads of sweat from her forehead. "That shit will be much harder than any physical stuff."
Her brother nodded slowly, leaning back on his hands. "I'd agree. I remember in Ba Sing Se when Uncle Iroh and I were working at the Jasmine Dragon how I was unconscious for several days because of spiritual upheaval."
The female peasant looked concerned. "What do you mean?"
"Indeed," she furrowed her eyebrows. "I don't understand. This was before I learned about your location in the city."
"This was during Appa's disappearance," her brother spaced his words with care; she noticed that Aang had stiffened slightly. "I had learned of where he was being held and descended into Lake Laogai. I hadn't really known what I was going to do. I had contemplated everything that I could do, but I wasn't close to a decision. Thankfully, Uncle Iroh found me and convinced that the best thing to do was to free Appa."
Aang swallowed, "And that's what you did; it's how Appa returned to me."
"Something had been re-aligned because of that decision," her brother continued. "I was exhausted, similar to how I feel currently. I was in and out of consciousness for several days, I think."
Azula nodded her head after processing that information. "You won't have to worry about that because we're done for today."
"Yes. Tomorrow, we will continue," Aang stood to his feet and grabbed her hand, pulling her into the cave. "I'm sure you all are hungry, so come on."
"I don't even care if I sound like Snoozles, but I'm starving!" Toph huffed and stood up while everyone followed them; they all bypassed the Imperial Firebenders and Yu Yan Archers, nodding their heads in greeting.
Suddenly realizing how late it was – it was mid-afternoon, almost dusk – Azula rummaged through Aang's sack and quickly took a bite of one of the Fruit Pies. She dimly noticed that the others had stumbled into the cave, sitting around the campfire next to Sokka, Suki, Mai, and Ty Lee.
"Samir fell asleep," Suki commented quietly and Azula glimpsed her… daughter asleep on Appa's tail. "She wore us out; she's full of energy."
"You know what?" The male peasant leaned forward, "She reminded me of how you were, Aang, after we freed you from the Iceberg."
"Good," Aang said and Azula sat down next to him as he continued. "Samir should be a child as long as she can; these moments are ones that she can never feel again when she's grown."
The male peasant fidgeted, "How was it, then? You guys look drained."
"For me at least, it was a lot harder than I had initially thought," the female peasant huffed from where she sat next to Zuko's sprawled form.
Toph fell to the ground ungracefully, "Sugar Queen, you're speaking for us all."
"It was very exhausting, physically and, more so, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally."
"Indeed," her mother spoke slowly. "It was arduous; thinking it to be easy was a mistake on my part."
"It was… difficult," her brother admitted with his eyes closed and breathing slowly; it was clear that he desired to rest.
"I wish I could tell you it was simple, but that would be far from the truth." Toph sighed, sloppily picking her toes. "Twinkletoes was right: it was one of the hardest things to ever do."
The male peasant snorted in amusement, eyes crinkling. "Boy, I'm glad that I'm not a bender, then," he exaggeratedly pulled his hands down his body. "I'm just perfect the way I am."
"I'm too tired to argue with you about that obvious lie," Toph snarked half-heartedly. "Come back to me when I'm not exhausted. I can do better."
"Mommy?" A small voice interrupted and Azula saw Samir's eyes wearily lock onto her own. "You're done?"
"We're finished," she confirmed, and her… daughter rubbed her eyes and stumbled into Azula's lap. She still felt slightly uncomfortable with people, mainly Aang and Samir, having no reservations to trust her, but her words couldn't easily express how relieved she felt that they did.
"I want to hear a song," she said against her chest, gray eyes beginning to fill with animation. "Can you sing one, mommy?"
Azula frowned as she tried to remember if there had ever been any songs from her childhood that would be suitable for Samir, but none appeared in the recesses of her mind; she could only think of the stories of Koh, the Face Stealer but she didn't want to subject Samir to the legends of one of the most fearsome spirits in existence.
"Hey, that's a good idea," the male peasant grinned before it swiftly faded. "Mom used to sing us songs, but I don't remember them; only the feelings they invoked remain."
The female peasant smiled sadly and Azula was shocked when she felt small sympathy for her. "I don't even remember the feelings; there's nothing."
"I remember a song," her mother suddenly said softly, eyes gazing at Azula and Zuko fondly. "It is very beautiful and riveting; it is about the Fire Nation. I used to sing it to you two a long time ago: the song of Sozin."
Vestiges of her mother's singing words floated in Azula's mind but that was all that she could grasp. "I don't remember that. Did I enjoy it?"
Her mother laughed, "You demanded that I sing it to you and your brother every night."
"Oh, that's right," Zuzu chuckled with his eyes closed. "I had it stuck in my head for years, but I don't remember all of it, it's mostly faded, now."
"Well, sing it, then," the male peasant cried out. "I haven't heard a good, stick-in-your-mind song in forever. Even if it's about Fire Lord Sozin, the evilest bastard ever, I'm in need of a good song."
"If you wouldn't mind, Ursa," the female peasant smiled. "I, too, would like to hear it."
"Very well," she saw her mother breathe deeply and then, to Azula, the world stopped as she remembered through the aid of her mother's melodious and enchanting voice. "Here it goes:
The world was young, the mountains green,
No stain yet on the Sun was seen.
No words were laid on stream or stone
When Sozin woke and walked alone.
He saw the racing rivers run,
And the waves dancing in the sun.
He set his heart on the far shore,
And swore to rule forever more.
The time had come for him to leave.
He soothed his flames with no reprieve.
He named the nameless hills and dells,
And drank from yet untasted wells.
He stopped and looked in water clear,
And saw a crown of flames appear
As gems upon a golden thread
Above the shadows of his head.
His work remained true, his dreams done.
To golden lands, his days begun.
The world was fair, the mountains tall
In better days before the fall
Of Agni's glorious child,
Who forged strength out of the wild
The sun never sought to fade away.
When world was fair in Sozin's day.
A king he was on Dragon's Throne
In many-pillared halls of stone
With golden roof and copper floor,
And arts of fire upon the door.
The light of sun and star and moon
In shining lamps of golden hewn;
Undimmed by cloud or shade of night,
They shone always fair and bright.
His reign was great, and length was long.
Sozin remained steadfast and strong
Then death emerged as dire foe,
Who struck the final, mortal blow.
Grief-filled then were Fire's folk;
Beneath the palace music woke.
The harpers harped, the minstrels sang,
And at the gates, the trumpets rang.
The world is grey, the mountains old,
And Agni's Fire is ashen-cold.
No harp is wrung, no hammer falls,
The darkness dwells in Sozin's halls.
The shadow lies upon his tomb
Foretold when bore through mother's womb.
There lies his crown in lava deep,
'Till Sozin wakes again from sleep."
As the last note reverberated through the cave, Azula stared at everyone else as they stared at her mother: they were all in awe and Aang looked much more affected than the others; tears spilled down his cheeks and he looked overwhelmed by his emotions.
Samir pulled on his arm in concern. "What's wrong, daddy?"
"I'm just sad, Samir," he wiped away his tears and his voice sounded raspy. "The song hit me really hard; Roku's emotions became my own."
"Who's Roku, daddy?"
"Roku was the Avatar before me; he is my predecessor. Don't worry, I'm okay." Azula watched as peace slowly settled over his features, intense relief shining in his gray eyes; she realized that she wouldn't understand the significance of what he was experiencing. "Somehow, I feel much better."
"I like that song, grandma." Samir chirped after making sure that Aang was, indeed, all right. "It rhymed!"
Azula's lips twitched at her mother's widening eyes. "I'm a grandmother now, aren't I?"
"That was a beautiful song, Ursa," the female peasant said softly. "It's even more powerful now that we know how Sozin was manipulated by Agni and Dark; he was as much a victim as anyone."
"It resonates with me a lot more," her brother admitted, looking thoughtful. "It tells the story of Sozin through the eyes of a dutiful and grieving Child of Fire after his death; he was deeply beloved."
"I remember you singing it in the Royal Gardens, Lady Ursa, when we were children." Ty Lee sniffed, "It's far more meaningful now when listening to it as an adult."
Toph swallowed and she stopped picking her toes. "It was a nice song, Ursa. I can see how Sparky got it stuck in his head."
Azula's mother smiled gracefully. "Thank you, everyone, but I cannot take credit for the song. After Sozin's death in 70 AG, the entire Fire Nation was in a state of mourning for a long time – many years, I believe. Nobody knows who created the song, but everyone knows that it was sung one day in the streets of the Caldera and it then spread as fire itself; it reached Azulon's ears and he soon ordered the song to be printed and copied for all to have access to it. He himself told me about it; he said that in spite of his tumultuous relationship with his father, he had adored Sozin most greatly."
Zuko's sudden laugh startled Azula and she glanced at him, glimpsing his amused and saddened features. "The curse of the Fire Royal Bloodline: sons forever chasing their father's unattainable love."
"Don't leave out daughters, Zuzu," she pointed out. "I chased Ozai's love as much as you did."
"I hate to admit it, Ursa," the male peasant sighed. "That was one of the greatest songs I've ever heard, but that doesn't mean that I like it."
"It was most moving," Mai said quietly, staring into the flames.
"To reiterate what everyone has said thus far," Suki finally spoke. "That was an incredible, worthy to be heard many times; it was better than any of the ones that the Earth Kingdom have dedicated to various figures. Chin the Conqueror's are quite poor in their rhyming."
"Do you know any more, grandma?" Samir hurdled out of Azula's arms towards her mother. "I want to hear another one!"
Her mother hummed, "I wrote a song once, but it is very sad; it's sadder than Sozin's, in my opinion."
"If it's as beautiful as the last one, I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say share it with us." The female peasant encouraged. "I would love to hear it."
"You must know that I wrote this song after my exile; it was in remembrance of my father-in-law, Agni's chosen Fire Lord, one of the greatest men who I've ever known, Azulon."
Azula raised a brow in curiosity. "I would like to hear it, then, mother," she couldn't help but wonder what her mother had written in honor of the man who she had murdered.
The campfire shuddered and sparks crackled as her mother inhaled slowly. "Listen close:
In perpetual sleep, he will rest
With a Fire jewel upon his breast,
Which forever shall emit its light
To banish the gloom of darkened night.
A lie condemned his body interred;
His demise a stenchful woe incurred.
The killer cursed to be without gaze,
Deprived of sight for the rest of days.
How shall I remember my slain friend
Who cherished me 'till the very end?
A father, warrior, merciful King?
A worthy son of mighty Sozin!"
Silence ensued.
Aang pulled Azula closer and she nestled her head into his bare chest. Samir recognized the somber mood and rested her body against Aang's legs. The male peasant glanced at his wife, eyes glinting in the dim light of the cave. Zuko and the female peasant were huddled together, yet there was a distance between them.
Azula wet her lips, "I think that grandfather would have printed that song for everyone to hear, too, mother."
Her mother wiped a tear out of her eye and smiled sadly. "I'd like to think that, as well, Azula."
"He never blamed you for what happened," her brother said softly, staring at their mother. "You know that."
"Indeed, but while he didn't blame me, I blamed myself," her mother stood to her fight. "If you will all excuse me, I am weary and am in need of replenishing rest. Goodnight, everyone. I will converse in more detail tomorrow."
XxXxXxXxXxX
The agony was intense and overwhelming; any other, lesser man would choose to succumb to the weakness of passing out into the realm of darkness, but he was above them all! The pain was good; it meant that he was alive and not dead as the Avatar had wanted him. Gathering all of his mental strength and fortitude, Ozai compacted the pain that afflicted him into his decapitated arm that lay beside him; he visualized the pain leaving his body in a noxious cloud of sizzling energy and stretch into the arm until it no longer inflicted him as severely.
He couldn't believe how close to death that he had been, how close he still was because of rampant infection. The Avatar, the boy who had vanquished him at the height of his supremacy during Sozin's Comet had stolen the very air from his lungs; he had been deprived of life's most fundamental survival tool. Ozai had seen the look of veritable hatred in those terrifying, glowing, ancient white orbs of power.
The peaceful boy-monk had now evolved into a man who killed.
In many ways, Ozai actually respected that change even though his loathing for the Avatar burned brighter with each passing moment as agony kept trying to distract him. The boy had matured into a man; he was no longer the naïve child who had desperately implored him to stop what he had been doing during Sozin's Comet. Now, the Avatar was a man who knew what had to be done and wasn't afraid to do it; it was a change worthy of a King, of a god.
Ozai knew that, under no circumstances, could he face the Avatar again until he acquired and mastered the remaining elements; he also needed to permanently bond with Vaatu. Twice now, he had battled the Avatar and narrowly escaped from death; he wouldn't push the winds of fate again. To do so otherwise, would be to court death itself and he was no fool, unlike his idiot brother and children. The Avatar wanted him dead and powerful allies were siding against him; he faced insurmountable odds. The Fire Sages and Dai Li had been killed, so he had to find replacements for his army and power base, those who already had great power but desired more while he healed from his injuries.
He had to avoid a confrontation at all costs until he was ready; he could not let his emotions cloud his judgment. Staring down at his abandoned arm, Ozai realized that he would need to play the long game once again, but it didn't matter; he had ascended to the glory of the Fire Lord – as was his birthright! – because he was patient. Now, he would call upon that same patience to battle against the stakes that were grander than ever before. He would succeed and soon, he would become a god and rule the world as the Phoenix King as Vaatu's vessel, controlling all of the elements.
Problems still hindered him, though: the Avatar wanted his head and so did Zuko, the traitor! He was grievously injured, needed more allies, and most pressing, still needed to locate the other two Elemental Spirits.
If there was one good thing to come out of his attack on the Avatar and subsequent maiming, it was that his fucking whore of a daughter was dead – she was a traitor just as her pathetic brother! It was incredible; the Avatar had seduced, fundamentally corrupted his daughter and because Azula was so wretchedly weak, she had succumbed and become the Avatar's personal whore!
Ozai admired the Avatar's brutality; he continuously bedded the daughter of his greatest enemy. It was something that he himself would do and the thought spurred him on. His bloodline must be eradicated for all whom he had sired were failures; he already slew one, so all that remained of Ozai's personal failure was Zuko. He would need to start over and beget mighty sons and beautiful daughters who would be strong, unlike the legitimate children he had already sired! When Ursa inevitably returned to her rightful place by his side, their union will conceive powerful heirs who will continue his line and legacy for centuries.
"Thanks to the information from our spy that infiltrated their ranks, the Avatar will not be focused on searching for our whereabouts for, at least, a while." Vaatu murmured across from him, purple and black wisps of energy wafting off his corporeal form. "You will have the time that you need to rest, to heal. I am aware of a way to mend your copious amount of injuries, particularly re-attaching your arm to its rightful place, but it will be beyond painful; death would be a gift in comparison."
"Do it!" Ozai snarled out, the pain beginning to return; the fingers on his one remaining hand clenched tightly as fire bloomed around his closed fist. "I can handle pain, Vaatu!"
"This will be like nothing that you have ever experienced in life; it will test you." Vaatu floated closer, his words foreboding. "Pain will consume you and only your strength of willpower will prevent you from succumbing to death's embrace."
"Just do it!" The one-armed man screamed and he immediately regretted it as he coughed strenuously; he couldn't breathe!
He felt several arms – women, based on the grips and slender limbs – wrap around him and push him down on the bed. "Careful! You must relax, Piandao!" A stern, feminine voice said from above him and he barely understood. "You are lucky to be alive; the Avatar forcibly stole the air from your very lungs. Much damage was inflicted, and your lungs and body need precious time to heal."
Ozai gasped for breath and his eyes locked to stare at Vaatu. "Do…" he coughed, "what you- " he coughed again, "you must to… to heal me," he wheezed out and shut his eyes, following the instructions.
The Avatar will suffer!
XxXxXxXxXxX
It was sundown and a blanket was gradually being lowered over the territory's daylight chaos - the screeching Agni, death to the Fire Spirit! Hours of peace would soon ascend without that wretched Spirit! The night will finally come once again! Figures were muted with the shadows and the day was ending with nods and brief smiles of silent understanding. The night was coming - Agni was weakened! It was proclaimed by a blinding orange light piercing an immense, jaded shade of murky clouds.
Soon, darkness would spread across the sky, and peace would be felt by all - Agni and the Avatar would be gone!
Rumbles echoed through the territory and various solemn figures stood, watching the man walk past them silently, seeming to glide across the ground as a specter of strength. He was a holy man; his shrouded body was covered in a myriad of beautiful shades of green. His face was hidden, for it was a crime punishable by death for anyone except those specifically chosen to glimpse his features; the various gusts of wind aided the prohibition of those who sought the sight of his features. The green cloth fluttered across the man's skin, hiding his entire body; this was not just any ordinary Sage. Anybody who gazed upon him instantly knew that he was above them – he was the holy man who had secured their positions as vandals.
He was the Sage of Vandals, a man permeated with incredible wisdom; he could perceive things that nobody else could hope to because of the mighty and noble blood in his veins. He was above them all for he was a holy man, taught the ancient ways of his lineage back to the Conqueror.
The green-robed Sage of Vandals passed through the crowd of figures slowly; he seemed to observe their kneeling forms. They all showed him honor and respect as they should; everyone should!
XxXxXxXxXxX
The holy man progressed onward, and he entered an establishment, dimly noticing that all who resided had frozen, eyes alight with awe; it was not often that the Sage of Vandals visited.
"Perhaps I could be of assistance, Holy Sage." A stocky, earthbending-man walked forward, distress clearly visible on his features. "What can I do for you?"
The Sage of Vandals titled his head to the side and spoke in a strange language, the language that only he and his lineage knew: the language of the Conqueror. The foreign-sounding words fell off his tongue smoothly and the stocky man's eyes widened upon hearing it and even though he couldn't understand it, a large smile graced his features, dismay vanishing upon realization.
"Sage of Vandals! Of course, of course! Come! I will lead you to it." The Sage followed the man and felt jubilation. Finally, vengeance would be inflicted at last upon the damned Avatar! His noble inheritance would soon be realized, and he could continue his sire's vision of a unified Earth Kingdom. The stocky man suddenly stopped and bowed to him. "Here you are, Holy Sage," the man revered with awe. "Anytime you need assistance, you can always call upon me."
He turned to look at the man fully and his eyes pierced through the shades of green covering his face; the man paled and immediately left, apologies tumbling from his lips.
With a wave of his hand, a tunnel revealed itself in the wall; metal stared back at him. The Sage placed his palm on the metal and squeezed; his fingers dug into the material, creating small furrows. He then pushed through and ripped the metal away; he descended down the intricate stairwell and closed his eyes in anticipation.
He entered the main cavern and narrowed his eyes when nobody was to be seen.
"Halt!" A man then appeared with a shout after several moments and pulled out a spear, pointing it at him threateningly. "Who dares to enter the Conqueror's sacred sanctum?"
"I do," he murmured and stood to his feet; he pulled off his cloak, finally revealing his face. Dark green eyes stared back at the man; jagged and gruesome scars crossed over his cheekbones and through his permanently disfigured nose. Black hair with streaks of gray tumbled down the sides of his marred face and previously, before it had been stolen from him by that insane, bumbling fool of King, he had been considered handsome.
The man gasped and fell to his knees, eyes wide with terror. "My liege, forgive me!"
The Sage lunged forward and with a sickening crunch, drove the side of his palm into the man's neck, crushing the larynx. Dispassionate eyes watched as the man's eyes clouded over, death claiming his soul. He then stomped his foot and a mighty rumble erupted through the cavern; multiple men and women rushed out to meet him but upon the sight of his face, they all froze in realization.
In one synchronized movement, everyone groveled before him.
"Many rumors have arisen since my disappearance," the Sage said, dark eyes scanning those kneeled before him. "I have heard them all, how some of you undermined my authority; some sought to liberate themselves and challenge my right to rule us, but fear not, my fellow Children of Chin, for I have returned." He stepped closer and stood before his cousin, "I learned and mastered much in my journey; metalbending is under my domain, now. I have been away for years, but you had no right, no excuse to do what you did."
His cousin glared up at him. "What else was I supposed to do? You were nowhere!"
The Sage growled gutturally and focused; the ground beneath his cousin cracked and rumbled. "What you failed to follow will be repaid, now, with the melting of your flesh," he clenched his fist above the ground; he focused, and lava began to spurt through the cracks. The heat washed over him and slowly, the atmosphere clouded with warmth, buzzing against his senses. The lava surged upward and before anyone could react, his cousin screamed in agony but then fell silent as the lava consumed him, melting his flesh, killing him. "You were always a disgrace to the Conqueror, unworthy to carry his blood." The Sage faced the rest of the kneeling group, who weren't perturbed by actions – nor did they look scared. "I am benevolent, so my forgiveness expands to you all. I have finally returned after my years away and it is to bring great news. Finally, we will be able to slay the Avatar, and then after that, we will destroy the Fire Spirit, Agni and his children!"
Shocked silence echoed through the cavern until a woman spoke, her head still bowed. "My liege, the Avatar is powerful, so how is it that we can finally destroy him? We've tried for centuries now by manipulating events and invoking countless strategies, but every time, it has ended in the death of our kin and ancestors. It is said that the Avatar is the Spirit of the World incarnate."
The Sage stepped towards her and lifted her chin with her fingers, bringing his other hand to gently brush her cheek with the back of his fingers. "My dear sister, you speak the truth: we could never hope to defeat the Avatar. Yet, during my travels, after I mastered metalbending, I became acquainted with someone who could, who will defeat the Avatar."
"Congratulations on your mastery of a thought-to-be-impossible art."
"The girl boasted of it and I secured more power for myself through alcohol."
"You are as cunning as you are powerful, Sage of Vandals, but who could stand against the Avatar?" His sister dared ask, "Who possesses such might?"
The Sage smiled darkly, "The mighty spirit, Vaatu and his vessel, Piandao have begun a crusade against the Avatar and we will join them; we will, at last, have our taste of vengeance as the blood of our sworn enemy quenches our thirst. Our esteemed sire, Chin the Conqueror – who that bitch whore unjustly murdered, destroying our sire's glorious vision – will be avenged after many centuries of failure. The Avatar will die with our help and it will happen soon. The Fire Nation, too, will fall and Agni will be slain. Death to Fire! Death to the Avatar!"
Everyone roared with him and chants of death spread through the cavern, bringing peace to all. For several moments, the Sage of Vandals observed quietly; across his face, a small smile split his rotten features, contorting his face into something vicious.
His sister shuffled closer to him sultrily; her face became level with his crotch. "Hail to our great leader, Chin V, son of Chin IV, son of Chin III, the heir apparent to our sire, the mighty Chin the Conqueror!"
Chin V raised his arms above his head as his name was chanted with utter reverence; revenge would be theirs for the Children of Chin will have their vengeance with him at the forefront of the siege against the damned Avatar!
XxXxXxXxXxX
The sun shimmered off the lake, casting a radiant glow upon Aang's face and he felt his anger at Agni diminish just slightly; the spirit shone with beautiful light. He was alone currently while Azula guided Zuko, Toph, Katara, and Ursa with mastering their chakras; she was a good teacher and he felt proud of her for her remarkable patience and understanding concerning them. Samir was playing with Mai and Ty Lee while Sokka and Suki relaxed after their shift by swimming in the lake, where both Appa and Momo resided, floating in the clear liquid. The Imperial Firebenders and Yu Yan Archers remained in their vigilant positions watching for threats.
He had elected his abandonment this time, for something had been pulsing in his body since he had awoken that morning; it was something spiritual that hummed throughout his entire body, through his very spirit, something that was waiting for him to answer the call.
Aang, at first, had felt hesitant to answer the call, though, to enter the Spirit World at such a delicate time. After much consideration, he had realized that there wouldn't be a better opportunity for him to slip away into the Immortal Realm. Then he had remembered Koh's reminder; he had unknowingly ignored the Face Stealer's summons for years, unintentionally slighting him, but Aang was fortunate not to have Koh attack his loved ones. The Face Stealer had shown mercy, but whoever was calling him now might not feel as generous.
He had shared his plans with Azula earlier, to journey into the Spirit World whilst she guided the others in mastering their chakras, and while she was clearly surprised, she had digested the news with remarkable ease; she had merely asked him how long his departure would last. Unfortunately, Aang hadn't been able to give a definite time because he didn't know who the spirit was and what the aforementioned spirit wanted. She had accepted his answer easily and Aang had been so thankful that Azula was who she was; anyone else wouldn't have been so calm and understanding about it.
Coming to his decision, Aang stepped back into the cave and fell into the Lotus Position; he closed his eyes and inhaled slowly and deeply, focusing on the humming in his body. Subtly, leisurely, it grew stronger until it resembled a roaring wave, echoing through the core of his spirit; it was powerful and Aang couldn't fathom who beyond himself, Koh, and Vaatu possessed such might. He would know if it were the other two, so who was it?
He felt the Mortal Realm fade away and when he opened his eyes, he felt despair sweep through him as he observed the Spirit World.
Charred soil crunched beneath his feet and the air was poisonous, burning his skin and eyes while scorching his lungs with every breath; he used his airbending to keep that from happening. Aang looked upward; the sky was morose with darkness and the trees around him were withered. Streams of bones lined across the ground, highlighted gruesomely by the rivers of lava that flowed through the blackened and barren landscape.
Aang felt sorrow by how far the Spirit World had sunken because of his distraction; he closed his eyes and focused his power on the surroundings. Slowly, he felt his airbending cease to be needed as the poisonous air faded away to become clean, and when he opened his eyes, the Spirit World was healed and beautiful once more with Vaatu's aura no longer inflicting it. Bright green grass sprouted from the once broken and dead soil while the sky was cast in a brilliant shade of blue.
He knew where he was at and the beacon called him; he flew towards it, traversing through the plains of the Spirit World. Gradually, the beacon grew in its intensity and when he arrived, it was potent against his sense, screaming in his mind as an alarm. It took time to adjust but once he did, he inherently recognized the domain that he had entered even though that he had never been there before.
The area was familiar to him and he felt Wan begin to stir at the bottomless depths of his soul when he glimpsed the two swirling, blinding balls of primordial energy hovering over the ground leagues apart from one another. Aang focused his gaze on the enormous, mystical tree that laid between the giant orbs; the beacon shrieked even louder, and he flew towards the tree. Immediately, the beacon simmered down into a humming that slowly faded when he arrived at the base of the tree.
Images assaulted his mind, memories of lifetimes past when Wan became the first Avatar when he defeated Vaatu, that reminded him of what this place was, what this tree was.
It was the Tree of Time; its roots fastened the Spirit and Mortal Realms together, and it was Vaatu's prison for many millennia before he escaped with Agni's help.
The Tree of Time glowed with radiant light and feeling drawn to the glow, Aang floated inside the large opening and was bombarded as memories of his life floated before him in every direction, layered on top of each other, showcasing events that he had even forgotten.
"Avatar Aang," an ancient voice whispered around him and he stiffened, finally understanding: the Tree of Time was what had drawn him and now, the Tree itself was somehow speaking to him. "Thank you for answering my summons; it was most important that you did."
Aang slowly lowered himself until he sat within the Tree's core. "Why did you need to speak with me, Tree of Time?"
"To show and inform you of things that you still do not know, to help you fully heal from your past."
"What are you talking about?"
"What do you know about my origins, Avatar Aang, of the true origins of both Raava and Vaatu? Speak freely."
Frowning because he didn't see how the origins mattered, Aang responded. "I know that Raava and Vaatu bent your roots and fastened them to the Material World as they shaped its formation. I know that they created the Elemental Spirits and the Lion Turtles; their union bore Koh, the Face Stealer, who is a neutral entity because of his parentage. I know that I am Raava's vessel and that Vaatu was imprisoned within your trunk for eons."
"Indeed, you have learned much from your past lives and the Face Stealer, yet you are also still ignorant of the first truth just like everyone because that truth has long been forgotten, even by those as old as the Face Stealer."
"What are you saying?"
"I am as ancient and powerful as Raava and Vaatu, the first spirit to come into being. Existence is measured in age; time begins at birth, at creation, but it is inevitable that time for any mortal or immortal entity will come to an end, except of course, for time itself – me. That is what I am, time itself; I will outlast all. Upon the first stroke in the vastness of the Void of Eternity, I came to be. Emptiness was infinite and I desired companions. I separated the cosmic energies of Light and Darkness and compressed them into Raava and Vaatu, creating their corporeal forms. In essence, for your understanding, I am their parent, and I shaped my energy into this form, this tree. I then created the Spirit World for my children, but they wanted more; they wanted to create their own world. I shut them out of the Immortal Realm into the Void of Eternity, where they had a much better chance of survival if they fastened themselves together, lest they potentially be destroyed; they then began their formation of the Material World and bound it to my roots, connecting both Realms forever. They created the Elemental Spirits and specifically shaped the Ocean and Moon Spirits after themselves; two spirits who are connected and rely on the other to survive."
Aang braced his hands into the bark beneath him, trying to keep himself from staggering at the sheer knowledge and information, the stunning revelations. He closed his gray eyes and processed it as best as he could, trying to remain calm. "Copious amounts of knowledge and information… have been lost to history," he whispered. "No matter what I do, more information is added; it convolutes everything. I feel that I am trying to solve an unsolvable puzzle with only half of the pieces necessary!"
"In time, everything will make sense."
"But I don't have eternal time as you do!"
"I am Time, Avatar Aang. I know all and see all; I know the past, present, and future."
"Do we win?" Aang demanded desperately, "Do I defeat Vaatu, then?"
"Balance will be restored, as was my intention."
He paused, "What do you mean by your 'intention,' Tree of Time?"
"It was I who lured Agni to Vaatu; he escaped only because I allowed it to be."
"What?" Aang's eyes widened and he jumped to his feet. "Why would you do that? Do you know what you've done?"
"I know exactly what I've done, Avatar Aang."
"Don't you see what you've done, then? You wreaked evil through both of the Realms! Countless lives were snuffed out because of Vaatu and his machinations, because you permitted his escape!"
"The mortals lived in an imperfect world, but now in death, they no longer do; most are in the serene parts of the Gardens of the Dead, a place I specifically designed as the mortals' afterlife."
Aang shook his head, "You didn't give them that choice! They should have been able to decide for themselves what they wanted. Instead, they were butchered because of Vaatu's vile schemes."
"Perhaps, Avatar Aang," for the first time, Aang felt something that resembled emotion from the Tree of Time: sorrow. "As I said previously, I know all and see all. It was inevitable, and most importantly, it had to be done."
"Why, then?" He ran his hand through his hair in aggravation. "Why would you be willing to sanction Vaatu's liberation?"
"For true balance to be restored, as it must, both Realms need Light and Darkness; one cannot exist without the other. Since Avatar's Wan imprisonment of Vaatu, only Light has truly thrived until the Great War; there was never the level of Darkness that was needed. The balance of existence has been greatly affected by Vaatu's absence; it had to be rectified, so I acted, Avatar Aang."
"But why would you choose to release Darkness and Chaos himself?" Aang cried out desperately, still unable to fathom the reasoning of the Tree of Time. "There must have been another way! Why didn't you do something else? Anything else?"
"There were no other options- "
"I don't believe that! It's wrong, it has to be! You just didn't think hard enough! Instead, you allowed Vaatu to manipulate the Realms and the heart of Sozin; the Air Nomad Genocide happened because of you!" Aang felt the familiar rage dwelling inside him surface; it was vicious and overwhelming. "My people were slaughtered because of your choice! Damn you, Tree of Time, there was another way!"
"I understand your anger, Avatar Aang, but it needed to be done; the only way for your people to become better than they were was to restart their growth through you and your future begotten progeny."
Aang took a step back, "What? What do you mean better? Are you saying that you wanted the Air Nomads… killed?"
"The entire Great War was permitted to exist because of the Avatars' failings."
"Yes, Roku failed badly in his- "
"While that is true, that is not what I mean, Avatar Aang."
"What do you mean, then?"
"During the reign of Avatars after Kirku, because of his failure, bending itself and the Avatar's power had become weaker as mortals abandoned and forgot the true nature of bending. The pieces to the majestic puzzle of the bending arts had disappeared because of Kirku's negligence, and no one ever sought to find them after his demise. Because of this, the Avatars since have been greatly weakened in strength; they were spiritually incompetent and misguided. Tragedy, while horrid, is a great building block. The only option was to allow the Air Nomads' Genocide. Since Yangchen's time, they had declined in their spirituality to the point where none of them could reach the Spirit World; they grew stagnant, absconding from the truth and change, unlike the other nations. Their isolation was their greatest weakness."
He swallowed and while he began to see, he didn't want to accept it. "Wait, no, that's wrong. I had thought that only the Water Tribes had lost their way."
"No, Avatar Aang. All of the Four Nations had lost their way, and while the Air Nomads were the last to fall, they fell the fastest and hardest; they became the worst out of them all. As a whole, they grew arrogant in their isolation; they immured their own beliefs and culture. Quickly, once their fall had begun, the Air Nomads commissioned rules that hindered the forms of what could and could not be mastered, taught, or even learned. They decreed that the art of soundbending was too violent and excommunicated any Air Nomad who was caught using it."
"What?" Aang cried out, "That's… no one was excommunicated from the Air Temples!"
"Because no one dared use soundbending once it was decreed it was a crime; they neglected the truth of the Air Nomads. And you know of true flight, Avatar Aang. After Kirku's death, the Air Nomads refused to edify the ability, fabricating legends about it; in their eyes, it was undeserving of contemplation. Laghima was the only one able to master it for thousands of years but then Zaheer did in the time of Avatar Keska; he achieved weightlessness and became mad. Your people remember Zaheer's actions towards the Northern Water Tribe that brought Avatar Keska's wrath, who then ordained that no Airbender should ever master or learn such an art again. It has been forbidden since."
Aang blinked at the sudden information; everything was now clearer. "Okay, maybe my people and Keska made mistakes, Tree of Time, but so did all of the other nations! Why didn't you allow Sozin to wipe them out?"
"Because you were reborn into the Air Nomads, Avatar Aang. Fire Lord Sozin wanted the Avatar slew and the only way to do that was by destroying the fallen Air Nomads. I knew it to be true, so I lured the Fire Spirit to my tree, where Vaatu inveigled him with smooth and promising words. All of that was the catalyst for my granting of the Great War, and eventually, after the Great War, I allowed Vaatu to break free once he regained enough strength to corrupt existence so that both Realms, Mortal and Spiritual, can be saved."
"No," he denied vehemently, clenching his fists tightly. "It was wrong, and you know it! Balance does need to be restored, but my people's genocide didn't need to happen; you shouldn't have released Vaatu. The world would have changed!"
"I can show you the truth, Avatar Aang."
He swallowed, "What are you talking about, Tree of Time?"
"Meditate within my core and see the many truths that I speak of for yourself, Avatar Aang. Do you want to know the truth? I know all and see all; nothing escapes my notice. Lies have plagued the humans for too long; the Great War made sure that wouldn't happen again for a long time."
"And you think that if I see this truth, that I will agree with everything that you did."
"No, I think that you will fully accept it; you will fully heal from your haunted past. Mastering chakras isn't going to fully help you do that."
"What are you going to do? How will I see and know the truth, then?"
"I will transport you to the past, to the day when you vanished from the Southern Air Temple."
The ancient words floated in the air in the trunk and Aang staggered behind their weight; he braced himself against the bark. Was it possible? If he went back to that day, could he save his people? Could he… stop the Great War before it ever began? He could save Gyatso, save the Air Nomads, his people, and save all of the Four Nations from the strife and horror begotten by Sozin and Vaatu; he could save his younger self, save himself from a century of sleep! The possibilities were endless and feeling overwhelmed, Aang bowed his head and controlled his breathing.
"Are you… deceiving me?" He whispered, afraid that it was all a lie. "Can I… really go back?"
"Yes, Avatar Aang. My promise is true; you will be sent to the past."
"Then… I can… save them."
"Indeed, and I know of everything that you're thinking. By sending you to the past, I am allowing you a precious gift: to choose. Will you abide by the history that I permitted to occur, the one that has already happened, or will you change that history and give birth to a new one, one that will inevitably foster the Realms to collapse into nothingness? I am giving you the greatest power in creation, the ability to change something that I have decreed. What you choose to do is your decision, Avatar Aang. I will not interfere with your journey or choices."
Aang felt dizzy as the words swept through him; he could change everything, make it better! "You're… willing to do this? I can save my people, now, and prevent everything from happening."
"Yes."
A thought suddenly occurred to him. "You already know what I'm going to do, don't you? You said that you know all and see all; the past, present, and future are all known to you."
"Yes, I do know everything that will happen. It is your choices, Avatar Aang, that will define what will happen, not me. Do you accept my bargain?"
The emotions raged through him, "I accept, Tree of Time. Do it!"
"Keep your mind open, Avatar Aang, to what you will experience, what you observe; things are not as you had once thought. You are still blinded by a child's thoughts and experiences," the Tree's ancient voice whispered and before Aang could respond, he felt cosmic energy swarm around him; his body was captured, and a rush of mighty power – one beyond the Avatar State's – then washed over him.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Night had descended and Azula felt tense; it was an unfamiliar, yet familiar feeling. She had become so accustomed to Aang's presence that without him, she was left unsettled and disconcerted. The feelings were augmented because of whom she was surrounded; the cooked meal sat over the campfire and the awkward emotions were tangible in the air because without Aang, nobody understood the new dynamic and knew what to do or how to act.
If she were honest, Azula knew that she could easily be attacked; the peasants loathed her with a ferocity that her younger self would have been amused by, but now, all she felt was a deep annoyance. She knew that the only reason why she had yet to be attacked was that of Aang; his mere presence had deterred anyone but Aang was currently in the Spirit World. It was the perfect opportunity for the peasants to strike, regardless if her brother and mother and… daughter were with her. At least, in Azula's estimation, Toph wouldn't try to kill her; through their shared experiences with Kuei's slaughter, mastering chakras, and residing at the Eastern Air Temple, she knew that the Earthbender's hatred of her had lessened significantly, if not completely disappeared.
Azula sat by her brother with Samir sitting between her legs; her mother sat by Zuko and chatted with the female peasant, and while Toph did sit near her on her other side, there was still distance. Mai, Ty Lee, the peasants, and Suki sat across the fire from her; all didn't look at her. While her younger self would have delighted and relished in it, Azula found that now that she was older, she didn't enjoy it. She didn't want to be the monster who Ozai had molded her into any longer; she wanted to start anew, but her past sins would forever taint her legacy in her attackers' eyes.
"All right, I've had enough. I can't wait any longer," the male peasant declared. "When will Aang be back? It's been hours, now, half of an entire day!"
"Time is different in the Spirit World," Samir recited against Azula's chest. "That's what daddy says."
"Well said," she smirked down at her… daughter and she was relieved when Samir beamed back up at her.
"It's strange not seeing his body here," the female peasant said quietly, eyes staring at Appa. "He can teleport there, now; it seems unthinkable."
"He is the Avatar, you know?" Ty Lee dared to speak, "We were always taught in the Fire Nation that the Avatar was ancient and powerful; he was above even the Dragons."
"That doesn't say much since Sozin slaughtered off the Dragons," her brother said bitterly. "The other nations said that the Dragons were monsters, but the true monster was Sozin- "
"Because of Dark's turning of his heart through Agni," her mother pointed out and placed a gentle hand on Zuko's shoulder. "While we will never know what could have been without Dark's actions, I'd like to think that Sozin wouldn't have butchered the Dragons down so drastically; maybe just thinning them slightly."
"Wait, something's been bugging me," Toph interrupted by flicking a crumb out of her toes. "Since Twinkletoes can… teleport, does that mean that he can teleport to anywhere in the Four Nations?"
"That would be pretty fuc- pretty awesome," the male peasant hastily corrected. "I don't know if he can."
All eyes, including those of the peasants' and Suki's, slowly looked at Azula, question clear in their gaze.
Sighing, she quickly ruminated through everything that Pathik had said about mastering chakras. "Pathik never mentioned something like that, so I doubt it, but honestly, I do not know."
"Honesty?" Zuko's lips twitched upward, "From you? You're a stranger to me." He seemed very amused and Azula frowned in annoyance; she whispered into Samir's hair and looked back at her brother, whose smile faded. Before he could speak, a pebble suddenly smacked her brother in the face, causing an abrupt laugh to escape her lips. Zuko glared at Toph, "What was that for? I thought that out of all people, you would have laughed at that."
"First of all," Toph pointed at her brother. "That was a lame joke and lastly, that wasn't me. It was your niece!"
Azula looked down at Samir still sitting innocently in her lap, smirking proudly when she saw the small pebbled being rolled between her small, twisting hands.
"It was her," her mother said with a smothered laugh. "I saw her; it was good accuracy."
"Must be the airbending," the male peasant offered, but a wide grin was on his face. "I'm liking you, kid, more and more; that was good."
"Thank you," her… daughter replied shyly, curling back into Azula's bosom.
Zuko leaned forward, "Samir, why did you throw that at me? Did I upset you?"
Samir blinked innocently, "Mommy said that you wouldn't mind, Uncle Zuzu."
Toph and Ty Lee both burst into laughter at the same time and then the male peasant followed; then her mother and finally, Zuko crossed his arms in amusement and mock grumbled. Azula even saw the female peasant and Mai's lips both twitch upward, and her own laughter joined the chorus, especially when she remembered that exact same expression crossing her brother's face the first time when she had called him 'Zuzu.'
The laughter slowly faded, and a tense silence once again befell the group; more moments passed before, suddenly, the male peasant looked at her, holding her gaze and Azula felt curious by the look in his eyes.
"Out of all of us, save for perhaps Appa and Momo, you seem to know… you know Aang the best." The words were clearly hard for him to say but the slouched, defeated posture was vivid. "He… you know, he um… cares about you; he even adores you, as Toph had said."
"What are you trying to say?" Azula raised an eyebrow, aware of everyone's eyes staring at the both of them, wondering what would happen. "Indulge in your bluntness; it will make it easier."
The male peasant looked down and inhaled deeply. "Why is Aang… he's different; he's… cold, now."
"He is cold towards you and your sister," she corrected. "But he is a man, now, the Avatar above any of us. Why would he act the same as he did all of those years ago during the Great War? It was eight years ago; he has changed much from then."
"I know," the male peasant rubbed his face. "I know that, but the changes that I was always expecting – besides physically, of course, and man, he's grown taller and bigger than I had ever thought – aren't what I assumed that they would be."
"Then that's your fault; you shouldn't assume things that you have no control over."
"Okay, but emotionally, he's…"
"Cold?" She guessed and felt triumph spread through her when the male peasant nodded slowly. "Aang is angry with you, furious actually."
"Well, what did I do to make him so mad at me? Why's he angry?"
"It's what we did, Sokka," the female peasant whispered and Azula stared at her curiously. "You and I both committed a terrible mistake- "
"And me, too," Toph added softly, toes curling into the ground. "We all fucked up."
"What did we do, then?" The male peasant demanded, "Why is Aang so angry with us?"
Azula failed not to roll her eyes; the male peasant was incredibly dense. "After the Great War, what did you do?"
"We went home, of course."
"And what about Aang?"
"He stayed with Zuko for a year or more and then he had Avatar stuff to do."
The female peasant shook her head. "Yes, but why didn't we do something to help? We were his new family, remember? We promised to be there for and with him, but… we weren't; we just went back home. He went back to the Southern Air Temple by himself and lived there without human contact; he confessed it to me in a bitter fury."
The male peasant blinked and Azula watched the change shift in his features. "That's not…" he looked around and desperately observed. "We did do that, didn't we? That's why he's angry? He thinks that we abandoned him?"
"You did abandon him," she stated bluntly, unwilling to allow them any reprieve from their actions. "He was hurt but slowly, the hurt morphed into fury. In my opinion, it's a miracle that he hasn't killed either of you."
"It's because Aang isn't you, Azula," her brother stared at her pointedly and understandably. "You and I… we're different; we're more lethal and vicious. Before my fury settled, I fantasized about killing them; my anger was so strong because I was hurt."
The words were directed at the peasants and Azula saw the female wince but not look surprised. The male, on the other hand, stared at Zuko with wide eyes. "Fuck, we… we did that to you, too, didn't we?"
"Language, Master Sokka," her mother said sharply. "There is a child present."
Zuko stared at the male peasant evenly. "You did. I was angry for a long time, but I've already forgiven Katara. Aang's wounds have always been much deeper than mine in regard to your… betrayal of trust."
"And me?" The male peasant inquired hesitantly, "Have you forgiven me?"
"No. We've hardly truly spoken and resolved our differences, what you did. Katara and I did that and it, along with other reasons, is why I forgave her."
"I see…"
"We have much to atone for, Sokka," the female peasant grimaced. "Aang isn't ready to forgive us; he's still angry."
"So, he's been angry this whole time because… we abandoned him?"
"Yes, that is the heart of it," Azula leaned forward slightly. "The fact that you still breathe shows that he still cares for you."
"We need to give him time," Toph said quietly but everyone heard her words. "Twinkletoes is rightly angry, but he told me that he'll eventually forgive us."
The male peasant ducked his head into his hands. "I can't talk about this anymore."
Everyone was quiet and after several moments, Suki patted her husband's cheek; she stood up and walked around the campfire silently. Azula watched the woman and felt shock sweep through her, although she didn't let it show on her face, when the woman sat down next to her, bypassing Toph.
"A change of topic, I believe, would be best. Since you're now a permanent member of the Gaang, I wanted to ask you something."
"Go ahead," she offered, curious despite herself.
"I've always wondered where you learned that move, the one that you captured me with during the Great War. Do you remember? You didn't use your bending."
"Of course," she raised an eyebrow, but answered anyway, aware of everyone listening. "At the Fire Royal Academy, to advance to the final course and bring honor to your family, an extraordinary feat of non-bending must be showcased in a final presentation," Azula remembered her own presentation; she had been anxious but calm, proud. Ozai had been in attendance and she hadn't wanted to disappoint him, and she hadn't; she almost laughed because while she had always strived never to disappoint him as a child, she had absolutely disgusted him as an adult, but she didn't care! She felt happy and peaceful. "I created the move and integrated it into my hand-to-hand fighting technique."
"I remember that!" Ty Lee smiled but it faltered and faded when Azula looked at her. "That's when I… you know, introduced chi-blocking and when Mai showcased her shuriken."
"That was so humiliating." Mai said dryly, "I can't believe how pathetic that I used to be."
"I was envious, of course," her brother declared with small amusement. "I was angry that I couldn't showcase my skill with my Dao swords that Lu Ten gave me."
Her mother shook her head, "I was forced to calm you down; your father wasn't pleased."
Zuko snorted, "He never was, the bastard."
Samir suddenly looked up at her with wide eyes; her cheeks were pale. "He shot you with lightning!"
Abrupt and terrible silence overtook the cave; no one spoke and while her mother put her hand over her parted lips, Azula inhaled slowly. The peasants looked shocked and Suki's eyes had widened slightly; Toph had stopped moving, features frozen.
She chose her words with care. "Where did you hear that, Samir?"
Her… daughter stared at her bosom, where the lightning had struck. "Daddy told me. I remembered the words before."
"Yes, he is who shot the lightning at me."
"Daddy said that your daddy is a monster."
Azula's eyebrows rose and she ignored the sharp inhale from her mother. "Did he?"
"Yes, mommy."
"He wasn't wrong," she struggled to find words. "You don't need to worry about him, Samir; he won't return for a long time."
"He hurt you."
"But I'm still here; your daddy healed me," those words were strange, but she adapted flawlessly. "You don't need to worry right now, okay?"
"Do you promise?"
"Yes, Samir. I promise," she sighed in relief when her daughter buried her head into her chest.
"That was tense," the male peasant whistled, glancing at his sister. "Makes me glad that our dad was awesome."
Zuko's eyes darted towards him, "You have no idea how blessed you were."
The female peasant smiled sadly, "I think that he's beginning to."
XxXxXxXxXxX
The darkness was stifling when Aang re-appeared and he choked on it; he quickly tore out of it and stumbled to the base of the Tree of Time once more, the darkness still overwhelming but it wasn't nearly as bad as it first had been.
"I see my exploits have finally granted me an audience with you," the familiar dark, malevolent voice hissed from behind him and Aang stiffened and turned around slowly, already knowing who it was; Vaatu stared down at him from his prison in the Tree of Time, and he suddenly realized that it worked. He was in the past! "So, you are Raava's newest vessel, the newest incarnation of… Wan."
"I am, and you are who… caused everything."
Vaatu seemed to purr, "You know of everything that will come to pass, Avatar? That is interesting and considering that you appeared below my prison inside the Tree of Time, I wonder."
"What do you wonder, Vaatu?"
"You know my name, too. It brings me great pleasure to hear my name pass the lips of a mortal."
"I may be mortal, but I'm also immortal, too."
"I know that all-too-well," the spirit hissed. "Since you are clearly from the future and somehow convinced the Tree of Time to transport you to the past, tell me how you survived Sozin's armies."
"I will be the one who changes things, not you."
"Hmm… so it is successful, then? The war that I fanned and fueled will do everything that I hoped."
Aang's eyes widened before he calmed his expression. "No, it won't. You fail, Vaatu, everything fails."
"Then free me, Avatar, and become my vessel instead of Raava's. The Realms will revere our might. If you release me, I will stop the plans that I have set in motion; the Air Nomads will be saved and the horrors that I can sense in you will not come to pass. You can have everything that you ever wanted. I will give it all to you if you but free me."
"I am not interested in empty promises, Vaatu. You lie as easy as I draw breath; you will remain in the Tree of Time."
Energy pulsed inside the prison and Vaatu glowed in rage; shadows tried to corrupt him but Aang simply swatted them away. "You will regret your inability to understand true power, Avatar! I will escape from my prison and when I do, everything and everyone you love will be swept away by my darkness! Calamity and woe will be all that you know when I escape; you will be destroyed!"
Aang ignored Vaatu's furious words and closed his eyes; he teleported out of the Spirit World.
He coughed and when he opened his eyes, he was stunned to find himself standing in the cave where he and the Gaang had settled at in the future. The differences were apparent immediately; no blood soaked the soil and trees, and craters didn't litter the ground in scorches of fire.
He inhaled slowly, the air filling his lungs; it was untainted by woe, war, destruction, ruin, blood, decay, and death. The world had yet to be molested by the Great War, had yet to cry out silently as war was ravaged across its fertile and luscious soil. This was finally his chance, the greatest gift that he could have possibly received; he was going to save the Air Nomads, save the Four Nations, the future of the yet-to-be begotten children from the cruelty, horror, and desolation of untamed war!
Hovering off of the ground, Aang secured his cloak and felt a smile stretch his lips; he would change everything!
The Tree of Time had said that he would be sent back to the day when he ran away from the Temple, so that meant that he had several days until the dreaded storm appeared to consume his younger self and until Sozin's Comet arrived with Sozin's butchering-army of enhanced Firebenders.
Aang blasted into the air and blasted jets of flames out of his feet at the same time, propelling him faster that much more; he had to make it in time, he had to!
XxXxXxXxXxX
Slowly, the words of the Tree of Time returned to him and they pestered him continuously by echoing in his mind with a gentle whisper: 'Keep your mind open, Avatar Aang, to what you will experience, what you observe; things are not as you had once thought. You are still blinded by a child's thoughts and experiences.'
It had become a silent scream in his mind when he had stopped in a small town for food, and the atmosphere of the village left him feeling unsettled; it was dull. People were secluded yet lively, conversing freely but showing no joy over the connection that they shared with their element; their spiritual energy was weak. Nobody was truly close with one another; bonds of friendship weren't apparent. Some people seemed friendly and lively to hide the blankness in their hearts and souls, while others didn't care and were angry and bitter; no one had a purpose.
It was extremely disconcerting to him and Aang was beginning to wonder if the Tree of Time was correct; he unsuccessfully tried to ignore his thoughts and feelings as he continued his journey to the south. Aang blazed through the sky and stared down at the world below as he passed them by; much was recognizable from life before his identity as the Avatar was announced and from the future he lived in, yet there were many differences that he had never noticed before when he was younger, things and places that no longer existed in the future.
There were no travelers and no diversity amongst those of whom he did observe.
Shaking his head, Aang desperately sought to rid himself of the growing doubt that plagued his mind. He couldn't afford to think of it; he was going to save his people, he had to!
He relentlessly pushed forward to the south, Agni's light slowly dimming as night began to overwhelm the Elemental Spirit. Aang's mind had become numb as he had encountered no Airbenders or Sky Bison; he hadn't even seen them anywhere. Where were they? Why weren't they being nomadic? Airbending was freedom, going where the wind wanted to take you; you weren't supposed to be concerned by trivial matters. So why were there no Airbender traversing the world? He didn't understand it, what was happening, and he felt overwhelmed by everything, the Tree's words ever-present in his mind.
Eventually, when it was too much, he landed on Kyoshi Island and created a small shelter near the beach away from the main village; he needed to stop the whispers of the Tree of Time, of his own doubts, ward them off! Aang shot a small blast of flames to create a fire and he looked down at himself; he still had no shirt, only the black cloak that Zuko had given him after he and Azula's lovemaking.
Azula.
Aang groaned and closed his eyes tightly in shame; he hadn't even thought of her. Now, she was all about whom he could think, and grief quickly began to pound in his chest where his heart beat. He began to think furiously, sadly, mournfully, regretfully; he hadn't truly thought of what he was going to do, what would happen. If he saved his people, what would happen to her? What would happen to the future that he had planned to build with her? What about Samir and his friends? Would they all… still be there? Everything, indeed, would change if he saved his people and that included his future, the strides that he had made in regard to himself and his personal relationships.
If he saved his people and fundamentally changed the past, snuffing out the Great War as Roku should have done before it even started, everything would be different when he returned to the future. Many people would survive and produce offspring that would never have existed, thus leading to the chance that those who existed in his future would never be begotten. Azula and Samir and his friends might never exist! Iroh, if he was born, would become Fire Lord instead of Ozai, if the monster was born, and the entire history of the next century would change drastically; there was no way to tell how much! Aang himself might already be married to someone else who wasn't Azula in the future if he changed the past; he might have sired children with this unknown wife because he would be an older Avatar – truly living at 120-years-old!
He clenched his teeth and jumped to his feet angrily, his cloak falling off his shoulders to where he sat; he leaped into the lake with a bellowing cry of deep and bone-weary frustration and swam to the bottom, sitting in the sand. Aang created an air bubble and the solitude brought him peace, yet his questions and frustration endured. A small shadow passed his bubble and then he smiled sadly; the young, smaller Unagi swam around him. The memories of the time when he had ridden the animal popped in his head and then that brought forth a sudden swarm of other memories from the life that he had built in the future.
Not since his struggle whether or not to kill Fire Lord Ozai before Sozin's Comet had he felt so conflicted, so burdened with a single choice.
Would he abandon the life that he had made for himself to save his people? Would he be willing to give all of that up?
Aang nodded furiously and refused to acknowledge the long hesitation that followed his question; he would do anything to save his people, wouldn't he?
XxXxXxXxXxX
Another day of travel passed and still, there were no Airbenders or Sky Bison he encountered. Aang had finally arrived at the Southern Water Tribe and he floated above the city where none could see him; he observed the life of Katara and Sokka's Tribe before the Great War, studying the Water Tribesmen and women.
It was not as he had thought, and the realization brought more grief and discord; the Tribesmen and women hardly conversed with another who weren't relatives and even then, it was sparse. The Waterbenders hardly used their element, the art that they were gifted with except for the Water Sages and Aang saw them practicing movements that nobody else knew; he had been right when he spoke to Katara: her Water Sages were closer to rediscovering the true movements to waterbending than the North.
But it wasn't enough to ease his heartache; his observations made it worse. The Children of Water were aloof with one another and were nothing like how they would act a century later. Aang dimly realized that while the Great War had brought them much suffering, it had brought them closer together to become one large family.
Coming to a sudden decision, Aang dropped from the sky and landed silently before the Tribe. He didn't feel the cold and walked towards the entrance and when he was within sight, two men immediately pointed spears at him threateningly.
"Who are you?"
Aang held up his hands peacefully, "I'm a traveler and wanted to speak with your Chief. May I speak with him?"
One of the men frowned, "What are you, an Airbender?"
"Of course, he is," the other man lowered his spear and elbowed his partner. "Only an Airbender could survive in this bitter, ancient cold with only a cloak that covers his back and shoulders. Not even the Water Sages can do that."
"But he has hair; they say that Airbenders are bald."
"Yes, I'm an Airbender," he cut in, showing his arrow-tattooed hands. "I'm a unique case. Is it possible to speak with your Chief?"
"Why? What does a unique Airbender want with our Chief?"
"To talk. I just want to ask him some questions." Aang thought of a feasible story, "The Elders at my Temple sent me to speak with him."
"What's your name, then?"
"My name is… Anil," the moment when the name passed his lips, he felt Avatar Anil stir in his soul, but it was apparent that his past life wasn't trying to appear.
"We'll take you to the Chief, then," the men motioned him forward. "He'll make the decision, deciding your fate."
Aang walked through the village, one man in front of him and the other behind him. He observed the faces of those who stared at him and felt their energy, sorrow spreading through him when none approached him and when he felt that their spiritual energy was weak, too. He passed various huts and the journey was a lot longer; the Tribe was much larger than when he had seen it in the future.
"Who is this?" A man questioned when they stopped at the largest ice-house in the Tribe. "Why is he here?"
"He's an Airbender who was sent to speak with the Chief. Is he in there?"
"Yes, go ahead," the men parted before them and Aang entered and saw a broad man with a thick beard sitting down; he looked a typical Water Tribesman, but he was large, indeed.
"Chief Kuhna, this is an Airbender who was sent from his Air Temple by his Elders to speak with you. His name is Anil." The two men kneeled before the Chief but Aang remained standing. "Will you grant him an audience?"
The Chief stared back at Aang before a soft sigh escaped his lips. "Very well, Airbender," he waved out the two men, who exited swiftly. "What do your Elders want?"
Aang nodded his head in respect, gathering precious moments to think of what to say. "Thank you, Chief Kuhna, for granting me an audience."
"You have good manners for an Airbender. My rare experiences with your kind haven't been… poor."
He blinked back his shock, "I'm sorry to hear that, Chief Kuhna. I will try not to disrespect you."
"What do you need to say?"
"My Elders had questions about your Tribe, about how it operates."
"Why?"
Aang thought quickly, "The Southern Air Temple has expressed interest in trade with your Tribe."
Chief Kuhna's eyebrows rose, "Your oh-so-spiritual Elders have finally decided to rid themselves of their foul and foolish isolation? Their allies in the Four Nations are incredibly sparse; their… ridiculous wisdom should let them know better than to come to me."
"They are hoping that you would be interested."
"Why do you need to trade? Your people have never needed it before."
"Times are changing," he said carefully. "The Elders fear that something is coming, something… disastrous."
"Speak plainly, Anil," Chief Kuhna leaned forward and Aang narrowly controlled his twitch at being called that name; his Air Nomad predecessor from two Avatar Cycles ago reacted to it. "What do they fear?"
Aang decided to be honest because he remembered the Elders speaking of darkness coming. "They fear a war is coming, one that will envelop the Four Nations."
"The Avatar will stop it, Anil." Chief Kuhna sat back, losing interest. "Your Elders have nothing to fear. There will be no war with the Avatar, especially since the newest incarnation has been borne of your people."
"They fear it will happen before the new Avatar is of age."
Chief Kuhna laughed suddenly but it wasn't pleasant; it was dark and bitter. "Such potential woe and darkness, then. It's more than infuriating: your people have the speed of the wind and more, yet they never act in haste."
"Be that as it may," he countered quickly, hoping to finally have his questions answered; he hoped that the doubts in his mind would finally vanish. "If you're interested in trade with us- "
"We're not," the Chief stated bluntly. "Your people have never done anything for us, for any of the other nations. We will not help you; it's time that your people understand true hardship as the rest of us have."
"- would you answer my questions?" Aang finished, trying to ignore the Chief's words about his people; he wasn't successful.
Chief Kuhna sighed, "What is it that you want to know, that your Elders want to know, Anil?"
"What do your people value?" Searching for words, Aang almost created a slab of ice for himself to sit on, but he narrowly stopped himself. "What do the Children of Water believe precious? What are your customs? How spiritual are your people and what is your value towards bending?"
"Your people should already know these questions, Anil." Chief Kuhna began to look angry, "The fact that they don't is insulting; we know your people's outrageous customs and beliefs."
"Please just answer them, Chief Kuhna," he pleaded desperately. "Then after that, I will leave your Tribe."
"No!" Chief Kuhna stood to his feet and Aang realized that he was taller than him, although the Chief cut an imposing figure. "Return to your Temple, Anil; your Elders receive nothing from me. You dishonor me with your presence."
Aang clenched his fists, beginning to feel his own anger seep through. "No sooner than you answer my questions, will I leave, Chief Kuhna. I must know; it's important!"
"You want to know, Anil? You are a fool with all of Air's pride! My people value the blood and meat of animals; we sink our teeth into its substance and draw strength from it." Chief Kuhna stared into his eyes with fury, "Your people are cowards and weak; they would rather allow a beast desecrate their homes and bodies than kill it. You Air Nomads are no warriors; this new war you fear, you won't fight it; you will ignore it because your people don't believe in survival or fighting. You are selfish beyond all! Your people claim no attachments, so they would rather let friends and families die than save their lives; you would rather not raise a hand to fight and let your attacker kill you than survive. My people love children and value them above all; they are precious beyond compare. You don't even know who your parents are because your people steal children from their mothers' bosoms; they are child-stealers, child-slayers!"
Aang staggered back, shaking his head, the words floating in the air. "That's not… you… what?"
"Search your records and hear the tales! Avatar Kuruk was disgusted by your people; he declared it boldly!" Chief Kuhna's teeth glinted in the dim light, "Don't look so astonished, you damned fool! You know full well what happened when a non-bending child was born amongst your people, Anil!"
"What are you talking about?" He gasped out in shock, unable to comprehend the Chief's words. "All children are born Airbenders!"
"Are the lies of your Elders so noxiously thick that you can't see the truth? You pitch your non-bending children off of the ledges of your Air Temples!"
"No," his voice was far away, and he didn't recognize it; it sounded hazy and distant, diminishing in the rising darkness in his mind and heart. "All children… are… Airbenders."
"They say that they are now, have been for centuries past, but they weren't always, weren't they?!" Chief Kuhna spat, lips curling in disgust. "How do you think that happened? Your Elders, after meticulously examining each newborn, killed the non-airbending children until the bloodlines that would have the potential to sire non-benders were snuffed out. That's what Avatar Kuruk said!"
"That's not true!" Aang cried out, finding his voice and strength; he began to back away. "I have… have to… I must leave, Chief Kuhna. I want to thank you for your input, but I cannot; this has been distressing."
"Fly away, Anil, just as your people always do." Chief Kuhna waved him out, "Leave now, while I still allow it."
Aang exited the tent and rushed out of the Tribe, creating a small blizzard in his wake; he needed to get away, he had to! When he was out of eyesight, he exploded off of the ground and flew away from the Tribe; the Tree of Time and Chief Kuhna's words haunted him.
It couldn't be true, right? His people wouldn't do that, would they?
XxXxXxXxXxX
He had put the echoing and dreadful words out of his mind because if he knew that he contemplated them, he would truly become mad and he was tired of being considered the Mad Balance-Keeper. Night began to fall, and he realized what was about to happen; his younger self would soon appear to be swallowed by an unholy storm. Aang flew towards where it would happen; he was going to save his younger self from absolute heartbreak!
When the haunting words tried to reappear in his mind, he compressed them back down and focused on the peaceful atmosphere for several minutes, clearing his mind of the horror and sorrow. The waves rolled gracefully beneath him; the ocean itself was calm. The winds whipped around Aang's floating form and snow flickered against his cheeks.
A movement in the air.
Bolting higher into the sky, Aang watched in wonder as his younger self darted through the wind atop Appa's head, gripping the reins tightly, yet loosely. He floated closer slightly and was awestruck by how innocent the boy looked, how he himself had looked. The boy from over a century ago looked sad and despondent, but no horrors and death lingered in the young gray eyes; the knowledge of what was yet to come eluded his kind, malleable heart.
Aang's breathing became rapid; he could stop the boy and change everything for himself right now! He knew it as true as the flakes of snow that touched his cheeks, but he watched instead. He willed himself to descend and sweep his younger self away from a century's imprisonment, but he couldn't move; he was frozen as he watched his younger self ride on Appa towards the clear skies, oblivious of his coming sleep.
He… couldn't do it.
Thoughts of Azula and Samir and his friends, the very life that he had made for himself, stalled his hands; he wanted to keep that life. He closed his eyes and the decision was solidified; he wasn't going to stop his younger self's journey. Looking back at the boy sadly, Aang blinked in horror because he recognized where the boy was; he was about to watch his younger self become sucked into the storm. It should surround him in a suffocating blanket any moment, appearing out of nothing, out of nowhere.
Aang knew it as he knew his own hand; he had relived the moment countless times in his nightmares. The boy was going to pat Appa's side and whisper to descend slightly and then the storm appeared. He watched as the memory happened before his eyes, but no storm appeared. He didn't understand it; the boy should be-
He swallowed thickly as he realized what was going to need to happen; he himself would need to create the storm so that his younger self would vanish beneath the ocean and be safe from Vaatu and Sozin for a century. To secure the future of the world, Aang's own personal future, he had to create the nightmare that had haunted him for years.
The winds of fate were cruel beyond fathom.
Dashing through the air towards his younger self, he knew that it was the only way; he couldn't let the boy continue his journey. He would be captured by Sozin and tortured, probably triggering the Avatar State and then Sozin would kill the boy before he could escape, permanently ending the Avatar Cycle, securing total supremacy for Vaatu. The safest place for the boy, the safest place for the world's hope and future was beneath the ocean, locked in permanent dormancy.
The tears flooded his eyes and Aang wept as he flew silently towards his younger self, hands outstretched; the truth was blinding, flooding his mind with explosions of misery. He was right behind his younger self, floating above the younger Appa's saddle, and he took the time to memorize the boy's innocent posture, to remember the boy's features from earlier; he trembled and tears blurred his vision, but he gathered his energy.
His tattooed hands clenched tightly, drawing blood as his aura of power erupted. Within moments, the winds howled viciously, and Agni's light was fully dimmed as dark clouds appeared in the sky. A heavy downpour cascaded down, and the once-sunny evening had transformed into a hurricane, a colossal event of nature. A deafening shockwave of thunder screeched across the heavens, lightning crackling ominously with intent; massive waves of water rose from the churning ocean in a gigantic wave-like hand, agape to consume all in its path.
The boy shrieked and desperately urged Appa to fly faster, but the waves reached the younger Appa, drawing them in its infallible grasp. The boy screamed in terror, slamming his eyes shut and Appa roared in fear, trying to escape from the maws of icy water, but it was futile. The wave grew even larger and an intense, overwhelming gust of wind smashed Appa and the boy fully into the grip of the ocean. They were fully submerged and while tears blurred Aang's vision, he held them there, drowning.
He saw the boy's eyes suddenly open in blinding white light after several moments, the Iceberg being created instinctively by his younger self. Once the glow faded and the Iceberg sunk to the bottom of the ocean, he released his hold with the knowledge that his own century-long sleep had just begun. The skies parted and the evening's light shined down on him, but it brought him nothing but grief.
He stared down into the now-calm water, trying to see his younger self, but he couldn't; his lips began to tremble as the realization swept through him like a sickness. He had just doomed his younger self, doomed himself to a century-long imprisonment.
Unable to hold himself in the air any longer, the grief and knowledge too much, Aang swallowed and dropped; he fell into the icy water, letting the intense, numbing, frigid, bone-chilling cold seep into his soul and body. He felt heavy and didn't move, just letting his body be pulled down by the powerful grip of the ocean. It was too much! He couldn't handle it! What had he done? He had… done what he should have.
Aang slowly created an air bubble for himself and swam further down to the bottomless depths, following the thrum of power that hummed through the water. The glow began to reach his eyes and he eventually reached it, the Iceberg, his prison; it was beautiful, glowing a brilliant, ethereal bluish-white. Inside, the outline of the boy was there; his fists were pressed together, and his eyes were shut, Appa's form silhouetted behind him in a protective curl.
Floating closer, Aang stretched his bubble to surround the Iceberg; he placed his hands on the ice and felt the power, his power swirling inside. Ignoring it, he focused solely on the boy trapped inside and knelt down until his knees touched the thick rocks and minerals; he then gently pressed his forehead to the glowing ice.
"I'm sorry," he whispered brokenly, struggling to speak as his body shook; the tears overwhelmed him again and spilled down his cheeks, collecting on the ice. "I'm so sorry. When you awaken, the world that you knew… it will be gone, and a war-ravaged one will have unfairly taken its place. You… will be alone and you will be crushed by never-ceasing loneliness and grief; you will be scorned… and hunted, your very life at stake. You will be forced to heave the burden of saving the Mortal Realm, and death will follow you like an ominous shadow; unspeakable horrors will haunt you for the rest of your days." Aang quivered and scrunched his face against the ice; his fingernails clawed against it gently. "But you will be happy and find peace again; you will discover love in the most unexpected woman.
"You will have friends and family, among them a daughter who you love as your own. Your hardships will define you and you will survive. What is going to happen, what will have happened… it's not your fault. Sozin and Vaatu… they knew that the Avatar would be reborn in the Air Nomads; their evil isn't your fault, it's theirs. The genocide will not be your fault; you ran away because you thought it best and… it was the best. Now you have the chance to experience life… in all the ways that it was meant to be experienced. You must not give up hope, even when it seems hopeless; you will get through it… and you will succeed, I promise." Aang slowly backed away, his fingers brushing against the ice one last time. "Farewell, Avatar Aang. I hope that peace doesn't evade you… as it did me."
Aang stared at the boy and then rose out of the ocean on a water tornado, breaking through the water with a heavy heart. Dusk had fallen and he stared up at the sky, feeling the wind brush gently against the tears still visible on his cheeks. He ached everywhere and he yearned for Azula's touch, but he couldn't leave yet and return to the future, no matter how much that he wanted to. If he was ever to receive true peace and closure, healing from the grievous wounds suffered, he had to travel to the Southern Air Temple; he had to speak with Gyatso.
XxXxXxXxXxX
That's all for this incredibly long one, folks, but it was fun to write, though. What do you think? Please, leave a review and tell me; it would be much appreciated!
**So, it was finally Sokka's turn to have the maturity talk. I did it in front of the Gaang because, to me, that is the only way that he would understand. I love Sokka and some of my favorite moments from the show are because of him. I'm not picking on him because he's a non-bender. (Though, to be honest, pretty much every non-bender, realistically, in the Avatar universe doesn't necessarily have much to offer. They can't wield an element, how the entire world is based, and they don't live long because of their chi. I'm not trying to be racist or prejudiced, but that's, realistically, how life would be in Avatar. Sure, being a swordsman and genius could get you places but compared to a Firebender, Waterbender, Earthbender, or an Airbender, there is nothing that would ever really place a non-bender above a bender. From my vantage point, that's just a fact; a skinny dude with a brain is not going to be picked over the muscled dude with a brain. The only reason why Sokka was ever included in the show, in my opinion, was for comedic relief, which he was phenomenal at, but he needed this talk in front of everyone.) I just feel that Sokka's character and personality would never understand the facts of that talk unless he was the center of attention and forced to listen. (And he did listen later on; he began to understand why Aang was so angry because he was finally asking the right questions!)
You might be thinking that both Aang and Zuko were too hard on Sokka, but they weren't. First of all, Aang's nerves are seriously frayed; he had been unable to do anything as Azula was shot full of lightning by Ozai – he almost lost her. Sokka, along with Katara and Toph, pretty much abandoned Aang in this story after the Great War so Aang is already angry with him. Then, as Sokka's character dictates, he runs his mouth and can't leave things alone. He starts insulting Azula and Aang understandably snaps; he had every right to do what he did. Now, as for Zuko, he felt abandoned by Katara and Sokka, too. While he has forgiven Katara for what she did, it's because Katara did the hard work and seriously tried to understand the foul wrongs that she committed. Sokka only realized his great mistakes in this chapter, whereas intrinsically, Katara had always known but had been too wary to admit it until confronted head-on. So Zuko isn't too hard on Sokka, either; he's still angry and plus, Sokka did insult his sister, for whom he cares.
Azula finally forgives her mother for everything that happened! I thought that it was finally time for them to resolve their differences and I'm happy with how it came out. When writing it, I realized something. If Ursa had been able to take at least one child with her, most people would assume that she would have chosen Zuko, but I disagree. I think that Azula is who needed her mother most, not Zuko and I think that Ursa would have realized that. Azula was the one who broke under Ozai without Ursa, not Zuko; he found his way through Iroh's help and rebelled openly against Ozai, standing strong. Zuko's strength of will was stronger than Azula's, and even though that's a gross simplification, it rings true. Although, I will admit that if Zuko hadn't been exiled and scarred, he would have probably turned out the same as his father; honestly, his banishment was the best thing that could have happened to him.
**Aang and Katara truly talk and it's more of an explosion by Aang; he finally lets out his anger and hurt. Katara, of course, isn't a fan of Aang's relationship with Azula and that makes Aang even madder, thus leading to some truths being thrown Katara's way about bloodbending and how she doesn't have a say in what Aang does. In this story, Avatar Kirku failed to continue the teachings of Waterbenders – he failed a whole lot, actually – and I believe that bloodbending would be an incredible way to heal someone, as Aang has shown. It has great potential but because of Hama's evil, Katara has been too fearful and disgusted by it to see the good it could do. So, she speaks with Avatar Kirku and begs him to teach her the true teachings that have been lost since his demise. Aang has a lot of anger towards Sokka and Katara but they are all on the road to recovering their friendships.
**Zuko, Katara, Toph, and Ursa begin to master their chakras just as Azula had done. I hope that their blockage seemed realistic. I'm happy with how that all turned out.
The songs that Ursa sang are not mine. They are heavily based on songs from the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. The one about Sozin is based on the Song of Durin with some changed/removed lyrics. While the one about Azulon was based on the Lament for Thorin with changed/removed lyrics. They are beautiful songs and I definitely recommend them to anyone; just YouTube it and listen to them if you ever have the time.
AG stands for After Genocide. Ursa said, '…Sozin died in 70 AG…' So, that means that seventy years after the genocide of the Air Nomads, Sozin kicked the bucket. Yes, Sozin lived for a really long time; the next chapter will explain why he did.
**Ozai is resting from the wounds that Aang gave him and Vaatu reassures him that there is a way to heal him; you'll have to see what it is!
**The Children of Chin are all from the various bloodlines that began with Chin the Conqueror. In my mind, I've always kind of seen Chin the Conqueror as Genghis Khan; he had a lot of children and was a fearsome warlord, so I used the comparison. In case you don't remember, Chin the Conqueror was the dude who tried to conquer the entire Earth Kingdom and who Kyoshi killed, creating Kyoshi Island in the process. Yes, Chin V and his sister are in an incestuous relationship; it was quite common in dynasties in the old days for siblings and cousins to beget heirs together to keep "it" in the family, and by it, I mean royal power. (In fact, I've seen several stories where Zuko and Azula are in such a relationship, although I think that's clearly nothing short of a disaster and wrong.)
**Shout out to gaara king of the sand for the idea of Aang going back in time thanks to the of Time. I thought it was great; I loved the idea. The Tree of Time is the creator of the Spirit World; he is the incarnation of Time itself and is incalculably powerful; he is the parent of Raava and Vaatu, in essence. I just one to clear something up: Raava and Vaatu are clear representations of the Taoism religion of Yin and Yang – just the Moon and Ocean Spirits are. So, I reckoned that Raava and Vaatu, who are the creators of the Elemental Spirits, sought to create two spirits that are similar to them – the Ocean and Moon. The fact that the Ocean and Moon chose the form of black and white Koi Fish when giving up their immortality is just coincidence, I suppose.
I think Aang going back in time is realistic; he can see with his own eyes how different the world was back then from what he thought that it had been. Let's be honest, Aang remembers the era from when he was born through a child's naivety and innocence. The world wasn't that way, it couldn't be. That's not how human nature works and there are always great problems. Add in Vaatu's darkness beginning to sway Sozin and probably others, that time period is brimming with problems and tension. When war is on the horizon, things aren't good beforehand. It's not as how he had thought, and he is finally seeing; he realizes that, just maybe, the Great War should have happened as the Tree of Time dictated. Also, he has had a good life in spite of everything; it's all looking up for him, now, and he has to decide whether he can live without that new life.
The Air Nomads are not how Aang remembers them; there is a lot that he never knew about his people, his culture. I've never been a fan of how Canon has defined the Air Nomads as a utopia that was a perfect race; that's asinine. It's completely unrealistic because every nation has darkness and blots in their legacies that they can't escape from. (For real-life history, look at the United States of America. The country is the greatest to ever exist, but it has still had major problems that will always haunt them.) The Air Nomads are said to never give birth to non-benders, only Airbenders. There must be a realistic reason for that, so I made one; it makes a lot more sense for the Elders of the Temples to discard non-bending children and keep it a secret than for the Air Nomads to be this perfect airbending race who has a 100% airbending-baby rate. Yes, I know Canon's explanation for the reason why the Air Nomads are all Airbenders is that of their spirituality, but I don't necessarily believe that; it doesn't make too much sense, in my opinion, based on everything in Canon among other things.
There is a legend about the Spartans of Ancient Greece, how they would throw imperfect, weak, or deformed newborns off of cliffs; that's where I got the idea for the Elders, who, besides for Gyatso, all already seemed like callous and cruel fools in Canon, to pitch non-airbending children off the Air Temples. Also, their isolation from the other nations is incredibly foolish and doesn't bode well in comparison with real-life history. Because of their isolation, they have no allies and aren't able to adjust to the changing world. The isolation is a perfect example of how they aren't the enlightened race that everyone claims they are because isolationism isn't truly wise. They became stagnant and their culture would clash too much with the other nations. The Four Nations have incredibly different cultures and that is referenced perfectly by Chief Kuhna and Aang's conversation, which is always something that I wished to see in Canon. The Water Tribes are appalled by the Air Nomads, and the Air Nomads are appalled by their consumption of meat and killing. The same could be said for the other nations; the Great War could have been a culture war instead of just world domination and I kind of wished that it would have shown more culture clashes in Canon, but I suppose this will do with what I wrote.
I added the part about the younger Aang in the storm caused by the older Aang because I thought that it was dreadfully, sorrowfully beautiful for Aang to put his younger self in the Iceberg. It would certainly hurt but in the long run, he can finally achieve true peace by letting go of his greatest nightmare. The Iceberg is where everything began for him, where his world turned upside down; he was trapped in it for a century while the rest of the world suffered. Aang is coming full-circle, now, and I think that's symbolic. By allowing, by physically putting his younger self into the Iceberg, Aang has finally accepted that the way that things happened to him, getting stuck in the Iceberg while the rest of the world suffered, was probably the best thing that could have happened to him; it was the best possible outcome to a nightmarish situation.
I think that's everything. I hope that you all enjoyed the chapter. I'd love to hear what you all thought about it, so please leave a review and tell me!
Stay Safe
ButtonPusher
