A/N. I had some difficulties with Aang's POV this story, because I knew where I wanted to go, but didn't know how to get there! But I'm really pleased with this chapter.
I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender.
"Still nothing?" Roku felt worried now. This was really bad, the waterbender had disappeared from the face of the earth, something that was just plain impossible.
"No, and I have more bad news." Kuruk sighed, gesturing his arm up. From the shadows appeared another figure, and Roku recognized him. Wan, the first Avatar…
"Some Avatar spirits have refused to help the search." The old man sighed, letting his hands glide over his face in exasperation.
"They refused you?" That was impossible. Sure, some Avatars were not happy with their current incarnation, but to refuse when the first Avatar came to them for help? That was nearly blasphemy…
"Yes, and that is not all… Szeto has gone up in smoke." Kuruk pursed his lips, and Roku knew that the man was trying not to be rude.
Szeto… Agni, what was that slimy bastard doing?
She hadn't been at Wulong…
She had not been anywhere on the way back… Aang had scanned the sky relentlessly, and had only seen birds and clouds, each time hoping it was something else… And now that the Gates of Azulon passed underneath him, he knew that the only place Katara could be, was in the capital… They had missed each other, probably by a few hours… Again. It didn't stop. He was quickly getting tired of the fact that he wasn't able to stay put in one place, and give her the chance to catch up…
Bending some flames into the engine of the balloon, he let himself fall down on the bottom of the basket. At least his journey had not been in vain, normally… At least he had done something good for a change. Helping those soldiers, even though they didn't know who he had been… It had felt right. At least he could have done that.
At least he had done what an Air Nomad was supposed to do.
His people had always helped out when travelling around… He remembered a time Gyatso had come with him to the Fire Nation, when he was around eleven or twelve, and they had fixed the roof of Kuzon's home. It had not been that much work with the boy's father doing most of it to be honest, but it had felt right to help people out. He had tried to do that everywhere they had travelled after that.
But since waking from the iceberg, Aang knew who had been the driving force behind him helping people… It had been Katara, who was always trying to help and bring comfort to those in need, and he had just followed her, doing what she said… At the village in the river at Jang Hui, it had been she who had forced them to stay and make the village a better, healthier place… And he had been happy to listen and act on her orders.
But doing something for people whose hardships he had caused felt good. Better than actually defeating Ozai… He had seen the look in some people's eyes when they had learned he had done it. Fear and admiration… But the soldiers had just been grateful. Happy to have someone listen to them and trying to help them… It felt better to bring happiness to those people than to defeat a tyrant.
Sure, Aang wasn't naïve and knew that his battle with Ozai would probably make people's lives better, but that was a general feeling all around the world. But doing small acts of kindness, it was better… Better for the world. In a world where kindness was long gone, it was good to try and rekindle that.
Yes… Kindness and consideration were gone, burned and buried a long time ago… Aang had seen it in some individuals, but it had not been a policy in the nations, or even on local level… Everywhere he had been, the only thing he had seen was fear and desperation… It would take so much time and effort to make the world return to a balanced, gentle world… And he knew one thing for certain.
Katara was the one who would be able to do that.
Not Zuko, Sokka, Toph, Suki, or even himself… Katara was the one with true mercy and kindness in her heart, but she also had the stubbornness and the will to enforce it… Not like him. He was not like that. He would suggest something, but accept it if someone didn't think like he did.
Sokka wasn't merciful… But then again, Aang supposed that was his upbringing in a war, where his only thought had been to protect his village from the Fire Nation… Zuko was trying to show more kindness, but it wasn't in his personality. He was able to be a nice individual, but to be a ruler, he would need to show strength… And Aang knew how the firebender did that… By a showing it.
Toph was kind but brutally honest and had no qualms about killing and being merciless. And Suki was just not the kind of person to lead… She had a sense of duty so much stronger than his, and he admired it about her… She was kind and capable of doing good, as long as she thought it was needed…
No, Katara was the only one of them that would be able to show the world kindness, and who had the strength to put it into action.
Grimacing, Aang tried to chase off the dark thoughts about himself that were racing towards him.
You are not worthy. You have let your people die. Everything you are, is thanks to others. You couldn't even defeat the Fire Lord on your own, you had to come begging to your past lives…
All that was not important right now. He needed to get back to the caldera, their ruse to keep the people thinking he was there was surely wearing very thin at this moment, and he needed to see Katara. Feel her in his arms, kiss her beautiful face and just be with her… Then, everything would be alright. It felt like he was lost at sea, drifting around aimlessly… Searching for his safe harbour… Searching for cover from the dark storms in his mind…
Standing up from his sitting position, Aang cast a look over the edge of the basket, seeing that on the horizon, a grey spot appeared… That would be the coast of the Capital Island… He tried to keep a calm mind, inhaling and exhaling in long takes to calm his beating heart. She had to be at the capital, and they had just missed each other, that was all… That had to be all.
Appa would be there too, and Aang already knew what he was going to do. The other wouldn't need him for at least a few days… he would find Momo, meet back with Katara next to Appa and find the most isolated place in the Fire Nation and just… Just be with her. There were some uninhabited islands to the north of the capital.
Putting his underarms on the edge, he leaned on it, closing his eyes. The wind softly caressed his face, and it felt freeing… Not like flying with Appa, or with his glider, but to feel the wind in your face, blowing over his skin… That was the best thing there was…
Except for when Katara did… No, he shouldn't think about that now. He would be arriving in the Fire Nation's capital in ten minutes or so, and to reunite with the waterbender while having a… excited problem would be awkward.
"Spirits, let her be there…" He whispered softly, opening his eyes to look over the grey sky. It was clear that summer was over, as if the comet had burned away any remnant of the warm weather. Now, it would be the monsoon season in parts of the Fire Nation, most notably the eastern part. It would be a time where people would need help, and Aang knew that earthbending and waterbending would be essential to some islands to keep the destruction at bay.
A hundred years ago at least. A hundred years ago, he remembered that the North Pole and the Western Earth Kingdom used to send benders to the Fire Nation to prevent such natural calamities. Now, there were probably programs set up to help the people… At least, he hoped that the Fire Nation had found a way to help its people. But for some reason, he doubted that.
And seeing how the rest of the world saw the Fire Nation, he also doubted that help would be sent now that there would be peace. So, he would have to do most of the help. And that didn't bother him, at least it was helping people instead of fighting a war. And Toph would help… And Katara. Of course she would help.
The Lower Harbour came into view, and Aang couldn't help but be confused. What was all that?
There were at least five ships in the Lower Harbour, steaming and clearly ready to go out. On the Great Plaza in front of the docks, where they had landed during the invasion, there were hundreds, if not thousands of people running around, loading the ships…
As his balloon approached, he was able to make more out. There were those tanks, big and cumbersome, which he had already seen at the Northern Air Temple, and then again during the invasion, a long line coming from the caldera. Some balloons, like the one he was using, also stood on the docks, without the inflated canvas, so he assumed they were just ready to be transported on the ships.
And the soldiers… Also coming from the caldera, an impossible long line of soldiers, who were marching towards the ships… What was happening?
"Spirits, Zuko… What did you do?" This was like his friend… Act without thinking, in a rush and regret the decision later. And of course, he would send the army searching for Azula. Of course, he would. Zuko had never seen another way, they had never taught him that. Zuko's way to resolve a problem was by violence… Not that it was his fault, he had never been shown a better way… But spirits, the others should have been able to restrain the impulse, right?
Still, this looked far more serious than a search party. This was more like someone was going to war… It looked a lot like the North Pole when the black snow had arrived. There had been soldiers running from the defences to the inner city, carrying messages and supplies to the front lines…
It looked like that.
A bell was sounding in the harbour, and Aang supposed he had been spotted by the guards in the towers. At least, it was the same kind of bell he had heard ringing through the city throughout the invasion. But there were no fireballs flying through the air, no arrows hissing through the wind, so the guards probably thought he was no threat. Which he wasn't, of course, but it was still nice not to be greeted by weapons being hurled towards you.
Bending out the fire in the furnace, Aang sensed the loss of altitude almost immediately, and kept his eyes on the square below. It didn't make any sense… None at all. Why would Zuko, who knew that this shouldn't be the first thing to do after a century-old war, call up the army and prepare them to… Well, whatever he was planning.
A dark thought drifted into his mind… What if… What if Zuko had betrayed them all?
No.
No, he wasn't like that. Spirits, the airbender hated that he had thought that. Trust. Trust and understanding! But more and more, he began to feel he was losing that part of his education. The more he fought, the more he had to think like his enemies… The more he felt he lost his own being.
This would all be a misunderstanding. They would laugh about it, and make the world a better place. And he would finally be able to just be at peace, and to be at Katara's side… That was all he wanted. To heal the wounds this war had caused, in the world, but also… Well, inside his own mind.
The balloon touched down on the ground of one of the docks, where several people were standing around crates that were being loaded into the ships.
"A volunteer?" One of the men spoke as he approached the balloon. Aang, confused, jumped over the ledge of the basket, and walked to the man.
"A volunteer for what?" Spirits, what was happening?
"Lived under a rock somewhere? The traitor and the princess are at each other's throat."
The traitor? What… Well, Aang supposed he meant Zuko.
"Why?" The feeling of dread filled his heart. He had been gone just three days… One to reach Wulong, the other spending there searching for Katara and finding the soldiers… And the last one, speeding back to the capital.
"They didn't tell us, like always. It is just, do this, do that. But clearly there is no love lost between the two." The man, muscled and tanned, shrugged his shoulders, clearly used to the idea of just following the orders that were given.
"Where is Fire Lord Zuko?" This was not good, he needed to speak to him… And see Katara.
"Fire Lord Zuko? Agni, a truly proper young lad! The traitor is on the square, with the Prince Iroh." Aang didn't miss the fact that Iroh was called by his title, while Zuko was insulted… Nodding, he began to walk towards the square, dodging men and women that were carrying supplies towards the ships.
If Iroh was here… That meant that Ba Sing Se was free! Or at least, that this order of the White Lotus Sokka told him about wasn't defeated so badly. That was good! Spirits… It would truly be over now, right?
As he stepped onto the white marbled square, Aang lost all sense of focus as people were running in every direction possible, some carrying bundles of spears or arrows, others rolling barrels towards the ships. A few were driving carts drawn by hippocowsn loaded with armour, crates and plenty more things the airbender didn't even recognize. One cart, with eight animals pulling it, was enormous, loaded with some metal contraption that looked like those enormous catapults the Fire Nation used on their ships…
Spirits, this wasn't a search party.
This was truly the war machine of the Fire Nation in its glory.
He found himself in a crowd of people, all staring into the same direction, which seemed to be the centre of the plaza. Aang tried to elbow his way to the front, but is wasn't easy. He couldn't even see of the heads of people, although he was taller than most, because at the front stood a long line of guards, all wearing helmets which made them taller than him.
"This is bad." A woman next to him whispered to the man next to her.
"No kidding. At least the war with the Earth filth was far away."
"If the princess will not concede… she will have to take the city…"
"And that idiot is taking all the defences, to do whatever he wants, for his own personal glory." The man grumbled, putting his hands in his pockets.
Spirits… This was really bad.
"Excuse me." He spoke softly to the woman who turned to him with a startled look, "I just arrived here… What is happening?"
"The soldiers are leaving." The woman looked at him with a suspicious eye, "And I would suppose you should be in the army too."
Ah… Yeah… He was probably of age to serve in the Fire Nation army… Seeing that they had called up people like Furzo or the others from the school…
"Where to?" He asked instead, ignoring her question.
"Fire Fountain probably. They say the princess has gone there." The woman turned back to the man who was probably her husband, clearly not happy to have been talking to him. Aang sighed, elbowing his way further into the crowd.
"The traitor is going to be the death of us."
"They said they had the Avatar on their side, but we haven't seen him."
"Are you crazy? Be happy not to have seen him!"
Aang tried to ignore the murmurs around him, but it wasn't easy. People clearly hated Zuko… And apparently, they were afraid of him… As he finally arrived in front the guards, he was met by a hand in his face.
"No closer peasant." A voice behind the faceplate sounded irritated, as if he was not that happy with his current task of keeping the crowd away from whatever was happening behind him.
"Could you tell the Fire Lord that… ehm… Kuzon… Wants to speak to him?"
"Of course I will, oh noble Kuzon, of course." The sarcastic tone was easy enough to understand. Fuck off would have been nicer…
Aang resisted the roll of his eyes, but it wasn't easy. How difficult was it? There was always another way… But he didn't like using that one.
"In that case, tell him Avatar Aang would like to speak to him."
"Oh, of course." The man laughed now.
Aang just had enough. People didn't know what was happening, Zuko apparently was going to war, and the soldiers acted like they owned the place. Enough. It was supposed to be a new era, not just more of the same things that had happened these last hundred years. Yanking off the hat that hid his bald head, and more importantly, his tattoos, he kept his eyes on the face plated helmet. He couldn't see the expression of the man behind the mask, but he heard the murmuring of voices behind him suddenly die down.
To be replaced by a stunned silence.
Then, a scream.
The crowd behind him began to run in the opposite direction, as far away as possible from him….
The soldiers seemed to have the same idea, but apparently, their training forbid them to lose formation, so they stayed in place, shuffling from one foot to the next, as if they were trying to run but were stopped by an invisible force called discipline…
"The… the… Av… Av…" The man in front of him stuttered.
"May I pass now?" Aang asked in a soft voice, trying to make up for the small outburst of irritation that had caused him to reveal himself. He shouldn't have done that… he could easily just have walked around, finding another way onto the plaza…
The soldier seemed to jump a few yards away to make room for him and stay away from him.
Aang sighed but walked through the gap in the line. He shouldn't have done that… But this was all messed up. Zuko had some explaining to do. The plaza behind the line of soldiers wasn't much better than the crowd, with people running around. Only these people weren't dockworkers or inhabitants of the Lower Harbor. These were men and women in flowing, rich silk robes, men clad in uniforms one gaudier than the other, and officials in long dark uniforms, all carrying scrolls instead of weapons.
All one of the same, all doing the same things… Only one group thinks itself superior to the other.
In this whirlwind of people, Aang quickly put back on the hat. He wasn't ready to cause a panic inside the square formed by the soldiers, and he needed to find Zuko, Sokka, Top or Suki… and Katara, most of all her…
As he weaved through the men and women around him, the airbender tried to find anyone familiar. He thought he caught a flash of the war minister, Qin, but he didn't know him well enough to be sure, and the man had already disappeared into the crowd before he could even decide if it had been him.
"What is a civilian doing here?" A hand grabbed his arm, and Aang quickly turned around to be met by the cold, angry ice blue eyes of Master Pakku of the Northern Water Tribe. The man looked in his eyes, and recognized him as the hand released him quickly, and the angry look disappeared, to be replaced by mild irritation. Which, for Pakku, was nearly a nice look.
"Young Avatar… The others said you were away." Pakku seemed unsure of how to speak, and Aang didn't like it. It was as if he was trying to be respectful, but couldn't find it in his heart to do that to someone so young. To be honest, he would prefer if the waterbender was abrupt and rude to him, as he had been during training…
"Pakku!" A stern look, "Master Pakku! What are you doing here?"
"Iroh brought Piandao and me to the Fire Nation to help him if needed. And seeing in what kind of mess all this left us, we will need more than just the three of us. We will have to bring the whole White Lotus here." Pakku shrugged, looking around at the panic around them.
"After a hundred years, you would think they would have found a better way to organize such things."
"Master… This is all very nice, but… Have you seen Katara?" If someone had seen here, it would have been Pakku! Of course, Pakku knew what had happened. Finally, someone better suited to decide on matters. He didn't exactly like the man, but Aang would recognize the fact that he was good at being decisive.
"Katara?" The older man suddenly looked pained, "No… no I haven't Aang. Sorry."
That didn't make sense… Katara had to be here! And, of course, she would have met the older waterbender! He was just being a prick, that had to be it… But the kindness in that voice, the small hesitation… That didn't make sense…
"Avatar Aang." Another old voice spoke behind him, and, turning to the newcomer, the airbender saw the short stature of Iroh. The old man looked… good. Better than the last time he had seen him, in Ba Sing Se. Gone was the rather large belly, gone was the long beard, to be replaced by a pointed one that reached the middle of the man's chest.
"Iroh!" He sighed. This was good! Most Fire Nationals seemed to respect the man, and his presence would be good for Zuko! And… Well, his friend needed all the family he could get. With a family like Zuko's… Well, one normal person would be good.
"I believe you need to speak to your friends… I'm afraid we have some bad news." With those ominous words, Iroh gestured for someone in the crowd, and from the mass of people appeared his friends.
The first thing that shocked him was the grim expressions on their faces, which were replaced by dread as soon as they saw him… Spirits what was happening…
The second thing was that they all wore armour… Zuko in the plate that he had worn during his wild mouse-goose chase after them in the winter months of last year… Toph, in her green armour which she had used at the invasion… Suki, in full Kyoshi Warrior uniform… And even Sokka, wearing the armour Hakoda had made him up, hopping on the one crutch. In his other hand, his friend held a sword that seemed to be borrowed…
What was this?
"Aang…" Zuko sighed, frowning at him.
"What is it?" the airbender felt his heart shrink in his chest, as if it was preparing for what was to come…
"We… we received a message from my sister." The firebender whispered, but before he could even finish that sentence, Sokka stepped forward, in front of Zuko. Aang looked his friend in the eyes, and knew.
He felt his knees buckle for a second, before he managed to keep some strength in them to stay standing. No… no… no… Not that. Everything but that. This was all a very bad joke, Katara would appear from behind them, and close her arms around him, laughing and cursing the others for having thought this up…
"She has her." Sokka's voice sounded like pure iron, like it would break before it would bend, and Aang recognized that tone. It had been the same as the water tribe warrior had used in Ba Sing Se, when they had arrived back to find Katara…
No… He didn't believe that. It was impossible. No. But looking past Sokka, to his friends, he knew they weren't lying… Suki, even through her warrior make up, looked sadly at him. Zuko didn't seem to know where to look, preferring the points of his boots… Even Toph, who would normally be rude and teasing, looked serious, biting her lip.
"No…" He whispered, looking at Sokka. His friend would not be this cruel just to make a joke…
"Aang…" the Water Tribe warrior looked at him, the angry look breaking to reveal a tormented expression, one so horribly painful that Aang felt his heart nearly drop out of his chest, "She… She sent us this." Sokka put a hand in his pocket, pulling out…
No… Not that.
He lifted a hand towards it, seeing how his own fingers trembled as if possessed, and took the object Sokka was handing him. Letting it rest in his palm, he looked at it for a solid minute, in silence. He was so intimately familiar with every little detail of this object that he knew it was the real one. The one he had made with his own two hands… The stone came from the Eastern Air Temple, he had picked it out himself when he had visited Guru Pathik…
The symbols carved on it were those he had carved himself, during their weeks and months in the Fire Nation…
The blue silken band was the one he had bought during Katara's and Toph's fighting near Fire Fountain…
Katara's necklace. The one he had made for her. The one he had given her before the invasion, and the one he had given her after the play on Ember Island. The one she had accepted, and the one she had worn during that ceremony in their room in the Fire Lord's summer house.
His wife's necklace.
"What…" He managed to croak, before having to scrape his throat, "What… What did the message say?"
"Just to hand over the throne. With this attached to it." Sokka spoke softly.
Closing his trembling hands around the necklace, Aang began to feel the familiar anger. The rage that had always accompanied the Avatar State. As his fist trembled, he saw the soft flashes on the arrow pointed tattoos on his hand. It wasn't fully Avatar State, but he was quite close. Silence fell all around him, as people stopped and turned to see what was happening. He heard, as if from far away, screams and shouts.
Inhale. Exhale.
I'm here Aang. Sokka and I, we can be your family.
Words no older than a year but sounding so far away.
He inhaled once more, seeing the white light fade away. Closing his eyes, he felt tears prick in the corners. Exhale.
The wind that had begun to blow around him, a thing he hadn't even noticed, suddenly stopped, as around him the air immobilized. He knew that sometimes, airbenders made that happen when they weren't in full control of their bending…
"Zuko." He managed to speak, "The soldiers. Where are they going?"
"Fire Fountain. We… We think she is there." His friend appeared next to Sokka, extending a hand towards his shoulder. Aang stepped away from the kind gesture.
"Let me be clear. If that… that… if your sister did anything to hurt her… I will make good on my promise. I will rip her throat out, rip her in a thousand pieces. And it won't be quick. I will make her suffer. I will make sure that even in death, she won't find peace. I will make sure the whole Spirit World rejects her! Do you hear me?" He didn't know when he had begun to shout, but the whole plaza seemed to listen.
"Aang…" Sokka began.
"If anyone hurt my wife, I will do the same to them. If anyone has the stupidity to try anything against her, I will show the world why the Air Nomads were pacifists."
Answers:
Alyssa: Yeah, poor On Ji doesn't even know what to belief anymore! And yeah, she is a kind person, who tries to do the good thing. I think the storyline with On Ji and Katara is a really interesting one, for it has a rather unique dynamic, with both wanting to get out of the town, even while they know the other can be dangerous to them.