Book Two: Earth
Chapter 9: Bitter Work
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In a mountainous terrain at sunrise as it pans down and to the right. All of Team Avatar is sleeping, except for Aang, who refuse to sleep anymore, jumped up with airbending due to how exciting it is to him and Lands near Sokka who was still sleeping.
"Today's the day! Can you believe it? After all that time searching for a teacher, I'm finally starting earthbending! And this place, it's perfect, don't you think? Sokka?" Sokka grumbles and glares at Aang with tired eyes. "Oh, you're still sleeping, huh?" Sokka again grumbles and puts his head back down.
The ground shakes, causing Aang to turn to look toward the source of the rumbling; an earth tent, the slabs of which are tossed in every direction mere moments after. As the dust clears, Toph is standing in the middle with her left hand raised in the air."Goooood morning, earthbending student!"
Katara sat upright in her own sleeping bag. Toph walks over to them. "Good morning, Sifu Toph." Aang faced his Earthbending instructor and bows slightly. Disappointed and tiredly Katara sat up when she heard Aang call Toph something that she never heard him call him before. "Hey, you never called me Sifu Katara."
Aang scratches the back of his head. "Well, if you think I should ..."
Sokka suddenly sits up, grumbling at Aang. Cut to a closer shot of Aang, who looks down in wonder, and Toph, who has a smile on her face.
"Sorry, Snoozles, we'll do our earthbending as quietly as we can." Whispers slightly, though with amusement in her voice.
Toph's feet as she slams her left heel into the ground, creating a crack. An earth pillar rises up right underneath Sokka, catapulting him screaming into the air. Sokka crashes to the ground in their middle with a loud thud. He immediately jumps to his feet, still in his sleeping bag with only his head visible, and hops toward Aang while grumbling. He stops in front of the Avatar and grumbles to his face, before jumping toward Toph and doing the same to her before hoping away angrily.
"Someone's coming." Toph said sensing the vibration in the earth.
Over some rocks Shadow jumped down from one rock to another until he reached the ground. On his back laid Dante snoring in a deep sleep.
"It's Dante!" Aang shouted upon seeing his friend again.
Shadow got down close to the ground and Dante rolled off and onto the ground with a grumble. V came over and petted Shadow for a job well down. "It seems Dante made sure Iroh was alright. Shadow says he found Dante between here and their sleeping beside a rock."
"I didn't hear anything." said Katara.
"Shadow speaks not with words. But I still hear his voice. Let's get him to bed." said V.
Katara and V helped Dante up and put his arms around them to balance him as walked to Appa. The Sky bison groan as he sensed Dante's uneasiness. They laid him back on one of the sleeping bags.
After a minute Dante opened and rubbed his eyes and saw everyone looking at him with concern. "Whatever you think I did – Sokka did it."
"No I didn't!" Sokka exclaimed.
Everyone turned to Sokka as to what he meant by that, Sokka just turned away. Aang jumped up and now softly lands beside Toph. He was so eager he was shaking he will become an Earthbender today. However Toph is not quite sure Aang may get it on the first day, if not the first day.
"So what move are you going to teach me first? Rock-a-lanche? The Trembler? Oh, maybe I could learn to make a whirlpool out of land!"
Toph puts a hand on Aang's chest to stop him. "Let's start with ... move a rock."
Aang Claps excitedly. "Sounds good, sounds good!"
::
TOPH'S HOW TO EARTHBEND FOR DUMMIES – THE STANCE
In another part of the canyon Toph and Aang stood in front of two rocks as Katara, Dante, V, and Sokka watches from the side.
"The key to earthbending is your stance. You've got to be steady and strong. Rock is a stubborn element. If you're going to move it, you've got to be like a rock yourself."
"Like a rock. Got it." said Aang.
"Good. Now the actual motion of this one is pretty simple." Toph slams the rock against the canyon wall. "Okay, you ready to give it a try?"
"I'm ready." Aang tries to move it, but instead his forced backward into Appa like the wind.
"Rock beats airbender!" Sokka chuckled amusedly.
::
Iroh has a flashback in a dream about his son Lu Ten.
They were running in a field of tall waving grass. "I got you, Dad!" Lu Ten pretends to firebend at Iroh who fakes a groan and falls over. Lu Ten playfully jumps on top of Iroh and the two laugh in pure joy. The dream shifts to another point in life where Iroh sits over Lu Ten's tomb.
"My beloved Lu Ten, I will see you again."
Iroh wakes up to Zuko calling him. "Uncle ... you were unconscious. Azula did this to you. It was a surprise attack."
Iroh groans from the strain of his wound as he sits up. "Somehow, that's not so surprising."
"I hope I made it the way you like it." Zuko hands Iroh some tea. Iroh takes a sip from the cup and his eyes widen. He lets out a cry of disgust, but manages to mask it best he can.
"Good. That was very ... uhhh ... bracing." Iroh grimaces. Zuko hands him another cup but Iroh throws out secretly behind his shoulder.
"Dante was here, Uncle, after what happened he stayed and made sure you be alright. He then left once he was sure." Zuko said.
"Hmm. I wished I could stay for tea but he I guess he's needed elsewhere. He wasn't one to simply sit still for too long." Iroh said.
Zuko nodded and shifted his thoughts over to another subject of greater importance. "So Uncle, I've been thinking. It's only a matter of time before I run into Azula again. I'm going to need to know more advanced firebending if I want to stand a chance against her. I know what you're going to say: she's my sister and I should be trying to get along with her."
Iroh disagreed, "No, she's crazy, and she needs to go down."
It was one thing when family members have this disagreements but when they are trying to hurt or killed you over something then it is best to prepare yourself battle.
With great effort Iroh stood up despite the pain. He was always stronger than he appeared. "It's time to resume your training."
::
Meanwhile back at the canyon Team Avatar stared at the boulder wondering what went wrong. Dante grabbed the boulder with both hands and lifted it up. He shifted it to hand and tapped it before he set it back down. "It's not the rock folks." The nephilim commented.
"Then I don't understand what went wrong. He did it exactly the way you did." Katara stated.
"Maybe there's another way ... what if I came at the boulder from another angle?" Aang purposed.
Toph suddenly stopped him in his tracks, again. "No. That's the problem. You've got to stop thinking like an airbender. There's no different angle, no clever solution, no trickety-trick that's going to move that rock. You've got to face it head on. And when I say head on, I mean like this ..." Toph Jumps up and destroys the rock with her head!
"Whoa!" Aang uttered.
"Damn!" Dante commented.
Toph begins to walk away, but Katara stops her. "I've been training Aang for a while now. He really responds well to a positive teaching experience. Lots of encouragement and praise. Kind words. If he's doing something wrong, maybe a gentle nudge in the right direction."
Toph nods in understanding. "Thanks, Katara. A gentle nudge. I'll try that."
What Katara didn't know then is that when Toph understands that this is the way to do things – she will NOT do later Toph's is yelling at the top of her lungs: "KEEP YOUR KNEES HIGH, TWINKLE TOES!"
Aang carrying a large rock on his back, struggling to hold it up. Toph stomps down and causing pillars of rock to rise underneath Aang's feet as he walks. Aang loses his balance and falls The next move shows Toph digging through rock with her fingers. Aang rubs his hands together and tries to do the same thing, but smashes his hand against the rock and grunts in pain.
Next Toph want Aang to get in a horse-stance and be ready for a surprise attack. "Rock-like!" Toph shouted suddenly leaping up from out of the ground causing Aang backwards. She caused a stone to jet from under Aang forcing him to his feet where she plucked his bald head in his failure.
Next, Toph gives Aang one of Sokka's weapons, much to Sokka's struggled to get his club back from Toph, who is holding it to the side and preventing Sokka from grabbing it. She shoves him backward and he stalks away in defeat. She hands the weapon to Aang. He is blindfolded as he tries to smash rocks Toph brings up. He finally gets one after about five times. Toph nods in approval for progress was being made.
During their next session, Toph creates a wall on either of them and builds herself into a shield of rock which Aang has to push back over a marked boundary. She slides toward him which puts up his hands to stop her. with great effort he was able to push her back all the way. Dante smiles as he watches from on top rock while munching on fruit happy that Aang's training begins to move along smoothly.
In another training session Aang is standing on two pillars of earth tossing a rock ring into the air while switching hands to catch it each time. Toph walks between the two pillars of earth and uses earthbending to shake the pillars.
"Rock-like!"
Aang holding a solid stance without losing his balance. Toph appears on a pillar near him and nods. Aang smiles, knowing he is finally getting the hang of it.
::
Katara went to see how Dante and found him by the pond bouncing a rock in the air by plumping his knees.
"What are you doing?" Katara asked with curiosity
"Practicing. Seeing Aang learning Earthbending made me want to perfect mine."
"Oh. I want to ask you a question if you're not that busy."
"No problem, ask away."
"Okay … how is your friend doing?"
Dante stopped and caught the rock on his foot. He launched it into the air and caught it with one hand.
"He's fine."
"Are you sure? It just you seemed terrified that he could have died."
"Well he didn't. The old man has been through worst, much worst."
"Well … You told us to 'Get back into the tank.'"
"Ya' know you ask too many questions. You're digging in places you need to stay out of."
"Someone has to be concern about everyone. Especially if one of us stays behind to help some who is with some like Zuko."
Dante sat down by a rock and rubbed his forehead. "I need to cool off."
Moments later Katara and Dante stripped down to their undergarments and dove into the pond and swam in the cool water. They popped their heads up and went over to a rock sighed in relief as they rested against it.
"Your hair is black again." Katara took notice.
"Huh, oh. Yeah. Decided to use my powers to hide my snow-white hair. So I went back to my natural look."
"So this is your natural hair color."
"Yup."
"Huh … I like it."
Dante closed his eyes and smiled inwardly. After a moment of silence Dante began to open up a little."Years ago I was given command of a tank and crew. We were part of the invasion force that laid siege to Ba Sing Se."
"I see." Katara said understandingly.
Dante cupped some water in his hand and caused it to rise out of his hand in a ball of water in the air. "The crew was a mixed bag to say the least. But they were good, loyal even to a fault. One in particular was a man name Lu Ten. He is the son of the Dragon of the West. General Iroh. The guy was a good friend and had a lot to look forward to. For instance Lu Ten wanted to marry the girl he loved after the war was over. So I decided to look out for him for the sake of future fiancee and his father the General."
Dante became silent as he there was sadness in his expression.
"What happened?" Katara asked.
"I failed, that's what happened. Lu Ten was killed. At that point I just lost all hope to fight for the Fire Nation. The money they would pay me didn't ease my failure. I carried Lu Ten back to Iroh knowing that he would be crushed. But it was least I could do."
Katara listen to the sad story. She knew he wasn't telling the whole story, there were some details he was leaving out, but she wasn't going to press it. "Dante, you didn't fail. Sometimes things happen, even in war that we have no control over. You can't give up just because you think you had no control."
Dante glared at her. "I'm a Firebender. I like every other one knows that the element we control is extremely dangerous when we lose control. An enraged firebender could reduce everyone in the room to ash if he is skilled enough. But what fuel our fire are our emotions. If I lose my cool I could hurt innocent people. I don't expect a Waterbender to understand a firebender. I don't expect you to understand me."
"Then help me to understand you." Katara urged him a little to be open.
"Why do you want to understand someone of a people who could destroy a home in a blink of an eye?" Dante asked.
Katara moved closer to and looked him. "Because you sound like someone who cares about the lives people, even if they are one the other side in a war. That is noble."
Dante rolled his eyes. But he knew she was right. They got out of the water and dried off. Katara could sense he was still troubled but he was feeling a little now. They returned back to see how Aang training was coming along.
In another part of the canyon, Sokka is looking for food in a tree when he stumbles upon an cute cub munching on a small tuff of grass.
"You're awfully cute, but unfortunately you're made of meat. Just a bit closer ..." he jumps but falls into a crack that is in the ground. He looks at the strange cub. "Gotcha!" He swings his club but sinks further in. he stares at the club who wimps it's small tail ready to pounce on him. "You are one lucky little meat creature." He stated.
::
Back at Iroh and Zuko's camp in the abandon house Zuko's advanced training is underway with a lesson of the most dangerous Firebending technique: Lightning.
"Lightning is a pure form of firebending, without aggression. It is not fueled by rage or emotion the way other firebending is. Some call lightning the cold-blooded fire. It is precise and deadly, like Azula. To perform the technique requires peace of mind." Iroh passes Zuko a fresh cup of tea that he.
"I see. That's why we're drinking tea, to calm the mind." said Zuko.
"Oh yeah, good point! I mean, yes." correct Iroh. That last pot of tea his nephew made was just horrible.
Afterwards the walked outside the edge of the cliff they were on. There is energy all around us. The energy is both yin and yang. Positive energy and negative energy. Only a select few firebenders can separate these energies. This creates an imbalance. The energy wants to restore balance, and in a moment the positive and negative energy come crashing back together, you provide release and guidance, creating lightning."
Iroh motion Zuko to take a step back to give him some room. Iroh brings his hands together and generates lightning on both his pointer and middle fingers. He arched one over and the other under in a circle before touching them together and shoots it away from the two beautiful flash and bang with a distance sound of thunder echoing in the distance.
"I'm ready to try it!" Zuko says excitedly.
Iroh rumbles his bandaged shoulder. "Remember, once you separate the energy, you do not command it. You are simply its humble guide. Breathe first."
Zuko takes a deep breath. He tries to generate lightning, but instead an explosion launches him back. Iroh shakes his head in disappointment. Every firebender that could do lightning never got it on their first try.
::
Back at the canyon, Aang's earthbending training continues with Toph coming up with a new idea to try.
"This time we're going to try something a little different. Instead of moving a rock, you're going to stop a rock. Get in your horse stance! I'm going to roll that boulder down at you. If you have the attitude of an earthbender, you'll stay in your stance and stop the rock. Like this!" Toph stretches out her hand while, still in horse stance to demonstrate. Aang is shocked to see the boulder so far and high up on the cliff with a rolling path from the boulder all the way to Aang.
Katara along with Dante and V watch from the side. Katara didn't hesitate to voice her concern about this training exercise. "Sorry Toph, but are you really sure this is the way to teach Aang earthbending?
"I'm glad you said something. Actually there is a better way." Toph nabs a cloths around Aang's waist and blind folds him with it. "This way, you'll actually have to sense the vibrations of the boulder to stop it. Thank you, Katara."
"Yeah, thanks, Katara!" Aang replied sarcastically.
Katara chuckled nervously as Dante and V looked straight at her with a disapproving look. She might as well sign Aang's death sentence.
Toph stood at the top of the hill with Aang at the bottom. She shoves the rock forward and it begins to roll down the slope. Aang looks worried and afraid as it rolls toward him. He finally jumps over the boulder at the last second, causing it to roll past and crash into the cliff. Toph comes running toward Aang. Aang removed the blindfold and saw Toph glaring angrily directly at him with her milky green eyes.
"I guess I just panicked. I don't know what to say." Aang tried to come up with an excuse. But Toph was not having any of it.
"There's nothing to say, you blew it! You had a perfect stance, and a perfect form. But when it came right down to it, you didn't have the guts!" She stated bluntly.
"I know. I'm sorry." Aang said disappointedly.
"Yeah, you are sorry! If you're not tough enough to stop the rock, then you can at least give it the pleasure of smashing you instead of jumping out of the way like a jelly-boned bitch! Now, do you have what it takes to face that rock like an earthbender?" Toph shouted at him.
"No, I don't think I do." Aang admitted.
Katara quickly tried to get Aang to cheer up. "Aang, it's no big deal. You'll take a break and try earthbending again when you're ready. Besides, you still have a lot of waterbending to work on. Okay?"
"Yeah, that sounds good." Aang said miserably and followed Katara. As if it would help with his earthbending.
"Yeah, whatever, go splash around until you feel better." Toph said uncaringly.
Dante followed after Toph in the other direction. V looked over and saw Griffon lying flat on the ground in the path of the boulder that rolled over him. He walked over and poked Griffon with is still alive.
::
Back to Zuko and Iroh's camp Zuko attempt once more to generate lightning but fails with explosive results.
*BOOM!*
Zuko sits up after being blasted back on his back for the umpteenth time. "Why can't I do it? Instead of lightning it keeps exploding in my face ... like everything always does."
Iroh exhaled as he finished his mediation and walked over to his nephew. "I was afraid this might happen. You will not be able to master lightning until you have dealt with the turmoil inside you."
"What turmoil?"
"Zuko, you must let go of your feelings of shame if you want your anger to go away."
"But I don't feel any shame at all. I'm as proud as ever."
"Prince Zuko, pride is not the opposite of shame, but its source. True humility is the only antidote to shame."
"Well, my life has been nothing but humbling lately."
There is an old saying: Pride before your fall; meaning is that when someone like a soldier is tasked with a very important task that may cost them their life they must do everything in their power to ensure that the task is complete one-hundred percent. However, if at a certain point the mission will fail the soldier has the option to fight on until he falls, or he takes his own life to safeguard any secrets he himself knows. If he lives and returns to base having failed the mission some may call him a coward for not doing what must be done. Honor sinks into pride which sinks into shame in a never-ending spiral down in defeat. But through humility they began to see the bigger picture. One may fail at a task but that doesn't mean they have resigned from it either. With that in mind Iroh gets an idea. "I have another idea. I will teach you a firebending move that even Azula doesn't know, because I made it up myself." Iroh said cheering Zuko up.
::
Meanwhile Sokka remains trapped with the small, brown cub sleeping on his head. "You probably think I deserve this, don't you? Look, I'm sorry I hunted you, but that's just the natural order of things. Big things eat smaller things, nothing personal. But this time it didn't work out that way. I admit it ... you're cute. Okay, you convinced me, if I get out of this alive, it's a karmically correct, vegetarian existence for me. No meat. Even though meat is so tasty."
The cub jumps off his head to bring him an apple. "Hey, looks like my karma is already paying off! That's okay, I got it." He tosses his boomerang at it in a desperate attempt. "Now, come back boomerang."
Elsewhere Toph relaxed on a stone chair she made in the shade of the cliff. Dante came over to see how she was doing.
"Hey." Dante said.
"Hey." Toph said.
"What 'cha looking at?" He asked.
Toph shifted her feet a little in the dirt. "Ants marching in and out of an ant hill."
"Oh. You mind if I sit?"
Toph created another stone chair beside her. Dante sat down and took off his sandals and put them on the cool dirt in the shade.
"Maybe your being a little too hard on Aang."
"Don't tell me that you're a jelly-boned bitch now too." Toph rolled her blind eyes.
"No, of course not. What I saying is that the guy may need a moment t before tackling the rocks – and you again."
"Well to me he gave and ran off somewhere. He doesn't have what it tasks to learn Earthbending."
"Sound like Tobi."
"Who is Tobi?"
"He was a turret operator in the Sabertooth Tiger tank I commanded. Tobi believed that Hozan, another member of the tank crew was unfit … damaged."
Dante began to tell Toph the story of his days as a tank commander.
::
THEN
They came under attack by Earthkingdom soldiers seeking to put one of the fire tanks out of business. The stomped the ground to create fissures to flip them over and launched giant boulders to at them to crush them. Lu'ten was a skilled driver and evaded the attacks the drove down a town in the Earth kingdom near the desert. With a sharp turn Lu'ten drove them safely into the cover of a ruined building. They waited as the Earth Soldier ran past. They manage to get far enough ahead to for them to vanish quickly.
Dante sighed. "Check for damages."
"Yes Commander." Tobi acknowledged.
Dante climbed down to the driver's seat under the turret to Lu'ten.
"Status report?"
"This cover's not going to last. Someone has to scout a way through."
"Send Hozan."
Dante and Lu'ten turned to Tobi who overheard the current situation and came up with a easy solution. A solution Lu'ten was disgusted to hear.
"What the hell are you talking about? The Man is in no state to be-."
Tobi got closer to Dante as spoke. "Trust in our strength, Commander. That's what you said, right? No weakness, No sentimentality."
"Oh, for Goodness sake." Lu'ten huffed.
"You are too important to risk. And I operate the gun."
"Then I'll do it." Lu'ten decided but his request was denied.
"No, you have to drive. The merc works with the ammunition with a steady hand. But Hozan – He's damaged. Expendable."
Dante was silent as he went through the opinion in his head. This tank had to get back to HQ in this sector and it needs all the parts of the whole working together but also works a top level. Dante had to choose what must be chosen if he is able to get his men out of this alive.
"Hozan!"
Hozan answered and came around to see what the commander wants him to do.
"Get out of the panzer. Scout us a way out of here."
Hozan became horrified at what he was being ordered to do.
"By the Avatar, Sparda. No! The man is in no state!" Lu'ten exclaimed angrily.
Hozan looked if he was about to break into a thousand pieces as if he were man of glass.
"I can't. Please, Dante. I really can't-"
"Get out of the panzer, Hozan. I'm asking you to do your duty."
Dante handed Hozan a spare sword just in case he ran into trouble. Hozan looked at his commanding officer and obeyed. Dante gave him a look that rid Hozan of any doubt. As he exited the Tank Lu'ten hit the steering wheel in anger.
"That goes for all of you." Dante reminded them.
Dante believed he choose a selfless opinion to this problem. All the boy had to do was go out there, make sure the coast was clear and returned back. It was easy.
Outside Hozan went from cover to cover holding the unsheathed sword in case of trouble, search for a way out. All the while shivering like a little lamb walking in to a slaughter house alone. Tobi watched Hozan from the scope of the turret turning it to follow him. Tobi never hated Hozan as a person but he hated his weakness. This why Hozan may find his courage if he does this small task and returned to the tank.
Hozan finally made it to wall that was at the street. He paused fro moment to collect himself before peeking out and looking through the window. Tobi adjusted the magnification of the scope to see Hozan better. Hozan looked terrified as if he saw something out there.
A cloud of dust went past the scope and obscured the tank crew's sight of Hozan. After it past Hozan was nowhere to be seen.
"Where is Hozan? Where did he go?" Lu'ten asked if anyone got eyes on their friend.
"He deserted!" Tobi could not believe it.
"You don't know that!" Lu'ten protested.
"Quiet!" Dante ordered.
The was a deep rumbling that was slowly getting more intense. The spare bolts that were sitting on a shelf began to shake from the vibrations. Something big was coming.
"Movement in the west!" Tobi informed.
"And in the North!" Lu'ten added.
Dante looked through the viewing port to s a large convoy of Earth Troops marching and creating tremor to collapse ruined building. They may flatten this whole neighborhood to root up any survivors!
"Lu'ten! Get us out of here!" Dante ordered.
"We can't leave Hozan here!" Lu'ten protested.
"Get us out! Go!" Dante repeated. Lu'ten obeyed shifted in reverse and driving the tank out backwards and out another way.
::
NOW
Toph had listened to the story and thought about Hozan that ran off. "Why didn't he run back to the tank if that was the safe place?"
"See the advancing Earth soldiers must have spooked him so bad that he ran in the different direction." answered Dante.
"Well Aang isn't as damaged as that guy."
"Not in that way, no he isn't. But perhaps you could motivate in another way If the teaching has to straightforward and head-on then maybe the motivation doesn't have to head-on."
"Yeah I can do that. I'm going to grab his nuts."
Dante nodded. "Hmmm … Wait, what?"
"I'm going to GRAB his nuts and I'm going EAT his nuts until I'm fully satisfied!" Toph shouted while walking away with a fist in the air and smile on her face.
"Hmmm … I told her a war story, and she decided to improve her motivation skills which sounds like she will perform hardcore femdom sex on poor Aang. I'm I a bad person?" Dante asked himself outloud.
"Too soon to tell. Said V as he walked in front of Dante's field of vision while taking a walk.
::
Meanwhile back in the pond in another part of the canyon. Momo tries to grab a frog and fails like the furry dunce he is. Aang and Katara move a single blob of water back and forth among each other in a circular motion. Therapy in Waterbending cause Dante to feel better so why not Aang.
"You know this block you're having is only temporary, right?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
"You do realize that's the problem, don't you? If you face this issue instead of avoiding it–"
"I know, I know, I know, I know! I get it, all right? I need to face it head on like a rock, but I just can't do it. I don't know why I can't, but I can't."
"Aang, if fire and water are opposites, then what's the opposite of air?"
Aang looked down at his refection in the now still pond water. "I guess it's earth."
"That's why it's so difficult for you to get this. You're working with your natural opposite. But you'll figure it out. I know you will. Think fast!" Katara suddenly throws a piece of how stalk-like grass at him, but Aang slices it in have with waterbending. "Excellent. You have the reflexes of a waterbending master."
"Thanks, Katara. SifuKatara."
Aang bows in respect to his waterbending teacher. Katara smiles and also bows at Aang. He was now mastered Waterbending. But he's not a master yet.
::
Back to Iroh and Zuko's camp the dragon of the west decides to teach him a secret technique. But first he teaches him the know ledge of the four elements and the Four nations.
Iroh draws the firebending insignia in the dirt.
"Fire is the element of power. The people of the Fire Nation have desire and will, and the energy to drive and achieve what they want."
Next he draws the earthbending insignia.
"Earth is the element of substance. The people of the Earth Kingdom are diverse and strong. They are persistent and enduring.
After that draws the airbending insignia.
Air is the element of freedom. The Air Nomads detached themselves from worldly concerns and found peace and freedom. Also, they apparently had pretty good senses of humor!" Iroh smiles widely for emphasis. Zuko stares blankly at his uncle. Iroh moves on drawing the waterbending insignia.
"Water is the element of change. The people of the Water Tribe are capable of adapting too many things. They have a deep sense of community and love that holds them together through anything."
"Why are you telling me these things?" asked Zuko.
"It is important to draw wisdom from many different places. If you take it from only one place, it becomes rigid and stale." Iroh divides the four insignias into separate sections. "Understanding others, the other elements, and the other nations will help you become whole." Iroh finallydraws a circle around the insignias.
"All this four elements talk is sounding like Avatar stuff."
"It is the combination of the four elements in one person that makes the Avatar so powerful. But it can make you more powerful, too. You see the technique I'm about to teach you is one I learned by studying the waterbenders."
Waterbenders who would have thought. Zuko thought to himself.
::
Back to the campsite. Aang is meditating when Toph appears to try that soft-core version of her motivation skills.
"Aang, I found these nuts in your bag. I figured you wouldn't mind. And besides, even if you did, you're too much of a pushover to do anything about it."
"As a matter of fact, I don't mind. I'm happy to share anything I have."
"You know, I'm really glad you feel that way. Because I also have this great new nutcracker."
She spins Aang's staff above her head. Aang looks over his shoulder with a pained expression on his face. Toph smiles widely, lifts the staff, and starts using it to break nutshells. Jerking Aang hard.
"Actually, I prefer if you didn't ..." *Crack.* "That's an antique, handcrafted by the monks" ..." *Crack!* It's a delicate instrument! *CRACK!*
"It's not the only delicate instrument around here." Toph jabbed at Aang's personality as she and Momo ate the nuts. Walks away with his nut-sack while hitting the staff off rocks. Aang resumes meditating only to be interrupted by Katara.
"Hey Aang, have you seen–"
"Meditating here!"
"It's important. It's almost sundown and Sokka isn't back yet. I think we should search for him."
Aang got to his feet, concern for Katara's brother. "We'll find him faster if we split up."
::
The two begin to search for Sokka while he … waited. The only thing he could do was tilt his head up to the sky to the revered Creator and ask for help.
"Okay, karma person or thing, whoever's in charge of this stuff. If I can just get out of this situation alive, I will give up meat and sarcasm. Okay?" Sokka's warrior's wolf tail gets yanked out of his hair by the cub. "Ow! That's all I got. It's pretty much my whole identity. Sokka, the meat and sarcasm guy. But I'm willing to be Sokka, the veggies and straight talk fellow. Deal?" Sokka sees Aang show up and is at tears if not wits end. "Aang! Thank goodness! Have you got any meat?" Far away in space the Creator relaxed at the sight of a bright and colorful neutron star while reclining backwards on nebula.
"Hypocrite." the Creator rolled his eyes. If one wasn't going to be serious about an issue then they should make such a vow. He heard what Sokka said until Aang showed up. But if he hadn't created Sokka as meat and sarcasm guy he would be very dull.
Back the Sokka's dilemma he was so glad to see his good friend the Avatar.
"Sokka! Are you okay?"
Aang tries to pull Sokka out. Sokka screams from the pain.
"Aggh, stop, stop! You're going to pull my fingers off and I don't think the rest of me is coming out!"
"Hmmm ... I bet I can airbend you out of here."
Aang blows up a gust of wind but Sokka remains trapped though his hair is now standing straight up.
"Seriously Aang, I know you're new at it, but I could use a little earthbending here. How about it?"
Aang became sad and quiet as he was asked to do something he couldn't do at the moment.
"I can't ... I can't do it."
"Well, if you can't earthbend me out of here, go get Toph."
"I can't do that either."
"You can't? Why not?"
"It would just be really ... uncomfortable."
"Uncomfortable? Well, I wouldn't want you to feel uncomfortable ..." Sokka said sarcastically, finding it ironic.
"Thanks, Sokka. This whole earthbending thing really has me confused. There's so much pressure. Everyone expects me to get it right away. It puts me in a really awkward position."
"Awkward position, I think I know the feeling."
"If I try, I fail. If I don't try, I'm never going to get it. I feel like I'm caught between a rock and a hard place."
"Hmmm ... how about that. Aang, this is my friend, Foo FooCuddlypoops. Foo FooCuddlypoops, Aang." Sokka introduced Aang to the club that kept Sokka company while he was stuck in the ground.
"Awww, what a cute name for a baby saber-tooth moose-lion cub."
Sokka the realized he may have made a mistake. "Really? He looks nothing like a saber-tooth moose-lion."
"It's hard to tell before their giant teeth and horns grow in. What are you doing out here little guy? Did you lose your mama?"
Suddenly, a large moose-lion appears. It just went from bad to worst.
::
Meanwhile Zuko learned from Iroh by doing a form motion with him like to Waterbenders moving a blob of water in a circle.
Waterbenders deal with the flow of energy. A Waterbender lets their defense become their offense, turning their opponents' energy against them. I learned a way to do this with lightning.
"You can teach me to redirect lightning?" Zuko asked in surprise.
Iroh nodded. "If you let the energy in your own body flow, the lightning will follow it. You must create a pathway from your fingertips, up your arm to your shoulder, then down into your stomach. The stomach is the source of energy in your body. It is called the sea of chi. Only in my case it is more like a vast ocean." Iroh throats his head back and laughs. "From the stomach, you direct it up again, and out the other arm. The stomach detour is critical. You must not let the lightning pass through your heart, or the damage could be deadly. You may wish to try a physical motion, to get a feel for the pathways' flow, like this." The two begin to practice the redirection motion. "Now, are you focusing your energy? Can you feel your own chi flowing in, down, up, and out?"
Zuko nodded. "I think so." But he was unsure.
"Come on, you've got to feel the flow." Iroh urged his nephew by making a wave motion with his arms.
They practice the motion for a few minutes until it was perfect. "Excellent! You've got it!"
"Great, I'm ready to try it with real lightning!" Zuko said ready as ever.
"What, are you crazy? Lightning is very dangerous!"
"I thought that was the point! You teaching me to protect myself from it!"
"Yeah! But I'm not going to shoot lightning at you! If you're lucky, you will never have to use this technique at all!"
"Well, if you won't help me, I'll find my own lightning."
Zuko then rides off to the sight of dark clouds and the sound of thunder in the distance.
::
Back to the canyon, Aang begins to talk to the saber-tooth moose-lion mother. Or at least trying to.
"Hey there, we found your cub! See, we have no problem with you! We're friendly!"
"Aang, this is bad, you've got to get me out of here!"
The moose-lion charges at Sokka, but Aang sends it over his head with airbending.
"This is really bad! Please Aang, you have to earthbend me out, there's no other way!"
Aang tries, but all his attempts produce nothing. "Oh no!" Gets on top of a rock to try and distract the saber-tooth moose-lion with a dance. "Woo-hoo, look at me!"
It didn't work. The moose-lion charges again but is again held off. Sokka was wetting himself at this point not knowing what to do being trapped in a hole. "Please, don't leave me again."
"I won't." Something in Aang finally clicked when he heard the plea of his friend who is in trouble and the He stands his ground, and at the last second, throws the moose-lion back with a blast of air.
Aang airbended like an Earthbender The beast leaves. Suddenly, slight clapping can be heard. Toph and Dante were sitting on a rock nearby.
"What are you two doing here?"
"Just enjoying your misery." Dante answered.
"What? You were there the whole time?" Aang asked.
"Pretty much." Replied Toph.
"Why didn't either of you do something? Sokka was in trouble! I was in trouble! You could have gotten him out and helped us get away!"
"Guess it just didn't occur to us." Toph shrugged with a uncaring attitude.
Dante throws a nut down and Toph attempts to crack it with the staff. But Aang stops her by running over and grabbing hold of the staff.
"Enough! I want my staff back!" Aang demanded angrily. Toph release her grip on his staff. It was time for the big earthshaking climax.
"Do it now!"
"What?"
"Earthbend, Twinkle Toes. You just stood your ground against a crazy beast. And even more impressive, you stood your ground against me. You've got stuff."
"But–"
"DO IT!"
Wasting no time Aang slams the ground and sends a rock into the canyon wall. "You did it! You're an earthbender." Toph congratulated him on a job well done.
"I can't believe it!" Aang exclaimed.
"I can." Dante said cracking the nut open again another one.
"Awww, this is a really wonderful, touching moment. So could you get me out of here so I can give you both a big, snuggly hug?" Sokka asked with his famous sarcasm.
"No problem, Sokka!" Aang said happily
"Actually, you should probably let me do that. You're still a little new to this. You might accidentally crush him." Toph to the lead.
"Yeah, no crushing, please."
Toph kicks up the Earth under Sokka's feet and yanks him out. So easy, so simple. Aang and Sokka wondered if Toph planned this thing out.
Nightfall finally comes and Katara and V meet up with them. "You found him!" Katara embrace her brother. Sokka had to tell Katara something he discovers that was important. "The whole time, I was in that hole, not knowing if I was going to live or die. It makes a man to think about what's really important. I realized–"
"Hey Katara, look what I can do!" Aang interrupted Sokka and Bends a rock and slams it on the ground.
"You did it! I knew you would!" Katara leaned over to Toph to whisper to her. "You tried the positive reinforcement, didn't you?"
"Yep, it worked wonders." Toph half-lied, but Katara was right sometimes everyone needs a little help.
Aang ran over to Appa to tell him the good news. "Appa, Appa, I can earthbend now! The key is being completely rooted. Physically and mentally unmovable!" Appa was so proud he licks Aang and sends him flying a few feet. Sokka laughs hysterically, and Aang laughs as well.
As the night came so too a might storm with it. Toph carved out a hole in the rock big enough for Appa and everyone else to sleep in out of the rain. However there is one walked out into the heavy torrent.
"Dante?" Katara asked causing everyone to turn their attention to Dante who stood out in the middle of the flat open part of the canyon.
"Dante, what are you doing trying to get struck by lightning?" Sokka shouted.
"He's going to bend the lightning." Said V who was reading his book.
Everyone looked at V as he explained. "Lightning is said to be the purest form of fire in nature, without aggression. It is not fueled by rage or emotion the way other firebending is. Dante only does it to perfect his way of fighting."
Dante stood still as he looked up at the sky as the storm poured the down upon him. He breathed in deeply and exhaled; He repeated the process to bring his chi back into alignment until he was ready. Finally he hands together and generates lightning on both his pointer and middle fingers simultaneously. He arched one over and the other under in a circle before touching them together and shoots it away from the two beautiful flash and bang with a distance sound of thunder echoing in the distance.
::
Meanwhile, Zuko has tracked down a storm, seeking lightning. He went to the highest point in the hills and stood before the storm. Yelling as loud as he can at the storm, demanding the storm to strike at him
"You've always thrown everything you could at me! Well, I can take it, and now I CAN GIVE IT BACK!"
He sees several flashes in the distance in various locations but none struck him. Enraged he yells at the storm again.
"COME ON, STRIKE ME! YOU'VE NEVER HELD BACK BEFORE!"
His eyes search the heavens for the answer he wanted – but no lightning strikes. Tears stream down Zuko's cheeks, and he yells at the top of his lungs.
Throughout creation mortals have stood before the might of the storm thing that if they did the lord of storm will answer them. However there was one listening but they gave no answer for them because in an enraged state they may not accept it. However once they calmed down the answer will come. For some it came sooner than they think.
As the morning tide came Zuko awoke to someone talking to him.
Zuko
Zuko's eyes opened and he looked around him and he found he was lying on his back on the hill where he was last night. He was covered in mud; he tried to move but found it difficult to move. Then he saw a young boy walking around him. For second he thought it was the Avatar. No it was a young boy with shave hair in a robes of the locate desert dwells.
"Help me, I can't move." Zuko called out.
The boy stopped till he was at his feet. "Among other things." The boy said.
"What did you say … who are you?" Zuko asked.
The child took some stones into his hand and shuffled them around.
"Who are you?" the boy asked.
"I'm nobody." Zuko answered.
"I thought you were a prince." The boy said.
Zuko was speechless. The boy knows who he is and is not going to kill him or throw insults at him. The boy took a seat on a rock and began to play with the rocks by earthbending them in a circle in air his hand.
"You were once a Prince of the Fire Nation. Until you father cast you out for having a back bone. But there is way to get back into the Fire Nation and reclaim your birth right however your sister Azula will stop you. The only way you ever get back is with the Avatar. But the Avatar is getting stronger now that he is learning Earthbending. But I think I can help. What say you?"
Zuko gasped as he awoke with a start. He found himself back in the house where he and Iroh sleeping in. the sun was righting and Zuko wasn't drenched from the storm late night anymore. He wondered who that weird child he was talking to in that dream.
Elsewhere Aang was dreaming as well. A flash of lightning crackled across the sky startling everyone. They stood up and saw a man dressed in shadowy clothing stand there with lighting crashing all around them with the winds howling as is the world was ending.
"Who are you?" Aang shouted loud enough for the stranger to hear.
The stranger didn't reply back. Instead he moved his cloak to reveal the cane sword in his hand absorbing the power of the storm . . . a cane sword known as the Yamato.
Aang opened his eyes and it was morning and he saw a butterfly flutter overhead. Everyone awoke yawning and stretching in the sun. They had a good night and were ready for the new day.
"Aang are you ready?" V said as he popping his back.
"Yeah but … I had the weirdest dream. A stranger came with a cane sword came for us."
"I was only a dream." Sokka said scratching his stomach.
"But if felt different. It felt real … It felt like … the future." Aang said. Katara had a look of concern on her face.
"Then we will worry about it tomorrow. Today, there are still things we can do." Dante stated.
"I thought the key to life to do what you can do what you can today so you don't have to do it tomorrow. Or Why do today what you can put off 'till tomorrow!" Sokka said a cocky attitude.
V then asked a question that Sokka could not answer: "What is today but yesterday is tomorrow?"
"Huh?" Sokka blinked for a moment before answering the question.
::
Authors Note:
So who are the mystery characters in Zuko and Aang's dreams? And no, it is not Loki or Thor!
I am thinking on doing do a DmC Devil May Cry crossover with God of War 4 in the future. After I buy and play the game of course.
I know you guys want to see DmC Dante as Viking fighting alongside Kratos, Atreus and Mimir. Don't lie I KNOW YOU GUYS DO!
Does anyone think Atreus and Aang sound alike?