Chapter 10

Avatar Aang,

You have thus far proven capable of following my instructions. This bodes well for our continued cooperation and the return of your lady.
If you wish On Ji to be returned to you safe and well, you will come to the ruins of Taku to the east of the city, on the first day of the week, following nightfall.
And make sure to come alone. If you bring anyone else with you, then On Ji will be returned to you, only as a lifeless husk.

Looking forward to seeing you,
Your Old Friend

Aang frowned, setting the written note aside as he looked up at Uncle Iroh. The two of them were staying at a guest house in Republic City, a place they had been directed towards by the previous set of instructions they had received back in Omashu. Someone was skillfully guiding them along this path, no doubt having them watched the whole way.

"That is not my brother's handwriting," Iroh remarked, having picked up the note and studying it for a brief while. "However, I would never expect Ozai to write it himself, I'm sure he has lackeys for that. Signing it as your old friend is a dead giveaway, though."

"Is it?" Aang asked. "I feel like I don't know Ozai well enough for him to use the word friend with me, not even sarcastically," he shrugged before falling into lengthier musing in silence. "Although, I suppose me removing his bending was a very… intense experience."

"Can you think of anyone else who could fit the bill of this mastermind?" Iroh asked.

"Not really," Aang sighed. "I suppose you're right and I should prepare for it being a plot by Ozai. I only wish I knew what to expect. What could he possibly want from me?"

"I don't know," Iroh shrugged, a little helplessly. "I suspect that he will try to leverage his possession of On Ji in order to coerce you into doing something for him. Whatever it is, you can be sure that it won't be pleasant."

"It never is with Ozai," Aang sighed. "If he thinks that I will kill or perform some horrible atrocities for him, then he's sorely mistaken."

"Even if it would be to save the woman you love, the woman who's bearing your child?" Iroh asked. "Perhaps truly the last airbender?"

Aang shuddered at Iroh's words. "That's too horrible to even contemplate," he said, having gone white as a chalk. "I've always managed to find a better way than choosing between two evils. I must believe that I will manage to do so again."

"It's always a good idea to remain hopeful and not to be quick to sacrifice your ideals at the first sign of difficulties," Iroh nodded approvingly. "That is why you continue to impress me, Aang. Your attitude is worthy of admiration."

"Thank you, Uncle Iroh, but perhaps you should save these words for after I have managed to save On Ji and the baby," Aang sighed. "I won't feel so worthy of admiration if my unwillingness to compromise will get On Ji killed."

"True, but for what it's worth, I believe in you, young Avatar," Iroh smiled.

"I appreciate it," Aang nodded. He then fell silent, appearing unusually morose. "I wonder if I'll see the others with Ozai. You know, Chieftain Hakoda, Mai and June. I really hope that the men you interrogated were lying about Hakoda. Katara would be devastated if she had to find out that her father has involved himself in something like that. I just can't imagine him working for someone like Ozai. None of this makes sense!"

"There's a lot about this that doesn't make sense, my young friend, but I'm sure that we will know more soon," Iroh replied, sighing heavily. "But the only thing I'm certain of is that we both will have some difficult decisions to make ahead of us."

"I see you were not kidding about having news," Toph Beifong scowled, sitting down with the rest of the group at the Fire Nation embassy, having been brought up to date with the information delivered by Hakoda. "That's a whole bunch of other people we now need to be looking out for," she added, obviously referring to the names of Colonel Mongke, Mai, June and her pet shirshu, Nyla.

"Sorry about dumping all of that on you and your metalbending unit, Toph," Zuko apologized. "I know that in a city of this size, you probably have all sorts of other issues that need addressing."

"Eh," Toph shrugged. "I've always given you hard time for never involving me in anything fun. It would be really hypocritical of me to complain now that you've actually gotten me involved. Besides, I figure if something this big is brewing in my city, I better be prepared for whatever it turns out to be."

"It's always a good idea to be prepared," Azula nodded. "Did you have any news of your own? What about finding the healer who took care of the High Sage? Still nothing?"

"Actually, we did find this Water Tribe woman who healed someone that matches the description of the High Sage," Toph replied. "This waterbender told us how some dangerous looking people barged into her quarters and forced her to help in exchange for a bag of coins. But she didn't really know anything else, such as where they were heading afterwards. She just thought that they looked prepared for travel outside the city."

"In that case, I was right to suggest that your people scout out some of the surrounding areas," Suki said, nodding to herself. "There are plenty of forested mountains around the city. The geography here makes it very easy for a small force to hide."

"Yeah, it also makes it really hard to sniff out anyone who might be hiding there," Toph shrugged. "Or did you mean to suggest that I spend the next few weeks wandering around the surrounding mountains and use my earthbending to search for promising caves where they could be hiding? Suki, I can think of better use of my time."

"No, I don't think it's a reasonable expectation," Azula said. Suki looked at Azula, rolling her eyes, but decided not to say anything. "Look, Toph's team is stretched thin as it is, it would be silly to deplete them even further by sending a part of the group to search for a needle in the haystack… or in the forest, as it were," Azula added, having noticed Suki's displeasure.

"Well, you don't have to bicker about it, because I'm not sending my earthbenders for them to get lost in the nearby forests," Toph shrugged. "Besides, I have more news for you, and it's something that you haven't asked me about. But it's also something that ties in well with the information brought by your father, Katara."

"Oh?" Katara asked, looking curious. "What do you have for us, Toph?"

"A flying bison was spotted in the skies over the city earlier," Toph replied smugly.

"Aang is here?" Katara gasped.

"Of course, it makes a lot of sense," Azula said. "Remember, when we talked about informing Aang about what we have learned, we decided that there was no point because the kidnapper would be reaching out to him. And I think that has happened. Aang is here most likely because the kidnapper of On Ji has asked him to come here."

"This just proves that we're on the right track," Zuko nodded to himself. "Everything and everyone are converging onto Republic City. I wonder who will show up next?"

"Maybe your uncle?" Ty Lee asked.

"Hopefully not. We have no need of him," Azula said quickly, her voice dripping with bitterness. Nobody said anything to that, with uncomfortable silence threatening to set in.

"Anyway," Toph spoke up a while later. "I guess you'll want me to add Aang on the list of people we're looking for, right?"

"I think that would be a good idea," Katara nodded. "He obviously has no idea that we're here in the city."

"Well, he knows that I'm here, but he hasn't bothered to seek me out," now it was Toph's turn to sound a little bitter.

"I'm sure that with On Ji's fate on his mind, Aang just isn't thinking rationally right now," Suki said placatingly.

"All the more reason for us to try and reach out to him quickly," Katara said. "We possess information that could be very important for him. I just hope that he doesn't do something silly when confronting this kidnapper unprepared…"

Aang walked down the desolate streets of the once great trade hub of Taku, having left Appa on the outskirts of the ruins, close enough for his loyal friend to quickly come to aid in case of need. Even if Taku was reasonably close to Republic City, no effort had yet been made to repopulate the old port city. It was the same ghost town as it had been seven years ago when Aang had seen it for the first time. Back then, it had been just the three of them traveling on Appa's back, himself, Katara and Sokka. Despite the war raging on around them, looking back, those days still felt like simpler times.

With the ruined city sinking in darkness, Aang used his firebending to light the way. Fire was still the element he used the least and never felt truly comfortable with. For the longest of time, he had felt that way because his fire had hurt the one person that he had cherished above everyone else. And then later, he had further soured on firebending when Katara had chosen the princess of the Fire Nation and a firebending prodigy over him. They were petty reasons and Aang knew it, but fortunately, his lingering bitterness was fading day by day.

The kidnapper of his girlfriend hadn't included any more detailed information on where exactly to meet them, and Aang was quickly becoming frustrated, considering that the ruined city was of considerable size. He thought about using the bison whistle to call for Appa, but just as he was about to do so, an entire alley in front of him suddenly lit up as someone nearby must have used their firebending to light up a row of torches.

Alarmed, Aang started down the path illuminated by the torches, leading to a round square surrounded by broken statues that had once stood tall and proud. Aang was aware that with his bending removed, Ozai couldn't have pulled off this firebending trick, which meant that he had other benders in his employment. Aang had full confidence in the ability of the Avatar State to protect him, but still, he had no intentions of endangering himself needlessly.

As soon as Aang had reached the round square, a group of people emerged from behind an elevated dais, surrounded by more crumbled statues. A very familiar looking man was at the head of the group, even if he no longer looked as physically imposing as when Aang had last faced him in battle. Ozai made for a slightly gaunt figure, but there was still something threatening about the manner in which he carried himself. Tellingly, he was wearing the robes of the Fire Lord, lacking only the royal headpiece.

Before speaking up, Aang took his time to quickly survey the rest of the group accompanying Ozai. He saw half a dozen warriors in matching armor, wearing ornate masks and heavy cloaks draped across their shoulders. Aang could not fully trust his eyesight in the sparse light of the torches, but all of these warriors appeared to be women. He had never encountered anyone wearing this kind of garb before, and that alone was as good a reason as any to remain cautious.

There was another man with the group, sticking close to Ozai, and something about his appearance jogged Aang's memory. Aang was sure that this man was a rather powerful firebender and a leader of some mercenary group… the Rough Hippos? Still, the most important thing to Aang was the absence of On Ji, but he reminded himself that perhaps more of Ozai's lackeys lurked nearby, remaining hidden and holding a knife to On Ji's throat. The situation definitely required a very delicate touch.

"Avatar Aang," Ozai spoke up, addressing him. Aang could tell that the former Fire Lord was making his best attempt to sound imperious, but there was a slightly faltering quality to his voice. "I'm glad you decided to accept my invitation and followed my instructions to the letter. This pleases me."

"I don't really care if it pleases you or not, Ozai," Aang retorted, his reply making Ozai's face contort with anger. Still, even with On Ji's life hanging in balance, Aang was in no mood for fake civility. Ozai wanted something from him. He would not execute On Ji just because Aang was disrespectful towards him. "Return what you have taken, and I may stay my wrath," Aang finished.

Ozai and his lackeys seemed very amused by this threat. "Would that it be so easy for both of us, Avatar," Ozai said, descending from the dais and approaching him, showing no fear or hesitancy. "But we both know that you are prepared to do a lot for this young woman, and perhaps even more for her unborn child. What if this child is your only hope of not being truly the last airbender? Are you willing to gamble with the survival of your entire culture? I don't think so. That is why you will do what I ask of you."

"I promise nothing aside from hearing you out," Aang snapped, even if he knew that Ozai had him by the balls. He was already willing to do almost anything to keep On Ji alive, but with the baby added into the equation… indeed, there was little that Aang wouldn't do to see On Ji returned to him. "What is it that you want, Lord Ozai?" he asked, still refusing to address the man before him as the Fire Lord.

"Isn't it so very obvious?" Ozai laughed. "You committed the greatest transgression imaginable when you stripped me of my bending. Now, you will undo this horrible injustice. You will restore my bending."

"What makes you think I can even do that?" Aang asked. Even if he had never restored anyone's bending, deep inside he knew that what Ozai was asking for was very likely possible.

"Because you are the Avatar," Ozai replied confidently. "I am confident that you can figure it out. And I would advise you to find a way to do it fast, because if you won't do it, then your woman is useless to me and she will die."

"You would not hurt her," Aang stated confidently. "She is your only means of protection. Without her, nothing would stop me from taking you down."

"Death threats are wasted on a man who has spent the past seven years in a fugue state, worse than death," Ozai laughed. "Now, if we are done posturing, what will it be, Avatar? Will you agree to restore my bending?"

Aang sighed heavily. He wasn't really in a position to argue. Still, once On Ji was back safe with him, Aang knew that taking Ozai down would not be too hard, bending or not. He'd just have to do it fast, before the former Fire Lord had used his regained firebending to cause too much harm.

"Very well," Aang spoke firmly. "I will restore your bending."

Once again, it was a quiet evening at the Fire Nation embassy. Ursa and Ikem had hauled Kiyi off to bed, for once ignoring her protests. At least Kiyi was smart enough to keep her whining to the minimum, because her parents were still upset at her for sneaking off and shipping herself to Republic City in a crate. Hakoda had made a few attempts to speak with Katara throughout the day, but it had only led to Katara telling her father that she was still processing how she felt about seeing him, and that there would be time for talking later.

And it wasn't as if Katara was making excuses to delay the inevitable. Her father's attitude towards her relationship with Azula had hurt her deeply. If her father was sincere about having changed his mind about them being together, then that was a promising cornerstone from which to rebuild things between them, but Katara also didn't want to rush. She wanted to make sure that her father understood just how hurtful he had been. And sure, there were also some slightly petty reasons of simply making him worry that she might choose not to forgive him.

Still, this left Katara, Azula, Suki, Sokka, Ty Lee and Zuko hanging out in the common room connected to their respective private quarters, engaging in idle fun and games before it was time to retire. They were all exhausted at the end of yet another day of grueling training, and nobody was in the mood for anything more strenuous than a few games of Pai Sho. In their case, it meant a group effort against Azula, who was by far the superior player amongst them. In theory, it was Azula and Katara versus the others, but Katara had never truly mastered the game beyond a very casual level, so the only help she could offer her wife was moral support, not that Azula really needed it in order to crush her opposition.

"I'm thinking that starting from tomorrow we should go easier on our training practice," Sokka said as the group of four were impatiently waiting on Azula to make her move. Her brother's words sounded like music to Katara's ears. "It feels like the confrontation is coming closer and closer, and it just won't do for us to be this exhausted when we face off against Ozai."

"That's true," Zuko nodded in agreement. "If Aang has met… or is about to meet our father, then he'll probably have the information we need about how to track him down. We'll just have to somehow catch up with Aang."

"If this is some kind of pathetic attempt to throw me off my game by starting to discuss our strategy, then I can assure you that it won't work," Azula snorted, making her move with a Chrysanthemum tile that made her opponents groan all as one.

"You don't agree that we should cut back on training?" Suki asked.

"I do," Azula nodded. "I simply suspect that Sokka started talking about it right now in order to distract me."

"I would never do such a thing," Sokka smiled innocently. "I'm sure we're going to win this game fair and square."

"Like we always do, right?" Ty Lee laughed, winking at Sokka. Just then, everybody could hear the wails of a baby coming from the private quarters occupied by the Fire Lord and his Fire Lady. "Damn it, Izzy, not again…" Ty Lee sighed, getting up to her feet and quickly rushing back to their room.

"At least it shouldn't be too hard to find Aang once he reappears in the city," Suki mused, letting Sokka and Zuko discuss their next move as she seemed happy to take the back seat. "Appa is even more distinct than June's shirshu."

"On the account that a shirshu can't fly," Katara grinned.

"Imagine if it could fly, though," Suki said, shuddering.

"Oh… that would open so many tactical possibilities on how to use them…" Azula mused, immediately looking intrigued.

"Of course, you'd immediately think of some kind of insane scheme involving flying shirshu," Suki laughed, winking at Katara. "Are you sure your wife still isn't evil?"

"She was never evil, Suki," Katara snorted, giving her wife a loving stare. "Okay, she was a little evil. And a little bit of evil sometimes makes things a lot more fun," she winked back at Suki.

"I'm sure you would know," Suki replied, blushing slightly. "Anyway, are we making our move or not?" she said then, turning to urge the boys, still arguing about the best course of action.

"We are," Sokka replied, deciding to move the White Jade tile despite Zuko's protests. Katara could immediately see that Azula was a little annoyed. It seemed like her brother had managed to find an antidote to whatever Azula had been planning. "But yes, tomorrow we should focus our attention on finding Aang. Let's not leave everything to Toph and her metalbenders. There's no reason why we can't cover some ground ourselves and inquire about the Avatar. Everyone knows Aang, so finding him shouldn't be a problem. And we really need to hear from him before we can plan our next move."

"If Aang has already met Ozai," Suki began, looking a little nervous. "How do you think it would have gone?"

"I've no idea," Zuko said, but Katara thought that he looked a little nervous. "I'm worried that Aang's peace loving ways could stop him from doing what needs to be done."

"You mean, killing our father," Azula spoke up immediately, her voice harsh.

"I didn't mean that, Azula, not necessary," Zuko replied defensively. "But I do believe that our father needs to be stopped, and I believe that we must do whatever it takes to make sure of it."

"That's essentially the same sentiment, only worded slightly differently," Azula snorted. "Anyway, I think our father will probably find some way to get Aang to do something really stupid by dangling the threat to his pregnant girlfriend over his head. Until we know what our father has asked of Aang, we should remain very careful."

"Hmm, now I think you're being a little paranoid, love," Katara frowned at her wife. She was sure that Azula's old grudges with Aang were rearing their ugly head. Katara thought that at this point there really was no good reason to hold on to this old and bitter rivalry. "I'm absolutely certain that Aang would never agree to do something stupid. Even if it was in exchange for On Ji's life, I'm sure Aang would find a better way forward."

"Hah! Yes, yes, yes! Reborn! I have been reborn, like phoenix from the ashes!" Ozai laughed with a manic gleam in his eyes, watching bright red fire bursting from the tips of his outstretched fingers, as his ability to firebend appeared to have been properly restored by the coerced Avatar.

Aang watched the display of Ozai reveling in his firebending with a mildly horrified look on his face, wondering if he hadn't just committed a grave error of judgment. "I gave you what you wanted, Ozai," Aang eventually could not watch any more of Ozai performing one form of firebending after another, deciding to speak up. "Now you will give me what I want."

"Of course, Avatar… of course," Ozai whirled around to face him. Aang immediately fell into a defensive posture, fearing that the madman in front of him would launch into an attack. Instead, Ozai merely grinned wickedly at him. "I want you to tell me something, Avatar. Once I have returned your woman to you, what will you do next?"

Aang fell silent, wondering where Ozai was going with this. "I will bring On Ji to safety, of course," he replied earnestly.

"Understandable," Ozai nodded. "And what will you do afterwards?" Aang had to pause once again. Obviously, once On Ji was safe, Aang was coming back to make sure that Ozai could never hurt anyone again. He didn't want to say it out loud, but at the same time, Aang was certain that the former Fire Lord already knew the answer. "You mean to say that you won't come back to try and stop me?" Ozai asked, grinning knowingly. "Forgive me if I don't believe you. For this reason, you will understand that I cannot return the girl to you, not yet."

"But you promised-"

"No, I really, really didn't," Ozai shook his head, glaring menacingly. "I just said that restoring my bending was something you should do if you didn't want to see the girl hurt. I didn't say that I was going to free her. That would obviously be idiotic of me."

"You… you are a vile monster!" Aang sputtered angrily. "You will meet your fate eventually, and it won't be a pleasant one!"

"What, less pleasant than seven years in captivity with a part of the very fabric of my being ripped out and missing?" Ozai shot back. "Come and do your worst, Avatar. Strike me down. And then mourn over the body of your slain girlfriend and your unborn child."

Aang gritted his teeth, clenching his fists as he tried his utmost not to lash out at Ozai, an action that he knew would seal On Ji's fate. It was only due to his impressive willpower that Aang was able to stop himself. "What must I do to secure On Ji's release?" Aang asked, glaring at his old nemesis.

"Ah, now you're asking the right question, Avatar," Ozai replied smugly. "On Ji is my shield against your retribution. I can only return her in exchange for another hostage. Fortunately for you, it doesn't have to be someone from your closest circle of friends. I know that you foolishly value the sanctity of life above everything else, so you would never risk the life of any hostage."

"That's correct," Aang nodded. Because of his refusal to take Ozai's life, it seemed as if the former Fire Lord had developed an understanding of Aang's beliefs. "Who do you want me to bring in exchange for On Ji?" he asked.

"Oh, I have someone in mind," Ozai smirked, clicking his tongue. "Someone who once used to be my most valuable asset. Someone who shamefully fell from grace as soon as she was entrusted with the slightest personal responsibility, and someone who has much to do to earn the forgiveness of her father. Yes, that's right, Avatar Aang. I want my daughter at my side. I want Azula."

"Azula?" Aang asked, feeling taken aback by the request. From what he had heard, Azula had emphatically rejected Ozai the last time they had met. If the stories were to be trusted, Azula had bloodied her father's back with a whip. "If you think you can turn her to your cause, think again. She wants nothing to do with whatever your mad plans might be," Aang replied confidently. He wasn't Azula's greatest fan, not after everything that had happened, but he still disliked the idea of handing Azula back over into her father's care. Not when Aang had a much better understanding of just what Ozai had done to his children many years ago.

"Oh, I think you misunderstand the bond between me and my daughter," Ozai replied with booming laughter. "I've broken Azula before… and I will break her again."