Burning Bright
Part XVI
The day of the invasion had been a particularly busy one. Katara rose the earliest among everyone else, getting a head start on the massive meal Sokka had told her to prepare. The invasion army would be meeting them today and she and Sokka did not want them to starve before the big fight. She had paused momentarily to check on Jin, who had finally slept peacefully that night, and was satisfied to discover that Jin's temperature subsided greatly. She still had the occasional cough and her cheeks were still flushed but other than that, Katara deemed her capable enough to fight for the invasion despite her condition. Katara pressed some hot compress on her forehead, bundled her up with some more blankets and went to the pots and pans, heated the stove up and started cooking right away.
Sokka woke up next with Toph waking up mere minutes after him. Sokka, for once, didn't want to eat anything and he hurried over to a small nook where he took his map out and began to examine and make marks on it. Toph grabbed some breakfast before doing several warm-ups in the koala field.
Jin woke up the moment the first rays of dawn started hitting them. She looked well-rested, much to Katara's relief, though she still looked troubled and slightly distant. She did look notably better though and her mood and aura had the same cheerfulness and brightness she had during their very first meeting. She ate a very hearty breakfast, the first signs of her massive appetite in days, before wandering off to Toph so she could practice a little more on a few drills.
Everyone had changed into their previous clothing before going about their different activities. Sokka and Katara changed back into their Water Tribe clothes and so did Toph with her Earth Kingdom clothes. As soon as Jin changed back into her old clothes, she plaited her hair into two braids once again and began to wear black arm and leg guards. Everyone felt that if they were going to fight the Fire Nation, they wanted to do it with their native clothes to show their pride for their respective nations.
Katara had just finished her second batch of soup when she heard a loud voice roar, "Top of the morning, Momo!"
Katara smiled happily, knowing full-well that that was Aang. She turned around and said pleasantly, "Sounds like you slept well."
"Like a baby mooselion," Aang proudly announced.
"Well, you weren't the only one," Katara said gesturing to Jin who was trying to copy some of Toph's movements in the distance. When Jin saw that Aang had awakened, she gestured for Toph to end and together, the two of them started walking towards the campsite. Aang eagerly waved at them.
"I'm ready to face the Fire Lord!" he announced, making a fighting stance as Jin and Toph neared.
Toph smirked and said, "So what's your strategy for taking him down ? Going to get your glow on and hit him with a little Avatar State Action?"
Toph began to throw a series of punches on the air.
Aang's face immediately fell and he said dejectedly, "I can't. When Azula shot me with lightning, my 7th chakra was locked, cutting off my connection to all the cosmic energy in the Universe."
Sokka quietly joined them, completely absorbed in his map. Toph said, "You know what I just heard? Blah blah spiritual mumbo jumbo blah blah something about Space."
"Would you keep it down? I'm trying to think!" Sokka said, thoroughly peeved.
"Hey, what's gotten your goat?" Jin asked teasingly as she elbowed Sokka.
"Goat? More like koala-sheep," Sokka snickered. Jin pouted at him as he added, "Felling better? I was wondering who ate all the mutton soup!"
"Oh, dry up Sokka!" Jin shot back though she was smiling at him.
"Only if you will."
"Ha. Lame comeback."
"Whatever."
Jin smiled happily and so did Sokka, knowing that their little bicker wasn't anything serious. Sokka was happy that Jin was shooting arguments towards him again.
Jin did feel better though her body still ached in some parts and her head would suddenly throb at times but all in all, she felt light and nimble and ready to fight. She felt guilty however, when she thought about her behavior during the last three days, especially towards Katara. In an effort to make things up to her, Jin had suggested to help Katara in her preparations for the invasion army's meal, but Katara knowing that gastric burns and indigestion would not be the best thing for everyone right now, told Jin that it was all fine really and that she should concentrate on warming up for the fight.
"Oh no. Sokka, do you think the fog will delay the invasion ?" Katara said in concern as a slow and steady thick fog started to creep up from the bay.
Sokka broke out into a large grin and he said happily, "No, that is the invasion."
Everyone stood still and watched in awe as five, strong and reedy Water-Tribe ships emerged from the fog, plowing their way towards them in a fast motion. Sokka, with much pride in his chest, turned to Jin and began a long commentary on the awesomeness and imperialistic majesty of the Southern Water Tribe and their world-renowned navy. Katara knew that Jin had probably seen sturdier Earth Kingdom ships but she was happy that Jin merely nodded politely.
Jin, Aang and Toph immediately began to earthbend some docks as the ships neared while Sokka ran to and fro from the place trying to fix it up and make it look presentable. As soon as the ships docked and Katara and Sokka's father, Hakoda, emerged, the two siblings immediately rushed towards him happy with the reunion.
Aang looked at Jin and saw that she was staring a little wistfully and sadly at Katara, Sokka and Hakoda's reunion. He didn't know much about Jin's past because she never really talked much about it but from the way she was staring at Katara and Sokka hugging their father happily, Aang understood that she was slightly jealous that the two siblings get to be a family for one last time while Jin was all alone in the world, with a brother captured and another one missing. Aang drew closer towards her in an effort to comfort her.
Jin simply smiled at him and told him that she was just content to watch the people emerging since she didn't really know most of them. Two men wearing nothing but leaf underwear emerged and Bato, a friend of Hakoda's, commented on how he wished they wore pants. A man wheeling a young boy in a wheel chair passed by her. Some more familiar faces like Duke and Pipsqueak waved at her enthusiastically.
A few Resistance Members started to emerge. Jin gasped as soon as she recognized a few of them since they all looked so different. Hardships and endless training in preparation for the war had hardened their features. Nuo, though he was still timid and small, had grown a slew of sinews on his forearms and biceps. Hai's thin and reedy figure had expanded into a massive form. Guai and Long were no longer boys—they looked like men.
Jin didn't know whether to be proud of them or to be ashamed for herself. Though she had never actually seen herself in the mirror, she knew that she probably did not have the appearance of a commanding leader. She still looked slightly sick and her eyes looked dull with fatigue. A few bruises from Toph's training dotted her shin and knuckles. Her skin was dry and had lost all its moisture from too much exposure in the harsh, Fire Nation sun. All in all, she looked unimpressive and horrible.
As soon as Hai saw her, he immediately ran to her and gave her a warm hug.
"Jin!" he cried. Guai and Long came forward and so did Nuo though other Resistance members hung back and stared at Jin warily and resentfully.
"Whoa. Look at you! You're ripped!" Jin said as she patted his arm, giving a small smile. Her eyes quickly reverted to the crowd in the hopes of finding He Shen among them. She knew long ago that Ge Jiang had been captured because she had not seen a speck of his wanted poster. But He Shen's poster was still splayed across Fire Nation bulletins and Jin stubbornly clung unto the belief that He Shen was not dead or captured but he was, perhaps, alive and among people of the Resistance.
"Yeah, but not as much as Nuo though. You can't believe how rough these Water Tribe guys are," Hai whistled as he elbowed Nuo.
Nuo laughed good-naturedly and said, "Yeah, they really whipped us into shape!"
"And look at you guys! You're not boys anymore!" Jin said, gesturing to Long and Guai. She gave the two of them a warm hug. Long and Guai blushed furiously and Jin suddenly became fully-aware that they were men now—sort of.
"Master Feng was on a boat with us," Long said.
"He's an Earthbending master," Guai piped up.
"He trained us," Long finished.
"That's good, good! You all look awesome!" Jin said.
"And you look really…pretty…as always!" Hai impishly said.
"Aww…you're joking. I look horrible," Jin said looking away.
"You never look horrible. And besides, we probably don't look any better. Those water tribe guys….whew! You would not believe how hard they trained us!" Nuo said as he pushed his glasses which had slid off, back up his nose.
"That's nice. How's everybody?" Jin asked gesturing to the other Resistance Members who hung in the back and was giving Jin pointed stares.
"A little shaken up but otherwise, they're fine," Long said.
Jin frowned and sighed unhappily, "They still hate me don't they?"
"No!" Hai protested but one look from Jin that said that she did not believe them quickly made Hai digress and he said trying to sound nonchalant, "They'll get over it."
"I wish," Jin miserably said.
"Li seemed like a nice guy. He could've fooled anyone," Nuo said trying to comfort her and make her feel better. He patted her shoulder.
"Except that he fooled me—a leader of the Resistance," Jin sighed, looking sadly at the Resistance Members who had not approached her. They had every right to be angry with her. It was her fault that the Resistance disbanded and got destroyed. If only she listened to Ge Jiang.
"It's alright Jin. People make mistakes sometime. Don't beat yourself up too much. You were a great leader," Hai said.
"I shouldn't have trusted him," Jin sighed.
"We all shouldn't have trusted him. But we all did anyway," Long said.
"They'll come around eventually. They can't hate you forever. Especially after today. I bet you'll be great," Hai said confidently.
"Yeah….great…" Jin muttered, feeling the heat of pressure rise back up against her again. She began to worry. What if she didn't do great? What if she did something stupid? She would make herself look like an even bigger fool in front of the Resistance Members. She did not deserve Hai, Nuo, Guai and Long's support at all.
Hai and the rest chatted with her some more, filling her up with updates of what they've been up to before dispersing to converse with other people and Jin was left to her own devices. Jin went around and chatted amiably with everyone else. She tried to approach less-friendly Resistance Members though they merely regarded her with a cold indifference. Jin's self-esteem and previous cheerfulness was about to hit rock bottom when she suddenly heard a booming voice say, "Negatory. The Boulder and The Hippo no longer fight for others' entertainment. Now, we fight for our Kingdom!"
Jin sped towards them and could barely contain herself. She squealed, "The Boulder! I can't believe it! You guys didn't tell me that you invited the Boulder!"
"I kicked his whiny butt a while back!" Toph smugly announced.
"Hey! The Boulder does not like insults!" the Boulder protested. He made a move towards Toph but Jin stopped him by shoving a piece of paper and a small pen under his nose.
"Hey is right! You have no idea how big of a fan I am! Could you please give me your autograph!" Jin excitedly said.
"If you wanted an autograph of a real Earthbender, you should've asked me," Toph said sounding severely annoyed.
The Boulder stared at her incredulously before proceeding to give off a very haughty expression. He said as he took the pen and paper from Jin's hand, "The Boulder is flattered that a pretty girl is a big fan of his. If you want I could let you touch my biceps?"
Jin shrank and said, "Actually, having your autograph is just fine…."
"Are you sure girly? Because the Boulder is very willing to let a devoted fan touch his biceps," the Boulder asked.
"Awww….I want'a pretty gurl to get my autograph too…." The Hippo wailed from behind the Boulder.
"Well, she asked the Boulder for his autograph not you….so shove off!" the Boulder declared pushing the Hippo out of the way.
"Yah shove off!" the Hippo snapped.
Jin backed off as the two got into a very violent fistfight, crumpling Jin's autographed paper in the process and spilling ink from the pen everywhere. Jin didn't know whether to be worried or to be amused.
"Ugh. Why did you encourage them?" Toph demanded as the two continued to fight loudly.
Jin sheepishly shrugged while Toph huffed.
Jin and Toph drifted off to meet other people. Aang had just finished introducing Jin to the Mechanist and his son Teo. Meeting the Mechanist made her feel slightly sad since the Mechanist reminded her so much of Duan Jie. Thinking about his death reminded her of the fateful day when the boy she extremely liked betrayed her and everyone else and indirectly caused the death of Duan Jie.
Jin was so absentminded that she accidentally bumped into someone. She would have fallen backwards unto the floor if it weren't for the fact that whoever she bumped into grabbed her hand and pulled her back up with a strong grip, making her regain her footing.
"I'm really sorry—''
The perpetrator paused and stared at Jin with wide eyes giving Jin a chance to examine him more. He was a tall boy who was obviously from the Earth Kingdom because he was slightly tanned and his eyes were deep green. He was a head taller than her, he had a pleasant boyish face though he had a small beard growing around his lips, his hair which was long and black was tied in a topknot and he had strong steady, shoulders. He was gaping at Jin trying to say something.
"Um….sorry too…" Jin said unnerved by the way he stared at her.
The boy began to blush and he finally said, "Oh—no! It's—it's my fault."
It didn't take a genius to figure out that the boy was a little attracted towards Jin. Jin, during her short sixteen years, had her fair share of admirers and she knew all too well what the boy in front of her's blustering and stuttering meant.
"Um….I'm really sorry—I didn't mean to—''
"Oh, it's okay really! It was sort of my fault for not looking anyway!" Jin quickly said, feeling severely embarrassed as the boy started to blush.
"No,no! It was my fault—''
"My name's Jin," Jin quickly said before he could protest one last time.
"My name's Haru," the boy quickly said. Jin held her hand out and he stared at it not sure what to do. When he realized that she meant for him to shake it, he became embarrassed. In a very awkward manner, he grasped her hand and shook it.
"Nice to meet you. Are you a friend of Aang's?" Jin asked.
"Yes. Er—we met each other before," Haru said.
"Really? Where?"
"In my…um…village. He helped rescue my father and me actually," Haru said as he fidgeted. Jin couldn't hold back the frown.
She wished he would stop talking that way. It made her feel even more awkward.
"That's nice," Jin said not quite knowing what to say.
"So…are you the new girl that Aang keeps talking about?" Haru asked trying to break the weird silence.
"I guess I am," Jin smiled.
"Oh, really? So where did you guys meet?" Haru asked.
The two of them lapsed into a somewhat uncomfortable conversation. Jin told him about that she used to live in Ba Sing Se before the Fire Nation took over it—she extracted many significant events about her life story, especially the part where she did the stupidest thing a person could ever do: she let a traitor in their Headquarters. Haru, likewise, told her how he used to live in a captured village where earthbending was forbidden. He hid his earthbending skill out of fear for being captured. Jin nodded understandably, knowing exactly what he had gone through. She explained that Ba Sing Se had a similar policy; earthbenders had to be registered and they had to undergo training with the Dai Li.
Haru then proceeded to tell her how Katara gave him the courage to stand up for himself. He was however, extremely quick to mention, that Katara was not his girlfriend in any way. Jin couldn't hide the fact that she wasn't completely amused with that statement.
The two continued to talk their topics divulging into politics. Jin started to feel unimpressed and disappointed in Haru. He had no stand whatsoever. It seemed as if he was always for the neutral ground, never taking an opinion and a belief of his own. Jin suddenly remembered how strong-minded Zuko was. He knew what he wanted—even when it wasn't always right—and he stood by it and never let anyone shake him or make him change his mind otherwise. She fondly recalled the arguments and debates they shared.
That was one of the reasons why Jin was so attracted to Zuko. She liked someone who had a defined personality, who had their own opinions. Haru, sadly did not have any opinions that stemmed from himself. It was always "My father thinks" or "He believes…."
It was a pity. She would have liked him if he was a little confident in what believed in.
He did not have any personal conviction.
Unlike Zuko.
And he was so much taller than her. Jin had to look up to face him.
Unlike Zuko.
And he was too mild-mannered. He didn't get mad whenever Jin teased him.
Unlike Zuko.
And he smiled too much.
Unlike Zuko.
And also….
Jin stopped herself, after realizing that she was comparing every little thing Haru said or did with Zuko. What on earth was she doing? Why was she comparing Haru with Zuko? What was she trying to prove to herself anyway? That all boys had to be like Zuko to catch her attention? Jin suddenly got mad at herself. She was being ridiculous and stupid.
Jin was so frustrated with herself that she didn't want to talk to Haru anymore. She smiled at him politely and said, "I think Katara's calling us for lunch now."
Haru sputtered a quick yes as Jin whirled around and walked off.
Haru sighed.
He had a feeling that he didn't make any impression on her at all.
Zuko had to go about his preparations carefully if he was ever going to push through with this successfully without Azula knowing. First step was to pack all his things which really just consisted of his Dual Dao swords and a few other garments. The second step was much more difficult. He had to have a hot air balloon up and ready at the exit of their underground bunker. He had already ordered one from a nearby manufacturer and it cost him thousands to keep it a secret from Azula, which he knew would be pointless since Azula was so good in weeding out the truth from people.
But still, it bought him a little time and he was okay with that.
The next step was to find the Avatar which shouldn't be too difficult because he spent three years tracking the Avatar down. He would find him. The last and final step was going to take some time and effort. He would have to ask for the Avatar's forgiveness and beg for him to let Zuko teach him Firebending. He understood that the Avatar was desperate for a Firebending teacher. He just wasn't sure if he was desperate enough to take Zuko as a teahcer which considering their previous history, would probably be not that much.
He wasn't even sure what made him come to this decision. He just knew that he had to follow through with this or he'll never get some sleep.
"What's up with you?" Jin asked once she realized that Sokka was nervously tugging at his shirt and looking wildly around.
"I'm kinda nervous," Sokka muttered.
"Why?" Jin asked curiously. She had a bowl of broth in her hand and had drifted off from her place to sit next to Sokka after realizing that he was all alone and that was acting strangely. He did not once touch his soup, instead busying himself with looking over maps and charts.
"He has to tell everyone about his plan for the invasion," Hakoda said from behind Jin.
Jin looked at how nervous Sokka was and she said re-assuringly, "Don't worry, you'll do great."
Hakoda gestured for Sokka to go up the platform and after taking a deep breath, Sokka exhaled loudly and anxiously walked up the platform, fiddling with his scrolls as he did so. He scanned the crowd and after meeting with his father's eyes and a little nod of approval from him Sokka began.
"Good morning, everyone!" Sokka declared. He tripped and dropped all his scrolls. Jin placed a hand over her mouth and stared worriedly after him. She hoped that that wasn't any indication of how his nerves were going to affect him.
Jin held him a thumbs up after he shot a severely embarrassed gaze towards her.
"Uhm… So, as you know today we're invading the Fire Nation. I mean I know you know that," Sokka gave a nervous laugh and when no one made a reaction of any sort he limply hung his head.
Jin gave a forced laugh to re-affirm him and after realizing what she was doing, Aang, Toph, Katara and Hakoda followed suit.
"Because otherwise why else would you be here. Anyway…" Sokka added. He faltered and he clumsily dropped all his scrolls. He hastily stooped over, picked them up and slapped them on the board.
"So…the Fire Lord's palace is here…." Sokka said once all the maps were positioned. He pointed at a small, spot on the map. He was about to start explain when he realized that he was pointing at the wrong place. Mightily embarrassed he said, "Uh no, uh wait…"
Sokka began to flip through all of the maps. Jin stared at him sympathetically after realizing that no one was really paying attention to him anymore. A few water tribe people were playing with marbles in one corner while some Earthbenders were making little hills from behind Jin. Jin stomped her foot on the ground, sending little tremors and prompting the earthbenders to look up only to be met by Jin's reproachful gaze. Katara, likewise, silently reprimanded the water tribe boys to pay attention.
"It's here," Sokka finally said. Due scratched his head as Sokka tugged at his collar and gulped. Katara nodded at Sokka, encouraging him to continue.
"And uh there's an eclipse today and Aang's going to fight the Fire Lord…" Sokka continued. He took one look at the uninterested crowd and he began to panic. He said, "And the firebenders won't have any fire to use so that's good for us and uhm…I'm sorry, let me start at the beginning."
He closed his eyes and tried to get a grip. When he finally thought that he was ready, he said rapidly, "Katara and I discovered Aang frozen in an iceberg. Now I didn't like Aang at first but I grew to love him over time. Then we went over to the Southern Air Temple where Aang used to live and then we met Suki, who is a Kyoshi warrior. She made me dress like a woman and then she kissed me…"
Jin slapped her forehead. Sokka was a goner. He was babbling pure nonsense. Jin sighed and thought that it was a shame since Sokka could be so eloquent if he wanted to be.
"Thank you, Sokka," Hakoda finally said as he placed a re-assuring hand on Sokka's shoulder. Sokka stared at his father in surprise.
"It's okay. Why don't you take a break?" Hakoda prompted him. Sokka dropped his shoulders in disappointment and slowly went down the stage. Jin stared at patted his shoulder.
"You did great," she whispered.
"Just don't say anything," Sokka dejectedly said.
"…They're two steps to the invasion. A naval stage and then a land stage. To gain sea access to the Fire Nation capital, we have to get pass our first major obstacle here. The Great Gates of Azulon. Next, we hit the land and we hit hard. We must fight past their battlements and secure the plaza tower. Once we do that it's up to the royal palace. At that point, the eclipse will begin," Hakoda finished. Everyone was alert now.
"Jin, you and the members of the Resistance will be in charge for penetrating through the palace gates and for guarding it while Aang finishes his business," Hakoda announced.
Jin felt the heat rising in her cheeks as soon as she realized that the Resistance members started to grow uneasy at the mention of Jin leading them. One of them whispered loudly, "Yeah, let her lead us so she could bring us to Zuko…"
Guai scowled and glared at him but Jin was too upset to recognize that small gesture of kindness.
"Excuse me, The Boulder is confused. Isn't the point to invade during the eclipse when the firebenders are powerless ," the Boulder said as he raised his hand.
"The eclipse only last 8 minutes. Not enough time for the whole invasion and the royal palace is heavily guarded by firebenders. So that's where we'll need the eclipse advantage the most. When this is finished, the Avatar would have defeated the Fire Lord. We would have control of the Fire Nation capital and this war will be over!" Hakoda announced.
The entire camp erupted into cheers. Jin pumped her fist high into the air as Katara clapped and Toph hollered. Only two people didn't look as enthusiastic as everyone else and that was Aang and Sokka. Aang looked deadly serious and his eyes had a sort of tunnel vision look to it, as if he was trying very hard to focus on something. Sokka's face had a mixture of disappointment and worry etched on it.
Everyone immediately set off to do their own preparations. Katara waterbent some of the river water into her pouch. Toph put on some wrist guards. Sokka and Hakoda put on their head gear which resembled a wolf. The Boulder and some others fastened Appa's armor unto him and once they were finished, Appa began to stomp around in his new armor. Aang had also gone to the river where he had shaved off his hair and proudly gripped his new glider.
Jin, on the other hand, had gone off into a small nook where she morosely put on her gear. She strapped a small knife on her left thigh and tightened her arm and leg guards. She washed her face and as she stared at the reflection of the small pool, she began to feel despondent. She didn't look anything like a real leader.
While others had awesome outfits, all she had was her threadbare training clothes that was so frayed and dirty that it looked like rags and her arm and leg guards. All in all she didn't look like a proper leader of the Resistance. She looked like some girl who was running around in a costume pretending to be someone powerful. When Hakoda had instructed her to lead the Resistance members into taking down palace defenses and guarding them, she felt sick. Of all the places why the palace? Why does it have to be the place where she is most likely to run into him?
And after hearing all those scathing comments about her horrible leadership, Jin began to doubt herself. They were right. She sucked as a leader and they were better off with someone else leading them.
"Jin?"
She turned around and saw Sokka, coming forward uncertainly.
"Yeah?" Jin weakly said.
"We've been looking all over for you. The resistance dudes are waiting for you in the boat," Sokka said.
"Oh. Okay," Jin said as she swallowed thickly.
"Um….Jin?"
"Yeah."
"Didn't you hear me? We have to go now. Everyone's waiting for you."
"No, they're not," Jin scowled.
"Yes, they are. They're waiting for their leader," Sokka carefully said.
"No they're not! They don't even want me as they're leader! Sokka…they hate me!" Jin said in frustration.
"I'm sure that's not—''
"Save it. I know that they hate me! I think that I'll just go with you guys," Jin sighed.
"But you can't!"
"And why not?"
"Because you have to go with the Resistance Members. They're counting on you Jin," Sokka persistently said.
"Sokka…I'm a bad leader! They would be better off without me," Jin said sadly. She didn't even know why she was saying things like these.
Before all of these happened, she used to be so optimistic. She firmly believed that there was a always a good side to things, a good side to a person even if everyone else didn't see it. Nothing fazed her because she believed that getting upset over little things only make your life shorter.
Before all these happened, she used to be so confident in herself. She knew who she was and what she was capable of and she knew that she would be able to do anything successfully if she put her mind to it. But now, she was plagued with self-doubts and her self-esteem is even lower than usual.
Before all these happened, she was careless. She was free, happy-go-lucky and didn't care about a thing in the world. But now she cared too much over such little things and she worried and she prattled.
Before all these happened, she used to look young and fresh. Her hair was long and shiny and her skin was smooth and supple. But after weeks of harsh living conditions and of walking under the harsh Fire Nation sun, her hair became dry and her skin became dusty from too much dirt. She still looked beautiful and the vestiges of her beauty were in no way marred, but she looked so different from before. She looked hardened and toughened.
Before all these, she used to smile a lot. She still smiled now, though most of the time she found herself smiling because it was instinctual but not genuine. It was a long time since she laughed and smiled for real, not just because it was a strange habit of her to always laugh off or smile off the many bad situations in the world.
The defeat of Ba Sing Se and the war had changed her yet again.
"Hey! Who are you and what have you done with Jin?" Sokka demanded.
"What are you talking about?" Jin demanded.
"Where's the Jin I know? The Jin who always believed that things would always come out right in the end?" Sokka said.
"Don't give me the pep talk Sokka. I'm a horrible leader," Jin sighed as she dropped her shoulder.
"And why's that?"
"'Cause I messed up," Jin exhaled.
"I messed up too," Sokka pointed out.
"What?"
"The invasion plan was my moment of truth. And I completely flopped it. I just fell apart," Sokka said, finally showing a look of disappointment.
"Sokka, that's different. That speech wasn't your moment of truth. That was just public speaking and nobody's really good at that," Jin frowned.
"My dad is. He explained the plan perfectly and inspired everyone. Like a real leader should," Sokka said dejectedly.
"Look, your moment of truth isn't going to be in front of some map. It's going to be out there, on the battlefield," Jin said as she patted Sokka's back.
Sokka broke out into a grin and nudged Jin as he sat down next to her. Jin was suddenly aware that Sokka had both his hands behind his back.
"Hey, you should listen to yourself Ms. Smiley," Sokka snickered.
"What?"
"You should take a page from what you said. If you want to show all those resistance losers your moment of truth, then you have to go out there and prove it to them that your Jin, you're the Resistance leader, you kick butt and you're not going to take any of their baloney lying down!" Sokka said finishing with a flourish.
Jin's eyes glowed with realization. She murmured, "Yeah you're right….but still…"
"But what?"
"Sokka….I made a really big mistake back in Ba Sing Se. Something that cost me and everyone else the Resistance," Jin murmured.
Sokka had an idea what the "mistake" was from the rumors and accounts he's heard but he decided not to tell Jin. He merely nodded and said, "So what? Everyone screws up at one time or the other. Leaders are no exception."
Jin looked as if she was deep in thought. Finally she took a deep breath, cracked her knuckles and said a little more confidently, "You're right. I have to prove myself to them."
"And you're going to rock it!" Sokka said.
"Yeah! I will!" Jin said standing up.
Sokka rose and Jin frowned. He looked extremely imposing with his wolf headgear and his battle clothes. Sokka caught her look and grinned, "Bet you want a cool battle outfit like me huh?"
"Shut up Sokka!" Jin said frowning at his impish grin.
"I have a surprise for you…"
"Do you have to rub it in?"
"…Ta-Dah!" Sokka said as he produced a set of battle gear.
Jin stared at it with pure shock in her eyes. There was a helmet made out of pure stone that rested atop a small armor with stone-set cuff links. Two arm guards rigged with stone scales sat beside it along with one ankle guard made out of stone. Jin's chest nearly burst after realizing who owned all these things.
"These are my brother's," Jin's said, her voice barely audible.
"That little guy….who was it again? Nu—''
"Nuo—''
"Yeah, Nuo. He gave it to me saying that he and the others met your brother while my dad was patrolling Sozin Islands—''
"He's with them?" Jin asked hopefully.
"Er—no. But he did have enough time to hand these to Nuo before that bounty hunter guy chased him off—''
"Navi," Jin said through gritted teeth.
"Yep. Him. He left you his helmet and arm and ankle guards but…..Toph and I made the armor," Sokka said puffing his chest out in pride.
"No kidding? You made this armor for me?"
"We figured that you needed to wear something cool during the invasion too. And also, we wanted to cheer you up when you were sick. We had a little leftover money from um…Toph's scamming spree. And 'sides, Nu—''
"Nuo—''
"—gave us this helmet and arm guards and stuff, we figured that it would look pretty good with what we made you," Sokka said.
Jin smiled and began to put on the gear. The helmet was a little too big on her head but it didn't cover her eyes so Jin decided to wear it anyway. She fastened the arm guards and the ankle guards and she was happy to discover that the stones didn't feel heavy on her. Finally, she put the armor on and was happy to discover that it fit her like a glove. The workmanship on the armor was extraordinary and it felt light and nice on her.
Jin looked at her reflection and she was happy to see that she now looked respectable enough o fight the Resistance. Adrenaline was pumping into her now and she was filled with passion.
She was going to make sure Aang gets in the palace no matter what.
She just had to.
For her brother's sake.
"There they are. The grates gates of Azulon," Bato breathed as their boat inched closer.
"I don't see any gates," Katara whispered. All she saw was a massive statue of Azulon. A little narcissistic, yes, but threatening? Jin had to agree with Katara. That didn't look too threatening. But still, she wasn't taking any chances.
"Katara, you and the swamp benders whip up a fog cover," Hakoda ordered. Everyone seemed to have gone stiff and silent.
"We'll sneak by that statues just like we sneaked by that fire navy blockade," Tho nodded.
Katara and the swamp benders positioned themselves at the edge of the boat and began to make a series of gestures and stances. Soon, all the boats were covered in a thick fog. Jin leaned over along with Sokka as they neared the statue.
"Are we almost there?" Katara asked breathlessly as sweat beaded her forehead.
"Keep it up, we're almost through," Jin said.
As soon as she said that, she wished she didn't. An alarm sounded and smoke spewed from everywhere. Nets emerged from the dragons who were both at the side of Azulon, connecting themselves to Azulon's hands. Fire razed through the nets.
Sokka gaped in disbelief. He muttered, "If it weren't for the fact that we'll all probably die….that is so cool!"
"Everyone below deck!" Hakoda yelled. Jin immediately scrambled along with everyone else to their predestined places. The submarines were located at the bottom of each boat. Hai helped Jin climb down the submarine. The boat jolted, knocking her down but she steadied herself and managed to keep her balance. The sudden movement however, knocked her helmet off her head.
As Jin stooped over to pick it up she heard someone say, "She doesn't deserve to wear her brother's helmet…."
Jin froze and whipped her head trying to find out who said it. She was peering about suspiciously when Sokka came from behind Jin and said, "Ignore it."
"Huh?"
"Ignore it. Now come on. We're almost there," Sokka said before going off to meet the Mechanist. Jin felt numb as she fiddled with the helmet. She tried to calm herself down. She was going to prove her worth to them. She just had to so she could gain their trust.
Suddenly, the submarine heaved and went upwards.
"What's going on?" she asked Hai.
"The submarine only has a limited supply. We have to go back up to get some air," Hai explained.
"Really?"
"Yeah. Whoever designed this submarine….is pretty impressive!" Hai whistled.
"Why, thank you!" Sokka said proudly as they started to emerge out of the water.
"You designed this?" Hai asked in awe.
"Yup," Sokka proudly said.
Jin rolled her eyes and said, "Show-off."
"There's nothing wrong with being proud."
"Sure, sure," Jin patronizingly said. She started to climb up as she said, "I'm going up, okay?"
"Yeah! And tell Katara that we have to go back down, okay?" Sokka called.
"Sure."
Jin climbed up and felt extremely embarrassed when she saw Aang and Katara kissing. She was about climb back downstairs in her embarrassment, when Aang suddenly broke it off from Katara, faced the ocean and flew off in his glider.
Katara met Jin's eyes and blushed.
"Sokka….erm…told me that it's time to….submerge," Jin awkwardly said.
"What ? Right, I'm on it," Katara said snapping out of her dazed mood.
"Okay. I'll just….go back," Jin quickly said as went down.
Jin thought that it was so sweet of Aang to kiss Katara before the invasion. He was right in doing so. None of them knew if they were coming back alive.
Jin sighed as she sat back.
She suddenly wished that she and Zuko had the same romantic parting.
"Everyone in position. Earthbenders, into your tank," Hakoda said as soon as they landed. Jin hurried over to one tank along with Long while Toph went into the next tank with the Boulder. Guai scrambled off somewhere else while Nuo and Hai hurried to front, with Nuo pushing his glasses upwards.
"You ready for this Smiley?" Toph asked from the tank beside her as an explosion rocked the ground.
"Are you ready?" Jin asked back.
"Ready? I'm more than ready to blow everyone sky high! Right Boulder!" Toph asked.
"The Boulder wants to crush some Fire Nation skulls!" the Boulder echoed.
Jin wanted to answer that she wasn't ready. Her heart was pounding and her chest felt heavy. She was about to speak when Hakoda yelled, "Launch!"
And everything was like a blur after that.
They pushed the tank forward and suddenly explosion and arrows started to pelt at them from everywhere. Jin couldn't stand being in the tank any longer. She began to feel restless. She immediately drilled herself out and burst into the scene of the battle.
"Resistance Members!" Jin yelled and everyone started to gather around them .
"We have to disable palace defenses for Aang to get through! I want a full-blown battery ram! I want us all to compress with two more up with me in the front, five at the back and seven on either side, you hear?" Jin yelled over the din of the noise. Behind her something exploded.
Hai, Nuo, Guai and Long nodded but the others continued to stare at her resentfully. Jin gritted her teeth.
"You hear?" She said a little more forcefully this time. Her eyes blazed with passion
No one spoke.
Jin took a deep breath before saying, "I know you guys are mad at me….but you have to trust me! No….I said did you hear?"
Jin looked so scary and imposing in her full battle gear that everyone nodded quickly and did as Jin told. As soon as they were organized they forged on forward. Jin earthbent like she never did before. Armed, with new drills taught by Toph she quickly disposed anyone who tried to attack them from their front. Everyone stared at her in awe as she disarmed and flung a Firebender in mere minutes. Jin smiled proudly, knowing that she had gained a bit of their respect again.
"Jin look out!" Hai yelled.
A woman was pummeling her way towards Jin, riding a komodo-rhino as she did so. In her hand she carried a fiery whip. She lashed out at Jin and Jin barely made it out. Jin immediately attacked from below, working hard so that the woman might be flung off from the komodo-rhino. She sent earth columns and earth spikes as she twisted on the floor, furiously trying to avoid the whip.
Finally, Jin decided that her plan wasn't working. She rose up, somersaulted and landed on the back of the komodo-rhino behind that woman. Together the two of them fought on the komodo-rhino fighting to gain control. The woman dodged Jin's hit and spun around, elbowing Jin and nearly knocking her off. The komodo-rhino whirled about wildly making it difficult for Jin to maintain her balance. Finally Jin regained herself, twisted her body and with a loud thud, kicked the woman. The woman stared at Jin in surprise and as the komodo-rhino reared, Jin scrambled up, grabbed the reins and the woman lost her balance and fell.
Jin smiled to herself but her victory was short lived since the whip circled her wrist, the fire searing into her stone arm guards, making marks on it.
"Get off you Earth Kingdom peasant!" she hissed as she tightened the whip..
"No…you get off!" Jin snapped as she fought the pain, pulled her wrist forward thereby pulling the girl along with her. The girl stumbled forward and slammed into the komodo-rhino. As she did so, Jin got a closer look at her uniform and realized that she didn't look like a member of the Royal guard.
"You're not from the Royal guard!" Jin said out loud.
"I'm not but you should not take me lightly girl! I'm one of the wardens for the disgraced dragon of the west!" the girl hissed.
Jin suddenly faltered.
"The-the dragon of the west? You mean Mu—I mean Iroh?" Jin said.
"Aargh!" the girl yelled lunging at Jin. The Komodo-rhino began to stomp around throwing the two of them off it. Jin regained her focus and using all her strength she earthbent an earth wall that sent the woman backwards, into a stone wall. Jin immediately earthbent her to it and drew closer.
In a threatening voice Jin hissed, "You're a warden for the dragon of the west, huh? Now….tell me. Where is the dragon of the west imprisoned?"
"Listen everyone! I want those tanks on wedge formation! Benders and warriors at the middle. We're taking the tower and heading for the palace!" Sokka roared to the multitudes fighting around him. The battle was in full swing. They were so close to the Royal Palace now and the eclipse was going to happen in a few minutes. They needed to double their efforts.
He heard the loud clomping of footsteps. Sokka looked down from his place on the roof and his eyes widened as soon as he saw Jin riding a komodo-rhino looking fierce and proud. She had replaced the Fire Nation flag stuck on the Komodo-rhino with an earth kingdom one.
"Sokka!" Jin called.
Sokka withdrew from his awe.
"We're going to help you penetrate the palace!" Sokka roared skidding off the roof.
Jin nodded, understanding. She faced the Resistance members.
"Earthbenders at the edge! Form an Earth armor!" Jin ordered.
Sokka protested, "Wait, Jin! I said that benders should be in the middle—''
"We need a defense!"
"Huh?"
"We only have a few minutes left before the eclipse! Trust me!" Jin yelled. She started to speed ahead.
"Where are you going?"
"I have to do something! You handle it for awhile!" Jin said as she rushed off.
Sokka nodded and scrambled in their wedge. He wasn't so sure about Jin's plan but he trusted her. There was a way that she moved in battle that suggested that she's been in situations like these before. He yelled, "Do as Jin said! Benders at the edge!"
Jin's heart beat as she sped towards the Iroh's prison cell. This was too good to be true. She had to save him and to find him. She knew that the eclipse was about to happen and that she should be with Aang but she immediately knew that he didn't need her at that moment. He had Katara, Sokka and Toph to help him. Right now, Iroh needed her and she was going to help him.
She knew that saving him would probably earn more angry expressions from the resistance members, but Jin felt it in her heart that Zuko's uncle had nothing to do with his shenanigans. Why else was he imprisoned? Jin bit her lip. Then again, that's what she thought about Zuko at first too.
"The eclipse is happening!"
"The sun! The sun!"
"Firebenders, retreat!"
Jin stopped and looked at the sky. She could see a dark round shape slowly overcome it, blocking it and darkening the surroundings. Jin fumbled around for the glasses the Mechanist gave her and immediately she put them on.
She had very little time to lose. Once the eclipse happened, Iroh would be powerless.
She urged the komodo-rhino faster and with that she hurried towards the prison cell. By the time she got there, the eclipse fully happened. She hurried up the stairs but before she could kick the door open she heard loud, startled cries, banging noises and cusses. Jin felt nervous and her fingers trembled slightly, anxious at what was behind that door. But she quickly calmed herself and without a second's thought she flung the door open.
"Jin?"
"Why are you here ?" Ozai demanded as Zuko entered his father's bunker. Zuko's knuckles whitened as his father addressed him. This was it. This was his moment of truth. And he could not screw this up.
He was going to tell his father off. He was going to tell his father his wrongdoings and what Zuko planned to do.
"I'm here to tell the truth," Zuko confidently answered back.
"Telling the truth during the middle of an eclipse. This should be interesting," Ozai said, his lips curling into a smile. He waved his hand and the guards immediately left.
"First of all, in Ba Sing Se, it was Azula who took down the Avatar, not me," Zuko began.
Ozai didn't look too rattled. He merely said, "Why would she lie to me about that ?"
"Because the Avatar is not dead. He survived," Zuko said it calmly and quietly though the words crashed around Ozai's ears.
"What?" Ozai roared.
"In fact, he probably is leading this invasion. He could be on to us right now," Zuko said. For once, he wasn't losing his cool. Compared to his father, Zuko was a cucumber.
"Get out! Get out of my sight right now if you know what's good for you!" Ozai shouted as he stood up and pointed at Zuko.
"That's another thing. I'm not taking orders from you anymore," Zuko declared.
"You will obey me or this defiant breathe will be your last!" Ozai yelled.
"Think again! I am going to speak my mind and you are going to listen," Zuko forcefully said. Ozai could barely regain the shock of his son talking back to him. Zuko faced his father calmly. He wasn't going to be afraid of his father anymore.
He was going to speak his mind and he was going to make his father listen.
Jin could barely speak.
"Mushi?"
She had said Mushi before she could stop herself. Jin bit her lip and silently reprimanded herself for forgetting his real name.
She felt like a child as she stood before him. Iroh had changed over the past few weeks. He wasn't the big, soft, plushy teddy bear she had remembered him to be. Instead, his face had a fierce expression on his face, his soft, flabby tummy had grown muscled and his hair looked ravaged. Iroh looked so wide and massive compared to Jin's slim and slender form. Jin still towered over him but still, Iroh looked so different and so unfamiliar and so Fire Nation-like that it gripped Jin's heart and made her feel more emotional than she expected.
Things changed so fast. Even Mushi had changed into some sort of mean and buff fighting machine.
"This is a pleasant surprise," Iroh said serenely. His face had melted into an expression of kindness once again and Jin was suddenly reminded of his silent trickiness and getting her and Zuko together. Thinking about those happy times in Ba Sing Se made her feel cold and distant and lost.
"I—I came to rescue you," Jin said finding her voice. It cracked a little. She looked around and saw the knocked down furniture, the bent iron bars and the warden knocked-out cold on the floor.
Jin found herself smiling and she said, "Though it seems as if you didn't need rescuing at all."
"It seems so. You seemed surprise," Iroh commented.
"I just didn't expect it," Jin smirked.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Well, you are old, Mushi," Jin grinned.
"My dear, I am not that old," Iroh chuckled. They stared at each other in silence before Jin finally broke it by running towards Iroh and giving him a warm hug.
"You shouldn't have come. You've missed the eclipse," Iroh whispered.
"The eclipse is just the eclipse," Jin said.
"Oh but on the contrary, it's one of the most beautiful things in the world," Iroh said.
"How so? You're powerless because of it," Jin pointed out.
"That depends on whose perspective. I don't know if you've noticed but I just knocked down the warden," Iroh said
"I missed you Mushi," Jin said.
"As did I. How are you holding up with Ba Sing Se captured?" Iroh asked.
"Okay I guess," Jin said
"I'm glad to hear that," Iroh said as Jin leaned back.
"You're so….you're so…"
"So what?" Iroh asked.
"Muscly now, Mushi. You're not huggable anymore," Jin said and she gave a little pout.
"Ah….but we have to adapt to suit to the times. And I don't know if you've realized this, but time's moving very fast," Iroh said.
"Yeah, I kind of figured that out," Jin smiled though her eyes looked sad.
"But you are still more beautiful than moon flowers Jin. You look so ravishing in that armor. My nephew would probably have a heart attack if he's seen you right now," Iroh said.
Jin's face darkened visibly at the mention of Zuko. Iroh realized it because he said quickly, "Speaking of my nephew, I take it that you're not in good terms with him?"
"Don't even mention his name! He's nothing but a no-good liar!" Jin spat angrily.
"Ah…but you judge him too harshly Jin. He's been through a lot—''
"But that's no excuse to act like the way he's been behaving! I don't know if you've heard…but he made me look stupid and incapable of leading in front of the whole Resistance!" Jin said, feeling her previous anger rise back up.
"Don't be too hard in him. I beg of you Jin—''
"Are you kidding me? He's the one that got you stuck in this rat hole! How could you still ask me to not be hard on him?" Jin yelled, her voice echoing through the prison cell. Behind her, the warden stirred.
"I don't know," Iroh shrugged.
Jin stared at him blankly.
"But he's my nephew and that's what I do know. He's my nephew and he's the only family I have left—well the only one decent that is. He's my nephew and I'm still proud of him regardless of the things he's done. He's my nephew and he's lost and confused and unsure of his destiny. But I have no doubt in my heart that he will be able to find it someday," Iroh said.
"I don't care about that. I'll never forgive him for as long as he lives!" Jin growled.
"The eclipse is about to end soon…" Iroh said ignoring her previous statement and looking up.
Jin craned her ear and heard the noises of the fight outside.
"You have to come with us! Aang's out there fighting the Avatar now! The war will be over!" Jin said as she grabbed Iroh's hand and started to tug it.
"I'm sorry to tell you this Jin but the Fire Lord and my brother is not in the palace," iroh said.
"What?"
"He's probably hiding off somewhere. That's a protocol of safety for the Royal Family. It's been used many times when invasion attacks happen," Iroh said gravely.
"No! That can't be! This is Aang's only chance—''
"I don't want to disappoint you Jin but in a few minutes the eclipse will be back and your friends will need your help," Iroh declared.
"Then we don't have much time! Come on!" Jin said.
"No. I must take a different path from you for awhile," Iroh said as he shook his head.
"But—''
"I have to go now."
"Where will you go?"
"To some old friends," Iroh mysteriously said.
Jin was about to argue when Iroh said, "Jin, my nephew will find his way some day. I'm begging you to please find it in your heart to accept him and forgive him when he does."
"I can never forgive him. And he's stupid and evil! He'll never find his way!" Jin darkly said.
"He will. And when he does, I'll be very proud of him," Iroh said. Jin merely scowled.
Iroh didn't say anymore. He merely bowed his head and said fondly, "I hope we will meet again Jin."
"Yeah, I hope we'll meet again too," Jin said as she bowed respectfully.
Iroh smiled, gestured at the wall and said, "Do you mind?"
Jin looked wall and nodded in understanding. She said, "My pleasure."
She backed away and in one swift motion, she earthbent a huge, gaping hole on the wall sending debris of rocks everywhere. She and Iroh hugged one last time before Iroh turned around and with such grace and power that Jin had never dreamed that he possessed, he leaped out of the hole and started to run.
Jin watched him, what he had said about Zuko ringing in her ears.
Zuko took a deep breath, trying to calm himself as he readied to face his father. He needed to get his point as eloquently as he could though it was slightly difficult with his father's penetrating and seething glare.
"For so long, all I wanted was you to love me, to accept me. I thought it was my honor that I wanted but really, I was just trying to please you. You, my father, who banished me just for talking out of turn," Zuko scowled. He pointed a sword at his father and continued, "My father, who challenged me; a 13-year-old boy to an Agni Kai. How can you possibly justify a duel with a child?"
"It was to teach you respect," Ozai scowled.
"It was cruel! And it was wrong!" Zuko snapped angrily.
"Then you have learned nothing," Ozai coldly concluded.
"No, I've learnt everything! And I had to learn it on my own. Growing up, we were taught that the Fire Nation was the greatest civilization in history and somehow, the war was our way of sharing our greatness with the rest of the world. What an amazing lie that was. The people of the world are terrified by the Fire Nation! They don't see our greatness, they hate us! And we deserve it. We've created an era of fear in the world. And if we don't want the world to destroy itself, we need to replace it with an era of peace and kindness," Zuko continued and as he said all these to his father he began to understand a bit more why he had decided to do the right thing once and for all.
"Your Uncle has gotten to you, hasn't he ?" Ozai mockingly said as he laughed.
Zuko smiled at his father and said proudly, "Yes. He has."
"Whoa!"
Jin jumped off the komodo-rhino and rolled over as a set of arrows barreled right to her. She rose up and was horrified to see that five fire nation guards were upon her all pointing weapons in her direction. Jin tried to desperately ward them off before the eclipse was finished and they would get their bending abilities back though the fact that they were left power-less only seemed to make them angrier. Jin blocked a spear, grabbed it, and twisted it so that it sent her flying unto the rooftop. She quickly ran trying to avoid the mob.
Jin wondered how Aang and the rest were holding up. Had Aang already subdued the Fire Lord? Was Azula and Zuko defeated?
Jin scowled at the thought of Zuko. She recalled what Iroh said and she wondered if she would be able to do as he asked. She wasn't so sure. The fresh wound of being made an incompetent leader was now freshly opened with the resistance member's visible anger and resentment towards Jin. What hurt about it the most was that he knew how much she had put on the line for him. What hurt the most was she actually liked him and he just took that for granted.
Suddenly an explosion happened to her left and it sent her rolling headfirst into the ground. Jin groaned dizzily and looked up and fear gripped her heart. The eclipse was over. The sun was there, bright and shining.
She waited for the cheers to explode from their side. She waited for the retreat of all the Firebenders. She waited for the cries of victory. She waited for Aang to lead the royal family out into the street in shackles. She waited.
And she waited.
And she waited.
But nothing happened.
Which meant only one thing.
They had lost.
"After I leave here today, I'm going to free Uncle Iroh from his prison and I'm going to beg for his forgiveness. He is the one who has been a real father to me," Zuko declared.
Ozai chuckled sarcastically and said, "That's just beautiful. Maybe he can pass down to you the ways of tea and failure."
"But I've come to an even more important decision," Zuko said. Ozai stared at him angrily.
"I'm going to join the Avatar. And I'm going to help him defeat you," Zuko spat. Ozai was on the verge of biting Zuko's head.
"Really ? Since you're a full blown traitor now and you want me gone, why wait I'm powerless, you've got your swords, why don't you just do it now ?" Ozai asked slyly.
"Because I know my own destiny. Taking you down is the Avatar's destiny," Zuko said calmly. He sheathed his sword, turned around and said simply, "Goodbye."
"Coward! You think you're brave enough to face me but you'll only do it during an eclipse. If you have any real courage, you'll stick around until the Sun comes out. Don't you want to know what happened to your Mother ?" Ozai yelled as he stood up.
Zuko stopped in front of the door and Ozai grinned venomously.
"What happened that night ?" Zuko demanded, losing his cool which he had desperately tried to keep.
"My father, Fire Lord Azulon, had commanded me to do the unthinkable to you, my own son. And I was going to do it. Your Mother had found out and swore she would protect you at any cost. She knew I wanted the throne and she proposed a plan. A plan in which I would become Fire Lord and your life would be spared," Ozai said, his smile becoming wider and his face becoming more and more like Azula's.
"Your Mother did vicious, treasonous things that night. She knew the consequences and accepted them. For her treason, she was banished," Ozai finished.
"So she's alive," Zuko gasped.
The emotion was too much for Zuko. He felt overwhelmed and he couldn't fight the tear that escaped his eye. The revelation was too much. It caused Zuko to lose his focus for a brief moment.
"Perhaps. Now I realize that banishment is far too merciful a penalty for treason. Your penalty will be far steeper," Ozai declared, his voice becoming more and more venomous. His father stepped forward, swung his arms out creating two arcs of electricity from the tips of his fingers. Zuko had barely time to react before realizing what his father was about to do. Ozai thrust his fingers forward at Zuko, sending a massive and incredible bolt towards him. What happened next was far too quick for Zuko to look back upon and it went through like a dream.
Out of pure instinct, Zuko held his fingertips out and caught the lightning. His body slid backwards as the force of the lightning burst through his body.
The feeling was sensational. It made him feel alive and free and the energy that surged through his body made him powerful. He felt as if he could take down a whole army. The lightning surrounded his body and made his hair stand on its end. Zuko sunk down and pulled his arms as the electricity ran through his body. He thrust his hand forward and redirected the bolt of lightning towards his father's direction.
The bolt struck the ground which was mere inches away from where Ozai stood. The force of the lightning knocked his father off his feet and sent him pummeling into the tapestry behind him. Ozai gave a startled cry and hastily tried to straighten himself out as hair drooped across his face.
Zuko and his father stared at each other disbelief.
He did it.
He redirected lightning.
And what was even more unbelievable was that he stood up to his father.
A burst of fire nearly grazed Jin's left as she nimbly dodged it. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the upper hand of the battle was going to the Fire Nation. Jin and the Firebender dueled sending bursts of the earth and fire against each other, parrying blows and dodging attacks. Jin lost focus as her head throbbed again.
She was exhausted. She wanted nothing more to do than to lie down on her sleeping mat. The Firebender sent an arc of flame towards her and she backed away. Her eyes widened after realizing that it was a wall. Jin quickly jumped up to avoid the fire but she could feel fear in her heart. She had been herded into a closed alleyway. She had no way out.
Jin cracked her knuckles and sent an earth wall towards him. It sent him flying backwards but it did not knock him down. Instead it made him angrier. He gave a loud cry before sending a wave of fire towards her. Jin blocked it and tried to hit him with an earth column which he easily dodged. He raised his arms ready to throw something at her again when suddenly a water whip hooked his wrist and sent him flying outwards.
"Katara!" Jin cried in relief.
"Come on! We have to go!" Katara said.
"Where? To the submarines?"
"No. To Appa," Katara said as she pointed upwards. Jin looked up and saw the looming figure of Appa flying.
"What happened? Where's Aang?" Jin asked as she rushed towards Katara.
"It's over. Azula tricked us," Katara sadly.
"What do you mean?" Jin asked not quite believing it.
"Azula plotted every single move. We lost," Katara bitterly said.
"Where's everyone else? In the submarines?" Jin asked.
"The submarines are gone. They blew them up," Katara said with much acidity in her voice.
"But—but how will everyone else escape?" Jin asked.
"They won't," Katara shortly said as Appa descended.
After looking at their despondent faces, Jin understood.
They lost.
They lost and no one wanted to talk about it.
That suited Jin just fine. She was used to never talking about anything.
Sokka and Haru held their hands out and helped Katara and Jin as they climbed up on Appa. With a heavy yip-yip Appa rose high into the air giving them a depressing view of their captured comrades.
"Hey guys! I think a fire nation balloon is following us," Jin said as she saw a small speck tailing them.
Sokka sighed and dismissively, "It's too far away. They can't catch up."
"Yeah…they can't catch up," Aang echoed in a hollow voice.
Jin saw his gloomy expression and immediately she understood. She gripped Aang's shoulder and said, "We'll win next time."
Aang looked away from her, shame coloring his voice, "If there is a next time."
There you have it! Another chapter down! So…anyway, at first I was going to make two separate chapters for the Day of the Black Sun but then I decided that it would be too long and you guys would probably be sick of me just re-writing the whole episode down. So I just collapsed it into one chapter.
So sorry if I'm late in updating lately. Finals are up and my shifts at my job are getting more erratic with one of my co-workers sick so I'm kinda having trouble trying to find time to squeeze writing these down. But I promise you that the latest I'll probably ever update is two weeks When finals are over, I'm going to get back on updating faster (though before and now probably didn't have too much difference.
Thanks to those who read this and favorite it.
Special thanks to: SkorpionQueen012, Alana C. Jones, Suki17 and ArrayePL for reviewing.
Always, always remember to R&R!