Chapter 29

During the same night, as Aang and Katara were in the Realm of Dreams talking to the ghosts of their pasts, his mother Ursa asleep and the house quiet and the air still, Zuko, alone in his room, was having his own dream. As if his life couldn't get anymore stranger. How wrong he was in that department.

He opened his eyes and saw he was in a large cavern. Looking around, he turned in the direction of the cave entrance, where outside a storm was raging, the water lashing at everything in its path relentlessly. Stalactites from the ceiling glistened with moisture while stalagmites jutted from the ground. It almost felt like being inside a monster's mouth. The rain only made it seem like the maw was drooling.

But despite the storm and moisture, it was unusually warm inside the cavern, so much so that beads of sweat formed on his forehead. Where was he? Why dream of a cavern?. And deep inside the cave, there was a rumbling sound that echoed, causing Zuko to freeze where he was, still gazing outside. Then the rumbling became thunderous, and the ground and ceiling vibrated, causing pebbles to move and click on the cavern floor, along with the stalactites threatening to fall and impale him. He didn't know what to do. Should he move or stay?

All of a sudden, everything stilled, became quiet; but that didn't make Zuko feel safe. Nothing moved, but he had the feeling that he was being watched. Then warmth trailed down his neck and back, creating goose bumps. Golden eyes wide, Zuko turned around slowly, trying to stay calm, and came face-to-face with a creature he learned about in books.

With a long reptilian neck and tail, its body covered in shining red scales, and an elongated snout with horns on its head, a dragon stared at Zuko with red gold eyes. He backed away from it with an awed and horrified gasp, staring at it. He kept backing away until he was close to the entrance of the cave, and debated making a run for it, or confronting it. Studying the creature before him, Zuko saw into the red gold eyes staring back at him with open curiosity and wisdom. It wasn't attacking him, so Zuko thought it was safe. He decided to stay.

"Who are you?" he asked, wondering why he bothered talking to it. It probably couldn't understand him.

Surprisingly, however, he got an answer inside his mind. 'I am the Spirit of Fire.' It was a male voice, deep and strong, like the roar of flames. 'The form I am in displays the power of Fire. I see my appearance surprises you greatly. Perhaps I shall change form. Will that be better for you?' Zuko nodded slowly, still gaping at the dragon, wondering how he was going to transform. Then the dragon opened his mouth and blew fire. Zuko covered his face with his arms, trying to protect himself; but the fire didn't hit him. When he opened his eyes, squinting from the brightness and heat, he saw that the flame covered the beast like a curtain, swirling around.

As he watched, the fire grew smaller and changed colors as it went down to the size of a full grown person. It was blue when the fire vanished, and an old man wearing a red and gold robe, with a long white beard and top knot, hands inside the open sleeves, stood there. The man stood so straight and looked so in command that Zuko had to resist the urge to stand upright and say, "Sir."

The man smiled slightly as he examined the teenager in front of him; then he nodded as if satisfied. "The Powers of Fire have chosen the right person to wield it. Welcome, Zuko."

Zuko blinked. "How do you know who I am? What is this place? What are you doing here? And who are you?"

The smile widened on the withered face. "I will answer your questions in due time. As to where you are, this is my domain; or a piece of it at least. I brought you here to give a message. As to who I am, you should know."

Zuko looked confused. "I should?"

The old man nodded. "Think about what your mother has told you about her family tree, and of your uncle Iroh's history stories he used to tell. Think, Zuko; you know."

Frowning, Zuko thought about the pictures his mother would show him, telling him what they did and who they were; and he thought about Iroh's stories. Comparing the man in front of him to a mental picture in his mind, realization struck like lightning, and he knew who this man is. "You're my mother's grandfather, my great grandfather, Roku."

Roku smiled again, a twinkle in his gold eyes. "Very good, great grandson. Yes, I am Roku. And I'm here to tell you about the origin of your Fire Wielding."

Zuko ran a hand through his hair. "You mean my Firebending?" he asked.

Roku nodded. "Yes. Wielding, or Bending in your case, came from when humans had an understanding of the elements: Air, Water, Earth, Fire. They have chosen a specific animal or plant that represents that element. Then over the years, their techniques have grown stronger. But not everyone has the ability to Bend an element. Take your mother, Ursa, for example. The Bending gene skipped her and went to you, but from the moment you were born, she sensed what you were. In the old days, people who can sense a Bender were called Element Seers. There are not very many of them, but my granddaughter got the ability from her father, my son, Kio. And Iroh has a special connection to the Spirit World. Once, he went to a temple in the south, to an alter where people prayed to the Spirits, and gave great treasures. Energy had hummed through him, and Iroh felt the need to pray, so he did. Then his spirit left his body, and he stood before the Council, where they told him about his Spiritual Connection. You were only a baby then.

"You should also know that there are Benders on both sides, so be wary."

Zuko frowned and crossed his arms. "You mean to tell me that there are Benders on the Black Mamba's side?"

Roku nodded and continued. "Yes, so you must be very careful." He paused as if sensing something. "It is almost time for you to wake. There is one more thing you need to know before I leave. Ursa had known you would be temperamental, so she had gone to Iroh to have him talk to the Spirits about blocking your ability. It can only resurface in times of great danger. When your powers opened, you were given two options: to keep your Firebending, or to withdraw from it permanently when the war is over."

Zuko thought about that with a frown. Even after opening his power, can it really be that easy to get rid of it? He wasn't sure if he could part with it. On the one hand, he could save people in some ways, and he had the feeling he was going to need it now. Not to mention he could scare the pants off of Sokka. He nearly smirked at the thought. But on the other hand, if he lost his temper, he could endanger everyone around him. Zuko didn't know what to do.

Roku interrupted his thoughts. "Don't make your decision yet. Wait until the fighting is done and peace is restored." It was then that the cavern took on a liquid appearance, and Zuko knew he was waking up. Roku inclined his head. "I wish you and your friends good luck. The world is counting on you." And the dream faded.

Zuko woke with a start, eyes fluttering open. Sitting up, he looked around the dark room before glancing at the clock. It was four in the morning, and he knew going back to sleep was out of the question. Zuko didn't need any more spirits visiting him. Getting up, he threw on a pair of sweatpants and went downatairs. He had a headache and wanted to make some tea. He gave a small smile. His uncle Iroh was rubbing off on him.

When he got to the kitchen, though, Zuko learned that he was not the only one up at this early hour. Ursa sat at the table, drinking jasmine tea, the very tea he himself wanted to drink. When she heard someone enter, Ursa looked up at her son and managed a tired smile. "What are you doing up so early?" she asked as Zuko sat down.

He sighed. "I couldn't sleep." Now that he knew the truth, or some of it anyway, he wasn't sure about what to say to his mother, despite them being close.

He started rubbing his temples, and his mom knew what that meant. She asked, "Would you like some tea?" Zuko nodded and she stood up to reheat the kettle. As she worked, the teenager was making a consideration. He felt torn. Should he keep his powers and their mission a secret, like Aang told them to? But what if Ursa already knows about Zuko's powers unlocking? That was likely, since he knew she knew about his Bending being unblocked. He decided to take a risk.

"Hey, Mom?"

She turned away from the cup after pouring hot water into it. She frowned at Zuko's solemn face. "What is it, Zuko?" she asked.

He took a deep breath before voicing his question. "Why didn't you tell me about you being a Seer?"

Ursa nearly dropped the tea bag in astonishment, for she had turned around to place the bag in the mug, as she whirled around and stared at her son. "What? How did you know?" There was no point in lying. She was never good at it, and Zuko can see right through it, no matter how carefully concealed the lie was.

Zuko took a breath and said, "A dream." Then he started explaining about what he and his friends have been doing most of those days when he wasn't home, all the training, learning what he knew about the Black Mamba, everything. His Mom gave him the tea, and the only time he paused in the story was to sip it when his throat became dry. All of it leading up to the dream.

"Roku told me how you can sense when a Wielder is near, and that uncle Iroh has a connection to the Spirit World. When you knew who I was, you had uncle talk to the Spirits to block my powers. That's pretty much it. Oh yeah, and he said that after the battle, I'll either get to keep my powers if I want them, or to relinquish them permanently."

Ursa nodded, stunned by how much her son knew. She wasn't sure what to say, but she took a deep breath and said, "You're right, Zuko. Iroh had told me about how your powers would be needed in the future after conversing with the Spirit Council. They knew you would be needed. I wasn't sure for what, until you told me that there are Benders on the evil side. Now I know." She looked up at him. "Do your friends know about where their powers came from? And about you telling me this?"

Zuko shook his head and sipped his tea. "I don't know if they do, and no, they don't know about me telling you. After the dream, I had the feeling you knew our powers were opened. Did you?"

Ursa sighed. "Yes. When your Bending came, I sensed it, and knew it was time. All these years I've tried to protect you. But I knew I couldn't do it forever. Zuko, did Roku tell you anything else about our family?" He licked his lips and shook his head, wondering where his mother was going with this. He didn't like the grave look on her face. "I belive it's time that you knew.

"It's true that the Bendng gene skipped me and went to you. But you're not the only Firebender in the family. The truth is, Azula and Ozai have that very same ability."

After Ursa explained about Zuko's father and sister, the teenage boy went about the day in a daze. After everything that happened to him, this was the most shocking. How was he to know aboit his family's secret? No one let him in on it. His mother had told him that Azula and Ozai didn't want him to be in danger, but she hadn't sounded confident in that area. Zuko himself doubts the reason too. Why would they want to protect him? His father and sister hated his guts. They would love it if he was carted off as a freak.

It was noon, and he and his friends were at the mall eating lunch. They remembered the day when Aang almost bled to death, and where everything changed for them. But they also remembered it as the day they became close friends, pretty much a family. Zuko was telling the others of his dream, and about confessing their misson to his Mom. Then he explained about how Ursa could sense Benders when they were around, so his friends understood why Zuko had to tell her the truth. She would have found out anyway.

"And now, this is the most shocking thing I have ever heard, I find out that my father and Azula have the same powers. Why they kept them quiet I don't know, but what I do know is: it's nothing good. They would love to destroy anything that got in the way of their goals. I do have a theory though. I think they're part of the Snakeheads."

Sokka groaned, hitting his head on the table, causing a bang. "Like we need anymore enemies," he muttered. Lifting his head he added, "We can never get a break. One moment it's all peaceful, and the next, guns go off."

Toph punched his arm and he yelped while grabbing it. "Don't jinx it!" she scolded. "Be lucky that we have peace right now."

Sokka huffed. "I'm just saying, we need to be careful. We don't know when we'll be attacked again."

"Sokka's right," Katara stated. "We should be wary. We know that the Snakeheads are coming for Mai and Zuko next."

"Yeah. And after our dreams," Aang added, "we really have to be careful. It seems that our powers will react in certain ways depending on the circumstances, and it could lead the Black Mamba to use us."

Suki nodded solemnly. "We have to stop these guys, and soon."

They sat in grim silence, thinking about their predicament. Aang and Katara had told them of their dreams before Zuko had explained his. And they knew Toph had her powers that were yet to be shown. It was official: the four of them were Benders, mystic beings who can control the four elements. Life couldn't get any weirder.

Toph pursed her lips. "You want to know what I think?" Her friends looked at her and she grinned, lightening the mood. "I think it's about time we discovered my power."

Now the Gaang sat by a river, the same one where Katara had learned of her Waterbending. There are rocks all over the large clearing, the perfect secluded place to Bend. Aang was talking to Toph, giving her a few pointers. "Hun Gar is about strength and balace. You're more connected to Earth than any other element in existence. Thinking of connection, I want you to imagine that you're rooted to the ground, like the roots of a tree." Toph nodded, serious again. She wanted to make sure she really could control this powerful element. Katara had said that she could, but it never hurt to find out. Unless someone was a victim in a rock slide. Toph nearly smiled, remembering her little threat she had made to Sokka. That will be fun.

Aang cleared his throat, bringing Toph back to the situation at hand. "Okay, concentrate on your breathing, and feel the ground. Be a tree." He backed away from her and sat on a boulder by Katara, who was watching with rapt attention.

Toph took a deep breath and walked to the center of the clearing. Since she was blind, it didn't matter if closed or open; but she closed them anyway. Everything was silent for a moment; then her ears picked up the smallest sounds in the woods: twittering birds, squirrels climbing trees, even little ants walking in the grass, scavenging for food before winter.

Her hearing and vibration sense became more potent, and she could feel her friends' heartbeats. Taking a strong stance, Toph took another deep breath and thrusts her fist out. A rock that had been in front of her flew through the air, and slammed into a tree, knocking it down. There was creaking sound, and the tree landed with a thud on the ground, leaves crackling and falling off the branches.

Her friends gaped as Toph laughed. She pumped her fist into the air. "Yes! That's right! Who's number one? Who's number one? Oh yeah; that would be me, the Blind Bandit!" She did a little dance before stopping and grinning mischievous. "Which reminds me…" She stomped her foot, and Sokka flew a few feet in the air with a scream before arching over her and landing on his face. Toph crossed her arms. "And that's what happens when you mess with the greatest Earthbender in the world." And her friends laughed as Sokka stood up, wincing and limping a little. He went over to Suki who started rubbing his back as the Gaang sat there, enjoying what peace they could get, because they knew this battle was coming closer. Now it was official: the last element has been brought into play.

Toph's powers have finally come into play. The next chapter will involve her dream. Bear with me on this please. And the story is almost over. Sad, I know, but this won't be the last story I write, I promise. Hope you guys have liked this story. Let me know how I did!