Yes, I know I haven't updated in forever, but relax. I didn't forget about this story.
I hope the previews are making this story more exciting! :D
Sometimes, to me they seem like double cliff hangers. This means they double up the anticipation! Well, that's the idea…he…he…
Anyway, thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews! It means a lot to me! I'll have some shout outs at the end to address a couple who really made my day. I also have one more note to add to this, but if you want to get on with the story (Or, you don't really care too much about some of my *cough* spelling mistakes…) you can skip this:
Before I get the show rolling let me just say that I do listen to the grammar advice that comes along with the reviews and I can safely tell you all that I went back and updated/edited chapters 1-8. I mainly tried to fix the typos and other awkward sounding sentences. So I just wanted to let you guys know that. I don't ignore ANY of the advice I get for this story. And now that I have a beta, I'm hoping to improve on the mistakes I still manage to make despite this being chapter twelve. Thank you all so much for the support!
Disclaimer: I don't own avatar the last airbender! But I am proud to say that I own Shen, Jack, and the rest of the LL Phoenix group!
The Limited Remedy
Katara smiled as she walked down the hallway. She was quite happy with Aang's progress. So what if he snapped at her a couple of times? At least she knew in her heart that the airbender really didn't mean it. Katara simply understood one fact; now that there was a dragon inside her love, she would just have to put up with some of his more…aggressive behavior.
This didn't deter Katara. Rather, it made her toughen up and accept the challenge. After all, this would be good practice for dealing with fights during a wedding. Therefore, the optimistic waterbender smiled with pride as she relished in the joy that had befallen her since the airbender had allowed his love to heal him. After weeks of being kicked out like a good for nothing hogmonkey, Katara was happy to be able to it least touch Aang once again.
The waterbender's smile grew as she fingered the necklace Aang had made for her. It was one of those moments that caused time to stand still. It was just her and the necklace standing among the delicate strings of time. Nothing could penetrate the peaceful atmosphere that surrounded Katara.
But of course, moments like these were meant to be broken. Katara learned this the hard way as Sokka suddenly jumped in front of her from seemingly out of nowhere.
"Did he hurt you? Is he feeling alright? Did he give you any trouble? Are YOU giving him any trouble? Is the dragon gone? Are you-"
Katara pressed her hand over her hyperactive brother's mouth.
"Jeez, Sokka! You're talking my ears off!"
Sokka chuckled under Katara's glare as he muttered something underneath her hand. "Sorry…"
The waterbender sighed as she let her hand drop. "Nothing bad happened. The healing session went well. Aang is currently sleeping like a baby moose-lion."
Katara smiled as she remembered the last time her love had used those words. It had been right before the invasion, where their first kiss soon followed.
Sokka huffed loudly once he recognized the reference. "How come whenever he's going avatar crazy you're the one to always calm him down?"
"I think it has to do with a woman's touch."
Sokka frowned. "Who cares about gender? I can be just as supportive as you!"
Katara raised an eyebrow. "You mean like how you were during dinner?"
"No, like how I was when we first carried him into his room. And what did I get in return? A death wish, that's what!"
Katara groaned. "Ugh, you are so infuriating! Could you just give Aang a chance? It's not his fault that a dragon decided to take over!"
Sokka growled. "I'm not saying it's anyone's fault! It just is what it is! Right now Aang's dangerous, and I won't let you get hurt just because he's your future husband. What you two need right now is some space."
"I can't believe you! So what if he's dangerous? What's so different from before? Are you telling me you didn't think he was dangerous back when he couldn't control his avatar state?"
Sokka raised his hand to retort but before he could Katara cut him off.
"So now just because things are kind of rough you feel the need to bash him up? Well, let me tell you. I'm not leaving Aang's side no matter how much you think I should stay away. The only way I'll leave him alone is if he orders me out himself! And that's only if I think his reason is good enough. Otherwise, I'm staying! You got that?"
Katara stomped away as Sokka stared after her, his expression portraying the illusion that he had been sucking on a lemon. The warrior punched the wall furiously only to hop around as he jammed his hand into his mouth. The motion was loud enough to attract the attention of Zuko from across the hall.
The young fire lord glanced at the warrior cautiously, uncertain of whether he should intervene. "Uh…are you okay?"
Sokka snapped, "Do I look okay? Is my face full of happy face circles?"
"Well, I don't see any circles…"
The warrior growled. "Just leave me alone, Zuko. I don't have time for this crap."
Zuko frowned. "What the hell did I do?"
"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all, though I will say that you have just busted my ego tenfold with you presence. Now that's a crime."
The older firebender shook his head rapidly. "Did I miss something here?"
"Yes, you totally missed the shouting match between me and Miss Know-It-All who just left the premises. My sister can be such a pain in the-"
Zuko held his hand up. "I get it. You don't need to involve me in your little squabble. Just don't say anything you'll regret, Sokka."
"Oh, I don't regret anything…"
Zuko shrugged as he continued to walk down the hallway, but before he could turn the corner, he turned back to look at Sokka.
"Oh, almost forgot. Could you tell Aang that the meeting starts in thirty minutes? Wouldn't want him to miss it…"
For some reason Zuko couldn't comprehend the statement only managed to make the warrior angrier.
"What do I look like, the Avatar's messenger? Tell him yourself!"
Sokka growled some more as he clutched his hand while stomping away loudly. Zuko sighed.
"Man, at least I don't have to worry about arguing with Azula…" Zuko grimaced as he thought about his words. "Then again, she would just cut to the chase and kill me."
The young man sighed again as he went back towards Aang's bedroom. Before he could open it though, a servant came running around the corner.
"My lord, Sir Lee has been killed."
Zuko's eyes widened as he grabbed his servant by the shoulders. "Which Lee?"
"The one by the gate, my lord."
Zuko swore under his breath. "Man, how did they reach the gate in the first place? It has some of the best security in the nation…"
"That's just it, my lord. Some other guards have been taken out by the front gates. The enemy seems to be attacking all the guards from all the outside posts."
Zuko furrowed his brow. "But why would they do that? Wouldn't it just make more sense to cut through the front and barge in from there?"
The servant shivered. "I don't know, but so far we've lost five elites and twelve new recruits. Should I send in the extra twenty for back up?"
The young fire lord nodded. "Yes. In fact, send in twenty-five. Also, please alert my friends Suki, Sokka, and Toph. I'm sure they'll want to help out. Tell Katara to stay with Aang. I'll alert General Shino. Hopefully, he'll be able to help with this mess."
As his servant ran away to carry out his orders, Zuko cringed as he thought over his decision. He really hated the fact of having his friends face the threat without him, but for now he had to make sure General Shino was okay, otherwise the rotten earthbender could blame him for letting the fire nation attack a foreign leader.
Zuko raced down the hall towards the meeting room, hoping that the General wouldn't fall victim to the chaos that was starting to envelope the palace.
oooOOOOooOooo
A young man stood quietly as he saw the plan progress through Azula and the rest of the LL Phoenix group from afar. His brow wrinkled as he stared at the dead guards in disgust.
Jack sighed as he forced himself into a seating position. Despite what many perceived from his large appearance, Jack was barely passing nineteen. He was pretty lean and muscular and his short beard helped give him a sense of maturity. But sometimes, Jack couldn't help but feel like a simple kid as he watched his crew proceed with the 'dirty' work.
Jack stared at the stars wistfully. The plan was unraveling quite differently than he expected. Frankly, in his opinion, Shen's ideas were completely bogus. But he wouldn't dare confront Shen about it, not after the fight the two had the night before.
When did this become such a glory fest? I can't help thinking that we've lost sight of our original goal here. Now, it's all leading to destruction…
Jack glared at the sky as his hands clenched into fists, then he spoke out loud.
"Man, Shen. When did the pride go to your head? I can't believe it's come to this. Best friends fighting like enemies. This is just too much…"
Jack's thoughts were interrupted when he saw flashes of green and blue amongst the dead guards.
Quickly, the conflicted man stood to his feet as he used his teeth to pull out a stopper that was sealing up a bomb. He threw it towards the new warriors on the battlefield while enhancing the night by making a small show of fireworks. It was the signal.
Jack ran out of the area as he hardened his mind, focusing on the new task ahead…
oooOOOooOooo
General Shino was glaring as Zuko solemnly told him of what was going on outside the palace.
"Imbeciles! When will your people learn? I feel like all this corruption could choke me to death if not for the Avatar's presence. Where is the boy anyhow? He should be able to stop this mess."
Zuko calmly crossed his hands over his death. "Unfortunately, Aang is ill at the moment. I have one of my friends looking after him while I wait for my healer to show up."
The General nodded. "Well, it least you can multitask. We'd better save the meeting for later than. I'd rather proceed with the details when the Avatar is feeling well. No offense, but it's uncomfortable to be having a meeting with the fire lord right before he's overthrown if I do say so myself."
Zuko smirked. "I'd say that's the only thing that I completely agree with, General, not that you would have been able to withstand the attack. But I need real men protecting my palace, if you don't mind me saying."
The General huffed. He was used to Zuko's brash comments by now. The leader wouldn't admit it, but he was beginning to find a strange satisfaction in his meetings with the new fire lord. Not that he would say that or anything.
"Until next time, Zuko."
Zuko smiled, fully showing his teeth. "Please, don't hesitate to come back."
As the General left with his guards, Zuko breathed out a sigh of relief.
"Good thing too. I can't handle too much drama at the moment."
Zuko stretched his stiff muscles as he headed down the hall back towards Katara's room where Aang was.
"I better go check on Katara."
Zuko quickened his pace as he heard low amounts of grunts from outside. Man, I really hope no one's gotten to Aang. I don't think a dragon would be of much help right now…
The firebender was about to turn the corner when he noticed someone coming in from the outskirts in the kitchen.
The young fire lord went into a defensive stance, breathing in and out through his nose as he prepared himself. To his relief and utter indignation, Judis accompanied by an unknown older man stepped in.
Zuko growled as he relaxed his position. "Man, it's about time, Judis! What took you so long?"
Judis smiled. "I've brought someone to help in a field of medication I know nothing about. My lord, I present to you Agnis. He is legendary for his much praised work of-"
"Just get on with it, Judis. If you haven't noticed, I'm in a sort of tight spot right now. My friends are fending off a few rebels as we speak, so make this quick. We need to help Aang."
The doctor nodded passively, looking slightly surprised by Zuko's interruption. "But of course. I was getting to that part. You see, Agnis here can tame the spirits. He has been to the other realm, you know, the spirit world, several times and his healing abilities are nothing short of amazing. Did I mention he can also converse with the spirits?"
Zuko glared at Judis. "What are you talking about? You mean you've been gone all this time just to find some crazy spirit healer?"
Judis smiled. "Not just any spirit healer. This man has been blessed by the spirits and is respected in his profession. He will help tame the dragon within the Avatar."
Zuko stared at Agnis disbelievingly. "So...you can really talk to spirits, huh?"
The older man bowed respectfully at Zuko. "I won't disappoint you. I've been working with the spirits for almost as long as I can remember. The Avatar will be cured. I will help him release the dragon..."
The young fire lord smirked at the statement. "Oh, really? Well, for your sake, I hope you can do what you say. I'm not wasting any chances here. If you hurt Aang, I will hunt you down. I have no time for nonsense."
Agnis bowed respectfully. "I will not fail. Trust me when I say that Aang is in the best of hands."
Zuko sighed loudly. "Whatever. Let's get Aang to the medical room."
The trio quickly went down the hallway and stopped at Katara's room. Zuko opened it quickly and was happy to see that Katara and Aang were unharmed.
"Zuko! I'm glad you're here. It seemed like the battle was getting close to us for second," Katara said.
The firebender nodded as he glanced at the airbender warily. "Is he still asleep?"
Katara nodded.
"Good. That should make this easy then. We'll carry Aang to the medical room so that you can go out there with Sokka. I'll join you guys in a little bit."
To his dismay, the waterbender shook her head. "No, I'll stay with Aang."
"Come on, Katara…"
"No, Zuko. You need the back up! I'm not leaving Aang defenseless. The others can hold their own."
The young fire lord would have thought her words were harsh if he had not believed the same as Katara.
"Fine. Just don't expect me to defend you if Sokka gets all worked up."
Katara simply snorted as she followed the group to the medical room. As they ran through the halls, she couldn't help asking one question though.
"Who's the new guy?"
Zuko shrugged. "Some crazy healer who thinks he can get the dragon out of Aang."
Agnis smiled at the group. "Glad to know my skills are being judged as unworthy. I knew it would be a challenge to get the fire lord's trust. His spirit is quite stubborn."
Zuko scowled as Katara repressed a giggle. Judis laughed brightly. "You're definitely not off with that judgment!"
Before long, the group had reached the medical room. Judis looked at his instruments and lab equipment fondly, as if he had just opened a present. Katara shuddered at the lower temperature of the room while Zuko just fidgeted uneasily. Agnis was completely calm and carefully lowered Aang's body onto the soft table in the middle of the room.
"He is sleeping deeply, this one. I sense great power within him…"
Zuko muttered something incoherent under his breath as he remembered a similar conversation with Judis. Basically, he wasn't buying it. "Well, who else could have figured that out? I'm sure the avatar state made people sense something also."
Katara elbowed Zuko in the ribs, causing a death glare to be pierced at her head. Luckily, she didn't notice. "So, do you think you'll be able to help him?"
Agnis placed his hands on Aang's forehead gingerly, rubbing the blue arrow just barely seen over the avatar's overgrown, shaggy hair.
"It seems that the dragon doesn't want to cooperate with him. They are at a painful stalemate."
Katara's eyes widened as Zuko stared at Aang quizzically. Judis, of course, was soaking the information like a sponge and had quickly found a piece of paper and quill pen.
Agnis, oblivious to the tension he was causing, continued his assessment. "I can create a remedy that will allow him to control the dragon's power at will. However, he will not be able to get rid of the dragon completely. Also, the dragon will still be able to pop in and out at times, but it least now the boy will have a better chance at controlling its power."
Zuko growled. "Wait a minute! You mean to tell me you can't get the dragon out? I thought you said you would release it?"
Agnis chuckled. "You mean release 'her' don't you? Besides, I said I would help, but I can't do his work for him."
The young fire lord nearly tore his hair out in frustration but managed to keep a calm outer appearance. "So all you can do is give Aang more control?"
Katara swallowed as a dreadful thought surfaced. "Will the dragon be stuck inside him…forever?"
Agnis shook his head. "You both must understand the spirits are not to be messed with. Only the enlightened ones are ever allowed to cross their depths, and even than they still have much to atone for. Aang must reconcile with the dragon himself if he ever wants his body to remain his again…"
Zuko sighed as he imagined the battle that was heading for the young airbender. "It least this will give him some time to come up with a plan."
Agnis looked at the older firebender gravely. "May I remind you Zuko that the dragon's people have not forgiven you or the avatar for letting their secret roam free. You must remember to reconcile with the Sun Warrior tribe if you truly wish to respect the dragon's wishes. Especially considering the beast gave you the true knowledge of firebending."
Katara gasped while Judis accidentally dropped his pen.
Zuko stuttered as his eyes widened in shock. "How did you know about that?"
Agnis smiled. "The dragon appears to be very concerned about it. I think it's important that you confront the people soon. It will help calm the dragon's wrath which will in turn make it easier for the Avatar to reason with her."
Zuko sighed. "I'll do what must be done. Just fix him."
Agnis nodded. "If you don't mind, I would like some privacy. The spirits tend to like it better when I do my work alone. It is a very personal process for them."
Zuko scowled as his suspicions about the healer grew, but Katara placed her hand lightly on his shoulder.
"Come on, Zuko. Let's give him some space. Besides, you can stay by the door in case there's any trouble."
Zuko grunted. "Fine, but if anything happens I'm holding you responsible."
Katara rolled her eyes as she grabbed him and pushed him out of the room.
Judis followed sadly, not wanting to miss Agnis's work in progress. But he had great respect for the spirit healer, therefore he exited the room without complaint.
Agnis sighed, grateful to now have some peace and quiet as he began to make the remedy…
oooOOOOooOOoo
"Wow, I hope I'm not in the spirit world…"
Indeed, it seemed like the spirit world to him. The airbender looked at his surroundings trying to remember what had caused him to land in the area in the first place.
It was similar to the Wan Shi Ton desert; instead the grains of sand appeared red instead of yellow. The sky was also a light red hue with a black sun that reminded Aang of charcoal. The place felt barren and empty of all life as Aang felt a breeze whip up sand in the distance.
The young airbender sighed. This is so strange…
Aang was pacing around until he spotted the red dragon rising before him. It looked even more formidable up close and in the red sand dunes it almost appeared as if the dragon was set on fire. He could easily see the pain in the dragon's eyes, but the beast expression was hardened as it regarded Aang with cool intensity.
The airbender sighed. "Look, I know you're angry about something, but we have to work together on this. It's my body too you know."
The Dragon lowered its head towards Aang. The young avatar sighed again before placing his hands on the dragon's nose.
Aang gasped as visions immediately started running through his head.
It was one complete terror after another.
Dragon after dragon was suddenly slain before his eyes. He could feel their last breaths as countless firebenders burned them alive, drowned them, suffocated them, and gassed them, all for the sake of glory and fear.
Many different types of dragons were shown clearly in front of his eyes. There were pink ones, some that were yellow, and a few that were a mixture of different colors... Some were as brown as the earth while others were as black as night.
The deaths came swiftly; agonized screams filled the airbender's vision as dragon after dragon fell from different firebenders. Blood spurted everywhere as the images increased in pain and momentum. Aang could feel his eyes leak with unshed tears as he was bombarded with one picture to another.
"Please stop, I can't…take this…"
But it didn't stop. The pain just got worse and worse. Aang grimaced as he felt his hands go up into his hair.
Just when he thought the horror was over, Aang saw one last image. There were seven firebenders approaching a group of four dragons. The two larger dragons were green and blue and the smaller two were had a combination of both green and blue skin... The airbender felt his eyes bulge with terror once he realized a disturbing fact.
That's…that's a family. Those firebenders are about to kill a family…
Aang's eyes opened as tears filled his eyes, but the image was still playing in his mind. He could feel the nausea in his stomach as he nearly choked on sobs that were starting to come out of his mouth. His whole body shook with tremors as his hands clenched into fists.
"Please, don't show me this!"
The image continued playing though, and unlike the others it was very slow and daunting. The airbender could only watch as the dragons were burned to death in a matter of minutes that seemed like hours.
Aang shouted in agony as his body fell to the ground. The red dragon watched all this with unfeeling eyes as it laid its head close to the avatar's shivering body…
oooOOOoOooo
The young airbender gasped as he rose up from the table.
"Ah, so you've finally woken up from your slumber. I was beginning to get anxious."
Aang stared at the older man before him. The man appeared to be in his late thirties, though his white hair seemed to discount that assumption. His skin had an olive tone to it, shining in the dim light of the room. His clothes looked similar to the air nomads, yet they appeared to have more earth tones similar to what the people in the earth kingdom wore. The man also had on a head dress that looked almost the same as the chief from the Sun Warrior tribe.
The man smiled at Aang. "It's nice to meet you, Aang. My name is Agnis, and I am here to help you tame the dragon within you."
Hah…another chapter completed.
Oh yeah, can't forget the preview!
Preview of Chapter 13
Zuko stared at Aang incredulously. "What in the world are you doing?"
Zuko gasped as he saw Aang's yellow eyes. They were blazing with fury.
{}
Agnis stared at Aang solemnly as he listened to the horrors the young airbender recounted.
"I see, so she showed you the inner workings of her chi?"
Aang gasped. "What do you mean?"
Agnis stepped over towards the window in the room. "When a spirit shows you their past, they are engulfing your whole body with energy. Energy from a spirit can be very dangerous, Aang. Only such people like you and me can withstand that much power."
"Okay…"
Agnis turned to look back at the puzzled airbender. "I know it may seem painful now, but the dragon gave you those visions for a reason."
"But why does it have to torture me? I don't need to see visions to understand how much the dragons were mistreated."
"Understand? Well of course you understand. You do realize why the dragon decided to show you and not Zuko, don't you?"
Aang's eyes widened as his breath hitched. "What?"
Agnis went over to Aang and placed his hands on the young Avatar's shoulders.
"She chose you because you are the only one who has fully experienced what the dragon is feeling right at this moment. You both have a strong connection and the sooner you realize that, the sooner you'll be free."
So, here you go! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!
Here are some shout outs for a couple of reviewers I personally want to thank:
awesomegabby195: Thank you so much for your reviews! It's amazing that you actually created an account just to tell me what you thought of my story and for that I am extremely grateful. I would have thanked you much earlier but I can't PM you so hopefully you see from this shout out how thankful I truly am…
SuperOreoMan: Thank you so much for your compliments about the plot! I am trying to think slightly outside the box. It least I hope no one has done something like this (it least, not in the avatar world…he…he…).
BeautifulShadowsKeybearer1317: Thank you so much for the encouragement! It was such a surprise to see your review! I was extremely encouraged and it boosted my confidence.
GirlWaterShaman: Thank you so much for your constructive criticism. Your advice and efforts to improve my grammar are much appreciated!
Lorekr and Kimjuni2: Thanks a lot! It's always nice to see new fan/readers for this.
Xx Senshi of Ankoku xX: Your reviews make me so excited! You really get into it and appreciate my humor attempts! :D
Sun Daughter: Thank you so much again for betaing this! It means a lot to me! And your review was awesome to read, it wasn't too short at all. Thanks again for adding this to your community!
As for everyone else who's reading this thank you so much for the support! I just had to take up some space to dedicate to all of you! Never forget how important you are to us aspiring writers. XD
Last Edit: June 31 2012