I tried to come up with an "original" oath for the Fire Nation, but nothing I was writing seemed to do it justice. Just assume it's something poetic and abstract, like an Irohism.
The flight from the mainland to the island took about an hour, and was surprisingly tranquil. Aang was still getting used to not having to take evasive maneuvers with Appa to dodge artillery from the Fire Navy. Zuko was steering, since he was the one who knew where they were going. That left Aang with a lot of time to think, and he kept finding his thoughts returning to his first time on the island, particularly his brief experience as a mind ready for molding at the prestigious Fire Nation school.
He remembered his first moments in the classroom, the first time he saw Onji, then horribly notching the Fire Nation oath. How did that oath go again anyways? My life I give for my country, with my hands I fight for Fire Lord Ozai and our forefathers before him, with my...my- something else, darn, I forgot...
"That's not how it's supposed to go."
"Huh?" Aang practically jumped several feet in the air. Had he been reciting that out loud? The look on Zuko's face seemed to confirm it. How embarrassing, Aang thought, but Zuko didn't say anything for a few seconds.
"I did some reading on the history of the Fire Nation. The oath they've been making kids recite since the start of the hundred years war is nothing more than propaganda. They just plug in the name of the current Fire Lord because it makes him seem like some kind of god. First it was "Sozin and our forefathers", then "Azulon and our forefathers", and finally Ozai and our forefathers'."
"And now it'll be 'Zuko and our forefathers?'" Aang asked. He tried to imagine little kids worshipping Zuko as an all powerful fire god.
Zuko shook his head. "No. I'm going to have us go back to the original oath. It's um, nothing exciting to be honest, actually it reminds me off something my uncle would write, very abstract. But it stays true to our nation's values," he explained.
Aang nodded. The change was probably for the best.
"All right, we're here."
Right at that moment, the clouds parted, revealing several islands of varying sizes below them. They were flying towards one of the larger ones, one which Aang recognized right away as the distinctive shapes of houses, apartment complexes, shops, and somewhere in there, the Fire Nation school, came into focus.
Another memory came back to him...swiping their Fire Nation disguises from the clothesline. I really should have looked twice before taking that school uniform. But then he wouldn't have met Onji and Shoji, or had an opportunity to give all those kids a taste of freedom and self-expression. He guessed the monks were right, things really did happen for a reason.
Below them, on the ground, people were starting to cluster, as word quickly spread about the Avatar and the Fire Lord's unexpected arrival. As soon as they landed, the crowd starting pushing towards them. Aang looked at Zuko nervously.
"Clear this way immediately!" The crowd fell silent as they obeyed the booming voice. As the crowd parted and the owner of the voice got closer, Aang saw that it belonged to an imposing figure in full Fire Nation military dress. He reminded Aang a little of his old foe, Admiral Zhao, and even of the headmaster himself. Middle aged, stern features, steely eyes that burned through your soul. Aang wasn't really sure he wanted to meet this guy, but Zuko was already climbing down from Appa. He guessed he had no choice, so he leapt down, using airbending to cushion his landing.
The man stopped in front of Zuko and bowed. "Fire Lord Zuko, you've come earlier than expected. My men were not prepared to deliver the traditional ceremony upon Your Majesty's arrival, and for that, I am deeply ashamed. We shall work twice as hard to restore our honor."
Zuko shook his head. "That won't be necessary General. I came here early because the Avatar- uh, decided to assist me in inspecting the island."
For a second there, Aang was afraid Zuko might reveal the real reason he was here. The last thing he wanted was people hounding Onji because she was the Avatar's crush or something. Zuko's cover story worked really well though, it also gave him an excuse to drop by the school later.
"Ah yes...Avatar Aang-" the way the general said his name gave Aang the creeps, even as he received the same bow that Zuko did. Just a few weeks ago, he would've been trying to kill me. "I've heard...quite a bit about you."
"Uh, likewise." Aang replied awkwardly.
"Well, I guess we'd better be off. We can show ourselves around." Zuko said.
The general didn't move. "With all due respect, Your Majesty, as the commanding officer on this island, it is my responsibility to emsure the safety of the Fire Lord and his...guests."
Zuko didn't look happy about it, but it didn't look like the general was going to take no for an answer. "Fine." He finally conceded.
Aang groaned inwardly, the sooner they made it to Onji, the better.
"General, why is this island still under military control?"
That much was obvious in every corner you looked. Soldiers were patrolling the streets, the civilians giving them a wide berth so as not to provoke them. Artillery pillboxes were visible in the hills overlooking the town, and somewhere off in the distance, the sound of a tank on the move could be heard.
"After the defeat of Fire Lord Ozai, we had no way of knowing if the people of the Earth Kingdom or the Water Tribes would invade our country, seeking vengeance, so naturally, we have kept our defenses on high alert." The general explained.
Zuko frowned. "I understand, but the war is over, and I assure you that no one is seeking vengeance. The island needs to return to peacetime condition as soon as possible."
"Is that an order, sir?"
"It's a...very strong suggestion."
Aang noticed that Zuko tried as much as possible to avoid the ruthless tactics of his predecessors. He admired that about his friend, but he also had a feeling the general had no intention of following suggestions, even very strong ones.
After what had felt like an eternity, the trio finally made it to the Fire Nation school. It looked exactly as Aang remembered it. The courtyard was empty, so school was presumably still in session.
"Here we are, Your Majesty. This is the finest school in the Fire Nation, aside from the royal academy itself, of course."
"Believe me," Zuko replied. "I know their reputation. My father used to threaten to send us here if we ever misbehaved."
"Fire Lord Ozai was a wise man." The general said. Zuko looked like he wanted to object, and vehemently, but for the sake of civility, kept his mouth shut.
"So do we get to go inside?" Aang asked impatiently.
"It is a breach of protocol to interrupt a lesson before it concludes."
"I think we can make an exception this time," Zuko interrupted sharply, probably still stewing about what the general had said about his father.
Aang gave Zuko a grateful look as they entered the school.
"Hello, Ms. Kwan."
"Who dares interrupt-" the teacher stopped when she turned and saw who it was who had done the interrupting. "General Takuma! This is certainly a surprise." The older woman, who also looked just like Aang remembered her, bowed profusely to her commanding officer. Then she saw Aang and Zuko common up behind him.
"And...the Fire Lord himself. It is an honor, Your Majesty." She bowed again. Her eyes narrowed when she got to Aang. Another person who probably wants to kill me right now. Just imagine the look on her face if she ever found out she once taught the Avatar in this very room.
Finally she reluctantly bowed to him as well. "Avatar, I certainly wouldn't have expected you to return to Fire Nation soil so quickly. I hope you find your visit enlightening."
"Um..I'm sure I will, Ma'am." Aang replied politely. He quickly scanned the room, Onji wasn't in the classroom. He couldn't help wondering what happened to her. Again, he felt a pang of guilt ad flashed back to that last night, when he fled out of the cave, leaving Onji and the others to fend for themselves...
"Ms. Kwan, how is the lesson going this morning?" General Takuma asked.
"It is proceeding on schedule," she replied. "Today, we are reviewing the many accomplishments of Fire Lord Sozin."
General Takuma nodded approvingly. "Very good."
'Actually, I was hoping we could talk about that-" Zuko started.
"We should let Ms. Kwan get back to her lesson. The headmaster will want to meet you."
Zuko reluctantly followed the General. Aang personally had absolutely no interest in seeing the headmaster again, so he just waited in the hallway outside.
"Hey."
Aang hadn't even noticed the student approaching. She was carrying a stack of scrolls, and...it was her. There was no doubt about it, the dark brown hair, traditionally styled, the matching soft brown eyes, he'd found her.
"Wait, you're the Avatar, aren't you?" Onji seemed surprised, but Aang didn't detect any recognition in her eyes. She doesn't know it's Kuzon.
"Uhhh...yeah, that's right. That's me, the Avatar."
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm here with Fire Lord Zuko, to inspect the island," he said quickly, remembering his cover story.
"Oh. Well I hope we pass." She said with a thin smile as she walked past Aang into the classroom. Aang sighed, he supposed she could have had a much harsher reaction, but she definitely acted more guarded around him as the Avatar than she had when he was Kuzon. This was not going to be easy.
A short while later, Aang and Zuko were walking around the town. They'd finally managed to shake General Takuma, as he had apparently stayed behind to chat with the headmaster, his old war buddy. And judging by Zuko's tone right now, that was probably for the best.
"It's like the war never ended for them, they still teach the students all the same lies I grew up learning. This is a worse situation than even I expected."
"Meaning?" Aang asked.
"Meaning I'm going to have to extend my stay. And- well I think it would help to have the Avatar here, to emphasize the importance of what we're doing. You're okay with that, right?"
"Sure," Aang answered, more than happy to help his friend out, and hopefully spend more time with Onji. And about that...
"Hey, can we go to that shop over there?" He pointed to a store that sold clothes.
Zuko gave Aang a confused look. "Um...okay."
A few minutes later, they emerged once again, and now Aang was wearing some Fire Nation style clothes (he was careful not to pick a school uniform this time) and a headband and wig covering his arrow.
"You know you'll have to tell her the truth eventually," Zuko said as he glanced over Aang's disguise.
Aang felt his insides flip. "I know, and I will. But...I'm not sure either of us are ready for that yet."
Zuko nodded. "Okay, well...uh, good luck. I got you an apartment to use during our stay. I'll be in the Royal Guest House, and yes, it's as needlessly pompous as it sounds. Well, uh, anyways, just go to this address whenever you're ready to turn in." He handed Aang a piece of paper, which Aang slipped into his pocket. "I'm going to keep trying with Takuma and the headmaster."
Aang was anxiously waiting outside the school, going over in his head how he would reveal his true identity. Somehow, none of his approaches seemed right. Just how were you supposed to tell someone you liked that you're actually their eternally sworn enemy?
Finally, the school bell rang, and students flooded out into the courtyard. Aang looked for her...but another familiar face spotted him first.
"Kuzon?"
Aang met the boy's green eyes, currently widened in shock. "Shoji?"
The boy broke into a huge grin. "I can't believe it, it's really you!"
Aang smiled back. "Believe it, here I am."
"Wow," Shoji walked closer. "Hey, why did you leave anyways? You still owe me an explanation-"
"Kuzon?" Another voice saved Aang from having to answer, this one was female.
"Onji," Aang said softly.
Onji slowly walked up to the two boys, her mouth gradually curving into a smile. "We thought we'd never see you again."
"It's great to see you, both of you," Aang quickly added.
"Hw are things in the colonies?" Onji asked.
Oh right, I almost forgot. "They're uh...they're great. Fire Lord Zuko actually returned us to the Earth Kingdom." Good thing he had remembered what Zuko told him.
"So is that why you're here?" Shoji asked.
"Yeah...my parents really really love the Fire Nation, their last names are even 'Fire', so uh...I think you catch my drift". Aang was now, like so often, literally just making it up as he went along.
Onji giggled. "We understand."
"Hey guys, I've gotta go," Shoji said in a disappointed tone, "but Onji can show you around, Kuzon. And hey, maybe we'll even get to play Hide and Explode again."
"You're on." Aang answered with a laugh.
"All right, see you guys later!" Shoji called as he ran off, leaving Aang and Onji alone.
"You really came back," Onji said shyly.
"Yeah...I promise I'll explain it all later."
"It's fine. So...I guess you weren't here very long the first time. You probably didn't have a lot of time to explore, huh?"
"No time, basically," Aang said, which was true, since he was also busy trying not to be detected by the Fire Nation. "But I would love to now."
"I'd be happy to show you around. I have to admit I'm not the greatest tour guide in the world though..." Onji said nervously.
"You know, the mon-" he caught himself just in time. "I mean...a wise person once told me that it's the journey that matters most, not the destination."
Onji smiled at him, she looks so cute when she smiles, Aang thought to himself. Whatever else happened, he was glad he had gotten to see her again.
"Come on," Onji said as she tugged Aang's sleeve excitedly, "There's so much I want to show you."
And so Aang and Onji are about to get reacquainted on their kinda-sorta date, the big reveal is coming up as well. Also, this started out as just an Aang/Onji fic, but I think I'm going to expand it to include the arc of Zuko trying to get the island's military under control. Aang and Onji's relationship will still be the central theme though.