The first wave of rocks impacted on the barricades with deafening bursts as Fire Nation soldiers were thrown backwards by the concussive blasts. Zuko was knocked backwards several feet, as was Sokka and General Sato. Staggering to his feet, he quickly helped one of his Imperial Firebenders to his feet and rushed to the barricades.
All along the line, shouts resounded as the all-too-familiar foom of fire being bended echoed from the entire city. Grabbing Sokka's arm, Zuko rushed to the rampart, peeking over. Waves of Earth Kingdom soldiers had already made it halfway across no-man's land, but were being slowly pushed back by fire blasts, arrows, and the flaming artillery that screamed overhead. Zuko snarled in anger, and began shooting fireballs at will towards the approaching army, hitting men left and right. He ducked back under as boulders hurled themselves at the lines.
"Go back to Suki and get out of here!" Zuko shouted, pointing towards the camp, where streams of soldiers ran to join the defense.
Sokka nodded and weaved his way around the ruins, dodging boulders and rock-blades that embedded themselves in the walls. Turning to General Sato, Zuko's instincts kicked in.
"Call in the reserve and try getting the cruisers to back us up; we'll have to hold out as long as we can!"
Sprinting out of cover, Zuko made his way to the center of the lines, where dust hung over the scene, and coughing men ran away from the battle, scared for their lives. A firebender who was bleeding from a gash in his forehead rushed past Zuko, and Zuko quickly grabbed the man.
"What's wrong, soldier?"
"Get me out of here! I didn't sign up for this!"
The man wrenched himself out of Zuko's arm as another volley of boulders impacted on the defense lines, crushing several men. Thrown backwards, Zuko hurriedly cleared his eyes of dust, and was dismayed to see that the Fire Nation Soldiers were fleeing towards the docks in a panic. He looked around desperately, seeing a banner on the ground. Then, inspiration struck.
Seizing the banner, Zuko climbed on top of a rubble pile, hoisting the Fire Nation banner in the wind and drawing his sword. The fleeing men halted for a moment in surprise; it was like a scene from an old propaganda poster.
"Men of the Fire Nation!" Zuko bellowed, eyeing the quickly approaching Earth Soldiers.
"The enemy approaches! Our people are behind bars, and our enemy thinks us beaten! Let's show them what the Fire Nation is capable of!"
Roaring, Zuko hurled himself forward, vaulting over the ramparts and into the thick of the Earth Kingdom Soldiers, followed by his loyal guards.
The Fire Lord disappeared for a moment, then pillars of fire and streaks of lightning arced from the center of the encroaching mass, bodies being flung. There was an awed silence as the retreating soldiers watched their ruler fight. Then, as if a torch had been lit, the retreating soldiers turned around in their tracks and charged into the approaching soldiers, roaring in defiance.
Far above, Aang was awoken by distant explosions. With a sinking feeling, he hurried over to the edge of the cliff. In the distant city, a wave of soldiers clashed together, bursts of blue and red fire flaring into life and dusty explosions of rock blossoming from the crowd. Cursing to himself, he hopped on his glider and swooped towards the army, landing on top of a nearby building.
"Stop fighting! We need to resolve this peacefully!" he shouted.
Several rocks and a fireball arced towards him, and he created an air-shield that repelled them all. Then, calling on his past lives, he entered the Avatar state. As the familiar tingly sensation overtook his body, and his tattoos began to shine brightly, he rose into the air, summoning all four elements in a circle around him as he glared towards the fighting armies. All combat had stopped as the soldiers gazed at the Avatar in fear, and Aang briefly considered just crushing them all to death to restore balance.
Deep inside, however, he fought the urge down, and pointed a finger towards the two armies.
Stop Fighting. You have upset the balance of this world, and if you continue, I'll have no choice but to end you. Return to your sides, NOW.
As he lowered himself back to the ground, he smiled slightly, seeing the fearful soldiers back away from each other. Each side eyed the other carefully, but their fear got the better of them, and the two sides quickly gathered their wounded and returned. Aang stood above them, glaring at them angrily, until a single boulder hurled towards him.
Swinging into action, he broke the rock with his staff, and flew jettisoned himself with flames towards the direction. Earth Soldiers ran for their lives, but a group of four of them glared at Aang angrily.
Settling into an attack position, Aang knew immediately what they were.
"You're from the Dai Lee, aren't you?"
The lead man glared, and then all four leapt into action, throwing large rocks at Aang. As adrenaline pumped through him, Aang reacted quickly, coating his body with a rock coating that bore the brunt of the attack, but still hurled him backwards. Then, he bended an air ball and swooped towards the benders, throwing air punches at the men, which they deflected. The leader expelled a wave of tiny slivers of stone, and Aang barely deflected them with another air shield. Then, a large boulder careened into him, propelling him backwards. He desperately tried to get up, but found his foot pinned under a stone. He quickly bent it away, but found all of the Dai Lee agents gathered around him, readying bending at him.
"Prepare to die, Avatar," snarled the leader.
Then, out of nowhere, a blast of fire hurled the man backwards, and Zuko, Sokka, Katara, and Suki all leapt into the fray. Aang leapt into the air using air bending as Sokka and Suki both struggled to subdue one of the men with their weapons as Zuko and Katara both were in ferocious bending battles with their respective opponents.
Rising up, Aang could see that both sides were reacting to the skirmish, and some Earth Kingdom soldiers were reforming to attack once again.
I have to end this soon.
Glaring, Aang landed back on the ground, and, going into the Avatar State, encased all four men in blocks of ice. Then, landing by the leader of the men, Aang glared at the approaching Earth Kingdom soldiers, returning into his normal state.
"These men are members of the Dai Lee. They initiated this attack and are playing all of us."
One Earth Kingdom man, a decorated veteran, snorted skeptically.
"Everyone knows that the Dai Lee have been defunct since the War. Now, surrender yourselves, or we will be forced to end you."
Zuko glared at the man hatefully, and Katara readied her waterbending.
"Back off, whacko," she snarled.
The soldiers readied their bending, and several Fire Nation soldiers arrived by Zuko, settling into positions.
STOP!
Everyone looked at Aang in fear as the blue light faded again, and the Commander backed off, putting his hands down.
"Either prove it, or give them back to us."
Zuko grabbed the prisoner, who snarled in his face defiantly.
"Tell them you're Dai Lee," Zuko muttered.
"I'm no such thing," the man said indignantly. "I'm an Earth Kingdom soldier."
Thinking desperately, Aang thought back to his previous encounters with Long Feng and the Dai Lee, wracking his brains for any memory. He glanced at Katara and Sokka helplessly, but both shook their heads, shrugging. Then, he remembered.
He remembered the dank, dark prisons that stretched underneath a giant Lake all those years ago in Ba Sing Se. Most importantly, however, he remembered what Long Feng had uttered to Jet that had put him on a killing spree.
"The Earth King has invited you to Lake Laogai."
Then, to the group's astonishment, the man's face went totally slack as his face settled into a neutral stare.
"I am honored to accept his invitation."
Sokka and Katara stared at Aang in shock.
"Was that…"
"A complete guess? Yeah."
The commander stared at the man in confusion.
"By the spirits…" he whispered. "It's true. The Avatar was right."
Zuko then promptly ordered his men to apprehend the agent, and they dragged him away. Commander Wei looked at Zuko, crossing his arms.
"I'll apprehend the others and find out if they truly were the ones to start firing. I hope you'll believe me when I say I gave no such order."
Zuko nodded.
"We'll take the leader and see what we can find out. I give you my word that no attack will come from my men."
The Commander nodded.
"A cease fire, then?"
The two shook hands quickly, returning to their sides.
The City of Ba Sing Se
The Royal Palace
Toph Beifong always hated bowing to people. She had been lead into the palace, and, judging by her senses, the palace was cavernous and ridiculously ornamented, as all aristocrats' houses were. She heard the noise of large doors groaning open, and she strode confidently across the floor, stopping where the carpet stopped. Then, she bowed stiffly, sensing a figure getting out of his chair.
"Chief Beifong—I wasn't expecting you."
"My apologies, King Kuei. I had to make haste."
The king sat down again, and Toph straightened out, assuming he was gesturing for her to stand or something. It always amused her when people tried using visual cues with her. They never noticed.
"What do you need, Chief? What can I do to help you?"
She was surprised by the tone of respect in the man's voice; she knew that being appointed the Chief of police for the newly built Republic City was a big deal and all, but she was unused to the respect. She liked it better than the pity, of course, but still, it was strange.
"I need you to withdraw your troops from Hekeng, my lord."
There was a pause, and Toph sensed that the man was sitting still, thinking. She could also sense every palace guard, every animal, the large bear sitting next to the King, and, a familiar person that she recognized.
"It's good to see you, Iroh," she said calmly.
There was a low chuckle as the old man stepped forward.
"Likewise, old friend. Perhaps we should share a cup of tea after this is all over."
Toph smiled slightly.
"Maybe we should."
The Earth King cleared his throat.
"I must admit, Chief Beifong, that I did not expect such a request from an individual of your stature. After all, given all that you've done for the Earth Kingdom, I would have thought you would be more sympathetic towards our plight. The Fire Nation invaded us once again, after all."
Toph snorted in derision.
"No offense, King Kuei, but the Fire Nation hasn't invaded the Kingdom. I've been the chief of police for Republic City for two years now, and in the United Republic, we never arrest someone without due process or fair trial. And from what I've heard, the people in Hekeng have done the exact opposite of that."
The King remained silent, thinking.
"It's been ten years since the War ended, and nine since Yu Dao. Both times, our 'friends' in the Fire Nation have invaded our territory and bullied us into submission. Try to understand, Chief Beifong, but the citizens are up in arms about this. They want war, and to show weakness now might prove disastrous. Your friend Zuko has made things increasingly difficult for us here in Ba Sing Se."
"Zuko's stupid sometimes, but he's not his father. He's not trying to invade your territory. If I know anything about Zuko, it's that his code of honor is impeccable and that he wants to be nothing like his father. He just wants what's right for his people. If you just released the prisoners, he'd leave the Earth Kingdom and never return."
"We need a more forceful statement, Beifong. I can't just allow him to do what he wants willy-nilly."
"Then ask for his apology. He'd probably do it, if he had enough persuasion."
"That's where I can help," offered Iroh.
Toph smiled.
"Exactly."
The Earth King remained silent, and Toph hoped he would make the right decision.
Groans of pain resounded through the camp as Zuko limped back to the Fire Nation lines, supporting an Imperial Firebender named Kyoji, who had been stabbed in the leg by an Earth Kingdom blade. All around him, wounded and dead Fire Nation soldiers lay in the dirt as grim-faced veterans manned the ramparts, keeping an eye on the Earth Kingdom lines.
Zuko felt stabs of guilt as he passed the rows of dead bodies. Any confidence that he had had before had all but evaporated now. He had caused these men's deaths. They came here because of him. If he had just cut his losses, these men would still be living.
The Waterbenders were coming in handy, however. The healers came and went between the two camps, healing whomever they could however they could. Katara herself handled the special cases, and before long, even Earth Kingdom soldiers lay in the dirt besides Fire Nation troops. Zuko hoped that Wei had been sincere about the cease-fire, but he had guards posted just in case. He set Kyoji down by a aid center, where a Southern Healer was working frantically, trying to stem the tide of wounded with her bending.
Zuko turned to Captain Kano, the leader of his Imperial Firebenders. He had been the one to shout at Wei when the commander had offended Zuko, and he had led the Firebenders well, performing valiantly in battle. Kano had fought in the War under Zuko's father, but had renounced his loyalty after the Fire Nation's defeat.
"Kano, get some rest. You and the Imperial Firebenders have done enough; I'll be okay."
"Sir, we're fine. We can stay."
Zuko held the man's shoulder.
"Kano, you haven't slept in three days. Just take a quick break with your men, and you can go back to guarding me later. That's an order, soldier."
Kano looked hesitant, but couldn't refuse an order. He bowed quickly and gestured his men back to the camp towards their tent area. Satisfied, Zuko walked to his friends, who were gathered around their prisoner.
Growling in anger, Zuko walked up to the man and punched him square across the face. He felt Sokka grab him and hold him back as his anger took hold of him, and he struggled to free himself and end the scumbag.
"Zuko, no! We need him to talk," Suki cautioned.
Zuko wrenched himself free, panting heavily. Then, remembering his teachings, he relaxed himself and took several deep breaths, calming himself.
"Why don't you go back to your weak Uncle, you pathetic child," grumbled the prisoner.
Zuko's eye shot open, flashing dangerously. Sighing, Suki pushed Zuko backwards lightly, directing him towards the camp.
"Zuko, let's go and get something to eat," she said, innocently, leading the Fire Lord away.
With Zuko, and the possibility of spontaneous combustion gone, the group looked towards the prisoner.
"We know you're Dai Lee, you admitted it to us. Now tell us who's leading this plan," Katara threatened, bending ice spikes directly in front of the man.
The man laughed defiantly, spitting at Katara.
"Take your water balloons away, coward. I won't talk."
Katara fumed in frustration as Aang stepped forward angrily.
"Don't you dare talk to my wife that…"
"Oh," asked the prisoner condescendingly. "Did I get a reaction from the Airbender? I thought you cowards were peaceful."
Aang glared at the man.
"I'll give you one last chance to talk before I take your bending."
The man chuckled skeptically.
"Yeah, right. That's impossible, even for you, Avatar."
Sighing, Aang walked up to the man. He wasn't sure he had to do this, but he knew he had to. This man had engineered a battle, and had destroyed the fragile balance of the world. He needed information, and he needed to be rid of this man's threat. Making a decision, he held the man's forehead with his thumb, and his eyes flared blue as he glared intently at the man.
He could feel his cleansing power sweep over the man. The prisoner provided a strong defense, however, momentarily overcoming Aang's hold and attempting to corrupt him. Calling on the power of the Avatar State, however, Aang forced the cleansing power back into the man's aura, finishing the deed.
Aang staggered backwards, kneeling on the ground. Katara held his shoulder in concern.
"Are you okay, Aang?" she asked, her voice full of worry.
"I'm fine. It's—it's just always difficult, doing that."
The prisoner had slumped over in the chair, panting for breath. Aang then released the ice manacles they had been binding his arms with and the man hurled himself forward, attempting to bend. Then, he stared at his hands in shock when nothing happened.
"You… you did it. You… took… my bending?" the man asked, his voice trembling.
Aang looked on guiltily. He had made the right decision, but it still felt terrible. Letting out a cry of anguish, the man fell into the dirt, crying to himself.
"You bastard. You took it forever…" the man whispered, glaring at Aang.
Reluctantly, Aang seized the man's face, glaring angrily at the man, ignoring his guilt.
"Tell me where the Dai Lee are, or you'll suffer worse."
Zuko sat at his camp table, gloomily eating a piece of bread as Suki sat lazily in her chair, looking at the Fire Lord, looking conflicted. Then, after a long silence, she spoke.
"Zuko… I'm sorry about earlier. You're right—it's just that… I feel conflicted between our friendship and my duty to the Earth Kingdom. I wasn't sure which one to take, and I forgot to consider all the facts."
Swallowing the dry bread, Zuko looked at the girl, shrugging.
"I don't blame you, Suki. I'd probably do the same thing, in your shoes. Honor demanded that you choose a side, and you followed your instincts. I can respect that."
"I just wanted to apologize. I'm probably making things harder on you."
The Fire Lord nodded, absentmindedly fiddling with his ring. Suki noticed it, and took notice of the distant look in Zuko's eyes.
"You miss her."
Zuko was silent, then nodded.
Suki's warriors had gotten to know both Ty Lee and Mai very well in prison, and Suki, despite her initial reluctance, had become fast friends with both girls. The two had spent some time in Kyoshi Island directly after the war, and Mai and Suki had talked many times. Since then, the two had gotten to be even closer, and Suki considered Mai to be a close friend.
"I do. I hurt her, and I don't know if she'll ever forgive me. I left her out of nowhere."
Suki touched Zuko's hand lightly.
"You did what you had to do, Zuko. She'll understand that. She probably just doesn't want to lose you. She loves you, Zuko. You're the only thing keeping her on this world."
Zuko looked up at Suki, perturbed.
"What do you mean?"
Suki sighed. Mai had told her this in confidence, but she worried for her friend's health, and she felt that Zuko needed to know.
"Mai… told me once that if it wasn't for you, she would have ended herself a long time ago. You're all she has left, Zuko. Her brother ran away to find their parents, and her father tried to overthrow you. She needs you, Zuko."
"All the more reason I should feel guilty," he stated simply, taking a swig from a canteen.
She shook her head.
"All the more reason you need to make sure you survive this mess and get back to her."
His response was interrupted by the arrival of Aang and the others.
"The prisoner told us where to find the Dai Lee hideout. We need to go, now."
Nodding, Zuko swallowed a last bite of bread and stood, as did Suki.
"Let's get these bastards."
The distant explosions echoed throughout the hallways as Miiko sat in her bed, staring at the floor dejectedly. Her cell was dirty, humid, and damp, and she felt the edge of desperation hovering over her mind threateningly as she wondered if she'd ever get out of this place. There were twenty of them in this one cell that had been meant for ten.
They stuck together, however, and each prisoner helped the next retain their sanity. They had been in the prison for three days now, and the distant sounds of fighting had only recently begun.
"Is it them?" asked a hopeless voice.
"It has to be—Fire Lord Zuko wouldn't leave us," whispered a shopkeeper named Azuma.
There were groans of pain from the far end of the dim cell; there had been many wounded, and the Hekeng police had only thrown the wounded in with the rest, tossing them dirty rags in place of proper medical aid. Miiko had never thought that the 'protectors' of her city could be so callous.
An officer paused at the grate door, smirking into the room.
"That's the sound of you precious Nation being blown to bits by the Earth Kingdom, you ash makers," the man said, sneering.
He slid a single tray laden with moldy bread underneath the door, and the prisoners rushed towards the platter ravenously; there had been no food for a day or so. Miiko stayed in the corner dejectedly, knowing she would go another few days without food. She had hoped that, by some absurd chance, the Blue Spirit would take her out of the prison and save the others, but she had given up any hope of that long ago. Whoever the man was, he was gone; perhaps he was in one of the many holding cells of the Hekeng dungeons, slowly rotting away.
A girl named Ine from Miiko's old school walked over, offering her a bit of bread. The two had never been very close, but Ine was the closest thing to a friend that Miiko had.
"Here, take some. You need to eat."
Miiko took the food gratefully, and the two girls sat in the darkness, listening to the distant sounds of combat far away in the city she once loved.
Appa was still in one of the Air Temples, so the group had been forced to take one of Zuko's ships up the Changtze River. Apparently, the prisoner had related that the underground lair of the Dai Lee was in the village of Shira, a few miles outside of Republic City.
Before they had left, General Sato had told them that Commander Wei had evidence that the Dai Lee members were both responsible for the attack, and were in fact imposters. Zuko had thanked the man, left him in command, and taken only a small ship and a couple of his Imperial Firebenders, including Captain Kano, who had rested up and was determined to come along.
Zuko piloted the boat while the others sat in the back, chatting. Glancing back, he was amused to see the normally stoic Captain Kano engaging in earnest conversation with Sokka. Grinning to himself, he turned his gaze back towards the river, glancing at his map every now and again.
Aang walked next to him, leaning against the railing, watching the water intently.
"Zuko—I just wanted to apologize again, for everything I said back there."
"It's fine. I never should have dragged you guys into this. This was my fight."
Aang nodded, remaining silent.
"It feels strange, going back to Republic City. I haven't been there in a few years," Zuko said.
Aang chuckled derisively.
"I don't. I've had more than enough of that place. It seems like I'm spending more time there than I do in the Air Temples. The Temple we built there is helping a lot."
"My ministers tell me that work is nearly done on the city. How many people have moved in?"
"Too many to count. People from all the nations have started living there. It's like we hoped, I suppose. Fire Nation colonists, Water Tribe traders, Earth Kingdom refugees, and even some Air Acolytes have made base there. It's a thriving city, to be sure, but the crime is already insane. Thank the spirits we have Toph there, or else the city would tear itself apart. She says hello, by the way."
Zuko nodded to his right, where the distant city emerged in view as they entered the Jade Sea. The distant city glittered in the setting sunlight, and the conversation ceased as the passengers watched the distant city come closer. It never failed to amaze Zuko how much things had changed. Even though cities all over the world had begun following the Fire Nation's example and industrializing, no city on Earth came close to matching Republic City. It had eaten through a large portion of the Fire Nation's budget, but, seeing it now, Zuko knew it was worth it. After only a few years of construction, colossal skyscrapers, miles of housing, and factories by the hundreds had already sprung from the Earth. Benders of all sorts had joined the Fire Nation's construction vehicles in building the city.
"I've heard talk of building statues of the both of us," Zuko said, grinning at Aang.
Aang chuckled, and the conversation resumed as the speedboat whizzed across the water towards their destination.
Mai looked on impassively as another General explained the situation in Hekeng, droning on in his monotone voice. She barely compressed a wistful sigh, and made an attempt to listen in.
"According to our reports, the Earth Kingdom's forces have broken off their assault, and both sides have dug in for a cease fire so as to take care of casualties. Reports indicate that the Fire Nation took moderate losses, but a large amount of troops have been injured."
Minister Seung, the royal advisor, cleared his throat, as Mai sat impassively in the throne. If she could, she would have been playing the flames up the same way Zuko sometimes did, or the Fire Lords of old did, but she supposed it would have gotten hot very quickly, given the robes she had always worn. She wondered how Zuko dealt with the heat in the Fire Lord's uniform, but she turned her attention back.
"General Nagata, what is your point?"
"My point, Minister Seung, is that our forces are heavily outnumbered. The casualties sustained could be catastrophic. It is the recommendation of Minister Kisho, myself, and the Defense Ministry that we deploy the Fourth Division to reinforce the Tenth. The Fourth is currently anchored in Fire Fountain City, and is but a few hours' journey from Hekeng."
"Such a move could be seen as a provocation to the Earth Kingdom. It could cause the cease fire to be negated and might result in the harming of the Fire Nation prisoners."
General Nagata glimpsed briefly at Mai, then furrowed his brow in determination.
"All due respect, Minister, but the lives of those prisoners is secondary at this point. What matters most is that we uphold the reputation of the Fire Nation. If we don't the other Nations will think us weak and take advantage of this."
Mai cleared her throat, and the room fell silent. Fire Lady Mai stood from her throne, and walked down the steps to the front of the map, glaring down at the General, who was looking particularly afraid.
"My husband is in that city now, fighting for the very people you tottering fools want to abandon, and you would provoke the enemy to attack," she said quietly.
The General gulped nervously, and spoke.
"My Lady, we do not even know if those prisoners are still in there, or even still alive!"
"So you're going to base your entire plan on an assumption. I won't stand for that. You will listen to what the Minister has to say, General, or you'll have trouble."
Minister Seung bowed to Mai, and spoke.
"We will not move the Fourth into the city yet, but we will anchor them a few miles outside of the city on standby."
The General made to protest, but Mai cut him off.
"Then it's decided. I believe this meeting is adjourned. You're dismissed."
The Generals bowed deeply, quickly gathered their maps and notes, and quickly exited the room, leaving Minister Seung.
"Thank you, Milady. General Nagata is a powerful force in the Army."
Mai relaxed herself, letting out a long sigh.
"No problem. That idiot needed someone to reprimand him."
Seung chuckled and Mai cracked a slight smile, climbing back up the stairs to the throne, pulling out a book from her robe to read.
Deep beneath the city of Shira, Yang Feng sat in his chair, facing a large map of the Earth Kingdom, stroking his beard idly. On the table next to him lay a radio that blasted updates about the situation in Hekeng.
Hostilities had halted, it reported, and a cease fire had been negotiated.
Feng smiled, making a pair of rock chunks float in the air idly. Behind him, he heard a pair of footsteps approaching, and a groan as the secret door was opened to Feng's personal offices.
"We have received word that Kung has succeeded. The Avatar and his friends are coming here."
"Good. Ready the crystals. Inform our brothers and sisters that the moment of victory is fast approaching."
The agent behind bowed, and quickly excused himself. Smiling, Feng stood, opening a small chest and opening it, taking out a small picture of Long Feng.
"It is time, Father. Your vengeance shall be done and the Dai Lee will have dominance over the Kingdom once and for all."
Dun dun dunnn...
Okay, so I know that I said this would be the last chapter, but it's not; the next one will be. The Final. Chapter. Then, as I said last time, I'll be taking some time to give my other stories some love, but believe me, I'll be coming back to this. On a side note, I fixed the formatting, having finally realized that I have a really confusing setup that didn't work the way I wanted it to.
Anyways, thanks for reading, and keep reviewing!
-IGdude117