Chapter Seventy-Two: The Rescue Mission.
AN: Due to the Episode 'The Firebending Masters' being solely about firebending, which only Zuko and Aang are capable of, rewriting that episode (Much like the Beach Episode, which I rewrote solely because I wanted to write it from Azlua's perspective.) would only be an exact repeat of everything that happened in the show, therefore, this episode did happen in this story, but I'm not going to write it since anyone who's watched Avatar already knows what happened. Here's a brief summary: Zuko loses his firebending and so they search for the original firebending masters, or at least, clues about them, aka, the Sun Warrior Tribe. They mention how the Fire Nation killed off dragons for sport and they are now extinct. When Zuko and Aang find the Sun Warriors, the Sun Warriors tell them they will be judged by the 'Masters', who, in turn, wind up being the last two dragons. Zuko leaves able to firebend again and with a new understanding of his element. Anywho, onto the story!
"No one can make tea like uncle can, not even Adrien, but hopefully I learned a thing or two." Zuko said, passing out the tea he made.
"I'm sure Master Fu could." Marinette said with a knowing smile, "I miss having Sunday tea with him."
"Master Fu?" The Duke questioned. Tikki smiled up at him.
"He's the Great Guardian of the Miraculous and the one who granted Adrien and Marinette their Miraculous. He is very wise and 186 years old. He is one of the two wielders of the Turtle Miraculous, the other being Adrien's friend Nino. Before he left Paris, he was training Marinette to be his successor as the Guardian of Miraculous. When she gets older, she'll be in charge of deciding who all the Miraculous should go to and protecting the secrets of the ancient Order of Miraculous. That's why Marinette knows how to read the book with potions in it."
"Wow, that's super cool!" Katara said, "You mentioned him before, but I didn't realize Miraculous holders had Masters like Benders and Swordsmen do." Marinette smiled.
"We don't normally. At least not anymore. The Order that was supposed to assign and train Miraculous Holders was destroyed when Master Fu was a boy. It was then he lost the Moth and Peacock Miraculous. That's how Gabriel had it. Master Fu is the last of the Order, but he is training me to keep our legacy alive. I've already selected three holders. Nino for the Turtle of Protection and Wisdom, Alya for the Fox of Illusions and Perception, and Chloe for the Bee of subjection and unity. Granted, the last one was an accident, but I've learned that sometimes the Miraculouses choose their own wielders. Chloe wasn't my first pick, but she does well when we need her." Marinette explained.
"I wasn't aware that Nino and Alya were Miraculous holders!" Adrien laughed, "Though I should have known. I can see Alya as Rena Rouge, and the way she and Carapace got along so well? Man, I should have known that was Nino. No one else can handle Alya like Nino can. Those two? Made for each other." Adrien chuckled.
"But you knew about this Chloe girl?" Katara asked.
"Chloe was my best friend growing up." Adrien said with a smile, "A bit like a sister. But, um, her relationship with her mom left her a little worse for wear. She's really rude to everyone all the time and caused half the Akumas in Paris. But, she makes a great superhero and tries her best. Unfortunately, Milady and I were considering stopping her from being Queen Bee. Not because she did anything wrong but…"
"She broke the rules." Marinette said bluntly, "She didn't know, so I don't blame her. Chloe told everyone, even Adrien's father who she was when the Miraculous Holders where on a strict secret identity order."
"Oh. That's insane." Aang said, "What did they look like? Did they transform too?" Marinette smiled, pulling out her sketchbook.
"Here, I actually drew them all in their costumes awhile back. This one's Chloe, this one's Ayla, and that's Nino."
"Wow! Adrien! Chloe has blonde hair like you do!" Katara noticed.
"I did say it's a more common trait in Paris. She was born blonde, just like me. So was her mom and dad." Adrien laughed. Sokka frowned at the group as they all drank their tea. While the conversation was in fact interesting, his mind kept wandering and his eyes kept shifting over to the firebender who sat next to Adrien, sipping the tea he'd made everyone.
"It's nice to get to relax a little, even if I can't see your drawings, Marinette. We never just get to sit around and chat like this anymore." Toph noted. Sokka's eyes narrowed further as Zuko chuckled at the blink girl's words.
"Don't I know it." He agreed. Finally, Sokka worked up the nerve to talk to the guy.
"Hey, Zuko? Can I talk to you for a second?" He asked in a careful tone. The firebender raised an eyebrow before nodding to Sokka, putting down his tray, and joining the Watertribe boy. Sokka led Zuko slightly away from the group. He could see Adrien looking over at Sokka and Zuko from the campfire, obviously curious. Sokka ignored the blonde.
"So, what's up?" Zuko asked, concern in his voice. Sokka knew he was making the firebender nervous by pulling him out of the group. Sokka knew everyone but Adrien and Aang had taken their time to thoroughly threaten the guy over the past few days. This, however, was not one of those conversations.
"Zuko, if someone was captured by the Fire Nation, where would they be taken?" Sokka asked. Zuko frowned, obviously caught off guard by the question.
"What do you mean? Who was captured?" He asked.
"When the invasion plan failed, some of our troops were taken. I… I just want to know where?" Sokka explained. Zuko frowned, crossing his arms.
"I can't tell you."
"Why not?"
"Trust me, knowing would only make you feel worse." Zuko explained, turning to rejoin the group. Sokka growled, grabbing the boy by the shoulder.
"It's my dad." He admitted, "And Adrien's. They were taken too. The… the Moth Miraculous is here with us. Gabriel and my dad both surrendered on that day. I need to know what I put them through." Zuko paused, his expression softening.
"It's not good, Sokka." He warned.
"Please." Sokka begged, desperately wanting to right his wrongs from the eclipse and save his dad.
"They were taken to the Boiling Rock." Zuko replied, caving.
"What's that?"
"The highest security prison in the Fire Nation. It's on an island in the middle of a boiling lake." Zuko explained his expression beyond serious, "It's inescapable."
"So, where is this place?" Sokka wondered. Zuko looked Sokka over suspiciously.
"Why do you need to know? What are you planning?" Zuko asked.
"Nothing. Boy, you're so paranoid!" Sokka said dismissively. Zuko shrugged.
"It's in the middle of a volcano between here and the Fire Nation. You guys actually flew right past it on your way here." He replied.
"Thanks Zuko." Sokka said with a grin before faking a yawn, "Just knowing makes me feel better." Zuko frowned, his arms still crossed and his expression wary.
"Yeah, I'm sure it does." He deadpanned. The boy turned and walked away with those words. Sokka let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding before racing off to pack a bag for the trip. He waited patiently for everyone to fall asleep before sneaking out to Appa. As he climbed on, he was startled to find Zuko in the saddle.
"Not up to anything, huh?" The prince asked with a passive expression, scaring the heck out of Sokka. Fell back out of the saddle and onto the floor below. Zuko lept down to join him.
"Fine." Sokka grumbled, "You caught me. I'm gonna rescue my Dad. You happy now?" Zuko's expression remained unchanged.
"I'm never happy." He deadpanned.
"Look, I have to do this. The invasion plan was my idea. It was my decision to stay when things were going wrong. Its my mistake and it's my job to fix it. I have to regain my honor. You can't stop me, Zuko." Sokka explained.
"You need to regain your honor? Believe me, I get it. I'm going with you." Zuko scoffed.
"Me too." A voice said behind them. The two boys looked over in surprise to see Adrien fully dressed in his Fire Nation outfit. His cap already on and a bag slung over his shoulder.
"Adrien?" Sokka said in surprise before regaining his senses and shaking his head, "No. I have to do this alone. Plus, Adrien, you said yourself, your ring might be compromised because of Long Feng. It's too dangerous for you."
"First off," Zuko stated, "How are you going to get there? On Appa? Last time I checked, prisons don't have bison day cares."
"Secondly." Adrien continued, "It's my father we're looking for too. I need to help him. He's all I have left. Besides, the ring won't be an issue." Adrien held up his hand, to Sokka's shock, the Miraculous was not there. As Sokka thought about it, he began to notice that Plagg wasn't zipping around Adrien or curled up ontop is hat or shoulder like he normally was.
"You took off your ring? Adrien, don't you need that to fight?" Sokka objected.
"No." Adrien deadpanned, "If you payed attention a little more, you would know I've been training in fighting since I was a little kid. Swordplay is my strong point. The Ring gives me superhuman strength, agility, and senses, yeah. It gives me destructive powers, yeah, but I can fight without it."
"Won't Tikki sense it's gone? The girls will know you took it off and worry." Sokka pointed out.
"I spoke to her privately earlier. She knows we need to make this trip and she isn't going to stop us. She'll make sure others don't try to follow us and will watch over her other half for now, don't worry. I'm coming, and that's final. Right, Zuko?" Zuko nodded.
"We are taking my war balloon." Zuko explained. Sokka signed in defeat, unable to argue with the older two boys any further.
"Fine, let's go." Reluctantly Sokka filed into the balloon with Zuko and Adrien after leaving behind a message for the others with a bogus explanation for their disappearance. Something about a fishing trip and meat. They flew for most of the night towards the boiling rock. Adrien eventually settled comfortably in the balloon's basket while Zuko tended the fire and Sokka watched the clouds and rising sun. It was surprisingly quiet, which was weird with Adrien around. The blonde had taken to staring at the hand his ring had once been and fiddling nervously with a strangely shaped object covered in cloth he had. Sokka decided to fill the awkward silence.
"So… uh, pretty clouds?" He said nervously to the firebender behind him.
"Yeah, fluffy." Zuko replied, causing Adrien to snort from his spot. Zuko rolled his eyes and returned to his work. Sokka decided to give it another try and whistled. Zuko glared at him.
"What?"
"What? Oh, I didn't say anything. You know, a friend of mine actually designed these war balloons." Sokka said quickly.
"No kidding." Zuko noted. Adrien snorted again, obviously amused by the awkward exchange.
"Yep. A balloon, but for war." Sokka said proudly.
"There's one thing my dad's good at, it's war." Zuko muttered. Sokka shrugged.
"Yeah, it seems to run in the family."
"Sokka!" Adrien scolded.
"Yeah, not everyone in my family is like that!" Zuko agreed.
"I know, I know, you've changed." Sokka said, trying to keep the two guys he was essentially stuck with from turning on him.
"I meant my Uncle. He was more of a Father to me. And I really let him down." Zuko corrected. Adrien smiled kindly, pocketing to object he'd been fiddling with.
"I think your Uncle would be proud of you. Leaving your home to come help us, that's hard." Adrien said kindly.
"It wasn't that hard." Zuko said, looking over the basket's edge.
"Really? You didn't leave behind anyone you cared about?" Sokka asked. Zuko smiled slightly.
"Well I did have a girlfriend... Mai." He explained. Sokka was surprised by that response. Zuko and Mai were dating? He wasn't aware of that detail. Adrien didn't seemed shocked, but Sokka figured Zuko told him everything. The two were so painfully different, yet they got along with each other so well.
"That gloomy girl who sighs a lot?" Sokka asked. Zuko's smile grew.
"Yeah." He said before his expression went serious again, "Everyone in the Fire Nation thinks I'm a traitor. I couldn't drag her into it." Sokka didn't know how to empathize with that. He had never had to break up with anyone for that reason. He'd only dated two girls before. One was in some Fire Nation prison somewhere and the other was the Moon Spirit now and couldn't be with him So, he just blurted that out to try and be at least somewhat sympathetic.
"My first girlfriend turned into the Moon." Sokka said. Adrien cocked his head to the side.
"Um, what?"
"That's rough buddy." Zuko deadpanned. Sokka frowned, looking over at Adrien.
"What about you? Ever have any girl trouble?"
"Well, I was in love for Ladybug for two years without ever knowing her real name." He said thoughtfully, "Then I fell for Marinette. Aslo, I once had a crush on my fencing partner, the girl I practice sword fighting with, Kagami. Then there was this huge love square that happened where I was in love with Ladybug, who was in love with Adrien, who had a crush on Marinette, who had a crush on Cat Noir." Sokka blinked at that.
"Uh…"
"Word of advice, if you have a secret identity, don't fall in love until after you know who your hot partner is. It makes things easier." Adrien replied.
"I won't even ask." Sokka decided. Adrien grinned in amusement.
That's when Zuko suddenly stiffened.
"There it is." He pointed at their desired location." Adrien sat up and joined Zuko and Sokka at the edge of the balloon's basket.
"Woah." Adrien breathed.
"There's plenty of steam to keep us covered, as long as we are quiet." Zuko noted, "We should be able to navigate it without being caught." Adrien's eyes narrowed.
"Well, yeah, we should. But Zuko, remember I already warned you about what this steam is going to do to this balloon. Sokka glanced over at Adrien.
"Wait. You actually know the science behind how this balloon works?" Sokka asked.
"Well, yeah. I'm a man of science. I've been studying it since I was little. It was my favorite subject in school and I want to be a professor in physics and sciences, so I'm going to college in Paris once I make up all my high school classes." Adrien replied, "Obviously, in the case of this war balloon, we use hot air to get up and use that hatch up there to get down. When we fly into steam, the steam will be just as hot on the outside of the balloon as on the inside. So, we'll have to control our landing carefully, because the balloon is going to start deflating. Once we get there, we aren't going to be able to take the same route out."
"Okay, one. I find it awesome that you are a fellow admirer of science like I am." Sokka began, "And two, you both knew the balloon was going to deflate and came anyways?"
"I mean, you came too even though you knew the balloon was going to deflate." Adrien pointed out.
"I wanted to take Appa for this very reason." Sokka explained, "But I was going to figure something out. I always do."
"Yeah, that's one thing you and Marinette have in common, I guess." Adrien chuckled, "You always find a way out of these sort of problems. Don't worry, we've got this." Sokka grunted.
"Well, I didn't want either of you to come along!" Sokka ranted, "Now we are all stuck here, because you two insisted. Though I guess there's no turning back now."
"Nope." Adrien agreed cheerfully, "Zuko, go ahead and land us over there." Adrien pointed. To a small clearing right into the guard tower blind spot that could just barely been seen through the fog around the three. Zuko obeyed and they crash landed in that spot, the balloon completely ruined. So, the boys pushed it into the boiling river so it could not be found. Adrien, Sokka, and Zuko then snuck through the prison into the guard's chambers. There, they stole three uniforms and put them on as disguises. Adrien had to carefully tuck most of his hair back to keep it from falling in his face and giving himself away. Thankfully, for Zuko, the helmets had a visor he could put down to make his scar less noticeable.
"Man, I break into a prison with the two guys I know with very noticeable features. If either of you take those helmets off, you know you're as good as caught, right?" Zuko and Adrien nodded.
"Yeah, we know." He said, "I wasn't planning on removing the helmet though.
"Me either." Zuko agreed.
"Let's just hope these guard disguises work." Adrien replied.
"We just need to lay low and find out about mine and Adrien's dads as soon as we can, okay?" Sokka reminded the two. That's when they noticed there were several guards running down the hall next the the guard chambers. Confused by the sudden commotion, Adrien went to the door, immediately falling into his newly acquired guard persona.
"What's the commotion? Is there something wrong?" He asked one of the passing guards. Sokka had to admit, Adrien was also a good actor. He straightened his shoulders and kept a posture while addressing the passing guard with a tone that sounded genuinely respectful and worried about whatever conflict the guards were racing to deal with. Sokka was learning a lot of things about their unlucky friend that day. Adrien was apparently a swordsman, scientist, and an actor. Who would have guessed?
"There's a scuffle in the yard, come on!" The other said frantically. Adrien nodded and followed without hesitation. The Sokka and Zuko followed Adrien's lead and they came out into the prison yard. There, several guards where working to hold off the prisoners while the cause of the commotion could be found in the middle of the yard. It was one of the prisoners, a very tall man with very short hair and a small beard. His complexion was obviously fire nation. The guy was a local inmate and not a war prisoner from the looks of it.
"I didn't do anything." The man grumbled, "I'm going back to my cell." The man turned to leave. The guard apparently bothering the prisoner growled. The bully guard firebended a whip of fire towards Chit Sang.
"Stop right there Chit Sang." The guard ordered, Chit Sang paused. Zuko flinched, recognizing exacting what the 'scuffle' was. The guard was trying to get the man, Chit Sang, to retaliate so that the guard could punish Chit Sang. Sokka stopped the prince from interfering.
"We can't blow our cover." Sokka warned. Next to Zuko, Adrien remained where he was, his face unreadable. Once more, Sokka was surprised. The boy and his partner were known for being just and righting wrongs. He had expected Adrien to react very rashly over the whole ordeal, but he didn't. Instead, he crossed his arms, as if the whole thing was just another annoyance to him.
In front of them, Chit Sang turned around.
"What did I do?"
"He wants to know what he did!" The bully guard roared looking over at Adrien, Sokka, and Zuko, "Isn't that cute?"
"Absolutely adorable." Adrien responded immediately, "Prisoners! So stupid." Sokka tilted his head to the side, surprised by Adrien's tone. It seemed to catch Zuko off guard too, because he warily looked over at his friend. The guard, however, seemed satisfied. He returned his attention to Chit Sang.
"You didn't bow when I walked by, Chit Sang." The guard explained. Chit Sang looked angered by that response.
"What? That's not a prison rule!"
"Do it." The guard growled. Chit Sang stood tall against the guard.
"Make me." The guard smirked before turning to seemingly leave. Chit Sang looked satisfied and went to leave as well, but the guard turned suddenly around, bending fire at Chit Sang. Chit Sang raised his hands in defense, bending the flames away from him so he didn't get burned and back towards the guard. The fire dissipated and the guard's smile broaded.
"Oh, Firebending is prohibited, you're going in the cooler." The guard announced, then he pointed at Adrien, "You! Help me take him in!" Adrien nodded, immediately going to do so. Before Adrien got to far away, Sokka whispered a message into Adrien's ear.
"Meet us back here in an hour." Adrien showed no signs of hearing Sokka, but kept walking. Sokka backed up, looking over at Zuko.
"What's with him?"
"It's another thing he and I have in common." Zuko replied, "Both of our mothers were actors. His was one of the best in Paris. He learned a lot from her before she vanished. She and he used to work for his father's company as something called a model. He had to learn to keep up certain expressions, behaviors, and postures during his time in Paris. He loves plays and dramatics. But… I've never seen his acting in person before. He's acting exactly like all the other guards in here for the sake of our cover. I doubt he'll get caught. He would've made an excellent spy for this war if it weren't for the hair color."
"Really?" Sokka asked, watching the boy go.
"Yeah, he and I actually have a lot in common." Zuko explained. Sokka raised an eyebrow, realizing Zuko was right.
"Huh, you learn something new everyday." This would be an interesting adventure.