Hello to all my readers, thank you for your reviews! Now it's time to begin the third chapter, and to those of you who are afraid I'll stop writing this story before I finish it, don't worry, I won't! NOT NOW, NOT EVER!
Disclaimer- I don't own Dragon ball Z or Avatar-The Last Airbender
Chapter 3-
It was a brand new day. The sun was rising while everyone aside from Sokka, who was still sleeping, was packing their things. The gang decided to take a trip to the Southern Air Temple and see how much it had changed over the years. Gohan was excited and Aang was extremely excited as he spoke to Katara while tightening Appa's reins.
"Wait till you see it, Katara," said Aang. "The Air Temple is one of the most beautiful places in the world."
"Aang, I know you're excited, but it's been a hundred years since you and Gohan have been home," said Katara.
"That's why I'm so excited!" said Aang.
"It's just that a lot can change in that time," said Katara.
"I know, but we need to see it for ourselves," said Aang.
"Yeah. A hundred years is a long time to be away from home; we can't wait to see it again!" said Gohan as he placed his stuff on Appa's saddle and climbed onto Icarus. "Alright, we're ready!"
The Avatar jumped to the ground and walked over to where his sleeping friend was. "Wake up, Sokka! Air Temple, here we come!" cried Aang as he tried to wake up his friend. "Unh. Sleep now, temple later," groaned Sokka as he went back to sleep. Aang frowned at this before he grew an evil grin. He picked up a stick and approached the sleeping warrior. "Sokka, wake up! There's a prickle snake in your sleeping bag!" cried Aang as he poked Sokka with the stick. "AAAAH! Get it off! Get it off!" cried Sokka as he freaked out and jumped around while still in his sleeping bag.
The water tribe warrior suddenly tripped and fell over, which made his sister and Gohan laugh. Realizing he he had been tricked, Sokka growled while Aang said, "Great! You're awake; let's go!"
"You had that coming, pal," said Gohan.
Elsewhere, Zuko's ship had just docked at a fire nation port. It was the smallest out of all the other ships and the most damaged thanks to his encounter with the Avatar. As Zuko, Trunks, and Iroh walked down the ship's stairs, Zuko gave instructions to his family.
"Uncle, I want the repairs made as quickly as possible," said Zuko. "I don't want to stay here too long and risk losing his trail."
"You mean the Avatar?" asked Iroh.
"Don't mention his name on these docks!" warned Zuko as he faced his uncle.
"He's right, Iroh. If people find out that he's alive, then every firebender will be after him since he's the only one who can stop the fire nation," said Trunks.
"Precisely. That will make it harder for us to find him and capture him, and I don't want anyone getting in the way," said Zuko.
"Getting in the way of what... Prince Zuko?" asked a stern voice from behind the Fire Lord's son. The three looked and saw a firebender walking toward them; they immediately recognized him. "Captain Zhao," greeted Zuko. "It's Commander now," corrected Zhao before he turned to Iroh and bowed. "General Iroh, great hero of our nation,"
"Retired General," said Iroh humbly while bowing back.
"And Prince Trunks, Iroh's adoptive son and Zuko's lieutenant. It's a pleasure to see you again," greeted Zhao.
"The honor is mine, Commander Zhao. I've heard great things," said Trunks.
"Rumors, I'm sure, though it seems my reputation proceeds me," said Zhao. "But where are my manners, have you met my lieutenant?"
The three looked behind the Commander and saw someone approaching them. This person had long spiky black hair and black eyes. He wore armor similar to the lavender haired prince, except it was all black aside from the boots and gloves which were green. On his forehead was a gold crown that had an emerald stone in the center; this was someone they all knew too well.
"Greetings, General Iroh and Prince Zuko," said the lieutenant.
"Brody?!" said Iroh and Zuko in surprise.
"It's lieutenant Brute," corrected Brody.
"Trying to live up to your father's legacy and be like him, huh?" asked Trunks.
"Yes, something you will never do," said Brody. "It's been so long, Trunks,"
"Yes it has, Brody," growled the Prince in return.
"I see that your eye has healed quite nicely since the last time we saw each other," mocked Brody as he smirked. Trunks glared at him while his ki started to show from his hands. "Lieutenant Brute, show some respect!" said Zhao as he placed his hand on Brody's shoulder. "The Fire Lord's family are welcome guests anytime, and Trunks is a part of that family."
"Yes Commander," said Brody.
"So, what brings you to my harbor?" asked the Commander.
"Our ship is being repaired," replied Iroh as he gestured to Prince Zuko's ship. "That's quite a bit of damage," said Zhao. "Yes, you won't believe what happened..." said Zuko. He then paused before saying, "Uncle! Tell Commander Zhao what happened!" "Yes, I will do that," said Iroh, although he was caught off guard. "It was incredible... what, did we crash or something?" asked Iroh as he looked back at Zuko. "Yes, right into an Earth Kingdom ship," replied Zuko which made Trunks smack his forehead, which didn't go unnoticed by Brody.
"Really? You must regale me with all the thrilling details," said Zhao as he moved closer to Zuko. "Join me for a drink?"
"Sorry, but we have to go," said Zuko as he and Trunks tried to leave. Iroh quickly put his hands on the Princes' shoulders and said, "Prince Zuko, Prince Trunks, show Commander Zhao and Lieutenant Brute your respect. We would be honored to join you." Zhao and Brody smirked at Iroh's reply. The three walked off, leaving Zuko and Trunks behind while Iroh asked, "Do you have any tea? It's my favorite."
Prince Zuko growled and released some flames as he started to follow before Trunks pulled him back and whispered, "I'll go back to the ship and give your instructions to the crew. Just play along and try to stay calm, the sooner we get this over with and our ship is repaired, the sooner we can leave and return to our mission." Trunks turned and walked toward the ship while Zuko followed Iroh, Zhao, and Brody.
Back in the sky, the gang was flying above the clouds toward the Southern Air Temple. Aang and Katara were on Appa's head, Sokka was on the saddle, and Gohan was on Icarus. As they flew, Sokka grasped his belly when it growled, indicating his hunger. "Hey stomach, be quiet, I'm trying to find us some food," said Sokka as he glared at his gut. The water tribe warrior pulled out a bag and started digging in it, only for a few bits of meat to fall into his hand. "Hey! Who ate all my blubbered seal jerky?!" asked Sokka.
"Oh, that was food?" asked Aang before he said. "Sorry Sokka, I used it to start the campfire last night."
"You what?!" asked Sokka before he groaned, "Unh! No wonder the flames smelled so good."
"Yeah, I almost tried to eat it," said Gohan. Just then, the group saw three mountains above the clouds. "It's the mountain range, we're almost there!" cried Aang with excitement. "Aang, before we get to the temple, I want to talk to you and Gohan about the Airbenders," said Katara seriously. "What about them?" asked the boys. "Well, I just want you to be prepared for what you might see," warned Katara. "The Fire Nation is ruthless; they killed my mother, they could've done the same to your people."
"Just because no one has seen an airbender doesn't mean the fire nation killed them all; they probably escaped," Aang argued.
"I don't know, what if Katara's right? No one's seen an airbender for a century; that's about as long as the war," commented Gohan. "Although, the Air Nation has always been separate from the world; maybe the airbenders thought it was better to distance themselves from society until it ended."
"That's possible, and that's probably what happened," agreed Aang.
"I know it's hard to accept..." started Katara before she was interrupted.
"You don't understand Katara, the only way to get to an Air Temple is a flying bison, or in Gohan's case Icarus, and I doubt the Fire Nation has either of those. Right Appa?" asked Aang as he petted his animal friend. Appa growled in agreement. The flying beasts swerved around the mountains until they flew over it and saw the Air Temple. "There it is, the Southern Air Temple!" said Aang. The water tribers stared in awe. "Aang, it's amazing!" said Katara. "We're home guys, we're home," said Aang, clearly filled with joy. "It's good to be back home again," said Gohan while he thought, "Could the Fire Nation really have found this place?"
Meanwhile, back at Commander Zhao's harbor, the Commander was looking at a map and explaining the conditons of the war to Zuko, Trunks, and Iroh while they were drinking some tea. Actually, the Princes were just sitting down while the old general was looking at some weapons of war. The Commander had sent his lieutenant away to take care of some important matters which made Trunks a little suspicious.
"And by years end, the Earth Kingdom Capital will be under our rule," said Zhao. "The Fire Lord will finally claim victory in this war."
"If my father thinks the rest of the world will follow him willingly, then he is a fool!" said Zuko.
"That's for sure," thought Trunks.
"Two years at sea have done little except temper your tongue," commented Zhao.
"He has a point," stated Trunks. "The world still resists the Fire Nation; this war still has a long way to go before being over."
"True, but I doubt the Earth Kingdom Capital will be much of a problem to our forces," assured Zhao. "So tell me, how's your search for the Avatar going?" There was a sudden noise of a loud crash from behind the Commander; he turned to see Iroh with a surprised face as he accidentally dropped the weapons. "My fault entirely," apologized Iroh.
"We haven't found him yet," replied Zuko.
"Did you really expect to?" asked Zhao. "The Avatar died a hundred years ago, along with every other Airbender," the Commander continued to talk until he noticed Zuko looking away from him in disagreement, which made him smirk. "Unless you found some evidence that the Avatar is alive?"
"No, nothing," answered Zuko again.
"Prince Zuko, the Avatar is the only one who can stop the Fire Nation from winning this war; if you or Trunks have an ounce of loyalty left, you'll tell me what you found!" urged the Commander.
"We haven't found anything worth mentioning to you, Commander," said Trunks. "So don't worry, we're still looking and if he's out there, we'll find him."
"Exactly. But it's like you said, the Avatar probably died a long time ago," said Zuko. "C'mon Uncle, Trunks, we're going." As the Princes got up and started to walk away, the guards at the door suddenly crossed spears, which blocked them from leaving. Suddenly, Lieutenant Brute walked in with a smirk on his face; he took a quick glance at Trunks as he approached his Superior. "Commander Zhao, we interrogated the crew as you instructed," reported Brody.
"And?" asked Zhao.
"They refused to talk at first; one of them eventually confirmed that Prince Zuko and Prince Trunks had the Avatar in custody, but he escaped," replied Brody as his smirk grew wider.
Zhao smirked as well, then approached the Princes and asked, "Now remind me again, how exactly was your ship damaged?" The Princes looked down in defeat as they prepared to tell the truth.
Back at the Air Temple...
Appa and Icarus were resting at the bottom of the mountain while the gang was walking toward the temple at the top. Aang and Gohan were running with excitement while Katara and Sokka were treading behind them. "So where do I get something to eat around here?" asked Sokka as he grasped his stomach and made a face.
"You're lucky enough to be one of the first outsiders to ever visit an Air Temple, and all you can think about is food?" asked Katara.
"I'm just a simple guy with simple needs," replied Sokka.
The four travelers eventually stopped at the edge of the mountain and looked down. "That's where we would play air ball with our friends," explained Aang as he pointed to different spots on the mountain. "And over here is where the bison would sleep, and..." the monk suddenly stopped talking and sighed as he stared at his worn out home. Gohan also looked a bit depressed. "What's wrong?" asked Katara.
"This place used to be full of monks, and lemurs, and bisons; now it's just a bunch of weeds," said Aang.
"The vegetation has died, the temple is in ruins, and it looks like no one's been here for decades," said Gohan.
"I can't believe how much things have changed," said Aang.
The water tribe siblings looked at each other before they walked up to Aang and Gohan. "So...this air ball game, how do you play?" asked Sokka. The boys' faces quickly changed into smirks. A few minutes later, Sokka was standing at one of the goal posts while Aang stood at the other with the air ball in his hand. In between them were several long poles. Gohan and Katara were watching from the sidelines.
"This won't take long," said Gohan.
Sokka stood at the goal post, ready for whatever move the Airbender would make. Aang suddenly tossed the ball into the air, which confused the water tribesman. Aang just stood there with his eyes closed and smiled as he awaited the ball's descent. He then opened one eye in time to see the ball descending, and with a mighty air kick, he sent the ball ricocheting off the poles until it hit Sokka in the stomach and pushed him through the goal.
"Called it!" said Gohan. "Nice shot, bro!"
"Aang, Seven! Sokka, Zero!" laughed Aang.
"Making him feel better is putting me in a world of hurt," moaned Sokka.
"My turn!" said Gohan as he picked up the ball. "Let me show you how it's done."
The spiky haired teen jumped onto Sokka's goal post and kicked the ball towards his brother. Aang smiled to show that he accepted the challenge and kicked the ball back at Gohan. The ball continued to bounce back and forth off the poles as the brothers continued to send it to each other.
"Go Aang!" cheered Katara.
"Go Gohan!" cheered Sokka.
Gohan eventually hit the ball so hard, it bounced off the poles faster than the monk could react, forcing him to dodge it as it went through his goal. "That's how it's done!" said Gohan as he and his brother jumped off the goal post to get the ball. Sokka muttered, "Show off," as he turned his head to pout. The water tribesman then noticed something familiar in the snow. He walked over to the small object which turned out to be a damaged fire soldier helmet. "Hey Katara, check this out," Sokka called to his sister.
"Fire Nation!" said Katara when she saw the helmet.
"We should tell them," suggested Sokka.
"Aang! Gohan! There's something you need to see!" called Katara to the boys.
"Ok," said Aang as he and Gohan approached the water tribe siblings while playing catch with the air ball. Katara looked at the boys with concern before looking at the helmet and then back at the boys. She quickly used her waterbending to cover the helmet and Sokka with snow as the boys reached her."What is it?" asked Aang. "Uh, just a new waterbending move I learned," lied Katara. "Great, just keep practicing and you'll be a master waterbender in no time!" said Gohan.
"But enough practicing, we have a whole temple to see!" said Aang.
The two boys left as Sokka got up and dusted off the snow. "You know you can't protect them forever," said Sokka to his sister. Katara didn't answer her brother as she followed after her friends.
Moments later, the four teens made it to the temple gate. Aang and Gohan raced ahead while Katara and Sokka stayed behind to talk in private. "Katara! Firebenders were here; you can't pretend they weren't!" said Sokka. "I can for Aang and Gohan's sake," agrued Katara. "If they find out the Fire Nation invaded their home, they'll be devastated."
"Hey guys! We want you to meet someone!" said Aang.
The Airbender and the Energybender stood in front a statue of an old man with the same tattoos as Aang and in a meditative position. "Who's that?" asked Sokka.
"Monk Gyatso, the greatest Airbender in the world. He raised both me and Aang. He taught us everything we know," explained Gohan as he and Aang bowed to Gyatso's statue.
Flashback-Monk Gyatso was busy baking cakes while talking to his students: Gohan and Aang. Gohan was actually paying attention but Aang seemed distracted by something on his mind. "But the true secret is in the gooey center," said Gyatso as he finished his cake with airbending and placed it beside four others.
"I see," replied Gohan as he chowed down on one of the cakes.
"Hmm," said Aang.
"My ancient cake making techniques aren't the only things on your mind, are they?" asked Gyatso as he addressed Aang.
"He's still thinking about what you and the monks told him, master," said Gohan.
"This whole Avatar thing, maybe the monks made a mistake," suggested Aang.
"The only mistake they made was telling you before you turned sixteen," said Gyatso. "But we can't concern ourselves with what was, we must act on what is!"
"But Gyatso, how do I know if I'm ready for this?" asked Aang.
"Your questions will be answered when you're old enough to enter the Air Temple Sanctuary," replied Gyatso. "Inside you will meet someone who will guide you on your journey."
"Who is it?" asked Aang excitedly.
"When you are ready, he will reveal himself to you," replied Gyatso which made Aang groan.
"Guess he'll have to be paitent," thought Gohan as he finished his cake.
"Now, are you boys going to help me with these cakes or not?" asked the old monk. The boys looked at each other before smiling and replying, "Alright." The three took similar positons; the master stood in front of two cakes while the pupils each stood in front of one. Gyatso and Aang moved their arms and created air spheres. "One, two, three!" said Gyatso as he and Aang threw their air spheres at the cakes, launching them into the air. Gohan didn't make an air sphere, but he copied his master's movement while channeling ki into his palms; this allowed him to create a gust of wind that lauched his cake into the air with the others.
The cakes landed on the other four monks, who were meditating at the time. After being pelted with desserts, lemurs flew at the monks and started eating the cakes off of them. Seeing this made the three benders that threw the cakes laugh. "What a waste of good food, but worth it!" sighed Gohan. "Yeah!" agreed Aang.
"Your aims have improved greatly, my young pupils," complimented Gyatso as the boys bowed to him and he patted their heads. Flashback ends.
Aang and Gohan stood up and looked at the statue of their master in sadness. "You guys must miss him," Katara said. "Yeah," said Aang. The young monk walked away while his brother continued to stare at the statue. "What has become of you, master?" thought Gohan before he started to follow Aang. "Where are you guys going?" asked Katara. "To the Air Temple Sanctuary. There's someone I'm ready to meet," replied Aang. Katara looked at her brother who shrugged before they both went after their friends.
Soon the four found themselves in front of a large wooden door with the Air Nation symbol on it. "But Aang, no one could've survived in there for a hundred years," said Katara. "It's not impossible. I survived in the Iceberg for that long and Gohan survived in the spirit world for that long," said Aang.
"Good point," agreed Katara.
"I wonder who's in there?" asked Gohan.
"Who knows, but whoever's in there might help me figure out this Avatar stuff," said Aang.
"And whoever's in there might have some delicious pure meat!" said Sokka hungrily. He then ran to the door, expecting it to open, only for him to crash into it. The warrior pushed against the door but it remained closed. "I don't suppose you guys have a key," said Sokka as he looked toward his friends. "The key, Sokka, is Airbending," replied Aang.
The Avatar then took a deep breath. He took a step forward while using his hands to bend the air into the two pipes on the door. When he stopped, the three air insignias on the door flipped over while releasing air out. The door unlocked and split open.
"Hello, anyone home?" asked Aang. The four walked into the sanctuary, disappearing into the darkness.
Back at the Fire Nation harbor, Zuko and Trunks had just finished telling the story of their encounter with the Avatar and Gohan to Commander Zhao. Two fire soldiers stood behind Prince Zuko while Brody stood beside Trunks, and Iroh was sitting at the table drinking tea. Zhao was pacing as he allowed everything he was told to sink in.
"So a fourteen year old boy bested you and your firebenders?" Zhao asked Zuko. He turned to Trunks and asked, "And you allowed a fourteen year old ki user to get the jump on you in battle even with your experince and training? You're both more pathetic than I thought."
"I'm not surprised at this, sir. I always knew that these two would screw up the one mission that could get them home," mocked Brody.
Trunks growled while Zuko remained calm. "We underestimated him once, but it will not happen again," assured Zuko. "No it will not, because you won't be getting a second chance," said Zhao. "Commander Zhao, we've been hunting the Avatar for two years and..." Zuko started to say. "And you've failed!" shouted the Commander as he released a wave of fire in front of Zuko. "Capturing the Avatar is too important to leave in the hands of two teenagers; he's mine now!"
Zuko tried to lunge at Zhao, but he was held back by the fire soldiers. Trunks grabbed his the hilt of his sword, but before he could make a move, he was pinned against the wall by the arm of Brody. "Don't try it, pretty boy!" said Brody.
"Do you really think you can stop us?" asked Trunks.
"We can try," replied Brody.
The Commander turned to leave as he ordered his men. "Keep them here." Now angry, Zuko kicked the table his uncle was sitting at, knocking it over and spilling the tea. "More tea, please," requested Iroh.
Back at the Air Temple Sanctuary, the gang entered the sanctuary expecting to find someone, but instead they found numerous statues, all lined together that led from the bottom of the sanctuary to the top. "Statues?! That's it?! Where's the meat?!" moaned Sokka. "Who are all these people?" asked Katara. "I'm not sure, but I feel like I know them somehow," replied Aang as he stopped in front of one of the staues. "Look, that one's an Airbender." "And this one's a waterbender," said Katara as she observed the statues. "They're lined up in a pattern: Air, Water, Earth, and Fire."
"That's the Avatar's cycle," said Aang.
"Of course, they're Avatars. All these people are your past lives, Aang," said Katara.
"Wow, they're so many," said Aang as he continued to observe the statues.
"Past lives? Katara, you really believe in that stuff?" asked an unbelieving Sokka.
"It's true; when the Avatar dies, he's reincarnated into the next nation of the cycle," said Katara.
"Ok. There are statues, but no one's here, Aang was supposed to meet someone that could teach him to be the Avatar. I don't think Gyatso meant these statues," said Gohan. "What do you think, Aang? Aang?" The Airbender didn't respond, as he was staring at a specific statue. He seemed to be in a trance as he continued to look upon one of his past lives. "Aang, snap out of it!" yelled Katara as she shook the young monk.
"Huh?" said Aang as he awakened from his trance.
"You ok Bro?" asked Gohan.
"I'm fine," replied Aang.
"Who is that?" asked Katara as she looked at the statue Aang was staring at.
"That's Avatar Roku, the Avatar before me," explained Aang.
"You were a Firebender? No wonder I didn't trust you when we first met," said Sokka.
"I'm pretty sure you were just paranoid," said Gohan.
"There's no writing, how do you know his name?" Katara asked Aang.
"I'm not sure, I just know it somehow," said Aang.
"You just couldn't get any weirder," groaned Sokka.
The four suddenly heard a noise from behind them. They turned around and saw the shadow of someone approaching. Aang and Katara quickly hid behind one statue while Gohan amd Sokka hid behind another. The shadow grew larger as the intruder got closer. Sokka brought out his war club and Gohan grabbed the hilt of his sword. "Firebender; nobody make a sound," Sokka ordered in a whisper. "You're making a sound," argued Katara before she was shushed by the three boys. As the shadow stopped right in front of the statue, Gohan and Sokka prepared to attack. "That Firebender won't know what hit him," whispered Sokka. The two armed warriors jumped out from behind the statue, only to see that the large shadow beloged to a small creature with bat like ears and wings, black and white fur, big green eyes, and a long tail.
Is that a...?" started Gohan.
"Lemur!" shouted Aang when he saw the animal.
"Dinner!" said Sokka droolingly.
"Don't listen to him; you're gonna be my new pet," said Aang
"Not if I catch him first!" challenged Sokka.
The two jumped at the lemur, which made it shriek and run away. Aang and Sokka quickly chased after the animal, leaving their siblings behind as they left the sanctuary. "Well, that happened," said Gohan. The lemur continued to run as the two pursued it. "Wait, come back!" cried Aang. "I wanna eat you!" yelled Sokka. The two chased the animal down a hallway. Sokka got ahead of Aang until the airbender started running faster. The Water Tribe Warrior attempted to trip his friend with his club, but the Avatar avoided the assualt by running up the walls while laughing. He then launched an air ball at Sokka which knocked him off his feet. The lemur ran all the way to a balcony and started flying away. Aang jumped off the balcony and used his airbending to follow the lemur down the cliff.
"Hey, no fair!" yelled Sokka from the balcony.
At the Fire Nation harbor, the Commander and his lieutenant were walking toward the tent where their guests were waiting. "My search party is ready. Once I'm out to sea, my guards will escort you back to your ship, and you'll be free to go," Zhao informed his guests. "Why? Are you worried we're going to try and stop you?" asked Zuko. The Commander and his Lieutenant laughed at the prince's question. "You? Stop me? Impossible!" said Zhao. "Don't underestimate us Zhao! We will capture the Avatar before you!" argued Zuko as he stood up. "Prince Zuko, that's enough!" said Iroh.
"You can't compete with me! I have hundreds of warships at my command, and I have the son of the most powerful energy bender in our nation as my lieutenant!" said Zhao. "But you, you're just a banished prince! No home, no allies, all you have with you is another banished prince who is also the weakest energy bender in our nation! Your own father doesn't even want either of you1"
"You're wrong, Zhao! Once I deliver the Avatar to my father, he will welcome me home with honor, and restore my rightful place on the throne!" argued Zuko. "And my lieutenant will get the respect he deserves for aiding me!"
"If your father really wanted you home, he would have let you return by now, Avatar or no Avatar. But in his eyes you're a failure and a disgrace to the fire nation and so is Trunks," said Zhao.
"That's not true!" said Zuko.
"You both have the scars to prove it," mocked Zhao.
"Maybe you'd like one to match!" challenged Zuko as he got in Zhao's face.
"Is that a challenge?" asked Zhao.
"An agni kai, at sunset!" said Zuko.
"Very well. It's a shame your father won't be here to watch me humiliate you; I suppose your uncle and Trunks will do," said Zhao before he left. Brody smirked at the prince and said, "Big mistake" before he followed his Commander. Trunks walked up to Zuko and placed his hand on his shoulder and said, "You shouldn't have let him get to you." "Prince Zuko, have you forgotten what happened the last time you dueled a master?" asked Iroh.
"I will never forget!" replied Zuko.
Back at the temple, the lemur landed at the bottom of the temple, as did Aang. The airbender jumped at the animal, but it dodged him and ran behind a few curtains. "Hey, come back!" Aang called to the lemur as he followed it through the curtain. "Come on out, little lemur, that hungry guy won't bother you anymore," said Aang as he looked around for the lemur bat. Aang continued to wander until he walked through more curtains and saw something disturbing; lying on the ground of snow were dozens of worn out Fire nation armors and the skeleton of an air nomad.
"Firebenders? They were here?" asked Aang as he couldn't believe his eyes. He then looked at the corpse of the monk; after seeing the old necklace around its neck, he recognized the skeleton. "Gyatso," said Aang before he fell to his knees and started to sob.
"Hey Aang, did you find my dinner yet?" asked Sokka after he somehow managed to scale the mountain and follow Aang to this location. He looked through the curtain to see his friend crying. "Aang, I wasn't really gonna eat the lemur, ok?" said Sokka as he tried to cheer up Aang. "Oh man!" said Sokka as he saw the air nomad's skeleton and realized why his friend was upset. "Come on Aang, everything will be alright. Let's get out of here," said Sokka as he placed his hand on the airbender's shoulder, trying to comfort him. Suddenly, Aang's eyes and tattoos started to glow as he grew angry, which made Sokka gasp.
At the sanctuary, Gohan and Katara were still looking at statues when the eyes of each started to glow, all the way to the top of the sanctuary. "Uh, are the statues supposed to do that?" asked Katara. "I don't think so," replied Gohan before both he and Katara shouted, "Aang!" and ran off to find their siblings.
In the Earth Kingdom, the peoples' eyes on a wall painting started to glow as well. The result was the same at the Northern Water Tribe where the statue at the top of a building lit up, and the Fire Nation Temple where its statue's eyes started glowing. "Send word to the Fire Lord immediately," said one Fire Sage to another. "The Avatar has returned!"
At the Air Temple, Aang stood there in the Avatar State as he created a giant air sphere around himself. "Aang! Come on, snap out of it!" shouted Sokka as he tried to reach his friend. The force of Aang's wind blew Sokka away and destroyed the hut they were in. Gohan and Katara soon arrived and joined Sokka.
"What happened?!" asked Katara.
"He found out Firebenders killed Gyatso!" replied Sokka.
"Firebenders were here?! Gyatso's dead?!" asked Gohan.
"Afraid so, now Aang's gone mad crazy!" said Sokka.
"Oh no, it's his Avatar spirit! He must've triggered it! I'm gonna try and calm him down!" said Katara.
"Well do it, before he blows us off the mountain!" warned Sokka.
The Southern Waterbender slowly approached the Avatar as she fought against his strong winds. At some point she fell over and was almost blown away, but she was quickly grabbed by the spiky haired energy bender, who stuck his sword in the ground in order to keep himself in place. "Stay close to me!" said Gohan as Katara wrapped her amrs around him. The energy bender then created a yellow dome of energy, allowing him to move closer to his brother without being affected by Aang's winds. Aang slowly began to ascend as his gale force increased.
At the Fire harbor, it was sunset which meant it was time for the Agni Kai between Prince Zuko and Commander Zhao. On the arena, Zuko was facing his Uncle and Trunks while Zhao faced his lieutenant and soldiers. Both combatants were on one knee as they prepared to fight.
"Remember your firebending basics Prince Zuko; they are your greatest weapons!" instructed Iroh.
"I refuse to lose to him!" said Zuko.
"Then don't! Show him why you're the Fire Prince and the next Fire Lord!" said Trunks.
"I will!" said Zuko as he stood up and turned to face his opponent. Zhao soon stood up and said, "This will be over quickly." The gong was rung and the two firebenders took their stances. After a few minutes of waiting, Zuko started the fight by launching a fireball at Zhao who easily dodged it. Zuko fired another one at Zhao, which he dodged. The Prince continued to throw fire blasts at the Commander; Zhao crossed his arms and deflected the fire blasts as he smirked. Zuko started breathing hard before he kicked a fireball at his opponent, but Zhao deflected that as well.
Zuko sent one more fire blast at Zhao, which he deflected by splitting it in half with his hands. Zuko took a step back as Zhao prepared to attack. "Basic, Zuko! Breath is root!" shouted Iroh. Zhao stomped forward and sent a fire blast at Zuko which he managed to block but it still pushed him back a bit. The same thing happened three more times before Zuko was knocked onto his back. "Zuko, get up!" cried Trunks. The Prince struggled to sit up when he saw Zhao jump in the air and land in front of him. "Finish him, Commander!" said Brody. The Commander fired another blast at the downed Prince. Reacting quickly, Zuko moved his legs in a spiral motion, allowing him to dodge the fire attack and knock Zhao off his feet while getting back on his own.
The Fire Prince smirked as he now knew the Commander"s weakness and was ready to exploit it. He sent a wave of flames from his feet to Zhao's which made the Commander stumble backward. Zuko repeated the same move, making Zhao stumble again. "You've got him now, Zuko!" said Trunks as he and Iroh smiled. Zuko continued to launch strong flames at his opponent, making him stumble backward until Zhao eventually fell on his back.
Zuko approached Zhao, intending to end the duel, but hesitated. Zuko just stared at Zhao instead of attacking. "Do it!" ordered Zhao. The Prince shot one fire blast at his fallen foe, which left a scorch mark on the ground inches away from Zhao's face. "That's it? Your father raised a coward!" said Zhao.
"Next time you get in our way, I promise I won't hold back!" said Zuko before he turned and walked away.
The Commander slowly stood up before he sent a large fire attack at Zuko. Although the Prince didn't seem to notice, the attack was deflected and Zhao's foot was grabbed by General Iroh. The Dragon of the West pushed the Commander away as Zuko looked behind him. Zuko was about to attack Zhao but Trunks stopped him. "Do not taint your victory, Prince Zuko," said Iroh before he addressed Zhao. "So this is how the great Commander Zhao acts in defeat? Disgraceful! Even in exile, my nephew and his lieutenant are more honorable than you! Thanks again for the tea; it was delicious." The three then started to leave before Brody called out, "Leaving already, Trunks? Don't you want to settle our little score?"
"I assure you Brody, I will settle our score one day. But not today," replied Trunks.
"Guess you'll always be a weak coward," mocked Brody.
"I may be weaker than you, but I'll always be better than you!" said Trunks before he left with Zuko and Iroh.
"Did you mean that, uncle?" asked Zuko.
"Of course, I told you jing shang tea is my favorite," said Iroh.
Back at the Air Temple, Aang's powerful air force continued to increase as his friends moved closer. "Aang, I know you're upset!" said Katara. "And I know how hard it is to lose the people you love. I went through the same thing when I lost my mother! Monk Gyatso and the other Airbenders may be gone, but you still have a family! Your brother Gohan is still here and then there's Sokka and I; we're your family now!"
"Katara's right, Aang! You still have me, Appa, and Icarus! And now you have Sokka and Katara, we all care about you and that makes us all your family! And we'll always be beside you!" said Gohan.
After hearing those words, Aang slowly descended to the ground as the great winds died down. When he touched the ground and the winds stopped blowing, Gohan let go of his ki dome and the three approached the Avatar.
"Katara, Gohan, and I aren't going to let anything happen to you. Promise," said Sokka.
Katara then slipped her hand into Aang's as his eyes and tattoos stopped glowing. He then fell onto Katara due to exhaustion. "I'm sorry," said Aang weakly.
"It's ok, it wasn't your fault," said Katara.
"But you were right. And if the Firebenders found this temple, that means they found the others too. I really am the last Airbender," said Aang as he closed his eyes. Katara hugged Aang tightly and was joined by Gohan as they comforted Aang; Sokka just placed a hand on Aang's shoulder. Moments later, the four were back in the sanctuary. Aang was staring at the statue of his predecessor: Avatar Roku.
"Feel anything yet?" asked Gohan.
"Nope," replied Aang.
"Everything's packed! Ready to go?" asked Katara as she came next to Aang.
"How's Roku supposed to help me if I can't talk to him?" asked Aang.
"Maybe you'll find a way," encouraged Katara.
"Yeah. Gyatso said Roku would help you, and I know he's right about that," said Gohan.
Suddenly the four heard a noise and looked behind them. They saw the same lemur from earlier carrying food. The lemur hopped over to Sokka and put the fruit at his feet. The water tribe warrior immediately started stuffing his face. The three smiled as they watched Sokka chow down. "Looks like you made a new friend, Sokka," said Aang. Sokka stopped munching just to say, "Can't talk...must eat!" and contniued to eat. "Hey, pass me a peach, would ya?" asked Gohan. Sokka quickly tossed a peach to the energy bender and continued to chow down. The lemur then climbed unto Aang's head.
"Hey, little guy," Aang greeted the lemur.
Moments later, Aang was outside the Air Temple with Appa, Icarus, and the lemur. "You, me, Gohan, Appa, and Icarus; we're all that's left of this place. We need to stick together," said Aang as he spoke to the lemur. He then looked to the water tribe siblings and said, "Katara, Sokka, say hello to the newest member of our family." "What are you gonna name him?" asked Katara. The lemur jumped off Aang's shoulder and grabbed a peach from Sokka before it started eating it. "Momo," answered Aang before he and Katara laughed.
"Hey, where's Gohan?" asked Sokka.
"He said he had some things to take care of," replied Aang.
Back at the Air Temple, Gohan had just finished burying Gyatso's skeleton and was now paying his last respects. He held Gyatso's necklace as he spoke. "I'm sorry, master, I wasn't here to help you or the other Airbenders. But I promise to look after Aang in your place and help him restore balance to the world. I let the Fire Nation take you and the Air Nation, but I won't let them take Aang. I'll stake my life on it!"
Tears started to rolled down the energy bender's face as he grew sadder and angrier. As he stood there, his energy started to build up in his hands until he became blinded by rage. He then placed his hands above his head and yelled, "MASENKO...HA!" as he fired a yellow beam into the sky. "Interesting," said Gohan after he calmed down and realized what he did.
Outside, the gang saw a yellow beam fly through the air from behind the temple.
"What was that?" asked Sokka.
"I think that was Gohan," said Aang.
The gang then noticed their friend flying toward them while holding something. They approached him as he descended. "Are you ok, Gohan?" asked Katara. "Yes, I'm fine," replied the spiky haired teen. "Was that you?!" asked Sokka. "Yeah, sorry if I scared anyone. I just needed to blow of some steam," said Gohan apologetically before he turned to his brother and said, "Aang, I've got something for you."
"What is it?" asked Aang.
Gohan then walked up to Aang and put Gyatso's necklace around his neck. "I'm sure Gyatso would want you to have this." The Avatar looked at his teacher's memento ad smiled. "Thanks, Gohan."
"No problem," said Gohan.
The gang finally left on Appa; while they were flying away, Aang and Momo were staring at the Southern Air Temple. Gohan soon came and sat next to his brother. The two smiled at each other before they looked back at their old home together as it disappeared behind the clouds.
A/N: Now that that's finished, time to get to the next chapter. Hope you like the Brody surprise, try to guess something important about him. More surprises coming soon. And I'm sorry if Gohan seems out of character but he needs to be this in order to match the story, same goes for Trunks.
In the meantime, I recommend these fanfics:
RWBBY - The Shapeshifter by Sparkydragon98 (this fanfic recently got a new chapter!)
The Kunoichi twins by Sally B. Mcgil
Hunt for the Saiyan Hybrids by AntiHero627:)
Mirai Saiyans by AntiHero627:)
The New Face of Justice by Comorep677
Until then BBFN
Antihero out!