Hello there, friends. Welcome to the next chapter of Avatar: Immortal Dragon and now on to the reviews.
Lupus: Who knows if Genji and Asami will have kids in the future. I'm not a big fan of Guardians of the Galaxy. And I'm not very familiar with Ben 10.
Now I hope you'll enjoy it and now story time.
The following morning, when Korra and Asami got back from the mission they where send to do for the Earth Queen, which had resulted in no actual news for finding airbenders but it did result in the Queen receiving her subjects tax money.
They had arrived just in time as Ichiro, Jinora and Soshi told what happened, how he was almost taken by the Dai Li. The group sat in Team Avatar's residence where everyone is having a meeting.
"I can't believe the Earth Queen is conscripting airbenders." Tenzin said in disbelieve, "Those people should not be forced to join an army!"
"Well, technically, the Earth Queen has a right to conscript her citizens." Bumi said as everyone stares at him silently, "What are you looking at me like that? I'm only stating the truth!"
"That still doesn't make it right!" Soshi protested, "I would have been taken too if it wasn't for Ichiro and Jinora!"
"Yeah, my grandkids are pretty awesome." Genji said proudly as he was drinking from the bottle Soshi had gotten for him.
"Once again, Genji." Tenzin said, "Jinora is not your grandchild."
"I know. But I'm her Grunkle and I don't know what to call her." Genji said, "And she might as well be my grandkid!"
"Ah thanks." Jinora said, touched by his gesture, "Your the crazy, alcoholic, homicidal grandpa I never had."
"Don't forget rich." Genji said wisley as he nodded, "Very important."
"Can we focus for a moment." Ichiro said pointing to the map on the table, "We need to figure out where they might have taken the airbenders."
"I bet they're under Lake Laogai. The old Dai Li agents used to have a secret fortress beneath the lake." Mako said, pointing to a massive lake near the city but he then noticed that everyone is looking at him, "What? I've been reading some of Jinora's books."
"That's a good point, Mako." Ichiro said, thinking it over turning to Genji, "Lake Laogai? Didn't Jet die there?"
"You know, it was really unclear." Genji said with a nod, "But it's the perfect spot to hide airbenders."
"Then we need a way to check out the old Dai Li base without being caught..." Ichiro said.
"I guess stealth isn't optional." Genji said disappointed as he stood up, "Be back in an hour."
"Jinora, you've read all about Ba Sing Se." Korra began.
"Yeah..." Genji scoffed, "She has been reading about the history of Ba Sing Se alright." before walking out of the door.
"Anyway." Korra said, "Can you think of any other places the airbenders might be?"
"I guess they could be in the catacombs beneath the Upper Ring." Jinora said, recounting what she has read, "Or the ancient sewers beneath the Lower Ring, or the maze of tunnels that connect the rings together, or they could be..."
"There are just too many places." Tenzin said.
"We need to scout out some of the area's." Ichiro said as he began to put people in teams of two, "We meet back here in exactly one hour."
Meanwhile in a hideout in Republic City, Zaheer is on his way to infiltrate Air Temple Island while the others waited for him. Aizen was sitting in the windowstill, looking through the boarded up window. When he had last been to this location it had been nothing but a small settlement which got by on the local fishing.
Now it was a massive metropolis dwarving Ba Sing Se in some aspects.
He closed his eyes as he began to meditate, using a tecniece that much quicker recovered his body than any sleep could. Another upside is that he could relive his memories.
It was centuries ago, when he was just 214 years old, during the time of Avatar Yangchen. It was after she was called to the solve a spiritual matter between a village in the Earth Kingdom and a great spirit named General Old Iron.
The Avatar was sitting against a tree, her airbison close by as she looked at the setting sun she was in her own taught that she didn't realize Aizen had walked up to her.
"Hey, Yang." he said, using the nickname he had given to her years ago when she was training to master her firebending.
"Sojiro." Yangchen said, surprised but happy to see her friend, "I didn't know you where in the area."
"Just a simple contract. I heard the Avatar was in the area, so I wanted to see if I could catch up with her." Aizen said before sitting down next to her, "Making a deal with that Great Spirit. Pretty ballsy. Not what I would have done, but you do you."
"Yeah... Thanks." Yanchen said, a bit of doubt in her, "H-Hey, Sojiro. You have know me for a long time... Longer than most of my masters... How do you think I compare as an Avatar to Szeto?"
"Let me stop you right there, Yang." Aizen said as he leaned back so he was balancing on his arms, "You're nothing like Szeto nor will you ever be like Szeto. You will never be an Avatar like Szeto."
At his pretty harsh words, tears began well in her eyes as she looked away from him.
"Because you aren't Szeto." Aizen continued, much to the confused Yangchen, "You can't be like Szeto because you are Yangchen. Just like Szeto couldn't be like the Avatar before him. You can't go your life comparing yourself to the previous Avatars because then you will lose sight of what is ahead of you. You are the Avatar. That is all that makes you like those before you, nothing else ties you to them, nothing else makes you like them."
Aizen reached out, giving her a pet on the head, "You Yang, are your own person. No one, not Jetsun, not Boma, not me, not anyone expects you to be Szeto. We expect you to be Yangchen and to be the best Yangchen you can be."
She chuckled lightly at that. "Thank you, Sojiro..." she said softly, "For believing in me."
"Any time Yang." he said with a smile as he laid down on his back, "Don't mention it to Szeto, but I told him the exact same thing."
"I will try." she said with a giggle.
Aizen had his eyes closed as he began to relax, he felt something soft touch his lips and when he opened his eyes. It seemed to have been a thing done in the heat of the moment as Yangchen's eyes widen in shock as she pulled back, realization setting in at what she had done.
"I'm sorry!" she said quickly, "I just..."
"It's alright, Yang." he said as he sat back up, "What made you do it?"
"I don't know, it just felt right..." Yangchen said, a blush creeping om her face, "I know I should be weary of attacments, and I know its outright forbidden towards a Shashou. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't attracted to you."
"Of course you are." Aizen said with a smirk, "You have been warned about men like me your whole life... but you've always wondered."
"Aren't you sure of yourself?" Yangchen said with a smile as she leaned closer to him, "I don't think you're dangerous. I think you're sweet."
"Well I think you're beautiful and smart." Aizen said as he leaned in, "And you have a good sense of humor, for an Air Nomad."
"Oh, for an Air Nomad? Tease." Yangchen said as they pressed foreheads together, "Look, I've never really been with someone like that before. I don't want to rush things..."
"We'll go as fast as you want." Aizen said softly taking her hand, "But we need to keep it quiet. There is no way to tell how people would react."
And react they did, once it got out an Air Nomand much less the Avatar was in a romantic relationship with a Shashou.
Of course, Aizen couldn't care less whatever anyone would think or the potential political fallout.
While Yangchen eventually became a respected figure and was hailed for her wisdom, determination, and power. Although Air Nomad culture emphasized pacifism and the sanctity of life, it was guessed it was Shashou influence that Yangchen became feared for her fierce willingness to do whatever was required to maintain balance and peace throughout the world in her duty as the Avatar.
It ruined not only the relationship between the Shashou of the Ryu Basho and the Air Nomads, but the relationship with all Shashou's no matter which of the four schools they belonged to. It was at that point the reputation of the Shashou began to go down, along with the decline of monsters in the world.
He had been 313 when Yangchen finally parted from this world, and their time together was one of the happiest he had ever been.
His memories drifted to the second incident, which would result in his imprisoment and the death of many of his Shashou brothers and sisters.
He had been 445 when he was hired by the then current Fire Lord to rescue his daughter from a cult operating out of a rural Earth Kingdom village. It was there that he discovers that the cultists are infected by an ancient spirit, so he had much bigger problems on his hand than a missing princess.
But before he could relive those memories, he was taken out of his meditation, finding himself back in the present. He had been taken out of it by Ghazan.
"Yes, what is it?" Aizen said, feeling refreshed from his meditation.
"Ming Hua is making some grub." he said, sitting across from him, "Wondered if you wanted some?"
"No, I'm fine." he said shaking his head, "Not hungry."
"That I can't believe." Ghazan said, "You've been imprisoned for like three hundred years?"
"Three hundred and eighty years."
"Right. While our prisons weren't a three star hotel, we got food." Ghazan said, "There was no way anyone fed you during your time in that orb."
"Shashou generally can survive longer without nourishment and those are normal Shashou's. I'm special." Aizen said before he stood up, "Thanks for the talk, but I'm going out for a walk."
"Sure." Ghazan said, "Just be careful out there."
Giving a nod, he walked to the front door. Her face came into focus of his minds eye. Her silky and soft raven black hair, her golden eyes. A face so pretty it could only belong to someone of royalty. The Fire Princess known as Ahri... His Ahri.
"At least in my dreams..." Aizen thought, "I can still see you..."
Back at the Team Avatar Residence, everyone had regrouped just as the door opened and Genji comes walking in as he was sipping from a cup through a straw as Ichiro and Tenzin sat around the table.
"Wait, you went in your vacation clothes." Ichiro said, noticing Genji hadn't changed out of his clothes into his usual Shashou gear.
"Why would I? As I already mention I once took out ten guys with just a chopstick." Genji said, "And I was completely naked."
"That last part you never mentioned." Ichiro said, shaking the thought from his head, "So what did you find?"
"Oh, the airbenders aren't there." Genji said casually, "So I stopped by this shop which sells this delicious smoothie..."
"They're not down there!?" Tenzin said, "And you just decided to get something to drink!?"
Before Genji could respond, Asami had looked out the window to see the Earth Queen, Hou-Ting approach as she was carried in a sedan.
"Everyone act normal!" Asami said quickly as she went to open the door.
"Act like Genji?" Genji said confused.
"Good. You're here." Hou-Ting said before turning to her aid, "Gun, tell them the news."
"We've received word from the Yang Province." Gun said, "There have been reports of airbenders there."
"Wonderful, isn't it?" Hou-Ting said, "It's the very thing you've been looking for."
"Thank you!" Korra said sarcastically, "That is just the most wonderful news. Ever. Yay."
"So, I assume you and your... friends here will be leaving immediately?" the Earth Queen said, "If you need any assistance packing, let Gun know. He'll see to it that you're on your way by evening."
"This evening?" Korra said, "I'm not sure about leaving so soon..."
"Because our airship is having engine trouble." Asami said quickly, "It'll take me until tomorrow to finish the repairs."
The Earth Queen and her eunterouge leave, Genji whispered into Asami's ear, "Spirits I love you." he said, closing the door.
"Now we have some time to find the airbenders..." Ichiro said, "If only we had some clue."
"They are in the Earth Queen's Temple." Genji said much to their surprise, "You know, the guarden thing she was working on."
"How do you know that?" Mako said.
"While I was getting this smoothie, I noticed this guy being arrested by the Dai Li after he demonstrated he could airbend." Genji explained, "So I followed them and it took some time, but they brought them to the Earth Queen's temple."
"Why didn't you mention it sooner?" Tenzin said.
"I was about to if you hadn't jumped down my throat!" Genji said, "Also the Earth Queen got here and it was best not to let her know that we know, you know?"
"I can't believe Miss Queeny Smug Face had them right under our noses the whole time!" Korra said, "We have to get into that compound tonight and get those airbenders out."
"All right. We go in under the cover of darkness: two small insertion teams and a third on the outside." Bumi said as he began to come up with a plan, "Then all we'll need is twelve tons of blasting jelly, a medium-sized bulldozer and... does anyone have a badgermole that knows Morse code?"
"I'm all for that plan." Genji said, "But where are we gonna get twelve tons of blasting jelly at this time of day?"
Just there is a knock at the door.
"Oh great." Asami said irritated, "Not the Queen again."
Tenzin glances at others and opens the door but instead of the Earth Queen, Tenzin was pushed aside as Lin walks in.
"Lin!" Genji said happily upon seeing his daughter, "Glad you decided to join us on this vacation!"
"Not here for that Genji, we need to get Korra out of here immediately." Lin said, "Her life's in danger."
"Again!?" Genji said, "What's wrong now?"
"I just got word from Lord Zuko and Tonraq." Lin said, "Zaheer and the others have escaped."
"Oh no! Not Zaheer!" Genji said horrified, "...Who the fuck is Zaheer?" he looked at Ichiro who shrugged.
"How is that possible?" Tenzin said, appearently knowing who this Zaheer was.
"Because Zaheer is an airbender now." Lin informed them, "And they got help from a Shashou."
"...Well that's not good." Bolin noted.
"All right, hold on!" Korra said annoyed, "Will you tell us what's going on? Who's Zaheer? Why is my life in danger?"
Tenzin exchanges glances with Lin and approaches Korra, "Shortly after we found out you were the Avatar, Zaheer and three others attempted to kidnap you. Luckily, your father, Lord Zuko, Chief Sokka and I were there to stop them. We apprehended the criminals and locked them away in prisons designed to impair their abilities."
"Why were they trying to kidnap Korra?" Ichiro said.
"We spent thirteen years interrogating them, but they never broke." Lin said, "To this day, no one knows what their motive was."
"We know anything about the Shashou?" Asami said, "Like his eye color? It's a big give away which one of the four Qiyue Ren's schools he's from."
"We haven't gotten any information like that." Lin said, "Because anyone who could is dead. But the carnage he left behind indicates it was a Shashou, nothing else could have done it. Zaheer was almost recaptured in the Patola Mountain Range, he was there with a few other men in a cavern."
"Hold on, the Patola Mountain Range?" Genji said, "I was buried there for fifty years."
"Why where you even there?" Asami said, glancing at her boyfriend, "You never mentioned it."
"I had accepted a contract to kill off some deluded faction off-spring of the White Lotus led by a guy named Xai Bau or something." Genji recounted, "During the fight, they caused a cave in and I was buried alive along with a lot of their members. But I still killed Xai Bau so I count it as a win for me."
There was another knock on the door, the group looked tense.
"Think it's the Earth Queen?" Genji said to Asami.
"Don't think so." she said, giving everyone a look before she went to open it.
A tall man wearing black leather armor similar to Genji's, though he lacked sleeves. His hair long black hair was tied back, streaks of grey where in it along with his small beard. Instead of a sword he had a bow and quiver on his back. A sleeve tattoo on his arm forming a dragon was on his left arm.
His eyes where red and his pupils slits.
"Greetings." the man said politely, "I am sorry to intrude, but is Genji Chirayus staying here?"
"Who wants to know?" Asami said, being on guard especially after hearing a Shashou was looking for Korra.
"Hanzo!" Genji said with a smile as he saw his blood brother.
"Genji!" Hanzo said, the two approached each other and gripped the others upper hand, slapping their shoulder, "You look well little brother."
"You do too big brother." Genji said but his smile dropped when he saw the grim look in his eyes, "What's wrong?"
"Genji..." Hanzo said seriously, "It's the Master..."
Over at Republic City, Aizen was sitting on a bench at a buss stop, watching the people go by. It seemed this city was similar to Ba Sing Se, too many people, not caring what anyone else was doing.
He noticed a family, a mother and her two children crossing the street. But his reflexes peaked up when he saw a car racing down the street, followed by the police, sirens blaring. At this speed, the children would be run over.
His body moved before he could think, he stood up and ran over to them and he could pull the two kids off the street just in time as the car raced by and the police gave chase.
"You alright, kids?" Aizen said, as the mother comes rushing up.
"That was awesome!" the boy said excited, "You totally looked like a leaf!"
"I'll take that as a yes." Aizen said with a smile, especially when he saw the mother embrace her children.
"Meelo, Ikki. I'm so glad you two are safe." the mother said before looking at Aizen, "Thank you so much, I don't know how to repay you."
"There is no need for that, Ma'am." Aizen said with a nod, "Take care now." with a wave he was about to walk off.
"Wait! Let me at least invite you over for dinner." she said, and he gave her a nod, "It's the least I can do."
"Actually, the least you can do is nothing. But if you insist." Aizen said with a shrug, "Just one thing, you do know what I am, right?"
"Going by your eyes, I say your a Shashou." she said, "Don't worry, an old family friend is one as well."
"Oh... Then I will gladly accept. Will they be around as well?" he said with a smile, "If I may ask, which school is he from? Its been a while since I conversed with a cousin from the Ryu Basho, Achambha Jagah or the Laohu Difang schools."
"He's unfortunately not around, he's away on a trip." she said, "I don't know which one he belongs to. But his pupils are verticle slits, like yours."
"Ah, a brother from the Ryu Basho." Aizen said with a bow, "Very well, I will accept your offer for dinner."
It was during the night at Ba Sing Se, two of the royal guards patrol in the temple area. They turned a corner and they where startled when they came across Jinora.
"Hi." Jinora said with a wave.
"Hey!" one of them said, "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, it's just that little airbender girl who came with the Avatar." the second one said, "You shouldn't be walking around here all alone."
"But I'm not alone." Jinora said with an innocent smile.
Before the guards could react, Genji and Hanzo dropped down from above, each putting the guards into a chock hold and as they passed out, they dragged them into the shadows. Entering the temple, they sneaked through it, avoiding the patrolling Dai Li agents. Once they arrive at the prison cells the team split up to make sure they get everyone.
Opening a prison door, Genji and Hanzo find a group of airbenders in there who where awoken from their sleep.
"What's going on?" one of them said, "Who are you?"
"Doesn't matter. Me and my friends are getting you all out of here." Genji said but the airbenders start murmuring, "Okay, all of you shut the fuck up! I just found out my father has died and I'm really looking for an reason to kill someone right now."
"Genji, please." Hanzo said before turning to the airbenders, "You must stay calm and quiet if we want this to work. We're going to get you away from the Earth Queen and out of the city."
Everyone begins to run out of the prison, following the two Shashou's. They run down the hall and turn a corner, but the rest of their path is blocked by three Dai Li agents.
"Hanzo, get them out of here." Genji said, cracking his knuckles, "I'll really need to let off some steam."
The older brother gave a nod gesturing for the airbenders to follow him.
"Deserting Her Majesty's army is high treason." a Dai Li agent said, "Punishable by death!", the agents simultaneously bend rock gloves.
Using his superhuman reflexes, he avoided the pieces of the earth with ease.
Genji charged forward, weaving his way through the fast yet predictable patterns, knocking the wind out of him with a single punch before gripping his head and turning it so his neck was broken.
As the body dropped to the floor, he ducked under a strike aimed at his head, Genji used the momentum to swipe the Dai Li's leg, making him fall off the ground. Screaming in pain as Genji cracked his skill by striking with his elbow.
Blood poring over the floor, as Genji spin's around and punched another against the throat, breaking his windpipe. He turned around to catch an earth glove out of the air, before slamming it against his face, drawing blood.
As he was beating down on one of them, a Dai Li agent attempted to intervene to save his fellow agent, only to have his head smashed in with the rock glove. Once they were dead Genji threw the rock glove at his body for good measure.
Being surrounded by dead bodies of the Dai Li agent, Genji took a moment to look at all the dead around him, but he didn't feel any better.
Outside on the surface, Korra hides behind a wall as she stares at the courtyard outside the temple.
"Come on!" she said to the gathered airbender behind her, "It's clear."
They run out, not noticing Dai Li agents hiding on the structure of the temple, who quickly surround them.
"So, you've discovered my elite army." the voice of the Earth Queen said as she walked up to them, flanked by more Dai Li agents, "I see their loyalty still needs some work."
"These airbenders shouldn't be used as weapons!" Korra said, "They have a right to choose their own paths."
"These airbenders are Earth Kingdom citizens, and I am their queen." Hou-Ting said, "Taking them will constitute an act of war. If you disobey me, I will bear down on you with the entire force of my kingdom!"
"If you declare war on the Air Nomads, every Shashou of the Dragon Qiyue Ren will come to their defends." Hanzo told her as he aimed his arrow, "You have my word."
"Yeah." Korra said, "They're leaving with me!"
Hou-Ting turns and walks away, and the first row of Dai Li agents begins bending rock gloves at Team Avatar and the airbenders. Asami dropped from the airship above, breaking her fall with airbending before bending a cyclone of air to hold the Dai Li off.
Korra joined in with her, creating a wave of air too strong for them to penetrate while the airship ladder lands to give them a lift.
Genji comes running out of the temple, using his sword to slice through Dai Li agents like butter. Hanzo keeping up with his brother fired arrows in quick succession, each one hitting their mark. Korra and Asami fire air blast at Dai Li agents attempting to climb the temple and stop the escape.
Tenzin whistles for his bison and once Oogi comes flying down. The airbending master used the air to jump up on the bison as Genji and Hanzo where thrown up there by Korra's bending before she and Asami joined them.
Miles away from Ba Sing Se and out of the reach of the Earth Queen. Oogi and the airships landing near ruins atop a range of hills in the desert. Tenzin and Korra standing before the airbenders.
"I know that none of you chose to become airbenders. But now you do have a choice." Tenzin said, "We can relocate you somewhere safe, or you can come with me to the Northern Air Temple, to live in peace and train as Air Nomads. You are no longer anyone's property. What path you decide is up to you."
As more airbenders agree to go with Tenzin, tears form in his eyes as he smiles.
Inside the airship, Genji was laying on the sofa in the lounge. His ears picked up footsteps. They where small, and obviously belonged to a boy. So he figured it must be Soshi. And as he sat up, he was indeed proven true when he saw the young boy coming up to him.
"Hey kiddo." Genji said, "Shouldn't you be with the other airbenders?"
"Yeah, I know. I just wanted to say goodbye to you." Soshi said tilting his head, "You sure your alright?"
"Honestly, kid. I am not." Genji said, shaking his head, "I'm 380 years old, I have seen so many people die... But losing a loved one, it never gets any easier."
"I can't imagine." Soshi said, "The only people I lost are my parents."
"Yeah, I know..." Genji said, "Guess we're both oprhans."
"You have it worse." Soshi said, "You lost both your parents and your other dad."
"Kid, don't play missery poker with me right now. Not in the mood." Genji said, though he appreciated what the boy was trying to do, "Good luck at the Northern Air Temple."
"I'm sad you won't be coming with us." Soshi said.
"Got to go to a funeral, then I have to clear up this whole people trying to kill the Avatar, because my girlfriend is one of them now." Genji said, "But if you want, I'll come visit you." holding out his fist.
"Yeah." Soshi said as he returned the fist bump, "I would like that."
"Good luck out there, kid." Genji said with a small smile, "You'll need it. Especially when Tenzin find out."
"Find out what?" Soshi said as the two walked otu of the lounge.
"Oh, you know." Genji said with a grin, "Don't worry, when the time comes, I'll be there to protect you."
Chapter 27. Which details a bit about Aizen's backstory and I wanted to include something with Yangchen in it.
Anyways many thanks to everyone who reads, reviews, favorite or follows this story, much gratitude!
If you liked what you read, please leave a review and for now I wish you all a fantastic day and I hope to see you ladies and gents next time.