Chap. 2

Planning

He had once been Prince of the Fire Nation. He had traveled the world, battling all manner of warrior, from the lowliest serf to the mightiest benders. And in that time, only one being had ever defeated him, the being that had fueled his determination and desire, the Avatar. But it was that same being that later helped to reveal to him the error of his ways, and had helped him to forge a destiny apart from what his father had imposed on him. And as he circled around, broadswords at the ready, Zuko worked at forming that destiny, for both himself, and for those important to him.

"Are you going to hit me, or are you just going to watch all day?" he asked, as from across the circle, Jin carefully tracked his movements, her staff in hand.

"I'm not sure. I could definitely enjoy either one." Jin replied, as she moved her weapon around. Zuko smiled at that; she always enjoyed that he stripped off his shirt when they trained. Since returning from the Knights' world two months ago, Jin had become quite interested in restarting her old staff training. She'd only had partial training at the Academy, and though she was good, Zuko knew she could be better. Since his uncle was busy training Aang in Firebending, Zuko had taken it upon himself to complete Jin's knowledge. It was a fairly easy task for him; Zuko had been schooled in all forms of weapons at the Fire Palace, though he had excelled at the broadswords. It worked out quite well for them; they both got to practice and spend time together, a rarity in this coming days of war.

Of course, if it wasn't the war, it'd be something else. Zuko thought to himself, as Jin finally broke out of her stance and leapt at him, staff held high. Moving quickly, Zuko brought his swords together into a shield and blocked her attack, though his mind kept moving as they began to fight. After Zuko had assisted in saving the Royal Palace, Ba Sing Se, and most likely the world from the horror of the chaos demon, he had been forced to face a more terrifying foe; Jin's father Kinjo. The man had a major hatred of all Firebenders, and then last thing he wanted was for his daughter to be associated with one. But the appraisal of Zuko's exploits by the Earth King as well as Jin's stubbornness had at least forced Kinjo to give Zuko some grudging respect, as well as allow him to continue seeing his daughter. But Kinjo was always looking for anything that he could use to break the two of them up, and Zuko was on his guard for it 24/7.

I wonder if it's just the fact I'm a Firebender, or that I used to be the Prince? Zuko wondered, as he ducked down under Jin's staff. The blow went wide, and Zuko shot out with the flat of his blade, hoping to use the same move on Jin. But the girl had learned much, and deftly leapt over the swords, swinging her staff around as she leapt up. Zuko attempted to duck, but the staff had too long of a reach and struck hard him in the shoulder. He grimaced in pain and fell to his side, as Jin stood over him.

"Ready to call it a day?" Jin asked.

"Maybe." Zuko said, as he slowly sat back up, cradling his wounded shoulder. "But then again," he said, with a quick grin. "Maybe not." Suddenly, Zuko threw up his broadswords, startling Jin. Distracted, the girl didn't notice as Zuko balanced on the palm of his hands and spun around, knocking Jin to the ground. She hit with a thud, and suddenly saw a long blade next to her face.

"Ready to call it a day?" Zuko asked smugly.

"Maybe." Jin said with a smile. Flipping back, Jin caught Zuko's head in her legs and then twisted to the side, throwing Zuko down as well. The former prince flew through the air, and hit the ground nearby. He groaned with the impact, then turned to Jin and said, "I see you've been practicing."

"Thank my brother. He creates all these statues for me to fight." Jin said, as she stretched out her hand to Zuko. The Firebender took it and was pulled to his feet.

"I'm just glad I was able to pull it off before you left." Jin said, with a little sadness.

"C'mon, Jin, you know it's too dangerous for me to bring you to the Fire Nation." Zuko said gently. "It's going to be a bloodbath for everyone involved; I don't want you to get hurt."

"I know, I know. But I couldn't bear it if something were to happen you over there." Jin replied. "I care about you so much. I want you to come back."

"I will." Zuko said, drawing Jin in close. "As soon as I have the throne….."

"Please don't talk about that." Jin said. "That's another thing. If this works, you're going to be the Fire Lord. You'll have to stay in the Fire Nation and take care of it. What will happen to us? You can't do that from here, and I'll never see you again."

"Jin… I wouldn't take the throne if it would cost me you." Zuko said. "When I rule the Fire Nation, I want you by my side."

"You mean…. Can we do that there?" Jin asked in amazement.

"It won't make me popular, but I don't care." Zuko said. "My parents were in a forced marriage, even if my father did the forcing. I won't let that happen. I don't want to follow my father's path in any way. I want to carve out my own destiny, and that means choosing the person I'm going to spend my life with."

"Zuko….I…." Jin sputtered.

"Oh, we won't do it immediately." Zuko said quickly. "I mean, I'm going to have to learn how to run an entire country, and I want to do that before we start anything. And there' the whole living place to discuss. And there's what Kinjo will think…"

"Why? What will I think?" a voice said suddenly. Zuko and Jin gasped, and quickly broke apart as Kinjo walked into their training space.

"Hi Daddy." Jin said, trying to alleviate her father's thoughts as she ran over and hugged him.

"How's my little cat-owl doing today?" Kinjo asked. "The two of you talking about something important?"

"Zuko thinks it might be a good idea if I switched to broadswords. He says I have a real knack for them."

"Really?" Kinjo asked. Turning to Zuko, he asked, "Isn't that a bit dangerous for a young lady? She might get hurt, playing with a dangerous weapon."

"Better to try then to just run from it. After all, how will she ever know if it's safe or not?" Zuko replied.

"Hmmph." Kinjo said. He would have said more, but then a palace attendant came out.

"Excuse us, Prince Zuko, but the Earth King requires your presence in the war chambers." The attendant said.

"Of course, I'll be right there." Zuko said, as he reached for his shirt. Slipping it back on, he said to Kinjo, "Sorry to cut this short, but the Earth King needs my help for planning the battle. You understand?"

"Of course." Kinjo replied. "After all, the former Prince of the Fire Nation is quite valuable in planning against his homeland's defenses."

"Indeed." Zuko answered. "Valuable enough to be made a general in the Earth Kingdom Army. See you tomorrow Jin." Zuko said. Jin waved farewell, and the two parties went their separate ways, Kinjo grumbling all the way home.

"I'm sure this would work, so long as we can get past any defenses around the border." The Earth King said, as he looked over the map before him, along with the rest of the war council. Strategic pieces littered the landscape, representing the various Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation forces. Right now, the war council, composed of generals, Knights, and the Avatar Gang, was focused on an attack to be made on the western most isle of the Fire Nation.

"I agree, it would be a mighty blow.' General How said. "Our reports have indicated that this island is where the Fire Nation keep many of their war machines. Cutting them off would be a great loss for them. But if we are to make such an attack, we must do it carefully."

"Why bother? Why not just go in and smash it?" Toph asked.

"Toph, the Fire Nation likely has this place well guarded." Bosque, the squirrel-Knight of Forest said, as he looked over the map. "If we go to this place first, we have to be sure that we can win it. Otherwise, we'll lose before we even start, and I think we all know what that means."

"Who said we wouldn't win?" Toph asked. "We've got the strongest army in the Earth Kingdom, Agua is going to get troops from the Water Tribes. What could go wrong?"

"Plenty, Toph." Sokka said. "That's why we need to make this strike as perfect as we can. Of course we could do that better if Zuko was here. Where is he anyway?"

"He was working with Jin last I saw him." Katara said. "He'll be up here soon enough."

"Oh for heaven's sake, doesn't he know about the spies?" Sokka groaned. "The horrible, sneaky, Fire Nation spies that will come and take all our plans and secrets if we aren't careful?"

"I should. You've been ranting about them long enough." Zuko said, as he entered the room. "You called me, Your Highness?" he asked the Earth King.

"Yes Prince Zuko. I need your knowledge to plan the first major phase of our attack. It will commence here, on this island." He said, pointing to the spot on the map for emphasis. "What can you tell us about it?"

Zuko looked down at the spot and nodded. It was an excellent first strike; it was here that the Fire Nation produced all it's major tanks and other such weapons. It was the smallest of the four islands, used only for the factories, and some farmland. The Fire Nation kept it heavily guarded, as it was vital to all of their plans.

"It won't be easy, but it can be done." Zuko said, after some thought. "The island is patrolled by several ships, but there is an area that is constantly covered by fog, right here." He said, pointing to the island's upper west coast. "My father keeps the fewest ships here, as only he and few generals know the secret route through the fog."

"Then how are we supposed to get through?" Tierra, Dog-Knight of Earth asked.

"One of those generals happened to be my uncle." Zuko said with a smile. "He took me on several trips there as a boy to see how our weapons were produced. I could steer through that fog blindfolded."

"Perfect." The Earth King said, clapping his hand together. "And do you know the location of the factories?"

"I did, but there may have been more added in the years I've been gone." Zuko said.

"Well no matter, I'm sure I can find them." Hierro, Spider-Knight of Metal said from the side. "Any factory that uses that much metal will be easy for me to locate."

"Excellent." The Earth King, as he moved the pieces into place accordingly. "In one week's time, we will begin our attack. After weakening the Fire Nation by removing their weapons, they will be weakened enough for a full frontal attack. And then, the war will finally end."

The rest of the day was spent planning out the attack on one end, and on another, training Aang in Firebending. Both took a long, long, long time, so when the groups reunited for bed that night, they were absolutely exhausted.

"If I have to hear one more thing about the Fire Nation, I'm going to shove this sword through my head." Oscuridad, Bat-Knight of Shadow moaned, as he fell onto his bed.

"You know that won't kill you." Iroh said.

"No, but the pain might drive it out for a while." Oscuridad said.

"Oh come on, it wasn't that bad." Sokka said.

"Sokka, you're doing this for the first time." Agua, Cat-Knight of Water said. "We're doing it for somewhere in the thousands. Believe me, as important as it is, this isn't exactly riveting for us."

"Me either." Aang said from his bed. "I didn't think you could get tired doing breathing, but I guess I was wrong."

"That part always sucked." Zuko agreed.
"Well, well, the boy prince finally speaks." Toph said. "Just get your tongue back, cause you were quiet as the grave tonight."

"Yeah, after you gave your suggestions, you did talk unless someone asked you a question." Luz, Fox-Knight of Light said. "Is something wrong?"

"I don't know. Maybe." Zuko said with a sigh. "I guess I've just been thinking about how all this might end."

"What do you mean?" Iroh asked.

"Well, if this works, I'm going to be Fire Lord, like I was supposed to be."

"And you're having second thoughts." Fuego the 'Magma-Man' Knight of Fire said.

"No, no, it's my job, and I'll do it, but I guess I'm thinking about all the things I'll have to give up." Zuko said. "My life's been so simple since I left the Fire Nation. First find the Avatar, then survive, then talk to the Earth King, then stay hidden as a Firebender. Now I'm going to have an entire country to worry about. How am I supposed to fix all the problems of the Fire Nation by myself?"

"Zuko, you know I will be there to help you." Iroh said.

"I know Uncle, but….." Zuko started, then stopped unable to finish. So Katara did it for him.

"You don't want to leave Jin behind, do you?" she asked her brother.

"Huh? How did you…"

"Girl thing. Now am I right?"

"…… Yeah, I guess so." Zuko said after a moment. "I mean, I put on a show for her, but I can't really expect her to come to the Fire Nation with me, and I can't stay here in Ba Sing Se with her."

"Can't you work out a compromise?" Aang suggested. "Maybe you could spend part of your time here, and part of it there."

"How am I supposed to rule a whole country like that?" Zuko snapped. "If I do that, it'll go back to what it is now in less then a minute."

"Calm yourself, Nephew." Iroh said. "I understand your anger, but you are a stronger, wiser man then you were before. You must trust yourself to solve this problem, and it will reveal itself. Besides, is it not Jin's choice as well?"

Again silence, and then Zuko nodded. "When did you gain this wisdom, Uncle?" Zuko asked.

"Simply experience in the world, Nephew. And tea. There is always much wisdom in tea." Iroh replied. "Now sleep, all of you. There is still much to do tomorrow, isn't that right, my young pupil?"

Aang nodded, but as everyone pulled the covers up and began to dream, Aang's fears began to fill his mind again. It was understandable of course; this entire plan was devoted to allowing Aang to accomplish the most important task of his young life. It was a tremendous amount of pressure for an adult to be under, never mind a twelve-year-old boy. Working with fire again didn't help things either. Aang was still fearful of the element, and he questioned his ability to control, which led to questioning of everything else.

How am I supposed to do this? Can I really do it? There are so many people riding on me, I can't let them down. Aang thought to himself. In fact, Aang thought so loud, he should've awakened Oscuridad, who had the ability to see a person's fears, thought not always by choice. But strangely, the bat remained silent in his bed, his breathing the only sigh of life. Stranger still was the sudden wave of exhaustion that washed over Aang, so strongly that his head fell into the pillow with a thud…………

"Aang."

"Uh… five more minutes."

"Aang, now."

Suddenly, Aang recognized the voice and sprang to his feet. Just as he'd thought, standing before him was the spirit of Avatar Roku.

"It is good to see you again, Aang." The spirit said, as he looked down on his young counterpart. "I have much to speak to you about, as do my companions."

"Companions?" Aang asked. Roku gestured at the floor, and it was then that Aang saw that he was not in the Spirit World. Below his feet was a large circular blue platform, decorated with ten different symbols. Light spiraled around him in different forms. But most importantly, lying next to Aang's feet was the body of….

"Oscuridad?!" Anag said in surprise.

"Huh? What is it? Cat's on fire? House's run away?" the bat muttered as he got to his feet. Looking around though, the sleep quickly left his eyes.

"Wha… How did we…. Roku?" Osc gasped, seeing the Avatar spirit in this world. "They called you too?"

"Who did?" Anag asked.

"We did, young Avatar." Said a voice from the side. Before Aang could react, each of the ten symbols glowed with power, and in a flash of light, a robed and hooded figure appeared on each one. Oscuridad instantly bent to one knee, and pulled Aang into the same position.

"What is it you ask of us, my masters?" the bat said.

"Masters?" Aang said. "Then these guys….."

"Are the Architects of Creation." Said the black-robed figure, who pulled her hood down to reveal a youthful face, framed by hair as black as midnight. One by one, the others did the same.

"Avatar Aang, the information we have is partially for our Knights and partially for you." Rastla, Architect of Shadow said. "Roku, speak to the boy."

"Of course. Aang, there is a mighty task in front of you." Roku said, as Aang turned to face him. "You have learned much, but there is a final task for you to learn: control of the Avatar State."

"That's possible?"

"Yes. Were I alive, I would teach it to you. But I am not. Still, there is a man, Guru Pathnik, who can teach you."

"Great, where is he?" Aang asked.

"He waits for you, on the isle of the Fire Nation you plan to attack. You must find him and learn this skill before facing the Fire Lord."

"Thank you Roku." Rastla said. "Oscuridad, you must help the Avatar find the Guru. But there are others you must find. The Earth Kingdom Army alone is not enough to bring down the Fire Nation. You must find other allies to aid you."

"Where can we find them Mother?" Oscuridad asked.

"Listen well, my Knight, and I shall tell you.,……"