Title: The Aftermath
Rating: T for now.
Summary: It is 10 years after the events of Sozin's Comet. Under the rule of the pacifist Fire Lord Zuko and the guidance of the Avatar, many expected the world to heal from the damages suffered during the century-long war. But evil is still afoot, and threatens to disrupt the peace once again ...
Disclaimer: I don't own any components of ATLA.
Warning: Mild Adult Themes.
Chapter 3: Lies and Deceit ...
On a ship to the Earth Kingdom
The ship was old and smelled distinctively of moldy socks. The panels were also in a very poor state, strips of wood having peeled off, exposing numerous trails of beetle-ants transporting snippets of food to their colony, which Sokka now knew was in the wooden beams holding up the levels of the ship. At first he had been worried that they had been termites, and that the ship would just fall apart somewhere in the ocean and they would all drown to death. But the captain had convinced him otherwise, although Sokka was still grossed out by the sight of the tiny crawling creatures. There weren't any insects in the South Pole, and even though he'd been in the warmer Earth Kingdom climate for the good part of the last 10 years, he still could not get accustomed to the sight. They gave him goosebumps.
At least his room was decent.
Sokka laid on his bed, arms raised behind him, his head cushioned by the intersection of his crossed arms. He had just come back from a tedious war meeting with his men and the Kyoshi Warriors. It had taken a long time, but they'd eventually devised a strategy to take back the Earth Kingdom City of Shandu from the rebel forces. He had been extraordinarily quiet and lacklustre today, which was surprising as normally he had tons of ideas buzzing around in his head.
A knock on the door disrupted his reverie.
"It's Ty Lee, you seemed off during the war meeting just now, you alright?"
Sokka got out of bed and pushed the door open, where the petite frame of Ty Lee greeted him. She had removed her Kyoshi Warrior makeup, and was dressed in a tight-fitting light red shift.
"Come in, we need to talk."
She bounded up to the bed and then executed a standing somersault, landing seductively on the bed, her body draped over the cheap plywood frame, back resting on the rough woolen sheets and her pretty face hanging inverted over the bed.
She batted her large hazel-brown eyes suggestively.
Sokka closed the door, and walked towards the waiting Ty Lee.
"Ty Lee, we need to talk."
She flipped herself to an upright position excitedly. Sokka smiled. She had lost none of her bubbly girlishness. He loved that about her.
Sokka took a seat at the edge of the bed.
"What is it, cutie?" Ty Lee cheerily asked.
Sokka turned to look at her and took in everything. Her expressive puppy dog eyes, her cute button nose, her bubbly personality, and her smile ... oh her smile, it was so adorable. She always treated him well, laughed at his jokes, no matter how crude, and had a rocking body - blessed with great assets and the trained body of a acrobat. He hated to admit this, but he had far more fun with her than he did with Suki. When he was with her, everything seemed to lighten up, everything wasn't so serious, he could just really enjoy himself, letting his boyish side loose. And she was unbelievable in bed ... her natural flexibility and acrobatics ... were simply amazing.
Ty Lee smiled again. One of her usual jubilant grins.
"You're staring", she giggled, then closed the distance between them with her lips, a wet and heavy one. Sokka relented for a while, then stiffened up and broke it off.
Ty Lee looked into Sokka's light blue eyes, her own hazel ones filled with worry and concern.
"What's wrong?"
Sokka stood up.
"I'm sorry Ty, I can't do this anymore. You were Suki's choice for leader of the Kyoshi Warriors. You're her close friend. I'm her husband. We can't do this anymore. I have a daughter and an unborn child. I have a family Ty."
Sokka's voice was wrought with emotion - pain, anguish and sorrow.
"I love Suki. I ... don't love you. You were just a fling, a mistake."
His voice steadied, as he continued on his rant, more to convince himself than anything that what he was about to do was justified.
Ty Lee's large round eyes glistened with unshed tears. The joyous smile vanished from her pretty face.
"I was lonely ... being so far away from my family ... when you offered your companionship, I took it, but I was careless, the result of being separated from my wife for so long."
Sokka continued, conviction creeping into his voice, building up his courage to say the next line.
"Ty ... it's over. We can't see each other anymore."
A single tear rolled down Ty Lee's cheek, as she tried desperately to bat away her tears.
"You are the first and only man I have ever loved. I gave you everything! My heart, my body ... you're the only man I've given my body to. I don't mind being the mistress. I've told you that from the moment we started ... "
Tears started rolling down her face.
"I don't mind ... I don't mind", she whimpered in between sobs.
Sokka said down on the edge of the bed again, guilt tugging painfully at his heart.
"I'm really sorry for all this, Ty."
He put his left arm around her shoulder, gently rubbing that area, regret for his earlier rant compelling him to comfort his illicit lover.
"You will find someone better than me, I promise. You are a great person, always so optimistic and upbeat, always so uplifting and encouraging ... not to mention you're freakin' beautiful."
They stayed like this for a long while until Ty Lee stopped sobbing.
She wiped away her tears and then spoke level-headedly, "I always knew there was a chance this day would happen, but I didn't want to think about it, I didn't want to acknowledge it. I wanted this to last forever, even though I knew it would not."
Sokka for once, had nothing to say.
"Thanks for giving the best time of my life ... we can still be friends you know. Even if its platonic ..."
Ty Lee got up, walking towards the door.
"See you tomorrow at breakfast?"
Sokka nodded wordlessly.
Ty Lee flashed him a smile, then walked out of the room. She walked up to the Kyoshi Warrior's segment of the ship, past the common corridor, where a few of her warriors greeted her as she walked past. She responded cheerfully, as per her normal behavior.
After 4 minutes of going through the motions, she reached her room, and as she closed the door behind her, she jumped onto her bed and wept into her pillow.
--
Katara emerged from behind the corner. She was stunned by everything that she heard.
Sokka was cheating on Suki? With Ty Lee?
An innocent trip to return Sokka his clean laundry, had given Katara much more than she bargained for.
I love Suki. I ... don't love you. You were just a fling, a mistake.
I gave you everything! My heart, my body ... you're the only man I've given my body to.
Katara pondered over what to do with the information she had. She wouldn't confront Sokka about it as of yet. He was emotionally worn-out as it was already.
She would have to live with this burden for now.
Azula's room in an Earth Kingdom Inn
Jet awoke, underneath soft silk sheets, his naked body bruised and battered from the exertions of the previous night.
Azula was a demanding mistress. She wanted to try everything.
But it had been an amazing night all in all.
He turned to his partner, stirring her from her slumber.
"Did I exceed your expectations, Princess?"
Azula stretched languidly.
"It wasn't perfect, but it was close enough."
She got off the bed, her naked form glistening in the warm glow of the rising sun. Jet felt aroused again. Azula really was a sight to behold. Her long hair falling just below her shoulders, her sensual hourglass figure, her long slender legs and her firm, tight butt, it was hard not to get turned on.
Azula saw the desire in Jet's brown eyes and smiled. She loved the effect her nudity had on him.
"I'm going to shower, you're free to join me if you want."
Jet leapt out of bed, and made his way to the bathroom. In the early dawn, his chiseled physique obtained a tawny-brown hue, and his eyes exuded mischief.
He briefly recalled how'd he met Azula.
--
It was one of the rare times that they had let her out of her padded cell. He had heard stories, rumors of the atrocities she had committed. Now she was sitting right there by the pond, angrily chucking rocks into the water. The rhythmic splashing had a quiet intensity about it and he sensed a lot of hurt and pain, as well as open hostility and anger toward the world. But she was beautiful in her anger. She appeared to be in her late teenage years, possibly 18 or 19.
The Jet of 3 years ago would have tried to attack the Fire Nation Princess, kill her perhaps. But Jet had lost his simmering hatred for the Fire Nation. It had been replaced with a simmering hatred of the world. He had been enlightened by the words of a now deceased inmate, an elderly social science teacher originally from Ba Sing Se university. Professor Chang had been thrown into the asylum for his leftist political views. The old man's words had struck a chord in Jet's stubborn heart, and despite his initial skepticism, Jet had accepted his way of thinking.
"Hey", he said as he plopped down beside her.
"What are you looking at, commoner!", Azula yelled, rage evident in her voice. A small flicker of flame appeared on her fingertips. "Have you come to stare at the mad Fire Nation Princess?"
Jet kept quiet. He knew better to interrupt someone in the midst of a rant.
"Didn't quite live up to your expectations, did I! No bloody fingernails from trying to crawl out of here, no white glazed over eyes! No fire coming from my mouth, right! Disappointed you, have I? Now get the hell away from me!"
Azula sat back down, continuing chucking rocks at the pond.
Jet didn't budge.
"You're still here", she growled.
Jet took a rock of his own and smashed it into the pond.
"I don't know what you did before you got in here, but you should leave before I drown you."
Azula's quiet threat was very real.
"You have issues, Princess", Jet stated calmly.
Silence. More splashing of rocks. Then Azula finally broke the quiet.
"I couldn't even keep my allies in check. They betrayed me, everyone will eventually. Trust is for fools"
Jet looked into her smoldering gold eyes, and asked boldly, "Do you trust me?"
Azula looked at the charismatic stranger and replied, "If it weren't for the suppressants and anti-anxiety medication they've been force feeding me, I would have killed you by now."
"But you haven't. So you trust me", Jet responded slickly.
Azula snorted in disgust.
"I don't trust anyone. There's no one you can trust but yourself. The world is one big problem."
"The problem with the world is that as long as it is divided, there will always be conflict and people will always be untrustworthy and despicable. Its human nature."
Jet stood up and turned away from Azula.
"Name's Jet by the way", he casually remarked. "And whatever your name is, I'm sure it's as beautiful as you, Princess."
--
In the Earth King's Palace Library
The collection of scrolls and books were vast and numerous, shelfs upon shelfs containing material on history, agriculture, fine cuisine and even some war stratagem scrolls. But the self-proclaimed Phoenix King was not worried about any of these things.
He only wanted one thing.
"Where is it?", he barked, spittle flying into Kuei's face. "I won't ask again."
"I ... don't know! No one has seen it since ... since ... your brother returned it to us." Kuei's nervous stutter didn't help things.
Ozai gripped Kuei by the collar of his robes and mercilessly shoved him forward, slamming his head onto the floor. His spectacles splintered and broke, tiny shards of glass nicking the area below his eyes, causing blood to trickle down his cheek.
"What are you waiting for then? Find it!" Ozai ordered. He gestured toward his men, who brought Bosco forward, into full view of Kuei. Ozai raised a hand, then brought his index finger down toward the bear. A large manacle of stone wrapped around the bear's limp body.
Kuei whimpered at the sight.
"Find it quickly, Earth King Sir, otherwise your little pet bear there will start to experience .." Ozai brought his hand down. The Earthbenders understood the signal. A large crack came from Bosco's forepaw, and a yelp of pain emerged from the drugged bear. "The joy of dissection."
Kuei moved like a man possessed, tearing books and scrolls off the shelves in a crazed frenzy.
Ozai smiled.
"Now that wasn't so hard, was it?"
In the Altai Mountains
Aang rarely had any dreams anymore. Well, he knew he had dreams, Roku had told him once that everyone dreams, it was just everybody was too focused on the troubles and distractions of the real world; as a result, forgetting whatever dreams they might have had when they woke up. For Aang though, it was rare if he could remember even one dream per week, and it was even rarer when he remembered vividly holding a conversation with Roku in his dream.
Roku hadn't talked to him for almost 5 years now. Aang didn't think it was possible Roku could even talk to him anymore ... especially after what happened with Azula that day.
He thought back to his dream conversation with Roku.
--
Darkness completely surrounded him. There was complete silence. A perfect stillness and quiet greeted Aang as he obtained consciousness in his dream. He felt like he was a single fish in a vast black ocean of lifelessness. There was nothing, absolutely nothing but the encompassing lack of light and sound.
A red robed figure emerged in the distance, emitting a warm glow that dispelled the infinite darkness. He was a tall imposing figure, his posture regal. He had a long flowing white mane of hair, and a short beard which hung off his chin.
Aang opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't say anything, realizing he was muted by some unknown power. Roku's eyes glowed a blinding white, and Aang suddenly heard his voice in his head.
"You may think your responsibility as the Avatar is over. But Ozai is planning terrible things for the world. You didn't finish the job, you failed to stop him. You should have killed him on the day of Sozin's Comet. You took the coward's method and now you are going to pay for it. I gave you back your people, showed you where a surviving colony of them were located. Now I am ordering you to leave them. Go to the Fire Nation, and tell my great-grandson what really transpired 5 years ago."
--
Aang shuddered, remembering Roku's harsh message. He grabbed his staff, and flew out of his room, toward the bison grounds. Aang looked to his left, half-expecting to see a winged-lemur flying alongside him. But Momo had died a few years ago. Nostalgia and sorrow washed over Aang. He remembered how Sokka and Katara had sobbed at Momo's funeral, while Toph uttered an emotive "I'll miss you, bud" under her breath. Appa had moaned plaintively the following nights, so much so the Air Nomads couldn't sleep.
He flew over the bison grounds, searching out his animal guide.
Appa found him before Aang did. The giant air bison flew toward his master, ducking at the last moment to allow Aang to mount him. His saddle had long since been removed, so Aang sat at the head of his animal companion, and through their telepathic understanding, directed Appa towards the Fire Nation. It was finally time to tell the truth.
Author's Notes: I know I put the 2 main characters in this fic down as Zuko & Katara, so I apologize there hasn't been much of either. But I'll try and correct that. I just have to get some backstories going first for the first few chapters.