Burning Bright
Book Three
Katara sighed in frustration as her attempts at healing Aang, were once again failing. She was starting to lose hope and the feeling of losing Aang forever started to worsen. Sokka held firm with his belief that all that Aang needs is time but Katara wasn't so sure.
"Things like these just need time," Katara breathed, repeating the mantra that Sokka had her memorize. She emerged from the tent and saw that preparations for the retreat were already in full swing. Katara's father, Hakoda, was fixing the supplies up. Pipsqueak and Duke were loading the weapons while everyone else started packing the food. They had camped at Chameleon Bay although they were forced to escape because a Fire Nation Ship was coming. They were set to leave tonight.
Katara sighed in frustration. She was having a really difficult time coping with all these sudden changes and fast movement. She only hoped that once they miraculously make it to the Fire Nation, her brother would have a better, more detailed plan. So far, they've just been skirting in the edges of spontaneity.
"Katara! Katara!" she heard Sokka say. Katara whipped her head to the side and found Sokka running towards her. He looked concerned and slightly troubled. Behind him, Toph casually strode.
"Sokka," Katara acknowledged.
Sokka opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Toph, "Oh hey Sugar Queen. How's Twinkletoes?"
Katara exhaled loudly before saying, "Not so good. He'll hold up but otherwise….things are looking a little bleak."
"Well, that's miserable," Toph grumbled. She then added, "I think you should brace yourself for Sokka's news Sugar queen."
"Why? Is it bad?" Katara asked fearfully. They did not need another horrible circumstance right now.
"It depends on how you look at it," Toph piped.
"We're going to have to hold the Retreat for a few days," Sokka declared.
Katara dropped her jaw and said, "What? We can't do that! The Fire Nation is advancing! And you know we don't stand a chance against them."
Sokka rolled his eyes and said, "Hey, don't go blaming me. I'm just the idea-slash-planning-slash heavily underappreciated meat and sarcasm guy. I did not anticipate any of this."
"Anticipate what?" Katara demanded.
Sokka cleared his throat and began, "So I've been to a tavern at the outskirts of town—''
"You've been to a tavern? You shouldn't have been there! You're too young," Katara said as she shook her head. Her maternal instincts took over her. Toph snickered while Sokka sighed loudly, absolutely annoyed.
"I'm a man now. Going to a tavern is part of the many activities of manhood," Sokka argued.
"But still, you're a teenager and taverns are—''
"Anyway, while I was at the tavern I heard some stories," Sokka continued completely ignoring Katara's glares.
"I hope it's not those kinds of stories," Katara said. Toph laughed louder while Sokka gave a huff.
"No, it's not those kinds of stories and would you please mind your own business!" Sokka retorted.
"You won't be so smug once I tell dad where you've been," Katara snapped.
"I've already told him where I've been and yes, he was slightly….irritated. But anyway, that's not the point. What I'm trying to tell you is that there's been a rebellion in Ba Sing Se," Sokka said. He looked excited and so did Katara. She felt a giddy sense of excitement as Sokka told her more of the details.
There was a full-blown Resistance with up to six hundred members, a gigantic and well organized headquarters and a weaponry stocked to the fullest. They had even managed to blow up the Dai Li Headquarters without injuring civilians. Katara felt a surge of hope as Sokka vibrantly recounted all the details. Things were looking up. That meant that the Fire Nation did not have complete control over Ba Sing Se. They had the Resistance to deal with. The Earth Kingdom had not completely fallen.
"That's great news! We have to tell the Earth King!" Katara exclaimed.
"But here comes the bad part…" Sokka said as he wagged a finger.
"Brace yourself," Toph added.
"The Resistance fell," Sokka sighed.
Katara's hopes dashed. She gaped, open-mouthed, as Sokka said, "The details from there….are kind of fuddled and confused. All I know is that Azula and that giant, stupid, jerkface Zuko barged into the Resistance and destroyed it."
"W-what? Destroyed it?"
"Yup. Blew the whole place up. Not much is left of it now."
"How did that happen?" Katara said faintly. She could not believe that this was happening. She suddenly felt great anger towards Zuko for allowing this to happen. She could not believe that she actually trusted him.
"Some say an insider from the Dai Li who was also a member from the Resistance squealed while the more popular theory was….well…"
"Well what?" Katara demanded.
"It's a bit more….er…unbelievable—I mean colorful," Sokka said.
"What do you mean?" Katara asked, confused.
"People say that Zuko….wooed…one of the leaders of the Resistance," Sokka said, choosing his words carefully. The men at the tavern had phrased it in a much more different manner that would've made Katara go stomping all the way to the tavern to wash their mouths
"Wooed?" Katara said disbelievingly. She found it slightly unbelievable to hear that Zuko "wooed" a girl considering that he was such an angry and temperamental jerk who kept stabbing people in the back. It wasn't that he wasn't attractive but it was more of the fact that his personality is so unappealing and that he possessed no charm to be able to "woo" a girl whatsoever.
"Yeah, I know. Unbelievable that someone would actually be attracted to him in all his dirt-infested jerkiness. Anyway they say that he wooed one of the leaders of the Resistance so that she'll be able to tell him the exact location of their Headquarters," Sokka continued.
"That sounds terrible," Katara frowned.
"They're just rumors. Either way, the Resistance is now a no-show and their Headquarters is nothing but a pile of rocks. It's crazy," Sokka exclaimed.
"This is not good news. But still, I don't understand why we have to postpone the retreat," Katara frowned.
"This is where I'm getting confused on whether it's good news or bad news. A night ago, I received a messenger hawk," Sokka said.
"From the Fire Nation?" Katara gasped.
"If it was from the Fire Nation, we would have exploded by now," Toph quipped.
Katara glared at her but listened as Sokka said, "Actually I received a messenger hawk and a carrier pigeon-owl. But anyway, both were from the two leaders of the Resistance."
"Now way. Wait—how many leaders are they?" Katara inquired.
"Three. They've be called "The Triumvirate". I know. Their name sounds wickedly cool," Sokka smirked.
"So two of them sent you messages?" Katara prompted.
"Yup. One was from the sister—''
"Sister?" Katara asked.
"Yup. The one that Zuko supposedly "wooed". The three people in the Triumvirate are two brothers and a sister. All siblings," Sokka said.
"Bonding over killing Firebenders like a nice, happy family. They sound cool," Toph smirked.
"They've heard about us being camped in Chameleon Bay. And they want to meet up with us," Sokka said. His voice was a mixture of worry and excitement.
Katara frowned and rubbed her chin.
"So that's why we have to postpone the retreat. Isn't it rather dangerous?" Katara asked.
"Very, very, very dangerous. First of all, the papers they used for the letters looked gross and slightly…old so I'm not sure how long ago since they sent it. Secondly, we're not sure if the letter is authentic. It could be from the Fire Nation for all we know," Sokka said.
"Luck isn't on our side lately," Katara sighed.
"Luck is never on our side. But luckily you have me," Sokka said with a confident grin.
"Which is worse," Toph drawled.
Sokka sent her a glare before saying, "I've talked with dad and the Earth King about it and we've all come to one conclusion. We're going to wait."
"Can't you just send them another message so you can ask them to meet us up in a different place?" Katara asked.
"Not as easy as it sounds, Sugar Queen. I don't know how Fire Nation messenger hawks work but I do know how carrier pigeon-owls roll. They can only locate a person by scent. Unless you have something of the leader-person then that message is going nowhere," Toph said.
"And even if we do have something from one of the leaders we can't send any message. We can't risk the Fire Nation intercepting the message and finding out about us," Sokka said.
"They already know about us. That's why we're leaving remember? A Fire Nation ship is plowing our way, full steam ahead," Katara said reminding her brother of the implication.
"But they don't know about them. If they're hiding somewhere we wouldn't want the Fire Nation to know where they are. They've got injured people," Sokka informed his sister.
"Injured people? It's a wonder they haven't been captured yet," Katara whistled.
"Right. Anyway, as I've said I've talked it over with dad and the Earth king and they're all for the idea of staying. Truth to be told, the Earth King is even postponing his great escape to the big wide world," Sokka said his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Really?" Katara chuckled.
It was all the Earth King could talk about these days. His grand escape from his life of monarchy. He and Bosco wanted to travel the world, see little wonders, experience how his subjects felt. Behind his back, Duke and Pipsqueak mocked him endlessly while Sokka made it no secret that he was jumping with joy that the bear was gone. He hated that animal.
"He's super-duper interested to meet the Resistance leaders. He's literally peeing in his pants just thinking about that prospect," Toph snickered.
Sokka said, "Who can blame the guy for being excited? I'm pretty stoked to meet them. They sound like someone intellectual and scientific—''
"Here we go again," Toph groaned.
"—people who does not rely on their bending prowess to do everything for them. Their plan on blowing up the Headquarters by digging a series of tunnels underneath it was legendary!" Sokka exclaimed. Sokka's obsession over science was old and hardly new news but still, it never ceased to annoy Katara and Toph.
"Well…The Fire Nation ship won't be arriving in two days so we can make time," Katara shrugged.
"Yeah but by the next day, we have to leave, with or without them," Sokka said.
"What! But if we left and they show up…"
"We'd be leading them right to the Fire Nation. I know. But we can't do anything else about it," Sokka said dejectedly.
"That's awful! We can't just leave them here!" Katara frowned.
"As much as I hate that possibility, we can't risk it. If they don't show up by the time we have to leave then….they're on their own. We can't have the Fire Nation getting their greedy little claws all over Aang," Sokka frowned.
Katara looked as if she hated that plan while Toph looked uncertain. It wasn't much, Sokka knew but their options were limited. They had no more weapons, most of their ships were battered, and the number of sick people was rising. They just could not afford another problem right now. As of this moment, they were at the losing end of the war.
Sokka took a deep breath before saying, "We're just going to have to pray that they make it in time."
"Hey."
Zuko flinched and jumped up, startled by Mai's cold voice. He didn't look at her or even acknowledge her presence. He was too busy being angry.
For the past few days, he'd been fuming in his room, ignoring everyone who tried to talk to him. He felt really confused. He didn't know what he was supposed to do. He didn't even know how he was supposed to feel! All he could think about was the hurt expression that etched across Jin's face and the anger that clung unto her voice. She hated him. She hated him and there was no way he could turn things around anymore.
When she left him in that stupid tunnel, he considered following her but he decided against it. She didn't seem particularly eager to talk or even look at him anymore. And Zuko could understand why.
He at first blamed everything on Azula and her friends Mai and Ty Lee. If it weren't for them, none of this would have happened. But as the days slowly moved on he began to realize that actually…everything was his fault. If he hadn't kept stringing Jin along, if he had just broken his ties with Azula things might've turned out differently.
And now Jin believes that he had done this intentionally.
He cursed himself.
In a way, he had done this intentionally. If he had just made a choice beforehand.
He sighed and ran hand through his hair.
"What?" he snapped bitterly as Mai drew closer. He was still angry at Mai and Ty Lee for being in cohorts with Azula. True, that they've been nice to him and that they were helpful but they could have given a better warning.
"Azula wants to talk to you. She says it's important," Mai said flatly. She stepped back a little, startled by Zuko's angry voice.
"Hmpgh. Whatever," Zuko muttered as he headed towards the lower decks where what Azula fondly called as "the planning room" was. He was about to descend down the stairs when Mai's cool and bored voice suddenly rose from its usual inflection.
"It's not our fault you know," she said.
Zuko ignored her and took one more step down.
"It's not fair the way you keep on putting the blame on me and Ty Lee like that," Mai continued.
Zuko scowled, spun around and said in a voice that was much louder than he meant to, "Why didn't you tell me!"
"I did warn you."
"Well, sorry but your warning wasn't exactly clear! Couldn't you have given me something less vague?"
Mai sighed before walking towards him and taking her place by his side.
"You had a choice and it seems to me you already made yours long before Azula cooked this plan up. It was up to you to reach out and grab the moment—you didn't. It's not our fault that you didn't act fast enough. You have no one but yourself to blame," she said quietly before descending down the stairs ahead of him.
Zuko gave a frustrated scowl before blowing off a stream of smoke, sending it all over the air.
Mai was right.
And he absolutely hated it.
Sokka splashed some water on his face, completely annoyed. He was trying to desperately wash off all the bear germs Bosco had given him after giving him a monumental lick on his face. Honestly, he could not fathom his hatred and annoyance for that bear. And to top it all off Pipsqueak and Duke decided to play a practical joke on him by spraying him with blue powder. He looked and smelled terrible! And his sister and Toph were not helping. In fact, if anything they were contributing to his messed-up appearance. Toph, in an attempt at a "joke", flung mud all over his face while Katara got mad at him for accidentally—accidentally—spilling all of Aang's herbal medicine.
When he finally got the gross mixture of blue and brown from his skin off, he concentrated on relaxing. He lay flat on his back and let the cool wind ripple through his face. When he, Katara, the Earth king, that annoying bear and Toph first came here in Chameleon bay, he had found a small nook of water that pooled underneath a glade of trees. He had found it while on an attempt to hunt for some meat. It was a quiet and peaceful place—the perfect place to get away from all the hectic nonsense that had camped across shore.
Things were way too intense for him to process lately. Aang being half-dead (Katara hates it when he uses that term but he calls it as it is), the Resistance falling, their fleet not being in good shape….everything was pretty down in the dumps. And there was that thing with the Resistance members showing up. If they didn't come in time, he could be very well leading them to their doom.
Sokka looked at the sun and rubbed his temple. It was almost sunset which meant that the day would be over. That would mean that the Resistance leaders only had tomorrow before morning before they left completely. Judging by the fact that not a trace of them had appeared yet, he guess that chances were slim.
They can't make any more time. They just can't.
Sokka sighed before saying loudly to himself, "Oh why is the world so crazy?"
Suddenly he saw someone move in between the tress.
Sokka fell from his back float and nearly drowned.
He lowered himself into the pool and he cautiously kept his eyes above water level.
"Duke! Pipsqueak! Knock it off!" Sokka yelled. If someone was in here with him, then the situation was not ideal. He was half-naked and dressed in his underwear. If it was Duke and Pipsqueak playing another practical joke on him, he wasn't sure he could be embarrassed any further. He was wearing his underwear after all.
No one answered but the rustling and the soft patter of footsteps continued. He caught a glimpse, perhaps a silhouette of the intruder as he or she darted to another corner.
It definitely wasn't Duke or Pipsqueak but he was pretty sure whoever it was, was a girl. She was too tall to be Duke and she was too slender and slim to be Pipsqueak. He guessed that it must be Toph. The color drained from his face. How embarrassing.
"Toph! Could you please give me some time to put my pants on before you—''
Other silhouettes and figures followed after the unknown intruder.
"Okay….so you're not Toph," Sokka nervously said. There were more of them he anticipated. They might be the Fire Nation. Which meant that they were here. He had to warn the others. If this was the Fire Nation he was pretty sure he had a chance of defeating them by simply flashing his underwear and causing them to die by laughing to death.
Sokka hastily swam towards a rock where his clothes were perched. He was about to emerge from the water to pull his pants on when he heard another rustle of movement.
He whipped his head to the side and watched a vague figure move in between the rocks.
In one swift move, he grabbed his boomerang and swung it towards the figure without even thinking.
What?
People were milling around him and he was in his underwear.
What else was he supposed to think?
He made a move to get out of the water when a column of earth shot towards him, propelling him into a tree. Before he had time to think, two rocks the size of eggs swung towards him. Sokka clumsily avoided them and started ducking downwards.
"Toph! Is that you? Because if is, I think I'd like you to know that crawling around the ground in my underwear isn't very easy," Sokka hollered as he crawled unto the dirty floor. Rocks and earth spikes grappled towards him from everywhere. A rock crashed beside him, sending fragments everywhere.
"Okay. I think that it's clarified now. You're not Toph," Sokka muttered weakly.
"Ouch!" he gasped as something hit him from the back. He rubbed his head and he perked up once he realized that the thing that hit him was his precious boomerang.
"Boomerang!" he said.
With much more confidence, he stood up and he angled his boomerang in front of him like a shield.
"I don't know who you are or what horrible things you plan to do to me but just so you know my friend happens to be the Avatar and when he finds out—''
"Your friend is the Avatar?" a soft but strong voice said.
Sokka's cheeks burst into flame when his attacker emerged.
It was a girl.
And not just any kind of girl. A pretty, gorgeous, really hot girl.
She was tall and slender with a kind, pretty and friendly face and killer legs that were slim and shapely. Her eyes were wide and almond-shape and she was wearing an outfit similar to the Dai Li's although it looked slightly threadbare with its loose threads and dirt caked all over it. Two arm guards and led guards were slapped unto her feet and arms. Her hair was a rat's nest and her eyes looked tired and weary.
Sokka was then vaguely aware that he was still in his underwear.
That did not improve his ability to speak with eloquence in the least bit.
"Um….um…." Sokka stuttered.
"Because if you are, you could help us. We need to know where Chameleon Bay is," she said eagerly as she stepped forward. Other figures emerged around her. Most of them were children and old people with a few who looked like fighters.
Sokka's jaw dropped as he came to a realization.
"You're one of the Resistance members!" Sokka sputtered.
"I'm one of its leaders actually," the girl smiled. She looked a little proud.
"But you're a girl!" Sokka said in disbelief. Oops. That came out really wrong.
Don't get him wrong. He wasn't a sexist. Okay. He was very sexist but it wasn't his fault. He lived in the South Pole his whole life which was by the way a Patriarchal Society.
The girl snorted before retorting, "And you're in your underwear!"
She glared at him, her steely hazel-green eyes boring into his.
Sokka blushed before grabbing a leaf and using it as a very meager cover for his underwear.
"Hey! Don't start with all the name-calling yet, sister! I'm not the one who was spying around while I took a dip!" Sokka defensively said. The girl's cheeks colored and Sokka smiled triumphantly.
"For your information, we got lost when we saw you and we were considerate enough to try not to disturb you in your dip!" the girl said peevishly. Around her, her companions stirred and stared at Sokka with an amused and slightly mocking expression. Sokka shrank in his place.
"But you did disturb me!" Sokka protested.
"I said we tried not to disturb you. And besides, we would have left you alone if you had thrown your boomerang at Hai!" the girl said gesturing at a reedy and thin looking man at her right. Hai sheepishly waved.
"Oops. Sorry man," Sokka called out to Hai before saying to himself, "My boomerang is a force of destruction."
"So are you really the Avatar's friend!" the girl prodded.
"In fact, I'm much better. I'm team Avatar's idea guy!" Sokka said with a flourish. The girl stood at him with an amused expression and a large grin on her face. He guessed that he wasn't so impressive in his underwear.
"Yes. I am in fact Aang's friend. My dad is the leader guarding Chameleon Bay," Sokka sighed.
"Will you take us there! We have so many people who need help!" the girl said. She gestured at a teenager being supported by two adults and a few people being carried in stretchers.
"Of course I will! Just give me a sec to change—''
"But some of these people are dying! We don't have a sec!" the girl argued. Sokka opened his mouth to say no but decided against it after one of the sick people wailed.
"Huh. Fine. I'll bring you there now. But just so you know, Duke, Pipsqueak and Toph will be having a very long laugh about this," Sokka sighed grudgingly as he grabbed his clothes and started leading them back to the shoreline. That girl was quite persuasive with her persistence and stubbornness. She reminded him of Toph a little.
"Thank you so much! And by the way, I wouldn't worry too much about your…erm…situation. Your undies aren't all that bad!" the girl said with a mocking grin as she caught up with him. Sokka couldn't help a chuckle.
"If only the others see it that way. So, I never got your name," Sokka said.
The girl smiled, paused in mid-step, held her hand out and said in a friendly voice, "My name is Jin. I'm one of the leaders of the Resistance."
"As I've heard. I'm Sokka of the Water Tribe," Sokka said, puffing his chest out in pride.
"Sokka? Aren't you one of the Avatar's companions who's travelled with him all over the world?" Jin said in awe. Sokka blinked at her in surprise. It was very rare that people heard of him. Mostly because, when people mention the Avatar they tend to only remember Toph and Katara—those who could actually bend and fight properly.
Not that he couldn't' fight properly either but compared to Aang's two other, bending companions, he wasn't exactly the most memorable one. He was however, surprised that Jin looked mildly impressed.
Sokka smirked, obviously enjoying the fact that he managed to impress a really hot girl.
"Yup. As I've said, I'm the Avatar's idea guy. I can't bend but you'll find that most of the plans that we've pushed through were cooked up by me," Sokka proudly said.
"I can't believe it! I'm actually going to meet him!" Jin excitedly said at the mention of Aang. Sokka deflated. As always, things revolved right back to Aang.
Sokka's face fell and he said carefully, "I wouldn't want you to get your hopes up."
"Why not?" Jin asked.
"Well….you'll see. But anyway, enough about me. I've heard about you guys too. Heard that you blew up the Dai Li's Headquarters without getting any casualties on your side. Awesome plan," Sokka said eager to divert the topic. He didn't want to crush Jin's hopes yet.
Jin smiled and said, "That was my idea you know…."
"Really?"
As they continued to talk, Sokka's apprehensions with Jin were slowly melting away. She proved to be great company since she had a decent amount of knowledge about science and such. She was a wide-reader, surprising well-learned for someone who lived in the Lower Ring and she was a critical thinker too. And she knew how to make haikus so that was a great plus.
Their conversation soon lapsed into the place where Jin lived which was in Ba Sing Se.
"That was the worst place I have ever been in," Sokka shuddered.
"I know it's pretty bad. But when this war is over, maybe the Fire Nation isn't the only thing that is going to change. Ba Sing Se will become better someday," Jin said, her eyes sparking with hope.
"Well good luck with that," Sokka said sarcastically.
"Hey! I happen to know that the South Pole isn't much of a sight either!"
"I'm working on it! Just so you know, I've already started the construction on the walls and the towers!" Sokka said. Okay, it was a little bit of a stretch from the truth but at least he didn't lie. His many forts and towers were beyond impressive.
To ten year olds anyway.
Jin looked impressed again. Sokka smiled.
"Really?" she said.
"Yup. My dad left me to take care of our tribe when I was really young. So I had to grow up fast to you know…I could take care of some of our tribe's…issues," Sokka nodded.
"Why did he leave?"
"Who?"
"Your dad," Jin said. She looked a little cautious, almost afraid. Sokka gave her a big smile to show that this topic wasn't as edgy as she thought it would be.
"He had to help in the war effort after the last Waterbender got taken. It's no big deal. All that matters is that he's not dead. We thought we lost him but we didn't," Sokka said.
Jin's face suddenly looked sad and wistful, "Yeah. It's a good thing you found each other again. He sounds like a great dad."
Sokka smiled, "He sure is."
"You should hold on to him tight. Don't let him leave you again," Jin said. Her eyes suddenly turned misty and her skin paled and became cold and clammy.
"So…what about your dad? What's he been up to?" Sokka asked.
Jin looked away from him and pretended not to hear him.
She said in a strained voice, "Let's stop for awhile. We have to wait for the others to catch up."
"What do you want Azula?" Zuko snapped as he entered the "planning" room. It was located at the middle of the lower deck, fully furnished and lit brightly by flaming torches. Azula was sitting idly on a plush chair with Ty Lee cowering and looking guilty at her side. Mai was leaning against the wall looking bored and apathetic as she played with her knives. The ship's captain laid bowed across the floor.
"Hello, Zuzu. I'm so glad that you're finally talking to us," Azula smirked.
Zuko glared at her and snapped peevishly, "Just tell me what you want."
Azula sighed and said, "Very well. First things first, you better give your sulky attitude a major overhaul. We're expected to arrive at the Fire Nation by tomorrow morning and I don't want you being grumpy when we present ourselves to father."
Something rose in Zuko's throat once he heard the word "home". He didn't know how he was supposed to feel. He felt slightly undeserving to go home seeing as he had planned on betraying Azula and joining the Resistance. After Jin had left him alone, he started wandering around the tunnel looking for an exit. Apparently Azula was looking for him too. Azula welcomed him like a big hero and she persistently pretended as if he had a big role in the defeat of the Resistance (although he supposed that that wasn't a far stretch since he did lead them to their headquarters). He thought that Azula would scorn him and cast him aside because he was very sure she knew of his true intentions.
But she didn't and now she continued to pretend as if he never planned on betraying them.
Zuko felt extremely uncomfortable with this. He can't help feeling as if Azula has a hidden agenda.
Zuko scowled and said through gritted teeth, 'I'll give it a try."
Azula snorted and said, "You better. Your attitude is enough to dampen everyone's celebratory mood—including mine. Lighten up, will you? We just took the Resistance down before it even started and soon the walls of Ba Sing Se will be reduced to rubble."
Zuko looked away from her, remembering how Jin's hopeful face quickly morphed into one of horror.
Azula suddenly laughed in a cruel and mocking way. She said easily, "Aw, Zuzu? Still thinking about her?"
"No!" Zuko cried out defensively.
Azula sighed and said unfeelingly, "Forget about her Zuko. She's just a peasant. Hardly worth the trouble. And besides you have your honor, your home, everything back. I'm sure you'll find some other girl to amuse you back home."
Zuko clenched his jaw. The truth was he wasn't really all for the idea of going out with another girl yet. All he could think about was Jin and how much things dissolved between them pretty quickly. Zuko muttered something incomprehensible under his breath before turning around and saying, "Anything else Azula?"
"Yes, there is one more thing. More good news. We have captured one of them," Azula announced.
"What?" Zuko asked his chest tightening.
"Ugh. Honestly, Zuko can you please keep up! I'm talking about the Resistance leaders," Azula said.
Zuko spun around quickly, his heart hammering in anticipation. He hoped it wasn't Jin. He crossed his fingers at his back.
"What! Who?" Zuko asked wildly.
Azula chuckled and said dismissively, "Oh don't worry. It isn't your girlfriend. Oops. I mean ex-girlfriend."
Azula smiled at him clearly enjoying his worried and annoyed expression. Zuko continued to worry although he felt relieved that Jin was safe. He didn't want any of her brothers to be captured—even Ge Jiang. The two only meant well for the Earth kingdom people.
"It's the eldest one. And I must say he is quite annoying. Puts up a really good fight," Azula said as she flicked a lock of her hair away.
Zuko balled his fists and resisted the urge to wipe that stupid smirk off Azula's face.
"Ge Jiang," Zuko mumbled.
"That's his name, hm?" Azula smiled.
"If that's all you have to say then I'll be in my room," Zuko snapped.
"The others evaded us though. Narrowly, if I might add," Azula continued pretending that she hadn't heard Zuko.
Zuko growled, proceeding to stomp away trying to drown out Azula's voice who crying, "But don't worry! It won't be long before we capture your girlfriend and that brother of hers!"
Katara sighed in weariness as she pounded some more herbs. She had tried everything. Creams, lotions, medicine—she even exhausted most of her bending powers by trying to desperately nurse Aang back to health with her healing abilities. Sadly, nothing seemed to wake him and he continued on his deep slumber. Toph was eating some dinner in one of the tents while Pipsqueak and Duke were off doing some mischief. The Earth King was making preparations for his "great travel" while her dad and the other water tribe members started preparing for their journey tomorrow. Sokka had strangely, secretly run off somewhere. Katara frowned. She hoped her brother wasn't getting himself into too much trouble.
She sighed as the light started fading and the sky started bleeding blue. The Resistance Leaders had not arrived yet and that worried her. She certainly did not want to leave them to fend for themselves in the Fire Nation. As soon as the herb was pounded into a thick paste she quickly added some Kuai Berries, for a cooling effect.
She was about to go back to Aang's tent when suddenly a commotion broke out through camp. She heard the distinct voice of someone yelling from the distance followed by the clamor of everyone's voices. Everyone started sprinting into the direction of the forest, including Toph who was still holding her half-finished bowl in her hands.
"What's going on?" Katara demanded, grabbing Toph's arm and stopping her for a moment.
"Sokka's come back. And it looks as if he isn't alone," Toph said pointing a finger at a particular direction.
Katara looked to where Toph was pointing at and saw that her brother had emerged through a thicket of thick trees wearing nothing but his underwear. Katara wrinkled her nose and tried to keep her laughter. Beside him, stood a tall, slim and slender girl with jet black hair that was slightly messy and choppy, fashioned into two braids. She was wearing an outfit similar to the Dai Li's although it was sleeveless, showed off her bare midriff and she wore arm and leg guards. She looked amiable and friendly enough with her bright and inviting smile although her eyes looked weary and tired.
Katara and Toph hurried towards them along with everyone else. As she drew closer, Katara saw that more people were emerging from the thicket—women, men, children, old people—all of whom looked tired and word-down.
"Katara! Toph! I found them! I found them!" Sokka excitedly said as soon as he saw his sister and Toph. He was jumping up and down eagerly and pointing very indiscreetly at the girl.
"Actually, we found Sokka," the girl quipped. She flashed Katara a very friendly smile. Katara reluctantly returned her smile.
"Son what's going on?" Hakoda said as he weaved his way through the crowd. Behind him the Earth King followed.
As soon as the girl and the other people saw the Earth King they all reluctantly fell to their knees. The Earth King stared at them, confused.
"Um….thank you but that's really unnecessary," Kuei sheepishly muttered.
"Oh, but we are here only to pay honors to the Great Earth King of Ba Sing Se," the girl murmured although she didn't sound too happy.
It was as if she finally understood something. Katara's eyes widened in realization.
"You're the people from the Resistance!" she gasped. Everyone suddenly fell silent.
"Well duh! Honestly, Katara, it took you that long to figure it out," Sokka chortled.
Katara sent him a glare and said irritably, "Hey! I'm not the one walking around in my underwear!"
Toph snickered from behind her and said, "He's in his underwear?"
"Hey! I had to make myself look like an idiot in order for us to get here in time to save sick people! So why don't we stop gawking at them and actually get a move on it! Come on people! We've got sick and injured people here!" Sokka hollered, his face flushing in embarrassment.
Everyone, who looked as if they were in a daze, quickly snapped back to focus. People milled towards them, helping those who were injured. The Earth King, who looked very shocked, quickly recovered. He scrambled towards her, grabbed her hand and began to shake it vigorously.
"I've heard so much about you! Jin of Ba Sing Se, leader of the Resistance! Such a pleasure! Such a great honor!" the Earth King rambled as he shook her hand.
Behind her, Hakoda grabbed Sokka's arm and said, "Son, I've got a little problem with the rigging—''
"Not now dad. I'm kind of in a situation," Sokka awkwardly said gesturing at his underwear.
Toph laughed loudly as she slurped some of her stew saying good-naturedly, "These are the times where I wish I wasn't blind."
Sokka grumped before stomping off to his tent with his clothes in hand. Katara stayed behind and watched as the girl—Jin—gave a low bow and said humbly, "It is quite an honor to be in your presence as well, your Majesty."
The Earth King's face fell. He quickly stopped her mid-bow and said, "Oh no. Don't call me that anymore. I'm afraid I am not worthy of that name."
Katara wasn't sure if she was imagining it but something in Jin's eyes told her that she silently agreed with what Kuei said.
"And neither am I worthy of the name Jin of Ba Sing Se, Leader of the Resistance. It's really too dramatic for someone like me," Jin chuckled. Katara instantly liked her. She seemed like a light and easy person to get along with.
"Oh, but you don't understand! You've done so much for my people! I can't honestly thank you enough! You know, it was a desire of mine to meet you before I leave," the Earth King rambled.
"Leave?' Jin said. Her face fell.
"The earth King's going to take…a little trip from his life of wealth and monarchy with Bosco, his bear," Katara said deciding that it was the right time to interrupt.
Jin looked worried. She sputtered, "But—but—but you can't! Right now, all that everyone wants is some guidance! A leader! Your people need you! We need you!"
She gestured at all the Resistance members who were slowly being led into tents.
Kuei looked away, obviously shamed. He said, "I don't know if you've noticed but…I'm not really the kind of leader people want to look up to. All of you would be better off without me. I'm a failure."
Jin's somewhat angry expression melded into a look of pity. She reached her hand out and said, "No, I'm sure that that's not true—''
The Earth King smiled wearily at her before saying, "It's quite alright. No need to feel sorry for me. I just need to get away from things for awhile. Earn a little bit of wisdom by traveling the world and by being like everyone else."
Toph snorted in agreement while Jin's face looked blank.
"I guess…I guess you're right," Jin finally said after moments of awkward silence.
The Earth King immediately gave a respectful bow with his head saying, "It was nice to meet you Jin of Ba Sing Se, Leader of the Resistance. I must get going however. Me and Bosco need to finish packing."
Without waiting for Jin to reply, he scampered off, looking abashed and flustered.
Jin looked slightly crestfallen though she maintained her happy demeanor. Katara was about to speak when Toph chew loudly, placed an arm around Jin and said, "Mr. High-And-Mighty-Royal is right Smiley—''
"Smiley?" Jin smirked, incredulous but greatly amused at the same time.
"Toph likes to give…er…" Katara fumbled for an explanation. She glared at Toph embarrassed.
"Nicknames?" Jin offered though she didn't look too mad.
Toph waved her hand and said, "Don't mind it. And anyway, as I was saying, don't work yourself up too much about the Earth King. He's right. You all would be better off without him."
Jin laughed a little and said, "I guess you're right. But still…um…not too many people actually like my leadership role as of this moment."
She suddenly looked uneasy.
Katara, being the slightly (really slightly) nosy busybody that she is, was dying to prod Jin for more questions. She however saw the closed-up expression on Jin's face and decided not to push her. She had a long weary day leading these people, her hair was a rat's nest and her skin had a thin layer of dirt covering it.
Katara placed a hand on her shoulder and steered her towards a small, hidden alcove at the bay where a pleasant stream of water ran. Toph walked with Jin at her side.
"You must want to take a bath with all that dirt on you," Katara said.
Jin gave a small laughed and said, "Oh no thanks! I'd like to stay this way for at least one more day. You call it dirt. I call it a healthy coating of earth!"
She moved her hands in one swift and solid motion and some of the dirt that clung to her skin, immediately shot off and made a circle in the air.
Toph laughed while Katara's eyes widened.
"You're an earthbender!" she gasped. Jin smiled.
"That's the spirit! I like you!" Toph hollered as Jin's hands limped and all the dirt that swirled in a circle dropped to the ground.
Katara, taken aback, by Jin's comment wrinkled her nose before giving a loud laugh. She grabbed Jin's arm and led her towards a slowly growing bonfire. She said, "Well, if you don't want to take bath then I suppose you should be having some dinner with us."
The boat experienced a little tumult on their way home. A storm had come up unexpectedly. The captain suggested that they wait it out on a small group of isles that were named after Zuko's uncle's deceased wife (thinking about his uncle made him feel guilty all over again). Azula however was having none of it and she demanded that they brave the storm out. Zuko grumbled, feeling that Azula was a little too eager to return home.
The captain had looked at him helplessly, perhaps giving out a silent plea to help him though Zuko could do little to against Azula. From his years of experience it was always better to go along with everything she says. And besides, Azula gave him the look that clearly said "if you against me, I'll tell Dad" a look he often got when they were younger. And considering the fact that he used to date an Earth Kingdom girl who was by the way one of the leaders of the Resistance and he was fully aware of it—Azula had plenty to tell their father if he did something to irk her.
His thoughts suddenly reverted back to Jin. He began to wonder what had happened to her. Was she safe? Or was she running for her? Or perhaps she was imprisoned?
Zuko sighed, hoping that she was okay. He should have followed her, he told himself. Make her listen to him. Make her understand. He should have fought hard for her to stay. Zuko rolled over to his left side as the boat rocked to the side.
"Yeah, right. As if she would listen to you," Zuko scowled to himself.
There was no point in pining for Jin.
She hated him.
And there was no chance of her ever coming back.
Katara noted that Jin was very charming as she managed to capture the attention and the awe of Sokka, Pipsqueak, Duke—even Toph. And for that she was slightly jealous.
Sokka was severely impressed with her, mostly because she was well-learned and also very interested in the scientific aspect of bending. At the campfire, over a warm bowl of soup, Jin told Sokka about a great book written by a professor named Lilun that talked about how bending was not powered by some mystical spirits but by molecular particles rubbing off against—Katara sighed. The rest was foreign to her and as the conversation progressed, she had no idea what Jin and Sokka were talking about.
"I always knew th there was more to bending than mystical animal creatures," Sokka said his hands moving about wildly.
Katara and Toph rolled her eyes.
She had also won the respect of Toph—at least she had won enough respect to be called her proper name—since the two of them seemed to have so much in common. At first glance, Jin seemed to be the regular feminine type with her braided hair and easy demeanor. However, Katara discovered that she had a slightly tomboyish streak to her. She listened as Toph and Jin discussed riding buffalo-horses bare back and playing in the mud.
"I personally like the Boulder!" Jin said as the discussion turned to Earthbending tournaments.
"No way! I'm for the Boulder too!" Sokka said.
Toph snorted, looking offended for the first time. "Well I'm always for the Blind Bandit."
"You mean she's real? She's not some sort of thing that people from the Earthbending rink just say to get more promotion?" Jin asked her eyes widening.
"You're looking at her," Toph huffed proudly.
"No way!" Jin said.
And with that the conversation continued in a raging debate about the Boulder and other Earthbenders.
She also went along with Pipsqueak and Duke quite well since she had a very humorous streak to her. She joked and laugh. One thing that Katara noticed was that nothing seemed to faze her. Her face seemed to be etched with a perpetual smile.
Still, deep beneath layers of her happy demeanor, Katara could see a sadder, more unhappy undercurrent though it looked as if she was trying to desperately hide it. Katara suddenly felt more sorry than jealous after realizing what a burden it must be to always pretend that her world is perfect and nothing is wrong.
Still she couldn't help the jealousy that was bubbling inside knew that she sometimes drove people wild with her motherly ways and actuations
Then Jin complimented her cooking and Katara stopped feeling jealous. She was sold.
"I'm a horrible cook," Jin muttered as Katara assured her that her cooking is no better than the rest.
"I'm sure that that's not true," Katara said.
"If it were up to my brother, he'd be telling it quite differently," Jin scoffed.
Hakoda, who had amused himself by conversing with Hai suddenly perked up. He said, "Speaking of your brother, do you have any news of him?"
A discomfort hung in the air. Katara was suddenly aware that Jin's brother, the leaders of the second batch of Resistance members, had not yet arrived. If they won't show up by tomorrow morning then they will just have to leave without them.
Jin's face withered and she said in a small voice, "I haven't heard from either of them. Why? Did he send you a message?"
Her face suddenly looked hopeful, Katara was afraid to erase her joyous expression with the news they were about to give.
Sokka said grimly, "One of them sent us a message through carrier pigeon-owl. He was supposed to meet up with us here too."
Jin looked away and her eyes looked glassy.
"I see," she murmured. Other Resistance Members looked sad and defeated.
"And he hasn't arrived yet? No news of him?" Jin asked loudly after moments of silence.
"We were hoping to get the answer to that question from you," Katara said. She placed an arm around Jin, in an effort to comfort her.
"No. I haven't heard of him. When the Headquarters collapsed, everyone spread out through different directions. I managed to…um…escape and I saw Hai with a few others and I decided to lead them in hopes that we'll reunite with my two brothers. We went through the wall using the passageways we built and we started travelling," Jin said.
"How did you hear about us? From taverns?" Toph asked giving Sokka a light punch. Sokka gave an annoyed howl before looking away.
"I broke into a Fire Nation base to steal a messenger hawk in hopes that I'll be able to send a message to one of my brothers. While inside, I heard about a Fire Nation Ship coming to Chameleon Bay since a Water Tribe Base was here. I wasn't so sure if we should go there but I heard rumors that the Avatar was with you, so I sent you guys a message," Jin said.
Sokka whistled at her lengthy tale while Katara rubbed her shoulders.
"Well…he sent us a message too," Hakoda said.
Jin's face lit up.
"Then that means that he'll arrive soon!" Jin excitedly said.
Hakoda poked his son, his face clearly saying that he wanted Sokka to give the news. Sokka looked uneasy having to explain the implication to her.
"But see, Jin…if your brother doesn't show up….by tomorrow morning then, we have to leave. It's not that we have anything against you guys but you know Aang is here and—''
"It's alright Sokka. Really. I understand," Jin said although it looked as if she was trying to convinve herself more than Sokka.
Silence filled the campfire and Katara squirmed feeling uncomfortable.
"So is it true Prince Jerkface wooed you?" Sokka said trying to lighten things up.
Jin stared ta him blankly, "Who?"
"Zuko. Prince Zuko. I've heard some rumors," Sokka shrugged.
Jin looked away again, as though she didn't hear him. All the Resistance members started to squirm.
"It didn't happen in that way," Jin said with a tone of finality. From her place, Toph raised a brow at Jin but said nothing. All around her, the Resistance Members were giving Jin skeptical looks though they didn't say anything else.
"So when can I meet the Avatar?" Jin asked to fill the silence that started growing again.
It was Katara's turn to look sad. In a low voice she said, "When he wakes up."
"Prince Zuko! Prince Zuko! Your Highness?"
Someone banged at his door, waking his sleep and interrupting his dreams.
Or nightmares more like it.
He was having more of those than usual.
In his dream Jin was on fire and she kept screaming at him to save her. Azula's laughter roared in the distance and the fire grew brighter. Jin held her hand out and just as Zuko made a move to grab it, everything collapsed on top of him.
Zuko rubbed his head and realized that he was sweating profusely. For a moment, he thought that he was back in the Earth Kingdom with all its stoned walls and green décor. Then he saw the flaming red flags and felt the boat tip to the left by a hurtling wave and he remembered where he was. The banging continued.
"Prince Zuko! Your Higness!"
Zuko scowled, stomped his way to the door, flung it opened and snapped, "What!"
The servant cowered under his glare and he said in a small voice, "The princess has requested for your presence. We have arrived. We are here in the Fire Nation."
Katara heard the commotion from the decks. She quickly scrambled along with everyone else who was crowding around something.
"What's going on?" she asked the man named Hai.
They were all wearing Fire Nation armor in clothing in an attempt to disguise themselves. The Fire Nation fleet came a lot earlier than expected and they had no time to make a proper retreat on their boats so they had to take one ship over and go on masquerading that they were from the Fire Nation.
"I don't know! I just heard shouting," Hai shrugged.
From the throng, Aang suddenly emerged. Katara's eyes widened and Hai's jaw dropped.
Katara gasped in disbelief, "Aang! You're awake!"
Aang yawned and said, "Are you sure?"
He rubbed his eyes and said, "I feel like I'm dreaming!"
"Aang! Good to see you back with the living buddy!" Sokka said, pushing Katara aside. Katara huffed at him.
"Sokka?" Aang said dazedly.
Toph said, coming up from beside Katara, "Uh oh. Somebody catch him! He's gonna—''
And with that Aang fainted.
Everyone broke out in worried murmurs and soon it was pandemonium as Resistance Members and Water Tribe people alike crowded around Aang, eager to get a glimpse of the Avatar. For weeks, Katara, like a protective mother hen, had confined him in a room at the Lower Decks and banned anyone from seeing him declaring that it would disturb Aang. Now that the Avatar was awake, everyone was eager to touch him, to see him, to get a piece of him.
"Step back everybody! Give him some space!" Sokka hollered. It took awhile but finally everyone moved a little.
It took awhile before Aang came around. Sokka had gone off somewhere in search for food while Toph went to the Lower Decks to lie down.
"Why are we on a Fire Nation ship? Why is everyone dressed this way? And why am I the only one out of it?" Aang demanded as soon as he snapped back to focus. He looked confused.
"You need to take it easy, o.k? You got hurt pretty bad. I like your hair," Katara offered. Hai handed Aang a red robe.
Aang's eyes widened and he touched his scalp.
"I have hair? How long was I out?"
"A few weeks," Katara said.
"Everything ok?" Hakoda asked from behind.
"We're find dad," Katara snapped, looking away. She couldn't help the resentment that bubbled through her. At first, she was glad to be with her dad. But as they sailed on in the Fire Nation Ship, she started feeling betrayed by him for leaving her and Sokka to fend for themselves in the South Pole.
Hakoda started introducing himself to Aang much to Katara's chagrin. She couldn't help snapping some sort of comment. Aang looked at her curiously as he shook Hakoda's hand.
"Would you mind giving us a little privacy?" Katara demanded once the introductions were over.
"Of course," Hakoda said. He gave his daughter a strange look before stalking off.
"Are you mad at your dad or something?" Aang asked.
"What? Not at all, why would you say that?" Katara demanded guiltily. She was sort of mad at her dad but Aang didn't really need to know that yet.
"Mmm…hmmm.." Aang suddenly doubled over and clutched his side in pain.
Katara's motherly side took over. She grabbed his shoulder and said, "Maybe we should go upstairs. You need a healing session."
Katara spent a few minutes healing Aang and truth to be told the experience was slightly draining and dampening. He kept on raging about how stupid he was and how he went down and the worst part was, Katara could do little to comfort him since he seemed to not hear a word she said. When Toph called for dinner, she was relieved. She and Aang went downstairs where they all sat at the deck and ate noodles. Katara looked around and noted that Jin and a few other people had not yet emerged. Aang got some color back to him although he still looked tired.
Sokka decided it upon himself to tell the story of what happened since Aang was unconscious.
Sokka said, "After what happened in Ba Sing Se, we had to get you to safety. We flew back to Chameleon Bay, where we found my father and the other Water Tribe men. The Earth King decided he wanted to travel the world in disguise, so he set off alone. Anyway, before we left leaders from the Earth Kingdom Resistance—''
"There was a Resistance?" Aang gasped his eyes widening.
Sokka nodded and continued his tale, "Yeah. After Azula zapped you, three people, all siblings led a Resistance. But anyway, the Resistance fell—''
"Oh," Aang said. His face fell.
Sokka looked annoyed to be interrupted. He said, "Okay, the Resistance fell, their Headquarters were in ruin and so on and so forth. So anyway, two of the leaders of the Triumvirate—that's what the siblings called themselves by the way—sent me a letter through carrier pigeon-owl and messenger hawk—''
"They sent you a message? About what?" Aang asked.
Sokka huffed at him but Katara gave him a light slap. Annoyed Sokka grumped, "A message saying to wait for us 'cause we'll be coming here. One of them arrived but the other didn't yet. We were going to wait a little longer but the bay was overrun with Fire Nation ships. Rather than fight them all, we captured a single ship and made it our disguise."
"You left them the other leader to fend for himself! But since you've left, they might come and….and…we're leading them straight to the Fire Nation!" Aang cried completely horrified.
"We had to Twinkletoes. We had to keep you safe. It was the only way," Toph said.
Aang scowled and said, "How am I supposed to be a good Avatar if keep letting people die by not being there for them?"
Toph shrugged and said, "You won't be a good Avatar unless you're alive."
Aang looked guilty. He looked at his bowl sadly.
"It was the only way. And besides, they'll understand that we have to protect you. You're this world's only hope," Katara said comfortingly. Aang didn't answer her.
"Anyway, since then, we've been traveling west," Sokka said eager to continue his story. He pointed at Chameleon Bay before dragging his finger through Serpent's Pass.
"We crossed through The Serpent's Pass a few days ago. We've seen a few Fire Nation ships, but none have bothered us," Sokka explained.
"So what now?" Aang demanded. He looked weary, tired and slightly…angry?
Sokka opened his mouth to explain but was interrupted by a bustling going on in the lower deck. Katara looked at the stairs and saw a very excited and eager Jin hurrying over towards them, her billowing coat moving about behind her. She said eagerly, "Is it true? Is he really awake?"
Sokka slapped his forehead in frustration. He said peevishly, "Can I ever finish my story?"
Aang stared at Jin with a bit of confusion.
Katara smiled, remembering how Jin was excited about meeting Aang. Katara placed a hand on Aang's arm and said, "There's someone who's been dying to meet you."
I know, I know. Jin is very Mary-Sue-ish in this chapter but don't worry. Jin is very far from being a Mary-Sue. I just wanted to go slow with revealing more of her personality. I want her personality to be peeled layer after layer, chapter after chapter. As my fic's summary said, there's a lot more to Jin than meets the eye.
I won't be writing the full details of the Awakening anymore mostly because if I were to do that, it'd be just like writing exactly what happened in the series.
Kudos to those who reviewed: Lord Jace, daveshan, SkorpionQueen012 and TheApocalypticTranatula.
Thanks to those who took their time in reading the story and adding it to their favorites.
Finally, don't leave me hanging.
Please Review.