Chapter 3: The Western Air Temple
"It's so different from the Northern Air Temple," Teo said. "I wonder if there are any secret rooms."
"Let's go check it out!" Haru said, running further into the temple, Teo, and The Duke following after him. Aang started to follow too, but Katara stepped in front of him to cut him off.
They had finally made it to the Western Air Temple. Katara was amazed by the temple, just as the rest of the group was, but she was more focused on the future. They needed to figure out what they were going to do next. She was almost surprised when she saw the excitement of others in the group. How could they feel anything but worry for the future? But, she had to remind herself, they were also children. She had grown up a lot in the last few months as she had faced the realities of a world at war.
"You guys go," Katara said. "I think we need to talk about some things."
"Why can't I go?" Aang said.
"We need to decide what we're gonna do now, and since you're the Avatar, maybe you should be a part of this," Katara said. She couldn't help the irritation that came through her voice. At times she loved Aang's free spirit, but now was not the time for it. This was serious.
"Fair enough," Aang said as he sat down. "So, what's the new plan?"
"Well, if you ask me, the new plan is the old plan!" Sokka said. "You just need to master all four elements and confront the Fire Lord before the comet comes."
"Oh, yeah. That's great, no problem. I'll just do that," Aang said sarcastically.
"Aang, no one said it's going to be easy," Katara said.
"Well, it's not even gonna be possible! Where am I supposed to get a firebending teacher?" Aang said.
"Well…" Katara said, "actually…" Katara froze up, afraid to come clean, but they would find out what she did eventually.
"What?" Sokka said.
"I know the perfect firebending teacher," Katara said nervously.
"Really?" Aang said excitedly. "Who?"
"Zuko," Katara said. It was silent a few seconds as everyone processed this.
Sokka frowned, "Sorry to say this sis, but he … you know," Sokka drew a line across his throat, making a cutting sound. "Execution and all."
"Oh, well you see, I may have actually run into him in the capital. He's not dead," Katara said. "And I may have also helped break him and Iroh out of the Capitol City Prison."
Sokka's mouth dropped wide open as he said, "No you did not!"
"Yeah she did. She's telling the truth," Toph said with a nod.
Aang looked like he might go into the Avatar state at that moment, and Katara knew she needed to explain herself, but suddenly things got a lot worse.
A voice behind her said, "Hello, Zuko here."
ooo
Zuko had been waiting for several minutes for the right time to reveal himself to the group. When he heard Katara telling them about helping him and Iroh escape prison, it seemed like the perfect time to offer her some support, and help with the explanation. "Hello, Zuko here," he said as they all noticed him. He raised his arm up in a wave.
As the group looked at him with expressions of shock and anger, and he connected eyes with Katara, he realized he may have made a mistake. Especially from the look on Katara's face. He usually wasn't great at reading people, but her eyes were definitely saying, No! Not now! He had probably never felt more awkward in his life.
"I know you must be surprised to see me here…but uh hi," he said.
"Not really, since you've followed us all over the world," Sokka said in a biting tone.
"Right," Zuko said. "Well, uhhh ... anyway ... what I wanted to tell you about is that I've changed, and I, uhhh, I'm good now, and well I think I should join your group, oh, and I can teach firebending to you," he said, pointing to Aang. "See, I, uh…"
"You want to what now?" Sokka said.
ooo
"Guys," Katara said, physically stepping between the group and Zuko. They had all shifted to defensive positions, and she could already see the path of this conversation slipping away from where she had wanted it to go. In the version of this where Zuko didn't bring a whole army of Fire Nation airships to hunt them down, she had envisioned this going so much better in her head. The days of traveling to the air temple had been lonely for her. She wanted to tell her friends about Zuko, she wasn't used to keeping secrets from them, but she couldn't figure out the right way to do it. She knew they would be mad at her and maybe even feel like she had betrayed them. But in her heart, she knew she had done the right thing, and she hoped they would be able to understand. She felt indebted to Zuko for his sacrifice in Ba Sing Se, especially after she had been the one to accidentally turn him in to Azula.
"I've explained to you how I felt about this before," Katara said to her friends. "Sokka, I tried, I begged you for weeks to help me, and to involve you guys in this. I wanted rescuing Zuko to be part of your plan, but you didn't listen to me. Without Zuko, Aang would be dead right now … all because I got myself captured. If you want to be mad at anyone, be mad at me."
Sokka sighed, "Katara, no one's mad at you for being thrown in prison by Azula. We were captured too," he gestured to Toph.
"Hey!" Toph said, "I little bit of metal isn't gonna hold me anywhere for long." Toph punched her fist into her other hand in emphasis.
Sokka turned to Katara and said, "I should have known you wouldn't be able to let the Zuko thing go as easily as you seemed to. It's not in your nature. You just have to help people, all the time, even if they don't deserve it. But really sis? This is the angry jerk we're talking about!" Sokka gestured dramatically at Zuko as he said this with a screech. Zuko's eyes were wide, he looked visibly uncomfortable to be the center of so much attention.
"I don't even care about you helping Zuko, who has been our enemy this whole time. I just can't believe you would go behind my back like this Katara," Aang said. His eyes were full of hurt.
"I'm sorry Aang," Katara said, but she was barely through the sentence when Aang opened his glider up, ran to the edge of the courtyard, and flew away.
"Aang!" Katara said, running after him to the edge of the cliff. The group watched as he flew off into the forest, disappearing in the trees. "You can't run from things forever Aang!" Katara yelled, knowing she was probably going too far and that she had hurt him, but it really hurt for him to not listen to her.
ooo
After Toph and Sokka had calmed down, Katara joined Zuko, who was standing off to the side of the courtyard like he didn't know what to do.
"I'm so sorry Katara," Zuko said. "I really didn't mean for this to happen."
"Don't worry," Katara said. "Believe me, I knew what I was getting myself into when I helped you. They all just need some time to think about things. Aang tends to get like this when something happens that he can't control … especially with me," she said in a bitter tone. Zuko raised his eyebrow. "Let's just be thankful for once that he can't go into the avatar state."
Zuko said, "When I was searching for the Avatar before I met all of you, I always thought he would be some wise old man. But he's just a kid with a lot on his shoulders. As an exiled crown prince, I understand the pressure of that, and how it feels when it all slips away from you. He has to be feeling like he failed in the invasion right now, and he's just taking it out on you."
Katara looked at Zuko, not able to control the surprise that she felt from showing on her face. "Wow that's … a really good way to put it." She was shocked at how insightful he was. He usually just seemed like an air head when they had fought him in the past.
ooo
Zuko didn't understand the way Katara was looking at him as she said, "Wow that's … a really good way to put it."
"I know the defeat in Ba Sing Se and what happened in the Fire Nation must be really hard for you guys, but I'm pretty used to failure," Zuko said. "Struggling and fighting through these difficulties will only make you stronger. As long as he will accept me, I will help train Aang, and he will defeat my father."
ooo
When Aang showed up later, the group had moved in a circle to an area of the courtyard where they had built their campfire. Likely due to hunger, Haru, Teo, and the Duke had come back from exploring the temple. Zuko had insisted on leaving the group to allow them time to discuss things, and coming back the next day to talk to them again.
ooo
The next day, Zuko was trying to figure out how to approach the group. They were together in the courtyard preparing for the day, when Zuko noticed that they weren't alone. He had found A'li, a man known in the Fire Nation for his unique ability to shoot fire out of his third eye tattoo, eying the gang from a higher elevation. As the man prepared to fire, Zuko jumped in, knocking him off-balance, and causing his shot to be wild. After fighting A'li for a bit, the commotion and loud blast alerting the group to the attempted attack, the man pushed Zuko off the edge of the cliff they were on. Zuko barely survived by grabbing the root of a plant hanging on the rocks.
ooo
After climbing and pulling himself up the plant root and back into the air temple courtyard, Zuko approached the group again.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but ... thanks, Zuko," Aang said.
"Hey, what about me?" Sokka said, raising his arms in emphasis. "I did the boomerang thing."
"Listen," Zuko said. "I know I didn't explain myself very well yesterday, I've been through a lot in the last few years, and it's been hard. But I'm realizing that I had to go through all those things to learn the truth. I thought I had lost my honor, and that somehow my father could return it to me. But I know now that no one can give you your honor. It's something you earn for yourself, by choosing to do what's right. All I want to do now is play my part in ending this war, and I know my destiny is to help you restore balance to the world. I truly think my role now, is teaching you firebending Aang. Fire can be dangerous and wild, but as I've learned from my Uncle, it is the element of power. Firebending requires a strong desire and will, and with the right energy and drive, you will be able to achieve anything with proper control of it.
Aang turned to Zuko with wide eyes and a thoughtful look. "I think you are supposed to be my firebending teacher," Aang said. "When I first tried to learn firebending, I burned Katara, and after that, I never wanted to firebend again. But now I know you understand how important controlling fire is. I'd like you to teach me." Aang bowed to Zuko.
Katara had mixed feelings. She was happy that Aang was finally open to giving Zuko a chance, but part of her was still almost expecting the Fire Nation to show up behind him. After so long of seeing him as her enemy, it was hard to allow herself to trust Zuko, especially with what she had experienced with trusting others in the past and being manipulated into doing things she didn't want to do … like with Jet and Hama.
Zuko bowed back to Aang with a hesitant smile. "Thank you. I'm so happy you've accepted me into your group."
"Not so fast. I still have to ask my friends if it's okay with them," Aang said. He looked to Toph first. "Toph, what do you think?"
"Go ahead and let him join. Anyone who's spent as much time with Iroh as he has can't be too bad," Toph said jokingly.
Aang turned to Sokka. "Sokka?"
"Hey, all I want is to defeat the Fire Lord. If you think this is the way to do it, then, I'm all for it," Sokka said.
Aang approached Katara next and said, "Katara?"
"I'll go along with whatever you think is right," Katara said. Aang was smiling back at her and she was was relieved that this was his choice. She was glad things had turned out this way, without her having to try too hard to convince them, when even she wasn't fully trusting of Zuko yet.
Zuko approached the group looking excited. "I won't let you down! I promise!" Zuko said.
Katara started to turn away to get back to her morning tasks, but then suddenly a figure dropped down from above the ceiling on the edge of the courtyard, scaling down the rocks with a scrapping noise from two long hooks. Messy dark hair covered his eyes as he surveyed the group, his signature piece of wheat suspended from his mouth. It was like looking at a ghost. Katara heard a strangled, "Jet?" come from her own mouth.
"Hey Katara," Jet said with a lazy grin, his face coming into view as he took a step into the light. "Hey guys," he said looking at Aang, Sokka, and Toph. "Your group has grown again, huh?" he said, turning to spot Zuko on the edge of the group. It was like an electric current passed from Jet to Zuko and back, their eyes both going wide. "What the hell is he doing here?" Jet suddenly darted between the group and Zuko, holding his right hook sword out protectively directly in front of Sokka and Toph.
"Jet?" Zuko groaned.
"Thanks to you, I spent weeks imprisoned by the Dai Li and almost died!" Jet said, pointing at him with his left hook.
"Thanks to me?" Zuko said. "You're the one who attacked me!"
"Because you're firebending scum!" Jet said.
Zuko was surprisingly calm as he said, "Look, I don't have time for your rivalry anymore, there are more important things … like ending the war! Peace, freedom, equality. Isn't that what your gang wants?"
Jet laughed humorlessly, "Ending the war?" he laughed again. "You guys hear Lee preaching about ending the war? I'm telling you, he's a damn firebender, all they're good for is spreading the war." He moved suddenly, his hooks grazing the area Zuko had been standing in as Zuko ducked and moved away from him.
"Lee? Who's Lee?" Sokka said incredulously. Was that all he took out of this confrontation? Katara noticed the passiveness of Zuko's stance. Jet was like the perfect juxtaposition to Zuko, his body all tensed up like a snake ready to strike. Katara had never seen Jet so angry before. Before Lake Laogai he had been so smooth and under control. Now he was definitely off balanced.
"Jet, I don't want to fight you," Zuko said.
"Jet, stop!" Aang yelled. "He's on our side! He's going to teach me firebending now!" Zuko's eyes widened and darted to Jet.
It was like a switch had been flipped. "You are a firebender!" Jet screamed, running full on at Zuko. Again, Zuko was using evasive maneuvers instead of attacking Jet directly.
"Please stop, Jet," Zuko grunted, "let's talk this out!"
After a couple of close calls where Jet almost took Zuko's head off with his swords, Katara had enough. Why wasn't Zuko fighting back? Before she could overthink what she was about to do, Katara had moved, pulling a wave of water at Jet from the fountain, surrounding his limbs and using a cooling breath to freeze him in place.
"Damnit Katara!" Jet said, his form frozen by ice in an attack stance. "After what the Fire Nation did to your mother, you're protecting one of them?"
Anger suddenly washed over her body at the words and she was moving again. "How dare you?" Katara yelled, sidling up to stand between Jet and Zuko. "I thought you said you'd changed Jet. He said he didn't want to fight."
Toph sighed, "There goes Sugar Queen, ruining our entertainment for the day."
"Yea Katara," Sokka said. "Maybe angry jerk one and two will kill each other and we won't have to deal with this anymore. I say let 'em fight it out."
Katara turned to Aang with an expectant look. "Um," Aang said, rubbing his neck sheepishly. "Maybe we should just let them talk." He motioned between Zuko and Jet. Katara crossed her arms angrily and walked away from Jet to stand with Aang.
"Any chance of letting me out so we can really talk it out?" Jet smiled his most charming smile at Katara. At her stony expression and silence, he tried a different tactic. "I mean I did almost die not too long ago. This ice can't be good for…"
"It will melt!" Katara said.
Toph and Sokka burst into a fit of giggles, barely stopping at the look Katara gave them.
"What happened after we … I mean you got away from the Dai Li?" Zuko said.
Jet looked thoughtful for a moment. Then suddenly, his face twisted into agony, his neck trembling as he tried to move his frozen limbs. "My head!"
"Jet!" Katara ran to him, bending some water from the ground that had spilled from her attack. She brought her glowing palms to his temples, and watched as his expression slowly eased and he stopped yelling. "His chi is still all weird from being brain washed," she said. After a few minutes of spreading her glowing hands around his head, she stopped and stepped back.
Jet sighed out, "Thank you Katara. That feels better."
"Ohhhh, thank you Katara," Toph mocked softly, and Sokka laughed with her again. Katara moved away from Jet, glaring at Toph.
"Soooooo," Zuko said, startling Katara with how close she had gotten to him. He'd been so quiet she forgot he was there. "What happened after you got away from the Dai Li?" Zuko tried again.
"Well after these guys," Jet said nudging his head toward Aang, Toph, Sokka and Katara, "found me and we confronted the Dai Li when they were looking for Appa, I almost died. Katara patched me up, then I woke up a ways away from the prison. I found Smellerbee and Longshot, they took me to an herbalist and I healed up for a while. We heard about the invasion from a message from The Duke and Pipsqueak, but I couldn't make it in time. I got here as soon as I could. Smellerbee and Longshot didn't want to come. Said they couldn't stand seeing me go down this path again and they're done. They were gonna look for somewhere 'quiet' in the Earth Kingdom to settle down." Jet rolled his eyes. "After hearing about Ba Sing Se I'd say nowhere is quiet these days with Fire Nation crawling all over the place. Apparently, there's even one in this air temple! Really Lee? How the hell did he end up here?" Jet glared at Zuko, his eyes then swiveling accusingly around the group.
"My name," Zuko said, "is Zuko." Jet turned his head toward him, and everyone went still at the intensity of Zuko's voice. "Ex- Fire Prince Zuko. I was banished from the Fire Nation over three years ago. I've been considered a traitor to the Fire Nation for quite a while. I was in Ba Sing Se with my Uncle to start a new life when you came along trying to ruin it."
Jet stared at Zuko, his eyes wide and mouth open. After a few moments Sokka said, "I think you broke Jet." Sokka suddenly started poking Jet on the head with his sword's hilt.
After a few seconds of poking, Jet yelled, "Cut it out Sokka! I'm just surprised. I thought you guys said this Zuko guy was chasing you around trying to catch Aang. Why is he with you now?"
Aang said sheepishly, "It's a long story. Basically Zuko, uh," he paused, fumbling over his words.
"I realized that my destiny is not to catch the Avatar, but to train him in firebending. To help bring peace to the world again. We were just talking about it before you," Zuko paused, rolling his left hand for emphasis and said sarcastically, "dropped in."
Sokka laughed, "Dropped in. Good one." At Zuko's smile Sokka seemed to realize who's joke he was laughing at because he sobered up quickly.
Katara sighed heavily. "I'm going to start making lunch. I swear Jet, if you start attacking Zuko again I'm going to push you off the cliff." She moved her arms and the ice around Jet turned back into water, falling to the ground and leaving him soaked. She turned stiffly and dramatically walked away from the group.
ooo
"Now that was hot," Jet said with a smirk.
"It was ice," Zuko said, not understanding.
Jet smacked his forehead. "No, I mean hot as in cute, attractive," he waved his right arm around, talking like he was explaining to a child.
Zuko's cheeks burned with embarrassment. "Riiiiight," he said.
Sokka was flailing around making weird noises, "Did you just? He called my sister hot!" Aang's expression was strangled, his mouth opening and closing to come up with something to say, making him look like a fish out of water trying to breathe.
Toph snorted, saying, "I have a feeling things are going to be a lot more entertaining around here now."
Aang took several deep breaths before saying, "So Jet, are you staying? Our goal hasn't changed. We're taking down the Fire Nation with or without you." Zuko winced inwardly at Aang's words. He knew he was in the right place now, but even after everything his family had done to him, it was still difficult to think about hurting his own nation. "I'm the Avatar, Jet. No matter how you feel about the Fire Nation, I have to learn firebending to defeat the Fire Lord."
Jet swung his swords once, sliding each into the sides of his belt. "I'm here to help. I'm sorry about the past Aang, Sokka," he said nodding to each of them. "I want to make it right now. I'll do whatever I can, whatever you need me to do. Let's take down the Fire Nation swine," he said, his eyes darting to Zuko.
Sokka and Aang nodded at each other. "Let's get you guys settled in," Sokka said, Toph following him as they went inside. Zuko and Jet eyed each other warily, then Zuko followed them to the dorm area of the temple. Zuko would really have to keep his guard up with Jet around. He did not trust that guy at all.
ooo
It was evening, and the group was sitting around the fire in the courtyard eating together.
"Katara, what does this make?" Sokka said. "The fourth time you've been in prison? The first time you got arrested for earthbending, the second time was with Toph and her scams, the third time was in Ba Sing Se with Azula, and now I find out you willingly walked into a Fire Nation prison … to save Jerkbender!"
"Hey!" Zuko said, distastefully at the nickname.
"Katara got arrested for earthbending?" Toph said.
"She got this craaaazy idea to save Haru from prison by getting herself arrested for earthbending. We set up this whole elaborate scene, and Aang used airbending to lift a rock up."
"Niiiice," Toph said.
"Katara got herself into trouble to save me and my people," Haru said. "She's inspiring." Katara blushed at the praise.
"What about the time when I had to help save her from the pirates?" Zuko said in a teasing tone. Katara's eyes widened in surprise at Zuko's words.
"Oh yeah! Boy, you sure do get yourself into a lot of trouble Katara," Sokka said. "Stealing, gambling, prison escapes."
"Dude," Jet said. "How does it feel that your sister is more of a badass than you?"
At Jet's words, a shocked Sokka spit out his water and the projectile hit Katara's clothes. "Eww Sokka!" Katara shrieked, bending the water off of herself and back in his face. He spluttered.
"I-I was there too!" Sokka said, wiping the water off of his face. "I helped plan most of those! Except for stealing the waterbending scroll, that was all on Katara," Sokka said.
"It was a precious relic of our people, stolen by pirates!" Katara exclaimed.
"If it was so precious, why did you give it to Wan Shi Tong?" Sokka said.
Katara smacked her forehead, "He needed pieces of knowledge. I already memorized the forms on the scroll. You gave the owl a knot of rope, like you can talk at all!"
"Hey, that was a good quality knot, made out of good quality rope!" Sokka said.
"I thought it looked like a great knot Sokka," Toph said.
"See," Sokka said, "Toph knows … why do you feel the need to do that?" Sokka grumbled. The group laughed.
Author's Notes:
Jet has arrived! More details of how he survived will be revealed in later chapters. I'm sure there will be mixed feelings toward Jet, but just as in the show, he serves a purpose in this story. Jet is Zuko's foil, and I think that adds an interesting dynamic and rivalry to this story, just like we saw in the show. Jet brings so much comedic potential to the story...like did the writers really think the best thing was to just kill him off? Although his death was really unclear XD. Seriously though, both Sokka and Katara's first loves died tragic deaths, that's rough buddy!
I did take out the Zuko burning Toph's feet situation. It...just wasn't needed and didn't work with the timeline here, since Zuko stays talking to the group for quite a while, and they're less hostile toward him, Toph didn't need to go after him. Also, I always kind of felt like that happening in the story was odd...for Zuko to accidentally burn Toph, and then Aang be like - omg you have so much control of your bending please be my teacher!
If Katara seems too angry to anyone, I promise things will get better and there will be Zutara moments soon. As Katara says in this story, she has been manipulated a lot in the past, and I feel like she would still have trust issues with Zuko, though she would be less rude and ugly toward him like she was in the show.
Thank you for reading! I greatly appreciate any reviews, follows, and faves! Let me know what you think!