A/N. I'm not too sure about this chapter, but I had to have some preparations for the chapters… So, stay with me please lol!
"I need someone who knows the town!" Aang couldn't stay still. The moment the gates had closed behind On Ji and the older man who had seemed to be her father, he and Sokka had returned to the camp with the others.
"What do you plan to do?" Hakoda asked, slightly irritated. Aang had seen how the chief had glanced at him with that look… The same look Sokka always had when something bothered him. And the airbender didn't need to ask what exactly the problem was… He had ignored Hakoda after the chief had been kind to him… And he had, maybe, forgotten to mention the fact he had married Katara… And the chief had learned it from Piandao.
"We are going in." Sokka answered instead, leaning heavily on Suki. Short distances seemed to be possible for him, but the mile that separated the town with the siege camp had taken its toll.
"We? Who are we?" Hakoda turned to his son.
"Aang and I! We… Tui and La, On Ji said Katara is there!" Sokka waved his hands around, as confused and hopeful as Aang was feeling. For the first time since learning of Katara's disappearance, Aang felt… hopeful. And that feeling was staving off the horrible visions to a dark corner of his mind.
"And who is On Ji?" The airbender heard the slight hesitation in Hakoda's question. Obviously, the chief was trying to stay angry… But the idea that it was possible to save his daughter clearly took precedence over his present irritation with Aang.
"When we left you to search for Aang," Sokka began, and the airbender could feel the ice blue eyes of the older man on, silently saying to search for you when you ran away, "There was a… party. She was nice. And she helped us get away when the schoolmaster found us. So, I would say she is trustworthy…"
Trustworthy was a stretch, even Aang had to acknowledge that. On Ji had wanted to help Kuzon, the weird but nice person that had stood up for her against the bully who had called himself her boyfriend. She had wanted to help him, but she had also taken the side of the Fire Nation in the lessons about their history… So, she may have liked Kuzon, but did she trust Avatar Aang, an Air Degenerate? Apparently… She did. Or rather, she seemed to.
Hakoda had the same reservations.
"And you think she can't lie? It is her town we are besieging, may I remember you? And most of the time, people have more loyalty to their family and friends than to some person they… partied… with."
Aang didn't miss the comment. Frowning, he looked at the Water Tribe chief. And yeah… He saw the anger and the hurt in those blue eyes, and he understood.
"You are angry with me." He sighed, "I know… I should have told you the moment you came here… But I'm not apologizing for what I did."
"I warned you both time and time again about the dangers such a relationship would pose… To the both of you." Hakoda crossed his arms over his chest, a move that was so Sokka-like that Aang could see what his friend would look like in twenty years, "But no! Don't listen to me."
"Hakoda. Stop being a little bitch. It isn't his fault Sugar Queen is missing." Toph interjected lowly.
"But instead of keeping your feelings hidden, as I suggested, everyone knew about it. Everybody knew you married my daughter. Except me."
And that was the real stinger, Aang guessed. Of course, the Water Tribe chief would have liked to be there… Or at least, be told… But he had heard it from a stranger, instead of him…
"Can you leave us alone?" Aang asked softly, and he heard some murmurs, some more forceful than others. He suspected that the rather crude words came from Toph. But still they left him and Hakoda alone. Standing up, the airbender looked Katara's father in the eyes, exhaling softly.
"Sorry. I should have told you. But if On Ji spoke the truth, as I believe she did… Katara is inside there. And Azula is too. If On Ji managed to talk to Tara… That means there is a chance Azula doesn't know she is there. So, I need to get her out of there." Now wasn't the time to argue… No, he had more pressing matters.
"Tara?" Ah… yes…
"Not important. Hakoda, sir… Listen to me. I know you mean well… And I'm sorry for ignoring your advice. But would you have listened to your own advice when it was Kya?" Aang remembered the soft gaze in the spirit's eyes, that last spirit on the Lion Turtle… And remembered how that kindness had felt. Like warmth, home… Like Katara.
Still looking in the ice blue eyes, he saw the irritation evaporate, to be replaced by a second of such longing and hurt that Aang knew… Hakoda had been feeling like he did at this moment… For years.
"Mph." A soft exhale of air came from the chief, and Aang realized it was supposed to be a laugh, "No… I would guess not. I suppose I could have known…" The unfinished sentence hung in the air, and the airbender waited a few moments for the rest of it, but it never came.
"All this isn't important at the moment… If she is there… I only have to get in." Sokka's idea of him and Aang going inside the town had been a good one… Except that his Water Tribe friend was in no state to climb walls… Or get away in a rapid manner if things went south. So, no, Sokka couldn't come. And for all that his friends had gone through this year… Aang didn't wish them to risk yet one more thing. Sokka, Suki and Toph had risked far too much… And they didn't deserve to lose anyone else.
"You? Just you?" Hakoda looked at him, one dark eyebrow raised.
"Just me."
"Alright." The chief didn't suggest another plan, another person. He knew what this meant, "How are you planning to get in?" The older man asked instead.
"I jump over the wall." Aang shrugged. He had been thinking about it for a few days now… But with the certainty that Katara was inside… he knew he had to do it.
"Airbenders," Said airbender nearly laughed at the hopeless tone in Hakoda's voice, "And then? You will be standing in a town crawling with soldiers, perhaps as many as five thousand judging by those ships that came…"
"That is why I need someone who knows the town. I will go to On Ji… And hope to find her alone. She couldn't say more about Katara, I think because her father was there too… If she knows where she is, I'll go there."
"I may have a solution." Hakoda spoke, and Aang glanced at his friends. All were talking among themselves, and he saw that Sokka was bent over a crate, scribbling something on a piece of paper. His friend leaned rather heavily on his uninjured leg… The airbender knew then and then that it was out of the question to take him with him… And to be honest, having faced Hakoda's anger, he couldn't summon the courage to take yet another of the Water Tribe siblings into danger…
"And that is?" He turned back to the older chief, knowing that they were on the same page. Without a word, Hakoda began to walk away, and Aang followed. He knew what they were doing. As long as the others were too absorbed into discussing whatever they were doing… They could sneak away. Towards whatever Hakoda had in stock for him.
"When I came here, a group of archers welcomed me. One of them said he was from here. I don't remember the fellow's name, but he told me about someone named Kuzon on whom a girl from town had a crush. And who threw a party… I guess that was you." As they marched away from the group of tents where the Water Tribe warriors had made their camp, Aang felt his cheeks heat up slightly at that piece of information.
"I don't know about any of… Well, that. But if he was at the party, he might not me inclined to help me." The person had probably like Kuzon, the weird colony kid… But how would he react on learning that said kid was actually the Avatar, the hated person who had the power and the will to destroy their nation? Aang guessed the person in question might like him a whole lot less.
"He also said that Kuzon saved him at Wulong. I would guess that, seeing how prickly asheathers are about their honour… He might want to repay that debt." Ignoring the insult directed at the Fire Nationals, Aang's ear pricked up.
"Wait, Furzo? You met Furzo? Here?"
"That was the name!"
"Furzo saw what happened at Wulong!" Aang answered through gritted teeth. He could still see the fear in the boy's eyes when he had told him about the fight he had witnessed.
"So?"
"He likes Kuzon. He fears the Avatar." It made Aang sick. How people who met him without knowing who he was would like him… And then, when he would tell them who he truly was… That genuine kindness turned to ash, to be replaced by either fear or hate… Sometimes both.
"Good. Maybe it will make him talk. Because, let's not forget… We will ask him to betray his town, and probably a friend." Hakoda spoke darkly, and suddenly, the dark voice inside Aang's mind snickered. He had been able to push those dark thoughts away for a time, elated by the hope that Katara might be alright… But now, he felt those dark doubts creep back into his mind.
No one will ever look at you and like you for who you are.
The only one who did is in the hands of your enemies.
The Fire Nation boy will fear you for what you are…
A monster.
Balling his fist tightly, Aang didn't say another word as he followed Hakoda through the camp. As they neared a group of tents, closely set up in a semicircle, the airbender knew that what he needed to ask Furzo was wrong… It was selfish. He would ask a person who had never hurt another person, to his knowledge at least… To give his town over to someone he believed to be evil.
Aang knew that he wasn't truly evil… But he also knew that when it concerned Katara, his principles would evaporate in the wind. The Air Nomads were surely looking at him with disgust… All their philosophy had been about letting go of earthly attachments… And here he was, doing the exact opposite. Sure, Avatar Yangchen had said that they, as avatars, were incapable of following their people's beliefs… But what did that say about him? That he was just the last airbender… And that the true Air Nomads were gone.
Shaking his head at the dark thoughts, the horrible things he was thinking, Aang concentrated on the task at hand. It was no use thinking about things he couldn't change… But there were things he could change. And to do that, he needed to talk to Furzo.
"That is the boy I spoke of." Hakoda pointed to a small group of soldiers, all clearly glancing towards him. He saw the fear in some of the ember eyes, but there was also resentment. And he couldn't help but agree with those stares. He too resented himself.
Sighing, Aang stepped towards the group. He had not yet recognized the young man he needed to speak, but that was probably for the best.
"I was wondering if you could help me." He began, speaking to the group in general, "I believe some of you are from here?"
It was cowardly. He knew it. He could just have asked to speak to Furzo, but instead he was hoping that the young man would volunteer to talk to him…
"We don't speak to… To you." One of the soldiers, a middle-aged man, looked at him with distrust. Probably the one who had come to be the leader of the group of soldiers. Aang had seen it several times during their travels, that the young soldiers flocked around a veteran, who tried to help them and protect them the best he could. Most of the time, those kinds of men were direct and kind of harsh, but the airbender guessed that was normal.
"I understand that, but please listen to me, at least. You have no reason to trust me, I know. But someone I love is inside of that town… And I need to know how to get in." He spoke, trying to sound confident, but even Aang himself heard his voice falter. Through his earthbending, he felt Hakoda come stand behind him.
"Just blow up the walls. What is stopping you?" The man answered, even though he had said he didn't want to speak to him.
"I don't… I don't want to fight. There has been enough fighting, and I have had enough of it to be honest… I just want to save that person… And stop Azula, before something terrible happens that can't be undone." Aang spoke. It was true… He knew that if this war went on any longer, crimes would begin to be committed… For the moment, he had not heard about anything happening… But he had seen the things that had happened in the Earth Kingdom… he had seen the temples…
He knew what would happen if it lasted any longer.
"I know you." One of the soldiers spoke, stepping into his vision.
"Furzo." Aang tried to smile, "I believe so too." He didn't miss the fact that the eyes of the young man, who had looked with such relief when they had met on Wulong, didn't shine in the same way… No, now, it looked like distrust…
As silence settled between them, Aang kept his gaze as steady as possible. He knew what the person in front of him had to be thinking… Kuzon had been a nice Fire Nation colonial… And they had met twice. The first time, he had caused horrible things to happen… But Furzo had not been unkind the second time they met, suggesting that it wasn't his fault that the whole school had been drafted into the army… And Aang, feeling terribly guilty, had made sure that Zuko had heard the plight of the soldiers on Wulong. At least, Furzo's presence here suggested that Zuko had made sure that the soldiers were rescued…
"So… You are the Air Degenerate…" It sounded awkward.
"To be perfectly honest… I prefer Aang." The airbender tried but was met with silence once more. One that stretched for a minute or so. Behind him, he felt Hakoda's heart beat spike slightly at the words Air Degenerate… But he was used to it. It was nothing new… Even a hundred years ago, some people had called the Air Nomads by that insult… So, nothing changed. It didn't matter…
"You want to get into the town?" Furzo's voice didn't betray his opinion.
"I need to get in." Aang answered.
"Why?"
"I tried to make them surrender just before…"
"We saw. That doesn't answer the question."
Inhaling softly, Aang knew he had to explain it, he had to be honest with this young man… If he wanted him to betray the town.
"My wife, Katara… Is somewhere inside the town. Azula threatened horrible things… And I want to make sure that doesn't happen. I spoke to On Ji just an hour or so ago… And she says that she has spoken to Katara. So… I need to get in." He began to explain, and at the mention of On Ji, he saw the young man's eyes light up.
"Is she alright?" Aang knew he meant On Ji.
"Seemed so… she only said a few words. But she seemed in good health." He also knew that he had to be polite to the Fire Nation man.
"Good! Last I heard, just… just before Wulong… Was that she was engaged to Hide. No one could be in good health if they were married to that idiot."
That surprised Aang. He had thought that Hide and On Ji would not be together, but then again, he knew that it had been their parents who had arranged the "relationship".
"She seemed alright."
"Good… Shoji always had a soft spot for her, he is probably taking it hard. If you get in, avoid the harbour quarters. He isn't a big fan of the Avatar… or Kuzon." The airbender didn't miss the slight hint of annoyance at those words.
"Thank you." Aang didn't ask why Shoji didn't like either.
"So… You want to get in to get your… wife… out?"
"Yes."
"What else?"
"Nothing. I don't want anything else…" And still, he didn't lie. He didn't wish for anything else.
"You have to promise several things. If you want my help." Furzo's fellow soldiers began to whisper, but the young man waved the complaints away, "First, swear that no one will die as long as you are in town."
"I already swore that oath when I got my tattoos… I will never harm a living being." Aang answered immediately, remembering the words he had spoken during the ceremony. He still could see Gyatso in front of him, mouthing the words as the pain of each sting of the needle passed through Aang's spine.
"Secondly," Furzo continued as if nothing had been said, "You must ask On Ji to speak to my parents, tell them I'm alright…"
Those were simple requests.
"And finally… When you retrieved your wife, you will end this stupid fighting. You will make sure no soldiers die in the effort. I don't care if you have to fight the princess yourself, but we had enough of war."
"Wait a minute, you can't expect him to fight alo-" Hakoda began, but Aang cut him off.
"Done." That had never been up for question. Furzo had asked him to stop the fighting, without bloodshed. That was exactly what he wanted to do. But the threat hanging above Katara had stopped him from even considering doing that.
"Alright, what do you need to know in that case?" The young Fire Nation man sat down heavily on a small stool, gesturing to two others. Aang sat down, just as Hakoda did.
"What part of the wall is the least watched?" Aang asked, thinking about how he would do it… To be honest, the best way was to wait for the darkness of night… Could he wait so long?
"No idea, the garrison has grown a lot since I was here. They probably have enough men to watch every inch of that wall… All the time."
That didn't matter. Aang knew he had everything on his side… He could jump over the wall with ease, detecting anyone on it before making that jump… And by bending the air around him, he could make himself soundproof. His footsteps were impossible to hear, even Toph had trouble with feeling them…
"Where does On Ji live?" He would need the girl to know where Katara was… His earthbending wasn't good enough to feel the whole town once inside, it was limited to a few yards around him…
"In the central part of town, the old parts. The house has walls, and there are stables. To recognize it from the outside… ehm… Oh! On Ji's father keeps a library, and one of the windows has a lamp he keeps lit at all times of the day and night! So that he can read in peace if he has a sleepless night, he told me once when I asked about it. Orsu doesn't change, he is always the same. There will be a lamp."
It wasn't much of a description… But he could work with it. And he had been close enough of this Orsu and On Ji to be able to recognize their heartbeats… So, he could probably find the house.
"Is there anything else I should know? Places to hide, things I should avoid?" He asked, aware that Furzo would probably not know of any real dangers.
"Just avoid the Governor's home. If the princess Azula is truly inside Kirashi… Then, she will be there. And I guess you would not want to see her."
Oh… In that, Furzo was mistaken. Dark thoughts hung over Aang, and he could feel the desire to rip that bitch into a thousand pieces… If she had hurt just one hair on Katara's head… Oh, in that case, the Air Nomads of old be damned. He would throw the principles of his people in the wind just to feel the satisfaction of hurting those who had hurt Katara.
Our choices make us evil… That is what you told her that night when she learned bloodbending…
Yes, he had. And he would be evil if it gave him the slightest feeling of relief.
"Thank you Furzo." Aang nodded, wanting to stand up, but the young Fire Nation soldier held up a hand.
"Is anything you told us true? At the school, I mean?"
"Regarding the Air Nomads?" Furzo nodded.
"Yes." Aang tried to continue, but he felt wrong to talk about his people to anyone… Except his friends, and that had always been difficult, to say the least… Katara was the only one who had understood, who had given him the time and the space to decide what he wanted to tell… She had always listened, asked questions… But she had never pushed.
"I'm sorry in that case… For what we did to you." Furzo looked genuinely upset.
"You don't need to apologize. It wasn't you."
"But I know of people who participated in the fight against the Air Nation."
Air Nomads. Air NOMADS. We were never a nation…
"My grandfather told about it. He was already an old man when he told us… And he died when I was just five years old… But he told us that his father had always spoken about how Lord Sozin was a monster, a tyrant… He had been an outcast his whole life, because he had always refused to believe that the Air Nation had done what we were told they did… My grandfather said that his father was a good man." The brown eyes, the colour so close to the ember of most of the Fire Nationals, looked at him with sorrow and sadness.
"Sounds like your great-grandfather was a brave man." Hakoda spoke, and Aang felt grateful, because he had not known what to say.
"My grandfather thought so too. Just know… Not everyone agreed with what Lord Sozin did. We are not all like that." And then, Aang understood it. It was a plea for mercy. Furzo was asking him to spare the people of whatever he thought the Avatar was capable of…
"I never thought so." Aang whispered, "Wasti wä sö." He whispered, remembering how the real Kuzon had taught him the dialect they used on this island… a hundred years ago. Yet another thing that the Fire Nation had stolen away… From him, but also from themselves…
Furzo didn't answer that, merely raised his eyebrows. The young man stood up, and began to walk away. Sighing, Aang cast a look towards the older Water Tribe warrior sitting next to him. Not knowing what to say, they sat in silence as the sun slowly began to descend towards the horizon. Aang realized that he would have to get going soon, if he wanted to speak to On Ji and get to Katara… But there was something stopping him…
"Did you have the voices… When your wife died?" He asked, breaking the hour-long silence. Hakoda, seemingly having been lost in his own thoughts, looked up, with a strange expression.
"The ones blaming you?" The chief spoke, not looking directly in his eyes.
"Yeah… those…" Aang nodded.
"I still do… From time to time." Was the answer. The airbender didn't respond to that, slightly comforted by the idea that the horrible thoughts were not just his own... Perhaps it was normal, if you worried or… or mourned… someone you love with all your heart. Perhaps the dark thoughts were just that… And not some visions.
"I better get going…" He stood up, sighing. He was not taking Sokka. He would not ask his other friends. He would not take Momo or Appa… And he would most certainly not take Hakoda, who was a good man… But a flawed one.
Just like him…
"Aang?" The chief also stood up, "Will you do me one favour?"
Arching an eyebrow, the airbender looked at the man, who seemed shy suddenly.
"Also look out for yourself. I know… I know that to the world, the Avatar is more important… And… This world can't miss you… Not now." He heard the strain and the pain in that admission.
"Hakoda. The world be damned, there is nothing more important… Then her." He didn't need to explain who he meant.
And with that, he grabbed the staff that had been lying next to the stool, inhaled and began to walk away. He had a wall to climb, and people to speak… And he needed to get to Katara. That was the only thing. The only important thing.
"How come you can get inside his thoughts, and we don't?" Roku waved his hands in an irritated gesture. He, Kyoshi and Yangchen had been trying to contact Aang in any way they knew, but it had not given any results. Only Kuruk had managed some glimpses so far.
And what he had seen wasn't good. Sorrow, happiness, worry again…
"I don't like it." Kyoshi grumbled.
"Neither do I." The airbending nun spoke in her calm, collected voice.
"Maybe I am the only one who is able to feel his emotions, because I lived them. Over and over." Kuruk seemed slightly annoyed.
"We all have loved ones, it doesn't make you special." Kyoshi hadn't grasped what the Water Tribe Avatar had meant… But Roku had. Yes, they had all loved and known sorrow… But Kuruk was the only one of them whose chance at peace and happiness had been snatched away from him…
And it was more than a bit concerning if that was what linked the two Avatars at this moment…
Answers :
McChartney : I don't know, I try to end the chapters at a moment that would make people excited to read the next chapter lol! But about them being together… You'll see !
TheQuietReader23: Angry Aang is something else entirely, because it gives so much freedom as a writer. We see glimpses of his anger, but to write it and be in that state of mind, it is so entertaining! Of course, Angry Aang is not a definitive state, and I also love the goofball. Oh yes, f. Kantuno, I rarely like writing purely despicably characters, but Kantuno and Hide? Oh… Those are some real f*ckers.
Guest : Sorry you had to wait so long for a new chapter! Next one is coming soon!
Alyssa : You like suspense? You are going to love next chapter in that case lol!
Kalaong : Jesus, that is a horrifying idea! It makes sense, because can you imagin a child that can suck the air right out of your lungs? That would be a weapon of mass destruction without clear rules…