A/N: Thank you for all of the positive feedback you guys have given me! Because of that encouragement, I have outlined the next couple of chapters for this story already, so I do hope to update regularly. As I said I have everything from the time the GAang lands and for the next several chapter onwards plotted with the dialogue coming naturally. However, this chapter of initial reactions fought with every line, every word of the way. I hope it turned out okay.
Without further ado, let's see where Appa is taking us. (Edit: 6/18/2018)
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender. It belongs to Nickelodeon and its respectful owners.
"Aang turn around! We've got a problem!" shouted Sokka as he scrabbled across Appa's saddle and away from the enemy.
"You!" Karata exclaimed in shock.
The Prince of the Fire Nation was knelt on Appa's saddle looking over Appa's side at the sea below.
Katara moved to uncap her water skin and hurl the water within at Zuko with as much force as she could muster.
As Sokka unsheathed his boomerang, the sound of leather against metal must have reached the prince's ear. Zuko turned in their direction.
Aang dropped into a battle-ready stance to Sokka's left with his staff pointed in Zuko's direction.
"Wait, please, do not attack the prince!" said Shyu as he placed a hand on Sokka's right shoulder. Whether to calm him or restrain him, Sokka was not too sure. Katara and Sokka halted their attack; even so, their bodies remained taunt like bowstrings waiting to defend Aang. Aang stayed in a defensive stance, but he loosed it just a bit.
"Why not? Do you know what all he's done? He invaded our village, captured Aang, and burned down Kyoshi Island!" shouted Katara.
At the mention of Kyoshi, Shyu glanced at Zuko. A somber look passed across his face before he turned and resumed speaking to Sokka and Katara.
"I am not defending his actions." After a pause, Shyu continued with a calm voice. "I merely wish to remind you all that the Sky Bison was the only means of escape for any of us following the appearance of Avatar Roku. Roku caused the temple to collapse and there was a sea of lava below."
"But…" Katara began only to be cut off by Shyu.
"Do you wish him dead? That he should have perished in a collapsing, burning building when there was a means to escape a cruel death just a few feet away?"
The realization that Zuko would have died had he not come with them caused the Sokka to recoil in surprise.
To Sokka's left, Aang lowered out of his fighting stance completely. Aang abruptly gianed a white-knuckled grip on his staff.
"No!" cried Aang. "The monks taught me that all life is sacred and I'm sure that Sokka and Katara feel the same way." Aang's shout caused Katara to back down into a somewhat less threatening stance.
Sokka cared about Aang, he was one of the only guys that he had ever met even remotely close to his age. Still, times like this just threw back in Sokka's face how little he knew about the monk.
Katara seemed to ignore Aang's declaration and continued to argue against Shyu. "Okay, maybe the guys didn't have any options, but that doesn't mean he won't attack us now!"
"Are you serious?!" Zuko huffed. "You can't be serious. Look around us. We. Are. Hundreds. Of. Feet. In. The. Air. How could I capture the Avatar and get him back to my ship like this?!"
From Sokka's perspective, Zuko looked poised like a pigmy-puma ready to pounce at a moment's notice. It would be a more threatening stance had he not also possessed a white-knuckled grip on one of the saddle's hand holds.
"He can't come with us. We can just throw him in the sea within swimming distance of one of those Fire Navy ships and he can figure a way to get back to his ship and leave us all alone!" Sokka reasoned. The guy at least seemed to know the fire navy officer.
"No! You can't do that!" Zuko is naturally very pale, but the bleached complexion he adorned would look more natural on a ghost. His expression made Sokka pause. He knew that look. It reminded him of what his Dad looked like after having a nightmare about the raid that took their mother. Living in a hut means that you know when someone is not sleeping well. His Dad always tried his best to hide how much mom's death hurt him and how scared Hakoda was of losing Sokka and Katara. Because he was their dad, Hakoda would put on a brave face. It was a face a person made when well-founded fears pass through your mind or, at least, what you thought were well founded. Zuko had the expression of a man who was afraid and knew something bad was going to happen.
"Why not?" Sokka gave an irritated sigh. "I take it there is a history between you and that other guy? The guy with the sideburns." What was his name again?
"What?" asked Zuko.
"You know "what," he was acting like you guys had met a few times before. He also seemed to know a lot about you, like personal stuff. And what was up with the whole "banished" thing. It can't be true," Sokka accused. "No father would ever do something so…cruel. You had a massive ship and crew following us around. You and sideburns guy must be working together. What are you planning?"
"Just shut up! You stupid peasant! You don't know anything!"
"Alright!" Shyu voiced over the budding shouting match. "That is enough. All of you need to calm down before someone gets hurt." Shyu addressed Sokka in a mild tone "It has been a long day. Young man, bear in mind your situation and think wisely before you act. It would not prudent for you to entice your enemies into a fight in which they are cornered and likely to lash out. Sokka, Katara, and Avatar Aang, I know that you have had your grievances with his highness in the past; however, what he says is true. While I understand that you all are worried about the Avatar's safety, Prince Zuko cannot act against any of you at this time. Prince Zuko, you do not have your crew at your beck and call to assist you now. You are in the air and your targets is an air nomad. Sage Osamu should have instructed you in the ways of Ember Tactics during the second year of your military education. Either that branch of your education is lacking or you ignored your teachers. Sometimes, a single ember smoldering in the background can burn longer than a raging fire. It survives in the hope of one day gaining the resources that it needs to burn brightly. In other words, do not act with haste."
"What in Agni do you mean by 'haste?' I cannot capture the Avatar at this moment because we are Hundreds. Of. Feet. In. The. Air. But I will be able to capture him after we make landfall. I am not claiming that I will do anything right now."
"Then it appears that we have a stalemate. At this moment, you cannot harm them and they cannot harm you for fear of the threat of retaliation." Turning to address Aang directly, Shyu continued "For now, I am curious to know our destination. Commander Zhao may have called a search party together now that there has been a recent signing of the Avatar. I fear that we may be given chase unless we put some distance between ourselves and the commander."
"Our destination needs to be my ship. Return me to my ship immediately!" The Fire Nation Prince was not making things easy.
With a glance towards Zuko, Shyu attempted to placate him. "General Iroh must be beside himself with worry over your fate. I will do what I can to see that you are reunited with your uncle. For now, there is little that we can do. We are still in Fire Nation waters and I do not believe that you want to linger here for too much longer. We can take you to one of the occupied territories along the Earth kingdom's western coast. Once we are there, you will be free to leave and contact your uncle. Do we have an accord?"
"Fine" "Yeah, whatever" came the reluctant replies from Sokka and Zuko.
"Actually" Aang inturupted "we are already heading to the Earth Kingdom. Appa is getting tired from flying all day. Having all of us as passengers are just going to make Appa tired even faster. There are not many islands anywhere near here that we could use to hide from Zhao."
"Then we should find a clearing along the shores of the Earth Kingdom," Sokka suggested. He put a hand to his chin in thought. "We need somewhere we can hide that the Fire Navy will have a hard time reaching the shore and has cliffs steep enough or trees dense enough to hide Appa."
"Ooh. Ooh. Ooh. I know a place." Aang appeared to be brimming with excitement even after the long day he had. Where did he find all that energy? "The Port of Call of Shingu. It is also called "rainbow falls." They say when the sun sets that it reflects off the mist from the waterfall and makes a never-ending rainbow!"
"Rainbows. Is this kid serious?" Sokka actually had to agree with the Angry Jerk over that point. For as powerful as he is, Aang is still just a goofy kid.
Maybe I can find some common ground with the Prince Jerk after all.
"You know what? Forget it." Zuko laid down at the edge of the saddle and turned his back to the other travelers.
"No. No way are we going to let you sit there all night untied" she shouted. "You would likely try to kidnap Aang in his sleep."
"If that is what it takes to capture him, then, yes," Sokka growled at the smug tone of Zuko's voice.
On second thought, maybe not.
"Uh…right. I'm not the evil mastermind here. I don't know what your evil plans are because….well, I'm sure it's evil." Zuko's eye twitched at Katara's retort.
"Ha, you…" started Zuko. Whatever he was going to say was stopped by another sassy remark from Katara.
Sokka closed his eyes and rubbed his temples in a feeble attempt to chase away his mounting headache. It was going to be a long evening.
"Sokka." He looked up at the mention of his name.
"What is it, Shyu?"
"I was wondering if you had any bandages that I could use. I wish to cover my wound until it can be properly treated," asked Shyu.
"Your wound?"
"Yes, I was injured while we were leaving the temple." Shyu brought up his left forearm and…
"Sokka." Who?
"Sokka? I think he's waking up" Oh yeah, Katara was calling him. Why did is head feel fuzzy? He opened his eyes and was greeted by three faces looking down at him with concern. In the background, he could hear laughing. For some reason, the laughter was only serving to annoy him.
"Um….hi guys. What just happened?"
"You saw Shyu's burn and fainted." Sokka's eyes darted to Shyu's arm. Fortunately, it was already covered with bandages. That must have been Katara's doing.
"What? No, I do not faint. I must have just passed out. The air is thin up here. Aang, isn't the air a bit thin? It is a bit hard to breathe. I must have just passed out." Damn. His voice was cracking even as he said those few sentences. Katara will not let him live this down. It was then that Sokka realized that it had been Zuko laughing in the background. Well, good for him. He now had two people who will not let him forget this any time soon. "How long was I out for anyway?"
"Not long, only a minute or two," Katara gently replied. The sky was a little bit darker than before, but not too much. Now that he had regained control over his breathing, he could sit up once again.
"Shyu, what happened? Did you get hit by some of the lava? That burn…we need to get you to a doctor. Soon." A burnt band of skin was present on the outside of Shyu's left forearm. It was charred with a blackened color.
"No, I was not hit by any lava. As a sage, I have trained for years in many arts, healing was one of them. This happened when I used a concentrated version of a technique called "Dragon's Armor" to melt the chain. It was just unfortunate that the metal I heated was in contact with my skin."
"Dragon's Armor? What is that?" said a voice directly behind him.
.
.
One Beat.
Two.
Three.
Okay, his heart did NOT stop just now. Sokka whirled and raised and pointed a finger at Zuko.
"Do NOT sneak up on people like that." Zuko snorted at that remark but didn't comment. His smirk was infuriating. Before they could start arguing again, Shyu continue his explanation.
"Dragon's Armor is a technique that is only practiced by Master benders to expel heat and flames from any point across one's body. With this technique, a bender can render himself untouchable for a time. It is one of the most refined versions of the breathing exercise all beginner Firebenders are taught."
"What does breathing exercises have to do with melting metal?" asked Aang.
"It is far too soon for you to learn Firebending, but I suppose that I can tell you about some of fire bending's basics and philosophy. The breath becomes energy in the body. The energy, Chi, extends past your limbs and becomes fire." Shyu demonstrated by taking a breath and summoning a small flame in his right palm. He snuffed out the flame after a beat. "What I did was manipulate my Chi and focused the energy through a single Chi Point in my left forearm. The metal of the chains holding Katara, Sokka, and I absorbed the thermal energy that I expelled. After reaching a near melting point, fragments of molten metal within the links allowed me to bend the chains until they were severed. Since the heat was being released outward from my body, the outward flow of energy acted as a buffer to protect me from serious harm. The burn looks bad, yet it is quite shallow. It will scar, but I will be fine as long as my injury is kept clean."
"But, the chains were still metal. You should not have been able to bend it," protested Zuko.
Shyu adopted a thoughtful look and then gazed towards the sky where stars and the moon were beginning to appear. "I have heard tales of water benders manipulating the water in plants to make them move. The Sandbenders of the Great Shi Wong Desert in the Earth Kingdom manipulate sand to create Dust Devils and sail gliders across sand dunes. A bender is only limited by his own imagination."
"Fire bending can even be used to comfort burn victims." He placed his right hand on his exposed left wrist where the skin was not covered by the bandages, but still a bit red. After a second, the wound began to emit small traces of steam. "The thing that makes burns so devastating compared to other injuries is that once the skin is burned, unless cooled within seconds of exposure, all damage is permanent. It doesn't heal except through time when new cells can regrow or a water bending healer. By manipulating my Chi, I can expel heat from the area around part of my burn a bit to cool it. It does not heal the wound, but it makes the wound a bit less painful," pausing for a moment Shyu looked up from his work. "Although, Aang and Prince Zuko, I strongly recommend that you don't try this unless you have mastered manipulating your own Chi." Shyu gained a rueful smile. "We would not want to give ourselves frostbite would we?"
Sokka was surprised. It looked like both Aang and Zuko had stopped to think, really think, about Shyu was saying. If they can stay quiet like that until they reach the mainland, this night won't be so bad.
"All those applications of bending. It's incredible how the elements can work with each other," said Aang.
"Indeed." All of the cheerfulness that had been in Shyu's face moments before vanished. "However, I fear that this kind of ingenuity will soon leave the world if the war continues its course," he warned. No one knew what to say after that, so the weary travelers turned in for the evening.
It was now daytime. All Aang could see before him was sunny blue skies with white fluffy clouds and an ocean that extended to the horizon in every direction. Appa smoothly glides through the air. It felt so nice being able to wander again, to drift wherever the wind takes me. Maybe he should see if Bumi and his good Hotman Kuzon would be willing to take a few weeks away from home so they can ride the Hopping Llamas or ride the backs of the Giant Koi Fish. The sights they would see brings a smile to Aang's face. Being an orphan, Bumi would have no problem traveling. It is such a shame that Kuzon has school, so their choices are limited to the Black Cliffs or Ember Island. The Fire Nation is…..
Aang blinks. The Fire Nation is….
He is now surrounded by a dense forest. The sky changed color. It was no longer a sapphire blue, but a rusted red. A comet blazed across the sky while passing dangerously close to the earth. Aang realized that he was now seated on the ground and Appa was nowhere in sight. When did he get here? This is getting weird.
"Appa? Appa where are you?" His glider is gone. Looks like he is walking. He travels down a forest path while calling for his companion for a while. After what seemed like ages, Aang notices smoke rising above the tree line. A large section of forest is on Fire! Aang realizes that the section is too large for him to put out by himself. The forest is too thick and it does not look like it had rained in a while. He needs to get out of here.
Aang starts to run in one direction, but he is cut off by the blaze. Aang turns and runs in another direction. He meets another wall of Fire. Another and another.
He is surrounded. Aang leaps from branch to branch until he is standing at the top of a tall pine tree. All around him, the forest is burning in every direction.
"Aang" called a voice.
"Roku?"
The disembodied voice of Ruko continued. "Mastering the elements takes years of discipline and practice. Aang, if the world is to survive, you must do it by summer's end. You must defeat the Fire Lord before the comet arrives. If he succeeds, even the Avatar will not be able to restore balance to the world…."
The smoke around him was becoming very thick. He couldn't see. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't think. He couldn't…
Aang awoke from the nightmare with a frightened shout.
He must have nodded off on Appa's neck.
"Aang? What's wrong? I heard you scream" asked Katara. He must have woken her up. A series of grunts confirmed that he woke everyone up. Sokka sat up with his boomerang in one hand and his club in the other.
"Whaz'it. 'ave we be'n captured again?" Looks like paranoia was getting the better of Sokka, again.
"It's just a dream. What Roku told me, it's bad. Really, really bad" replied Aang. Zuko settled for an irritated grunt before trying to get back to sleep.
"Look as bad whatever news *yawn* Ruko told you was, we can't be talking about stuff like that in front of the enemy. We'll talk in the morning. Go back to sleep," said Sokka.
"Yeah"
Aang did not get much sleep that night.
It was not turning out to be Zhao's lucky day.
As Zhao head to his quarters to begin damage control from the Avatar's surprise visit to Crescent Island, he thought back to the devastating force of the Avatar and to Zuko's arrival on Crescent Island. Zhao linked his hands on his desk. When the sages announced that the Avatar had returned, the possibility of Zuko returning to claim the thrown is not something many in command of the Army, Navy, Marines, or Home Guard were pleased to think about. Zuko's conditional pardon should have been an impossible task to accomplish. Zhao saw Zuko depart from the temple on the back of the Avatar's Sky Bison, of that he was sure. He also knew that there should have been a way to still turn this series of events into his favor.
Zhao passed one of the guards who quickly stood aside and saluted as the commander passed. At any other time, this occurrence would have gone unnoticed by Zhao, but the presence of a crewmember caused Zhao saw that he had four immediate problems to deal with. First, he allowed the prince to cross into Fire Nation waters. Second, he had four traitor sages to deal with who also witnessed Zuko at Avatar Roku's temple. Third, the Avatar escaped beyond his reaches for the time being. Finally, the Dragon of the West and Zuko's ship were not tracked. He just had to figure out where that old fool went and he will likely find Zuko either in pursuit of or he has joined with the Avatar.
Upon arriving in his cabin, Zhao walked over to his desk and tore open the upper right-hand draw. He quickly withdrew a map of the region's currents. Zuko's ship, the Wani, was damaged after the hit it took from a flaming ballista. Zuko let that smoking hunk of junk continue on its path as his targets were headed in a different direction. Allowing Iroh to maneuver unchecked was a mistake. If he quickly dispatches two of the ships under his command to flag the areas to the north and west of the island the current was slow because of the clockwise current created island chain to the north-west. If his ships departed immediately, they may yet catch sigh of the Wani's smoke trail. Zhao still had ships to the north and east of the area where the Wani ran the blockade. If the Wani had circled to the north of Crescent Island and doubled back and headed directly east. There is a chance that the northernmost tip of the blockade will run across the wayward ship.
No matter what moves Zhao made at this point, some word of this incident will make it back to the Fire Lord without fail. He can remedy the most immediate communication problems by coercing many of the crew members aboard the Hōshō into stating the Avatar had overrun their fleet. Using the banished prince to follow the Avatar instead of wasting time engaging in a battle to arrest Zuko had been in the Fire Nation's best interest. The Avatar is the Fire Nation's greatest threat. He must be secured at any and all costs before he can master the four elements.
While doing battle with the Avatar, the wayward Prince actively used the firepower of the Avatar to cross back into the Fire Nation proper in pursuit. A little persuasion would be all it will take for the Fire Sages to give a testament recounting the Avatar's decimation of Ruko's temple. Their testament will prove to be beneficial in counteracting whispers of treachery and disloyalty to the Dragon Throne. Luckily, he has the physical proof of the young Avatar's prowess in the rubble that was once Roku's temple.
Fortunately for him, Zhao had worked his way up in the chain of command. He was the highest ranking officer overseeing the south-eastern blockade. His errors in judgment could be hidden as long as he moves with speed and precision. Zhao relaxed his shoulders a bit and sat down in the weighted chair anchored by his desk. Whether Zuko had joined with the Avatar or was still chasing him in hopes to redeem his "honor," the brat was becoming a threat in Zhao's plans for glory. The Avatar was the ultimate prize, his ticket to fame! As much as he is loath to admit it, Zhao could not afford to ignore Zuko any longer.
Keeping the Dragon of the West separated from his nephew for as long as possible will the easiest way to go about his objective. Iron must not have accompanies Zuko because he was not on the island. The remainder of the island was searched for any of Zuko's crew and only one engineer was found with the skiff following Ruko's wrath. The engineer has been interrogated and knows nothing of Zuko's plans. Unfortunately, Iroh will likely be persistent. There was only one thing that could stop the old man in his tracks.
Zhao reached into his desk and retrieved an inkwell, a pen, and a pack of parchment. With a goal clear in mind, Zhao began to write a black ribbon message.
Now that he thinks about it, Zhao can see a promotion in his future in spite of all other setbacks. For those who had not been present during the engagement, will be able to appear as though: he faced a force of nature and was able to prevent the loss of his crew. Disloyal sages had been captured, and he can provide valuable intel on the abilities and nature of the current Avatar. No matter the outcome, even if Zuko does reunite with Iroh, Zhao is sure that he will emerge the victor. He has an entire fleet of soldiers who were witness to Zuko breaking the terms of his banishment.
With a smile on his face, Zhao sealed his missive to the Fire Lord. Glancing out the porthole of his cabin, Zhao decided that he still had time in the day to gather the crew and begin spreading the tragic news throughout the fleet: Prince Zuko, in a noble effort to capture the Air Avatar, was apparently killed by Avatar Roku.
Exiting his cabin, Zhao leisurely walked to the bridge. "Captain, rally the crew for a meeting on deck at 2130 hours. Also, chart a course for the Shingu Port of Call, we will depart no later than 2200 hours."
Let's see what kind of bounty hunters we can find at this Port of Call.
A/N (Part 2):
Reflections: Katara loves to argue and Zuko does not think before he speaks.
The "Port of Call": The Port of Call that Iroh mentions in episode 9 is unnamed and I initially had no idea what to call it. I am using a mix of Japanese and Cantonese names for the Fire Nation people and locations. I am by no means a language expert so bear with me if I take inspiration from real-life locations when naming thing. I chose Shingu as the name of the port that the pirates are from. In the series, Aang, Sokka, and Katara practice by a tall waterfall. I think that the Horyu Waterfall near Shingu, Wakayama, Japan is what Sokka would consider a "nice puddle." Seriously people, look it up! The place is beautiful. It is not called "rainbow falls," but Aang seems like he would be interested in visiting a place with a moniker like that.
Aang's Dream: If you can't guess, I took inspiration for Aang's dream from Season 1 Episode 12 The Storm. The last time Aang saw Kuzon and Bumi before the war might have only been a few weeks before Aang ran away from the Southern Air Temple. He doesn't realize how different the world is yet from what he knew just a short while ago. For these reasons, I have a headcanon where he gets the time period mixed up during random moments in the episodes between the Southern Air Temple and Season 1 Episode 12: The Storm. Aang moved on from most of his denial after seeing Gyatso in the Southern Air Temple. He knows the world is at war, but he doesn't understand what that means. He acknowledges that he is in a different time period during the events at the Southern Air Temple, but I do not think that he fully accepted it until much later when he confessed his thoughts to Katara. Living a life in the air temples and surrounded by monks have Aang a very peaceful, happy childhood. I don't think that he would even be able to fully process his situation until he is faced with the front lines and sees what war is and what it does.
Zhao's promotion: We do not know in the series what caused Zhao to be promoted from Commander to Admiral. Seriously, why?
Thank you for all of the constructive criticism that you guys gave me after the last chapter. I thought over it and took it to heart. Let me know what you think of how this chapter faired compared to the first one.
Until Next Time,
NinjaGhost1752