Chapter Five
Colonel Mongke sat at his desks, with maps and reports scattered across it, seeing where the Avatar boy and his friends could potentially go. While it was clear to Mongke that the kids' ultimate destination was the North Pole, he knew they could not do it in a single day. They would have to make several stops at various villages or major terrain features along the way, and Mongke was deciding, if he were in their position, which ones he would pass through. A good commander puts himself in his enemies' position to make an educated guess as to what they are planning.
But as Mongke thought where he would go on the back of a flying bison, he realized he could go anywhere along the way to the North Pole. He also realized he had no idea of the capabilities of the bison.
"How far can that fucking beast of burden fly before it became tired and needed to rest?" Mongke shouted after slamming a fist on his desk. The more thought he gave it, he realized that the Avatar and his friends could already be halfway to the North Pole by now.
A knock resounded on his hatch. "Enter," Mongke said, hoping it was good news.
Kahchi entered the colonel's wardroom and stood at attention before the desk.
"At ease Kahchi," Mongke ordered, to which Kahchi stood with his hands behind his back, feet shoulder width apart at an angle. "Do you have an intelligence report on the Avatar and those brats?"
"Afraid not sir," Kahchi said in an even voice. While he served with Mongke the longest and was essentially his right-hand man, that does not mean he was safe from the colonel's wrath altogether.
Mongke scowled at Kahchi. "Explain," he growled.
Kahchi laid a map of the southern islands on the desk, where it showed several reported sightings of the Avatar all over the place.
"Do these shitheads realize who we're looking for?" Mongke said in frustration.
"Most of the reports are inconclusive, sir," Kahchi said. "At most it was brief sightings according to the reports, or they confused the bison with another animal."
"It's like that damn boy is doing this on purpose!" Mongke shouted as he stood up and looked outside the viewport. "It's like he's a master of evasive maneuvers."
Sokka and Azula studied the map intently, trying to figure out where they were going based off of the direction they were flying from the last land feature they saw. But without spotting any land features for the past few hours, they had no way to figure out where they were going now.
Naturally, that led them to argue with each other.
"We've been traveling northeast!" Sokka said while holding the compass. "So that means we're going to this island." He pointed to a landmass on the map that said, 'Whale Tail Island'.
"Not if we're drifting away from it," Azula countered. "Besides, look at the size of it; we would've been there by now!"
Sokka grunted and looked at Aang. "Aang, when are we getting to Whale Tail Island?"
"Oh," Aang said with surprise, "we were supposed to go to Whale Tail Island?"
Azula glared at him. "You mean you weren't planning on going to Whale Tail Island? Just where the hell are you taking us?"
Aang recoiled slightly from Azula's harsh language. "I'm taking us to Kyoshi Island where we can surf elephant koi. And you don't need to use harsh language; it disrupts your peace of mind."
"I'll give you a piece of my mind," Azula growled, frustrated at Aang's plan to delay them from arriving to the North Pole. She sat back against the rails of the saddle and stared out over the vast ocean with a scowl.
"Do you have any idea where Kyoshi Island is?" Sokka asked.
"Weeelll, I know it's near water…," Aang said with a guilty smile directed at Sokka.
"I guess we're getting close then," Sokka said flatly.
"Very close indeed," Azula added with sarcasm.
Aang shifted his attention toward Katara, who was busy sewing a hole in Sokka's pants. Zuko sat nearby sharpening one of his machetes. Aang felt he needed to impress Katara somehow to gain an advantage over Zuko in winning Katara's attention.
"Momo," he said and held out his hand, "marbles please." Momo chirped a reply and scrambles into Aang's shirt to retrieve the marbles, placing them in his friend's hand after finding them.
"Hey Katara!" he said as he shifted towards her. "Check out this airbending trick!" Aang then proceeded to use his airbending to suspend the marbles between his hands and make them spin rapidly.
"That's great Aang," Katara said absentmindedly while still sewing.
Aang stopped doing his trick, crushed that she was not paying attention. "You're not even looking," he said dishearten.
Katara stops sewing and looked at Aang. "That's great!" she replied.
"But I'm not doing it right now," he said more dishearten.
"Stop bugging her, airhead," Sokka said while waving his hand dismissively. "You need to give girls space when sewing."
"What does me being a girl have to do with sewing?" Katara asked with a raised eyebrow and an annoyed expression. Azula also gave Sokka a mean look while Zuko groaned that his best friend was being stupid again.
"Simple," Sokka started, "girls are better at fixing pants than guys, and guys are better at hunting and fighting and stuff like that. It's just the natural order of things."
With exaggerated and false happiness, Katara shouted, "All done with your pants! And look at what a great job I did!" She tossed the pants at Sokka, who caught it with his head. He pulled them off and examined them, finding that the hole was still in it.
"Wait!" he exclaimed. "I was just kidding! I can't wear these with this big hole in it!" He stuck his hand through the hole to emphasize his point.
"Then why don't you fix it yourself you manly man," Azula said, coating the last part of that statement with sarcasm.
"Really?!" Sokka squealed. "I don't know how to sew!"
"Then maybe we should learn," Zuko suggested.
Sokka looked at his best friend indignant. "How can you say that?"
"For practical reasons," Zuko said with a shrug. "Who knows when we need to sew clothes and no one's around who knows how to do it. I think it would be a useful skill to have, especially if we have to close a wound."
Sokka stared blankly at Zuko, while Azula and Katara looked at him both impressed and pleased by his willingness to learn what Sokka considered an unmanly skill.
"Sokka, give Zuko your pants," Katara ordered. Azula snorted at how Katara worded that.
Sokka and Zuko both grimaced at how Katara worded that statement, wondering if she was hinting at something or teasing him.
"Actually, I'll learn how to sew too," Sokka said sheepishly. He grabbed Katara's sewing kit and listened intently as she explained how it is done, while Zuko paid close attention.
Aang looked forward over the ocean with a downcast expression, thinking that Zuko was winning the race for Katara's attention.
But soon Aang's spirits were lifted when he spotted Kyoshi Island and he smiled at the opportunity to really impressed Katara by surfing elephant koi.
There's no way Zuko can compete with that, he thought to himself.
"There it is!" Aang shouted with glee. "Kyoshi Island!"
Aang quickly brought Appa down for a landing while the teenagers had mixed reactions to seeing the island and the idea of landing there for a time. Katara were rather impressed by the natural beauty of the island, having never seeing anything quite like this living in a land of ice and snow. Zuko sighed as he recalled comparable beauty from his time in the Fire Nation, finding himself that he actually missed something from a place that brought him some rather unpleasant thoughts.
Sokka and Azula, on the other hand, were not so pleased to land here just so Aang can have some fun.
"We only just started flying a few hours ago," Sokka complained after dismounting Appa. "Shouldn't we get at least a few more hours of flying in before we make camp?"
"He's right," Katara agreed with her brother, a rather rare occurrence. "At this rate, we won't get to the North Pole until spring."
"Assuming we get there at all," Azula added, her voice full of frustration.
"As nice as this place is," Zuko said as he admired the cherry trees, "we really should cover more distance. Who knows are far the Rhinos are behind us?"
"But Appa's tired already," Aang said, "aren't you boy?" Appa groaned loudly, as if saying he was not all that tired. "I said aren't you boy?" Aang asked as he elbowed Appa, who yawns on cue to feign tiredness.
"Yeah, that was really convincing," Sokka sarcastically said.
"So convincing," Azula added with her own sarcasm, "it's like he's tired all the time."
"But still, it's hard to argue with a ten-ton magical monster" Sokka pointed out. Azula rolled her eyes in annoyance, still frustrated by the situation.
As he was looking over the sea, Aang gasped and pointed out over the water. "LOOK!" he shouted with a smile. The teenagers looked where he was pointing and saw an elephant koi jump out of the water. "That's why we're here…," Aang said as he stripped down to his underwear. "…elephant koi. And I'm going to ride it. Katara you've gotta watch me!" Aang jumped into the water, shocked by the feeling of the water against his skin. "COLD!" he shouted.
The teenagers watched wryly, all worried that Aang would get himself hurt. They all looked at each other, wondering what they should do while Sokka made the universal 'he's crazy' gesture with his hand.
Aang swam out into the deeper waters of the bay and dived under. Then an elephant koi leaped out of the water and skimmed the top of it, all the while Aang hung on its fin to ride it. The elephant koi dives down into the water with Aang hanging on, but soon reemerges with Aang.
Now Katara was watching Aang with excitement, while Zuko was smiling at the idea of surfing the koi fish but was unsure how he would do it. Momo jumped up and down in excitement while Appa simply went to look for something to eat. Sokka was impressed by Aang's daring attitude but Azula was annoyed that the Avatar was wasting precious time. Still, she had to admit to herself that surfing elephant koi was rather impressive.
"Woo!" Katara shouted while waving to Aang to cheer him on.
"Yeaaaah! Woohoo!" Aang shouted, ecstatic at riding elephant koi after a long time. He was happy to see they still thrived after he was gone for a hundred years.
"He looks pretty good out there," Katara said.
"Are you kidding?" Azula questioned. "The fish is doing all the work."
"Agreed," Sokka added. "He's just hanging on its fin."
"Still, it takes some balls to ride like that," Zuko stated.
Katara was about to state that Aang was enjoying himself either way, but then noticed that Appa was about to eat some questionable looking vegetation. "No Appa!" she reprimanded. "Don't eat that!" She ran off to stop Appa while the others continued to watch Aang.
Aang turned his head to look to see Katara's expression, but his huge grin turned into a disappointed frown as he watched her run off, no longer watching him. "Aww, man…," he said, feeling like no matter what he did, Katara would never be impressed by him.
But as he wallowed in his thoughts, Aang did not noticed as several elephant koi swam away in panic as a giant shadow appeared below the koi fish he was riding.
"There's something in the water!" Sokka shouted when he spotted it.
"And it looks huge!" Zuko added.
"Get out of there kid!" Azula shouted to Aang.
Katara, finished after reprimanding Appa for trying to eat what he should not, heard the commotion, and ran back to the group. "What's wrong?" she asked, worried that Aang was in real danger.
"Aang's in trouble," Sokka stated. "Aang!"
The teenagers continued to shout to Aang, trying to tell him he was in danger and he should get back to shore right away.
As Aang passed the beach again, he waved back at the group with a smile, pleased that Katara was watching him but in reality, he misinterpreted their frantic gestures for cheering.
Suddenly, the elephant koi he rode bucked and was pulled under the water, causing Aang to fly headlong into the bay. He returned to the surface of the water and spits out what he caught in his mouth. As he gasped to catch his breath, a giant dark fin emerged from the water, shadowing Aang and making him stare at it in dread. He screamed in panic and began swimming back to the shore, but the giant fin gains on him. Aang, in a panic induced state, used his airbending to propel himself towards the shore, where he crashed headlong into Sokka and Zuko, shoving them back to the tree line and landing in a heap. The giant fin turned away from the shore and disappeared beneath the waves. Katara and Azula run up to them, where Aang quickly got of Sokka and Zuko and began putting his clothes back on.
"Okay," Zuko said as he rubbed his head, "what the hell was that thing?"
"No idea," Aang said as he finished getting dressed.
"Well," Sokka said as he got up, "let's not stick around to find out. Time to hit the road."
"You do know we're flying in the sky," Azula pointed out, "rather than walking right?"
"Whatev-AHHH!" Sokka shouted as a green clad warrior descended on him and pinned him to the ground. Zuko turned to see what happened but was tripped and landed hard on his forehead then pinned to the ground as well. Katara felt something brush past her, causing her to turn around to have her parka's hood pulled over her head. Momo screeched and attempted to fly way but was caught in a small sack and trapped within it by drawstrings.
Azula, on the other hand, managed to react and landed two hard blows on a warrior in what appeared to be a green uniform with black armor. But as she was about to deliver a hard round house kick, she lost her balance on her support leg. She tried to spin in the air to recover but felt two warriors pull her down and pin her to the ground as she was tied up and blindfolded.
Azula soon joined the others, hogtied and blindfolder like her, being dragged to somewhere.
"I guess we could stay awhile…," Sokka pointed out.
"Nice of you to point out," Azula growled.
The five of them were soon tied to a poll and heard an old man say, "You five have some explaining to do."
"And if you don't answer all of our questions," a young woman said, "we're throwing back into the water with the unagi."
"Show yourselves, cowards!" Sokka shouted in anger. His and the other's blindfolds were removed, revealing eight teenage girls in green uniforms and black armor. Their faces were painted white with red markings around their eyes. They carried fans in their waistbands with katanas hanging on their hips.
"Who are you?" Sokka demanded. "Where are the men who ambushed us?"
"There were no men," one of the warriors replied dangerously. She wore a more ornament headpiece then the others. She had red-brown hair with striking purple eyes. Her commanding attitude made Azula think she was the leader. "We ambushed you. Now tell us, who are you and what are you doing on our island?" the leader demanded.
Sokka laughed in disbelief. "Wait a second, there's no way a bunch of girls took us down."
"Sokka," Zuko warned. "Maybe you should show some respect." Zuko did not share Sokka's sexist attitude and was rather impressed by the female warriors.
"Do you really think women are that incapable when it comes to fighting Sucker?" Azula hissed at him, getting really tired of his sexist attitude, especially as of late.
"Like I said before," Sokka replied, "it's men that are meant to be warriors, not women."
"All of you shut up," the lead warrior replied. She grabbed Sokka by his collar, shook him harshly, and stared at him intensely. "I think the unagi's gonna eat well tonight."
"No!" Katara shouted in plea. "Don't hurt him! He didn't mean it. My brother is just an idiot sometimes."
"More like all the time," Azula countered.
"It's my fault we're here, and I am sorry for that," Aang said. "I just wanted to ride the elephant koi."
"How do we know you're not Fire Nation spies?" the old man pointed at Aang accusingly. "Kyoshi Island has stayed out of the war so far. And we intend to keep that way!"
"But I know Kyoshi!" Aang replied.
The old man barked a laugh. "How could you possibly know her? Avatar Kyoshi was born here four hundred year ago. She's been dead for centuries."
"I know her because I'm the Avatar," Aang said with conviction. The old man's expression changed to shock and disbelief. The lead warrior though, scowled in anger and approached Aang.
"That's impossible!" the lead warrior said while shaking her fist at him. "The last Avatar was an airbender who disappeared a hundred years ago."
"That's me!" Aang said with a wide grin.
"Throw the imposter and his friends to the unagi!" the old man commanded. The warriors brandished their weapons and approached the group cautiously. Aang, Katara and Zuko grimaced in fear while Azula and Sokka scowled in anger and defiance.
"Aang…," Katara said with urgency, "do some airbending…"
Aang broke his bonds and used airbending propel himself into the air, then slowly lowers himself to the ground, air gusting and blowing as a sure sign that he is an airbender… and the Avatar.
"It's true…," the old man said in shock, "you are the Avatar."
After landing on the ground, Aang reached into his shirt and pulled something out.
"Now… check this out!" he said before grinning like a fool and doing his airbending marble trick.
Katara and Zuko breathed out in relief while Sokka stared at Aang in confusion as to why he would use his dumb trick to prove he is an airbender.
Meanwhile, Azula watched the lead warrior carefully, having an off-putting feeling about her.
Why Azula was having this feeling was unclear to her. But she knew she could not trust this warrior.
After untying the Avatar and his allies, the green clad warriors bowed deeply towards Aang.
"We deeply apologize for our actions Avatar," the leader said. "We meant no disrespect."
"It's quite alright," Aang said with an awkward grin. "You were defending your home and didn't know who we were."
"If it's all the same, please accept our apology, Avatar," the leader replied.
"Uh, okay," Aang said. "But please you don't have to call me Avatar. I rather you call me Aang."
The leader and her warriors stood upright. "Very well, Avatar Aang," the leader said.
"I rather you just call me Aang," he replied with a friendly smile. "And these are my friends, Katara, Sokka, Zuko, and Azula," he said while gesturing to each person respectfully.
"Hi," Katara said with a polite smile. Zuko waved somewhat awkwardly, both impressed and enamored by the warrior leader. He could not explain it but there was something about her that told him she was an honorable individual, matched by her grace and skill in combat. In contrast, Sokka grunted, still unconvinced that these warriors were comparable to those from the Southern Water Tribe, or anywhere else for that matter. Azula crossed her arms and simply nodded in their direction, not wanting to be their enemy but not wanting to be their friend either.
"It's an honor to meet all of you," the leader said with a friendly smile. "My name is Suki, and these are my Kyoshi Warriors, the protectors of this island."
"And very good ones at that," Zuko said without much thought. Sokka looked at him indignant, not believing that his best friend was impressed by these warriors.
"Well, thank you," Suki said with slight bashfulness. She wondered why such a boy was dressed in Water Tribe clothing when he had pale skin and gold-brownish eyes. Suki also looked Azula over and noted she also had pale skin and brighter golden eyes but was also dressed in blue. It was as if they were not from the Water Tribe…
"We should head into the village," Suki said. "Our village leader Oyagi, the old gentlemen from earlier, went ahead to tell the people that the Avatar has returned; they're going to be thrilled to hear that." Suki and her warriors escorted the group into the village, where word quickly spread that the Avatar has returned and was on Kyoshi Island.
In fact, the word spread so fast that it reached a certain colonel's ears…
"The Avatar is on Kyoshi Island?" Mongke shouted. "Is this report reliable?"
"It's all hearsay, sir," Vachir said. "It's possible that the Avatar was there and moved on, or someone got their islands mixed up."
"Either way, it's the only lead we have," Mongke said. "Get the ship ready! We're going to Kyoshi Island."
After decades of hope diminished, the residents of Kyoshi Island left the paint of their namesake's statue to fade, believing her spirit to be gone after the Avatar disappeared.
But with Aang's arrival, the villagers' hope was renewed, as evident by the few talented artist in the village who tended to Kyoshi's statue, applying new paint over the faded.
And they furthered their gratitude by extending asylum to Aang and his friends. They were given temporary residence at an inn and given all the food they could eat.
"All right!" Aang squealed as he eyed the dishes served. "Dessert for breakfast!" He grabbed a sweet bun and stuffed his mouth full before saying, "These people know sure know how to treat an Avatar!"
"Could you not talk with your mouth full?" Azula said in disgust as she worked through a dish of smoked chicken-pig. After years down in the Southern Water Tribe, she found that she missed food that was not from the icy lands or water.
Aang ignored her as he finished the sweet bun with delight, picked up another sweet bun, and held it out in front of Katara. "Katara, you have to try these!"
"Well, maybe just a bite…," she said before taking it.
Aang smiled in delight as she took it, where she smiled in approval to how sweet the bun was. Aang looked over and saw Sokka sulking in the corner of the room.
"Sokka," Aang called out, "what's your problem? EAT!"
"Not hungry," he grumbled.
"But you're always hungry!" Aang said.
"Even when he's not, he still eats," Azula teased with a slight smirk.
"He's just upset because a bunch of girls kicked his butt yesterday," Katara added.
Sokka scowled at his sister. "They snuck up on me!" he squealed.
"Right," Katara said smugly. "And then they kicked your butt."
"Quite quickly I might add," Azula pointed out with larger smirk. She always liked tormenting Sokka, but now she was loving it. "Guess he's not as good of a warrior as he thought." Sokka growled at her, only causing Azula to smirk maliciously back at him.
"Sokka," Zuko said sternly, "just admit they're excellent warriors and snuck up on us because they're well trained."
"Sneak attacks don't count!" Sokka said as he angrily got up. He paced around the room, grumbling to himself about showing the Kyoshi Warriors what a real warrior was and how he was not afraid of any girls. Before he left, he grabbed several food items from the table and marched off, asking who the warriors think they are and then stating how tasty the sweets were.
"You seem to be taking the idea of being beaten up by a bunch of girls pretty well Zuzu," Azula pointed out. "Are you some type of masochist who enjoys being beaten and humiliated by women?" Katara snickered at Azula's teasing while Aang grimaced.
Zuko huffed in frustration. "No, I just believe women can be just as brave and capable as men. Just look at our moms: they bravely defied men and did what they knew was right."
Katara looked down at the table, gaining a sad expression at remembering the day her mother died. From what she could remember, it sounded like the Fire Nation soldier was demanding where the last waterbender was in the Southern Water Tribe. And since it was Katara who lived and her mother who died, it was obvious to the waterbender that her mother was protecting her by lying.
Azula was also thinking of her own mother. Sure Azula held some resentment that Ursa took her away from a life of comfort and prestige, she did it because Ozai was dangerous as he was content with killing his own son and continued to wage this war, a war that threated to take Hakoda away from Azula. Yet it still hurt that she held on to this idea that maybe, just maybe, her father was not the man people say he was.
Azula realized that it sucked to have loyalty to two nations at war with each other.
Aang watched the teenagers' exchange of words, feeling uncomfortable by their expressions of sadness and anger.
"Well, we can agree that it's great here right?" he said to cheer them up. "It's like they're giving us the royal treatment."
Katara snapped out of her depressing thoughts. "We shouldn't get too comfortable here. It's risky to stay in one place for too long."
"Yeah," Zuko agreed, "we should head out in the morning and start making some headway north."
"After we gather up enough supplies for six people," Azula pointed out.
"Don't you mean five?" Zuko asked.
"Mr. Glutton who just walked out of here can eat enough for two people, if not more," Azula replied. Zuko raised an eyebrow but quickly understood who she was referring to.
"I think we'll be fine staying here for a day or two," Aang said optimistically. "Besides, did you all see how happy I'm making this town? They're even cleaning up that statue in my honor!"
"Well, it's nice to see you excited about being the Avatar," Katara said with a smile. "I just hope it doesn't all go to your head."
"Come on Katara," Aang said, "you know me better than that. I'm just a simple monk." Aang stood up and walked over to the window to admire the scene. He then heard several young girls scream and cheer at him, fawning for his attention. He smiled widely and blushed, flattered by all the attention.
Katara, who heard the girls screaming and cheering, crossed her arms and stuck out her tongue in mild jealousy. Azula rolled her eyes in annoyance at the scene.
"I think all that attention will go to his head," she said to Katara, who groaned in response.
"I'm going to check on Sokka," Zuko said as he stood up, "make sure he isn't doing anything stupid."
"It would be a waste of time Zuzu," Azula stated, "Sucker is bond to do something stupid regardless of what we do." Zuko rolled his eyes and left the room in search of his best friend.
Zuko found Sokka pacing outside a small building. Zuko managed to catch a glimpse to the purpose of the building and saw Suki and her warriors training. They were moving rather slow, but their movements were precise and Zuko guessed they were focused on accuracy rather than speed.
"What are you doing out here?" he asked Sokka.
"Thinking about showing those girls what a real warrior is," he replied. He marched up to the building, with Zuko in tow, who was a bit uncertain for what Sokka was hoping to achieve.
"Sorry ladies!" Sokka said in a rather arrogant tone. The warriors looked at him with cautioned curiosity. "Didn't mean to interrupt your dance lesson, but me and my buddy were just looking for a place to work out." He begins to stretch his body while Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose, knowing that Sokka was biting off more than he can chew. Again.
"Well, you two are in the right place," Suki said with a slight smile. "Sorry about yesterday," she apologized sincerely. "I had no idea it was the Avatar and his friends we would ambush."
"It's all right," Sokka said with a flippantly attitude. "I mean, normally I'd hold a grudge but seeing you all are a bunch of girls, I'll make an exception," he finished as he rotated his shoulders. Zuko gritted his teeth to how Sokka was making an ass of himself.
"I should hope so," Suki replied with sarcasm. "A big strong man like you? We wouldn't stand a chance in a fair fight."
"True. But don't feel bad. After all, I'm the best warrior in my village," Sokka said proudly.
"Wow! Best warrior, huh? In your whole village?" Suki replied, falsely impressed by Sokka. "Maybe you'd be so kind to give us a demonstration."
"Oh… well… I mean… I…," Sokka said flustered, having second thoughts about confronting Suki. Zuko smirked in satisfaction, knowing this would be rather a humbling lesson for Sokka.
"Come on girls!" Suki said to her warriors, who were just as unimpressed as their leader. "Wouldn't you like him to show us some moves?" They all smirked and agreed to that, wanting to see the arrogant warrior put in his place.
"Well, it that's what you want, I'd be happy to," Sokka said with a slight smile. "All right, you stand right there. This may be a little tough but try to block me." He throws a punch towards Suki, who blocks with a rather deft thrust of her fan to his shoulder, looking disinterested and confident in her abilities. Zuko was rather impressed how little effort she had to put in to defend herself.
Sokka smile sheepishly while rubbing his shoulder. "Heh heh… good. Of course, I was going easy on you."
"Of course," Suki replied nonchalantly.
"Then let's see you handle this!" Sokka lunged himself at Suki, who caught him under his leg and tossed him backwards. He landed at Zuko's feet, who stared down at him with a raised eyebrow. Sokka ignored him and angrily shouted, "That does it!" He lunged at Suki again, who grabbed him by the arm, spun him around before throwing him to the ground, kneecap between his shoulder blades.
Suki and her warriors laughed at his folly. "Anything else you want to teach us?" Suki asked sarcastically. Sokka's face flushed in humiliation. As soon as Suki got off him, he left the dojo with his head hung low.
Zuko watched his friend walk away, both embarrassed at his friend's actions and attitude, but also pleased that he learned a rather humble lesson.
He turned toward Suki and her warriors. "Sorry about Sokka's attitude," he began. "Where we lived, women traditionally took care of the home while the men defended the village and hunt for its food supply."
"And I take it you share the same attitude?" Suki asked with a raised eyebrow. She had the feeling Zuko did not, but she wanted to hear his answer.
"No of course not. I learned long ago that women can be just as capable and brave as men," Zuko said with sincerely.
"I see. It's refreshing to see despite growing up with him you didn't pick up on his beliefs," Suki said with a small but satisfied smile. But as she took his appearance in, she once again thought that despite the blue clothing he wore, his skin and eyes were not befitting of someone who was born in the Southern Water Tribe. Not only did Suki had Sokka and Katara as a reference, but she had also seen a few Southern Water Tribe traders over the years, and they looked nothing like Zuko.
It occurred to her that Zuko and his sister Azula could not have been born in the Southern Water Tribe.
"May I ask a personal question?" Suki said tactfully.
"Uh, sure, go ahead," Zuko said, rather intrigued that Suki would be rather forward with him.
"Why don't look like Sokka and Katara?" Suki asked. "You look very different from them."
Zuko's eyes widen at her question. He was unsure how to answer that without admitting he and Azula were in fact from the Fire Nation. And that would be nothing compared to explaining how he and Azula were the Fire Lord's children.
"Well… it's because me and Azula weren't really born in the Water Tribe," Zuko said vaguely. "We moved there with our mother when we were kids."
"Why did you move there?" Suki asked, rather intrigued that someone would choose the icy tundra over warmer climates.
"It's a… complicated story," Zuko said, both embarrassed and hurt. He thought about lying but he was never good at it, so he decided that silence was a better option. For once he wished Azula was here to handle this situation.
"But where were you originally born?" Suki persisted with her questioning. "You don't look Earth Kingdom, and the Air Nomads have been gone for a hundred years. Unless…"
Zuko's eyes widen in fear and he thought about running. But he stubbornly held his ground, determined to face whatever Suki thought of him.
Suki's brow furrowed as she realized where exactly Zuko and Azula were from.
"You and your sister are from the Fire Nation," she growled. "You are spies!" She opened her fans in a threatening manner and her warriors followed suite.
"Wait!" Zuko pleaded with his hands up in a submissive gesture. "If we really are spies, the Avatar would have been captured by the Fire Nation by now! Well, he was but me and Azula helped him escape. And we're wanted by the Fire Nation too!"
"How are you two wanted by the Fire Nation?" Suki asked with a scowl.
Zuko let out a small breath of relief. Sure Azula would kill him at least twice for telling their story but he felt that Suki had a right to know who he was.
"Like I said, it's a complicated story," Zuko said before taking a deep breath. "My sister and I are the children of Fire Lord Ozai." Suki and her warriors stared at him in shock, not expecting the Fire Lord's son and daughter to be here, in the Avatar's company no less. "And how we got here all started when our cousin Lu Ten died in battle…"
Aang spent a whole day with the young village girls, showing off his airbending, telling them of stories from a hundred years ago and even standing in a painting with them, though it was never completed because the artist became annoyed when more and more girls wanted to be with Aang in the painting.
"There she is girls," Aang said as they stood at the base of Kyoshi's statue when it was announced it was finished. "Me in a past life."
All the girls gave out a collective 'ooohhh' in amazement that Aang is the spiritual descendant of their island's heroine.
"You were pretty!" a young girl name Koko said.
Aang smiled at her before he noticed Katara in the marketplace, gathering food for their journey to the North Pole.
"Excuse me for a second, ladies," he said before walking over to Katara.
"Oh good!" she said when she noticed Aang. "Can you help me carry all of this back to the inn? It's a little heavy."
"Actually," Aang replied, "I can't right now."
Katara raised an irritated eyebrow. "What do you mean you can't?"
"I promised the girls that I'd give them a ride on Appa," he said. "Why don't you come with us? It'll be fun!"
Katara let out a breath in exasperation before picking through some vegetables. "Watching you show off for a bunch of girls does not sound like fun to me."
"Well, neither does carrying your basket," Aang countered.
"It's not my basket," Katara said, irritated that Aang was not seeing the bigger picture. "These supplies are for our trip. We told you, we have to leave Kyoshi soon."
"I don't want to leave Kyoshi yet," Aang pleaded. "I can't put my finger on it but there's something special about this place that I really like."
"What's taking so long Aangy?" Koko said irritated.
"Aangy…," Katara said flatly.
"Just a second Koko!" Aang shouted back.
"'Simple monk,' huh?" Katara said disappointed. "Azula was right, your Avatar status did go to your head."
"It didn't," Aang said defensively. "You know what I think? You just don't want to come along because you're jealous." He smirked in satisfaction, suspecting that Katara did like him and was annoyed that he stopped trying to gain her attention because he had other girls' attention.
"Jealous?" Katara sneered. "Of what?"
"Jealous that I'm getting attention from other girls," Aang said with a smirk.
"That's ridiculous," Katara growled while harshly putting more vegetables into the basket.
"It is a little ridiculous," Aang said, "but I understand."
Katara looked at Aang with an angry look before walking away with her basket, getting more upset that he would not help her with it.
Aang watched her go, feeling satisfied that Katara was jealous but he also felt horrible for making her upset that way. Before he could think of a way to make it up to her, the group of young girls dragged him away giggling.
Sokka stomped around town, fuming in frustration that he was humiliated by a group of girls pretending to be warriors.
"Well, well," he heard a familiar but irritating voice say, "were you embarrassed by those warriors again?"
Sokka turned and spotted Azula leaning against a tree with her arms crossed.
"What do you want Azula?" he said with a scowl.
"I saw how that Suki kicked your butt. Again. When are you going to get it through that thick skull of yours that us women can be as capable as men when it comes to being fighters?"
"But you can't be as good as us!" Sokka growled. "Men are stronger and tougher-!"
"You really think that strength and toughness are the only things that defined a warrior?" Azula asked with contempt. "Have you ever thought that bravery, skill and honor have more to do with being a warrior?"
"Well yes, but-," he began but was cut off by Azula as she marched up to him and pointed her index and middle fingers at him, her trademark way of firebending. Sokka gulped out of fear.
"Listen here you stupid, gluttonous oaf," she said dangerously, "women can be just as brave as men. Did you think I cowered behind Zuko and Aang when Mongke captured us? No I didn't! And don't even think of saying otherwise! My mother showed incredibly bravery by taking me and Zuko away from the most dangerous man in the whole world."
Sokka looked down at the ground in mild shame, never really thinking how Azula and Ursa showed courage in the face of overwhelming odds.
"And what about your mother?" Azula continued. "Did she show incredible bravery when she died?"
Azula's questions took Sokka aback and it felt like a punch to the gut. From what Katara can remember when she ran to find their mom, she overheard the Fire Nation soldier mention something about a waterbender.
It occurred to him that his mother died protecting Katara, by saying she was the last waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe.
"Well?" Azula said, drawing him out of his thoughts. "What do you have to say for yourself?"
Sokka closed his eyes for a moment, shameful of his beliefs and felt freer for letting them go.
"You're right Azula," he said sincerely. "Women can be just as capable as men when it comes to being a warrior."
"You're not saying that just so I can stop yelling at you, are you?" she teased.
Sokka laughed, patted her on the head and ruffled her hair, making her finch slightly. "No of course not," he said before walking away.
"Where are you going?" she asked as she fixed her hair back to perfection.
"I'm going to apologize to Suki," he said with clarity.
Azula was glad that Sokka had his back to her, for she stared at him in annoyance for wanting to go see that Suki. She huffed as she felt her chest feel a bit hallow because of…
Nope. I am not going down that road, she thought to herself to keep whatever reason she felt about Sokka and Suki interacting with each other.
But that did not help that hallow feeling in her chest go away.
"After Lu Ten was killed," Zuko continued, "it effectively ended my Uncle Iroh's bloodline."
"Iroh…," Suki said. "Isn't he the famed Dragon of the West?"
"That's right," Zuko confirmed. "He led the siege of Ba Sing Se but abandoned it out of despair over Lu Ten. Not long after receiving the news, my father Ozai requested an audience with his father, Fire Lord Azulon. Originally me and Azula weren't allowed to hear what our father had to say to him, but we hid behind some large curtains. We overheard our father explained that since Iroh's bloodline ended, he should be made the Crown Prince."
"And I guess Azulon didn't take it well, right?" Suki asked. She folded her fans after seeing Zuko take a lotus position on the floor, guessing he only wanted to explain himself and had no desire to fight.
"He did not," Zuko said. "My grandfather went into a rage and told my father that since he wanted to cause more pain to Iroh who just lost his only son, that his punishment had scarcely began. I didn't hear the punishment, because I felt I heard too much and ran away, but I later learned from Azula that our father was ordered to learn how painful it was to lose his first-born son." He skipped over how Azula acted satisfied about what their father intended to do because Zuko wanted to keep Azula safe from Suki. Who knew how she would react that a sister showed indifference towards her brother's potential death? That and Zuko did not really believe Azula would want him dead, despite being an oaf in her eyes.
Suki's eyes widen in horror that a grandfather would be content with ordering the death of his own grandchild. "What did your father do? Did he disobey?"
"If only," Zuko said bitterly. "From what I understand, he was perfectly willing to go along with it." Each of the Kyoshi Warriors reacted with horror and disgust at the idea of a father being perfectly willing to murder his own son. They could have believed that Zuko was making this up but given the bitter sincerity in his voice, they knew he was telling the truth.
"But how were you spared?" Suki asked before sitting down across Zuko. She eyed him in empathy, trying to understand the pain he felt about his father. "How did you and your sister escape the Fire Nation?"
"Well that was because of our mother, Ursa," Zuko continued. "She had a friend who was a captain of a fishing vessel and he sailed us into the southern seas as close as he could get to the Earth Kingdom without entering their waters. He then set us out on a boat so my mother can take us someplace to hide in the Earth Kingdom." He thought for a moment as to where his mother intended to go. "Now as I think about it, I think my mother intended to come here to Kyoshi Island."
Suki's eyes widen at that, wondering if it was a coincidence or fate that she and Zuko met. "I guess we were bound to meet eventually," she said bashfully, a pleasant feeling in her chest. To her embarrassment, a few of the Kyoshi Warriors giggled at the idea of she and Zuko being destined to meet.
Zuko blushed at the idea of fate bringing Suki and him together, though it seemed rather childish to think that way. "But I guess our meeting was delayed because the currents we rode turned out to be too strong, taking us south," he continued. "We were rescued by ships belonging to the Southern Water Tribe. We were taken back to their village and my mother managed to get us asylum there granted by Hakoda."
"Hakoda?" Suki asked.
"The Chief of the Southern Water Tribe and Sokka's and Katara's father" Zuko stated. After thinking for a moment, he added with a smile, "And in a way, a surrogate father to me and Azula."
Suki smiled back. "It's nice to hear you had a better father figure in your life than the current Fire Lord."
"Yeah," Zuko said with a fond smile, "Hakoda is the greatest man I know. It wasn't easy but overtime, me and Sokka became best friends, while Azula and Katara teamed up to torment us," he finished with a lopsided grin.
"And now you're here with the Avatar," Suki said. "An irony that the greatest enemy to the Fire Nation is now your friend."
"Yeah, I guess so" Zuko said. "He's a good kid but he has no idea of the responsibilities of being the Avatar, which is frustrating."
"But don't you feel at least somewhat obligated to capture the Avatar for the Fire Nation?" Suki asked cautiously. She had the feeling he did not, but she mentally prepared herself to lead her warriors to defend Aang.
"No, I don't," Zuko said without hesitation, pleasantly surprising Suki. "I'll admit I have loyalty to my nation of birth, but after growing up in the Water Tribe, I just want to see my nations at peace with each other. I believe that if this war hadn't happened, then maybe me and Sokka would've been best friends without starting it with any animosity. And I think Azula and Katara feel the same way too, though they probably won't admit it if I ask," he finished with smile.
Suki now was looking at Zuko in admiration. She once believed that people of the Fire Nation, especially if they were close or related to the Fire Lord, would just want the world to fall before them. But to see someone being willing to go against their nation and help the Avatar for a greater cause?
That gave Suki hope.
"I'm really sorry you had to go through so much," she said sympathetically. "But it's good to hear that you want peace and balance restored to the world."
"You don't have anything to be sorry for," Zuko told her. "But I really appreciate you giving me the chance to explain myself."
Suki continued to look at Zuko in amazement but what really caught her attention was the scars over Zuko's left eye. "Sorry for being insensitive, but… how did you get those scars? Was it during your escape from your father?"
Zuko reached up to his scars, rather subconscious of them. "No I got these years later when I fell through some ice and ended up with my face being cut deeply against the jagged edges. Thankfully, I didn't lose my eye, but I still get chills and phantom pain from that memory." As proof of that, Zuko rubbed his forearms through his long sleeve shirt to get warm.
"I can imagine," Suki said as she watched him warm himself up. She wondered how he fell through the ice and asked, "But how did you fall through?"
"Well…," Zuko said, hesitant to say it was his fault that the ice was weak because he heated it up with his firebending. "Well I'm sure you realize that the Fire Lord is a firebending, and being a child of him…"
"Makes you a firebender as well," Suki pointed out. "It's okay."
"Really?" Zuko said astonished. He was certain everything he said would go to waste. But he was relieved that it did not.
"Yeah," Suki said with a smile. "It's actually another irony: a firebender growing up in the Southern Water Tribe."
Zuko chuckled at that. "As the Fire Lord's son no less." Suki joined him in laughing at the irony. Even some of the other warriors giggled while others smiled at that, but they were happy just as much as their leader about the Fire Lord's children being some of his greatest enemies.
"Say," Suki said with a bright smile, "how about you teach us how a firebender fights?"
"Well, I'm not the greatest firebender for that," Zuko admitted bashfully. "Everything I learned was through scrolls and books, not through a firebending master."
"But can you still teach us?" Suki inquired. "At least some of the basics?"
Zuko gave it some thought and yes, he could teach the Kyoshi Warriors how a firebender fights. But he felt that he was not good enough to teach anyone about firebending, as it took him quite some time to get where he was.
Yet he did not get where he was because of only his determination. It was because he had help.
Azula's help.
"There's actually someone who's a far better firebender than me," Zuko said. "And she's not too far from here."
Suki's eyes widen. "You mean your sister."
"Yeah," Zuko said. "If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be at the level I am now."
"That's quite humble of you," Suki said. "But I have the feeling she doesn't like me or my warriors much."
"She's just like that because she's wary of strangers," Zuko explained. "It's nothing personal."
"Well, if you say so," Suki conceded. She and her warriors needed to know how a firebender fights; they will need that knowledge if they must fight in this war.
And it was only a matter of time before they got involved.
"Uh… hey, Suki," a hesitant voice said at the dojo's doorway.
Zuko, Suki and the warriors turned and saw Sokka walk it, looking a bit submissive in contrast to his arrogance from before.
"Hoping for another dance lesson?" Suki said with mockery.
"No…," Sokka started, but he was not sure how to put his apology into proper words, "I… well, let me explain."
"Spit it out already!" Suki said in irritation. She had no appetite to deal with his arrogance again. "What do you want this time?"
Sokka was taken aback by her anger, but he knew he deserved it. He knelt in humility. "I would be honored if you would teach me."
Suki raised an eyebrow. "Even if I'm a girl?"
"I'm sorry that I insulted you earlier," Sokka said softly. "It was wrong and dishonorable of me."
"We normally don't teach outsiders, let along boys," Suki declared.
"Please make an exception," Sokka requested. "I won't let you down."
Suki was silent for a moment, as an idea came to her mind to how to really drive home the lesson that women can be just as capable as men when it comes to being warriors.
"All right," she finally said. "But you have to follow all of our traditions."
"Of course!" Sokka said quickly.
"And I mean ALL of them," Suki said with a mean smile.
Within short order, Suki was instructing Sokka on how to put on the uniform inspired by Avatar Kyoshi's battle dress, including the intimidating war paint. Sokka clearly showed discomfort at the process.
"Do I really have to wear this?" he pleaded as he looked himself over. "It feels a little… girly." Zuko snickered at how uncomfortable Sokka looked.
"It's a warrior's uniform," Suki lectured. "You should be proud to be allowed to wear it. The silk thread symbolizes the brave blood that flows through our veins. The gold insignia represents the honor of our warrior's heart."
Sokka stood proudly. "Bravery and honor."
"Hey Sokka!" he heard Aang squeal. "Nice dress!" Zuko took a step towards Aang, feeling slighted that the Avatar disrespected the inspiration of his past life's battle dress. But Aang was already running away, giggling all the way.
"I swear that kid…," Zuko grumbled.
Suki giggled. "He's being just that. I'm sure he knows better."
"Oh I wouldn't be so sure," a female voice said. Zuko's blood ran cold as he watched Azula step into the dojo. She eyed Sokka for a moment before smirking. "It's true, he is in a dress."
"It's a warrior's uniform!" Sokka shouted.
Azula raised her hands defensively. "Whatever you say. I make no judgements on your lifestyle." She then looked over Zuko, noticing that he was not wearing the uniform, but he did wear a nervous look. "Not playing dress up Zuzu?"
"'Zuzu'?" Suki asked with a smile. She had a feeling he did not like that name, and while she found it rather cute, she would not use it if he did not want her to.
"She's been calling that for years," Sokka said smugly. "He's never liked it his whole life."
"Including back in the Fire Nation?" Suki asked innocently.
One could hear a pin drop in the room. Zuko's blood froze in his veins while Sokka took an involuntary step back, knowing exactly how Azula would react because the cat-owl was out of the bag.
"Fire Nation?" Azula said innocently to Suki. "I don't know what you're talking about." She turned and looked at Zuko with a meaningful glare. "Do you know what she's talking about Zuzu?"
If Zuko had a choice between feeding himself to the unagi or facing Azula's wrath, he would choose the unagi. But he knew, or rather hoped, that Suki would explain that she and her warriors would have no hostile intention towards Azula given what happened in her and Zuko's lives.
Against his better judgment, he chose Azula's potential wrath.
"I, uh, told them," he said nervously.
"Told them what?" Azula asked.
"You know, our story," Zuko replied. "Where we're from, how we got to the Southern Water Tribe and…," He gulped and hesitated as he saw the rage burn in Azula's eyes, but she would get the truth out of him one way or another. Hopefully, she would be merciful if he confessed. "I told them we're the Fire Lord's children."
If one could have heard a pin drop in the room from earlier, they can now hear the dust settle. Azula glared coldly at Zuko, who wanted nothing more than to run into the bay and find the unagi.
"You. Fucking. IDIOT!" Azula shouted at Zuko. He recoiled and fell on his butt, fearful of what Azula would do next. "Do you have any idea how stupid you can be?! You've done some pretty dumb shit before Dum-Dum, but this takes-!"
"Wait!" Suki shouted. Azula looked at her with daggers, but the warrior was undaunted by her. "I forced his hand after figuring out you and he were from the Fire Nation! And you have my word that my warriors and I hold no ill feelings towards you after he explained everything you went through!"
"Even if we're the Fire Lord's children?" Azula said.
"When they're allied with the Avatar instead of him? Yes, we see you as our allies too," Suki said with conviction.
Azula stared at the warrior leader, seeing how she held no ill intent towards her. But Azula was still enraged at Zuko for folding under pressure and be foolish enough to tell their story.
"Alright," Azula finally said. "As long as the rest of the village doesn't know about who we really are, I'll be content with you being our allies."
Suki gave her a friendly smile. "You have my word, we'll tell no one, not even our village leader."
"Really now?" Azula said with a quizzical look.
"Yes," Suki said, though she did not like the feeling of keeping secrets from Oyagi, it was not the first time she did it. "If he knew he might not listen to reason that having you as allies would be beneficial to the Avatar."
Azula eyed the warrior, unsure if she could trust her completely. But Suki seemed sincere and Azula can give her the benefit of the doubt.
For now.
"Very well then, I appreciate your kindness," she said, causing Suki and Sokka to exhale. But the same could not be said for Zuko as Azula glared at him. "And I'll deal with you later Zuzu," she said dangerously.
Azula walked away from him and looked over Sokka with more scrutiny. "I have to admit," she thoughtfully said, "if someone were to put a dress and makeup on him cannot be that bad."
Suki laughed at Azula's remark. "He wanted to learn how to fight from us, so we made him follow ALL of our traditions."
Azula smirked at Sokka, who groaned at how he was never going to live this down. "Well you have your work cut out for you; this oaf couldn't fight his way out of a tent with the flap wide open."
Suki laughed at Azula's description of Sokka's fighting ability, knowing it to be true. "I've worked with less. We'll whip him into shape."
"I think beating him into shape would be more effective," Azula said with a slight malicious smirk, causing Sokka to growl at her.
"Say," Suki began, "we asked Zuko to explain to us how a firebender fights and he said you would be a better teacher."
"Really now?" Azula said curiously.
"Yeah, he said you're a far better firebender than him," Suki replied.
"Oh he's right about that, as dumb as he can be," Azula said before eyeing Zuko. She mused over cutting him some slack for his stupidity, but where would the fun be in that?
"Alright I can teach you," Azula said before smirking. "On one condition."
Before long, Zuko was dressed up just like Sokka in the Kyoshi Warrior uniform, right down to the makeup. He was honored to be allowed to wear it, and he was pleasantly taken aback by how unrestrictive it felt around his groin.
"Here I thought the makeup would cover up those scars completely," Azula mused after seeing Zuko's scars were still visible under the war paint. "Guess I was wrong." Zuko frowned at her but said nothing, feeling privileged to wear the uniform.
"Well he's ready," Suki said. "Why did you want him to wear our uniform?"
Azula smirked at her. "To help with teaching you how to fight a firebender."
To help drive her lessons home, Azula used Zuko as her teaching instrument when it came to countering a firebender. It did not take long before Suki and her warriors were visualizing themselves in Zuko's place. Azula went over how a firebender's main strength came from their breath and if they were short of breath, their attacks will become weaker or outright stopped. Their emotions also played a part; if a firebender has self-control, they are a dangerous opponent, but if they let their emotions get the better of them, they may become reckless and possibly more dangerous in that regard, but it potentially made them prone to tunnel vision. As for manipulating their element, firebenders use swift and whirling movements and had little defensive stances, requiring them to be on a continued offensive if they wish to win the fight.
"A lot of those movements leave your legs vulnerable," Suki noted.
"They do, but most firebenders learn to compensate for that," Azula lectured. "The best thing to do is to close the distance so they can't firebend without burning you and them."
"We can do that," Suki said. "Our tactics require us to move fast and close in on our opponents to use their force against them."
"Then I believe you should do just fine," Azula said before looking at Sokka. "You should spend the rest of the day trying to show this oaf how to stand up in a fight." Sokka scowled at her, making Azula smirk in delight.
Suki laughed softly. "Don't worry, I'll whip him into shape."
"I'm sure you can," Azula said before turning to leave the dojo. As she walked past Zuko, she suddenly grabbed him by the ear and dragged him outside. The Kyoshi Warriors stared in a bit of shock at Azula's strength but Sokka only snickered a bit, being reminded how Katara would drag him by the ear back in their village from time to time.
After stepping outside, Azula let go of Zuko, who rubbed his ear. He grimaced not out of pain but what was coming to him.
"Look Azula I know-," he began before being cut off.
"Save it," Azula sternly said. "You know what you did, I'm just here to remind you that you cannot go around telling people who we really are. Not everyone is going to take it as well as they did," she finished as she cocked her head towards the dojo. "So next time Zuko, lie."
"You know I was never good at that," he said.
"Then let me handle the explanation of where we're from," Azula said. "You know how convincing I can be," she finished with a proud smile.
"You mean being a liar, right?" Zuko said with a lopsided smile.
"Me?" Azula said in feign innocence. "A liar? I would never do such a thing Zuzu."
Zuko chuckled. "Sure you would Azula, sure you would." Azula chuckled before walking away. Zuko wondered for a moment if things would have been different, that if they grew up in the Fire Nation like they were meant to, would they still be the brother and sister they are now?
He quickly brushed that thought aside when he felt his chest tighten and his heart ache in a way that felt wrong.
After finishing preparing their food supply for the next leg of their journey, Katara decided to practice her waterbending at the inn. She carefully controlled the water by flowing from one stance to the next. After years of practicing and developing her own style of waterbending she can control the water well enough to defend herself, though she still longed to train under a true waterbending master.
She heard someone enter the room and noticed it was Aang, who leaned against the doorway with a cocky stance.
"Katara, remember how the unagi almost got me yesterday?" he asked smugly.
Katara continued with her movements. "Yeah," she said nonchalantly.
"Well, I'm gonna ride it now. It's gonna be REAL dangerous," Aang said with uncharacteristic arrogance. In his mind he was trying to get a worried reaction out of Katara.
"Good for you," she said to his surprise. After how Aang claimed he was a simple monk and then basked in how the village girls fawned over him, she was rather upset and disappointed.
"You're not going to stop me?" he asked.
"Nope," she said, not sparing a glace in his direction. "Have fun."
Aang crossed his arms peevishly. "I will."
"Great," Katara replied annoyed.
"I know it's great," Aang countered with a pout.
"I'm glad you know," Katara said with, more annoyed than before.
"I'm glad you're glad," Aang said in his own annoyance.
"Good!" Katara shouted, not wanting to bicker with Aang anymore over being stupid.
"Fine!" Aang shouted back before walking away. But he glanced over his shoulder and saw Katara's back to him as she continued with her waterbending. He looked down at the ground and walked away feeling rather sad.
Katara continued to bend and when she turned toward the door Aang stood in, she scowled at it in anger.
But it quickly turned into sadness and worry. She set out to stop him, but she ran into Azula instead.
"Where are you going?" Azula asked as Katara quickly put on her parka.
"Aang said he was going to ride the unagi," Katara said in a worried tone.
Azula rubbed her forehead. "I swear that kid is doing whatever he can to avoid being the Avatar. Even if that means getting himself killed."
Katara grimaced at the prospect of Aang doing that. "Well we better find him before he avoids it in a rather permanent way" she said as she continued to walk towards the bay. Azula sighed and followed, knowing she would be better at knocking some sense into Aang than Katara would be.
Aang was quick to get to bay and swim out to the middle of it, waiting for the unagi to come. But so far it did not show and neither did the elephant koi. He wondered if the elephant koi moved to another area and the unagi followed.
"What's taking so long?" Koko demanded impatiently.
"I'm sure it will be here any second!" Aang shouted. He looked down at the water and pulled his marbles out. "What about this?" he said as he did his trick again.
All the girls were unimpressed. "Not that again. Boring," one of them said.
"Where's the unagi?" Koko asked. "It's getting late." With that, the girls got up and begin walking back towards the village.
"Where're you going?" Aang said desperately. "Don't leave!"
"Sorry, Aang!" Koko shouted. "Maybe next time." She soon fell in line with the other girls, intent on getting something to eat and spend their time doing something more enjoyable.
Aang stared down at the water in disappointment but perked up when he saw Katara walking onto the beach with Azula.
"Katara!" he shouted as he waved at her. "You came!"
"Azula and I wanted to make sure you were safe," Katara said. "You had us really worried."
"And for going through all that worrisome, thanks for greeting me too," Azula replied with sarcasm.
"Sorry, but it's good to see you too Azula," Aang said sheepishly. "Katara you acted like you didn't care before."
"I'm sorry for that," Katara said sincerely. "I was just upset to see how you acted from all the attention the girls gave you."
It occurred to Aang that Katara was not exactly jealous but rather hurt by how he acted. "I'm sorry too. I did let all that attention go to my head. I was being a jerk."
"Well there's some other words that would describe more accurately to how you acted," Azula said thoughtfully, "but I'll keep them to myself since it would 'disrupt my peace of mind'."
Aang chuckled at Azula's words. "Yeah, we'll just say I was being a jerk."
"Well, get out of the water before you catch a cold you big jerk!" Katara shouted affectionately, happy to know Aang realized the error of his ways as of late.
Aang smiled brightly to know Katara was not mad at him anymore, but he knew he will have to tread carefully to keep earning her affection. "On my way!" he shouted before swimming towards the shore.
But as Aang swam towards the shore, he felt something lift him out of the water. He looked down and saw the dreadfully familiar skin of the unagi's tail. It raised its head and spewed water towards Aang, who air-jumped upwards and grabbed hold of one of the unagi's whiskers. Sensing Aang, the unagi shakes its head violently back and forth to dislodge him. It suddenly stopped and Aang hung on its whisker in front of the unagi's mouth, which was open and drooling saliva in hungry anticipation.
"Hang on, Aang!" Katara shouted from the shore. Both she and Azula stared dreadfully at the unagi, not know how or if they can save Aang themselves.
The unagi started shaking its head again, finally throwing Aang from its whisker. Aang yelled as he was thrown into the water and surfaced unconscious on the surface.
"Oh-no," Azula whispered. She and Katara rushed out into the water and raced the unagi towards Aang. They managed to reach him first, but the unagi came too close, forcing Katara to waterbent a massive wave out of desperation, causing her, Aang and Azula to be propelled back towards the shore. They land harshly into a cavern but were saved by the water cushioning their landing. Katara began checking on Aang while Azula looked over the bay to see the unagi leaving, but she also saw a ship approach the island.
"Mongke," she said as she positively identified the ship. "That bastard." She turned back to Katara and Aang, the former trying to wake him up.
"Wake up, Aang!" the waterbender said desperately. She breathed deeply and reached out to sense if there was any water in his lungs. When she felt it, she moved her hand slowly to remove the water out of his lungs and through his mouth. Aang coughed violently and sputtered before opening his eyes to see Katara above him.
"Katara…," he said weakly to her joy, "don't ride the unagi. Not fun."
As the girls helped Aang walk back to the village, Colonel Mongke led his Rough Rhinos onto the shore, supported by a squad of ten firebenders.
"I want all five of those kids alive," Mongke ordered.
"Even the Water Tribe kids?" Kahchi asked.
"Yes. I want to make an example of them for aiding the enemy," Mongke said with a sadistic smile.
Back at the dojo, Sokka and Zuko were holding their own and learning quickly how to fight like Kyoshi Warriors. Sokka even managed to knock Suki down at one point, though she claimed it was just to make him feel better. Sokka became full of himself but Suki brought him down to size by upping her game. She was in the middle of teaching them how to coordinate their attacks when Oyagi entered the dojo out of breath.
"Firebenders have landed on our shores!" he frantically said. "Girls, come quickly!" With that, Suki and her warriors filed out of the dojo.
"Hey, we're not…!" Sokka said to correct Oyagi that he and Zuko were not girls. "Oh, whatever!" he finished, knowing it did not matter. He followed the Kyoshi Warriors with Zuko, intending to put his newfound skills to the test.
"Come on out, Avatar!" Mongke shouted as his men tore through each building, destroying property and terrifying the villagers. "You can't hide forever!"
As Mongke and his men moved down the center street, they had no idea that the Kyoshi Warriors were stealthily moving through alleyways and across rooftops, watching and waiting for an opening.
Their opening came when the Rhinos were forced to move single file through the narrow market. Suki and four of her warriors descended on the Rough Rhinos themselves, knocking them to the ground. Mongke's men reacted but were quickly put on the defensive when more Kyoshi Warriors moved in too close for the Rhinos to use their weapons. Suki took on Mongke herself, using the training Azula gave her to gain an edge. Mongke became frustrated and started to shoot flames in every direction, causing Suki to fall back. Mongke sent a fire blast at her, where she deflected it with her fans, but it still knocked her to the ground. The colonel sent a blast of fire for the killing blow, making Suki think this was the last day on earth for her…
But the colonel's fire blast was redirected back at him, causing him to be knocked down. Zuko stood stalwartly in front of Suki, intending to defend her when she cannot do it herself.
"I guess training's over," he said before helping her up and charging at Mongke. Sokka quickly joined in and approached the prone Mongke with caution. He snarled and spun himself against the ground, sending fire blasts that Zuko could not stop. Suki and her allies were forced to fall back with the other warriors, as the Rough Rhinos were regrouping with the last three firebenders, the others wounded or assisting the wounded as they fell back to the ship.
"Nice try, Avatar boy!" Mongke shouted with a smirk. "But these bitches can't protect you."
"Hey!" Mongke heard someone shout at him. He turned and saw Azula standing defiantly. "How about you pick on a bitch your own size?" she finished with a smirk.
"Get her!" Mongke ordered his men. Vachir sent a lit arrow at Azula, who dodged it with little effort and bent the flame on his bow, causing it to burn. She then sent a fire blast a Yeh-Le, setting fire to a cylinder on his belt; he frantically tried to remove it, but a small blast sent him flying into Ogodei. Kahchi was quick to close the distance but he was suddenly knock away from Azula by a gust of wind, courtesy of Aang.
Mongke snarled at how his men were put out of action by two children, regardless of how powerful they were. Aang and Azula stood their ground as he sent fire blasts at them.
"Cover me kid," Azula said as she began calming her mind, "I need to focus."
Aang continued to swat away Mongke's flames with his staff. "What are you doing?" he said as he saw Azula rotate her arms in circular motions. He got his answer soon when he saw lightning forming around her fingertips then her hands and finally her around her body. Mongke ceased his attack, both shocked and fearful that a fourteen-year-old girl had mastered lightning generation.
Azula stuck her fingers out towards Mongke, who could only form a shield of fire to save himself from being killed. He flew back into one of the rhinos and groaned in pain.
"How did you-?" Aang asked both shocked and amazed by Azula.
"Later," Azula said sternly. "We have to go."
As the Kyoshi Warriors fought off the invaders, Suki pulled Zuko and Sokka aside.
"You two need to find your sisters and Aang," Suki told them. "We'll hold them off as you escape."
"No," Zuko stubbornly said. He did not want to leave Suki to deal with the Rough Rhinos and their men alone. "We're not leaving."
"Zuko, we have to go," Sokka said. "Getting Aang to the North Pole is more important than this fight."
Zuko looked at him both appalled and angry. "How can you say that? How dare you say that!"
"Zuko, you know he's right," Suki pleaded. "We can hold our own here. We'll be okay."
Zuko closed his eyes, not wanting the tears to escape. "I'm sorry," he said.
Suki's face soften at that, not understanding what he meant. "For what?"
"For this whole damn war my nation started," Zuko said.
"You had nothing to do with that Zuko. You can't blame yourself for it," Suki said in sympathy.
"But I do!" Zuko said. "Maybe if I grew up in the Fire Nation…"
"Then it could be you leading this assault," Suki said, dreading the idea of that. "But you grew up in the Water Tribe for a reason." She leaned forward and kissed Zuko's scared cheek, causing him to blush. "And I believe you know why." She stood up and began to run towards the raging battle. "Now get going you two! We'll hold them off!"
Zuko remained frozen for a moment, both smitten and amazed at how Suki believed not only in the Avatar, but also him.
"Come on Zuko," Sokka said as he shook Zuko's shoulder. "We need to go. Right. Now!"
"Right," Zuko said, his heart pounding not only from physical exertion.
Aang and Azula ran back to the village and found Katara ushering some children to safety.
"Look what I brought to these people," Aang said, upset at himself.
"It's not your fault," Katara said in sympathy.
"Yes, it is my fault," Aang said ashamed. "If we had left earlier, then maybe this village would have been spared."
"Or maybe it would have been completely destroyed," Azula pointed out. "Mongke must have heard we were here somehow; he would've come here regardless."
Aang stared at the ground in shame, knowing that one way or another, people will pay a price for helping him because he was the Avatar.
"We have to get out of here," Katara said. "Mongke and his men will leave Kyoshi to chase us. I know it feels wrong to leave but…"
"But it's the only way to protect these people," Azula continued. "By using ourselves as bait to lure Mongke away."
Aang nodded his head slowly and took off with the girls to find Appa. They met Sokka and Zuko there and together they took off into the sky. Aang looked down at the village, seeing it burning as Mongke and his men rush back to their ship.
"Back to the ship!" Mongke shouted. "Don't any of you fuckers lose sight of them!"
Katara leaned towards Aang as he directed Appa over the water. "I know it's hard," she began in a sympathetic voice, "but you're doing the right thing. They would have destroyed the whole village if we had stayed. Everything is going to be okay, Aang."
Aang furrowed his brow and without warning, dived off Appa and into the bay, determined to right his wrong.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Zuko shouted. The teenagers watched in horror as Aang dived into the same waters as the unagi.
"He better not be killing himself out of shame," Azula growled. "Or I'll kill him myself."
After what felt like an eternity, the unagi burst from the water, with Aang standing on its head and holding onto its whiskers. He forced the unagi's head towards the burning village and pulled on the whiskers, causing the unagi to spew water all over the community. The fires died down, saving the village from total destruction.
Even the statue of Avatar Kyoshi survived, as if it were a testament of the Avatar Spirit's resolve to bring peace and balance to the world. Oyagi watched as Aang air-jumped from atop the unagi after the fires were extinguished onto Appa, believing that the young man was well on his way to becoming an Avatar as great as Kyoshi.
"Thank you, Avatar," he said with sincere gratefulness.
"I know, I know," Aang said as he climbed into Appa's saddle, expecting a lengthy verbal scolding from Katara. "That was stupid and dangerous."
Katara smiled proudly at Aang. "Yes, it was," she said before moving over to tightly hug Aang. His face lit up with surprise and joy, believing that maybe he just might win Katara over.
"Such a shame that you two will no longer wear those," Azula said to Sokka and Zuko as they removed the makeup from their faces. "You two pull off the feminine uniform despite being boys."
"Very funny Azula," Sokka grumbled. He looked toward Zuko and was actually amazed that Zuko was cleaning the area where Suki kissed him. "Why are you cleaning up the spot where Suki kissed you? Don't you want her essence to stay?" he teased. Zuko's face lit up as he blushed deeply, unsure how to react to the teasing.
"Oh? Zuko has a girlfriend now?" Azula said with a smirk. For whatever reason, it felt very satisfying that Suki was into Zuko.
"Well, I wouldn't say she's my girlfriend," Zuko said bashfully.
"Not yet," Aang said with a smile when he overheard the teasing. It felt relieving to hear that Zuko was interested in a girl that was not Katara. "I think you two would make a great couple Zuko."
"I have to agree with Airhead for once," Azula said. "She certainly has a certain quality of spunk."
"Hopefully, the kind that can kick his ass," Sokka teased.
"The same kind that kicked yours?" Zuko countered with a smirk, causing everyone to laugh. Sokka shrugged his shoulders, appearing not to care.
But he had to admit, it felt nice not to be angry that he was bested by girls.
A small but fast ship lingered off coast of Kyoshi Island, as an old warrior and strategist peered through a telescope.
"It appeared that a Fire Nation naval force raided the island," Lieutenant Jee reported. "Though it seems strange there's far less damage than one would expect."
"That's because Mongke left as soon as the Avatar did," General Iroh answered. "He decided that continuing his mission is far more important than his wanton destruction. Rather uncharacteristic of the colonel." A deep pang of guilt flowed through Iroh, who often overlooked Mongke's destructive methods as long the results were achieved when the colonel served under the general years ago, and attitude that was commonplace in the Fire Nation military. And that attitude had only brought misery upon the world.
"Your orders, sir?" Jee asked.
"We continue north," Iroh replied. "My nephew will continue to head towards the North Pole, with Mongke close behind."
Jee was taken aback by how the general seemed unconcerned with Zuko traveling with the Avatar. "May I ask a question sir?"
"You have served me well enough that you can speak freely with me lieutenant," Iroh said with a soft smile. "What's on your mind?"
"I just don't understand why you seem unconcerned about the Avatar's return," Jee said carefully. "Especially since it makes your nephew and niece appear as traitors for traveling with him."
"Oh I do have my concerns about the Avatar's return," Iroh said. "Concerns I rather tell you in private." Lieutenant Jee has served Iroh since the man was a sergeant of his guard. Jee had long proven himself to be a trustworthy soldier, with a deep personal loyalty to Iroh.
"Very well sir. I'd be honored to hear your thoughts about the Avatar," Jee said intrigued by the general's trust. "Shall I have tea prepared?"
Iroh chuckled at Jee's offer. "You know that I've always preferred to brew my own tea."
"I know sir," Jee said with a smile, well aware of Iroh's preference for brewing his own tea was based on humility than distrust. "But I've been working on my own brew of tea, and I'd be honored if you would try it."
Iroh smiled brightly, knowing that many of his own traits that have rubbed off onto the lieutenant were not solely of a military nature. "I believe the honor will be mine lieutenant," he said.