A/N: Guess who's not dead!
This. Chapter. Kicked my small behind with no remorse. I had no motivation to write it for most of the month, but I got out of that funk just in time to bring you this chapter from the depths of my writing grave. I hope I did it justice, I'm ok with it, not my favorite but it could have been worse. I'll let you decide what it is. Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: NONE OF IT IS MINE! Whatever writing you recognize I will admit I did steal it from the episode "Ember Island Players" But keeping it in line with the show is kind of the idea.
Chapter 24: Spoof Pt. 2
Night fell and, after an as-promised long day of training- the gang covered up as much as possible in the heat of the eavning air.
Zuko and Azula easily paid for the tickets, and soon the small family was filing into the benches of the theater.
Azula and Sokka sat on the back bench, and Azula watched with amusment as Aang tried to sit next to Katara, only to be discreetly shoved out of the way by Zuko.
Niether Toph nor Azula missed the way Katara fixed her perfectly-fine hair with as much feigned nonchalance as possible.
Aang said something about wanting to sit where Zuko was, trying and failing to come up with a logical excuse as to why.
Toph blew her bangs out of her face-she refused to acknowledge that the gesture was similar to Katara's- and called her earthbending student over.
"Just sit by me Twinkletoes. You can explain to me what the heck is happening on the stage."
Aang looked between his three instructors and sighed. Begrudgingly he took his seat next to Toph.
The six teens settled as the lights from the torches dimmed. The show was about to begin.
Music began to play from the pit in front of the stage, setting the background noise as the curtains opened to reveal the first scene of the play.
The props were all an icy-blue color or white. A fake boat containing the actors that were no-doubt representations of the Water Tribe Siblings slowly moved across the stage.
Katara tensed when she felt a hand land on her shoulder. Her first thoughts went to the Firebender sitting calmly beside her. She wasn't sure of the reason why the tought of him touching her caused a nerveous flutter under her skin-well, no reason she wanted to readily acknowledge anyway- but once she realized who was really grabbing her shoulder, she glanced back.
She came face to face with a grinning Sokka, she smiled as well when he repeatedly geastured between their actor-look-a-likes and the real deal.
This wasn't going to be so bad.
"Sokka," The actress on stage sighed, "My only brother- we constantly roam these icy eas, and yet never do we find anything… fulfilling."
"All I want is a full feeling in my stomach, I'm starving!"
Ok, so they were wrong. This was going to be horrible.
The crowd laughed, seeming to enjoy the sad excuse for humor this play presented.
Katara and Sokka's faces fell as they turned to one another. They didn't…really sound like that, did they?
The actress Katara continued. "Is food the only thing on your mind?"
"Well, I'm trying to get it out of my mind and into my mouth- I'm starving!"
Sokka, affronted, leaned over to Katara again, "This is pathetic! My jokes are way funnier then that!"
Toph started laughing and her friends all turned to her, she sobered up long enough to say, "I think
he's got you pegged!"
Azula smirked, "You know the writer had to get his information from somewhat reliable sources. Looks like you talk about food so much that the public started to pick up on it."
Before Sokka can say anything snarky back, the actress on stage starts speaking again,
"Still, we cannot give up hope! For hope, is all we have! And we must never relinquish it, even ... even to our dying breath!" The actress then started to sob into her hands.
Katara looked at the stage in slight irritation. She crossed her arms- not paying attention, she brushed her arm against Zuko's. She tried to ignore it and said, "Well that's just silly. I don't act like that!"
Toph giggled again, and even Zuko was trying to hide his smirk. "Oh man," Toph said, clutching her abdomen, "This writer's a genius!"
At this point, the actors on stage were now standing in the fake canoe, looking at a speher that mimicked the ice-berg they had found Aang in.
Azula tilted her head, then turned to Sokka, asking in a low voice, "Is that what an ice-berg looks like?"
He turned to her, now face-to-face and said, "Bigger then that. We have to take you to see them."
She smiled despite herself and slowly turned back to the stage, her moves calculated. She counted it a win that his eyes stayed on her longer then necessary.
The actors "freed" actor Aang from the fake lump of ice, and the young Avatar eagerly sat forward in anticipation.
Only to be shocked beyond belief when his actor turned out to be a woman.
When Zuko's actor came on, he was less irritated then his friends, but still comented on the inaccuracy of how he was shown.
When Katara replied that she thought the actor was spot on, it was proven just how close to home the writer had hit when Zuko retaliated, "How could you say that!?" Then the actor on stage goes, "How could you say that!?" …in the exact same voice.
A bit more time and a few more scenes passed, each lag of the play more ridiculous then the last. When Suki came on, Sokka didn't even flinch-much to Azula's pleasure.
The Gaang did, however, get their answer as to why Sokka had drank to "Never have I ever dressed up as a Kyoshi worrior." Both Zuko and Azula had luahed out right at that, cuasing a blushing Sokka to hide in his hands.
The first intermission came soon after, releasing the Gaang, all of whom were wondering why they were even choosing to endure this any longer.
"So far, this intermission is the best part of the play." Zuko said heatedly, slumping against a pillar.
Sokka decended the steps to where everyone else was sitting, eating some snack they were selling at the consession stands-fire gummies he recalls. "Apparently the play-write thinks I'm an idiot who makes stupid jokes about meat all the time." He said grumpily, plopping down next to Azula who promptly dug her hand into the bag of treats he was holding.
"Well, that makes…what now? Three of us that have taken on fake identities? Zuzu, I had a feeling you were the Blue Spirit, I just wasn't sure."
"Five of us, actually," Katara continued, "Toph was the Blind Bandit in an underground fight club when we found her-"
Azula laughed outright, "Of course she was."
Katara rolled her eyes and slid over the intturuption easily, "And I was the Painted Lady in a Fire Nation Fishertown."
Azula and Zuko stared at Katara, a bit dumbfounded.
She noticed, "…What?"
Azula glanced at Zuko, smirked and just shook her head. "Nothing, you'll learn about it sooner or later."
"Learn about what?!"
Zuko shook his head as well, a blush on his face, "It's nothing."
Toph raised an eyebrow, she could tell that the Prince was lying, it was most definetly something, but she let it drop…for now.
Zuko regained his level head and went on to say, "I didn't know you guys knew Jet."
Sokka snorted into his fire gummies while Katara blushed and Aang just looked uncomfortable. Toph laughed,
"Yeah. I think that's one of the only things the playwrite has gotten accurate so far."
"The part about them meeting Jet?" Azula asked, still a bit confused as to why he was so important.
"That," Sokka supplied, "And that he had a thing for my sister."
Azula threw her head back laughing when she saw Katara's blush deepen. Toph joined in, making Katara want to melt into the floor. Zuko just felt something inside him clench and his distaste for the rowdy Freedom Fighter grew considerably.
"Yeah, well th-that… It didn't work out because it turned out that he was trying to wipe out an entire town. He was just using me to get what he wanted." Katara defended, feeling a little bad that she had to use Jet's past actions against him, especially after… "And anyway, He helped us out in Ba sing Se. But he got hit by the Dai Lee pretty bad…we… we don't know if he made it."
The girls grew quiet, looking solenm. Toph decided to keep quite about how she could tell Jet's final words to the group had been a lie. Zuko considered this before feeling his previously growing distaste dissipate…somewhat.
"Well, at least we know the writer got some of the details right, and at least your actors all look like like you." Aang said in an attempt to lighten the mood. It worked, but got him into a rut as he recalled that his actor-or rather actress- looked nothing like him. "That woman plaing the Avatar doesn't look anything like me!" The young Nomad exclaimed, much to his friend's ammusment.
"I don't know, you do happen to be more in touch with your feminen side." Toph teased, cuasing Aang to stand up in a huff.
"Relax Aang," Katara eased, looking around the group, "They're not accurate portrayals. It's not like I'm a preachy crybaby who can't resist giving overemotional speeches about hope all the time." She smiled and glanced around, only to notice everyone staring at her disbelievingly. "What?"
"Yeah," Aang said dejectedly, "That's not like you at all."
"Listen friends," Toph once again began, "it's obvious that the playwright did his research. I know it must hurt, but what you're seeing up there on that stage is the truth."
"Well the truth hurts." Azula muttered, still somewhat unaffected, seeing as her actor hadn't made their debut.
"Yeah, that's why it's better to lie." Toph advised nonchalantly. Sokka turned to Azula, finding her smirking approvingly at the blind girl.
"You are such a bad influence."
Her smirk turned on him, "Just creating mini-me's. Soon there will be enough of us to take you down by force!" She shouted, half-heartedly tackling Sokka.
Katara giggled, watching the two somehow gently shove one another around. She was right- they were made for one another.
/\
Soon, once everyone was back in their seats and the play had begun again, Toph made her…or rather, his appearance, and gave everyone in the theater bloody ears while he was at it. Toph, of course, loved that.
She punched Aang's arm, cuasing him to lurch forward before turning to the grinning earthbender. "This is the best." She gushed, cuasing Aang to smile. Well, at least she was happy.
She has a pretty smile. Aang thought to himself, staring at his teacher. Then, Wait. What?
No one was sure how Aang had ended up on the floor next to the bench with a red face, but they didn't question it as he just sat there muttering to himself.
It wasn't long before Azula came out on stage, actually with only a few lines and a witty joke about Zuko's honor before disappearing off the stage, just like she had in the abandoned Earth Kingdom town.
Katara turned around to face Azula, "How did you escape that time, anyway?"
Zuko and Sokka both turned to look at her as well. She just smiled secretively, "A princess never reveals her secrets."
Her friends just rolled their eyes and turned back to the play.
The next big event to take place on stage was the drilling in the wall of Ba Sing Se.
Azula slumped back in her seat, not looking at the stage. Sokka picked up on it.
"Hey," He addressed her in a light whisper, grabbing the attention of Zuko as well, "Are you ok?"
Azula glanced at him, shrugged and turned to look at the stage.
This was her greatest feat as a military leader. She had felt so accomplished, immense satisfaction over her victory of conquring the mighty city of Ba Sing Se, the inpenaratrable city! But now she just felt a sick coil in her stomach. She did that. Sure, she got rid of the corrupt organization of the Dai Lee, but what did that leave the city with?
The feeling of someone gripping her hand pulled her from her poisionous thoughts. She looked to her left to see Sokka gripping her hand tightly. She smiled and squeezed back.
Whatever damage she had done, she was going to fix it. The fact that she now had genuien friends to support her just made her that more willing to do so.
Zuko smiled to himself when he heard the two had gone silent. He knew that if there was anyone on earth to take care of his baby sister other then himself, he was glad it could be Sokka.
/\
The drill scene had nearly put everyone to sleep, but the play picked up and soon the Gaang was watching as Katara and Zuko's players were trapped under Ba Sing Se.
Azula eagerly sat forward, leaning in between the two benders. "This is the part I've been waiting for!" She whispers excitedly to Katara and Zuko.
Katara raises an eyebrow and looks to Azula. "Really? Not the part where you start to rule the earth?"
"Oh please this is much more interesting!" Azula replies, ruffling Katara's hair. They laugh before turning back to the play.
The actress goes on to explain how she has had a crush on Zuko since "You first captured me."
"I'm still waiting to hear your side of that story, sister." Azula leers, nudging Katara's head with her own.
Katara blushes but rolls her eyes, "There's nothing to tell?"
Toph leaned over Katara, speaking directly to Azula, she helpfully supplied, "She's lying."
"Aren't you the Avatar's girl?" Actor Zuko asks. Katara looks to the stage, wondering what the play-write has written for her reply. Out of the corner of her eye, she can see Toph turning and saying something quietly to Aang.
"…Like a little brother to me. Besides, how could he ever find out about…this?" The actors on stage come together in a seemingly loving embrace. Katara and Zuko barely have time to feel awkward before their heads are being shoved together.
"Now kiss!" Azula commands, holding their heads as close each other as possible, given their struggling.
"Azula, back off!" Zuko whispers, trying in vain to shove Azula's hand away.
"Not until I get what I want." She sing-songs, shoving their heads even closer together.
Katara-wanting to get back to the awful play-rolls her eyes, "For the love of-" She cut's herself off by grabbing Zuko's collar, roughly pulling him closer, and giving him a quick peck on his unscarred cheek.
Zuko freezes, a blush creeping up onto his face as Katara turns back to Azula. "Satisffied?"
Azula looks between the two, contemplating, before saying, "For now."
No one but Toph notices how tense Aang is beside her, so it is no surprise to her when he gets up and leaves. Sokka says something about food on the way out and then turns back to the play.
The actress Azula is on stage, along with Iroh and Zuko.
"So what's it going to be brother? Your Nation, or a life of treachery?"
Zuko-momentarily forgetting what just went down between him and Katara at his sister's hands- shrunk down in his seat a little, knowing what was coming next.
When the actor Zuko chose Azula's side-after showily shoving actor Iroh to the ground- Zuko looked away as his actor said something horrible. He flinched slightly when Katara spoke up beside him.
"You didn't actually say those things, did you?"
Zuko sighed but kept his head turned from her. He could hear the concern in her voice and didn't want to see her face.
"I may as well have."
After that, the play moved pretty quickly as it came to the second intermission. Actress Azula fought the Avatar and struck him with lightning. Azula sighed.
No one was feeling comfortable in their own skin once the curtains closed for the second intermission.
Sokka and Azula went off, something about finding his actor and giving him better lines, but no one was realy paying attention. Katara looked around, noticing a suspicious lack of bubbly airbender.
"Has anyone seen Aang?" She asked Toph and Zuko, who had opted out for sitting against the wall. Toph shrugged.
"The last I felt of him, he was getting up before the scene where he was taken down by Azula. I can't really pick up on his vibrations anywhere-too many foot steps right now."
Katara nodded as she moved towards one of the many balconies that lined the theater's exterior. "Thanks. I'm gonna check outside." She left to the soft sound of Toph starting up a conversation with Zuko.
Entering onto one of the balconies, she spotted Aang standing alone by the railing. He looked downtrodden and her motherly instincts kicked in. She walked up to him.
"Hey. Are you alright?" She asked cautiously.
He didn't look at her, but answered angrily nonetheless. "No! I hate this stupid play!" He ripped off the large hat he had been wearing and flung it to the ground.
Katara frowned. It was like he was throwing a tantrum.
"I know it's upsetting, but it sounds like you're over-reacting." She didn't like the play either, the character potraylas were all wrong, the time and plot line twisted not only the events, but it also made a huge joke of everything they had all fought for. But she couldn't find anything offensive enough to envoke Aang's wrath.
"Over-reacting? If I hadn't blocked my chakra, I would be in the Avatar-state right now!"
Now she knew he was exaggerating. It couldn't be that bad.
Aang sighed and turned to look at her, "Did you mean what you said in there?"
She had said something? Thinking back, she couldn't recall having said anything majorly important as of late.
"In where? What are you talking about?"
"On stage-when you said I was like a brother to you?"
"I didn't say that, an actor said that." She couldn't deny that it still held some truth. While she-well she didn't think- she had any romantic feelings for Zuko-She could hear a voice in her head telling her she was lying- she did see Aang as more of a brother figure.
And Aang seemed to pick up on it. "But it's true, isn't it? We kissed at the invasion, and I thought we were going to be together, but we're not."
Katara sighed and looked up at the full moon. She would need all the support she could get right now.
"Aang, I don't know…" She trailed off, not sure how she was going to break it to him.
"Why don't you know?" He was imploring.
Katara understood he had a big heart and wisdom beyond his years. But she didn't think he understood what he really wanted. He didn't really want her. He couldn't. He was so young, and a nomad raised by monk's for water's sake! Not to mention he had bigger problems to worry about. She decided to go with that. It would be easier to try to get him to understand that he had a larger role to play. That he needed to be focused on other things right now.
"Because we're in the middle of a war. And we have other things to worry about. This isn't the right time."
"Well when is the right time?" He was begging now.
Never. That voice popped up in her head again, and she almost said it, but she couldn't. Couldn't hurt him like that.
"I don't know. Right now, I'm just a little confused." And it was true. About him, the war. Her new friendships- heck, even Zuko- though standing here, it was becoming clearer what she wanted in regards to that.
She had turned towards Aang, but her eyes were closed. When she felt the warmth of another face close to hers, she opened her eyes and jerked back in surprise.
"Aang!" She said harshly.
He had just tried to kiss her.
"I just said I was confused!"
"Confused about what? I thought this was what you wanted!"
"I don't even know what I want!" She shouted back, matching his tone. Her heart was racing and she didn't like it. He wasn't listning to her.
"But it's not me. It's Zuko, isn't it?"
Katara took a step back like she had been slapped. Part of her wanted to scream that he didn't know what he was talking about, and even if he did, it wouldn't be his business. Another part of her entirely wanted to scream that, Yes, He was right. That if in the long run she had to choose him or Zuko to be with, Zuko was in the lead.
That scared her more then she cared to admit.
Katara shook her head, silencing her thoughts. "That was wrong Aang. I'm going back inside."
Without another word, she turned from him and left.
He's young, he doesn't know what he's doing. It's not his fault. She kept repeating to herself over and over as she moved through the crowds of play-goers.
But if it was true, then why did she feel like her skin was crawling?
She was so consumed with her thoughts that she didn't realize she was about to run into someone until she rammed into a warm, muscular chest.
"Oh sorry, I didn't-" Katara cut herself off when she saw just who it was she had collided with.
Of course it had to be none other then Zuko.
She was beginning to think life hated her more then it did Sokka.
"Are you ok Katara?"
The waterbender flinched when he said her name. She shook it off.
"Yeah, just…not feeling the play. Where is everyone?" She asked, trying to distract herself. She felt as though he was looking right through her with that piercing gold gaze of his.
He shrugged. "Toph left to get some food a minute ago. Sokka and Azula are still off on their own." He smirked at that, but frowned when he saw Katara barely responded. Huh. He had thought she would like making fun of their siblings being alone together, but she didn't even aknowladge that he had said anything about the two. In fact, now that he was paying closer attention to her face, he could tell something was wrong.
"…Are you ok? Did you find Aang?"
Her eyes snapped to his and he noted something flighty in them. Not like she was afraid, but more like she was… alarmed?
"Aang's fine, why wouldn't he be?" She replied hastily, glancing over her shoulder and then back at Zuko before looking around the hall.
"Um…That's not what I aske-"
"We should get back to our seats! Don't want to miss any more of the play, right?" She cut him off and began to move back towards the auditorium.
"Yeah, ok…" He trailed off but followed after her, not really wanting to leave her alone. Something was off, and he didn't like it.
Katara heaved a sigh as she settled back down into her seat. Toph was there already, and eating some of the same snack Sokka had been during the first intermission.
She held the bag out when she felt Katara's vibrations, "Fire gummie?"
"…No thanks."
Toph raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with you Sugarqueen? Your heart is all jumpy."
"Nothing is wrong!" She answered a bit too loud just as Zuko came back in. He rolled his eyes as he sat down next to her.
He leaned over her to stage whisper to Toph-wow Sokka must have been rubbing off on him- "Give it up, she wouldn't talk to me eaither."
Katara scoffed and shoved him out of her personal space by his shoulders. Toph just smirked as the Firebender nudged Katara's shoulder lightly. Katara retaliated, but she was at least smiling a little now.
Yep. Just like Azula and Sokka. These two were a match for sure.
Soon, Azula and Sokka came back-Azula had also picked up on Katara's odd behavior, but got the same treatment as Toph and Zuko when she asked what was up.
"I don't know why everyone keeps asking me that-I'm perfectly fine!"
"Lying." Toph stated simply.
Azula hummed in thought. "We are talking about this later." She said in a no-nonsense tone that made everyone wonder if Azula was secretly more motherly then Katara.
The play picked up again, going through everything the Avatar's group had gone through up until the invasion a few weeks prior. It was then that Aang decided to show up, this time sitting in the back next to Sokka.
Azula watched from the corner of her as her pupil pulled his hat down over his face when the actress Katara told actress Aang that she loved "him" like a brother.
I need to figure out what is going on between those two. Azula thought. Really, she needed this for a few reasons, 1) He rmental sanity could not take leaving a perfectly good problem unsolved
2) Aang needed to focus in order to defeat her fether, he couldn't do that if he was upset over something.
3) Everyone needed to focus in general.
4) She did not need a 12 year old pinining after Katara when she was trying so hard to get her brother and her together.
5) She loved medeling, this was just too good.
But it would all have to wait until after the play was over. As of that moment, the actress Azula and actor Zuko were joining forces with the Avatar.
Once they ran off stage, Sokka stood and streached.
"Well, looks like that's it."
Azula raised an eyebrow, seeing as the curtains were still pulled, the lights were still dimmed and no one was applauding. "Wait," She instructed, grabbing Sokka by the arm and hualing him back down-closer to herself then platonically necessary, but who could tell? "The play's not over yet."
"But it's caught up to the present now. Unless… This is the future~" He said eerily, looking out over the crowd with suspicious eyes.
"I'm sure it is speculation on the play-writer's behalf entirely. But let's see what they think will happen."
Sokka shrugged and slung an arm over the back of Azula's seat, totally relaxed-which is more then she could say as she noticed what he was doing.
She took a breath and sat back, hoping her sudden nerves didn't show-she may be a traitor, but she was still a princess with her dignity intact.
The play showed the comet approaching. With it's power, actor Ozia used it to slay the Avatar. Then, to everyone's shock and genuine concern, Mai took out Zuko and the rest of their family, reported back to the Fire Lord and shared in his victory with Ty Lee and the Dia Lee under their command.
The curtains closed and the crowd went wild.
The six teens in the nosebleed section furthest from the stage sat in shocked silence.
A/N: That's where it's at! So yes, now the Gaang knows that Mai (and possibly Ty Lee) are working with Ozia and they are shook. Keep a look out for the next chapter, I can't tell youo when it will be up, but I am at the very least determined not to take so long this time around.
I always love the comments you leave and get so happy when I read them! Thank you so much for them! Let me know what you thought of this chapter, what you're looking forward too, ya know!
I'll catch you on the next one!
Writer Out ~0-0~ Water Tribe