Chapter three
"Wake up love birds!" Sokka shouted as he began to pack up the camp site. The three of them were still at the South Air Temple, but this morning they planned to go on to Kyoshi Island to see Suki Please let her remember… Sokka pleaded to the spirits as he continued his work around the camp.
Aang opened his eyes, and felt a weight to his right, he glanced over to see Katara leaning into him, and she was also waking up.
"It's so rare when I wake up before you guys, but then, I guess you just got a good night's sleep and all." Sokka continued, smiling at them as he packed the rest of his things.
"Sokka!" Katara burst forth, "You'd do the same thing with Suki! So you shouldn't antagonize us for it!"
Sokka moved the finger waving in his face, and turned around and waved his own hand dismissively, "Yeah yeah, I packed everything that we took off Appa yesterday, are there any last errands you need to do here?"
"Aang still needs to find the mirror."
"No," Aang finally stood up and stretched, "Sokka and I dealt with that yesterday when you were mad at us. We decided it was best to hide it here."
"Oh." Katara mumbled, "Well, I guess we're ready to head out then."
"All right! Kyoshi Island here we come!" Sokka cheered.
The three got on top of Appa a little bit later, and soon they were off flying to their newest destination. It took roughly two days to get there, each night they'd have Appa land on an island and rest, and early every morning they would fly off again. Sokka began to notice that Aang and Katara always slept on Appa together, but he chose to do nothing about it other than tease them. They were in their mid to late twenties – mentally anyway, so who was he to judge what her sister did at such an age? Even though she was technically a fourteen year old girl again…
Still, when he watched the two of them be together, he would miss Suki, and at night he wished she was with them to keep him company, and to practice with him, considering both Katara and Aang never used weapons when they fought. At least Suki was willing to learn how to use a sword! He would think to himself as he practiced by himself one day when they landed for the night.
Of course they'd all do his version of a warm-up, but after that they'd split up into their specialties, which meant Aang and Katara would more often than not practice waterbending with one another, and he would be forced to use a sword alone. It was lonely, but he never allowed them to know that he missed having a sparring partner, and most of all, he just missed having someone to spend time with like Aang did with Katara.
However, he knew at the moment his desires were not important, he had to continue to train, so he could be better prepared to save the world, and better prepared to help the Avatar. That was his goal, and the thing that kept him going on, the hope for a world without the constant threat of the Fire Nation.
On the third day, they landed on Kyoshi Island on the same beach they had landed on in the previous timeline. The only reason Aang knew that, he claimed, was because he remembered where he rode the Unagi. The sun was just about to reach its peak, meaning that it was roughly noon, so they had plenty of time that day to do what they needed.
"Let's train for a little bit then." Sokka said, "If the Kyoshi Warriors are any good, they will notice we're here within minutes and apprehend us."
"And hopefully Suki will be leading them." Aang said, speaking Sokka's unspoken desire.
"Yeah," Sokka said nodding, as he began to begin his warm-ups. He then noticed that Aang and Katara were both simply lying down on Appa, not doing anything.
"What are you two doing?"
"We've trained for the past couple of days." Aang said, "And what's the point of training if we're going to have to stop in a few moments?"
"You two," Sokka shook his head, "It doesn't matter, with what we have to face in the future; we should do everything in our power to prepare for it! Even if we work out for a few minutes, it's better than doing nothing!"
Katara hesitantly nodded, "You're right; I suppose we should be training as often as possible for the things we'll be facing soon."
Aang and Katara nodded, and sluggishly followed behind Sokka. Even though they knew the dangers, their drive to train themselves constantly was nowhere near Sokka's level of enthusiasm he had for training. They both knew it all started when Sokka got the sword, but to be fair, it was a welcomed change, and really helped out the group in the long run, so they trudged on, knowing that this was to better themselves.
Eventually they completed the warm-up, and everyone went to train in their respective specialty, Sokka with his sword, while Aang surprisingly decided to practice bending a few other elements, telling Katara that he needed to use them from time to time, to which she said she understood. She then went to the ocean and began her own form of training.
Another ten minutes passed, and Sokka briefly wondered if they should go into the town, but his train of thought stopped when as he swung his sword downward for maybe the hundredth time, a figure shot out of the tree line surrounding the beach, and intercepted the blade with a bladed fan. Sokka's thoughts, which had retreated to the back of his mind as he did the monotonous workout, came back immediately as he heard the clash of metal.
He took one look at the person in front of him, wearing the green armor, white and red face paint, and a huge grin covering her face. He couldn't help but smile himself as he swung his sword to the side, away from the fan, and tried to sweep the girl the girl off her feet with the flat edge of the blade, but she jumped over it, and continued her assault on him.
The two continued to evade each other's attacks, and if they were going to land a lethal blow, they were sure to pull back at the last minute, but it was never a needed precaution, both of the fighters never allowed themselves to be open like that. However, soon it was becoming apparent that both of them were getting tired, and eventually Sokka was the one to back and sheath his sword.
He then lets out a ragged breath, "I'm way too out of shape to be training for so long like that." He gasped out.
The girl nodded, "Yeah, you were always weak when you were a kid." She taunted, but it was half-hearted, for she was also feeling near exhausted. She put her own weapons away, and soon the two were staring at one another.
"Suki, it's so good to see you!" Sokka cried as he jumped forth and grabbed the girl in a tight hug, Suki did the same and both of them held each other in an embrace.
"I missed you too! I was so worried that you guys wouldn't remember!"
Aang laughed at that finally stepping towards the two of them along with Katara. He and Katara had watched from the side lines, knowing all along that it was Suki, and they knew Sokka would want to train with her for a little bit. "Sokka was worried sick that you wouldn't remember."
"Yeah, it was adorable." Katara added, teasing Sokka, but none of her words go through as Sokka continued the embrace.
Finally after a minute, the two let go, and Suki hugged Aang as well, "It's so good to see you guys again!"
"You too Suki," Aang said hugging the girl back, Katara and Suki also embraced one another before letting go.
"Well, you guys want to come to my village then? I'm sure they'll be happy to have the Avatar come here."
"Sure." Aang said, "But where are the other warriors?"
"I had them patrol the other side of the island, that way I can meet with you guys without them finding out that we secretly knew each other from a different time."
"Wouldn't they get a little suspicious though?" Katara asked.
"Yes," She admitted, "It is an odd order, especially since we do regular patrols around the island for training purposes, but since I came back I have been doing it like this so they wouldn't get too suspicious of me."
"Nice." Sokka replied, "But how did you know it was really 'us'?"
"Well," Suki said, faking a thinking pose, "The Sokka I remember always used a sword in combat, and if I'm not mistaken, that is a sword you're carrying with you."
Sokka laughed sheepishly, "Ok, that's a good point."
"Suki, won't the other warriors be suspicious that one of your solo patrols ended up finding the Avatar?" Katara wondered, "I just don't want you to get in trouble is all." She said when Suki glanced back at her.
"Yes, they will be, but in the end, there's nothing that will link me to being from the future, and I know you guys will not hut my people, so they will eventually come around."
"That's good to know." Aang sighed, "It would be horrible if you got in trouble because of us."
Suki laughed it off, "Please, Aang, I would have to commit high treason against this Island in order to get a punishment that would even remotely scare me."
Aang thought on that for a little bit, before shrugging, "If you say so."
It took less than ten minutes for them to reach the village, and once Suki walked towards the village with the Avatar and his friends, a crowd quickly began to form around them. Soon enough, the leader of the village, Oyaji came up to them, eyeing the new comers warily.
"Suki, who are these strange people you brought with you? You know we don't allow outsiders to come to our village."
"I apologize, but this boy here is the Avatar."
"The Avatar?" He said, looking at Aang with a critical eye, he stepped forward and walked around the boy, it was intense for the group, but it passed when the elder smiled, "if Suki believes you to be the Avatar, then I will not question her decision."
"Thank you." Aang said bowing low.
"Please, stay in our village for a little while." The man said, patting Aang on the back, "To see the Avatar again after such a long time brings forth hope which I have long forgotten."
"I will do my best to not cause trouble." Aang said, accepting the invitation.
Upon hearing of Aang being the Avatar, the crowd went wild, including a young man who burst forth, and began to foam at the mouth at hearing the news, before he collapsed to the ground. The people surrounding the man just ignored him, and continued to cheer for Aang.
After a little bit, the crowd began to push Aang around, and he was being pulled away from his friends. He looked back with a helpless look on his face, with a nervous smile as he was dragged across the village by his new fans… again. Katara walked after him, laughing the entire time, while Sokka was about to follow, but Suki held him back and made him follow her.
Soon, the two were at the dojo where Suki and her warriors would train, and as soon as they entered, Sokka grabbed Suki around the waist and pulled her into a kiss.
"I'm so glad you're with me." Sokka said as they pulled apart.
Suki doesn't even say anything, but just kisses Sokka again instead.
"Having fun Aang?" Katara laughed as the two entered the house that was set up for them, well in Aang's case he rushed in and nearly slammed the door in two when Katara entered right behind him.
Aang's gray eyes locked with Katara's, and he narrowed them at her, "You know I don't appreciate that much attention." He slid down the door, and let out a soft sigh.
"You should spoil yourself Aang." Katara said, the smile never leaving her face, "After all, you're giving this village hope after so many long years." He glanced out a nearby window, seeing the sunlight shine into the room, "You should appreciate it."
"Yeah," Aang muttered, "It's been hard for me to appreciate anything since-"
"Don't even start." Katara snapped, "If you go into one of your pity rants again, I will walk right out of here."
There was a very uncomfortable silence following the statement, but eventually Aang sighed, "Yeah, I know, you're right." He sat up and stretched, "I know you're right." He said again, "But it doesn't make it any easier to accept."
"Just go out there and have a good time like you did last time when we were here as kids."
"Have fun?" Aang questioned, "I barely remember what I did here, besides get eaten by the Onagi."
Katara chuckled to herself, "Well, you went out in town with all your new fan girls and began to let the fame get to your head while you had fun with them - I only remember because it's my first memory of me getting worried, angry, and maybe a tiny bit jealous all at the same time."
"I see." Aang said, "This time though, I'm not letting the fame get to my head, so I guess I'll just sit in here and, do something." He shrugged looking around. The house was very nice, but had little in the way of entertainment.
"I'll be honest Aang," Katara said, "I thought you were going to go right back out there and play with your fans while you still had the chance to do so."
This caused him to laugh, "I'll only do it if you come along."
Katara smiled, and the two leaned forward to kiss one another.
"Come on," Katara said as they parted, "Let's go into the village and have fun."
"Sure." Aang said, holding out his arm for her. She giggled as she interlinked her own with his, and the two walked towards the door.
Before the left though, Katara whispered, "You know, it's really weird, being one of the taller people of the group, and you being the smallest."
"Yeah, it's weird having to look up a little when talking with you now."
The two shared a smile as they walked out of the building.
"The Avatar is on this Island, I'm sure of it." Zuko said aloud on his ship when they came towards the Island. He had his crew drop the anchor a small distance away from the Island, so they wouldn't be alerted to their presence.
"Would you like to send out a group of men to retrieve the Avatar?" One of his men asked.
Zuko pretended to ponder the question, moving his eyes to the left, and a frown crossing his face. Finally, he looked forward in determination, "No, I'm going to go alone – disguised. That way I can be one hundred percent sure that the Avatar is really on the Island before we attack."
With that, he walked into the ship to his room, where he began to remove his armor, and found a cloak he could use to cover himself. He then looked up and grabbed his dual Dao swords. With that out of the way, he began to walk back out of the ship, but before he can get outside, he is intercepted by Iroh.
"Why do you want to go out there by yourself?"
"Because if I do go with more than one person, the Avatar will know, and be able to escape before I can do anything about it."
"That is true Prince Zuko, but I just ask because a week ago, you wouldn't have done this course of action. I don't know what changed you, but it seemed to have made you into a much more effective hunter." Iroh rubbed his beard, keeping an eye on Zuko as they exited the ship back out into the sunlight.
"I figure being subtle is the best way to go." Zuko said, again avoiding eye contact with his uncle.
"I have no doubt of that, Prince Zuko, but it's quite a stretch for your personality. If you haven't noticed, the men on board the ship have been keeping distance from you because of it."
"I have." Zuko sighed, "I have just been thinking a lot lately, that's all."
"Are you sure?" Iroh pressed on.
"Yes, I'm sure. Now I need to go before it gets too late." He said this while looking up at the sun, which was beginning to set on the horizon.
"Very well, please be careful."
"I will." Zuko said as he got into a smaller boat to travel to the Island on.
The crew launched it as soon as possible, and soon Zuko was heading towards Kyoshi Island. Back up on the main ship, Iroh was busy trying to decipher Zuko's odd behavior when he looked out in the distance, "Hm, what would another Fire Nation ship do coming here?" He pondered aloud, before shrugging and going back inside.
On the Island, Zuko began his trek to the village, using the increasing shadows from the waning sunlight as his cover. He darted from tree to tree, making sure to thoroughly examine everything before moving forward. The process, while effective, was not very time effective, and the Sun was all the way down before he even saw the lights of the village.
They seem to be celebrating. He noted, before getting closer. From the borders of the town, Zuko watched as people gathered around the newly painted monument of Kyoshi, and watched as they had a party. Not one to be in on the festivities, Zuko watching the crowd to see if you could find anyone familiar. Zuko was able to deduct that since the village was celebrating in front of the Avatar's previous reincarnation that he had to be there.
Or I hope. Zuko thought as he darted in between the houses, allowing the darkness to cover him. He watched the crowd from many angles, until finally he saw Sokka. The boy was happily chatting away with Suki as they walked away from the crowd of people, and then they turned and entered a very nice looking house.
Bingo. Zuko thought to himself as he swiftly darted from his house to the shadows of the house Sokka and Suki had entered, and he looked around for a window that he could enter.
Inside the house, Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Suki was sit around in a small circle in the bedroom with candles surrounding them for light. Aang and Katara were both leaning on one another, while Sokka and Suki did the same, but it was obvious that Katara and Aang were bummed out that the other two got into the room so early.
"Look," Sokka sighed, "If you want Suki and I will go back outside and play around for another ten minutes while you two do whatever it was you were doing."
"No, we're fine." Aang said.
"That's good." Sokka nodded in agreement, "It's been bothering me, but Aang, remember your body's age, and try not to act on your mental age."
"Will do Sokka," Aang said blushing only slightly.
"Sokka!" Katara yelped, "Only you would say that while I'm still here!"
"Hey," Sokka said, "It had to be said, you two are still a little young for those kinds of things."
"And you and Suki aren't?"
Both Aang and Suki looked around, getting a little uncomfortable with where this was heading. They glanced towards one another and nodded, "Uh, Katara, I really don't mind. You don't need to make a big deal out of it." He said patting her arm.
She let out a sigh, and let up on her assault.
Suki coughed to regain their attention, "So anyway Aang, why aren't you out celebrating with the rest of the village?"
"I just don't like crowds." Aang said, looking uncomfortable again. Katara glanced sideways at Aang, knowing the real reason he didn't want to – his guilt, but if he didn't want to share his problem with the others, she wasn't going to tell on him.
"Oh." Suki said, before shrugging.
"Anyway, we need to start planning guys." Sokka said, "I was able to get this map thanks to Oyaji, so we can plan our moves with this." He put it down, "As you can see, there aren't many details on the Fire Nation on it, but I don't think we need to worry about that for a few more months. Now if you all remember last time, the comet arrived at the end of summer of next year. So that gives us a little less than nine months to act on our future knowledge before it happens."
As he said this, his audience went from laid back to very attentive.
"Here's where we are." He pointed to a small dot on the bottom of the map, "I don't remember everything we did, it was roughly ten years ago after all, but from what I do remember, we managed to fix a lot of problems along the way on our journey to the North Pole. So the question is, do you want to attempt to help these same people again?"
"Haru, Teo, the Freedom Fights," Katara listed from the top of her head, "We can't just leave them like that, we have to help them."
Sokka sighed, but had a small smile, "I knew you'd say that."
"I agree with Katara," Aang said, "We know the destinations, so we should do everything in our power to save these people, especially the ones who helped us during the invasion."
At the mention of the failed invasion, everyone seem to look down, the depressing mood was obvious to any who would enter the room.
"I guess you all really miss me."
Their heads snapped up as Zuko climbed in from the window, they were tense, but the moment Zuko took his hood off, everyone in the room relaxed, and Katara even smiled, "Zuko!" She said, getting up to go hug him.
"Hey," He said, hugging her back, "It's good to see you all again."
Once Katara had released him, he sat down in the circle the group had formed, and grabbed at a few candles that weren't lit. He touched the wick with his thumb and index finger, and a small spark later a fire came to life on it.
"I miss that so much." Sokka said, "It beats using rocks to try and get a spark to do it."
Suki laughed a little, making everyone look at her, "Sorry," She said, "It's just your hair Zuko."
"Yeah," He shrugged, "I don't like it a whole lot either, but I can't cut it off or else my uncle would really begin to suspect something is wrong."
"It sounds like he's all ready suspicious." Sokka pointed out.
"He is very suspicious." Zuko confirmed, "He is very perceptive, he notices every little thing I do differently, and I know he doesn't believe my explanations, but I have been doing my best to divert his attention away from it. I think I should tell him soon though."
Aang nodded, "We will soon," When everyone besides Zuko gave him a curious glance he added, "I'm going to tell King Bumi, he is my best friend, and I know he could help us."
"Are you two sure?" Katara asked, "It sounds risky to tell anyone."
"Don't worry; they are the only two who should know about it."
"I agree with them." Suki said.
"I guess that's settled," Sokka said shrugging, "we need to move on to things that need our immediate attention though, none of you guys have said anything about our secret, right?"
Everyone nodded.
"Good." He sighed, "Zuko, have you met Zhao yet?"
"No." Zuko nearly snarled, "I have been avoiding any confrontation with him since I got here. He shouldn't know that you exist yet Aang."
"That is good; it'll buy us some more time for planning." Sokka nodded approvingly.
"I think you guys should get Toph to join you as soon as possible." Zuko suggested, "She is probably going nuts knowing that we're all out here, all ready doing our parts, while she is stuck at her house."
Aang nodded, "Yeah, they're probably calling her helpless, and saying she couldn't harm a fly." He shuddered, "I think she's probably going insane."
"It's only been a week since we got back." Sokka said, shrugging, "I'm sure she's fine."
"Do you and I know the same person?" Katara asked.
"Fine, fine, you're probably right." Sokka said, "We should go get her as soon as possible."
"I just hope she stays there and doesn't try to run off." Suki said.
"I wouldn't worry about it," Zuko chimed in, "She is a smart girl, she knows that it's best if she just holds tight and waits for you guys."
"Ok," Sokka said, breaking into the conversation again, "The plan right now is to go get Toph as soon as possible, and then what?"
"We go to Omashu." Katara said, then she turned to Zuko, "You should start traveling to Omashu, its a little ways off the coast, but if you come with your uncle, and act like a refugee, then we can tell both Bumi and Iroh at the same time, and also plan what to do next."
"That sounds good to me," Aang agreed, to which everyone else sounded their agreement as well.
"Do you guys have an estimate on when you'll arrive in Omashu?"
"Considering it will take us about three days to reach Gaoling to get Toph," Sokka said looking at the map and mumbling to himself, he finally concluded, "About a week from now I would guess, and that is if we go at maximum speed and not run into any problems."
"Ok, I'll be there as soon as I can." Zuko said, "I will be wandering near the main gate of the city so that I can spot you if I arrive there after I do."
"Sounds good, and we'll wait for you at the gates if we don't see you there," Sokka said, rolling up the map.
At that the group broke apart, with Katara heading outside, and Suki following her. Inside, the three boys sat near each other.
"I'm sorry I hit you so hard when we fought Sokka." Zuko said, "I explained it to Aang, but my men have seen me fight, and they know when I'm holding back."
"Don't worry about it," Sokka said waving it off, "It toughened me up. If you want though, we could duel each other on equal terms later on. It has been a while since I have fought you using your dual swords."
"It'll have to wait for a while, since I'm part of the Fire Nation after all."
"Right," Sokka said waving it off.
Outside Katara is stilling on the steps to the house and watching a full moon when Suki sat near her. Katara didn't even look at the girl, but just kept looking at the moon. Suki decided not to say anything, and just allowed herself to be absorbed into the atmosphere – the festival was coming to a close, the moon provided a decent amount of light, and it was very peaceful out. The only downside was that it was chilly outside.
Suki involuntarily shuddered at the thought, and envied Katara's decision to wear her fur coat. Finally, after a few minutes of this, she asked, "Do you plan on ever using Bloodbending this time?"
"No." Katara responded immediately, she seem to be hiding in her long hair at the thought, "I will never do something so horrible."
"What if it meant life or death?" Suki asked, pressing on, but she immediately regret it upon seeing Katara's fear-stricken face.
"Bloodbending is not something I plan to ever use, the feeling of having control of a person so thoroughly, able to end their life right there if I wanted…" She shook her head, "I don't want to think about it."
Suki nodded, "I'm sorry Katara, I don't know what came over me to ask something so insensitive."
Katara shook her head, "It's all right."
"So, uh, Toph," Suki started trying to change the subject before they were in an uncomfortable silence again, "Do you think Zuko wanted to go get her more than we did?"
Katara smiled, "Yeah, considering he saw us with Aang and Sokka, he probably feels a little left out."
"Were they ever officially together though?" Suki wondered aloud.
"They always claimed they didn't have an interest in one another, but it was obvious to anyone that they cared for each other."
"They were good for each other." Katara concluded, "Toph was very blunt in what she said, while Zuko was always really soft spoken."
"Yeah, they were practically opposites."
"Besides the fact that they are both rich beyond our imagination," Katara replied.
Suki nodded along, and the two stopped talking - Katara to focus on her thoughts, while Suki just decided to allow Katara to think for the time being.
Katara glanced at the moon again, I will never Bloodbend, that's a promise.
Their musings were stopped when suddenly the night sky began to light up far too quickly, and before they could even shout, a fireball started to descend towards the village.
"Fire Nation?" Katara shouted in surprise, "What are they doing here?"
The explosion from the fireball brought the boys outside to see what had happened. Zuko looked on in shocked, "I told my men not to attack!" He growled, but stopped when he noticed who was leading the force, "Oh no, these aren't my men, Aang, you got to get out of here!"
"Why, what is going on?" Aang said, watching the Fire Nation begin to go down the street on their Komodo Rhinos, and the one leading the attack, "Zhao." Aang muttered the name, memories of the hateful man coming to his head, "What is he doing here?"
"He must have followed me." Zuko said, cursing his stupidity, "I should have checked!"
"You can't do anything about it now Zuko, you have to go back to your ship, and if Zhao saw you here it would ruin all our plans!" Katara said gripping his shoulder.
Zuko looked down gritting his teeth, but finally let out a drawn out sigh, "You're right, I need to head back to the ship. Take care of Zhao for me."
With that he pulled his hood over his head and made a run for it, going into the woods, avoiding any onlookers. When he was safely away, the rest of the children looked at Zhao. Aang ran inside to grab his staff, Sokka pulled his sword out of his sheath, Suki grabbed both her fans, and Katara knelt down, ready to bend water when it was most needed.
"Remember, don't reveal too much of your power." He reminded them, though it was mostly directed at Aang and Katara. They agreed, and tensed as Zhao spotted them and made the beast riding him go over to them.
Zhao was as intimidating as he was in the previous lifetime, he held himself in high regard, not allowing even the Avatar to faze him. The burning fires all around him contrast with the darkness, creating shadows across his face that disorted it from a distance, making him look more like a demon than just the Firebending captain he currently was.
"An Airbender?" He said, first looking at Aang's clothing, and then at the mark covering his forehead, "That must mean you're the Avatar." His voice suggested that he was not very surprised to see him, "I figured following Zuko would be a smart idea, but to lead to this?" He laughed, "I will be rewards beyond my wildest dreams! Avatar, you're my prisoner now." Zhao began to come forth on his mount.
"Not if we can help it." Sokka said before jumping forward with his sword. Zhao reigned the Komodo Rhino in because Sokka could cause any damage, and the sword hit the beast, which, thanks to it tough skin, did little damage.
"Oh, a sword fighter then?" Zhao said mockingly, "Nothing compared to my ability to-"
He was stopped when Suki kicked him off the saddle of the beast, making him roll away, and the mount to run off. Zhao glared at the girl hatefully, "I swear we will destroy your village for that girl," He slowly climbed to his feet. That is when Aang and Katara both struck, Aang shooting the man with a blast of wind, while Katara threw her water in to the path of the wind, making the water form into little balls of ice. The wind carried the ice at such a speed that each on that hit him gashed his skin.
"I said no advanced stuff!" Sokka whined.
"I will not be outmatched by mere children!" Zhao yelled, rubbing blood off his cheek. Upon hearing the declaration, several soldiers got to Zhao's side to assist in fighting the Avatar and his friends.
"Aang, Katara, you two handle Zhao. Suki and I will handle the others."
"How are we supposed to fight him without using our more powerful techniques?" Katara said glaring at him.
"What?" Sokka sputtered, "That ice trick wasn't a 'powerful' technique?" He screeched, "You can do a little bit, but please try not to let on you're a master."
"If you kids are done whispering to one another, I would like to take the Avatar now." Zhao said walking towards them with several men behind him. The other Kyoshi Warriors were at various other spots on the island beating back the Fire Nation, and the villagers attempted to put out the fires that burned most of the houses, but it was tough when they would be shot on sight if they were caught attempting to do so.
"Now!" Sokka shouted, not allowing the horrid sight in front of them to freeze any of them.
Upon hearing Sokka's cry, Aang snapped out of the daze he got himself in upon looking at the village, and looked at Zhao, No firebending, and no Earthbending. He said making a mental note. He wanted Zhao to know he was strong of course, but he didn't want to give away the fact that he was all ready a fully realized Avatar in almost every regard.
Katara knew not to do anything too fancy, so she mostly stuck with the water whip and avoid Zhao's fire blasts when necessary. Aang too seem to be just avoiding his attacks rather than fighting directly, like a true Airbender. The two weaved around his attacks, and only struck when the man would stop shooting fire at them to catch his breath. It was slow work, but they were tiring the man down.
Meanwhile, Sokka and Suki were handling their own on the Soldiers that came to assist Zhao. Unlike Sokka, Suki didn't have to hold back her prowess, because she had a legit excuse as to why she was so good. Sokka on the other hand, had to resort to using tricks so the enemy Firebenders wouldn't catch on that a master swordsman was traveling with the Avatar.
He and Suki would fight side by side, back to back, and cover each other from any angle. They had developed a sort of bond with each other when they fought, a bond that formed after a decade of fighting with one another during spars, and against the enemy. Between the two of them, there were no blind spots. It was tough, and the constant heat from the Firebending was making him sweat even more so than he usually would from just swinging around the heavy sword, but he and Suki were doing incredibly well.
It became apparent to all the time travelers though, that this was not the same invasive force that Zuko had once used to get the island in the previous life. While they were Fire Nation, the amount of men was easily ten times more than Zuko had used to attack the village with, and more frighteningly, unlike Zuko's force, these men wouldn't just leave if the Avatar left, Zhao lacked the honor Zuko had in that case.
"This is bad, really bad." Sokka said, looking at the burning village, "Suki, there's only one way we can fix this - if Aang goes all out, and even then I don't know if it'd be enough." He said worriedly.
"You guys have to get out of here." She said as she beat another soldier down.
Sokka twisted around her to deflect a sword strike going for her, and then both of them jumped away from a fireball, "There is no way I'm leaving you here Suki." He said instantly.
"You have to protect the Avatar." She said matter of factly.
"And I have to protect you."
The two parted for an instant to avoid another blast of fire, before they came close again to cover each other, "I can handle myself!"
"Not with these odds." Sokka whispered.
"Maybe, but it's a sacrifice that I'm willing to make." She said.
Sokka jabbed his sword out and disarmed his opponent before hitting the man's helmet with the broad side of his sword, knocking the man unconscious, "I'm not going to let them have you again."
Suki was both annoyed, and flattered by Sokka's protective nature, but even she knew that he had to leave, and quickly. The Fire Nation had all ready captured a huge amount of her warriors, and they were narrowing closer and closer to Aang and Katara. Soon it would only be her and Sokka protecting the Avatar from the onslaught.
"Sokka, please." She tried one last time.
"Suki..." Sokka looked at her, and then at the chaos going on around them. He knew that they were outnumbered, and he also knew at this rate that even Aang using his full power, along with him and Katara wouldn't even the odds. One of the most important parts of being a strategist was when to know when to retreat, and at that instant, Sokka made the most incredibly difficult decision of his life.
"Can you and your warriors hold them off a little longer while I go get Appa?" He finally said, "I will pick up Aang and Katara with him, and if I can I will try to save you."
It was pointless to try and save her if she was one of the last things holding off the horde of men trying to take the Avatar, for the amount of Fire that would shoot at Appa would drive him far away, but Suki smiled despite the situation around them, and she leaned in to kiss Sokka one last time, "Good bye, for now." She said.
"Yeah..." Sokka muttered, before darting off into the woods. Appa was still there along with Momo, and as soon as he came upon the two animals, they were all ready up and about, as if waiting for him to come, "Come on guys, we need to get out of here, now."
Appa let out a roar, and didn't even wait for Sokka to say anything before he took off towards the village. Momo came and sat on Sokka's shoulder, as they flew through the air. Upon seeing the flames of the village, Appa seem to hesitate for a moment, but the beast beat down its fear of fire quick enough to locate Aang.
"Aang, come on!" Sokka shouted, causing the boy to jump in surprise, he looked up to see Sokka on Appa.
Aang glanced over to Katara, and with his glider, ran over to her, she immediately knew what he was going to do, so she wrapped her arms around his neck, and then Aang with a burst of air, boost himself through the air and onto Appa. Sokka got out of the saddle, and allowing Aang the position, as he went to the back of the saddle and threw his sword away from his body down to the saddle as he covered his face with his hands.
Aang looked down at the last remaining fighters of the village, Suki and just two others. When Suki glanced up, she offered Aang a sad smile, and like that, she lowered her guard, with the other two following her lead after a second.
"No." Aang whispered, but knew it was far too late to even attempt to save her. He looked away and flew off.
It was very quiet as they continued to fly, and it was Katara who broke it, "Sokka, I'm so sorry."
"I don't want your pity Katara," He mumbled, his face still covered.
She looked on sadly, but didn't say anymore. She only crawled over to Sokka and wrapped her arms around him. He didn't move, but she knew he appreciated it.
Aang looked back, and allowed a small smile at Katara's action. He then looked ahead, knowing where they were going to head to next: Gaoling, to get Toph Bei Fong.
"GO GO GO!" Zuko shouted at the top of his lungs as he reached the ship, "That idiot Zhao invaded the village and made the Avatar leave! We have to hurry and follow him!"
"Zhao? So that's whose ship I saw coming." Iroh said to himself.
Luckily for him, Zuko didn't hear him say that, or chose to ignore it. Regardless Zuko continued to shout orders, and after a little bit he goes into his room, slamming the door behind him. He put his swords away, and went to lie down on his bed, awaiting the trip to Omashu.
Back on Kyoshi Island, Zhao walked down a line of Kyoshi Warriors, glaring each of them in the eye, before stopping in the center. He turned the women, and glared at them, but none of them looked away.
"You girls have made yourselves enemies of the state," He started, "for allowing the Avatar to get out of my grasp. The punishment for this crime is death." He said, yet none of the girls looked scared at the prospect.
"However," He said after a few moments, "I'm a... very forgiving man." He said with a vile smile, "And I will allow you all to rot in prison instead." He looked to the men holding the warriors, "Take them away, to some place where they will lose all hope, and where their pretty little faces will be permanently scarred." He snarled viciously.
At that the warriors were taken away. The villagers looked on silence, not wanting to cause the wrath of the man in front of them. Zhao turned to them at that moment, and smiled, "This is what the Avatar has brought to your peaceful little village, destruction, hopelessness, and the loss of your praised fighters." He grinned at them, "I hope this has taught you a valuable lesson. Do not hide the Avatar from the Fire Nation, or else our wrath will come down upon you."
"Now get back to your pathetic lives, but know from this day forth, that Kyoshi Island is now Fire Nation territory. I have sent the letter to the Fire Lord, and I expect the occupational forces to come soon. If in any way you resist, even one of you, I will personally see to it that I destroy all life on this rock."
At that, Zhao left the broken and battered village to chase after the Avatar.
Chapter three - End
Ending Notes: I hope you all enjoyed that. The last bit with Zhao was not in my outline, but I decided that it was an awesome idea, so I went with it. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. See you all next time!