Chapter 7. Discoveries
Morning came far too soon for everyone inside the fire palace. Azuna being the first one really awake, quickly had everyone else in the house following suit when her scream echoed down the halls. She had woken up alone in Toph's room and panicked. The earth bender in question had rushed back in from slipping off half asleep to use the restroom in an attempt to sooth the child before anyone else heard her. It was to no use unfortunately, as shortly after she had re-entered the entire gang and several guards had barged into the room after her, different shades of worry and terror etched on each individuals face, as they all clung to their respective bedtime robes. "What happened?" "Azuna!" "Is she Hurt?" "I'll protect you!" "What's going on?""Are you alright?""Is everything ok?"
"SHE'S FINE!" A very irritated, and still slightly asleep Toph shouted, the effect as she desired when silence followed her declaration. The child in question whimpered as she curled up in the Earth benders arms. "What happened?" Zuko finally asked after he realized no one was going to offer up the information willingly, He leaned against the wall beside the door as Aang, Katara, Mai, Suki, and Sokka all slowly relaxed and lowered their weapons at the apparent false alarm. "I'm not really sure… " Toph said with a yawn before poking Azuna in the side a bit. "Why'd you freak out brat?" Azuna sniffled as the tears that had fallen left tracks down her small face. "I woke's up… en… en…" she hiccupped. "Yous wern der…an…" another sniffle. "I dissen knows were I was…en I..I" A fat tear rolled down her cheek as she realized that she had woken up everyone for no good reason. "I sowwies!" She broke down into a sob and buried her face into the Earth Benders shirt, mumbling her apology over and over.
Toph rubbed the girls back gently if not slightly awkward, as everyone else began saying it was alright, that they forgave her. Finally Mai walked up and gently pulled her daughter into her own arms, making a gentle shushing sound as she did so. "Shhh… Azuna, Everyone's not mad at you ok, see. They forgive you… time to stop crying." After a few more minutes the tears stopped as the child nodded her head. "o..otay…" Sokka appeared beside the mother and child an instant later, a huge grin on his face. "Hey Azuna, sense were all up now… you want to go do something fun until breakfast is ready?" Golden eyes lit up like it was Christmas as she practically jumped into the man's arms, the situation moments before already forgotten as they took off out the door.
"Well… that's one way to wake up…" Aang spoke up while rubbing his eyes as everyone else seemed to be lost in a momentary daze, their eyes on the door where the two had disappeared. "You could say that..." Suki said before yawning and mumbling "I'm going back to bed…" They all watched her leave when Katara finally asked. "What was Azuna doing in your room anyway?" Her blue eyes locked onto the unseeing ones of her friend. Toph shrugged as she laid her head back down on her pillow. "She was scared to sleep alone… now if you don't mind… I'd like to follow the pregnant woman's example and get a few more hours of sleep…"
Zuko shook his head as everyone else wondered out of Toph's room. "I should have known she wouldn't want to sleep alone…" "She's not a baby Zuko, She's tough, we both figured she could handle it…" Mai responded blankly, as she walked beside her husband, Katara, and Aang towards the breakfast hall. "Well… at least she was ok…" Katara said as Aang absently took her hand. "Yeah, that's true… I guess we're all just jumpy from everything…" He said as Zuko nodded. "Still, It will be nice once we get this all figured out so that I won't have to wake up every morning to her screaming…""That's definitely an idea I don't like…" Mai responded monotonously.
The week flew by as Aang, Zuko, and the gang hunted down every lead they could. The two had spent hours every day in the Fire Lords personal study looking for any piece of evidence, validating the claims that had continue to reach their ears of a secret task force. Just when their search seemed futile towards the end of their last library hunting night, Aang had knocked over a statue while trying to yank a scroll out of the shelf. That supposedly heavy artifact, apparently wasn't so much solid gold as it was a very good secret hiding spot.
Again Zuko looked over the journal with a mixture of shock and anger as he took in each recorded account listed inside this leather bound book, tired eyes blood shot from the late hour. "I can't believe this…" Aang said in disbelief, horrified as he had read over his friend's shoulder, page after page of information he instantly wished he never knew. "I'm so sorry Aang… gaah! If I'd known… " "It's not your fault Zuko… you didn't know. How could you of?" The man shook his head as he agreed and yet didn't agree with his Airbending companion. "I'm the Fire Lord. This is information I Should know! These troops… this ASSU should be under my command!" "But there not Zuko…" "Then whos command ARE they under?" The exasperated fire bender shouted in absolute outrage as he slammed his fist against the pages detailing secret intelligence dating back to Sozin's rule, flames flying out of his nose. "Not yours…" Was Aang's humble reply, he didn't have the mental strength to say anything more as he stared angrily at the seemingly harmless leather cover. "I think we need to go speak with Ozai…" The words were grounded out through clenched teeth as the Avatar fought to stay in control of his emotions.
"So they just happen to be in the city, the same time the Avatar shows up?" The women hissed, annoyance clear in her sharp, cruel voice. "How did they manage to get across the borders so quickly? And without any of you finding out? I thought you said they were in earth kingdom territory!" She smacked her fist against the white wall as she glared at the Imperial Fire Bender standing at her door. "This is not good! We've come too far in this operation for them to reach him now!" "I knew the idea to lure the Avatar away from his hunt was a bad idea My Lady! I told the General the direction I thought the Air binding bitch was heading! I swear I tried to stop them from -" "SILENCE!" She didn't wait for him to listen as she shot out a blast of blue flame, incinerating him. The soldier standing beside him jumped back in fear as he watched his comrade burn to death.
"Clean that up when you leave, I don't want the good Doctors to inform my brother that I've used my bending…again." He nodded, shaking slightly as he fought to stand at attention. "Now listen here, I want you to report back to father that we need to get all of the ASSU on immediate alert. They must find, and Silence this stupid Airbender that's managed to elude us so many times. I will not tolerate anymore mishaps! Understood?" She examined her nails as she fought over the annoying voice in her head, the one that taunted, saying that she was going to fail, just like she had so many times now. "Honestly, how is it that after successfully killing hundreds of that pathetic breed all of these years. That this One girl, and my banished Mother have managed to evade the ASSU for three years?" "I…I'm not sure M-Mam! B-But I'll be sure not to let it continue!" Azula smiled her trade mark cruel grin, a hint of insanity dancing in her golden eyes. "Good, let's hope for your sake… you speak the truth…Now Go!" He bowed quickly, making sure to sweep up what was left of his fellow soldier before taking off down the dark hallway, disappearing as if he were a shadow, just like he had come.
Katara held a sleeping Azuna in her arms as she listened quietly to the conversation between her friends, a frown never leaving her face. Sokka, Suki, Toph, and Mai were discussing the contents of the journal Aang and Zuko had found, a measure of disgust in each of their voices, except the Fire Lady's who's remained neutral. "I can't believe this has been going on for a hundred years…" Sokka said in disbelief."Yeah… and no one even knew about it!" His wife replied. "I can't believe those Airbenders haven't struck back yet! I mean… if they were anything like us Earth benders, they might actually still be around!" "That's not the Airbenders way Toph… you know how Aang is, can't you see that the rest of his people are more than likely the same way?" Suki argued, "I guess, but still! They've been considered extinct now for a hundred Years! Why wouldn't they at least Try to make a stand, so that everyone could help them! If the rest of the world knew they were still alive, everyone would step up to protect them!" "Isn't it obvious?" Mai interjected. "There aren't enough of them left to make a stand… and the ones who tried were killed…"
Katara weaved her fingers through Azuna's hair, speaking up without looking at anyone. "Why though? Why are they still being hunted after the Avatar's been found? After Zuko's taken over the thrown, shouldn't these ASSU people have reported to him or something? It doesn't make any sense!" She was furious, some for the Airbenders, and even more for the hurt she knew this was causing Aang. "Maybe it's an act of revenge? We all know that a good portion of the Fire Nation is still unhappy about Aang and Zuko ending the war… maybe this is just part of that…" Sokka pondered out loud. "You have a point… but who is controlling this rogue section of the army if Zuko isn't?" his wife added.
"There are several who could be behind that… When Zuko took over as Fire Lord we had to remove a lot of Ozai's original council… theirs at least ten names that come to mind who could very well control them…" Mai said, her eyes on her sleeping daughter. "What I don't get though, is where the Airbenders have been hiding… and how is it that every single time it seems that some came out of hiding, did these assassins find them?" "I mean, you read it out loud Sokka, that book is very detailed…" Toph questioned, her arms folded as she leaned against a wall, watching everything around them carefully with her bending.
The book was indeed, a very well dated archive. All of Airbending hunts, starting from the first assassinations on the four temples, to the month before Ozai was beaten. Each record listed where the Airbenders had been found, how long it took to track them down, how many there had been, and how close to the guessed location of the secret Fifth Air temple they were. It was disturbing how detailed some of the entries were, telling of the massacre of hole family's, women and children alike, they spared no one. Until the last round of entries, of a small group of three, all teenagers, a boy and two girls, one girl had escaped, though it wasn't mentioned how. Then all that was left were random scribbles of where they had spotted her sense, Sokka had pointed out that it seemed like she had been following their trail as Aang was preparing to face the fire lord. But that's where they stopped, no one knew if this lone girl was still alive or not.
"Gaah!" Aang shot off a huge blast of air his face was red with anger. Zuko was just as upset as he was as he pinched the bridge of his nose, steam trickling slowly from it. "That was absolutely Usless!" The avatar shouted as all of his pent up rage began slowly trickling out. "I'm sorry Aang…" His friend replied as he attempted to remain calm. Ozai had done nothing but laugh at the two as they asked him over and over about the book, the ASSU, and if the girl mentioned at the end of it was still alive. The only actually useful information the ex-fire lord did give was what the words stood for. "Airbender .Secret. Silence. Unit." This only served to piss the Avatar off more as he fought over his rage to remain calm while they continued to repeat their questions. Finally after three hours of getting nowhere the duo left the apparently crazy older man. Both of their faces flushed from frustration.
"How can he just Act like that? I mean Seriously!" "Aang! He doesn't have a heart! What's so hard about understanding that?" That comment got Zuko an angry glare as the nomad opened his glider and took off into the sky, pure rage radiating off of him, He didn't want to return to Katara so upset. He hated when she saw him like this. Zuko stared up at his quickly disappearing friend, it took him a moment to realize that he was going to make the walk alone before he finally continued on his way back to the palace in shamed silence.
"How can someone do that? Even after they located me… how could he… why would he? They were innocent!" "Women, Children… peaceful Men!" Tears were falling from his eyes as he let the air currents carry him where ever they wished, he wasn't heading in any particular destination, only trying to blow some steam and mourn the loss of his people all over again. The concept was unbelievable to someone with such a pure heart, he just couldn't understand, didn't want to in some respects. "WHHHYY!" he screamed out at the sky in anguish, "WHAT DID THEY EVER DO TO DESERVE THIS?" he got no reply from the quarter of moon showing, nor from the stars, instead they offered silent condolences with their twinkling light as he sobbed into his sleeve, the wind carrying half of his tears away from him.
He hadn't realized he was far from the palace until something wizzed passed his head a few hours later that made him look around. "What the?" Turning to see who had shot something at him, Aang managed to dodge another handful of arrows as they came flying up from the sleeping streets below. "What the spirits is going on?" He shouted as he angled the winds and spiraled down towards whoever these would be attackers were. Six ex-imperial fire archers stood on the roof tops, not realizing until too late that the Airbender they had been aiming at, wasn't the elusive girl they had been trying to kill, no, much to their unfortunate luck, it was the Avatar, and he was pissed.
Not a hint of hesitation touched his consciousness, his eye's flickered blue, his arrow's lighting up in kind as he released an extremely powerful gust of wind that knocked all six hard off the roofs, angling his glider to keep him above them at the same time. "What is the meaning of this?" He shouted to the men whom he had trapped in shackles of rock on the ground. They all struggled to free themselves as he slowly lowered himself to the ground, his body glowing from the avatar state.
"I said What is the meaning of this?" he shouted in rage his voice distorted by the thousands of avatars before him as he stood over one man. "I'm Sorry! Please don't Kill me!" The now terrified assassin wailed. Before Aang could mutter another word the shackles around his current prisoners had been removed and they all scattered, the one he had approached shooting out fire as a distraction before he was swallowed by the earth. Aang's glowing eye's blinked as he felt them disappear, his heart aching so much that he didn't bother chasing them.
"So you're the ASSU…" He mumbled as the avatar state slowly faded, and he took to the air heading back to the palace. "She must still be alive…" he thought with an ounce of joy igniting in his heart.
"mmmng?" Katara mumbled sleepily as she felt comforting arms wrap around her waist, along with a very familiar body sliding against her back as the sheets were pulled up over her shoulders. "Yeah… sorry if I woke you… I didn't realize you'd be in my room…" He said with a soft chuckle. "W..s…worried…" She whispered, already fading back into the world of dreams. "Don't be worried, I'm alright." He buried his head in her hair, taking deep calming breaths of her scent as his body slowly began to relax, the strain he had on it all day finally giving way to weariness. "Mmm. ok…g'night… love…you" "I love you too Katara, sweet dreams." He whispered kissing the back of her head, before giving in to the lull of sleep himself.
Alright folks!
that's chapter 7... I hope it makes sense... XD
I figure I'll give a preview for now on when I can so here you go.
-
Chapter 8. Present Hunters
The gAang disperse themselves around the city in search for the perfect gift to give to little Princess Azuna for her 2nd birthday, During this trip Aang makes a shocking but hopeful discovery, other then that. Expect fluff. Lots. of. Fluff! =D
3
Nightlightofhappiness =D thats good to hear, she's totally got a chunk of mine! I plan on letting everyone see more of her character soon enough, she's quite the Ham... alot like Sokka in personality. =) Thanks for the review! 3
Kimjuni2 =D I'm glad you like it! haha, Hopefully you continue to enjoy my story! Thanks by the way for being my 10th review! =D I hit my first mile stone! 3
Until next time!
Surf-