Thanks for the reviews! I really appreciate hearing the feedback from you guys!
Well, I guess I'll see if anyone's still interested in this story. I don't know what to say for such a long wait. Honestly, there was part of me that thought I would never return to this, but as you can see, I was able to get this out, although I will admit it was like pulling teeth. A lot of teeth. All my teeth. I don't know how soon I'll update, for Life is hectic and insane (especially lately with everything that's going on in the world), but I hope you enjoy this one.
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender
XxXxXxXxXxX
Ozai groaned, standing slowly to his feet, body shaking from the immense effort to survive Vaatu's power, and he abruptly breathed easier when Vaatu left his body. His fingers coiled into the soil, the phantom grip of Hama's bloodbending on his heart still there.
He wasn't sure it would ever leave.
"That insolent bitch," he snarled, flames roaring out of his mouth, the heat all-enveloping. "I'll have her head! My wife is gone! And so is The Avatar's bastard! How will I master airbending? We're alone! That bitch slaughtered all of our allies!"
Vaatu had remained silent until now. "You raise just concerns, but we have currently more pressing ones. In my effort to save you, my scheme to strike a crippling blow to The Avatar was derailed. He is in the process of creating a spirit with Agni's flames that will nullify all of the advantages we have had thus far. I cannot return to sabotage the effort. Koh is powerful. By now, I reckon that he has already gathered allies to aid him in guarding The Avatar's new spirit. I am nearly at full strength, but it is not enough, not yet. The Avatar is learning. It is a dreadful fact. I calculate that we have, at most, weeks until the spirit is complete. We must act swiftly; we must bond permanently."
Ozai inhaled slowly, digesting those terrible words, body aching. "And how will we bond? You've remained coy about it. Too coy."
"No longer. To merge permanently with me requires much, but you have already been in constant exposure to my power, strengthening your spirit, forcing your mortal body to adapt, to evolve. You have mastered your dark chakras, but lastly, we must mimic the Harmonic Convergence's power."
"You told me that the Harmonic Convergence will not occur for decades. How will we mimic it?"
Vaatu bristled, but Ozai knew the fury was not directed at him. "It was my plan all along, but The Avatar is threatening everything for which we have worked. We do not have much time. Only mere weeks when I was planning for months to ensure perfection. Once The Avatar's new spirit is finished, we will never be able to succeed. My work in the Immortal Realm will have to be enough. The turning of so many spirits has strengthened my power, and while The Avatar purified some of them, he did not purify all of them. It is not ideal, but it will have to be enough. It must be. It will be through them that we merge permanently."
Ozai frowned. "How?"
"We must first acquire Indra, but once we have all the elements, I will take you to the center of the Immortal Realm to The Tree of Time. With all of my corrupted spirits with me, we will channel all of our combined might into The Tree with you inside, and then it will mimic the raw power of Harmonic Convergence. Then we will merge. It is the only option. It must work. It has to. Or all of our strivings will have been fruitless."
His face spasmed, the rage terrible. "Where will we find Indra? I have no one to teach me airbending! We will never defeat The Avatar!" In his rage, he whirled around, but his fury abated as he noticed the unconscious form of Ty Lee. Aspiration swirled in his heart. "Oh. This is most fortuitous."
Vaatu hovered behind him as he approached Ty Lee; she was still breathing. "Why? What is special about her?"
"The legends surrounding her Noble House." A smile spread across his face. "It is said that her line is of Air because of Jylzhol of Ishaner. She is a non-bender, but she has always been Airbender-like."
"Most fortuitous, indeed," Vaatu purred. "The plan must be adjusted, but it will be better this way. I had been willing to risk The Avatar's child, for she was the only one of Air save The Avatar, but now there is another."
Ozai looked up. "Speak plainly."
"It was probable that The Avatar's child would have never survived the invasion of a new spirit, for she is a child. Her chi pathways would have been destroyed before the process would be completed. Now, we need not worry about it. This one is mature, an adult. It will be perfect."
"But how will we find Indra?"
"The Avatar is furious, and he will find Indra; he will lead us to her. Then we will take her and be gifted air. We will order Indra to give the woman airbending, too. Then I will bring you a Master Airbender from the Gardens of the Dead."
Ozai narrowed his eyes. "You already have someone in mind?"
"Yes. He will be a worthy ally, the most loyal out of all the Masters I have brought you. He has no resentment for Agni's Children. His hatred burns for The Avatar."
"A kindred spirit," he murmured.
"I cannot foresee the future. Yet, I discern victory. The Avatar's reckoning is imminent. Raava owes me ten thousand years of imprisonment for what she and her vessel did to me. Together, my friend, we will make our vengeance reality."
XxXxXxXxXxX
Zuko saw a flash of color in the corner of his vision and whirled to face it, apprehension and relief swelling inside him when Aang stared back at him.
"Aang!" Katara cried out and ran to him, hugging him.
"If I was a suspicious person, that sight would provoke me to investigate," Azula's amused voice drifted into his ears, and he watched as his sister untied the rope surrounding her waist.
"Good to see you, too, Azula," he muttered, running a hand through his hair. He didn't know how to talk about what needed to be said, so he just decided to say it. "Aang, something happened."
"Yes, something did," Azula groaned out as she stood to her feet, wavering slightly. "My mobility has lessened; my body is weak. It needs sustenance. How long were we gone?"
"A week."
Aang moved away from Katara and pulled Azula out of the saddle, helping her down to the ground, patting briefly Appa's head. "Sorry. We had more to do than I thought. What were you saying, Zuko?"
Zuko tried to quell his nervousness and saw Katara looking down at her feet. "Something happened."
Azula rolled her eyes, lips twitching into a smirk. "You have spent too much time with Uncle, Zuzu. You have mastered the art of obscurity."
"We made it to Ba Sing Se, right?" Aang looked around. "I don't recognize…"
Katara's breathing became more chaotic, and Zuko grabbed her hand, watching as Azula realized that something was wrong. "What is it? What happened?"
Aang turned to face him, panicked. "Zuko, what's wrong?"
Zuko closed his eyes briefly and then reopened them. "Chin V's invasion did its job."
Silence.
"Bumi?" Aang demanded, face twisting in desperation. "Toph, Bor, Suki?"
Katara's voice cracked as she spoke, "Toph, Bor, and Suki escaped, but… I'm sorry, Aang. Bumi… he's dead."
Aang's features spasmed, and Zuko's fists clenched as he watched his best friend, devastated, collapse to the ground on his knees. "Bumi's gone?"
"I'm sorry," he whispered, not knowing what else to say.
Droplets of miserable tears spilled down Aang's cheeks, and Azula reached for her husband, drawing his face into her stomach. "I'm sorry. I know he meant so much to you."
"He was the last human link to my past," Aang whispered, eyes scrunched shut, but Zuko heard him clearly, wounded by the pain in his friend's voice. Katara's grip on his hand tightened painfully. "Now all I have is Appa and Momo. How… how many people am I going to lose? Is that my curse? Is that The Avatar's burden?"
Azula slowly lowered herself to the ground, and Katara followed her lead, pulling Zuko down with her, and she grabbed onto Aang's hand with her other one.
"We're going to be with you for as long as we can be, okay?" he murmured, holding his friend's distraught, tear-stricken gaze. "I know Avatars live a long time, but so do powerful benders."
"You've chosen the right friends and wife," Katara said gently. "We'll be by your side more than anyone else can be. We're not going anywhere."
Aang sucked in a deep breath, and he exhaled heavily. "I never told him how much I valued his friendship. Valued him. How much I loved him."
"He knew, Aang," Azula said fiercely, golden eyes mournful. Zuko didn't feel surprised. For the brief time they knew King Bumi, Azula had cultivated a friendship with him. "He was so proud of you, of the man and Avatar you have become. But Bumi is now with his lost children. He is at peace; he lived a full life. He was a worthy King, and more importantly, a worthy man. It was my pleasure to have known him."
"It was my pleasure, too," Aang choked out, eyes squeezed shut.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Having finished eating, providing her body with much-needed nutrients, Azula exchanged glances with her brother, worried. Aang had remained gone too long since he had abruptly abandoned them to fly to the rubble of the palace in the Upper Ring.
"I know he's grieving, but I hope he doesn't do something stupid," Zuko whispered, face pinched with tension. "Like, fly off to fight Dark and his entire army by himself."
"Aang wouldn't do that," Katara responded softly. "He needs time. He lost Bumi. As you said, he's grieving."
Azula shook her head, something inside her twisting. "I think he is re-grieving everything that he has lost, which now includes King Bumi. Now I understand what Dark meant."
Zuko looked at her, startled. "What? You encountered him in the Spirit World?"
"While Aang was preoccupied with a horde," she responded, tone curt. "He sought to inflict an unhealable wound against Aang, eradicating my spirit from existence. He failed, of course, but he said something."
Katara's brows furrowed. "What did he say?"
"He asked me, 'How much can The Avatar lose before he ceases to be as whom you know him?' Then he listed everything Aang has lost - 'first his entire nation and Master, then his daughter and mother-in-law and friend.'" Azula shook her head, angered. "I failed to grasp the meaning of 'friend.' I failed to take into account who could represent Aang's friend. Dark knew about King Bumi's death. He knew the whole time."
"He and Ozai are perfect for each other," Zuko growled. "More than kindred spirits."
"Which is why we must end their threat," she pointed out. "They do not just threaten this world, they threaten the Spirit World, as well."
Katara nodded, face creased with anxiety. "I thought things were looking up after the Northern Water Tribe. I thought we were finally going to catch a break, but then we get here, back to the Earth Kingdom, to Ba Sing Se, and it all seems so much worse. For the first time, I don't know."
Azula watched as her brother squeezed his lover's shoulder, pulling her closer. "I know, but we're near the end. Whatever happens, we'll be on the winning side."
"How are you so certain?"
Azula answered, "The Avatar is on our side. Aang will ensure victory. Ensure peace and balance."
Katara wet her lips; her chin trembled. "But at what cost? We don't know what's happened to… to Sokka. And Suki and Toph. And all the others."
Zuko briefly closed his eyes. "We'll have hope. It's all we have."
"Don't quote that stupid actress who played me."
Azula had no idea what Katara was alluding to, so she cut in, "We have Aang. He is enough."
Katara nodded again. "I agree."
Zuko suddenly turned his head, glancing up towards the sky. "Speaking of…"
She followed his gaze and saw the streaking form of her husband approaching. When he landed, it was soundless, but that was not what concerned her.
Sheer exhaustion was carved into his sunken-looking, pale features. His hair was a mess, and she knew that shaking fingers had been tugging harshly at the strands. The stubble on his jaw and cheeks looked darker, more pronounced, but that might be because he just looked so gaunt. Tear tracks stained his cheeks, and his lips were in a tight, unbending line. His gray eyes were red-rimmed, hollow, piercing, and cold as the Northern Water Tribe.
Azula was not the only one concerned, for Katara let go immediately of Zuko, reaching towards Aang. "Are you okay?"
"No," her husband informed, sounding stormy, and his throat worked hard, lips tightening into an even more tense line than before. "Bumi was killed, and I had no idea. I failed again. But I'm done failing."
Azula exchanged a glance with her brother. "And that means what?"
Aang's jaw jerked with tension. "Even if it kills me, I'm stopping Ozai and Vaatu," he vowed, something in his voice upsetting her; it possessed a desperation that did not bode well. "I'm stopping all of them. This will never happen again. I won't allow it."
Zuko nodded. "What do you want to do?"
"We're going to find Sokka's group and Toph's group. I'm not losing anyone else. We need to re-group, and then I'm finishing this new war. I've been a fool. No more. Bumi's death won't be in vain. It won't be."
Azula shared a worried glance with Katara and found a kindred gaze in her; they both knew Aang could not keep that mindset.
"That is unwise," she said quickly, holding her husband's stormy gaze. "Samir and my mother are still gone, and if you want to get Dark, stop this new war, use Wan Shi Tong's scroll and go to the first Air Temple. Find Indra, and Dark will come to us. We will lure him into a trap, and with Dark returned to his prison, Ozai will not last. Neither will his army. Dark is the key to all of this. Vanquish him, and the rest will fall."
Aang wavered, voice catching. "I can't lose anyone else. I can't. I've lost too much already."
"You won't lose anyone else," Katara declared, looking at Zuko. "While you and Azula find Indra, Zuko and I will ride on Druk to find Toph, Bor, and Suki. Then we'll go to find Sokka, Mai, Ty Lee, and the Kyoshi Warriors. Hopefully, they never made it to wherever Ozai's at."
"And Samir?" Aang asked desperately. "Ursa?"
Azula immediately grabbed his shaking hand, voice reassuring; her belief was certain. "Once we trap Dark, we will be able to rescue them."
Aang was quiet for several moments. "I don't want to keep splitting up."
"It's the only way," Zuko said softly. "This is all we can do. And we have to accept it. You and Azula have your job, and Katara and I have ours. We're going to save everyone. We're going to get all of them back."
"And we'll stop Ozai and Vaatu," Aang murmured, nodding his head; his hand tightly squeezed hers. "We'll never be here again."
XxXxXxXxXxX
Sokka stared at Ursa in disbelief, feeling horrified. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "Do you know how long you were… captured?"
Having determined they had created enough distance between themselves and Fire Lord Ozai and Vaatu, they had slowed down, and while Sokka's arms were screaming in pain from carrying Hama's unconscious body for so long, he kept going and periodically chi-blocked her body, making sure there would be no surprises. He had no idea how she was still alive, but he knew that she was fading quickly. He just hoped that she'd somehow wake up so that they could get some answers to give to Aang.
To distract himself, and hopefully Haru from the fact that their friends and loved ones had been slaughtered by Fire Lord Ozai, he had begun to question Ursa how she and Samir had been captured.
"No," Ursa answered, voice sounding eerily similar to Azula's; Samir was asleep in her arms. Sokka couldn't blame her; she must have been exhausted and even traumatized. "I do not care. All I care about is returning to my children."
He nodded. "We knew the North had been attacked, but… we never imagined…"
Ursa nodded in turn. "Avatar Aang was moments away from saving us, but Hama froze him before he could reach us."
Sokka felt rage claw at his mind; he wanted to throw Hama's body down and just leave her to die, but his reason narrowly won out. "Toro was right; she is the bitch."
"Toro?"
"He was how we got into the camp. I tricked him."
"Well done, Master Sokka." Ursa stared at him with such gratefulness that it moved him; his eyes felt wet. "Thank you for rescuing us. And I am sorry for the losses you and Haru have suffered as a result."
The tears began to well, and he inhaled roughly, seeing Haru squeeze his eyes shut. "Mai and Ty Lee told me that I would live to make it back to see Suki, but they never said they would."
"What are you saying?" Haru immediately demanded, features raw and grief-filled; his eyes were distorted with fury. "You think they knew they were going to… to die?"
Sokka rapidly shook his head, realizing that Haru was unstable - rightly so. Right now, they were all a little unstable. "No, but if that prophecy came true for me, I wish they had mentioned that they'd make it back, too. Maybe… they wouldn't have died, then."
Haru's eyes looked like a Firebender's; it was disconcerting, especially when he stomped towards him. "They wouldn't have died if you hadn't been so stupid! You were so convinced that your Master was alive that you overlooked the signs! You failed to realize that it was Fire Lord Ozai the whole time!"
"Enough," Ursa hissed out, eyes dangerous. "I know you are grieving, but- "
"He's right," Sokka whispered, feeling choked up. The deaths of Mai, Ty Lee, and Koko and the Kyoshi Warriors were on his head. "It was all a lie that I couldn't see coming; it's my fault. My ass is beyond sore 'cause I was fucked so hard by Ozai's deception."
Ursa stopped walking and whirled to face both him and Haru, features drawn with deep anger and truth. "The fault is none but Ozai and Dark's. Their foul memory will not tear us apart. We cannot allow it. We need to lean on each other as we venture back to Ba Sing Se. We are not enemies. We are allies. Friends."
Haru swallowed thickly and looked at Sokka. "I'm sorry."
He nodded, understanding his eruption. "Me, too. We need rest. Based on what I remember, there should be a town up ahead. We'll rest there. We'll get a Doctor for Hama and see what they can do; hopefully, we'll get answers. We need them."
XxXxXxXxXxX
Bor looked up at Toph as he finished replacing the gauze and strips on her feet after cleaning them. "It's done. They're clean."
"No, they're not," she murmured, blind eyes staring at nothing. "They're fucked up. Sooner or later, they'll need to be… chopped off."
"Stop it," he said, grabbing her hands. "I can't imagine how hard it is for you, but we'll be able to heal your feet."
Toph's blind eyes slowly filled with angry tears, and Bor felt helpless. "How? We don't know where Aang and Katara are. We're alone. We're lucky that we were even able to get a room at the inn."
Stumbling into the town, the manager of the inn had shown mercy and offered them a room free of charge for several days, but Bor knew that if they were to stay, he would have to find a job to provide for Toph, Suki, and Jin. They were regrouping, trying to determine the best strategy, but since Suki was becoming more and more pregnant each day, and had been under such incredible stress in the past weeks, it looked like they were going to stay in the town, stay at the inn as long as they could.
Bor squeezed her hands gently. "We'll think of where they would be and send off as many messages as we can. They'll find us."
Toph's breathing was rough. "I'm not getting my hopes up."
"Why not?"
"Because then I won't get my heart broken when they won't get our message in time."
He closed his eyes, feeling frustrated at the entire situation, hatred for the Butcher surging through his body. "I'll have the hope for both of us, okay? Now, Suki and Jin should be back soon with the food they were able to pick up at that market. I'm going to go see if they need help carrying or anything, okay?"
"Just go," she whispered. "I want to be alone for a little bit."
Bor nodded and squeezed her hands one last time before leaving the room, shutting the door behind him.
His footsteps were heavy as he trudged through the hall, into the lobby, and out of the inn. Fresh air assaulted him and he stopped, breathing it in, remaining frozen for several long moments, mind racing and slowing - a terrible paradox.
He didn't know what to do. It hadn't turned out as he had thought, and he had to adjust, but yet, while they were stuck in this town, Avatar Aang was somewhere having to deal with Vaatu and Ozai. For all they knew, enemies loitered in the town, waiting for the opportune moment to strike.
The future didn't look good.
Bor returned to his slow pace as he walked towards the market, frustration and helplessness warring for control. He felt useless, like a failure. If he couldn't even make the most of this situation, couldn't rise above it, how could he possibly be King of Ba Sing Se? Emulate his grandfather and be as great a King as he was?
He was barely able to take care of three - no, five because Suki's pregnant - people. How could he take care of the most populated city in the Four Nations?
If the past was the best predictor of the future, he was going to fail as King.
Shaking his head, he turned the corner, near the market, and he looked up just in time to avoid running into another man.
"Sorry about that," he said, stepping back.
The man grunted, his long beard swaying in the air. "That's the second time in the past five minutes someone almost runs into me. At least you're a better sight than the woman that guy had been carrying."
Bor nodded, not really paying attention, beginning to crane his head to look for the forms of Jin and Suki. "Yeah. I know what you mean."
"You've been in war?"
"No."
"Didn't think so. You don't look old enough. I doubt you even had any hair on your ass when the Great War ended."
"It's spooky you know that," he muttered, not seeing Suki or Jin yet.
"I played a small role in the Great War, but no one remembers me. You know what they say, right?"
"Not really," he said, still craning his neck for Suki or Jin, wanting the guy to go away. Could he not see that? Maybe he was blind like Toph. "Probably something memorable."
"Behind those with the power, the ones that are remembered, there are a bunch of nameless faces that will always be forgotten. And I'm one of those nameless faces. I did what I could to help the Earth Kingdom, to destroy Fire, but no one will remember me."
Bor nodded again half-heartedly. "It's unfair, isn't it?"
"Exactly. And that woman that Water Tribe man was carrying will probably be forgotten, too."
He snapped his gaze and attention back to the man. "What did you say?"
"The guy who ran into me before you, he was from the Water Tribes it looked like. I think the woman, too, but she was injured bad."
Bor grabbed the man's arm, eyes desperate; frenzied hope bloomed inside. Was it Katara and Sokka? "Where'd they go?"
"They asked directions for the inn- "
He took off, dashing back towards the inn, mind focused on one thing. When he raced back into the lobby of the inn, he wildly looked around but saw no one. Cursing, he noticed that the manager wasn't at the desk, either.
Bor pivoted and ran down the hall, twisting and turning, looking for any signs of blood or something that would show him where the Water Tribe man and woman were, but before he could angrily shout, he collided with another man. They both fell to the floor, and Bor winced when he realized that it was the manager.
"Sorry about tha- " Bor cut himself off with a strangled gasp when he looked past the manager, for he was staring suddenly into Sokka's stupefied eyes. Behind Sokka, Dowager Fire Lady Ursa and Samir - Samir! - and another man who carried himself as an Earthbender stood.
"Bor?" Sokka breathed out, and Bor finally noticed the Water Tribe woman held in his arms.
Suddenly, the future looked a lot better.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Sokka had immediately thrown himself at his much-more-noticeably pregnant wife when he saw her.
It had been the third biggest shock of his life, randomly running into his wife, Bor, Toph, and the woman named Jin - third to after finding out that Piandao was actually Fire Lord Ozai and freeing Aang from the Iceberg and discovering he was The Avatar.
Crowded into the room in the inn, Sokka had learned of everything that had happened - both sides had. Tears were shed and vows sworn, but beneath it all, the happiness and relief of a reunion were ever-present.
Digesting the terrible news, one thing stood out to him above all others. "We're having twins?" he whispered, holding Suki against his chest tightly, his hands gently cupping her swollen stomach. "I- I thought… just one."
"We're safe because of Toph," his wife murmured, remorse permeating the air. "I was captured, but she and Bor surrendered to save me. And the Butcher scorched her feet with lava, stealing her vision."
Looking at Toph, how defeated she looked, a shell of the confident, boisterous woman he had always known, grief and unimaginable gratefulness filled him. "Thank you, Toph, for what you did for Suki. Because of you, my family's still here. How can I ever repay you?"
Toph's lips twitched into a familiar smirk, and he was so relieved to see it. "Let me name both your kids. Suki already promised me one."
Sokka didn't even have to think about it. "Done. What else?"
"Snoozles, I didn't do it because I wanted rewards or anything." Toph's milky eyes somehow stared right at him, and he stared back even though it was pointless. "I did it because… I love you guys. You're family to me. And that includes your spawn."
"What's spawn?" Samir suddenly asked, speaking for the first time since the ordeal with Fire Lord Ozai.
Sokka had been becoming very worried about her, but now that she was speaking, her gray eyes were clear, shining with curiosity. It was a mind-numbing relief.
"Toph is speaking of Master Sokka's children," Ursa answered calmly. "Suki is pregnant."
Samir blinked. "That's why she's big, right?"
Suki chuckled. "Yes, it is. How kind of you to notice."
"Thanks!" Samir beamed and curled into Ursa's side; it was something that Sokka had noticed. Ever since they had escaped Fire Lord Ozai, Samir had refused to be separated from Ursa. He didn't like to think about what that meant.
"Where there's death, there's always life," Bor stated softly, eyes distant. Sokka was still coming to terms with the fact that Bumi was dead; he didn't want to be there when Aang found out. "Even with all of this happening, all of this death and murder, loss of good friends, we have something to look forward to."
Sokka swallowed, feeling wetness in his eyes. "They're my heirs. One for the North and one for the South. Yue knew what she was doing."
Suki nodded, her head pleasantly scratching against his chest; he had missed her so much. "She did. We owe much to her."
"I wonder how the North is," he said, remembering the fact that Fire Lord Ozai had power over water, and he had secured it at the North. "I hope… I hope it's not gone. I hope Aang managed to ward off that invasion."
"I believe he did," Ursa commented, poised. "Avatar Aang and my children would ensure the North survived. As well as Lady Katara."
Sokka looked at her, desperate. "How was she - Katara? Was she okay the last time you saw her?"
Ursa's eyes softened. "Yes, she was, Master Sokka. She will be an excellent Fire Lady for my son; they will rule the Fire Nation with grace and order. They will help Avatar Aang ensure that no more wars will dominate the Four Nations."
Not really surprised at how far Katara and Zuko's relationship had progressed - and really, he was relieved that she was going to be with one of his friends, who he knew would always treat her right - Sokka nodded. Plus, she would be Fire Lady, and because of it, she'd be able to wield great influence with the people of the Fire Nation and the Fire Lord himself, who, as much as it pained him to admit it, was the most powerful of the Four Nations' leaders, second only to Aang.
"We're all going to help with that," Bor murmured, determination tangible. "Our group consists of the most powerful people in the Four Nations: The Avatar, the Fire Lord, Princess Azula, the Chief of the Water Tribes, the King of Ba Sing Se, the future Queen of Ba Sing Se who's also the first Metalbender, the Dowager Fire Lady, the future Fire Lady in Katara who's a powerful Waterbender, and the heir to Chyung's throne."
Jin, the widowed Noblewoman from Ba Sing Se who was apparently the cousin of Chyung's murdered King and thus the heir, looked up, startled. "King Bor, I do not- "
Bor waved her off. "I'll endorse you. And with Toph by my side, I won't feel forgiving at all towards any rebellions against you or me."
Toph grinned slightly, a vestige of her former self appearing as she punched her fist into her cupped palm, the sound loud. "Queen Tough, remember?"
Jin looked grateful. "Thank you, King Bor and… Queen Tough."
Sokka tried to conjure outrage that Bor had listed Azula before him, but he couldn't; he just felt relief that, when outlined like that, their chances suddenly looked so much better. "And not to mention, we can rely on Iroh back in the Fire Nation; he's The Dragon of the West. He's of Sozin's line."
"You have me," Samir protested, looking sullen. "I can help."
"You have helped more than you know," Ursa responded kindly. "You have given your father hope for the revival of his people. You are a piece of him that no one else will ever have."
Sokka raised his brows, realizing that she was right because Aang had literally given part of himself to Samir so that she could have airbending. At least, that's how he understood energybending worked. Maybe he was wrong.
Samir beamed. "I can't wait to see Daddy again. I miss him. And Mommy, too."
"I just want to end this war," Haru suddenly hissed out before anyone could respond to Samir, eyes squeezed shut. "I want it over."
"We all do," Jin said adamantly. "We have all lost much."
Sokka looked around, observing the faces of everyone, and realized that he had been the most blessed. He had lost nothing except friends; he still had his wife, children, and sister. Toph had lost her future father-in-law, and her vision since her feet were scorched. Bor had lost his grandfather, the man he adored and looked up to more than anyone. Jin had lost her husband and cousin. Haru had lost his father and all of the men in his village to who he had learned was the Butcher, and he had lost Ty Lee, his lover, to Fire Lord Ozai. Sokka was certain that Ursa, to spare Samir whatever agony she could, had given her body to her monster-husband. And he was sure Samir had lost most of her innocence.
"We'll rebuild," he declared softly, feeling the grief in his heart for everyone they had lost, and he was sure they would lose more before this new war with Fire Lord Ozai and Vaatu was over. "We have to. We'll rebuild the Four Nations in a way that will make sure this never happens again."
Bor nodded, but his gaze slid to the still unconscious Hama, who Sokka had nearly forgotten about; the Bloodbender was laid on one of the beds, chi still blocked, and just in case, tied with rope to the bedposts. "Will she help us rebuild, or will she seek to destroy?"
Sokka knew the answer. "Destroy. She's too far gone. She saved us, but it wasn't out of the goodness of her heart; it was to get vengeance on Ozai. It was for personal gain."
Toph's fingers jammed into the ground, harshly probing for vibrations. "I can't believe it's her. It is her, but… she's different. The vibrations are hard to feel, but what I can feel, they're more… vibrant than how she felt a decade ago even though she's also really hurt. I don't know how she's alive."
"It's because she's at least forty or fifty years younger," he said, still in disbelief how it was possible. He knew it was Vaatu, but he had no idea how. "She's not that really old woman she was back in the Great War; she looks like Ursa's age now."
"Doesn't really help me, Snoozles."
He winced. "Sorry. But she's a lot younger. And I only know that Dark had something to do with it, but I don't know how he made her so much younger. It's insane. And she's alive because she's stubborn."
Ursa fingers gently wrapped around Samir's small hand. "We owe our liberation, our very lives to Hama. She joined Ozai freely, but it was a deception; she knew not who bedded her."
Sokka nearly gagged.
"What are you saying?" Suki finally asked, and Sokka inherently knew that her amazing eyes were narrowed. "You wish to give Hama her freedom? I guarantee she will attack us; she will kill without hesitation."
"Of which I am aware," Ursa replied. "However, we are beholden to her, whether we like it or not. Samir will see her parents again just as I will my children. Master Sokka returned to you due to her interference."
Haru tensed, and Sokka prepared for an eruption but all that happened was a shutting of the eyes. "But she couldn't save Ty Lee or Mai or Koko and the Kyoshi Warriors."
Suki stiffened against him, and Sokka squeezed her gently, trying not to remember his friends' last moments. "I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault," she whispered.
"It's hers," Haru responded for him, pointing at the unconscious Hama. "And Ozai's. And Dark's. Speaking of, how do we know that this isn't a ploy by Ozai? Maybe he knew we'd take her with us."
Sokka raised his brows, knowing that he had to play it carefully. Haru was irrational, filled with grief. "I don't think Ozai would have Hama kill all of his men, all of the soldiers he had at that camp just so he could get a spy in our ranks."
Haru deflated, but his eyes remained piercing. "But I still don't trust her."
"Don't worry about that," he assured. "None of us trust her. She's only still with us because she has information that she can give Aang."
Toph's face pinched. "What if she tries to use her bloodbending? She'll kill all of us. And Aang and Katara aren't here to stop her."
Sokka tried not to glance at Haru. "Ty Lee taught me chi-blocking. I'm keeping Hama's chi blocked at all times."
Jin leaned forward. "You said she's a… Bloodbender?"
"She's the most dangerous non-Avatar Waterbender in the world," he informed. "Even more dangerous than my sister. Because she'll use bloodbending without caring for consequences or anything. She can control the blood in your body; it's terrifying. She's done it to me before."
"And me," Toph added, shivering. "She's a total bitch."
"That's for sure," Sokka muttered. "The men at Ozai's camp were calling her the bitch. And they were right. But she's powerful. She was able to hold back the merged Dark and Ozai. It was incredible. I thought for sure he would immediately break free, but he didn't. She was injured; it was that energy blast that nearly disintegrated her. That led to her passing out."
"My husband is not Avatar Aang," Ursa cut in, voice certain. "I witnessed Hama hold both my husband and Avatar Aang in her bloodbending grip. She was only capable of holding Avatar Aang for mere moments at full health. I assure you, if the pain in her weakened body had not overwhelmed her, she could have held my husband longer and, I am certain, killed him."
Toph groaned. "That would have been so nice."
"Definitely," Bor breathed out, frustration on his face. Sokka couldn't blame him because he felt the same way. "This new war could have already been finished!"
"It will be finished," Ursa reminded. "It is inevitable. Ozai is inferior to Avatar Aang. Dark's power, I believe, is still incomplete. The only reason my husband survived was Dark's untimely manifestation."
Sokka sighed. "That's something we can tell Aang when we find him."
Bor leaned forward, a hand on Toph's arm, squeezing softly. "Speaking of Avatar Aang, do you have any ideas as to where he is?"
"I don't know," he answered honestly. "We knew he was going to the Sun Warrior Ruins, and then we assumed he went to the North, but… then we thought he'd be at Ba Sing Se by the time we got back from our mission. I don't know where he could be."
"He may have ventured to the Fire Nation to meet with Iroh," Ursa mused. "Zuko might have wished to see how our nation is faring with the plague."
"It's possible, but… we just don't know."
Toph looked down in defeat, and Bor shook his head. "That's not good enough. We need to heal Toph's feet."
Sokka understood and then froze in realization, an idea coming to him. "Hama…"
"No," Toph growled out. "Not happening, Snoozles. I'd rather kill her than have her touch my feet. And we're not splitting up again. We need to stick together. Besides, you said it looks like she's about to croak any moment."
"We're not losing anyone else," Haru vowed. "We've lost too much."
"And my… feet are a small price to pay if it means that all of us survive. That your spawn and Suki stay alive."
Sokka felt overwhelmed, knowing how crucial Toph's feet were to her; tears were in his eyes, but his voice was clear. "Here's what we'll do. We'll stay here for a few days, rest up and recuperate, but then we're traveling again. All of us together. I've still got some money, and I'll buy an ostrich horse that Toph and Suki can alternate- "
Toph blindly waved her hand at him. "Give it to Suki."
"Alright," he conceded, not trying to fight her on it. "I'll buy an ostrich horse for Suki, and then I'll buy us a few more rooms, too. Because while we're resting, I'm gonna get a Doctor to look at Hama, see what they can do. Maybe he could check on you, too, Toph."
"Wouldn't do any good."
Again, Sokka didn't try to fight her on it. "Then Bor, Haru, and I can take turns carrying you and maybe Hama, depending if she's still alive when we leave."
Haru finally cracked a smile. "This isn't going to go well."
"Don't care. We're together and that's what matters. We need Hama, no matter how much I just want to leave her here to die."
"I believe this is our best course of action," Ursa commented, nodding her head. "Avatar Aang's Sky Bison- "
"Appa!" Samir supplied, gray eyes brightening. "We're gonna see Mommy and Daddy?"
Sokka stared at her gray eyes, hopeful. "We're gonna try. And we'll keep an eye out for Appa, Ursa. Maybe we'll get lucky."
Samir beamed. "I miss Appa. And what about Druk?"
"What's a druk?" he asked, incredulous.
Ursa smiled kindly. "I suppose I did forget to mention that my son bonded with the newest Dragon in existence - a male whom my son named Druk."
Sokka blinked before laughing. "Well, now Appa won't get tired from hauling our fat ass- our fat butts everywhere."
Suki's neck craned back, and she found his gaze, amused. "Nice save."
"I'll be a father soon," he said simply. "I figured I should try to clean up my language."
Ursa eyes crinkled with warmth. "I commend you, Master Sokka."
"I ain't doing that," Toph assured, crossing her arms. "My kids will teach all your kids the dirtiest jokes and words."
Bor shrugged. "That's how I was. Grandfather was very… blunt."
Sokka nodded in agreement; that sounded like Bumi. "Just don't tell 'em to Katara's kids. She'll have a fit. She always got onto me when we were kids."
"My son is very capable of speaking crassly," Ursa informed, looking displeased and amused at the same time. "It forces me to wonder why Katara tolerates his language. I have heard him speak crassly in front of her."
"Must be love," Suki responded easily. "Why else would we do anything?"
"The hanky-panky," Toph answered, confident with a huge grin on her face. "That's pretty motivating. Right, Bor?"
Sokka snickered at the slightly surprised expression on Bor's face. "Yeah… I've heard of guys traveling to different cities just to get some- "
Ursa cut in smoothly. "I believe Samir has a question."
Looking at Samir, Sokka noted that she looked desperate, eyes wide. "What is it?" he asked.
"What about Mommy and Daddy?" she asked, panicked. "What about Appa and Druk? And Aunt Katara and Uncle Zuzu?"
"We will search the skies for them," Ursa affirmed with determination.
Looking at everyone's faces, feeling Suki in his arms, Sokka nodded, resolute. "I think we're due for some luck."
XxXxXxXxXxX
The wind was rough as Aang urged Appa to fly faster, and Azula remained worried by her husband's state of mind. He had yet to say a word since their departure from Ba Sing Se and Zuko and Katara. She had watched him, feeling something inside of her twist when tears streaked off his face, flicking into the rushing wind, lost forever until they made contact with the earth.
He had spilled so many tears, she had had the thought that somewhere, it was thought to be raining.
But now, his tears had dried; he could cry no more. His head was buried in Wan Shi Tong's scroll, silent. Not even Appa produced sounds, knowing of the solemn atmosphere.
Azula decided to act. "What does the scroll say?"
Aang's eyes flickered up to meet hers; they were still piercing and stormy. "It's in the Earth Kingdom on an island. Before Avatar Kirku built the four Air Temples, my people all lived in this single Temple - the first Air Temple. But they were discovered by the Earth Kingdom, which the island was part of, and the Earth Kingdom wasn't happy about it because they assumed they were going to be conquered."
She remembered, nodding her head. "For Earth and Water were still living together. With the inclusion of Air, Earth was outnumbered."
"My people went to Avatar Kirku, who built then the four Air Temples. But while Kirku was gone, the Earth Kingdom was so frightened about the possibility of being conquered that they attacked Water, nearly driving them into extinction. That's when Kirku brought what remained of his people to the Northern Water Tribe - and he built that, too."
"He was a remarkable builder," she observed. "Do you have that talent?"
"Only through The Avatar State."
"How far to this Temple?"
"It shouldn't be too much longer. It's near the Cave of Two Lovers. I don't know how I missed seeing it the first time. It's not easy to miss seeing an Air Temple."
Azula pursed her lips. "Which does not allow us much time to converse."
Aang stiffened; his gray eyes flashed. "I'm not talking about Bumi. I failed. That's what happened."
"You may be The Avatar- "
"But I can't be everywhere at once, I know," her husband snapped, closing Wan Shi Tong's scroll, aggression highlighted in his movements. "I'm not all-knowing. But I should have known. It was Bumi. My… my friend." His face wavered, a devastation in his eyes that no tears could ever wash away, and Azula felt her features soften, debating inwardly her course of action. "I should have felt something. But I never did. And Bumi died because of it."
She reached forward and was relieved when he did not pull away from her touch. "That is how us mortals feel - limited."
"And I'm mortal, too."
Azula smiled sadly. "Yes. Even prodigies are limited. In some ways, we are more limited than others, for when faced with hardship, it is unfamiliar and foreign. We do not possess the skills necessary to endure it and triumph."
Aang inhaled raggedly. "I've thought a lot about death. Those close to The Avatar are always at risk. This whole new war has proven I have enemies, and those enemies will attack those close to me to get at me. To harm me. To wound me." He suddenly clasped her hand with his, grip strong as steel; his breathing increased. "Like how Vaatu tried to… to kill you in the Spirit World."
"Yet I still exist," she reminded, the pain in her hand expanding, but she endured it.
"But Bumi doesn't!" Aang cried out, jaw fraught with terrible tension; his face spasmed with contradictions, eyes teeming with chaos. "All the times, in my fear, when I've imagined my loved ones dying, it was always everyone else."
Azula frowned, and she could not determine if it was a reaction to his words or the pain in her hand from the strength of his grip. "Meaning?"
The tears came, spilling down onto their joined hands, and Aang's face scrunched with raw devastation. "I never imagined… Bumi dying. It never occurred to me. Never crossed my mind. Him and Appa were… they were…"
"They are your past," she finished softly in understanding. "They are integral to who you once were - and are. The past is how you determine who you are by cultivating your memories."
"Yes. But now, it's only Appa." Her hand began to feel unbearable under the strength of his grip, but she allowed him to continue to speak. "I've wept so much for, not just Bumi, but my people that I- … Sometimes I feel like they would come back because I've wept for them so much. But they're still gone. And Bumi still died." Aang's other hand reached up and scratched roughly the stubble on his face, psyching himself up. "When I went to the palace, I saw the destroyed throne room. I saw where Bumi died, and… I kept crying. But no matter how much I wept for him, he didn't come back." The pain in his voice moved her, and Azula wished to comfort him, but she knew listening, letting him expunge everything he was feeling, was best. "No one does. Death comes for everyone, and not even The Avatar can stop it. I know that better than anyone - because everyone I've ever loved has been taken from me or will be taken."
"That is the affliction of mortality," Azula said. "It is the burden we all share."
"I'm powerless against it. Deep down, I always knew that. My people were consumed by death because of Sozin. I know that truth. But for some reason… I thought Bumi would always be here. I thought… I thought- … The Great War couldn't kill him, nor all of the losses he suffered. I thought he was invincible. I thought I'd always have him." He inhaled roughly, voice shaking. "I thought he'd beat Chin V's invasion."
"He did," Azula swore in a fierce murmur, trying to generate enough strength in her fingers to squeeze his hand, but Aang's sheer grip on her hand overwhelmed whatever bits of pitiful strength she could conjure in comparison. "Toph, Bor, and Suki are still living - where, we have yet to discern. Ba Sing Se still lives. The Upper Ring will be rebuilt and new Nobles will arise."
"But it was at the cost of Bumi's life."
"That is what a worthy King is willing to risk." She could not bear it any longer, so she pulled her hand out of Aang's, feeling the blood rush back into the affected areas. "And King Bumi was most worthy, Aang. I saw it. And you did, as well."
Aang stared at her hand. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize I was hurting you."
She waved him off. "I will be fine, but will you? Will you be able to reason going forward? Or will you act with a grieving heart?"
He was quiet for several moments, staring at her. "I don't know. But I have to do something. I'm finishing this war."
"I believe you," Azula swore. "We will be victorious, and you will survive. But your actions determine who survives with you."
"What are you talking about?"
"If you act rashly, you are The Avatar, so you will be unaffected. But everyone else, they will suffer, both allies and enemies. You cannot act rashly, for your decisions affect the course of events, affect the very future of the Four Nations. You must reason instead of feel."
Aang's jaw clenched. "I'm too raw. I don't think I can do that right now."
"You can. I firmly believe that."
"Why?"
"You have lost more than anyone, but you are still standing. Your strength is remarkable. Extraordinary."
Irritation swept across his face. "I'm The Avatar."
Azula shook her head, realizing that his humble nature would never accept the truth of his prowess. "That is not the reason," she observed, lips pulling into a proud smile; her husband's fortitude surpassed anyone through history. She knew. She knew! "You are also Aang, remember? Not just The Avatar. It is Aang's strength that allows you to persevere. It is you. Could Roku have borne your burden? Kyoshi? Kuruk? Yangchen? Kirku? I would wager all of the riches in the Fire Nation that they could not, that no Avatar before you could. But you can, for you are Aang. You can reason when all you want to do is feel."
Aang stayed quiet for several moments, not looking at her. "I don't want to," he whispered finally. "But I must reason. Because I'm The Avatar, too."
"Yes."
"I wish none of this had happened to me, to us," Aang admitted softly, looking back at her. "I wish it happened in another Avatar's reign. In another time. If I could have written my story, my life, my fate, I would have never written this. I wish Roku or Kuruk or Yangchen and I could have switched. I never wanted this. I wish it had happened to someone else."
"You desire many things," she observed with sympathy, watching him; he was all that mattered.
"I shouldn't, but… I have all this power," Aang whispered, eyes rooted now on the horizon, voice seeming to come from far away; his words drifted over and through her like clouds themselves. "You've said it yourself - I have supreme power. But it changes nothing. This is still my life. Bumi still died, and even if I wish everything had happened to a different Avatar, I can't make it be that way. I'm powerless."
"I feel the same, but we can handle it. We are not vessels of mediocrity; we are extraordinary. We have the strength and inner fortitude to triumph when no others can." Azula leaned forward and pulled Aang's larger hands into her own, desperate for him to understand, to see; she needed him to! "We have suffered in our lives; it is part of our journey. It took me a long time to see it, but I was afforded much time to think in my cell, however disordered my rationale was."
Aang finally looked back at her, squeezing her hands, drawing strength from her; she could feel it. "To see what?"
"That suffering is integral to humanity; it is embedded within all of us, just as our senses. We can experience the world through suffering, however hard it is to accept, and it cannot be ignored."
He scoffed, looking disgusted. "I'm tired of suffering. I feel raw. And so tired."
Azula nodded. "I know. I know. Everything you feel, the depths of despair and the fury of helplessness, I feel - to a lesser degree, I am certain, but I still understand. But listen," she urged. "Listen, Aang. When this is all over, our suffering will have been the spark that vanquishes my father and Dark." Azula felt his fingers, felt the strength in them, and she tried to assure him through explanation. "I think we crave suffering, for why else did I walk the path I did during the Great War?"
Aang's eyebrows furrowed. "What?"
Azula smiled serenely; she had found her peace. "I was a foolish girl, yes, but living under Ozai was a life of suffering. He was a monster. I could have rebelled, challenged him as I knew he was a monster, but I never did."
"You feared him," her husband pointed out. "That's why."
"I could have risen above it, drew on the strength of Sozin inside me," she retorted. "I could have conquered it, but I never did."
"If you fought him, he would have killed you."
"Then I could have escaped. It was within my capability. But I never did. I stayed. Why?"
"You wanted his love."
"Foolishly so," Azula dismissed. "I knew he would never bestow on me the love I desired. I knew, but I persisted. Why?"
Aang stared at her for several moments, stormy eyes roaming her face. "I don't know."
"For, I think, deep down, I recognized that I needed to suffer, to experience all of the horrors I did. For all of my suffering has made my joy more fulfilling." Azula smiled, serenity washing away, however briefly, her helplessness over everything - Samir and her mother, this entire new war, Aang's despair, King Bumi's death. "And I do know joy now due to you and Samir. And Zuzu and my mother. I have felt it, experienced it. And it was augmented due to the suffering I have endured. It makes living possible; it motivates us. Suffering gives our lives meaning. Not because it is satisfying in any way, but it allows us to recognize, in contrast, the beauty and joy when they are present, when we are content. Only through suffering do we know what is truly valuable and meaningful." Azula stared back at him, locking her eyes with his own, willing his reason to digest what she was saying. "We will defeat my father and Dark, and we will suffer to do so. We already have, and that will continue, but it will lead to a life teeming with possibilities. It will lead to the revival of the Air Nomads through me. And knowing of the hardships and suffering we have endured to reach that destiny will make our success and victory all the more fulfilling and grand."
Silence.
"You're right," Aang whispered; his grateful eyes possessed a lucidness that had been missing since they had learned of King Bumi's death. "You're amazing. I don't know what I'd do without you."
"Spend all of your time with Appa and Momo," she responded, amused.
Momo chattered in agreement as Aang sighed. "Probably. But before we all separated, I was finally at peace with everyone. With Sokka, Toph, Katara, and Suki. I'm not angry at them anymore."
Azula nodded, a truth escaping her lips. "It had felt… nice to speak with Mai and Ty Lee. I understand why they betrayed me. It took me a long time to see it - a decade - but I understand now. They chose to do what was right; it overwhelmed whatever compulsion they felt to be loyal to me. I am relieved they did."
"Why?"
"Zuzu would be dead. And so would Sokka and Suki, and those others. As a child, I often imagined my life without Zuzu in it, but now I find such a reality unacceptable."
"It will always be unacceptable," Aang swore. "We're not losing anyone else."
Azula hoped he was right.
XxXxXxXxXxX
"Do you think Aang will be alright?" Katara asked behind him, barely heard in the wind, but he heard. "I'm worried about him."
"Me too," he called back, turning his body so they could communicate more clearly. "Aang was close to King Bumi; it was that connection to the past."
"Bumi was alive when Aang went into the Iceberg, and then he was there when Aang got out of it," Katara said, disbelief in her voice. "I know he was old, but… I kind of thought he'd live a long time like Sozin."
Zuko nodded, his hair whipping in the wind; Katara's was doing the same. "Everyone dies. Even Avatars. But I thought the same. There were legends of King Bumi during the Great War; he was older than my grandfather, and Azulon feared King Bumi the most out of anyone save for The Avatar."
Katara's eyes widened. "Really?"
"Yes. King Bumi was the strongest Earthbender in the world. When the Great War began, they say he trained for days at a time, never stopping until his strength was premier. I guess it was his grief about Aang's seeming death and the Air Nomad Genocide. It fueled him to become the best. During my grandfather's reign, at his peak, King Bumi tossed a small mountain on one of our legions."
"That's what Lao said in that meeting."
Zuko remembered back to all of those months ago. Had it really been that long ago? Over a year ago? "You're right. And my grandfather was enraged when he heard about it. Uncle told me about it once. He said that Azulon created his Great Gates for that specific reason - to ward off a potential invasion spearheaded by King Bumi."
"It says a lot for someone to be feared by a Fire Lord. I think that tells me how strong Bumi was more than watching him in action."
"I thought he'd be around for most of my reign as Fire Lord," Zuko admitted. "But I think Bor will make a worthy King, a worthy successor to his grandfather."
"And Toph will be his Queen," Katara said, amazed. "I never saw Toph wanting to stay in a palace."
Zuko snorted. "Something tells me that Toph will be quite revolutionary when it comes to how Queens should act. She'll be a great Queen, though. She and Bor will make sure Ba Sing Se recovers from Chin V's invasion; they'll provide stability like King Bumi had."
Katara's face twisted. "Speaking of Toph, do you think flying around on Druk is the best way to find her, Bor, and Suki? What if they can't see us? Druk isn't a full-grown Dragon."
He almost laughed when he felt Druk's displeasure through their bond, but narrowly held it in, recognizing that Katara was worried. "Knowing them, they'd be in the Colonies by now. The Colonies are huge, but if nothing happens, if we don't see any signs of- "
"What would be a sign?"
"Something like seeing the terrain all fucked up. Maybe mountains cracked in half or something."
Katara rolled her eyes. "Fine. And if we don't see those oh-so-realistic signs?"
"Then we'll fly from town-to-town, asking around if they've seen a blind woman, a pregnant woman, and a man traveling together."
"I guess that's the best plan we have."
"We'll find them," Zuko vowed. "This is our job. And we're going to make sure we complete it."
"I believe you."
XxXxXxXxXxX
The Doctor's prognosis on Hama had not been good. Miraculously, she was somehow still alive, which the Doctor said was her will to survive. Remembering how Hama survived in those Fire Nation prisons during the Great War, Sokka reckoned her will to survive was insane - which was how she clung to the narrow wisps of life left inside her. But ultimately, as the Doctor said, those wisps would fade soon and Hama was going to die. The Doctor had done what he could, cleaned the wounds and stitched her up, but there was nothing they could do, and they couldn't wake her to talk to her, either.
Toph had refused to be looked at by the Doctor, so after paying the man, Sokka had chi-blocked Hama again just in case - he wasn't taking any chances! - and after that, left the inn with Bor and Haru, walking through the village, wanting to talk about their plan more in-depth.
"I don't think Hama will last past the day after tomorrow," he said in consideration. "I think we'll stay until she dies. We'll… bury her, and then we'll leave."
Haru nodded. "We do owe her."
"Yeah. So, what do you really think about our plan?" Sokka asked. "I didn't want to ask in front of everyone else because Suki, Toph, and Samir all seemed so hopeful."
Bor sighed, and Sokka noticed more than ever before the resemblance between grandfather and grandson. "The past two weeks have been rough. Toph had been slipping further and further into herself. Now, since we thankfully ran into you guys, she's acting more like herself. She'll never admit it, but she's hopeful again. I know she is."
"And you?"
"I'm still hopeful, but I'm worried that we'll run into some of Ozai's people. Because the odds of that happening are so much greater than the odds of us running into you guys. Since we ran into you guys, I'm prepared to run into Ozai's people."
Sokka nodded, trying not to remember what Fire Lord Ozai had done to his group. "I know. But I don't think we can stay in one location. It's better to keep moving."
"Where's the destination?" Haru questioned tiredly, rubbing his eyes; he hadn't slept in days. Sokka wasn't much better, and it looked like Bor wasn't, either. "Where are we going? We have to decide. We can't just… wander around the Colonies, hoping for the best."
He pulled out his boomerang and rubbed his fingers over the smooth metal. "Do you think Ba Sing Se?"
Bor's head snapped to face him, gaze intense and penetrating. "What? Why would we go back there?"
Sokka held the boomerang out innocently, ducking his head slightly. "I know, but is it possible that Aang would be in Ba Sing Se? That he thinks that's the best place to meet back up because that's the last place we were all together?"
"It's possible," Bor admitted, but he didn't look convinced at all. "I think it's much more likely that Ba Sing Se's overrun with the Butcher's men. I think it's more likely that I won't have a city to return to when I become King after all of this over."
"You haven't heard anything about what's happened to Ba Sing Se?" Haru asked, shocked. "Haven't you been passing through towns?"
"Only when necessary," Bor countered, sheepish. "I was so nervous about the Butcher's men tracking us that we mostly stayed in the woods."
Sokka stared at Bor, something twisting inside. "You forced my pregnant-with-twins wife to walk through forests?"
"I didn't say it was right. I wasn't thinking clearly. Which, believe me, your wife made clear eventually. The only thing I know about Ba Sing Se is that it stopped burning. But I don't know if it stopped because there was nothing left to burn."
"You made Suki keep walking?"
Bor looked away. "I know. I was… kind of hysterical."
Sokka grit his teeth, anger and protectiveness thrashing in his mind. "And you don't think that made Suki hysterical?" he demanded, throwing his arms in the air, feeling hysterical himself. "You're lucky she- "
"I know!" Bor snapped, eyes narrowed. "Okay? I know. It was stupid- "
"That's not even half of it!"
"- but Suki's fine, now. She's a tough woman; she didn't lose the babies."
Sokka's eyes bulged from their sockets, fists clenching. "You motherfucking son of a bitch."
Bor smiled thinly. "Whore, actually."
"What?"
"I'm the son of a whore. My father sired me through a whore."
Sokka blinked before rapidly shaking his head. "Whatever. But don't think- "
Haru groaned, rubbing creases under his eyes. "Would you two shut the fuck up? We've all been better, but we're still breathing. And Suki's fine. I know you were going out of your mind about her while we were traveling, Sokka, but now that you've seen her, held her, and from what it sounded like last night, had sex with her, you know that she's fine. You have nothing to worry about."
He kicked his feet against the ground. "Yeah," he muttered sullenly. "Sorry, Bor."
A smile cracked Bor's face. "And I'm sorry about dragging Suki through the woods, but she's fine. You married one tough woman."
"I did," he agreed, grinning. "And I'm gonna have twins! Can you believe it?"
Bor nodded. "I've told Suki congratulations because I was there when Toph revealed that it was twins, but I haven't told you. Congratulations."
"Congratulations," Haru said, a small, sad smile on his face. "I know… I know Ty Lee would be so happy for you and Suki."
Sokka placed a hand on Haru's shoulder. "Thanks. And I know I've said it before, but I'm sorry for what happened. That I fucked it all up. I can't help but… but feel like my happiness has come at the cost of yours. I got to return to my family, to my wife, but… you didn't get to return with Ty Lee."
Haru's eyes watered. "She'd be happy that we're all together. That we've survived. And I know I'm looking forward to seeing what names Toph picks out for your twins."
Bor chuckled slightly. "Toph's into the whole naming thing. She's wanting to change her own name when she becomes Queen; she'll be Queen Tough."
Sokka blinked, removing his hand from Haru's shoulder. "She's serious about that? Like from that play on Ember Island?"
"That's what she said. But that's not all. For the twins, she's got a lot of names that she says will be memorable."
He faltered. "Bor, please don't let her name my twins something horrible."
Bor shrugged. "What makes you think she'd listen to me?"
"She loves you!"
"Apparently, from how she describes it, I actually grew on her like a fungus."
He sputtered. "Bu- but couldn't you- "
"Whatever she names them, I already told her that they'd need to be Water Tribe names," Bor cut in, eyes serious. "I know they're your heirs. And she knows, too. She won't give them Earth Kingdom names. That wouldn't bode well for your relations with your people. They'll be good Water Tribe names, okay? Toph understands."
Sokka sagged in relief. "Thank you, you amazing man. Toph's lucky she got you. You'll be a great King."
Bor smiled slightly. "With her by my side and the memory of Grandfather guiding me, I think so."
"The memories of everyone we've lost will guide us going forward," Haru stated, eyes far away. "We won't forget them."
"No, we won't," he agreed, voice quiet. "They'll give us the push to finish this war. And if I know Aang, Bumi's death will hit him hard. It will motivate him even more."
Bor flinched, pale. "Toph said that Avatar Aang wouldn't blame me, but- "
"Aang won't blame you, Bor," Sokka interrupted, resolute. "He won't. When he finds out, if he doesn't know already, he'll blame Ozai and Dark. And the Butcher guy."
"How'd they do it?" Haru suddenly wondered, and Sokka and Bor turned to him, confused. "They've made so much progress. They have three elements. They're close to becoming their own Avatar. It's scary."
"It is," he agreed. "We don't have all the facts, but it sounds like it was a pincer movement. They'd attack Ba Sing Se and the North at the same time, knowing that Aang could only focus on one. And he chose the North because he had no idea about Ba Sing Se, and they still somehow got Water in their arsenal. I don't know how they plan to get Air to complete it, but… I don't think Aang will let it come to that."
"As Grandfather would say, Avatar Aang will kick Ozai's hairy ass," Bor declared. "Aang has the strength and knowledge of lifetimes past. Ozai's just a pretender."
"He's a damn good pretender," Sokka muttered, remembering fighting against the monster. Even with just water, he had been deadly. Then when Vaatu had returned, they would have all died; it had been horrifying, the realization that he was about to die and never see Suki again. But Hama had saved their lives. "He's powerful. And when I say that, I mean he's terrifying."
"Not more so than Avatar Aang."
"I agree with that," he acknowledged. "But the difference between Aang and them is that they're cunning. Mentally, they'll go places that Aang can't even imagine. Like, evil places. That's how they've stayed ahead this whole time."
Haru suddenly stiffened, eyes panicked. "Wait. What if Dark and Ozai already have Air? I mean, we only got into the camp and encountered Ozai because Dark was in the Spirit World, remember? Why was he in the Spirit World? What if he secured power over Air? What if that's the reason? You told me that Aang doesn't know where the Air Spirit is, but that she could potentially be in the Spirit World. What if Dark corrupted her, too, and secured Air to augment his power?"
Sokka was deprived of words, so furious and terrified at the thought that, to distract himself, he flung his boomerang into the air as far and hard as he could, watching it streak high into the sky, reaching its apex-
Suddenly narrowing his eyes, Sokka stared, riveted by what looked like a bird, but he wouldn't be able to see a bird from this distance. Whatever it was, it was a lot bigger than a bird.
"Hey. Do you see that?" he demanded, pointing at it. "Look where I'm- … Do you see it, too?"
Bor frowned, peering at the creature. "What is that? Do you think it has something to do with Dark?"
He abruptly, sharply inhaled. "Do you think it's… a Dragon?"
Haru's eyes widened. "You think…?"
Sokka was about to speak but then he heard the whizzing sound of his boomerang returning; he reached out and caught it before it took his head off. "I've never seen one, but… that looks like how Aang and Zuko described them at the Western Air Temple. It's a lot bigger than any bird."
"Grandfather told me stories about the Dragons," Bor murmured, grief in his voice, but his neck was craned as he looked at what they suspected was a Dragon. "That looks smaller than what he described."
"What else could it be?" Sokka demanded, excitement bursting in his mind. "Maybe it's one of the Sun Warriors! They might know where Aang is!"
"But if it's one of the Sun Warriors, what if Dark got to them?" Haru asked. "What if we're just inviting more death to befall us?"
He paused. "You're right, but… we gotta take a chance. Quick! Both of you, heave boulders into the sky as far as you can. Make it rain boulders!" Sokka motioned for them to follow him; they dashed towards the woods outside of the town, footsteps pounding against soil. "That'll get their attention. They'll come to check it out. We'll be hiding and go from there. If they work for Dark, we'll ambush them and kill them."
Bor's jaw jerked as he crouched down, prepared. "I don't feel like being eaten by a Dragon."
"I'm willing to risk it," he said bluntly. "Are you guys?"
Haru launched a boulder into the sky.
Bor sighed. "Guess that answers it." He followed Haru's lead, and Sokka stared into the sky, praying that the Sun Warrior on what he hoped was a Dragon saw the boulders.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Zuko saw movement out of the corner of his eye and turned his head, dumbfounded when, in the distance, far away from them, he saw what looked like a boulder falling back to the earth.
Katara, who had followed his line of sight, gasped. "What was that?"
"A boulder," he answered, shocked, watching as other boulders sailed into the air. The brief thought that someone working for Vaatu and his father had found them crossed his mind, but the boulders weren't sailing towards them. They were just launched straight into the air and then fell back down to the earth.
What was going on?
"We need to check it out," Katara said urgently. "Someone could be signaling us for help! Maybe Ozai's down there!"
Zuko stiffened. "If my father's down there, we're both dead if we leave the sky."
"It was wishful thinking!"
"You want to face my father?"
"I meant that Ozai or someone working for him could be attacking innocent people!" Katara's eyes widened in realization. "It could be Toph! She can't see us, so that's why the boulders are so far away! Someone's pointing and telling her where to shoot the boulders, but because of the distance- "
Hope stirred in his heart, and Zuko directed Druk toward the ground, from where it looked like the boulders originated. "Come on, Druk. Be ready! If someone attacks us, you eat them, okay?"
Druk's agreement reached him through their bond, signifying that if it was an enemy, he, Katara, and Druk wouldn't go down without a fight.
"That goes for you, too!" he called out to Katara as they zoomed towards the ground, the wind painful in his face. "Have water ready to bend just in case!"
When they reached the ground, dust covered the grass and trees from the broken boulders, but there was no one there.
"It's a trick," Zuko hissed out, looking around, senses sharp, prepared for an attack. "We need to leave!"
"I've got water here- "
"Katara!" A familiar voice suddenly screamed, and Zuko whirled around, astonished and frozen in place, for Sokka - Sokka! - was running towards them, Bor and another man with a mustache following him, such mind-numbing hope on their faces.
Was that Haru?
Zuko reacted finally, laughing in amazement as he felt wetness appear in his good eye. Things were looking up.
They had found their friends.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Aang understood how he had missed seeing the first Air Temple all of those years ago. Above in the sky, the island looked like nothing, like any other island. It wasn't until he had landed that he had immediately been bombarded with all of the vibrations through his earthbending.
The first Air Temple was built like the Western Air Temple; it must have been from where Kirku had received the idea.
Now, as he, Azula, Appa, and Momo walked around, he was struck by how different this Temple was when compared to the Temples he was used to. It was basic, almost childish in its simplicity. It was nothing like the other Air Temples that Kirku had built. Where Kirku's Air Temples were majestic, the first Air Temple was modest, overgrown with thousands of years worth of soil and grass and weeds, which Azula set alight with her sapphire flames to clear a pathway. There were no statues or magnificent murals; it was bare, barren of anything approaching life. No signs of anyone having ever lived in it.
"A mediocre Earthbender must have helped build this Temple," Azula murmured next to him. "The Air Nomads could not have built it themselves."
"I know."
"And this was not my expectation. I anticipated… beauty."
"Nothing's going as we expected," he responded softly.
Bumi.
Aang shook his head rapidly; he couldn't think about his friend, not now. He would be overwhelmed and he couldn't act rashly and emotionally.
To keep Azula from noticing his actions, he quipped, "Your beauty alone makes the place glow."
Azula glanced at him, unimpressed. He clearly hadn't fooled her, but she thankfully didn't call him out on it. "While you speak the truth, flattery does not aid us."
He nodded, observing their surroundings in disbelief. "You're right. I just can't believe it. Can't see it."
"See what?"
"I can't see how my people lived here," he confessed, kicking his foot against the ground. "It's so different. So foreign to what I know of my culture. I can see vestiges. I see the roots, not the trees."
"The Air Nomads evolved in their teachings and lifestyle," Azula replied simply. "Consider this first Air Temple the foundation of what the Air Nomads would become. But foundations are always chipped away, certain parts used and others discarded. Avatar Kirku's Air Temples embody the Air Nomad's evolution of teachings and lifestyle. They thrived in those Air Temples for thousands of years longer than this one."
"I know, but… I'm seeing the roots of the Air Nomad culture, and I'm realizing that… the roots are sparse." Aang raised his arms and gestured around, helpless. "There's not much. No trees."
"Perhaps there once was," his wife pointed out, golden eyes considering, challenging him. "Thousands of years have passed."
"But now it's barren. Lifeless." Aang felt the pressure build behind his eyes, and he sighed. "Just like the culture. It's all gone, eroded away by time."
Azula turned to fully face him. "But we will rebuild it. It will be reborn."
"Will we?" he asked, something stirring inside him - a terrible doubt. "Bumi died, and… it made me realize that whatever plans we have, whatever we think is going to happen, they may be wrong."
Fierce displeasure filled his wife's gaze, and he prepared himself. "I expect such pessimism from the unworthy. You are far from unworthy, Avatar."
"Bumi died because I was unworthy," Aang corrected softly.
"King Bumi would instruct you to remove your head from your ass," Azula snapped, eyes glowing with intensity.
Aang's eyes widened and anger swelled inside; it was a welcome reprieve. "Don't speak for Bumi! You hardly knew him! He was my friend. I knew him- "
"You know I speak the truth," she interrupted, staring at him. "It is why you reacted with anger."
"I reacted because you're wrong," he fired back, shaking his head, trying to control his emotions but failing to. "You know nothing about Bumi."
"Neither do you, Avatar, if you think he would approve- "
Aang hissed and turned away, the barren area inflaming his fury. "I don't care what he would approve! I care that he's gone, and I care that he can't be the one to tell me to pull my head out of my ass."
"If you could speak with him, what would you say?"
The silence of his people's former home enveloped him, and he closed his eyes, bowing his head. "I'm sorry I wasn't there."
"Now imagine him here- "
Aang's laughter interrupted her, but it was painful and not at all amusing. "I don't need to. I could go visit him right now in the Gardens of the Dead if I wanted to, and I do want to. But I think I would break the Spirit World upon entering it. I don't think I could look him in the eye."
"I worry that when you spoke with the Face Stealer, he snatched the true Aang's face and supplied me with an imposter, for this defeated stranger before me is not Aang, nor The Avatar."
Aang grit his teeth and whirled around, glaring at her. "What is this? On Appa you were too scared to say what you really thought, but now that you're on the ground you feel safe to be accusing?"
His wife calmly met his glare. "This is a tactic."
"I'm grieving!"
"And in your grieving state, has your memory deteriorated? We do not have time! We need to find Indra. Have you forgotten so quickly our conversation on Appa? You must reason instead of feel."
"I am!" he cried out. "Why else am I still standing? Why am I here instead of scouring the Four Nations for Ozai and Dark?"
Azula's eyes were hypnotic, possessing an almost ethereal quality; he was mesmerized. "I will bear the Air Nomads; you will revive your culture and people through me." She pulled his large hand to her stomach, over her womb. "This womb will be a palace for our children, for the future Air Nomads; it will be their first Air Temple. You will see your sons and daughters walk in the sky as you do, Aang. They will continue your people's legacy. You will no longer be alone. That is my promise to you. That is our shared destiny. Just as it is defeating my father and Dark. Just as it is restoring balance in both Realms, ensuring peace. Ensuring that no future wars ever ravish the Four Nations. That none of all that is wrong will happen again."
Aang swallowed. "It's hard to see the future. I can't look that far anymore. I think looking so far ahead blinded me to what was in front of me, so much so that I've failed to stop all of this from happening. I thought after talking to Gyatso, finally accepting everything that happened in my past, things would turn out well. That they were looking up. But I was wrong. I never fathomed any of this happening. "
"Perhaps, but our victory is certain," she swore. "Do you believe that?"
"Not as much as I used to."
"Doubt is natural, Aang, especially after experiencing everything we have - the horrors and war. But do you remember what I said in the Spirit World? We will never be here again. You repeated it to Katara and Zuzu before we went our separate ways."
"I don't know if I believed it," he admitted, leaning back against Appa, feeling exhausted. "Because Bumi died. And that changed everything."
"How?"
"It reminded me that everything is temporary."
Azula frowned. "You fear death?"
"No. I'm not afraid of dying; I've died before." Aang felt something inside of him crack precariously; it felt hard to breathe. "I'm afraid of surviving - because I've survived before. I'm afraid of reaching the end of this new war and… finding that I'm all alone. That everyone I knew and loved is gone while I survived. Again."
Face softening finally, Azula's golden eyes trapped him, and he never wanted to leave; her fingers brushed against his, intertwining. "I understand."
The tears began to fall, and his breathing faltered. "I can't do it again. Can't bear it. To lose you all, just like I lost my people and now Bumi… it would kill me. There'd be no coming back from it."
Azula nodded, eyes flickering with emotions. "Dark said something to me in the Spirit World, something that terrified me."
Aang stiffened. "What did he say?"
"He asked me, 'How much can The Avatar lose before he ceases to be as whom you know him?' Then he listed everything you have lost - 'first his entire nation and Master, then his daughter and mother-in-law and friend.' And then me. Whatever happened to my father saved me. I know there is an irony there." Azula looked at him, eyes tracing his face. "But it terrified me, for I knew he was right. For you are human. And due to your mortality, you have a breaking point. You have endured more than any Avatar, but your endurance is not… immeasurable. It has a limit."
"I think it's nearing its limit," he whispered hoarsely. "That's how I know I'd never come back from losing all of you. It's my biggest fear."
"I have a breaking point, as well," Azula admitted quietly, voice as soft as his. "The loss of our daughter and my mother would inflict an unhealable wound, but… I would live. If you were taken from me, I would deteriorate. All of the progress I made in recovering my mind and sanity would be revoked."
Aang pulled her into his chest, resting his chin on her head. "You don't need to worry about that happening. Avatar, remember? I'm not easy to kill. You know that better than anyone."
"Now who is comforting whom?" she asked, amused, a small laugh escaping her. "Perhaps we both needed relief."
He felt lighter, a burden leaving him; he was still raw from Bumi's death, but it was better. "I think we did."
Azula pulled away, a smirk on her lips. "Now let us provide Indra relief by ensuring we find her before Agni and Devi."
Aang pushed himself off of Appa, nodding. "Wan Shi Tong said she sacrificed her immortality."
"In what shape did she wrap herself? Is she a Sky Bison like Appa? A Winged-Lemur like Momo?"
While Momo chattered at the mention of his name, Aang stretched out his senses, intent on recognizing Air's energy, but there was nothing. "Because she's mortal, I can't sense her. It's how she's stayed hidden for so long. Agni and Devi can't sense her, either."
Azula motioned him forward. "Come. Let us find her."
Aang followed.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Bor couldn't stop smiling. Watching as Katara fussed over Toph, using Spirit Oasis Water to heal her feet, things, for the first time in so long, felt normal.
Fire Lord Zuko was talking to Sokka about the Northern Water Tribe, things that would probably need to be done when he ascended to its icy throne. In one hand, his heirloom, Embers, was held, having been gifted to him by his mother. Ursa was chiming in with sage advice, and Samir had latched herself onto 'Uncle Zuzu.' They were on the other side of the room, immersed in their conversation.
Toph groaned in ecstasy on the bed, a sheen of tears in her milky eyes. "Sugar Queen, I take back every bad thing I've ever said about you."
Katara continued to focus on Toph's feet, eyes squeezed shut in concentration. "How soon until you take back your take-back?"
"I'd give it a day."
"That sounds right."
"But this feels right," Toph breathed out, joy flashing across her face. It almost brought tears to Bor's own eyes. "I didn't think I was ever going to walk again."
"I'm glad we saw those boulders," Katara responded, eyes opening, relief tangible. "I can't believe you've lived like this. I can't believe that happened. I'm so sorry. I wish- "
"Blame that fucker. Bumi killed him, and Bumi deserved to be the one who killed him, but I wish I could have seen it."
Bor remembered those moments, Grandfather's pain and death. "No, you don't," he said.
Toph swallowed. "Yeah."
"I think a week longer, we would have had to amputate your feet," Katara said suddenly in interruption, face pinching. While the words were painful, Bor wasn't surprised; he knew that the balm he had gotten hadn't been enough. "I got here just in time. And without the Spirit Oasis Water, there wouldn't have been much I could do. Infections were rising. I caught it in time."
"Where's Daddy?" Samir's loud whine cut through the room. "Where's Mommy? Where are they? I miss them!"
"They're on a trip," Fire Lord Zuko answered kindly. "You'll see them soon, okay?"
"Fine," she muttered sullenly, crossing her arms over her chest. "How long?"
Ursa frowned. "What happened? What trip?"
Bor saw Fire Lord Zuko glance at Katara. "Since you two were kidnapped- … Sokka, whatever you want, it's yours. You saved my mother and niece. I owe you."
Sokka's eyes lit up. "I want the Dragon's Throne."
Fire Lord Zuko raised his only brow. "You really don't."
"You're right. I just wanted to see what you'd do. I'll get back to you."
Katara spoke, "We're so relieved to see that you're alright, that you were rescued, but Aang and Azula don't know that you're rescued. They still think that you're with Ozai."
"Where are they?" Ursa asked.
"They're looking for the Air Spirit, Indra. They're going to the first Air Temple."
"Which one is that?" Haru rubbed his mustache. "The Western one?"
"It's a Temple that precedes the building of the four Air Temples that we all know of." Fire Lord Zuko walked back over to the main area, Sokka, Ursa, and Samir following him. "Indra sacrificed her immortality and apparently, has been hiding there ever since."
"Which is what Aang suspected, right?" Suki wondered. "It's like the Ocean and Moon Spirits."
"Exactly. It's how she's been hidden from Dark. Aang and Azula went after her because they knew Dark would somehow follow. They're luring him into a trap."
Jin sighed in relief. "May this be over quickly."
"Quicker than this," Toph groaned out. "How much longer, Sugar Queen? I want to run around and crush some skulls!"
Katara looked annoyed. "Do you want me to do a good job, so that you have full mobility, so that nothing's wrong, so that there will be no complications, or do you want me to do it quickly?"
Bor answered for her, "She wants a good job. Take all the time you need, Katara."
Toph shot him a dirty glare, somehow finding him despite her blindness, but Katara smiled at him gratefully. "Thank you. You'll be so good for her."
"Oh, he's good to me, alright." When he noticed the wicked grin on Toph's face, he suddenly knew what she was going to say. "He knows just how to hit that one spot with his- "
Ursa interrupted, "Is this a subject appropriate for Samir?"
Toph deflated. "No."
"Suki, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to check on you, as well," Katara quickly said, eyes casting to her sister-in-law in the chair. "And I hear congratulations are in order. I'll be an aunt twice-over!"
Suki smiled. "Thank you, and I don't mind. I think it'd give me peace of mind."
"And me," Sokka added. "Can you tell if they're benders?"
Katara paused on her ministrations on Toph's feet, glowing hands resting. "I don't know…"
Fire Lord Zuko nodded. "I think so. Aang's taught us energybending. Though, considering that you and Suki are non-benders, it's more than likely that- "
Sokka shook his head, a certainty in his eyes. "I don't think so. I think they're both Waterbenders."
Suki raised her brows. "It hadn't occurred to me, but I think Sokka's right. Yue said something to me. I think they're Waterbenders."
Toph huffed. "Now I gotta make their names even more awesome. Two Waterbenders who've been touched by the Moon Spirit? Their names have definitely gotta be memorable."
"The good memorable," Bor reminded, noticing Sokka's pallor. "Two strong Water Tribe names."
"You take the fun out of everything."
"You still love me."
"I'm not too good at removing fungus."
Bor grinned. "I hope I don't stink."
Katara scrunched up her nose. "I don't want to know what you're talking about."
"A wise decision," Ursa praised, grabbing Samir's hand. "Another wise decision would be to deal with Hama."
Katara's blue eyes darted to where the unconscious Hama rested. "I'll heal her after I'm done with Toph- "
"Which is taking way too long," Toph called out.
"- but her chi needs to remain blocked at all times."
"Way ahead of you, Sis," Sokka said, holding a finger in the air. "She's only with us because she has knowledge about Ozai and Dark. Well, and she saved our lives."
Katara nodded and smiled, the glow from her water-coated hands fading. "Toph, you're all healed."
Toph grinned wider than Bor had ever seen as she immediately, with a dexterity that surprised him, leaped to her feet and shuddered in awe and relief; her milky eyes filled with tears. "I think I decided on one of the names for your kids, Snoozles. If one's a girl, name her Katara after her amazing aunt." Toph turned to Katara, features raw. "Thank you, Katara."
Katara's blue eyes shimmered with tears, and she subtly wiped them away. "You're welcome, Toph."
"It is good to see you able," Jin commented, smiling. "I now understand how you will be Queen Tough."
"And when we get Ozai, you'll see it in action!" Toph dug her feet into the ground, gasping in joy. "I can see everything. I can see again! Snoozles, your spawns' heartbeats are strong! And th- " Toph's gasped, pure shock carved into her face and bulging eyes.
Bor felt panic. "What is it? What's wrong?"
Features stricken dumb, Toph pointed at the unconscious Hama. "She… she's pregnant."
XxXxXxXxXxX
Everyone was silent as Katara healed Hama, but inwardly, Zuko's mind screamed at him. When Toph notified them that Hama was pregnant, he had inherently, instinctively known the identity of the father - and when he had looked at his mother, it had been confirmed.
It looked like he and Azula were going to have a new sibling.
"I'm sorry," he whispered to his mother, placing a hand on her shoulder, not really knowing what else to say. "If you want- "
"Your father broke my heart long ago, my son," she murmured, a resignation shining in her eyes. "I am not surprised. I knew they were laying together."
Not for the first time, Zuko wished he had just gone through with his father's execution after the Great War. "Still, I'm sorry."
"What are you going to do?" Bor asked softly, eyes focused on Hama, who remained unconscious. "About the child, I mean. If Ozai's the father- "
"He is," his mother said flatly, adamantly. "The child will have a claim to the Dragon's Throne."
Zuko felt a fierce headache materialize in his skull. "His parents are the two most dangerous people I can think of besides Aang. And Azula."
Toph finally spoke, all of her previous joy and awe about having her sight back gone; she stared at nothing, but he knew she was feeling everything. "Will you kill the child?"
Katara looked sharply at him from where she was positioned over Hama's slouched, broken body - how had the child survived so far? Already, he seemed to possess the same will to survive as his mother.
"What are you going to do?" Katara demanded when Zuko didn't answer, eyes shining with something he couldn't decipher.
All eyes were on him. While Samir looked confused, she seemed to understand the solemn atmosphere. The burden that he felt.
Zuko sighed, wishing Uncle was next to him. "If I was going to condemn a sibling to death, it would have been Azula after the Great War. I couldn't kill her, even when everyone except Aang and Uncle was telling me to, when Kuei was demanding it, and I can't… condemn my new sibling to death, either. I can't do it. I won't do it. I'm not my father."
Katara nodded, looking relieved. "And Hama?"
"She'll probably try to kill him when she realizes she's pregnant, for I doubt she knows," he stated bluntly, immediately wishing he had chosen his words better when Suki and Sokka flinched. "Sorry. I wasn't…"
Suki looked a little green. "That's alright."
Sokka looked irritated. "And the child? How's that going to work? What if… Hama wants him?"
"I doubt it."
"But if she does?"
"It wouldn't matter," Zuko dismissed, harnessing his power as Fire Lord; his face was flat. His mind was made up and there would be no changing it. "She is dangerous; her feelings are irrelevant. From what you said, she held back my father and Dark, so right now, she's actually the most dangerous person in the world save for Aang. It wouldn't surprise me if she somehow tries to weaponize the child, use him as a pawn in the future. Use him as a puppet to gain the Dragon's Throne all so that she could destroy the Fire Nation from within. No one would expect a Fire Lord to destroy the Fire Nation. This is a political nightmare."
Sokka nodded. "Well, I think you're probably right. I doubt Hama wants him."
"But what of the child?" Katara asked, eyes flashing. "What will you do, Zuko?"
Samir suddenly pointed at Hama, frowning, head tilted; her gray eyes were confused. "Why doesn't she look pregnant? She doesn't look like Suki."
Suki huffed in amusement. "Thank you again, Samir."
"You're welcome!"
"Eventually, Hama's stomach will expand to accommodate the child," his mother answered Samir's question with patience. He didn't know how she did it. "But for now, you are correct. Hama does not appear pregnant."
Katara was still staring at him, waiting for an answer, and Zuko closed his eyes for several moments; he really, really hoped that he was reading her correctly. For if he wasn't reading her correctly, he wasn't confident that she'd still be his Fire Lady.
"I will raise the child as my own," he declared, opening his eyes and almost sagged in relief when Katara nodded in confirmation.
"We will, and as our own," she corrected, focusing on Hama. "I failed Hama once. I won't fail her child."
"That works well," Jin commented. "The child is both Water Tribe and Fire Nation - like your children will be. He will blend in with your future children; he will bear resemblance to Fire Lord Zuko, for they will be brothers."
"Or just siblings," Toph added softly. "It'd probably be best if she's a girl, not a boy. It'd make things so much easier. You wouldn't have a true rival to your throne, Sparky."
"Very true," Zuko commented. "But I'm thinking of him as a boy, preparing for the worst. And a Firebender."
"Fair enough."
"Well, nothing would be suspicious if you raised him," Haru said. "Since you've been gone from the Fire Nation so long, your people would think that you married Katara during all of this and had a child with her."
Zuko nodded and turned to his mother, questioning, and she nodded back at him. "I support your decision, both as your mother and your subject."
"You have a vested interest in this," he reminded, voice softening. "Can you… deal with it? We can do something else. I can put the child in a family if you don't want- "
"Enough," she interrupted, eyes calm; she looked serene. "I have made peace with this."
"Faster than me," he muttered, mind still raging and warring; parts of himself screamed at him about how bad of an idea it was, but he knew it was the only viable one.
Zuko refused to murder a child for the sins of his parents - nonetheless his own sibling.
"It is the wisdom of years accumulated. You must raise the child as your own - you and Katara. Tell no one the truth. If you must, reveal it only to those you trust implicitly. For if the truth of the child's identity is revealed, it might spark a rebellion against your reign. Advisors would flock to the child, glimpsing an opportunity to garner power. They would seek to replace you with the child as Fire Lord. While they refused to support Azula- "
"Because she was insane. And now, thankfully, Azula's not even interested in ruling the Fire Nation."
"- the advisors would not hold the same reservations for a child whom they can shape into another monster, a puppet they would control. They would never fear the child, for they would dominate him. It would be a return to Fire Lord Zyrn's reign."
"We'll be careful," he promised. "All of us will. And you'll be there to help. Same with Uncle."
His mother nodded, but didn't say anything.
"This isn't how I expected things to turn out," Sokka said, eyes wide, hugging Suki. "Looks like… there will be three babies born. Three lives we can look forward to. Even if… one's Hama's child. At least he'll be Water Tribe."
"Uncle Zuzu, you're gonna be a daddy!" Samir said, beaming; she apparently understood more than he thought. "How does it feel?"
"It hasn't set in," Zuko answered, not feeling any different. "I don't feel anything."
"It will not set in until the child is born," his mother said, amusement flashing in her eyes. "Then you will experience it."
Sokka whistled. "Boy, that kid's gonna be something when he's older. I mean, look at his parents! Ozai and Hama."
"Looks like we'll be testing the limits of nature versus nurture," Zuko muttered, pinching his nose.
"You and Azula turned out well, eventually," Katara pointed out, focusing back on Hama, hands on the stomach now. "We will make sure the child turns out well, too."
Zuko thought about it. Currently, it was three versus three. Sozin, Azulon, and Ozai had all been followers of that dark path, but Uncle, he, and Azula had learned the true path, gained enlightenment. The child would help determine the legacy of Sozin's line, but a thought occurred to him.
"Is all of this moot?" he asked, pointing at Hama. "We don't even know if Hama and the child will live. Will they?"
Toph snorted. "Sparky, that kid's strong. It's like he's been unaffected by Hama's injuries, which makes sense since she was hit by Dark in the back. Great survival blood. And Hama's holding on."
Katara nodded, hands leaving Hama's stomach, focusing on the back. "Toph's right. I can't feel anything wrong with the child. And you were right. I can feel that he's a bender."
Haru leaned forward, and Jin did, too. "Firebender?"
"Waterbender. It's like my own energy."
Zuko blinked, relief sweeping through him. "Well, all threats he represents to the Dragon's Throne are gone. My people would never accept a Waterbender as their Fire Lord- "
"We're still raising him," Katara stated, eyes flashing.
"I never said we weren't," he defended. "You didn't let me finish. I was going to say that the child may look similar enough to Ozai that ideas could be formed. Plus, only you would be a viable option to be a good mother to Hama's child, for you are a waterbending Master and can teach him the true way of waterbending, for he will surely be very powerful; he won't take after his mother or father. You'll know how to handle the 'Hama' inside him, and I'll know how to handle the 'Ozai' inside him."
Katara flushed lightly. "Sorry. And thanks."
Sokka hooted, jubilant. "Water Tribe rules! We got three future Waterbenders in here!"
"I still haven't checked Suki yet, Sokka."
Zuko rolled his eyes when Sokka dismissed Katara's concerns with a wave of his hand, confident. "Yue wouldn't let me down."
"You said the child was healthy?" Suki asked, cutting in, hands on her own stomach.
Katara immediately focused back on Hama. "Yes. He felt healthy and strong. If anything, I think he's been depriving Hama of whatever sparse nutrients she still had in her body during all of this. I don't know how she's still alive. She should be dead."
"Willpower," Sokka answered, thoughtful. "Remember how she survived the Fire Nation prisons? I bet she'd do anything to stay alive. And that includes holding on during this. It wouldn't surprise me if she had sold her soul to Ozai and Dark to get younger again, regain her former… glory."
"Vanity," Jin murmured. "It can be consuming."
"Is that experience talking?"
"My mother. Her pursuit of vanity killed her. This Hama has fallen prey to it, as well."
"But how was she fooled by Ozai?" Haru demanded, bemused. "I don't understand. It's Ozai. Wouldn't she know him? You said she lived in the Fire Nation."
Zuko was surprised when his mother immediately answered, "Only the Nobles of our people ever knew what Ozai looked like. Because of it, she believed Ozai was Piandao, a former non-bending Fire Nation Nobleman and Swordsman. When I notified Hama of my husband's true identity, she vomited on the spot."
"I nearly did," Sokka muttered, fact slackening and pinching. "I was blinded by wanting to see my Master again. I overlooked all of the signs. I should have seen it."
"Ozai fooled all of us," Zuko said, memories flashing before his eyes. "Believe me, it wasn't just you. We only learned in the North about Ozai's trickery from Jet."
Sokka's eyes burst from their sockets. "What?" he screamed, arms swinging wildly. "Jet? As in… Jet?"
Zuko sighed. "You remember Lee?"
"The guy who unleashed that plague on the Fire Nation."
"Lee was Jet."
Toph's face slackened. "No. I felt Jet die. I was there. His heart stopped."
"Thank Dark," Katara said, face twisting as she continued to heal Hama. "He pulled Jet's spirit out of the Gardens of the Dead to wreak havoc against Zuko and Aang, and he put his spirit into a new body using energybending."
Sokka stared, flabbergasted, eyes finally blinking. "That's insane."
"Don't I know it?" Zuko ran a hand over his face. "I had to face him in combat; he almost slit my throat."
His mother's gaze snapped to him, concerned. "Really?"
Zuko nodded. "Katara healed me. He tried to infect me with the plague but since I was a firebending Master, he couldn't do it. Apparently, Masters can't be infected. Then I had to talk to him. Me and Aang did. You said that the whole resurrecting the dead thing was insane, well, Jet was insane. Actually insane. He was a monster, and I didn't regret killing him for good this time."
Sokka threw his hands into the air in disbelief. "Woah. I never would have guessed…"
"We've been deceived a lot," he said shortly. "Aang went into the Spirit World and spoke with Wan Shi Tong- "
"That owl's a jerk."
"- to learn and get an edge on Ozai and Dark. And he started the process of creating a new spirit - The Phoenix. And don't ask how; I don't understand it." Zuko stared at his friend, connecting their eyes. "But don't blame yourself for being fooled by my father. We all were, including Aang."
"I should have questioned it," his mother said abruptly, looking disappointed. "Ozai had always loathed the real Piandao, so much so that, in hindsight, it makes sense that he stole his identity, tarnishing the legacy of the real Piandao. The possibility should have occurred to me."
"We can't change anything," Haru said, eyes far away. "This is our reality. But in this reality, Ozai will lose."
"I approve of your conviction."
"Ty Lee will not have died in vain. Same with Mai and all the Kyoshi Warriors."
"And Grandfather," Bor added softly.
Zuko closed his eyes, still coming to terms with the fact that two people who he had known since childhood were gone - who he had even considered to be his friends. A girl to whom he had once been betrothed and briefly dated, and then a girl with whom he had never had problems.
He still wasn't sure how Azula was going to react to that news.
"No, they won't have died in vain," he said, opening his eyes. "Whatever sacrifices we will have had to make to bring an end to Ozai and Dark won't be in vain, either. Until they're gone for good, the Four Nations remain in danger."
"Hey! Hama's waking up!" Katara cried out, panicked, and Zuko whirled to face the unconscious Hama, readying Embers, which was perfectly balanced. Flames surged up the blade, and he refused to be distracted, focused on Hama, who was twitching, body convulsing slightly. "Sokka, block her chi!"
Sokka bounded forward and, in an echo of Ty Lee's grace, causing memories to flash in Zuko's mind, he harshly jabbed Hama's body, blocking her chi. Bor and Toph had jumped to their feet, prepared. Suki had moved to the back with Jin, but in her hand was a knife. His mother had pulled Samir behind her, one hand curled into a fist ready to unleash flames.
Katara stepped back, healing finished, and Zuko saw Hama's eyes snap open - they were blue like Katara's, but they held none of the gentleness nor love that he cherished.
The Bloodbender, lover of his father, and mother of his new sibling gasped, arching her back, eyes landing on Katara; she went completely still.
Silence.
"Katara," Hama hissed out with such venom, like the name was something unholy, that Zuko immediately wanted to shoot lightning at her. Maybe Azula had rubbed off on him more than he thought.
"Hello, Hama," Katara said softly, warily.
"How generous. Now I get to torture and kill you for eternity in the Gardens of the Dead!"
Zuko stepped forward, Embers blazing with hot flames. "Not quite."
"You!" Hama's fingers lashed out, eyes teeming with volatile emotions, but nothing happened; her eyes widened in shock. "My chi. What have you done to me?"
"A chi block from yours truly," Sokka said, pointing to himself. "You're not hurting anyone. Get that through your… somehow-young head."
Hama gnashed her teeth together and her eyes swept over all of them, stopping on Zuko's mother, behind whom Samir was hiding, bowing her head, shaking violently, terrified.
Zuko couldn't blame her.
"You did this?" Hama demanded to his mother. "You prolong my suffering? Of having to live with the fact that I was moments away from gaining my rightful vengeance and had it stolen from me?"
His mother remained poised. "You have information we must convey to Avatar Aang."
"I'm not telling you anything!"
"Not even to inflict devastation to befall Ozai? You loathe him."
Hama's frothing eyes homed in on Katara. "Not as much as her."
"She's telling the truth," Toph informed.
Zuko saw Katara inhale sharply; her eyes were cautious but stubborn. "You hate me more than Ozai? The monster-heir to Sozin?"
"You doomed me to prison again! It wasn't until Vaatu freed me and restored my body that I felt the presence of the Moon, felt the power of who I am. You took that from me. And I will take your life before my time is over. It's the death that's owed!"
"The only death owed is yours," Zuko snapped, furious that Hama was threatening Katara. "You allied with Dark and Ozai! You taught him waterbending!"
Hama's eyes were on fire as she glared hatefully at him. "You look just like him, Ozai's son. I would kill you all right now if I could."
His mother interrupted, "That would contradict your actions in saving us from my husband."
"My reasoning was flawed. It was a mistake."
Zuko noticed Toph's toes flexing against the ground. "You're lying."
"The blind girl," Hama murmured. "I remember you. It would have been so easy to stop your heart."
Toph smiled, but there was a viciousness in it that Zuko had never seen before; the ground shook ominously. "I've been through a lot lately. Don't mess with me, bitch."
"As you messed with my fitting death?"
"You were the one refusing to die!" Sokka exploding, arms thrown into the air, face red. "Do you know how long I had to carry you? And you're not exactly light after a few hours. I would have loved to have dropped your corpse, but you kept breathing!"
"Are you wanting me to thank you?"
Sokka sputtered, "Ac- actually, yes! I am!"
Hama's face twisted; her fingers twitched, and Zuko knew she was trying to kill them, but nothing happened.
His mother tilted her head, golden eyes considering. "With your aid, the Four Nations, including the Water Tribes, could be saved."
"I'm not interested in saving the Fire Nation. Lee's plague will make sure- "
"Lee's dead, and Avatar Aang is working on rescinding his plague," Zuko cut in, meeting Hama's rabid stare. He really, really hoped that the child inherited more traits from Ozai. At least with his father, he knew how to handle him, and thus, he would be able to better handle the child. "My people have been devastated, but they live. We will rebuild."
"No! I'll make sure you don't!"
"Threatening the Fire Lord is unwise," Bor abruptly said, looking like the King he now was. Zuko was impressed. "He is second only to The Avatar."
Hama's eyes flashed like rotten sapphires, an eerie reflection of Azula's flames during the Great War. "I held The Avatar- "
"For mere moments," his mother finished, irritated. "Provide us with information, and your name will be remembered. We will- "
"I don't want immortality," Hama spat, disgusted. "I want revenge!"
Jin's eyes widened. "Then why is your body restored if not for the yearning to live a long time, to recover your former glory?"
"To regain my power, to augment it."
"What would it take for you to give us information?" Katara demanded, arms crossed. "Something realistic."
"Your life."
The flames on Embers burned brighter, but Katara sighed. "That's not realistic."
"It is. Unblock my chi, and your life will be mine." Hama's mad eyes gleamed with promise. "That is my price."
Toph growled out, "My price for not crushing your skull to bits is going up."
"The only way you live is if you help us," Zuko lied, angry, ignoring Katara's sharp look. There was no way they were going to mention the child growing inside her. "Otherwise, you're dead."
"As I should have been already! Now I must live with my failure to kill your father!"
His mother quickly spoke, "Ozai will be defeated by Avatar Aang. You can help secure the inevitable. Your information- "
"You know my price. It won't change."
"You bitch," Toph hissed out, hands curled into fists. Zuko was certain the only thing preventing her from crushing Hama's skull to bits was the child - and Bor's hand on her shoulder. "You're so lucky that we can't kill you!"
Zuko's good eye widened, and he saw Katara stiffen, but Hama only laughed; it was maniacal. "You covet my knowledge that much?" Those crazed blue eyes locked onto Katara with a zeal that was more than unsettling. "If that's true, then sacrificing Katara shouldn't- "
"Katara will be my Fire Lady," he snapped, and he narrowly quelled the urge to lash out. "She won't be sacrificed. You touch her, you die."
Hama froze before her face became a mass of depraved fury, hissing and gnashing her teeth at Katara like a rabid animal. It looked like the images he had conceived as a child when hearing stories of fearsome Dragons, which his father threatened would eat him if he didn't master his katas.
"Filth!" Hama screeched, bucking on the bed in hysteria to break free, mania directed through her eyes at Katara."You're nothing but a whore! You spread your legs for him?"
Before Zuko could respond, Katara smiled thinly, replying, "You spread your legs for Ozai. Who's the real whore?"
Toph cackled immediately in glee while Sokka howled with laughter, but while Zuko smiled, he watched Hama thrash against the ropes binding her to the bed, snarling, spittle erupting into the air; she was so furious she was deprived of the ability to speak.
"I believe we need to keep this quietness for a little while," Bor murmured, and Zuko nodded, grabbing a spare cloth and approaching Hama.
Hama thrashed even further as he approached, eyes bulging from their sockets with hatred, but Zuko pointed Embers at her. "You don't like fire. Try anything, and you'll feel it intimately."
"There will come a moment when my chi is able," Hama swore, words floating in the air. "And when that moment comes, you will all feel my touch intimately."
"Like Ozai did?" Toph goaded, tears streaming out of her eyes again, but these were of sheer mirth; her howling laughter drowned out Hama's furious snarls.
But before Hama could respond, and she was foaming at the mouth, straining against the ropes, bucking and snarling like an animal, Zuko angled Embers until it was held against Hama's throat, flames licking her skin just narrowly. When she stilled, he was able to stuff the cloth into her mouth, wrapping it around her head, ensuring quiet.
Looking at Katara, whose beautiful eyes shone with sadness, Zuko knew there was much work to be done. Not to mention the child.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Ty Lee flinched when scraps of food were dropped in front of her by Fire Lord Ozai, who loomed over her; she was bound to a tree, confined permanently in a sitting position. She had tried to escape, straining as much as she could, trying all of her tricks, but she was trapped. And Fire Lord Ozai never got close enough so she could somehow block his chi.
There would be no escape. When she had awoken to the sight of Fire Lord Ozai and Vaatu, shocked that she was still alive, she had thought that she would be joining Mai in the Gardens of the Dead very quickly, but then she had learned the truth of her purpose, of why she was being kept alive.
Her soul was going to be exchanged for a dead Airbender's and her body blessed with airbending, granting Fire Lord Ozai an airbending Master.
Ty Lee had always known of her airbending blood, of the legends surrounding her Noble House, but she had never imagined that it would matter.
But it did - oh, it did! It was the key to Vaatu and Fire Lord Ozai gaining all of the elements.
"Eat," Fire Lord Ozai commanded, supreme; he wielded power, and she felt insignificant before him as she was supposed to feel before a former Fire Lord, but she hated it. He had murdered Mai! And Koko and the Kyoshi Warriors! Her only solace was that, from what she gathered, Lady Ursa, Samir, Sokka, and Haru - oh, Haru! - had escaped with the woman known as Hama - the Bloodbender. They lived. "If you are to be the vessel for my airbending Master, you must maintain strength."
"No." She gathered her courage to look up at him, shaking. "You will never have that power!"
"Through your body's aid, I will."
"I'm not helping you! Avatar Aang- "
"Do not speak of The Avatar!" he roared. "That boy has ruined everything!"
"He's not a boy anymore. He's a man."
Fire Lord Ozai's face twisted with loathing. "Yes. The boy has grown into a man - the natural cycle. But a man stronger than me! It's unacceptable. A distortion of- "
"Don't you know you can't win?" Ty Lee interrupted, a depraved sense of curiosity overwhelming her. "The Royal Academy taught us that to challenge The Avatar is to covet death."
"For a woman, yes. For the unworthy, yes. But for me, it is of the utmost importance. Killing The Avatar will herald my ascendancy as the new Avatar."
"The Dark Avatar," she said, voice tight.
"I will rule this world for centuries; I will spawn a new empire - as Sozin did. My future children will ensure my line rules forever after I'm gone."
"You're insane. And you killed Mai," Ty Lee whispered, tears spilling down her cheeks. "She's gone because of you."
Fire Lord Ozai sneered. "The traitor's old betrothal. She was a failure; she deserved death. She did not deserve to live in this world, in the world I will rule."
"Zuko will help Avatar Aang defeat you. He's a better Fire Lord than you ever were." Ty Lee managed to stare into Fire Lord Ozai's teeming, piercing eyes. "He and Katara will bring peace to the Fire Nation. They'll rebuild from the plague you helped unleash."
"Yes. From what I understand, a peasant is through whom the traitor has chosen to continue Sozin's legacy." Sheer disgust flashed through Fire Lord Ozai's eyes, mixing with fury into something unholy. "He was always a failure. Always weak. Both of my children are failures. One spreads her legs for The Avatar, and the other bows to him. Pathetic. I planned to rectify that. I had a plan to sire more children to form an army until Vaatu and I were ready to defeat The Avatar, but because of The Avatar's interference, it will never succeed. There's not enough time. Only weeks until the culmination of everything toward which we have worked - the final battle. The Avatar's new spirit has confined us to this pressing timeline. I expected years." The water in the puddle near her exploded into searing mist, and Ty Lee flinched. "Damn The Avatar! And damn my daughter whom he fucks!"
"Focus your energies on more pressing matters," the terrifying Vaatu hissed, cold flooding the area as the spirit who Ty Lee remembered corrupting her appeared. Beside Vaatu, she recognized Agni, but he looked weak, flickering ominously, and a woman composed of the earth - Devi. Both stared at her in disgust. "I left you with your waterbending for a reason, Ozai. Train. Teach yourself."
"Without Hama, I cannot learn! Water is the opposite of everything I know. I need a teacher."
"The Avatar has mastered the art of waterbending in all of his lifetimes. How are we to defeat him if you do not do the same?"
Ty Lee watched, stunned as Fire Lord Ozai stomped fearlessly towards Vaatu, fury drawn in his posture. "You said that we'll defeat The Avatar, regardless! And it will all be for naught if we don't get the Air Spirit!"
"When The Avatar reaches Indra, I will convince him to surrender her."
"How are you going to do that?" Fire Lord Ozai demanded, voice booming like thunder. "We have no leverage!"
"But we do, my friend. I have a plan. Deception has always been part of my being. Our supremacy is inevitable. We will match Raava's vessel."
"But we don't match him now! We have weeks until The Avatar's new spirit nullifies everything we have done to ensure our advantage!"
"It is not ideal- "
"Of course, it isn't!"
"- but everything has a cost. The Avatar's frantic efforts will cause him to forget one crucial detail - his morality. His emotional state is fragile. We must bre- "
Suddenly, Vaatu, Agni, and Devi all whirled around, staring at something neither Ty Lee nor Fire Lord Ozai could see.
"What is it?" Fire Lord Ozai demanded. "Answer me!"
"We feel Indra for the first time in over a century."
"Go get her!"
"The Avatar is in the process of restoring her immortality." Vaatu sounded panicked. Ty Lee had thought it impossible. "He cannot continue; my deception will perish."
Before Ty Lee could blink, Vaatu and Agni and Devi all vanished in a swirl of ominous shadows.
Fire Lord Ozai's lips stretched into something sinister as he stared down at her. "Your end is near."
Ty Lee swallowed. "It will be a better end than yours. When Avatar Aang defeats you, you'll wish you had quelled your ambition. Your path to power was always doomed to fail."
"Do not mistake me for the fools who aspire out of blind ego."
"You do it out of stupidity," she dared, braving his enraged stare. "Out of a need to prove Fire Lord Azulon wrong. To prove that you're not nothing."
Pain exploded across her face, her head brutally snapped back, as Fire Lord Ozai reared back and smacked her with vicious strength. Tears welled in her eyes and she knew, indeed, her end would be better than Fire Lord Ozai's.
Avatar Aang will vanquish Vaatu and Fire Lord Ozai.
XxXxXxXxXxX
"Indra!" Aang called out, voice echoing, resounding through crevices and cracks. "We know you're here! We're not here to harm you!"
"It is Avatar Aang and his wife!" Azula added next to him, raising her voice.
Aang sighed. "Why isn't she answering?"
"Perhaps she fears our motivations," she said in consideration. Maybe Indra even feared The Avatar, but she refused to say it aloud. Not when Aang was already dealing with so much. "Perhaps she is… hibernating."
"To conserve whatever power she has," he murmured sadly. "Look at Agni. Look how much he's been weakened by a lot of his children being killed because of the plague. I can't imagine how weak Indra is. If Agni is that weak- "
"That name inspires such dread and misery," a whispering voice suddenly echoed in her mind and Azula whirled around, hands alight with flames, noticing Aang do the same, but there was nothing there. "Above you, Avatar Aang and The Avatar's wife."
Azula looked upward and there, floating in the air was a small creature, peppered with intricate, ancient markings that she recognized from the Eastern Air Temple.
Appa bellowed in greeting, air quivering from his joy, and Momo squawked in cheer.
"Indra," her husband breathed out. "I feared I'd never find you. If you hadn't said anything, I fear I wouldn't have noticed you. I never would've thought to look for an Eagle-Rabbit."
"But you have found me. Your presence is a joy, Avatar Aang. I feel my children's energy once more."
Aang frowned. "I can't feel you. Not even when you're right in front of me."
"As you said, I am weakened. The slaughter of my Children weakened me tremendously. I tried to help them during Sozin's Comet when the armies arrived, but Agni attacked me, preventing my interference. With each death I felt, the links in my mind vanishing, I became weaker. I was being bombarded, and with Agni's relentless assault, I was helpless. I managed to escape by briefly overwhelming his flames, but by then it was too late. My Children were dwindling, dying until only you and Appa remained, and realizing that I could be hunted, I sacrificed my immortality and escaped into the Mortal Realm, wrapping myself in this form to stay hidden."
"I'm sorry for my forefather's actions," Azula said. "But your Children will return through me. Aang will revive his people."
"It has already begun."
Her eyes widened while Aang inhaled sharply. "She's pregnant?"
"No. Three exist. Only three. Once, there were thousands of my Children, human and animal, living in harmony in the heavens, roaming to experience life in all of its glory. For so long, there had been two - you, Avatar Aang, and Appa - but then, on a joyous occasion, I felt it. A link in my mind of a new Airbender, an awareness that there is another who is part of me."
"Then do you know where Samir is?" Aang asked, words tumbling frantically from his lips, and Azula felt hope stir inside her. "Can you… feel her location? Sense it?"
"When I sacrificed my immortality, I sacrificed the ability to know where my Children are, to sense them. I know only of the links in my mind. It is all I have left of what I once was. All I know, Avatar Aang, is that your daughter, my beautiful Child of Air, is alive."
Azula did not let her disappointment overwhelm her. "Is there anything you can tell us about… the link? Is Samir hurt?"
"I cannot say."
"What can you say?" Aang demanded, face tight. "Is there anything?"
Indra paused for several moments. "If you restore my immortality, I will be able to know where she is."
Azula's lips parted, and she looked at Aang, who blinked. "How do I restore your immortality? You gave it up."
"Flood me with your primordial energy, supercharging me, and I will return to what I once was - my true being."
"Can you do it?" she demanded immediately, staring at her husband. "If we know where Samir is, we know where Dark and Ozai are. It offers us another ingress through which to defeat them in case our plan to lure Dark here fails."
"Vaatu promised La to return his immortality," he murmured, eyes wide. "That, along with Zhao's presence, ensured La gave him power over water. I think I can do it."
Immediately, his eyes and tattoos glowed a blinding light and Azula watched as The Avatar floated into the air before Indra, glowing hands outstretched towards her. A piercing glow enveloped Indra, and power hovered in the air, causing Azula to shiver in anticipation. The pressure around them expanded, thickened, but then a new pressure appeared.
Darkness.
Azula whirled around, hissing between her teeth at the sight of Vaatu, Agni, and Devi. Behind her, she could sense that the process of restoring Indra's immortality had stopped. Appa bellowed in terror and bounded behind her.
But where was her father? Without him, their plan was not possible!
"Avatar," Vaatu called out, triumph emanating off him like his waves of darkness. "Now my supremacy will sooner be complete because you led us to Indra."
Her eyes narrowed into fearsome slits, but her voice was clear, powerful, and full of promise, knowing that she must wield all deception possible to prevent Vaatu from perceiving their ruse. The plan was not possible without her father's presence!
"You hold no sway here!" Azula called out, unwavering in the face of scorn from three Great Spirits. "The Avatar is supreme, not you. Weapons do not cut him; Water does not wet him; Earth does not touch him; Fire does not burn him; Air does not wither him. You will be vanquished!"
"Your prison awaits, Vaatu," The Avatar hissed out in confirmation, the cacophony of past Avatars' voices booming with guarantee. "This was how it would always end."
Vaatu seemed to preen. "For your daughter, yes. If you do not surrender Indra, she dies."
The glow of The Avatar State faded, and Aang dropped heavily to the ground. Azula closed her eyes, realizing that they were beaten, cursing venomously, all her confidence vanishing. She had known that Vaatu would try to acquire Indra, and she had been so focused on the fact that if they trapped Vaatu and her father, they could determine where Samir and her mother were. Thus, defeating her father. However, Vaatu had been cunning and left her father behind, foreseeing such an attack, maintaining his leverage against them.
Damn!
Rationally, the correct choice was to sacrifice Samir and her mother, but she would never - never! - make that choice. And neither would Aang.
It was an unacceptable outcome; it was a reality she would never - never! - allow to pass.
Aang stomped past her towards Vaatu, Agni, and Devi, and Azula panicked, reaching out to snag his arm, nails digging into the Air Nomad fabric. "Think!" she hissed as he stopped.
"I am," her husband replied, glancing briefly at her; she watched his stormy eyes fill with fire that exceeded Agni's glory before he turned to look back at Vaatu. "I make a promise to you, Vaatu. When this is over, I'm going to throw you somewhere from which you will never escape! And I will purify everything you have marred - starting with Agni and Devi."
"Empty promises," Vaatu dismissed, smug, secure in his triumph, and Azula had never wanted to unleash her lightning more. But she knew it would be futile and could only provoke them. And she was not going to do anything to risk Samir. "Will you attack me and condemn your daughter to death? This is not an empty promise. Ozai knows if I do not return that you have imprisoned me. He will kill the Airbender, and he will kill slowly. Your might is obsolete, Avatar; you have no power in this situation, no sway. Now surrender Indra to me. It is the only way your daughter lives."
"He may be deceiving us," Aang husband murmured, voice tight; his arm shook in her grip, restrained narrowly from action. "His essence is deception. It may be a bluff."
Azula looked at him. "I cannot take that chance. I cannot. Can you?"
"No."
Her husband squeezed his eyes shut but before he could say something more, Indra did. "I was not there for any of my Children the first time. Never again. I do this of my own will, Avatar Aang. Your daughter will not be harmed. I refuse to see it happen."
"I'm sorry," Aang whispered, and Azula felt sorrowful relief fill her. "But thank you."
"Thank you," she said to Indra. "Your Children will be brought back through me."
"They will have a worthy mother."
Indra flew towards Vaatu, and Azula and Aang did nothing to stop it, for it meant their daughter's death to interfere. She had believed their plan to lure Vaatu and trap him rational, precise, but attempting to deceive a being with eons of experience had been unwise.
Vaatu had always had the advantage.
They watched silently and solemnly as Indra blessed Vaatu with Air, and in response, Vaatu's shadows consumed Indra, corrupting her. Within moments, Indra grew and regained immortality, body expanding and matching the size of Agni, who was still weak, and Devi. Her body was made of multiple vortexes of air, somehow forming a body that could be perceived.
"Your contribution will not be forgotten, Avatar!" Vaatu promised. "When Ozai and I merge, and the end of all your strivings is near, we will slay you last - so you may look upon your slaughtered world and despair!"
Aang said nothing.
When they vanished in a wave of shadows, Aang did not explode with fury as Azula expected; he did not lose himself in The Avatar State.
Instead, he turned towards her, gray eyes heavy, burdened, and resigned. "The vision I saw will come to pass. I can't prevent it. I've tried. Ozai and Vaatu will somehow bond. There will be two Avatars - Light and Dark."
Azula nodded, sifting through everything she was feeling; she had to reason instead of feel. "We will still vanquish them. Our victory remains a certainty."
XxXxXxXxXxX
As they soared through the air on Appa, Azula had watched her husband as he stalked back and forth, balancing effortlessly in the saddle, pacing deliberate, energized, fury controlled. He had said nothing since they had taken off, refusing to accommodate her requests, and that had led her to try to spark him out of his mind. To keep him from regressing.
She had had a myriad of options - seduce him, slap him, cry, get angry. Really, anything.
Thus, she had immediately chosen seduction, and it knew it would be a challenge, for while Aang could never resist her body, she believed that The Avatar might be able to - plus, lovemaking on Appa while in flight was something not tried before. And she had been right. She had tried to seduce him, baring herself before him, but it was a farce - and they had both known it. Neither had been remotely aroused, but there was no awkwardness or embarrassment.
Now they laid on Appa's head, fully-clothed, her head on her husband's chest, determining what to do. To take a moment and calm down, to take solace and try to reason instead of feel as they traveled away from the first Air Temple.
"I hope our ability to lay together is not still compromised by the time this is all over," she mused softly. "That would not bode well for the future revival of the Air Nomads, and my promise to Indra."
A small laugh, one pained but amused, ruffled her hair. "It won't be compromised," Aang vowed adamantly. "That's the only promise I'm comfortable making right now."
"Good."
"We have to find the others. Wherever they are. I think they're in the Colonies. We'll have to fly over the land and… hope they see us. Maybe we'll run into Zuko and Katara still searching for Toph, Bor, and Suki."
"And Samir and my mother?"
Aang closed his eyes. "I don't know."
Her eyes ignited. "Do not say that to me."
His eyes snapped back open. "Vaatu gaining Indra, and thus airbending, changes everything. Nothing's the same. I never thought it would reach this point. Everything I do doesn't help! Don't you understand?"
"What I understand is that both our daughter and my mother are trapped in the presence of great evil. Not to mention Dark. And we must intend to rescue them before their usefulness to both my father and Dark fades. We do not know the ramifications of pulling a slain spirit into a living body! What if there is nothing left of Samir? What if this dead Master Airbender whom Dark pulls from the Gardens of the Dead crushes our daughter's spirit?"
Aang stiffened. "It won't come to that. I won't allow it."
"Then what is the second option, Avatar?" she demanded, pushing herself up, gazing down at his weary but fiery features. "Samir's spirit slumbers in her own body while someone else is in control? She will still die! Once Ozai learns airbending, even the basics, Samir will be killed, regardless of whatever dead Master Airbender is in control. All to inflict us with grief! Do you not understand that?"
"That's why we've already left the Temple!"
"We need a plan, Avatar."
"Sokka is on his way to Ozai's camp because he thinks Piandao's alive. If he hasn't reached Ozai's camp yet, we can reach him first and then go with his group to rescue Samir and Ursa, and maybe keep Ozai and Vaatu from learning airbending. That's our only shot to make sure Samir stays alive. I can't think of anything else."
Azula nodded, a deadly calm passing through her. "Then Appa must fly faster than ever before. His endurance must be inextinguishable."
Aang patted the side of Appa's head and she shifted, allowing him to grab the reins. "You heard her, Appa. Yip-yip!"
XxXxXxXxXxX
New inclusions were rare in the Maze of Thorns. Ever moving, never ceasing, the spirits of the damned were eternally trapped, forever forced to stumble through the maze with abandon, incapable of escape, always trapped in agony. With weakened bodies, they were incapable of conscious movements, always stumbling and jerking, forever being pricked and slashed by the poisonous thorns.
It was a place with which he had been intimately acquainted for many centuries. The newest inclusion had been interesting, offering new topics of conversation. It was refreshing.
"The Northern Water Tribe?" he asked in surprise, memories assaulting him. "That was where The Avatar killed me."
The newest former mortal who called himself Hahn continued to struggle against the relentless agony in which they were trapped along with those who had accomplished deeds that drew the wrath of the Great Spirits. "The fucking whore of a Moon Spirit killed me!"
He had long since grown accustomed to the pain in his body, but he was still unprepared for the surge of agony when he tried to move closer to Hahn, but instead lost his balance and fell into the thorns.
With features permanently carved with a grimace, he achingly picked himself up, trying again to reach his fellow spirit.
He succeeded.
"The Moon Spirit? That must be a story."
"Which you won't be hearing, No-name!"
"Fool," he derided, feeling a sneer form on his sallow face. "The Four Nations once trembled at my name. I once had power. I was untethered, in harmony with the air. My dwelling existed in the heavens; stars were never more beautiful than when I gazed at them. I was apotheosized, for my home was the stars! I unleashed a calamity that forever changed the Water Tribe, your home."
"Who are you?"
"I am nothing now," he murmured, closing his eyes, waves of searing pain tearing him apart as the poison from the thorns spun through his spirit, forever there, forever inflicting maximum output of torture. "Someone forgotten and forced to rot by The Avatar. My mortal body was smitten by Keska with holy lightning, and the ashes of what I once was have long since dispersed."
"Who were you?"
Darkness and overwhelming cold flooded the Maze of Thorns, and suddenly, an ethereal form of shadows and darkness floated before them, ancient and mighty, power permeating the area.
"I believe I can answer that."
Hahn gasped in relief. "Mighty Vaatu! You have come to rescue me!"
Vaatu laughed, and the Maze of Thorns ominously shook; it sounded like thunder. "You are where you belong, Hahn." The spirit stared directly at him. "I come for him."
"What? I served- "
"Silence!" Vaatu boomed, and Hahn was silenced, deprived of speech. "I have a proposition for you, Airbender."
"I have heard whispers of your name, even here in the Maze of Thorns," he said, intrigue stirring inside him. "Quite a reputation you have, Vaatu. I heard you vowed the destruction of The Avatar."
"I will vow it on your spirit's existence if you do not believe me."
"I do believe you vowed your vow, but I believe your vow impossible," he countered. "I know The Avatar's power; I know the wrath lurking in those glowing eyes. What I do not know is your power or wrath."
The shadows surged toward him, and he thrashed in agony, the weight of power beyond anything he had felt enveloping him, pressuring him, squeezing him.
Then the shadows were gone, and he was left panting.
"Does that suffice?" Vaatu asked.
He nodded. "You have my attention."
"As you have mine. You were killed by The Avatar in your lifetime. You were mighty for a mortal; you forever changed the course of human events with your actions. I can feel your desire for revenge against The Avatar; it burns inside you. I can ensure your revenge."
"What do you want?"
"You."
"I need more than that."
"I want you to teach my vessel airbending."
He narrowed his eyes. "Vessel?"
"I will become the new Avatar, and my vessel is most worthy."
"And if I requested to be your vessel?"
Vaatu laughed, the Maze of Thorns darkening further. "That is unacceptable. You hold no body."
He bristled at the reminder. "Very well. And in return for teaching your vessel airbending?"
"You get to live again. To experience all the pleasures of the flesh. I can give you a new life, another chance."
Zaheer felt a smirk form on his face for the first time since his death many centuries ago at the hands of Avatar Keska. "To feel the air again, to be able to control such destructive, unholy power… I will gladly teach your vessel airbending, mighty Vaatu."
Shadows emanated off Vaatu in pleasure. "Good."
XxXxXxXxXxX
Well, that's all for this one, everyone! I hope that you all enjoyed it and I'd also really appreciate it if you left a review; it would help me out!
**Ozai and Vaatu recover and try to figure out how to recoup their massive losses. Aang and Hama's inadvertent but simultaneous attacks struck them a massive loss, leaving them with nothing but themselves and very, very, very limited options. Because Ty Lee is still alive, Ozai recognizes her value as a descendant of Air, meaning that she can be blessed with airbending (because she's always been Airbender-like and had the mindset) by Indra if they can procure her. That's their best option, and they go for it as well as they can.
**Well, this chapter is pretty much the Reunion Chapter, as so many reunions happen in it. Aang and Azula get back from the Spirit World and reunite with Zuko and Katara, and they learn of everything that's happened, including what happened in Ba Sing Se - meaning Bumi's death. Aang is understandably devastated by it, and his reaction may seem extreme in this chapter, but he still thinks that Samir, his daughter whom he loves, and his mother-in-law are trapped in Ozai and Vaatu's grasp - because he failed to save them. He blames himself for their capture, and he doesn't know that they were rescued because the Gaang is split up. Plus, he's stressed by the knowledge that Sokka and co. may have been slaughtered by Ozai. He really doesn't know much because Ozai and Vaatu have been so cunning. So, Bumi's death, which he thinks he could have prevented if he had known, is the final nail in the coffin that makes him snap. Bumi is his oldest friend (I'm not counting Appa for obvious reasons because Appa is different), that last connection to the old world that he knew. Now there's no one but himself and Appa, but that's not enough because Appa can't do much for him in terms of support and understanding that humans need.
Really, Bumi's death makes Aang realize that so much worse can happen to him. He thought he already went through Hell by knowing about the Air Nomad Genocide, but he's made a good life for himself now, but all of that can be taken from him, especially since he knows that Bumi was killed and Samir is trapped in the presence of the two evilest bastards in the world. He is going through a new Hell, one he never imagined. Aang has good reason to unravel, for so much has been hidden from him, such as Piandao's identity that Ozai stole, which led to him endorsing Sokka's mission to "rescue" Piandao and get crucial information on Ozai and Vaatu. There's the critical question that Vaatu asked Azula in the last chapter when they were in the Spirit World and Vaatu was gearing up to destroy her spirit: "How many people can The Avatar lose before he ceases to be as whom you know him?" Aang has lost so much, and he keeps losing more and more. He's unraveling with good reason, but he learns in this chapter that he can't let himself do that. Azula keeps his head on his shoulders and supports him through both emotion and logic, which he desperately needs.
**Sokka, Haru, Samir, and Ursa (and don't forget an unconscious Hama, who is pregnant, though they don't know it) reconnect with Bor, Toph, Suki, and Jin's group! It was a very random moment, yes, but I figured they were all due some luck, so this was me being a benevolent author. (I replicated that benevolence later on in this chapter, as you know). Basically, it goes how you expect, sharing the stories and details of what happened, and simply basking in each other's presences, bitter by everything that happened, but thankful that it wasn't worse - because it could have been a lot worse.
**Aang and Azula talk about suffering while on the way to the first Air Temple where Indra is located. This part got quite philosophical, certainly, but it's something I do think is true, however bitter and unsatisfying it can feel at times. Hope it at least made sense.
**Zuko and Katara fly on Druk across the Earth Kingdom looking for the others. Really, those four (Aang, Azula, Zuko, and Katara) are all still reeling (although Azula less than the others, of course) from the news of what happened to Ba Sing Se. They intellectually knew that the destruction was possible, knew that deaths of their friends were possible, but they didn't think it would actually happen. This chapter is a lot of them, specifically Aang, reorienting in the face of all that horror.
**Sokka, Haru, and Bor have a talk before they see Druk in the sky and shoot boulders at what they hope is an ally. So, Zuko and Katara get in on the reunions. Hope the amount of luck happening in this chapter isn't off-putting.
**Aang and Azula reach the first Air Temple and continue their conversation, this time about death. Since Aang is an adult, he is infinitely more conscious of death than he was as a child, even in the Great War (since everyone he knew, besides Jet, survived the Great War, excluding, of course, the Air Nomads), for I wanted this to be more realistic. I've always been interested in how far Aang could be pushed, and he's reached his limit. While his limit is less limited than anyone else's, it's still limited, and he recognizes, and Azula recognizes, that he's reached that limit - and that reaching that limit has consequences in perception and belief. He no longer believes firmly that everything will turn out okay; he doesn't have rose-colored glasses on anymore. He is more pragmatic and is willing to act ruthless. In short, he's willing to take some plays from Kyoshi's playbook - because, honestly, Kyoshi's playbook is the right playbook in a time of war.
**Sokka, Haru, Samir, Ursa, Bor, Toph, Suki, Jin, Zuko, and Katara all reconnect, and Katara heals Toph's feet. (Who didn't see that part coming?) And they eventually learn, through Toph's healed feet, that Hama is pregnant with Ozai's child. Talk about a deadly combination. Anyway, they have an intense discussion about what to do, and Zuko (and Katara) decides to raise the child themselves, since it works out perfectly. The child will already look like Zuko and have Water Tribe features, which the people of the Fire Nation won't know well enough to differentiate between Katara and another Water Tribe woman. Then Hama wakes up and hell breaks loose, and it goes about as you expect. Threats. Threats. Threats.
**Ty Lee and Ozai have an unpleasant conversation.
**Aang and Azula find Indra, and just as Aang is about to restore Indra's immortality, Vaatu senses it and shows up, blackmailing them with the promise that their daughter will die if Vaatu doesn't returrn (they don't know that Samir and Ursa were already rescued, remember?). Vaatu played it really smart because he didn't bring Ozai along, suggesting that he wasn't bluffing - even though he totally was. It's hard to outwit a spirit of eons, even if you're Azula. Indra agrees to go with Vaatu to save Samir, who she only knows is alive; having lost her immortality, she can't sense where Samir is, only that she's living. Otherwise, if Vaatu hadn't gotten there so swiftly, they could have called his bluff. But now Vaatu has all the elements. There will be two Avatars.
You might think that Azula's plan to seduce Aang while flying on Appa is strange and out of character, but she's desperate, and she knows that Aang is desperate. And she knows that they can't be desperate if they are to save Samir and her mother, who they don't know are already safe with the others.
**The airbending spirit who Vaatu will pull from the Gardens of the Dead (specifically the Maze of Thorns since I figured there should be a "hell" section of the Gardens of the Dead) is Zaheer! I know Zaheer is in LoK, but I'm changing things. I sprinkled hints of his existence in earlier chapters, specifically when discussing the ability of True Flight when Aang is investigating, via speaking with some of his predecessors, near the beginning of the story. Now, this Zaheer will not be the idiotic man-child from LoK who was an anarchist. This Zaheer will be different, someone who is an actual Master Airbender and is ruthless and hates The Avatar while holding no hatred for Vaatu and Ozai. In reality, Zaheer will be loyal utterly to Vaatu and Ozai because they gave him a second life.
I think that was everything so leave a review and tell me what you think of the chapter. I'd really appreciate it!
Stay Safe
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