Author's Note: Hey everyone! Thanks again for the ongoing support and interest in this story (I know, I'm repeating myself, but still.). In this chapter we're going to continue our journey through "the Southern Raiders, and I would predict (I'm writing this before I write the chapter), that we're going to go on with the next episode as well. But, we'll see. Anyway, enjoy!
Western Air Temple, 100 AC
It was a peaceful morning; the sky was clear and blue, and the first rays of the sun grazed Lu Ten's face. Smiling he turned around in his sleeping back. The group laid in a circular form around the campfire, all seemingly still asleep. The last few days, the days since their breakout from the Boiling Rock had allowed him to find some peace and focus on the boys' training. Training with his Baby Cousin again had left him in a good mood, and Aang seemed to have improved under Zuko's guidance even more than he had hoped, maybe because of the visit at the Sun Warrior's ruins.
The soldiers had set their camp closer to the rock. Lu Ten could understand why. Trusting in this kind of architecture was at times a bit of a stretch, concerning that not only was the place literally hanging down over a who knows how deep abyss, but also that no one had taken care of it in the last one hundred years. Who could guarantee them that it wouldn't break?
He heard the bison next to him snoring in its slumber, now, if he only had his family with him, he would be content to go on like this. But that was the least likely outcome, he thought. One way or another, there would be at least one battle coming. Sighing, he hesitantly opened one eye, then the other. Much to his surprise, the young Avatar was already awake, even though, not for long it seemed as the boy still rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Suddenly he seemed to focus on something and grabbed his staff. Then out of nowhere an explosion hit the temple not far behind him. In an instant, Lu Ten got to his feet. He cursed under his breath and looked over to Aang, exchanging a worried glance. There was only one person he could imagine doing that. This ought to be a family visit, he thought, his expression becoming grim.
Everyone else was by now awake and springing into action. Nothing makes people alert like explosions, Lu Ten thought to himself. He pondered for a quick moment what he could do right now. He couldn't really help defending against the bombs, firebending would just set them off. So, he quickly helped the others packing everything together and putting it on Appa, leaving the defense to Aang. The monk had by now closed the ceiling high metal doors, but one could tell that bombs were still raining onto the roof as bits and pieces started to fall from the crumbling structure. He saw how his cousin shoved Katara out of the way and heard them both bickering somewhat. This caused him to raise an eyebrow, even though the situation was as bad as it was, thinking, she really could've just said 'thank you'. His attention shifted again, Toph had formed a big tunnel, presumably leading to where they had hidden their stolen aircraft. Everyone else had packed their things.
"Come on! We can get out through here!", the blind girl called over. Aang and Lu Ten desperately tried to get Appa to move, but the sky bison was not having any of this. No matter how much they pleaded or tried to shove the giant beast.
Lu Ten looked over to the Avatar, "Aang! He's not going to move in there! We'll have to fly out of here!"
"But there's fire in that general direction, lots of it!", the young monk called back, making an all including gesture.
They were ripped out of their conversation as they noticed Zuko's absence, then his voice from outside, "Go ahead! I'll hold them off. I think this is a family visit."
Lu Ten groaned. That boy, that damned boy and his talent for getting himself in serious danger. The older prince couldn't help but stare at his cousin's running form for a long moment. Only Sokka trying to pull him into the tunnel shook him awake again. "Come on, Sifu Hotman, we gotta go!"
Lu Ten shrugged off the boy's arm, with a serious expression he said, "No, like he said, that is a family visit. I can't let him run off like that.", then he turned towards the soldiers, calling out to them, "Get to the airship! Follow Hakoda's command!", no time for good luck, he thought, then he turned back towards where he saw his cousin disappear. Apparently, the boy had tried to jump onto the nearest aircraft but failed and Lu Ten could only watch helplessly as his Baby Cousin vanished into the fog with wide, shocked eyes.
Quickly his shock turned into anger as now he himself ran towards the airship. Azula stood on top of what seemed to be a podium-like structure on one of them. Luckily, she hadn't seen him yet as she was too busy smirking while staring at the spot where her brother had vanished a few moments ago. Lu Ten ran through the collapsing temple, jumping over some debris, then he walked up one of the falling metal doors and jumped. On the highest point of his jump, he fired two blasts beyond him, so that he would land safely on the aircraft.
As he got into an offensive stance, he called out to his cousin, "You get too clingy for my taste, cousin!"
Azula turned around, an angry and surprised expression on her face. Did she think that he would let Zuko sacrifice himself like that? Lu Ten didn't give her time for a response though and the princess managed to evade his attack barely, the tips of her hair being singed off by the blast. She managed to regain her balance on the aircraft and dodge his next attack with more ease, shouting over to him, "You're as pathetic as your disgrace of a father, cousin!", before now she attacked.
Angrily, Lu Ten blocked her blasts when suddenly shadow fell upon them, and both stopped fighting for a second. Another air ship rose between them and the collapsing temple. Lu Ten smiled as he saw the figure standing on top of it. He didn't know how Zuko made it, but he was certainly the last person to complain about it. Briefly, Zuko smiled back at him, before he made a, now successful, jump onto their ship. He positioned himself next to Lu Ten. They could've encircled her, of course, but that always beard the risk of burning your teammate and also, concerning how quick Azula could be evading, they just wanted to be sure that no one of them was used as a human shield.
Both wore a similar, determined expression as they now synced their attacks, forcing Azula to use all her power to block them and she ended up stumbling backwards. Zuko saw this and wanted to finish this fight, fire engulfed his fist as he stroke. But Azula had only feigned her stumbling and suddenly turned her body around, countering his attack with her own. As their fists met, a big cloud of smoke emerged, engulfing them all in it. The accompanying explosion sent all three fighters off the ship and Lu Ten barely managed to grab hold of his cousin as they fell. He pulled Zuko closer, surprising the teenager, but Lu Ten had seen a white, furry, shape flying along. As Appa flew by, he grabbed Katara's hand and together with Sokka, she pulled them into the saddle.
As they were now safe, they both instinctively looked back at Azula, who was still falling, circling around herself as she did. "She's not going to make it.", Zuko whispered.
Lu Ten looked questioningly, unsure of what his cousin just said. Then Azula suddenly propelled herself towards the cliff with firebending and stabilized herself on the rock with her hairpin. "Of course, she is.", Lu Ten said, not sure if he should be relieved or disappointed. They shared a last glare with the dangerous princess before they disappeared out of her sight.
Once they got some distance between them and the air temple, everyone let out a loud, relieved sigh. Then Lu Ten turned to Zuko, a serious, almost strict and a bit angry expression on his face. He poked into his cousin's chest as he spoke, "Don't. Ever. Do. That. Again.", and as he saw his cousin's surprised look he added, "Understood?", Zuko nodded, gulping. Hardly had he ever seen his cousin that angry. The anger slowly faded from Lu Ten's expression as he closed his eyes for a long moment. "Good. You already seem to attract danger, you don't need to go looking for it, especially not alone.", an awkward silence followed for a while. Zuko felt hurt by his cousin's words, but deep down he knew that Lu Ten was only angry at him because he cared about him and didn't want him to run into his own peril.
"What are we going to do now?", the Water Tribe boy finally broke the silence.
The young Avatar turned towards him, "We're going to find a place to camp first, then we'll search for a new hideout."
After a few hours of flight they found a small island in the midst of the ocean. It was large enough to camp on, but also uninhabited. They used the rest of the remaining daylight to set up their camp, to Lu Ten's content, everyone had their own tent. Not that he would mind sharing one with someone, but having his own tent did provide some comfort nevertheless. By nightfall they all sat around a campfire, having dinner and drinking tea. "Wow, camping… It really seems like old times again, doesn't it?", Aang noticed, earning smiles from everyone.
Zuko added in a joking tone, "If you really want it to feel like old times, I could, uh… chase you around a while and try to capture you.", the whole group laughed at that, except for one person.
"Ha, ha.", Katara said sarcastically.
Lu Ten noticed the sudden tension in the air and tried to lift it a bit, "We could also replay the really old times, I just don't know if I can still throw you into the air like I used to, but I could sure tickle you until you laugh so hard you can barely breathe.", all except Katara laughed again, which didn't go unnoticed by Lu Ten as he raised an eyebrow at her.
Then Sokka held up his cup, "To Zuko! Who knew after all those times he tried to snuff us out, today he'd be our hero?"
Lu Ten's weary expression changed into a broad smile, as he too held his cup up, cheering with the others, "Hear! Hear!", he watched contently as his cousin got nudged by the Avatar's elbow and Toph punched him lightly. It was her way to show affection, he knew. Silently, he sipped his tea.
Zuko smiled, "I'm touched. I don't deserve this."
Lu Ten's smile fell. He wanted to speak up and reassure his cousin that he did deserve his fair share of praise. Maybe he himself should've used kinder words back on the bison, or maybe he should've kept his mouth shut altogether. But Katara spoke up first, "Yeah, no kidding.", she snapped angrily before walking away.
"What's with her?", Sokka asked perplexedly.
"I wish I knew.", Zuko mumbled, standing up and following her.
"What's with him?", Sokka asked again, this time looking at Lu Ten.
He shrugged his shoulders, "In times like these, I wish I knew.", I wish my father was here, he added in thought. The former general would know what to do here.
Later that evening, Sokka pulled Lu Ten to the side, "Hey, Sifu Hotman, could I talk to you for a second?"
Lu Ten raised an eyebrow, but then nodded and smiled at the teenager, "Sure, Sokka, what's on your mind?"
"Well, uhm, you see,…", suddenly he didn't seem so sure if he wanted to talk at all, "uhm, I mean, around here, you're the only one with, ah… let's say some experience in a certain field, and I have, uhm, questions."
If the moonlight didn't deceive him, Lu Ten was sure that the boy was blushing. He raised an eyebrow at him, but smiled knowingly, "Experience, hm? Let me guess, girl stuff?", the boy dropped his head, but then nodded defeatedly, "Like in girl problems or do you need tips?"
"Tips, and maybe a few questions.", the boy answered almost silently, still not looking up.
Lu Ten had to stifle his laughter. Then he laid an arm around Sokka's shoulders and led him to the rocky cliffs, sitting down on them and gestured for the teen to follow along. The Water Tribe boy still seemed very uncomfortable, "You see, Lu Ten, Suki and I, well, so, our relationship really bloomed since the Boiling Rock and, well, we thought, uhm, we reached a point where we wanted to…look, if something should happen again, we wanted to…", he trailed off.
The Fire Nation prince chuckled, "In short, you both don't want to die a virgin, right?"
"If you want to put it that way…", Sokka agreed, blushing.
"Now, what do you want to know from me?", Lu Ten asked, reclining against a rock.
"Well, you're married and you have a child, so I guess you know how to… uhm, do it, well, you know, without embarrassing yourself and, in a way, that, uhm, both have fun?", Sokka rambled.
Lu Ten chuckled again, "Well, I'm not sure if I'm the right person for this talk, but okay. First, get the idea out of your head that there's a non-embarrassing way for having your first time, there is none, at least to my knowledge. One way or another, you will feel embarrassed at some point. Second, that you want both to have fun is a good mindset. You should probably worry about your partner a little more than about yourself, since the first time is often painful for women. Also, you both don't know yet what you like and what you don't like, so take it slow and most importantly communicate. Talk with her, ask her if something's okay or not. From there on, I can't really give you tips, everybody likes something different. You'll have to explore for yourself."
Sokka listened attentively, then he asked, "Should I decorate?"
Now, Lu Ten was surprised, how did this boy wanted to pull up some decoration on this island? "Well, if you want too…"
"Lu Ten, what did you do at your first time?", the teenager asked bluntly.
Now it was Lu Ten's time to blush, then he cleared his throat, "On my wedding night, you mean? I'm not going to tell you everything about that, Sokka."
"But, how did you start?", the boy's curiosity was really something, Lu Ten thought.
"Uhm, well,", he started, "my best friend Zhang had organized us a hotel suite. I carried Lian inside and we kissed each other for a while, before my attention wandered to her neck. Then I made a complete fool out of myself because I couldn't find a way to open her dress, no matter what I tried, it just wouldn't work, same with her hair. Frustrated I let myself fall onto the bed as she laughed at me. Then she pulled on one of the needles in her hair and it fell onto her shoulders. Then she made like one movement, I still don't know what exactly she did, but suddenly her dress fell from her shoulders. I still remember her standing there in the candlelight, smiling at me. Then she came over to me and we took it off from there.", he watched over the calm ocean silently for a long moment, "But that's enough. Go and make your own experiences, Sokka. And please, for Agni's sake, keep the volume down. Remember, we're all sleeping in tents."
Sokka then stood up and left towards his tent. Lu Ten watched him go for a moment, then his gaze wandered again to the calm, dark sea in front of him. He wondered if his family was still out there, if they had somehow managed to escape the Rough Rhinos. Please, he thought, please, you have to. He didn't know if he could ever look at himself again should Lian and more importantly Taiyo, their son, have been killed. He pulled his knees to his chest, wondering if their relationship would still be like it had been back then, seven years ago. Most likely not, he thought, a child changes everything after all. The real question was, would it be different in a positive or a in negative way. He sighed, thinking, I wish for nothing more, than to have you in my arms, both of you.
Looking up at the stars above him, his thoughts wandered to his father. He didn't know where the old man was, Zuko had told him that he had escaped from the Caldera prison, something he had already known himself from his own visit there. From that, where he went was a mystery. Most likely, he has somehow made it to the Earth Kingdom and hides there, Lu Ten thought. Even after his talks with his cousin, he was still unsure if his father would forgive him. Maybe for being presumed dead, because he couldn't have done anything to prevent it, but maybe not so much for not coming back to him sooner, and maybe even less for disobeying him openly when he married Lian. Although, he thought, maybe Taiyo could help ease that anger. He thought of the letter his son had sent him. From the tone of it, his son sounded like a nice and loveable little kid. That is something a father should know, he thought, disappointed in himself. You don't even know your own child, because you didn't spend a single second with him in over six years on this world. And you think Ozai is a bad father?
He shook his head; these thoughts didn't help their situation. So, he just went to sleep, trying to ignore the taunting voices in his mind.
The next morning Lu Ten awoke with the rising sun. He quickly put his clothes on, the ones he had lent from his in-law. Luckily, they and his wedding portrait along with Lian's letter had been stored safely at the Black Cliffs before the invasion. On a sad thought though, the armor he had worn was forever lost. Everything was silent so he assumed, that he was the first one awake.
When he stepped out of his tent, he saw that that assumption was not correct. In front of Katara's tent his cousin sat on a rock. He looked like he hadn't slept at all. Worriedly, Lu Ten walked over. He knelt down in front of Zuko and spoke in a calm voice, "Good Morning, Baby Cousin. You look terrible. Have you sat out here the whole night?"
Zuko jumped at the sound of his cousin's voice, he had been drifting off into a doze. Looking into Lu Ten's familiar amber eyes tiredly, he just said, "Hmhm.", that made his cousin chuckle.
"Come on, I'll bring you some breakfast and tea and then you'll tell me why.", Lu Ten said, standing up and stretching out his hand to help Zuko up too. But his cousin refused.
"Sorry, but I've got to stay here.", he said, still tired, but determined.
Lu Ten sighed, then he sat down in front of the teen, "Okay. Care to tell me why though? Or did you just fall madly in love with our favorite waterbender over night?"
That made Zuko blush, hastily he said, "Why would you think that? No!"
Lu Ten giggled, "Sorry, Baby Cousin. Must've been the aftermath of my talk with Sokka last night. Anyway, so, why are you here?"
Zuko sighed, "You saw how Katara acted yesterday, didn't you?", Lu Ten nodded, "Well, we had a talk afterwards and she's still pretty mad at me for betraying her in Ba Sing Se. I can understand that, but I acknowledged that I made a mistake and I'm deeply sorry for it. But it doesn't seem to have any effect on her."
"Maybe she needs time?", Lu Ten threw in.
But Zuko shook his head, "I don't think so, and we don't have that much time anyway until the comet arrives. So, I need her to trust me, or at least not to wish me dead.", this earned a slight chuckle and a nod from his cousin, before he continued, "So, yesterday I went over to Sokka. That was weird, I mean he clearly awaited somebody else, but I kind of crashed the party.", at this, Lu Ten tried to stifle his laughter, but failed miserably. Zuko wondered if he didn't get the joke. So, he asked, "What's so funny?"
Lu Ten calmed himself down slowly, but still had an amused undertone in his voice when he answered, "You know, I had a talk with Sokka last night too. I told him what he wanted to do would most likely end up a bit embarrassing, but you walking in on him was not something I reckoned with. That adds a whole new level to the whole thing."
"I still don't understand…", Zuko said in confusion.
But he was interrupted quickly by his cousin, "You don't have to. You still haven't told me why you're sitting out here."
"Well,", he began, "Sokka told me how their mother died and I recognized the symbol he described which was on the flags of the ships, it was a sea raven."
Lu Ten's eyes widened for a moment, "The Southern Raiders.", he whispered.
Zuko nodded, "So I thought, I could help Katara find the man who killed her mother. Maybe then she will be able to forgive me."
Lu Ten thought about it silently for a little while, then he said, "That might actually work. But what is your plan when you find that man?"
Zuko shrugged his shoulders, "Whatever she wants to do with him, I guess. If she wants revenge, I won't stand in her way."
"Probably a wise decision…", Lu Ten mumbled almost to himself.
"You're not speaking out against taking revenge? There I thought I knew you.", Zuko said.
Lu Ten stood up, "I'm really not sure what the correct answer to this is, Baby Cousin. I've never been a fan of people doing everything just to have their revenge, that's true, but I also couldn't say what I would do to your father, if the Rough Rhinos really did what he sent them out to do, how far I'd go.", he suddenly sported a stern, almost worried expression and closed his eyes for a long moment. Then he changed back into his usual smile, "But enough for now, I'm going to organize us some breakfast now, you'll have to refill your energy at least a bit, little soldier boy.", he ruffled the teen's hair before walking off.
Later that morning, Lu Ten had scheduled a training session with Aang. He sat in a meditating pose a bit away from the camp. His pupil was late, and he had an idea why. The thought of Katara getting revenge wouldn't sit well with the young airbender. And just as he thought that, said student came running. Out of breath he sounded even more panicked, "Sifu Lu Ten! Your cousin! Katara! They want to borrow Appa, so that Katara can have her revenge on the guy who killed her mother! And Zuko says he knows how to find him, and they won't have me stop them, even though I tried to explain that revenge is not the right way! Why aren't you doing something?!", all the words came out in a great speed and Lu Ten hadn't moved an inch, not even opened an eye.
"Sit down, student.", he said calmly.
"But you need to get up and get that stupid idea out of their heads!", the young Avatar insisted, now pulling on Lu Ten's arm.
Lu Ten shook the airbender off, his face a bit angry, he insisted, "Aang. Sit down."
Letting out a sigh, Aang finally did as his teacher had requested. "But I don't understand. Why would you let them do that, Sifu?", he asked sadly.
Lu Ten looked at the ground in between them. "I'm not sure they do the wrong thing, Aang.", he said calmly.
Aang looked at him with wide eyes, "But Sifu, I thought…"
"Look, I know that revenge is not a good thing, okay. But maybe it is needed sometimes. I don't know anymore. Maybe Katara needs this. I'm not necessarily speaking of revenge, but to make this journey to find and face this man. If she then takes revenge or not, I don't know.", Lu Ten began to explain. Then he sighed and continued, "I'm not even sure what I'd do in her position. I don't know what I myself would be capable of doing if my uncle really killed my wife and child. When he told me he had sent the Rough Rhinos after them, I just wanted to burn his face off, plain and simple. I didn't even think about it and landed on the idea, it was just there, and I only didn't because I was chained. What I mean is, sometimes people, even the calmest, nicest persons, can be capable of doing unspeakable things. Maybe this is just a moment like that for Katara.", and as he saw the sad expression on the young Avatar's face he added, "Aang, I don't think Katara has it in her to kill somebody in cold blood, but we've all seen how emotional she got since the failed invasion. Maybe finding this guy makes her find some way of closure, whatever that is for her."
"So, in conclusion, you won't do anything to stop them.", the airbender said sadly.
"No, my advice is, if she thinks she needs to do this, let her do it.", Lu Ten answered. Then he smiled at Aang, "But you shouldn't slack off from your training because of that. Let's do the Dancing Dragons first, it always helps me focus."
That night, Katara and Zuko got ready for their field trip. Aang and Sokka approached them, "So, you were just going to take Appa anyway?", the monk asked.
"Yes.", Katara answered, almost snapping at him.
"It's okay, because I forgive you. That give you any ideas?", Aang said, winking at her.
But the only answer he got was a dry and determined, "Don't try to stop us."
"I wasn't planning to.", the air nomad insisted, "This is a journey you need to take. You need to face this man. But when you do, please don't choose revenge. Let your anger out, and then let it go. Forgive him."
Zuko rolled his eyes and said sarcastically, "Okay, we'll be sure to do that, guru goody-goody."
Suddenly somebody cleared his throat behind them, "Language, Sparky.", Lu Ten said as he approached them. Zuko blushed slightly, that nickname he thought vanished somewhere in his childhood. Lu Ten walked over to his cousin and the waterbender.
Katara shot him an angry glare, which he ignored. She snapped at him, "Don't you try and talk me out of this."
Lu Ten chuckled, "As if I could. But I want to ask three things of both of you, okay?", he laid a hand on either of the teen's shoulders, "Whatever you do out there, watch each other's backs at all times. I know you're not exactly friends, but just do it, you will need each other out there. Also, try not to hurt any innocent people, yes? This man may deserve your wrath, but don't involve his whole village. And most importantly, don't blow your covers. We can't let Ozai find us just because you wanted closure.", he looked at each of them, then he added, "Be safe, okay?", as he pulled both of them into a quick hug. Then he stepped back as they climbed the sky bison.
For a little while, Aang, Sokka and Lu Ten just stood there and watched after them as Appa's figure got smaller and smaller. Then Sokka said, "You know, you're pretty wise for a kid."
Lu Ten added, "Yeah, maybe even wiser than me.", laying a hand on the boy's shoulder.
Aang looked up to both of them, "Thanks guys."
"Usually it's annoying, but right now, I'm impressed.", Sokka added, what got him a short laugh from Lu Ten.
"I appreciate that.", Aang said.
"So, can I borrow Momo for a week?", the Water Tribe boy asked.
The other two looked surprisedly at him, "Why do you need Momo?", Aang asked. Sokka just shrugged his shoulders.
The next few days Lu Ten spent intensifying his training with Aang. He knew that the airbender was not really focused on it and he caught himself sometimes drifting off, thinking about what his cousin and the waterbender were about to do. This peaceful routine ended only when they spotted Appa's silhouette between the clouds. To Lu Ten's surprise, only his cousin was on board. As Zuko climbed down from the bison's saddle, everyone else had already gathered around him nervously.
Lu Ten stepped forward, "Baby Cousin, where's Katara?"
Zuko smiled briefly, "We had an idea for a new hideout, and I left her there. She wanted some time to think."
Lu Ten nodded, "What did you come up with?"
Zuko shrugged his shoulders, "I thought, no one has been in our vacation home on Ember Island for at least seven years, and I guess it's the last place where my father would search for us, maybe except for the palace itself.", he chuckled.
His cousin raised an eyebrow at him, seeing the banished prince in a good mood was a rarity these days. "And?", the young Avatar asked worriedly, "What did she do? Did you find the guy?"
Zuko nodded, "We found him, and Katara did almost kill him, but she stopped herself when the icicles were only centimeters away from his face. Then she let him go, so I guess, she did exactly what you told her, Aang.", Lu Ten could see that his cousin was actually relieved that Katara hadn't killed this man, and he himself couldn't deny the same feeling.
Later that day they had packed everything and headed towards Ember Island. Lu Ten felt a bit of excitement well up inside him. It had been quite some time since he had been there. As they landed near the house, they could see Katara sit on the small pier, that by now had seen better days. She looked out onto the calm waves. As they climbed down from the bison he put a hand on Aang's shoulder, "Go and talk to her. I'll take care of your luggage.", earning him a smile from the airbender. As he carried the bags inside, he saw that Zuko was following Aang and smiled. Zuko had never had an easy time finding friends, but it seemed, now he had found some, even though, who would've thought that he'd find such friends, the older firebender smiled to himself.
Then his gaze fell upon the door, or rather, its remains. He raised an eyebrow, what had happened to it? Meanwhile Sokka walked up next to him, "So, this is your family's vacation home, Sifu Hotman? I didn't think it'd be that large…"
Lu Ten chuckled, "Well, everyone had to fit in, my grandparents, my father, uncle, aunt Ursa and the two kids and me of course. And of course, it needed enough space for us all to not kill each other all the time."