XXII: Island Retreat

Zuko directed Appa on where to fly until Ember Island came into view and he landed the bison right in front of the house. It was on a quieter part of the island where they would be out of sight there was a large outdoor patio where they could train, and as promised, there were rooms for everyone.

The house, having not been in much use over the past several years, had accumulated quite a bit of dust, and the air was musty. Team Avatar was quick to open up all the windows in the house and Aang went around dusting their bedrooms with his Airbending.

Now that they were back in the Fire Nation the team had gotten dressed back up in their Fire Nation disguises, Zuko saw them for the first time and told them: "Wow, red really works on you guys… Uh, but Suki, where did you find that outfit?"

"Oh, I quickly fashioned this out of this red sheet and whatever I could find around the house… At least it's better than that prison uniform."

"We've got enough money to go to the market for you to get something better." Sokka told her.

While the house was busy breathing for a while, Team Avatar went outside while Zuko and Aang practiced their Firebending techniques.

"Do you think that we could duel sometime?" Aang asked in between forms.

"I don't know, do you think that you can handle an opponent with the Firebending power of a fully-realized Avatar in the Avatar State?" Zuko asked him.

"Fair point… I've been having trouble getting into the Avatar State since that lightning attack… Have you been keeping the Dragon State under control?"

"I know I can trigger it at will now, you helped me out with that, and I haven't been emotional enough to trigger it." Zuko replied. He then demonstrated another Firebending form for Aang to practice, the forms were getting more and more advanced, but Zuko would still have Aang return to the basics in between forms, and he also reminded Aang how to redirect lightning.

"I'd like to put this technique to the test." Aang stated as he made the path through the sea of Chi and up his opposite hand.

"Trust me, it works, I spoke with my father on the Day of Black Sun, telling him that I was going to betray him; I was armed with my swords, and he was powerless, so I made him listen. When I turned my back, the sun came out and he tried to strike me with lightning, but I threw the bolts back at him and made my escape. Now you don't need me to fill you up with sparks to test it. Just keep in mind that it will be a lot of power that you'll have to handle."

After another hour of training, Zuko dismissed Aang and then called out: "Sokka do you want to practice sword fighting once I've rested up?"

No response.

"Sokka?!" Zuko called again.

"He and Suki went to take a tour of the island, and to head over to the market I assumed." Katara replied.

"Guess we'll have to get to the sword fighting later then." Zuko replied. He turned back to Aang, busy drinking a beverage out of a coconut, and told him: "If you want to get back to your Firebending anytime soon, you'll know where to find me."

"Zuko, you and Aang have been training rather hard lately. Why don't you come over here and have one of these drinks?" Katara offered. Zuko took one and sat down among his friends, when Aang turned to him and asked: "Hey, Zuko, do you think that it's possible for me to face your father after Sozin's Comet?"

Zuko looked at him with his eyes widened in shock, and asked him: "Why would you ask that? No, it's not possible; Fire Lord Ozai and Azula concocted a terrible plan for the Earth Kingdom for the comet's arrival. Fire Lord Ozai plans on harnessing it's power to burn the Earth Kingdom to the ground to destroy their hope… I heard this plan while I was in the war room. I almost spoke up, but I didn't want to relive the day I got my scar. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you guys this plan earlier, but if I knew that you were thinking of waiting until after the comet came to face the Fire Lord, I would've told you that the moment we met up again on the Day of Black Sun."

"Burn the Earth Kingdom to the ground… I knew that your father was a bad guy, but that's just monstrous!" Toph exclaimed.

"Wait, Zuko, why are you referring to your father as 'Fire Lord Ozai'?" Katara asked.

"It's because I see my Uncle Iroh as my father now. Ozai is an insane, power-hungry beast; Iroh, is the only man who'd ever supported and cared for me. In fact, after hearing Ozai's plan for the comet's arrival, I'm almost ashamed of being his son." Zuko replied.

A moment later, Sokka and Suki returned, Suki was now dressed in a proper Fire Nation outfit.

"Oh, is bending practice over?" Sokka asked.

"At least for the time being. Would you be up for a sword-fighting match in a while?" Zuko replied.

"Actually, I've got a better idea. You see, while we were at the market we found out that these Ember Island Players made a play about us!" Sokka announced and he showed the group a poster for the production: 'The Boy in the Iceberg'.

"Ugh, the Ember Island Players, my mother would take us to see them as they butchered 'Love Amongst the Dragons'."

"Still, I think that we should go see it!" Sokka told them.

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Later that night, they were walking out of the theatre. It turned out that play was an extremely biased approach of how the writer interpreted their adventures. Aang was mortified that a woman was portraying him, but Toph was actually proud that she was being portrayed by a big, strong, man!

The actor who played Zuko actually did rather well, especially at the beginning, where he was acting with an overuse of angst and a lot of attitude towards his uncle. Sokka's actor was also fairly faithful but his jokes were pathetic, to the point where Sokka actually snuck backstage to give him a few pointers, to which the actor actually took! Katara's actress was overly emotional for some reason, and she didn't take too kindly at that.

As far as their details of their adventures were concerned, they at least got the general idea about them. Sokka and Katara found Aang in the iceberg at the South Pole, Aang found Momo, he got captured by Admiral Zhao, freed by the Blue Spirit, met Jet, they flew over the Great Divide, and made it to the North Pole. At the North Pole Aang drove away the Fire Nation fleet practically by himself with the combined power of the Spirit of the Ocean. Sokka got rather emotional where Princess Uwe became the Moon Spirit.

It seemed that whoever wrote the play caught up that Zuko had betrayed the Fire Nation fairly early on. During the scene where Zuko killed Jet, they did pull off his mask to show whom the Blue Spirit really was, and the actual killing was surprisingly graphic, and the real Zuko looked away throughout the whole scene.

Overall the events were portrayed fairly well, but Team Avatar hated the acting, and the fact that the play predicted that Azula would defeat Zuko and Ozai would defeat Aang.

So Team Avatar left the play thinking that it wasn't very good… Terrible in fact.

"But the effects were decent." Sokka put in.

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The next day, they decided to do a training exercise where Sokka set up a dummy with a melon head for Aang to fight. Toph was playing the role of Melon Lord while the others went in for the attack. Toph had a lot of fun chucking flaming rocks at the others, but when Aang's moment came, he just couldn't take out the Melon Lord representing Ozai.

"What are you doing? Take him out!" Sokka called out.

"I'm sorry, I just can't." Aang told them. Sokka approached the melon dummy, took his sword, and split the melon. Aang cringed as he saw Momo leap in and start licking its juices.

They stepped aside and it was time to talk again.

"Aang, why didn't you take out the Melon Lord?" Sokka asked.

"I just didn't feel like myself. I know I have the power to take someone's life, but that doesn't mean that I can just go around eliminating people I don't like."

"Aang, we're in a war, one that's been going on for 100 years. This isn't about eliminating people you don't like, it's about finally bringing peace and ending the misery that Fire Lord Ozai's caused." Katara told him.

"It is your destiny to defeat him after all." Toph added.

"Defeating Ozai doesn't mean that I absolutely have to kill him!" Aang snapped.

"Then how would you defeat him?" Suki asked.

"If only there was some way that I could take away his bending… or trap him where he won't be able to bend." Aang replied.

"So, after all the damage he's done, you want to let him live; dare I ask why?" Suki questioned.

"Listen, I'll agree with anyone who says that Ozai is a terrible person, and that the world may be better off without him. However, he did one good thing, he gave us Zuko. So if any of you have an idea of how I can defeat him without taking his life, I'll gladly hear it." Aang told them before storming inside the house.

Sokka turned to Zuko and spoke: "You've been awfully quiet."

"We're definitely pushing for the easy way to end this war, but Aang is a gentle and kind kid. After what I've been through with Jet, I don't want him to experience the same things that I did." He replied.

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Aang walked into Zuko's room that night as he was meditating.

"Zuko?" Aang spoke. He glanced over his shoulder and invited Aang to come inside.

"Is there something on your mind?" Zuko asked.

"I just wanted to know how you'd fight your father if you were to face him in our next battle."

"Aang, I know you're stressing out about this, but if I had to fight him again, I'd probably have to kill him. I don't have the power to render him powerless, even though I'm probably one of the strongest Firebenders in the world now."

"So you'd take his life, even after what happened to Jet?" Aang questioned.

"Aang, just as Katara said, we are in a war, and people do get hurt in wars. What you're going into may be a kill or be killed situation… However, you're a bright kid, I'm sure that you may figure out a way to end this war more peacefully, but if you have to take Ozai's life, then I will forgive you. If you manage to capture him to end the war, then I promise that the Fire Nation court will pass judgment on him, and I won't allow the court sentence him to execution."

Aang sat back, his eyes distant and sad.

"Hey, how about we talk about something to cheer ourselves up?" Zuko asked.

"Alright… Do you plan on telling your uncle about the Dragon State?"

"He has the right to know, and I think that Uncle Iroh would be proud to know that his nephew has fully realized the element of fire and holds a child of Raava, and he's quite fascinated by the spirits." Zuko replied.

"Do you think that Azula holds a child of Raava?" Aang asked.

"It's possible, but I have my doubts that she'd be able to trigger the Dragon State, reasons being these: First, you have to be a bender that's part of an Avatar's lineage (which she is); second, you have to have the child of Raava within you, and it is possible that she didn't get that gene; third, you have to fully realize your element, and Azula only knows the Firebending that's triggered by anger and a lust for power, it is not true Firebending like we've learned from the dragons, the style she's learned is a corrupted version; and fourth, you have to open all of your chakras, and I don't know if Azula even knows what those are. After you go through all of that, only then could a Firebender enter the Dragon State and master it." Zuko replied.

"It really is an interesting thing… Thanks for talking with me, Zuko, and I think that's its time for me to get to sleep." Aang told him. So Aang went back to his room.

However, late into the night, Aang awoke as if something was calling to him. He walked drowsily outside the house, over to the beach, and into the water, swimming towards an island that wasn't there before.

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Well, we're almost to Sozin's comet, and let me tell you, I've been getting mental visions of Zuko's battle with Azula for quite a while now! It's going to be epic!

Now here's my question for you guys: How can I make Aang's battle with Ozai more interesting?

Please review.