Chapter 3: The Air Nomads

Aang, Sokka, Katara, Momo, Suki and Ty Lee are riding on Appa on their way to the Fire Nation to celebrate the return of Princess Ursa (In my fic, because she wasn't around while Ozai was Fire Lord, she never became Fire Lady even after returning).

"Sokka, why didn't Toph come with us?" Suki asks. "I thought she would represent the Earth Kingdom."

"She will." Sokka explains. "But she doesn't like flying. It's too far from the ground to her taste."

"Oh, yeah. She uses the vibrations to "see" through Earth." Ty Lee adds. "Uh, where will we land?"

"Right there at the Southern Air Temple." Aang answers while pointing at the ground below them.

"Aang, all I see is a huge crack." Ty Lee replies.

"You haven't seen below it." Suki comments.

When they go down, Ty Lee is surprised at the sight of upside down buildings attached to the top of a huge cave. "Is it the Western Air Temple? No wonder you guys could use it as a hide-out. Who in the whole Fire Nation would know about this place?"

"Zuko." Sokka replies.

"Yeah." Aang adds. "During our training, I asked how he knew we could be found here and he told me that here was the very first place he ever looked for me. And that he followed us here after our failed attack on the Day of the Black Sun."

"And my friends back at the Fire Academy for Girls thought I was weird for walking on my hands." Ty Lee comments. Look at this place."

"I know what you mean." Sokka comments. "Well, let's have some rest."

"Good idea, Sokka." Katara replies. "We need to be in good shape for the rest of the trip."

"Not so fast." A new voice demands. The Gaang looks around to see a man in Fire Nation style clothing. "You're invading. Leave."

"You and which Army will make us?" Sokka asks. Then other people show up to back the new character.

"You had to ask, did you?" Katara asks.

"I don't know who you are." The Avatar says. "But as the last Airbender, I say this temple is welcoming to anyone seeking refuge."

"Avatar, you're not the last Airbender." The new voice replies and then proves his point by airbending his way next to Aang.

"Wow. Finally another Airbender?" Aang asks. "But why don't you want us here?"

"You abandoned us." The man replies. "For generations we had to stay hidden because you ran away from your duties as the Avatar. We had to abandon our head-shaving, our arrow tatooing ritual."

"Wait a minute." Sokka says. "Aren't you Air Nomads born with your arrows?"

"No, Sokka." Aang answers. "We only earn them by becoming master Airbenders."

"And the worst part, some of us even had to abandon the vegetarianism and eat meat." The man adds.

"You should be thankful for that." Sokka defends the meat-eating habits. The leader of these new Air Nomads Airbends Sokka against the wall for that.

"Too bad Toph isn't here." Katara comments. "She'd love this."

"Guys, I'm sorry that I've been frozen for a hundred years." Aang says. "But I was under a lot of pressure."

"Yeah." Katara adds. "Can you imagine a kid having to feel the weight of the whole world?"

"He's the Avatar." A woman replies. "It's his duty to keep balance."

"Monk Gyatso was the only one to understand I still wasn't ready." Aang explains.

"And what have you been doing during all those years?" Sokka asks. "I haven't heard of any Airbender besides Aang trying to stop the war."

"We've been waiting for the Avatar to appear." The leader of the Air Nomads answers. "When we heard of his reappearance, we looked for him everywhere until we've heard about Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation killing him in Ba Sing Se. Eventually we heard that the Avatar survived and was only keeping it a secret until the Day of the Black Sun when you tried to kill Fire Lord Ozai but the attack failed. However, news of your arrival restarted our hopes but they were shattered again when we arrived at the Western Air Temple and saw you trusting Prince Zuko as an ally."

"He's not that bad as I've originally thought." Aang replies.

"He helped me find the man who killed my mother." Katara says in Zuko's defense.

"He helped Sokka rescue me from The Boiling Rock." Suki adds.

"He was only trying to become the Fire Lord." Another Air Nomad replies. "You can't trust him not to restart the war. The Fire Nation must be destroyed."

"Violence is not the answer." Aang comments. "The war is over and Zuko and I are keeping the peace."

"You disappoint us, Avatar." The leader of the Air Nomads replies. "We'll restore this temple to its former glory and you won't be welcome here until you come to your senses."

"Wait a minute." Sokka says. "How did you guys travel around?"

"Do you think you guys have the last flying bison?" An Air Nomad asks. "We managed to hide others from the Fire Nation."

"Cool." Aang replies. "Appa can have more friends."

"Avatar, if you don't understand the importance of destroying the Fire Nation and the Fire Royal Family we'll have no choice but kill you and hope the next Avatar will be more realistic."

The Gaang prepares their battle stances. The Air Nomads quickly throws them out with Airbending. While they're falling, Appa rescues the Water Tribe siblings, Aang uses his glider and his own Airbending to save himself and Suki and Ty Lee reach the wall and run the way down like Azula did when she invaded the Western Air Temple.

"I never thought I'd see it again since Azula." Katara comments.

"Me too." Sokka replies. "But what are we gonna do about them?"

"I believe I must talk to them." Aang asks. "I'm the one they resent after all."

"Are you crazy, Aang?" Sokka asks. "They almost killed us last time."

"I know." Aang replies. "But it's something I have to do not only as the Avatar but also as an Air Nomad."

"Be careful, Aang." Katara pleads.

Aang nods and then goes back up. "Sokka, please take care of Momo."

"Huh, will we really stay down?" Sokka asks.

Meanwhile, at the Western Air Temple.

"This is the plan." The leader of the Air Nomads says. "When the guests from the other nations arrive, we'll attack the palace and the guests will join us."

"I can't permit that." Aang says.

The Air Nomads try to Airbend him away again but Aang blocks the attack with a wall of Earth. While they try to take down the wall, Aang uses Earthbending to make them fall just like Toph usually does to Sokka. Taken by surprise, they can't Airbend on time to keep them from falling. Before they have time to recover, Aang locks them away on Earth prisons.

Then his friends arrive. "Aang, we're here... to.. help." Katara says as she sees that Aang single-handedly defeated the other Air Nomads.

"Now, are you ready for a peaceful talk?" Aang asks and then smiles.

THE END

End of this chapter, don't worry. Please review.