Hello again, oh beloved reader! Here's an announcement for you: PLEASE VOTE IN THE POLL IF YOU HAVEN'T, BECAUSE I AM CLOSING IT THIS FRIDAY! So far, only two people have voted, and both of the votes are for different things. Also, guess what! I'm finally getting a computer that works without a charger. Yay! Anyway, time for my responses to your reviews.
Jokermask18: Thanks, I'm glad you're liking the story. Your reviews are much appreciated! Let me know what you think of this chapter! :p
prettyshon10: AANG LOVERS UNITE! Also, you're welcome for the longer chapter, and for the tea. I hope the tea managed to calm you a little bit. As for your ideal chapter, I do plan on combining two chapters into one at some point in this story, so maybe then you'll get that ideal chapter length. Thanks for reviewing!
KingRock980: Well, this is the chapter where you get to find that out. To be honest, I've been looking forward to writing this part of the story. Have you been looking forward to reading it? Out of pure curiosity, what are you most looking forward to in this story? I will dedicate that part of the story to you if you tell me. Thanks for the compliment and the review.
Ahlysha: Cliffhangers are surprisingly fun to write! Your reviews mean a lot to me, and the fact that your enjoying this story means a lot! :)
TrulyTruffla: Congrats on being my fifteenth reviewer! You get a, um, well, you get the knowledge of knowing that you were the fifteenth person to review this story! Thanks for the review!
On with the show!
Disclaimer: I do not own A:TLA. If I did, then why would I be writing fanfiction about it? I could just make this canon.
"Aang?!"
Katara wanted to laugh, cry, scream, and hug and or kiss Aang all at once. Team Avatar was together again! Katara didn't have to spend her days worrying whether or not the airbender was okay. No longer was there the need to wonder if Aang was as good at pretending to be a Rebel as he proclaimed, if he had managed to cover up his ability to bend more than just fire, if he had completely hidden his airbender approach to life. He was doing fine.
Aang, however, was nowhere near as happy as Katara was. The newest additions to the Rebel forces were starting to make him feel fairly uncomfortable. He did not appreciate the stares. They made him feel like some sort of celebrity, which was an oddly familiar feeling, though Aang didn't know why.
"Um, hi?" was all Aang could manage to mumble under the stares of the new recruits.
The dark-skinned girl sent Aang a rather odd look. She looked confused about something. Aang wasn't sure how he could be confusing her, when she was the one staring at people for no reason.
"Any reason you're all staring at me like that?"
The people who remembered Team Avatar exchanged baffled looks, excluding Toph, who was unable to exchange a look, though she was still just as confused. Aang should know why they were so excited to see him. If they knew Aang, and all three of them knew him quite well, he should've jumped up and down at the sight of them. He would take them some place private, and, once they were there, he would probably go on and on about how happy he was to see them, and he would then probably inform them on all that had happened to him since he'd last written to the them.
But, that wasn't even close to what he was doing now. He wasn't acting extremely excited at their presence. He wasn't bursting with enthusiasm. In fact, he was acting like they were complete strangers, and he seemed rather eager to get this tour over with. He was treating them like they were Lee, Wang, Lin, and Namika, not as if they were Zuko, Sokka, Toph,and Katara, his dearest friends and girlfriend.
The boy in question coughed to show that he was still their. The three newbies all whipped their heads around. They just remained silent, not sure what to say.
"Well, first, off, what are your names?" the boy asked the new Rebels.
Zuko looked at the others, before turning back to Aang.
"I'm Lee, and my friends here are Wang, Lin, and Namika," he replied to Aang, gesturing to each one of his friends in turn.
Katara, Sokka, and Toph wondered why Zuko had used their fake names, but they didn't question him. Instead, they all nodded at Aang.
"Nice to meet you!" Aang smiled at them, at least trying to be a bit more cheerful in spite of his lack of sleep. Katara was relieved to see Aang acting like himself for a second, though that still didn't help how worried she was.
"I do have one question, though," Aang continued.
"What is it?" Katara responded, trying to hide how upset she was even more than Aang was trying to hide how annoyed he was.
"How do you guys know my name?" Aang questioned, worried. He didn't fancy the idea of having stalkers, so he wanted to know if he had any, even though the idea of them stalking him as soon as they arrived at the hideout was ridiculous.
"Um,well..." Katara trailed off, unsure how to answer that.
"Is it because I'm Admiral Khon's apprentice?" Aang guessed, providing Katara with a convenient excuse.
"Yeah, that's right," she told the unsuspecting airbender.
"Right, we were just so, er, excited when we learned that you'd be giving us a tour. I guess we kind of embarrassed ourselves," Sokka added convincingly.
Aang laughed, "Honestly, I'm flattered, but don't treat me like I'm some sort of hero, because I really haven't done anything."
Katara smiled. At least Aang had kept his modesty.
"Well, let's get this tour started. This is what we call Central Plaza. It's where we prepare for our assignments, or just hang out if we have nothing to do," Aang began, gesturing to the shops around the vast area. There were also a few earthen chairs and benches to relax at.
"This is the main desk, not to be confused with the front desk, which is where you guys signed in. The main desk is for making reports, letting Admiral Khon know you can't do your mission due to sickness or some other cause, and collecting your payment for whatever you did that day," Aang explained, gesturing to the desk behind them.
"We get money?" Toph asked.
"Er, it doesn't really work like that, Lin," Aang responded, and Toph felt very odd when Aang called her by that name. According to his heartbeat, Aang fully believed that Lin was her name. Toph didn't like that in the slightest. She didn't like the idea of Aang treating her like some person he'd just met, not like an old friend. No longer would he get the inside jokes. No longer would he be able to understand when a certain member of the Gaang was teased, for he would have no clue what they were teasing said member for. The fact that he called her "Lin" so naturally seamed to symbolize how Aang was slipping, and Toph resolved to personally get Aang out of trouble.
"You see, for everything you do for the Rebels, you get points. You can use these to get supplies, or just goodies, from the shops," Aang informed her.
"Well, it's time to say goodbye to Central Plaza. Come on!" Aang said, hurrying to their next stop. He really wanted to get that nap in before training with Khon, which tended to exhaust him.
Aang showed them the bank, where they all decided to go ahead and start accounts, the cafeteria, Underage Division, which was like a daycare, and he was now approaching a fairly large entrance to a side tunnel. Torches dotted the may tunnels, so there was no need to use firebending to light the way.
"This is the Child Division. Are any of you ages seven through twelve?" Aang directed this question to "Lin", for she was the only one who looked like she could be in that age range.
"I'm twelve," stated Toph.
"That means you'll be staying here, but don't worry, when you turn thirteen you can move out. Anyway, about the Child Division, we handle mundane little things that the older Rebels don't have time for," Aang told the recruits,adding in his head, Giving a tour is one of these mundane little things. He opted not to share that thought with the others.
Aang had only managed to get in a much worse mood during the tour. His head was throbbing, having not hurt this bad in awhile. That dreaded "second person", as Aang remembered calling him, was starting to pop up again, and Aang had no idea why. He really needed another appointment with the Dai Li. Maybe he could get one after practicing with Khon.
Aang wasn't the only one in a bad mood. Whenever his back was turned, the rest of Team Avatar would discuss what to do with him. Katara disliked the idea of waiting and seeing what had exactly happened to the monk before doing anything major, but it was the only plan they could come up with. Toph didn't like it either, having felt herself from Aang's heartbeat how much the Avatar was being morphed into a Rebel.
"Members of this division do get to help out with more important things, but only a select few. We mainly stick to chores and training, which is why we are so close to the training area. The training area is right..." Aang trailed off, trying to remember how to get to the place where everyone honed their skills. He was used to training with Khon in their own private chamber, so he'd nearly forgotten the way. Finally recalling how to get there, he snapped his fingers and moved quickly onward, the newbies following close behind.
"This is the training area. We sometimes have some of the Youth Division members come and teach us, but normally we train on our own. Come on in," Aang said, walking into the room. The unrecognized members of Team Avatar followed.
"See that bulletin on the wall?" Aang inquired, pointing to a sign attached to the wall of the room. The Gaang nodded.
"That's where the older Rebels post what they want us to focus on. One of the Adult Division Rebels in charge of training will randomly appear after a new objective is posted to test how well you've mastered the technique. You never know what day they plan on showing up, so I suggest learning what ever they want you to as soon as it's posted. I learned that the hard way..." Aang trailed off sheepishly. Katara noticed a blush forming on cheeks, and was painfully reminded of the times Aang's adorable blush would appear when he was around her. Katara held back a long, reminiscent sigh as thoughts of her journey with Aang filled her head. With a glance at how Aang was treating them now, like complete strangers, she had to wonder. What went wrong?
"What happened?" Zuko asked, curious to know about Aang getting in trouble with the Rebels. Maybe that was how he had been caught, though Zuko doubted Aang would remember much before the Rebels had somehow managed to take control of him.
Aang suppressed a groan of annoyance, for he was not in the mood to tell stories and let this tour go on longer. He supposed he had it coming, though. He mentally scolded himself for letting them know about his getting a trouble.
"Nothing much, I just got a little lazy and didn't feel like training. Of course, this happened awhile back, and I don't remember much..." Aang wondered how many times he would trail off talking to these new recruits. He couldn't help it. Life before his injury was a blur, and talking about it tended to send Aang into a thoughtful silence, which usually ended in an appointment with the Dai Li. However, Aang had been putting up with pain for this long. He'd stick through a little more for the sake of finishing showing the new recruits around.
"Why can't you remember much?" Zuko pressed, unaware how much he was annoying the monk.
"I really don't feel like talking about that now," Aang tried to hold back his temper, but it was hard, as this was a difficult subject for him to talk about, and he already had enough of a headache.
"Couldn't you tell us anything?" Sokka asked, not getting the subtle hint that Aang was in no mood to discuss his forgotten past with anyone.
"Tell you what, I'll bet any member of the Dai Li, or any Rebel you can manage to get to talk to you, will be able to tell you about my wonderful backstory. You see, I've tended to be a good source of gossip for a long while, and everyone knows pretty much everything about me," Aang sounded as if that really bothered him. Not that Katara blamed him. If people constantly gossiped about her life, she'd probably be just as, if not more annoyed than Aang.
"So, as you can see, you've no need to get my story straight from the ostrich-horse's mouth. In fact, Wang, it would probably be easier on both of us if you just asked someone else," Aang finished, feeling fairly proud of himself for holding back his anger as well as he had. The boy had never been one for confrontation, a fact that the new recruits knew very, very well, though they weren't sure if he still felt that way about violence. Because of their worries that he might have warmed up to burning the faces off those who annoyed him, the Gaang decided not to continue pushing Aang, for now, at least.
The new recruits remained in nearly total silence throughout the rest of the tour, which Aang didn't mind at all. The only interruptions were when Aang had showed them two other Divisions, the Youth Division and the Adult Division, when he'd asked if any of them were the proper age for the Divisions.
It turned out that Zuko, Katara, and Sokka would all be in the Youth Division, for they fell within the age range, which was ages thirteen through sixteen. Katara was rather sad that she wouldn't be as close to Aang as she would have preferred, but at least Team Avatar wouldn't be even more separated. She had Sokka and Zuko, and Toph had the source of their coming here himself, even if he didn't remember her. Hopefully Toph would be able to bring Aang back to his old self while staying in the same Division as him.
Eventually they passed a room which Aang completely ignored, and Toph decided to break their self-imposed silence.
"What's that place?" she ask, pointing to the earthen room. She could feel with her feet that not many people were in there, and could tell from their heartbeats that they'd been working very hard. She could deduce from their rapidly beating hearts and their pacing that they were stressed about something. Toph thought that it might help them later to know something detrimental to the Rebels.
"Oh, that's the Elite Division. Only the best of the best get to be a part of that Division. They handle the real important missions, but they almost never show themselves to the rest of us. One moment you'll be talking to your friend, the next, he'll be a part of the Elite Division, and you might not ever see him again. They don't like to be interrupted much, so I just ignored them," Aang responded, though that wasn't the real reason. In his haste to finish up the tour, he'd honestly just forgotten about the Elite Division.
"So, let's see. I guess I can show you the prison," Aang was about to march onward once more, when he noticed the form of none other than Goro running toward him.
Gasping for breath, Goro said to the shocked people in front of him, "Admiral...Khon...wishes...to speak...to...all of...yeh...in...your private...trainin' area."
"He does? Please tell me he's not mad," Aang wasn't having the best of days, and an angry Khon would definitely not be the best way to make him feel any better.
"Just...at...me," Goro offered a slight smile.
"Well, let's not keep a mad Admiral Khon waiting!" Aang said. He rushed in the direction of the area where he'd practiced so much with Khon. Everyone followed his example.
Admiral Khon was not in a good mood to say the least. How could Goro have been such a fool? The new recruits had probably recognized the Avatar's name when it had been told to them, and who knew what they'd done then? They might have said something to trigger an old memory of his apprentice's past life! He needed to explain things to them before his plan was ruined, and he needed to make sure that Aang wasn't remembering anything.
With these thoughts in mind, he awaited the arrival of Goro, Aang, and the new recruits. It was not going to be a pleasant meeting for anyone.
Aang was not about to let his teacher wait any longer than he already had. Aang had learned that a Khon who'd had time to sit around and seethe in a pool of his own anger was far worse than a Knon who hadn't had time to dwell on it and let it bubble to the surface, ready to be unleashed. Aang's panic was evident on his face and his speedy heartbeat, which left the rest of Team Avatar wondering who could possibly make Aang that nervous. The group's nervousness could be felt in the air, and it was this nervous anticipation that accompanied them all the way to the admiral's and Aang's private practice chamber.
Goro was tense as he walked in the chamber when they arrived, followed nervously by Team Avatar, though Aang did not know he was a part of said team.
"Hello, fellow Rebels."
The cold voice filled his visitors with dread, especially Aang, who knew that this was exactly what Admiral Khon sounded like when he was angry.
"Y-you wanted to see us?" Aang stammered.
"What was that? How did you just address me?" Aang's eyes widened in panic. Why did he have to go and forget to address his teacher properly now.
"Y-you wanted to s-see us, sir," Aang corrected quickly.
"Much better. Now, as to why I requested you all to come, you see, there has been a problem that needs fixing."
Aang looked away from the crack in the floor that had become very interesting to him since Khon had scolded him. "What happened, Sifu Khon? Was it the firelord's army?" the boy asked in alarm.
It stung Katara, Sokka, Zuko, and Toph to hear Aang call Khon "Sifu Khon." They didn't like the idea of him becoming close to the Rebels. They also didn't like how Aang acted like Khon's cowering slave. He was acting like the admiral was his master. It sickened them.
"No, my dear pupil, nothing like that," Khon responded, listening happily to his apprentice's sigh of relief. Maybe he wasn't recalling any old, locked away memories.
"Then what is it, sir?" Aang questioned.
"It's just a misunderstanding, really. In order to explain it properly, though, I think I'll need to talk to the new recruits in private, first," the admiral said. Aang barely managed not to protest, even though he strongly wanted to know what had happened.
"Okay, I'll leave, Sifu Khon. Would you like me to wait outside with Goro?"
"I think it's about time for your next appointment with the Dai Li, actually. Goro," he said, shifting his attention to the scared teen, who jumped, "take Aang to the Dai Li."
Goro nodded. grabbing Aang and dragging him out of the room. Aang was rather relieved at the excuse for an appointment with Feng. His head was killing him.
The rest of Team Avatar weren't nearly as pleased. The absence of Aang left them feeling scared of their own shadows. They did not want to be alone with Admiral Khon.
"Well, it's nice to meet you all. Let's see, your names are Namika, Wang, Lin, and Lee, if I'm not mistaken?" questioned the admiral, pointing to each of them in turn. They all nodded.
"Good, now as you've probably already guessed, I'm Admiral Khon, head of the Rebels. Yes, there are other leaders in other places, but this is the main headquarters, and I am the main leader," Khon began. The "new recruits" wondered why he was telling them this.
"Now, enough with the introductions, let me tell you why you're here. You see, when Goro came and gave me your information, he told me that my apprentice, Aang, had been appointed to give you a tour. I'm sure you recognized his name as the name of the Avatar..." at Team Avatar's slightly worried nods he continued, "...I thought so. That worried me. I was afraid that you would accidently let it slip to him that he was the Avatar, which is why I called you here. I needed to let you know what we've done to him before anything devastating happened," Team Avatar waited with bated breaths. Were they about to find out what had happened to Aang?
"Well, about three months ago, Aang joined our ranks as our newest recruit, under the name Kuzon. He progressed well, and I knew he'd be a great Rebel one day. He was a natural. However, Aang was unable to keep his identity a secret for long. He had managed to keep truth from us for an impressive amount of time, but the truth always comes out in the end. One day, I decided to reveal my Plan of Revival to my followers. I suppose something I said upset him greatly, for he immediately leaped up and protested. It wasn't long after that that we found out who he was, and we locked him up in the most secure prison cell we had," Team Avatar fought back winces. They didn't like the thought of Aang in prison.
Khon resumed, "I was seriously considering torturing, and eventually killing the Avatar. It seemed to be a prime opportunity, but as I paced around in the chamber we're in now, I couldn't help but recall all the potential for greatness he'd shown. I thought about what a shame it was for such a powerful bender to be locked up in a prison, slowly rotting away. That's when I remembered that the Dai Li could brainwash people," It suddenly dawned on the Gaang what had happened to Aang. It was the same thing that Jet had gone through. Aang had been brainwashed by the Dai Li.
"Um, sir, can't Dai Li brainwashing be overcome?" questioned Katara. Hadn't Jet overcome it?
"That used to be the case, yes, and it probably still is. However, it's much harder now. The Dai Li have improved their techniques, and they've been working with Aang weekly, sometimes a few days in a row. The more time they have with him, the less chance there will be of him returning to his previous ideals. You do need to be careful, though. He had a big blowout recently. We had invaded the asylum where Princess Azula was being kept, and Aang encountered the firelord. Feng, the Dai Li hypnotist, and I believe that the firelord must've accused Aang of doing something that went completely against his former self's beliefs. That caused Aang's repressed memories to resurface, and he nearly went mad from confusion. We managed to get him better now, but he's still recovering, so you need to be careful around him," Zuko felt like a fool. He'd almost caused Aang to go mad. He felt terrible.
"That is all I wanted to tell you. You may leave now. When you see Aang, tell him I'd like another practice session with him. First, however, what Divisions are you all in?" Team Avatar told him, and he told them to go back to Central Plaza and and apply for a room.
"Well," Toph said ten minutes later as they each headed for there rooms, "that went well!"
Hey, this is my longest chapter yet! I apologize for the long wait. Let me know what you think!