Hardened Winds

Chapter I

Summary: Two years ago, Aang was betrayed by Katara, who fell for Zuko and ultimately led to the avatar's failure to defeat Ozai before summer's end. Hardened, the young airbender is now back with a full army and is on the verge of defeating the Fire Nation once in for all. Yet despite his belief of being in full control, nightmares of the past still haunt him. What will happen when Katara returns and a series of misunderstandings and more betrayals unveil? Will Aang be able to handle it all?

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Two Years Later

"Hey, Misaki! Is your division ready?"

"Not yet, boss! They still need training when it comes to bows and arrows!"

"Well, hurry up! The avatar is planning to strike against the Fire Nation soon, and we need all the men we can get!"

"With all his great powers, Sokka, I'm still wondering why the avatar needs us at all!"

Groaning at hearing the same question all over again, the tall seventeen-year-old opened his mouth to answer, but before he could come up with a proper reply, his feet had already led him away from his friend and into another busy chamber of the Omashu castle. I'll answer him later, Sokka pondered, sighing with a small smile on his lips as he watched all of his friends hurrying to complete whatever mission was at hand. Only two years had gone since most had lost hope of ever stopping the Fire Nation, yet now it all seemed possible.

No, more than possible, Sokka reminded himself. The avatar's troops were almost ready, and any time now, Ozai would be overthrown. And thinking about that, a confident smile flashed across the boy's face before he quickly exited the room and entering another long, dark hallway. He winced, though, when he left all the bustling, happy sounds of his friends. Now he only had the amplified sounds of his footsteps as company.

The place had always been too big for his comfort, with the unappealing earth walls and the constant lack of proper lighting. Why King Bumi had insisted on living here the adolescent would never know. Omashu's king had been one of the resistance's greatest help, gathering earthbenders from around the globe for the avatar's army and teaching the last airbender military tactics, as well as informing him of the Fire Nation's more important bases.

Yet even King Bumi, who had lived to be more than a hundred years old, had known that he would not be participating in the war, and many times, he had warned Aang of this. And true to his word, the king had passed away a year ago, leaving the castle for the avatar and his new resistance forces. Thankfully, his final gift –the castle itself- was a great advantage to everyone. Sokka knew he should be grateful that his idea of the Resistance, which had been nothing but an elusive suggestion two years ago, was finally taking shape. And he was, definitely. Still, he thought, it just had to be a big, dark castle made of dirt. And I've had a year to get used to it. I wonder if Aang actually likes the place.

Oh, well. He would have to ask his friend slash leader the next time he saw him. For now, he had to get in touch with Gloria, who had been assigned to furnish the troops with seemingly endless provisions and to plan their attack on Haidad, an important Fire Nation city. Finally reaching the end of the hallway, Sokka swiftly made it to his left before an uncertain voice popped in his head. Was it left… or right? I can never remember which. Sighing, the teenager prayed he had made the right turn. Anyway, he had tried talking to the vivacious waterbender the previous night, and he was still irked on how she had merely chased him away with a few snapping words and an indignant glare.

Does that remind me of anyone?

Katara had been like that once. But he pushed that unwelcome thought to the furthest corner of his mind. No need to think about the enemy now.

"Gloria!" Sokka thundered when he finally saw the middle-aged lady, who was currently braiding her long blond hair, in a small cramped room. "Why are you doing your hair when you can be at the avatar's service?"

Gloria was surrounded by a multitude of enormous barrels, and in fact, she was presently sitting on one. The woman didn't seem concerned about her crowded environment, though, and she even ignored Sokka until he marched right up to her and gently punched her in the arm.

"Don't you know…" the petite woman hissed dangerously, waving her hand in an all-too-familiar motion, "… how much I hate it when you do that?"

And before the boy could react, he was cruelly splashed by freezing water, and for a moment, all he could do was gag and glare at Gloria as she laughed at the sight. The North Pole tribe is a very sadistic group, Sokka told himself for the umpteenth time.

"You've had your fun," he muttered before inquiring in a louder voice: "Is Haidad ours yet?"

Gloria instantly frowned but didn't say anything until Sokka asked his question again. At last, she stood up and clapped her hands.

"I know you're going to hate hearing this, but I have another plan for the avatar," she stated, her voice vibrating and sure.

"And that is…?" Sokka said tentatively, already a little annoyed; he hated when the waterbender made unexpected changes to their long, sought-out plans.

"Okay, I think we don't need to conquer Haidad."

"What?"

In an instant, the boy had an incredulous look on his face, which –both of them knew- would soon turn to anger if Gloria did not explain her thoughts to him soon.

"Now listen, Sokka. It makes perfect sense, If-…"

"Wait a minute, Gloria… are you saying that you didn't-…"

"Don't interrupt! I'm certain-…"

"You didn't make ANY plans, did you? You didn't even START! And why do you we have whole divisions waiting for your cue? Why-…"

"The avatar," Gloria's voice was now booming and threatening, preventing Sokka from making any further interjections, "I declare, is now perfectly capable of attacking Ozai directly with the current army he has. With good, solid planning and a wise organization of our men, I believe that we have total control of the war now."

Sokka stared at the woman for a minute, his mouth gaping as he couldn't grasp his words. And when he did regain his speech, he glared at his friend and whispered:

"You're nuts."

"Am I really?" the blond replied silkily, wearing an expression that the seventeen-year-old could only deem as a totally psychopathic look. "Look, for the person who's the avatar's second-in-command, you're rather thickheaded, Sokka. We may not have much Fire Nation territory, and Haidad may strengthen our control of their land, but what for? For two years, our leader has been gathering forces and has been developing his skills, and now he's more than ready to take the Fire Lord. I've thought of what he can do, and I know what our troops can do. And I'm now asking… what's the point of delaying our victory when we can have it now?"

"Gloria, I don't think you get our situation," Sokka retorted, exasperated. "We only have one chance to win. If we act rashly and lose, we fall apart. Aa-… The avatar and I know that we can't take our chances like that, and with Haidad, not only do we undermine Ozai's confidence, but we also get more supplies, people, and control. To win, we need an impenetrable base. We may be strong now, but before we do our final attack…" he looked at Gloria directly in the eye, "we need to be as close to invincible as we can. Or else anything can happen."

Like the last time.

The adult merely grimaced at him before pointing at the door, and Sokka was afraid she was ordering him out with the threat of a tantrum when she hissed:

"Why don't you ask the chief for his opinion? I bet he would see where I'm going to, because frankly, Sokka, I think you're way too much on the defensive. If we had you as a leader, we would never come to attack the Fire Nation Capital."

"Fine then, I will!"

And glowering at Gloria, he stomped out of the room, stunned and irritated at the fact that the woman hadn't understood anything after the wise lecture he had given her. Heh… me giving lectures –it would have been an impossible concept a few years ago, the boy mused, remembering how he seldom reprimanded other people… unless it had been to his sister, of course. Times had changed though, and although he was presently smarter and wiser than he had been before, he still found himself to be more or less Sokka. Too bad he couldn't say the same for his best friend.

The avatar. As the teenager sauntered from one hallway to another with the mission of reporting Gloria's madness to Aang, he realized he was tired of hearing the young monk being addressed as the avatar all the time. It was what the airbender wanted though.

"Why don't you let them just call you Aang? You didn't care before whether people knew your name or not."

"I don't know. I guess it's because I'm now a leader of something. And if they want to see me as the leader, they have to see me as only the avatar. I guess… I won't be much of a leader if they knew I was only twelve-year-old Aang."

They would, though, Aang, I'm sure they would, Sokka thought, imagining himself talking back to the memory. Why do you have to be so-…

Just then, he came across a small, bald man being led by two of the avatar's lesser guards. The stranger was attired with sullied rags that were falling apart, and his grimy skin obviously had not been washed for days. There was a determined scowl adorning the man's face, and Sokka stopped to guards to ask them what their prisoner had done.

"He's a spy and a voucher for the Fire Nation," one of them answered crisply, glowering at the filthy man.

"He tried to infiltrate the castle by pretending to want to help our cause when he was really just a miserable spy for Ozai," the other added, his tone not bothering to hide his disgust. "The bastard keeps babbling that the Fire Nation is doing more good than the avatar's forces, and our leader ordered us to take the scoundrel to him immediately."

When he heard the guard utter the last part of his statement, Sokka had to hide a smile. Nevertheless, he gave the prisoner a stern stare and coolly asked him:

"What do you have against us?"

"You're all horrible!" the man spat at him, his face now contorted in rage. "You side with the avatar, who claims he wants to free us from the Fire Nation, but all he's doing is causing trouble and killing innocent people. The Fire Nation is ruthless, I know, but its goal is to conquer the world, not to kill unnecessarily, which is apparently your goal."

"You treacherous rogue!" one of the guards instantly bellowed. "We should-…"

"You're just as bad as the bunch of kids I saw a few years back, all naively led by a madman. What was his name? Jet or something…"

Hearing the despicable name after so long, Sokka gritted his teeth and abruptly grabbed the man's head so that he was now forced to look into the teenager's enraged façade.

"How dare you," he whispered softly, "compare us to those stupid fools? You know nothing of what we have accomplished, of what we have done. I hope… the avatar will give you what you deserve."

And motioning for the two guards to continue on their way, Sokka sighed and made sure the others were out of sight before he slumped down and stretched. No use going to Aang now when he has to deal with that first. Thinking about what he had just told the spy, he snorted and put his arms behind his head. No matter how grand and stern the airbender had been portrayed in so many rumors, Aang was always relaxed and lenient with his captives… perhaps even more so than with his troops. At that surprising realization, Sokka smirked. Ironic but true.

He distinctly remembered what had happened with their first prisoner.

----- ----- -----

The enormous chamber would have been pitch back was it not for its tall, hostile candles, which were ablaze with small, almost demonic flames. And even then, the room was half hidden in shadows, its atmosphere angry and ominous. The walls were blood red, making the visible shadows even more frightening against the background, and the double doors were heavily bolted shut. There were no windows either, if a hopeful captive was looking for one, and therefore there was practically no way to escape. This was the situation the current prisoner found himself in as he faced the avatar and his second-in-command.

He was a middle-aged man reaching his sixties, with wrinkles all over his tired visage and his hair already a pale, old gray. Yet youthful energy and enthusiasm were flaming in his eyes, and that was exactly the problem; he was a passionate man, but for the wrong cause. And that was why he was now sitting in a chair, his feet and hands tied tightly together while gleaming, steel chains securely kept him seated. A heavy silence dominated the vast chamber until at last the second-in-command spoke.

"Why do you wish to harm the avatar?"

The man's head was bowed down, and when he was thrown this inquiry, he at first did not show any signs of even hearing Sokka's harsh voice. Yet after a moment, he closed his eyes and replied calmly:

"I want to stop all this madness. I don't wish to harm anyone."

Scowling at the prisoner, the sixteen-year-old opened his mouth, ready for another brutal inquiry, when suddenly, with a swift gesture of his hand, the avatar himself stopped him.

"It's okay, Sokka," Aang told him gently, and his friend could only give him a skeptical look.

The airbender nodded before unexpectedly going to a darkened corner of the chamber, and he soon came back carrying a chair that Sokka could have sworn was not there before. Ignoring his friend's raised eyebrow, Aang swiftly put the chair down so that its back was facing the prisoner, and just as quickly, the airbender sat on it, but he was sitting in a way so that now, he and the prisoner were facing each other completely.

"Hi," the boy started, smiling gently, and surprise registered on Sokka's face; ever since last summer's end, Aang rarely smiled, and when he did, it was a small, almost sad grin that evidently hid secrets.

And that was the smile he gave the prisoner as the avatar opened his mouth and said:

"I'm Aang."

----- ----- -----

The two of them had been supposed to appear invincible when they had been with that prisoner, yet the first thing his best friend had done was reveal his name, making himself seem vulnerable…. making himself look like the frail thirteen-year-old he had been. It hadn't made sense to Sokka that fateful day with their first prisoner, and even today, he still had trouble accepting the fact that Aang could easily give away his name to their captives yet conceal it protectively from his own followers.

And reminiscing about that day so long ago, he asked himself if it had been luck that changed the prisoner's mind and made him their ally… or the casual, friendly way Aang had tried to talk to him, to convince him that they were only trying to save the world.

Sighing, the adolescent sluggishly stood up and yawned. Aang had been, from the very beginning…. Weird. Just plain weird. From his extreme hobbies to his abnormal pets to his happy-go-lucky attitude. Of course, he used to have extreme hobbies, and he used to have a carefree personality, and it was sad to think how much the young monk had changed since those blithe times. The weirdness, though, hadn't disappeared, and this was a fact that Sokka wasn't sure to be grateful for.

And one of the avatar's strange habits was to go easy on his prisoners, acting as if they were old, stubborn friends who just needed some talking to. The second-in-command had admonished his friend's tactics countless times, but he had stopped when it became obvious that Aang's relaxed attitude towards their captives was working. Had Aang been wise and known that it would work all this time… or was it that Lady Luck was smiling at him again?

Let's not get to into this. As long as it works…

And smiling cheerfully, Sokka stood up and continued to head to the avatar's chambers. Yes, he knew that the prisoner's questioning room was completely to the opposite direction of where he was going, but he reasoned that by now, Aang must have been done with that spy. Sokka had seen smarter, more determined, and more dangerous prisoners before, and even they had soon been forced to agree with Aang's point of view. The fourteen-year-old was probably in his room now, relaxing, and he was usually in his best moods when he had just finished with a captive.

A few minutes later, Sokka saw the huge, wooden doors that led to the avatar's bedroom, and he quickened his steps. However, before he reached those doors, an earthbender guard stopped him in his tracks.

"Where are you going, commander?" he asked him briskly, yet the boy could clearly hear a subtle tone of respect; at least the guard knew who he was.

"I'm going to the avatar's room," Sokka replied just as crisply, although he wondered why he even bothered to answer; his destination was quite obvious. "You may step aside."

And he was even prepared to push the guard away when the adult blocked his path with his spear. And even though Sokka hated to be intimidated, the weapon was quite long and sturdy… and did he mention sharp? A boomerang certainly could not compete with that. Not at this distance anyway.

"Isn't the avatar in his room?" the teenager asked coolly, beginning to feel a little irate at the guard's obnoxious behavior.

"He is not," the other, much to Sokka's bewilderment, answered. "And his specific orders were that nobody would enter the room until he came back. I'm sorry, commander."

So his friend did not finish his 'conversation' with that traitor, the teenager mused, sighing. Maybe it wasn't that easy to convince your enemies after all. And now the main question arose: did he want to wait for Aang forever? He hadn't seen or talked to him for weeks, and Sokka felt it was his duty as the airbender's only true friend to come to him every now and then just to have some laughs. Of course, these days, it wasn't as if Aang actually laughed much but…

Just then, his stomach let out a rather loud growl, and the guard smiled in amusement. Groaning, Sokka realized he hadn't eaten his breakfast, and he was rather hungry now. Plus, since the prisoner was apparently not the cooperating type, he had no idea how long Aang would be stuck with him. When his friend finally came back, he might even find a skeleton of his best friend lying at his feet and…

Okay, let's not get too carried away here.

"Hey…" Sokka then turned to the guard and adopted a casual, friendly tone. "Do you –by chance- have anything to eat on you?"

"Nope, sorry."

Sokka let out another frustrated groan. The Fire Nation could not get between Aang and him. Katara's betrayal could not get between them either. Yet food… Apparently, some habits Sokka would never be able to change.

"Guard, please inform the avatar that I wish to see him as soon as possible. Ask him whether he can schedule a meeting for us," the adolescent told the sentry, inwardly scowling at how this had so quickly become an official appointment with the avatar and not an opportunity to hang out with his best friend.

Guilt was still gnawing inside him, but Sokka reasoned that Aang would certainly not want to hear his stomach growl all through their chat anyway. He looked sternly at the guard, waiting for a reply, but suddenly, before the earthbender had a chance to open his mouth, another guard, his expression urgent, rushed into the scene and pulled the other aside. What the…? Sokka wondered as he watched the two confer in their own corner, their indistinct voices quick and even a little panicked. Their private conversation, much to Sokka's annoyance, lasted for several minutes before the two earthbenders finally broke up, but even then, it didn't seem as if either of them wanted to tell him what was going on.

"Ahem," the second-in-commander cleared his throat loudly after a moment, "I would very much like to know what you guys were talking about."

The first guard, who presently had a worried visage, grimaced slightly before beginning to answer, but his quiet words did not reach Sokka's ears, because just then, light footsteps could be heard approaching and the South Pole native instantly turned around to face the newcomer.

"Sokka," a quiet voice acknowledged him, "what are you doing here?"

"Hey!" Sokka cried cheerfully at the same time as the two guards bowed and said in unison, "The avatar!"

The small fourteen-year-old looked at all three of them with an expressionless façade, his dark gray eyes tranquil as he regarded them all. Despite the years, the airbender had remained with his slight, frail physique, and besides the fact that he was significantly taller, he still looked like the jovial twelve-year-old he once had been. His clothes had changed somewhat, though; it was still the same attire, true, yet the colors were now of a darker hue, just like his eyes and his past.

"So… how was the captive?" Sokka asked cheerfully. It was the usual question he asked after the young monk came back from the prisoner's chamber, and normally, Aang would reveal one of his rare smile then and attempt to reply just as happily.

However, this time, the airbender turned to look at him intently, and the seventeen-year-old instantaneously knew something was wrong, even though his friend's face was blank. Besides Sokka, the two guards were suddenly solemn.

"Aa-… What happened to him?" Sokka inquired meekly after a prolonged moment, and only then did Aang seem to actually hear the question.

And when he did, he closed his eyes, a gesture of resolution and regret, and whispered:

"He's gone now, Sokka."

"He's… gone? You… you didn't… you couldn't have…."

The older teenager was now gaping at the avatar, his eyes wide with surprise and shock. For a minute, Aang continued to gaze at him gravely before he swiftly turned to the guards.

"Erin, Ryo, you are dismissed," he nodded towards them, and when the two men bowed to him, he shook his head slightly and amiably said: "How many times do I have to tell you that you don't need to bow like that? In fact, that's an order."

The guards blinked, dumbfounded, at the airbender before uttering a "Yes, sir!" and quickly scurrying away. Meanwhile, Sokka seemed to recover his senses, or at least his ability of speech, because he soon cautiously queried:

"You didn't kill him, did you, Aang?"

The airbender let out a deep sigh.

"Yes, Sokka, I… killed him."

All Sokka could do was stare at his best friend as a slight shiver passed through his body. No wonder the guards had been so somber and even perhaps a little frightened. After all, it wasn't like Aang to kill off a prisoner. What had happened to all those times when the monk had always been able to resolve a conflict with a captive? What had happened to the Aang who would smile and show mercy and compassion no matter how vicious and horrid the prisoner was?

Abruptly, a grotesque image of the traitor's corpse came to Sokka's mind, and he asked himself, aghast, how the avatar had killed him off. Did he suffocate the spy in water? Did he bury him alive? Or worse… did he burn him alive? The avatar had all those powers, and for now, Sokka preferred to think that it was the avatar who had so pitilessly slain the captive and not…

"Will you go penguin-sliding with me?"

"Nice dress, Sokka."

"You could call it luck… or you could call it lying..."

"Yes, Sokka, you should really shut your mouth now."

"So…" the leader of the Resistance at last broke the silence, glancing at his friend's stunned visage, "do you have anything else you would like tell me?"

"Ah… um… yeah, as a matter of fact, I do," Sokka replied quickly, nodding. "It seems that Gloria –that moron- did not make any attack plan for Haidad. Can you imagine that? And we had such high hopes. And you know what's her pathetic excuse? The woman actually thinks we should now directly attack the Fire Nation capital. How reckless is that? That waterbender is completely insane and…" He was ranting, he knew, but perhaps his rambling would temporarily make him forget about what had happened… about what was wrong with Aang…

"Anyway, we probably have to delay our attack on Haidad. I'm sure I can find someone else to get the plan together, Aang. Asuka maybe, or even…"

Yet the avatar stopped him from continuing any farther with a motion of his hand. Aang looked into the distance, his face thoughtful for a long while, before he finally turned back to Sokka.

"I think that's a great idea," he then stated quietly. "I think it's time…. to finish the war once in for all."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

A/N: Not the most eventful chapter… I'm sorry if I disappointed you guys. However, I'm rather sure that I couldn't start the story after the prologue with any other chapter, and the reason this one wasn't so action-packed is because this chapter is somewhat like a filler: it tells the readers what has happened the last two years and how our characters have changed. And I hope the OC's weren't so boring either. They're be much more interesting in the next chapter, I promise. That chapter, I have to say, will be full of action and fighting. At least I hope you'll think so when you read it…

How boring was this chapter? No, seriously; I recently found out that I tend to make way too long dialogues and/or rely on redundancy. I hope you haven't seen these errors in this chapter, but if you do, it'll be nice if you inform me of them in the nicest and most constructive way possible. Thank-you.

I was so happy when I got six reviews for my first chapter. It's the most I've got for a beginning fanfiction. I thank all you great readers who have bothered to review!

Jaqq: Ah… I see we have a major Katara/Zuko fan here. I'm glad you still like the story, despite the fact that it won't be Katara/Zuko… although those two are together in the next chapter and it does have slight fluff. Actually… it kind of is (gets all thoughtful about that). Thanks for backing up my Jet theory, although about the honor thing, I think it's rather possible that Zuko joins Aang and the rest and forgets about his honor… although perhaps not just because of a girl. Heh.

someone: I hope you didn't get impatient then. I'm really glad that you liked the prologue, and compared to that, I guess this chapter is rather dull. Please stay, though; the next one will be much more fun!

Fran: Yes, I can't understand Katara/Zuko fans either. And Katara is a little too goody-goody, isn't she? Though we have seen her bad sides, which is a good thing, because I've been acquainted with other goody-goody characters who have never shown their bad sides, which is rather frustrating. You know Fruits Baskets (Furuba)? I haven't finished the manga or the anime, but it seems Tohru never gets angry or strays from her flat, smiling personality. Kind of irritating after a while…

The New Girl: You think the prologue was amazing? (glows) Thank-you very much. And thank-you also for correcting that spelling error. Must. Fix. It. Stay tuned.

Saucy Noodles: My sad story that makes you happy makes me happy, too. Hehe. Thanks for your e-mail (it's always great to know that people appreciate you), and I'm looking out for your stories!

MysticWater Bender3: Another non-Katara/Zuko fan! High five there! Thanks for your review and I hope you stay for this chapter!

I'm so glad that all of my reviewers wrote significantly long reviews (it's sad when people review your story only to put in one or two good words about it…), and I hope I'll hear from you for this chapter, too.

I originally planned to post a new chapter every Wednesday, but since my progress is excellent and it's summer, I may post a new chapter Saturday, especially since this one was quite tedious.

Review if you're nice.