Hardened Winds

Chapter III

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?

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Home, sweet home.

Exhausted and considerably scarred, Sokka extended his arms and sighed before heavily dropping onto his soft, welcoming bed. He closed his eyes and smiled, absorbing the gargantuan victory today had brought.

No more damn Fire Nation.

This concept was still unfamiliar to him, and he let the words' sweet nectar seep slowly in his mouth, warming his tongue and making the day's stressful and brutal events all worth it.

It had been no piece of cake trying to break into the Fire Nation Capital. It had been anything but easy trying to break through the seemingly endless ranks of Fire Nation soldiers and reach Ozai's castle. And when they had tried again and again to enter the Fire Lord's personal domain to no avail, Sokka had thought that their plan had been hopeless since the very beginning. That Gloria had been wrong and had condemned them all.

And then Aang had appeared.

The former South Pole resident had forgotten how powerful his best friend had become. Walking confidently to the castle, the young monk had raised his arms to the skies and like a god, he had gracefully, easily created a fierce tornado that had swept the surrounding Fire Nation guards off their feet, leaving the castle completely vulnerable from the outside. More amazing still, Aang had managed it so that only the firebenders had been brusquely lifted into the air, leaving his own warriors unaffected by his unforgiving winds.

When that had been done, the fourteen-year-old had literally ripped a huge section of the land away all by himself, forming it into a massive ball of earth and hurtling it to the castle's walls. Thinking about this, Sokka let out a small gasp of wonder, replaying the scene all over in his head. How the earth ball had shot from the air to the walls like a bullet… the way Ozai's stonewalls had so quickly crumbled under the avatar's powers. And from then on, it had been as if the deities had already decided who would win the war. From then on, it had been so simple for the Resistance to crush all the other obstacles that had blocked their way, to destroy the castle –the nation- from the inside, to attain Ozai's chambers…

And then it had been all up to Aang.

The avatar brings hope.

And so it had been true. Ever since the two of them had decided to form an army, many had instantly joined, eager to defeat the Fire Nation once in for all and looking up to Aang, who had so suddenly come back to the world and brought the hope of a peaceful world once more. And when Sokka and his troops' had begun losing faith earlier that day, when they had been futilely trying for so long to infiltrate the castle, Aang had restored all of their spirits the moment he stepped into the scene and obliterated the biggest obstruction in their way. With that, he had made them once again believe that they were invincible. And today, they had been.

Outside, he could hear a storm raging, its brutal winds colliding viciously with the castle. Of course, any chances that the weather could do any serious harm were minimal. Bumi hadn't been stupid; he had made the citadel's walls practically impregnable. Besides, tonight's storm was one of the gentler ones, and the rain was mild, gently falling from the sky and not pelting down to the earth like bullets.

I wonder what he's doing right now.

Aang was probably as tired as he was now, if not much more. He was most likely in his chambers, resting. The small airbender wouldn't join the others for the celebration, the second-in-command knew, which was rather sad when he remembered all those other times when Aang would've been delighted to just kick back and have fun. Maybe I can convince him, Sokka thought, although even he was rather skeptical of the idea. Aang needs… to be himself sometimes.

Just then, there was a loud knock on his door.

Groaning, the seventeen-year-old sluggishly heaved himself from his luxurious bed and trudged across his large, darkened room, feeling sleep pressing hard on his eyelids while the velvet carpet beneath his feet felt warm and soft. Why don't I just fall asleep on the floor, a sarcastic voice suggested, and Sokka could have laughed when he found himself seriously considering the option. However, he soon reached the door, and he let out a huge yawn before finding two benders and a former pirate in front of him.

"Hello, Sokka. No time no see," Haru acknowledged him, as always calm and polite.

"Hey, Haru," Sokka greeted back, smiling, if not a little awkwardly. "How's your family and your village?"

"Finally safe, thanks to the avatar."

"That's good…"

"You guys are so self-conscious with each other!" Gloria, who was as relaxed as could be, giggled at their behavior. "I thought you guys were friends!"

Sokka did not want to admit that it had always been Katara who had truly been Haru's friend, and glancing at the earthbender, he wondered if the other boy knew of what her sister had done. Haru serenely met his gaze, and as if they could read each other's minds, they silently agreed not to contradict Gloria.

"Hey, chief," Misaki saluted Sokka with a wave of his hand. "How's it going? Enjoying our victory?"

Smiling broadly, the seventeen-year-old mockingly saluted back before stepping up to his friend and embracing the other.

"Of course I am," Sokka replied when he pulled away. "After all, I have been visualizing this day ever since the avatar and I started forming the Resistance."

"Stop bragging, Sokka."

The second-in-command instantly turned to glare at the one who had made that impudent comment, but when he came face to face with Haru, who was wearing an amused smile on his face, he stopped and stared before Haru let out a small laugh.

"Apparently, the earthbender isn't as polite as we think he is," Misaki said, sniggering, and Gloria feigned a condescending look at the earthbender, which caused Haru to laugh even more.

"So… what's the occasion?" Sokka at last inquired, realizing that the three were all rather dressed up.

Although his hair was arranged in its normal way, Haru was currently wearing a long, forest green robe that had the symbol of earth embroidered on its chest; he also had a simple, gold necklace band adorned his neck. Gloria had arranged her long, blond hair into two neat braids, attired in a sky blue sleeveless dress. Her arms, meanwhile, jingled with multiple silver bracelets, and looking at her more closely, Sokka could swear that the woman was wearing makeup. Finally, Misaki was also wearing traditional Earth Nation clothing, although instead of a robe, the boy was wearing a light verdant top over a forest green shirt; the top, like Haru's robe, had the symbol of earth in gold in the center. He had a pair of baggy apple green pants on, too, and when he raised his hand again, Sokka could see at least a dozen jeweled rings on Misaki's finger.

"You like?" the former pirate asked when he caught Sokka inspecting his hand. "Stole them during the good, old days." At that, a smirk appeared on his thin face.

"Stealing is wrong, Misaki," Sokka reminded him, although his voice was completely monotonous. After all, he had told this to the other so many times that it had lost its meaning.

"But, come on, Sokka," the former pirate laughed, "aren't the rings beautiful? Admit it. You know you want them."

"By the way you're talking, I feel that you'll probably go back to the pirates any day now."

"Of course not… Dad."

"Aw…" Gloria sighed, wearing a blithe expression, and before Sokka could stop her, she had both her arms around him and Misaki. "You guys are so cute! You really do remind me of a father and a son…"

"Gloria!" Sokka gasped, indignant and half choking. "I'm barely a year older than him!"

"You're strangling me…" Misaki whispered. "You were planning this, weren't you…?"

Meanwhile, Haru was watching them all, smiling as if this was the best entertainment he had ever had in his life.

"No, think about it," Gloria finally let go of her two victims.

Sokka rubbed his neck with a stricken expression still on his face while Misaki tumbled to the ground. The waterbender glowered at both of them before playfully kicking Misaki on the side on continuing:

"Imagine this. Misaki, a sullen and abandoned pirate who is secretly craving for love and attention, seizes ships and steals treasure in order to try to fill the empty hole in his heart… in vain!"

Sokka, being familiar with Gloria's melodramatic side, rolled his eyes to Haru but went on listening, interested on how this 'story' would end.

"Then one day, he is basked by light when he realizes that the pirate life is not for him. His destiny is… to serve the avatar!"

"Long live the avatar," Haru interjected, grinning.

"Of course," the waterbender sighed, now putting on a sad face. "How can poor, young Misaki be passionate in his new duty when the avatar hides his face and when everyone is suspicious of him because his origins? Now the boy feels even lonelier than ever."

The real Misaki had long gotten up and was presently staring at Gloria with an incredulous and horrified visage.

"Is she talking about me?" he whispered to Sokka. "Because that is not me. Craving for love and attention… empty hole in his heart…. passionate…! The woman's obviously deluded."

"Shut-up and listen," was all the South Pole native told him.

"But one day, Misaki meets Sokka, who is close to the avatar and will be more a leader and a father to him that the avatar ever will be. No offense to the avatar of course," Gloria quickly added. "At first, Misaki is dubious, but with patience, compassion, and love, Sokka frees the child from the terrible, cutting chains that have been restraining him all this time, telling wonderful tales of the avatar and their purpose. And now, Misaki believes!"

"Patience… compassion… love…!" Sokka said slowly, aghast.

"Terrible chains…. wonderful tales…!" Misaki twitched at the words.

"The woman's obviously deluded," both of them at last agreed in unison, only to be hit on the head by an indignant Gloria.

"Wow…" Haru, who hadn't spoken for a while, was actually musing about the story out loud. "An overdramatic aura, the traditional depressed bad guy… the classic corny lines… not bad for a fairy tale. The story can go right besides the legend of the avatar for our future generations."

"No!"

"Anyway," Gloria casually changed the subject, "we're going to Asuka's party. Almost everyone is going."

"Yeah," Misaki said. "Asuka bragged all day long about how she got hold of some liquor off that damn prince's ship."

Sokka blinked at him.

"Okay, first off, isn't there going to be a feast and a party tomorrow? Why have a party today then? Second, you bumped into Prince Zuko? No one told me that… no wonder your reinforcements were late when they finally arrived at Jennoh. And third…" he gave a meaningful stare at Misaki. "Aren't you a little too young for alcohol?"

"Not today," the sixteen-year-old responded cheerfully. "Because today I'll be drinking to the avatar!"

"And you should come with us, Sokka," Haru told him. "We're going to drink a toast to you, too."

"Since you're the second-in-command and all, which you never stopped reminding us," Gloria rolled her eyes.

At that moment, Sokka remembered how weary he was, and as if on cue, his bones began to ache. He yawned.

"Sorry, you guys," he apologetically informed them. "I think I need some rest now."

All of their faces fell.

"Sissy," Misaki muttered.

"No," Gloria elbowed the former pirate in the sides. "We completely understand, Sokka. Unlike us, he was actually part of the actual battle. It was kind of rude of us to ask in the first place. Sorry, Sokka." She smiled in apology.

"It's okay. Tell me all about the party tomorrow, okay?"

"Sure thing," Haru answered.

And with their last good-byes, the other three turned around and left for the party, leaving Sokka to march back to his bed and lie down. Yes, a part of him did want to be with them, to have fun with everyone else and to fully rejoice today's triumph. But he was so sleepy… The moment he thought that, he knew he wouldn't be able to get out of bed if he wanted to. The last of his energy had seeped away when he had been talking to his friends. I wonder if this is how Aang feels, he wondered, thinking about his best friend… how perhaps the airbender did want to celebrate with everyone else, if only he had had the strength. Yet Sokka did not manage to finish his thought, because a second later, he was asleep.

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

The next day, the seventeen-year-old awoke to the sound of knocking. The boy, mumbling, turned over and slowly opened his eyes, still significantly tired from yesterday's battle. Meanwhile, the knocking persisted.

Who could that be? Sokka sighed and got up, and that was when he realized that he was still wearing his soiled clothes from yesterday. And judging by the subtle stench in the air, he could guess that he hadn't taken a shower either. Ew. For a moment, he thought about just ignoring the person at his door and cleaning himself up. Yet that wouldn't be very courteous, would it? Besides, today was supposed to be a good day –the first day without the Fire Nation on people's back. He shouldn't ruin it for someone else by ignoring them. With that reason in mind, Sokka began making his way to the door, hoping that whoever was outside his room would be ready for what he would see. A very, very dirty second-in-command.

The knocker turned out to be the exact opposite of Sokka.

First off, his neat, if not slightly overlarge, clothes were clean and in a perfect condition, which made the teenager feel as disheveled as ever. Second, most unlike his own tall frame, the newcomer was rather short, and standing there face-to-face, the two appeared to be like the midget and the giant. And last, but not least, the guy was bald while Sokka still had a small ponytail, and by now, the older adolescent almost regretted opening the door.

"Aang!" he exclaimed, not knowing whether to be grateful for his friend's arrival or horror-struck at how filthy he presently was in front of the avatar.

"Hello, Sokka," the airbender said calmly, and when he peered more closely at Sokka's face, a small, amused grin appeared on his own visage. "I see you still haven't cleaned up."

"I… um…"

"I hope I didn't wake you up, although I did wait for quite a while."

"No, it's okay," Sokka instantaneously assured him. "I mean, I was asleep but I did sleep for quite a while… hey! What time is it anyway?"

"One o'clock in the afternoon," Aang answered, chuckling. "You always were able to sleep for hours to end."

Sokka produced a meek laugh. He had noticed that Aang had laughed just now, if only a little. Still, he couldn't remember the last time the young monk had managed more than a small smile. The older one was glad that even Aang's spirits were uplifted by their grand victory, and maybe… just maybe… he would attend the feast today. If… Sokka instantly remembered how long he had slept… they hadn't already missed it.

"When did you wake up, Mister Prompt-and-Perfect?" the second-in-command then challenged, pretending to be offended.

"Eleven o'clock."

"I bet you could have woken up earlier."

"Trust me, Sokka, I probably couldn't," Aang retorted, still smiling. "Bending… takes a lot of hard work. Not that you would know that," he added mockingly.

"I have my boomerang. I have all that I need."

"I'm glad that everyone's so happy," the fourteen-year-old unexpectedly became quieter, looking into the distance. "But our work isn't done yet, you know that, right?"

"Oh, yeah…" Sokka sighed. "The Fire Nation. And the prisoners."

"They're scattered everywhere, aren't they?" Aang asked him. "Many are in Ozai's former castle, some are on Zuko's ship, some are on our ships… and you can't imagine how full our castle is of captured Fire Nation generals and soldiers. Plus… there's Ozai himself." The avatar's eyes darkened.

Sokka stared at him, astonished. Ozai… he was still here… he was still alive? The boy abruptly felt a little fearful.

"He's here, Sokka," the airbender continued. "And I'm going to have… a little talk with him right after this."

"Don't you want to wait until tomorrow at least?"

Yet Aang shook his head.

"Every minute he's in this castle, alive and healthy enough to conspire, I'm afraid. I'm afraid of what he's capable of, of what every minute I'm giving him can do for him… and I'm afraid for everyone in the castle, who thinks that everything is over."

"I understand."

Sokka shuddered as he pictured the horrid possibility in his mind; the Fire Lord somehow managing to break free of his cell and slowly destroying the castle, getting rid of everyone in his way while elsewhere, people were carefree, unaware that Ozai was still there, in full power and lurking in the very center of the avatar's headquarters. Not good at all. If that happened, the war would still be raging, and any reason for the Resistance to celebrate would immediately fade away.

"I'm going to see him now, Sokka," Aang finally stated, and his earlier playful attitude had long vanished.

"Do you want me to come?" the seventeen-year-old queried, also presently solemn.

Aang shook his head again.

"No," he told him, "you just enjoy the day. I'm sure I can handle everything by myself."

Sokka sighed. Although he truly wanted to insist on accompanying Aang to Ozai's prison cell, he knew that once the monk made up his mind, he would be closed to all other options. It wouldn't matter much anyway, he tried to convince himself. After all, his best friend was the all-powerful avatar. He could deal with anything.

"Okay then," he told the airbender. "If you really want to. And by the way," he suddenly said as Aang began walking away, and the airbender turned to him once more, "what do you plan to do with the prisoners?"

The younger boy stopped in his tracks. A moment of silence passed between them before Aang locked his cold gray eyes with Sokka's and answered:

"Kill them. Kill them all."

The older one paled.

"I'm just kidding," Aang chuckled at his dismayed expression. "We'll discuss about that later. Really, Sokka, you should have seen your face. Hilarious."

And the avatar's quiet laughter echoed everywhere in the hall as he walked away, leaving Sokka dumbfounded and not knowing exactly what to feel towards his friend. He's still the weird kid I knew two years ago after all.

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

The prisoner's chamber was as ominous as ever, sinister and calm in its aura. Blazing with an intense red, the candles' flames were restless and excited, as if even they knew what was to happen. After all, the two most powerful beings were in the room, and who knew what would happen. However, the largest one was presently bound by a chair in chains and tight, fireproof rope, preventing any means of escape. The chair itself was of cold, cutting steel, even ornamented by deadly spikes that would stab contemptuously at the mere wrong move of the captive. His chest was bare, wounded, while his pants were bloodied and torn. And the prisoner's proud crown had fallen to the cold, hard floor, the final touch that made the former superior Fire Lord look vulnerable and shameful.

In front of him, the avatar gazed at him with calm, indifferent eyes.

"You will never repent, will you."

The child uttered those words as if it was a statement, not a question. Ozai slowly raised his head and looked defiantly at him, his hard, black eyes filled with bottomless hatred. His look was enough to answer the query.

"Are you that selfish?" Aang continued, beginning to pace leisurely around his prisoner. "Why do you want to control the world? What does it have that's so precious? Why hurt people… for so little of a reward?"

The Fire Lord said nothing, didn't even bother to look at his warden. His visage remained the same, ugly and filled with loathing.

"Control. Is that what you wanted all along?" the airbender inquired lazily. "Just because you have control of the outside, it doesn't mean you have control inside. And eventually…" the gray eyes hardened, "you won't even have any control at all."

Ozai clenched his fists, and the young monk's eyes were sharp enough to detect this threatening movement.

"No more taunts, no more words… is that what you want?" the avatar asked him quietly. "I'll stop then."

He was now right in front of his prisoner, frowning slightly as he gazed at him. Then he extended an arm, and just as soon, his hand was filled with fire, which burned and twisted angrily in his control.

"They say," the fourteen-year-old began coolly, "that the only way to defeat your enemy is to fight fire with fire. I guess I'll listen to what they say."

His hand became a fist and he raised it, prepared to strike. And when it came down, a piercing, agonized scream erupted from the chamber, because the avatar's blow had been ten times as hard as the one the Fire Lord had given to his own son four years ago. And it had been fatal, too.

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

The skies above were enraged and crimson, its hue becoming darker and more agitated by the moment. The white clouds had long disappeared, only to be replaced by dark gray condensed smoke that seemed to dominate the air, contaminating it and suffocating the small, defenseless child below. It was so hot and humid, the boy thought, attempting to bear his uncomfortable surroundings. And he felt a dread and pain inside that he had never felt before.

All of a sudden, he heard a clamorous explosion, and before he had a chance to react, he was trapped in a circle of fierce fire. Its hot, menacing flames reached out to him, searching to burn through his skin, and the child stepped back, more afraid than ever. Because he knew something was coming.

And gradually, he saw an enormous shadow creeping towards him, miraculously breaking through the tall, crackling fire, and a loud, contemptuous laughter could soon be heard. The boy was frozen, staring in horror at the shadow that he knew –somehow he was certain of it- would be his executor. It was coming closer, its sick joy seemingly emanating everywhere around him and squeezing the life out of the child. He fell to his knees and covered his head, cowering because there was nothing he could do. He felt so weak and helpless.

It was then when he unexpectedly knew what the shadow was. Yet it didn't make sense, because he had dispelled this enemy, hadn't he? Hadn't he… gotten rid of this vile ghoul? But somehow the monster had risen from its grave, and the boy trembled in terror, his gray eyes wide and frightened.

He should have been able to move. He should have been able to react when the shadow almost gently put its solid hands around his neck. And when its twisted, cold hands began slowly closing in, he should have been able to scream. But he was frozen, just like the small part of his soul that had receded away to the dark so long ago.

The monster was smiling, and somewhere outside someone began to speak. Its voice, Aang mused, closing his eyes as his murderer's grip became excruciatingly tighter, its voice was somehow familiar…

"I know what I'm doing."

"It's okay, Aang…"

"I'm still the same person I was before, can't you see?"

"But you're not," a childish voice inside his head murmured, but even the boy couldn't hear it now. All he could hear was the terrible laughter, which came back even louder and more derisive.

He was dying… so slowly, so painfully, feeling his spirit freely flowing from his parted lips, and the shadow's cackle appeared to be talking to him, whispering about his foolishness. Because he should have never thought that he had destroyed it completely. He should have never assumed that everything would finally be all right. He should have never hoped… that he would one day gain control…

Through his squinted eyes, the boy saw the ghoul raise an arm, and a horrified gasp escaped when he saw its hand on fire, preparing to finish him once in for all. Because being strangled to death would have been too good for the avatar, wouldn't it? Because only physical agony could cure the aching deep inside…

And he exploded in a shattering, bloodcurdling scream as he felt his face been inflamed by the enemy's savage fire, which mercilessly ate through his skin, through his muscle, through his skull…

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

Aang sprang up from his bed, shaken. His breath came in uneven, ragged gasps, and he felt his face burning, as if it really had been touched by his nightmare's cruel inferno. Everything around him was dark, hidden by shadows that seemed to be dancing in a sluggish, hypnotic rhythm, and in his mind, they were warning him, reminding him that they could emerge from their own dark world and take over him at any time. And he shuddered, cradling his scrawny arms.

He soon discovered that he had been crying. His tears had stained his pale visage while a few had even dropped to his bed sheet. Pathetic.

His dream. Its memory was quickly fading away from his mind, making him forget what had happened… what had made him so afraid. But the cold, gripping feeling of terror and fear did not go away, and the most frustrating thing was that he didn't know why he was being smothered by this nauseating sensation. He had just gotten rid of the Fire Lord. Tonight should have been the most peaceful night of his life. But in his full a hundred and fourteen years of living, the airbender knew that there had been so many 'should-have-been's' in his life.

He sighed, frowning, and rested his head on the soft pillow once more. It had only been a trivial nightmare, after all. His goal in life had at last been fulfilled, and now, like he had so feverishly hoped for ever since the day he had awakened from the iceberg, he was free. Everything, he thought, closing his eyes…

Everything will be all right.

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A/N: Ladies and gentlemen… my story has ended. That's right. (Everyone gasps… or not.) Okay, okay; the title was a bluff, although it does fit quite nicely with this chapter. I didn't put it on just to fool you guys, for your information. Did I scare you? Probably not (laughs). Don't worry. Hardened Winds is not even halfway done. It's definitely going to be more than ten chapters, although it's going to be less than twenty chapters. If I manage to finish this (with the proper encouragement, of course…), this is going to be my longest story ever! Hourrah! Going on…

I hope this chapter didn't bore you. It doesn't really fit the angst that I'm focusing on, but look at Chapter 3 as a comedy break, okay? It was rather fun to write, too. Also, please tell me if the first dialogue (between Sokka, Gloria, Misaki, and Haru) bored you. As mentioned earlier, I sometimes tend to write way too long dialogues, and if you feel that the first part of this chapter was too much, please kindly inform me. Thank-you.

Next chapter… will be interesting, at least. Really not much to say about that, but stay tuned anyway, okay? Now I shall thank my loyal reviews of the last chapter:

Jaqq: Thank-you for your great comments and I'm glad the last chapter satisfied you! Here's Chapter 3 and any constructive criticism will be welcome! More will happen to Zuko, too; I promise.

aangsair: Gracias, gracias… and you must wait for the pairings, I'm sorry to say. (dodges tomatoes) Yeah… I prefer to keep it… a mystery… (cackles evilly)

Ryuusui: Picking good names for OCs are hard, you have a point there. I have a book of names to help me, though. But the names Misaki and Gloria just came to me. I guess I'm lucky… this time. And you make a great point concerning the war. It's not as if I don't have a reason for ending it so soon (as the story progresses, you'll probably figure it out, but if you don't, you can always ask again), but it made me think…. did the ending of the war seemed too hurried in Chapter 2? Hopefully not.

Plus, there will be more on Zuko, I promise. Everyone loves Zuko for some reason… It's not as if I don't like him, but Aang is just so much more interesting. Who wouldn't love a twelve-year-old monk with arrows all over? (fawns over avatar) Because of you, expect to see more Zuko later on in my story!

Blackrosebunny: Continue writing, Megan. And next time you review… please comment on my story, okay? Constructive criticism is what I'm aiming for.

Saucy Noodles: I'm happy you liked the fluff (no matter how small it was), and the tee shirt you have sounds cute. And I don't think you need to add more to your second chapter of The End Never Changes. For me, what you have already is enough. Hope to hear from you for this chapter!

Next chapter will be posted on Friday/Saturday the earliest and next Wednesday the latest. After the fourth chapter, we'll go to the second, more important part of the story. And then the third… and then the fourth. Not that the 'parts' are official or anything…

Review if you're nice.