…How To Save (Seduce!) Your Villain In A Few Easy Steps; A Guide By Avatar Aang…
/Warnings: This chapter contains:- cursing, maybe a little bit of sadness, humor, a little bit of mental breakdown, fluff, a little bit of violence, Aang being a little shit, and Zuko suffers because of him! All reviews are appreciated.
Chapter 2
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Aang was dying…
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Aang was so dying and on the verge of departing from this world not even a month after being forcefully brought here… and it was all that damned System's fault! That annoying System! Useless than the useless trash! Incompetent, incomplete, unable to perform the simplest of tasks without butchering everything and turning it into shit! A useless System that Aang wondered what he did wrong in his past life to be shackled with this useless junk!
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【 H-host… I am not… QAQ 】
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"Yes, you are!" Aang snapped, growling and spitting and sending that useless screen the dirtiest look Aang was capable of; a look that was reserved for those idiotic criminals and the waste of human beings he put behind bars. Trash! All of them! Every single one of them! In addition to this annoying pest that was hovering around him and trying to force him into another stand that would break his back and bend his bones until they snapped!
Gods above! Who fucking knew that Air Benders were so flexible like cats? Aang surely didn't! If he did know what was in store for him after being sent into this world, you would have seen him shooting himself in the head before being forced once more to twist himself into a pretzel for the umpteenth time! Nearly breaking or rupturing something inside his body and cursing like a storm, feeling so incensed it was a miracle that he hadn't managed to get the System in front of him and break it into two when that stupid thing suggested they needed to change position and learn some of the easiest poses to train for Air Bending.
Don't get Aang wrong, even being a lawyer and always sitting behind his desk, or in court, the man was fit, knew some self-defense, and would go to the gym with Bumi, three times a week to box. Aang was fit, strong, and capable of punching through the wall if he so desired! A desire that seemed to increase the longer that stupid and annoying System kept trying to force him to stretch until he heard his spine crack.
Jesus Fucking Christ on a motorbike! How did that stupid Protagonist manages to twist himself into many strange positions and fight the Fire Nation throughout this damned book, when Aang almost called it quits, the first hour when he almost broke his neck doing some strange pose?! Even when Aang was a brat of twelve learning some Wing Chun with his late adopted father (May his kind soul rest in peace), he didn't have this flexibility that this annoying System was forcing his twenty-three-year-old body to learn as if it was training him to enter the Olympic Gymnastics!
Any more bending and stretching, and Aang was sure he was going to break his neck and twist his inside unforgivably… were Air Nomads created without bones or something? Because Aang was ninety-five percent sure there was something wrong with them; surely being able to bend your spine in half backward until you touched the soles of your feet was not normal!
When the System had told Aang that he would spend the next God knows how long (But most likely until he was founded by the Southern Water Tribe siblings so the plot could start) having intensive training in the arts of Air Bending. Aang thought the stupid System meant intensive in a workout sort of way; not a 'Stretching my hamstring for four hours, sort of way'!
Because Aang had thought being forced to be the Protagonist would mean that the Protagonist's skills and Air Bending prowess would be automatically downloaded and stored in his body to use when the time was right… joke on him… because it turned out that Aang had to retrain in the arts of Air Bending from scratch and teach his body flexibility and a new fighting style for the foreseeable future until he was considered ready to enter the fight!
To make matters worse, Aang wasn't a very flexible man, as his usual fighting style depended more on power and speed to begin with. He could lift and bench press an elephant's weight, sure, but stretching had always been taken as a well-meaning suggestion, not the end-all, be-all. He could reach his toes just fine without help, thank you very much. But if asked to cross both of his legs behind his neck, walk on the tip of his fingers, all the while making sure his neck wouldn't snap, he was as stiff as an oak tree in the rain.
"Stupid trash! Just wait until I get my hands on you and I swear I will… goddammit!" Aang screeched as he all but tripped and fell on his face in the void the System summoned for his training, hoping that it would teach Aang all there was on Air Bending in less than three months. "You piece of shit! You *BEEP* *BEEP *BEEP*! Just wait until I get my hand on you and then I will *BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPP*!" What followed was such an intense cursing session that made the System shiver in terror, running away and disappearing from sight.
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【 QAQ 】
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…(The Main System could only weep and cry in despair, as another System ran away, refusing to work with the Calamity that showed up one day and caused many self-esteem issues and much destruction in this one month he was here compared to the thousand years the Main System had operated.
This was the tenth System that ran away weeping and refusing to work once more! Even the most competent and hardcore Systems the Main System had chosen as the Protagonist companion had quit after staying with that Calamity for less than six days! Any more of this madness, and all the competent workers that were under it would run away to the hills, forever refusing to get back and do their jobs of guiding the souls to their happy ending!
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【 Sir… Maybe you should consider giving him the Villain-Edition System 】
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One of the working Systems pleaded, their words made the Main System cry tears of pain and despair at the thought of having to restore to such a thing. The Calamity in front of them was already a madman and a touch insane, giving him the Villain-Edition System would result in nothing but death, despair, and pain… both to the world that Calamity was put in (Already suffering imbalance and would implode if continued so) and for the Main System, because it sure as hell doesn't want to deal with those scary and crazy Systems that enjoyed destroying the worlds they were put in and would drive their Hosts crazy to achieve their goals.
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【 But he is the Protagonist! I can't do that! It defeats the purpose of his transmigration into this world!】
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【 …Then I am afraid, Sir, you need to be the one guiding him through his journey… 】
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【 …What Villainous System is free at this moment…】
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【 …Crimson Rain… 】
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【 QAQ 】)…
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"Fuck!" Aang cursed for the umpteenth time, groaning as he shuffled his tired body to the stupid manual the System had given him to learn Air Bending. Grumbling to himself, Aang once more started to turn the pages, reading through everything while cursing under his breath when he discovered that so far, he had only managed to Master 6 Air Bending techniques out of thirty-six! To make things worse, Aang was even forced to learn that damned Air Scooter thingy that bratty Protagonist was famous for, so that left him mastering only five techniques in this past month!
"Stupid trash… maybe I should have entered gymnastics or ballet instead of boxing…" Aang grumbled to himself, feeling nothing but indignation as he was forced to train and break his body like mad just so he would be able to perform Air Bending without breaking his back or worse, neck. "Well, I didn't know that transmigration was real and all, did I?!" Aang growled as he returned to page six, reading through once more and trying to Master this annoying technique that required him to break his ribs and turn into a snake to perform.
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【 You trash! Kneel for your Lord and kiss their feet! For I, the Supreme Villainous System, have arrived!】
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Aang, hearing what sounded like the screeching of a dying cat, turned to the left, only to see the System's screen shining red, and showing him these abhorrent and demonic letters that Aang had to squint and decipher like they were hieroglyphics letters, just so he would understand. "What the… what kind of language is this?" Aang squinted his eyes more and more, not even being able to place this language to one of the three he knew how to speak and read.
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【 You trash, should be thankful for my presence in your pathetic life! I have come here to help you with your quest to dominate and destroy this reality! Together, you and I will be the strongest beings in the entire world!】
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Aang paused, gazing at the System with wide eyes that narrowed with fury and loath as he finally managed to see the Chinese characters for trash, finally understanding that this annoying pest was sent to do nothing but insult him and undermine his authority after that trashy Main System had dared to break his DNR and then forced him to break his back to learn Air Bending.
"What did you just call me?" Aang hissed in a low voice, cracking his fists and gazing at the System with eyes that promised it death if it didn't apologize this second. "Did you just call me trash?" Aang tilted his head to the side, taking a step toward the System, emitting killing intent that made the System's screen flash red and black and backing away in fear.
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【 H-Host? 】
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The System showed him something in those cat scratches; not that Aang had the patience to stop and try to decipher, as Aang felt that enough was enough and that he had finally found an easy target that he would teach a good lesson for daring to mess with and insult him. "Oh, don't worry. It won't hurt… much…" With that Aang lunged at the System, ignoring the screeches as he started hitting that thing with the Air Bending manual until that creature learned its lesson.
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【 I am sorry! I am sorry! My Liege! Please, forgive me I did not mean to insult you! SOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY! QAQ 】
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Needless to say, The Supreme Villainous System learned its lesson that day…
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No one was scarier and more villainous than its host…
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Especially when he forced the System to learn better calligraphy and beat it until it accepted…
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…("Katara you idiot! This is all your fault!" Screeched a boy of fifteen, trying desperately to paddle the canoe away from the ice floes that were hellbent on crashing them and turning them into fish food, all because his stupid sister decided now of all time to use her magic and play warrior instead of helping Sokka hunt for food.
"Hey! Who are you calling an idiot?! It wasn't my fault you were not paying attention!" Katara cried out, before screaming and panickily started giving orders. "Watch out! Go left! Go left!" She saw the ice floes moving closer together in front of the boat, narrowing their path.
Shouting, Sokka cursed as if his life depended on it as he tried to steer the boat left, only for it to veer to the right and end up completely crushed by the ice; but thankfully, Katara and Sokka managed to throw themselves from the canoe and onto one of the floes.
Sokka could only curse as he finally managed to sit up and pat the ice away, glaring at his stupid thirteen years old sister who shuffled to move away from the rim toward the middle of the floe and come sit next to him. "You call that left?" Katara huffed with bitterness, glaring at Sokka even when the boy could only growl at her and send her annoyed looks.
"Why if you don't like my steering? Well, maybe you should have…" And here, Sokka started waving his hands around, mocking the way his sister trained to Water Bend (Not that she did much of it, as it always ended up with Sokka being drenched in water. "Water Bend us out of the ice." Sokka pointed at the large icebergs around and the tiny floes surrounding them, glaring at his sister who got on her feet and crossed her arms over his chest.
"So, it's my fault?!" Katara questioned with indignation in her tone, looking so close to throwing him in the water, causing Sokka to grumble in annoyance as he finally stood up and started patting his pants.
"I knew I should've left you home!" Sokka ranted as he walked around the floe they were on, trying to think of a way to return home that didn't involve them swimming in the icy water and freezing to their death. "Leave it to a girl to screw things up!" Sokka didn't even need to turn around to see the rage that contorted on Katara's face as she started pointing at him and screaming, causing the floe to bob lightly up and down.
"You are the most sexist!" Katara screeched, bringing her hands over her head and swinging them back down and behind her. "Immature!" Sokka let out a shout as he saw the waves slamming on their floe and almost sending them hurtling forward. "Nut-brained!" A larger wave came out as his sister waved her hands once more, ignoring Sokka's orders to calm down. "I'm embarrassed…" And here a short jet of water shot up toward Sokka almost drenching him if he didn't throw himself away. "…To be related to you!" A loud splitting crack was heard, and Sokka could only gaze at the iceberg behind his sister, fearing that the girl was going to use her stupid magic to crush them to death with the ice behind them. "Ever since mom died, I have been doing all the work around camp while you've been off playing soldier!" Little chunks of ice from the iceberg splash into the water, unheard and unnoticed by Katara.
"Uh… Katara…" Sokka pointed urgently at the iceberg behind his sister's back hoping that she would snap out of her outburst, and stop before they get buried under all this ice. On the other hand, Katara only waved her hands, deepening the crack in the iceberg, and continued ranting about Sokka's terror.
"I even wash all the clothes! Have you ever smelled your dirty socks? Let me tell you, not pleasant!" Katara yelled pointing at Sokka, a look of rage on her face, unaware of the splints in the chunk of ice and the waves that were slamming their floe left and right.
"Katara, settle down!" Sokka could only screech, his eyes wide in terror as he saw the ice falling and the waves crashing, and how they were one wrong step away from getting pulled under which caused terror to course through his heart.
"NO! THAT'S IT! I'm done helping you. From now on, you're ON YOUR OWN!" Katara shrieked, and the iceberg splinted completely in half at that exact same moment, causing Sokka to gasp in terror. Then and only then did Katara stop and furrow her brows before looking behind her, just in time to see the two halves of the iceberg falling away from each other.
"Okay, now, you have gone from 'Weird' to 'Freakish'," Sokka spoke as he held a protective arm over Katara and turned his head toward his baby sister, causing the girl to blink in shock as her jaw dropped a little.
"You… you mean I did that?" Katara questioned in astonishment, gazing at Sokka who released his sister and nudged her with his elbow giving her a smirk as he all but chirped the word 'Yep' and ignoring the wide eyes he was at the end of.
"Congratulations!" Sokka said sarcastically, as he continued to look at the space, narrowing his eyes when he saw something glowing with a bright bluish hue in the water that seemed to spread the brilliant glow and the bubbles within. With terror closing his throat, Sokka gripped his sister and scrambled back, just as a large, roughly spherical iceberg broke the surface of the water.
An iceberg rises above the surface, revealing its massive form as the source of the glow. The crashing waves generated by the iceberg's rising push the floe backward as the berg rocks to one side before coming to rest with its rounded dome exposed above the water.
Swallowing several times, Sokka could only gaze at the iceberg that revealed a human shape within; his heart pounded and he could only raise his hand to try and hold to his sister when he saw a man within the ice. A man, who opened his eyes (Glowing! They were glowing! What in the name of Tui and La was going on?!) and stared directly at them with the same brilliant blue hue emanating from the cipher he was in, eliciting a shocked gasp from Sokka…. The man was alive… how could…?
"He's alive! We have to help!" Katara suddenly shouted, snapping Sokka out of his shock and terror, and before Sokka even managed to react, his stupid sister gripped his club out of its sheath on his back and pulled her hood over her head, running in the direction of the strange man sealed in the iceberg.
"Katara, get back here!" Sokka could only shout in terror, pulling his spear out of the ice and running after his sister who was already paces away and at the ice's edge. "We don't know what that thing is!" He could only shriek, hoping that his sister for once in her life would stop and listen.
Cursing, Sokka could only feel dread and fear as he saw his little sister reach the iceberg first and started to repeatedly strike the iceberg with his club; with every strike, bringing the feeling of foreboding in his heart. On the fifth strike, the club breaks through the surface and a great gust of wind escapes from within the iceberg, throwing them back from the side of the dome.
Fissures quickly snake their way over the whole iceberg and, in a massive outward explosion, the entire orb of ice destroys itself. Sokka could only feel horror as a beam of light burst from the core of the iceberg and rocketed into the sky, and that man in the middle finally emerged, laughing dark and creepily as he floated in that beam of light and his laugh seemed to echo all around them.
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"I live!"
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The strange man laughed manically, causing Sokka to let out a girlish scream as he hugged his sister tightly; a sentiment his sister seemed to share as she hugged Sokka back and shrieked in terror. Sokka could only feel faint as he saw the light dim and the strange man disappear from sight…
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What in the names of Spirits was that creature his sister unleashed?!)…
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Aang groaned in pain as he shuffled until he was on his hands and knees before finally managing to stand up on shaky legs, rubbing his lower back as he started to stretch a bit; trying not to buckle under the slaughter of pain his body was suffering through after those hellish three months with Aang spending every moment he had breaking and shaping his body into one giant pretzel that would handle Air Bending techniques that even experienced gymnastics wouldn't be able to handle… go with the winds the System said… his body needed to be as flexible as it could to Air Bend it said… well damned you! From what Aang heard and read he would have made a great Earth Bender with the way his body screamed about its inability to break his spine to perform Air Bending techniques!
Hearing his back crack ominously in protest, Aang could only mouth the word 'Fuck' over and over again, stopping in his stretch and gazing around the place, only to discover the ice surrounding him; it was when he finally noticed the snow and ice and the stormy weather around him, did Aang's body registered how cold and wet it was, causing him to shiver and curse before remembering that he could bend the air around him to be warm, something that he did immediately and Aang could only relax and sigh in relief when he was surrounded by a cozy heat like he was burrowing under an army of blankets with hot chocolate in his hands… Ahhh, the delicacies of life…
Stretching his shoulders gently, Aang looked around until he noticed the giant flying… Appa… sleeping not that far, making Aang hum as he gazed at the edge of the crater he was in, only to see two brats peeking at him before hiding behind the ice once more, causing Aang to raise his eyebrow and walk in the direction of those kids, mainly to ask them for the directions out of this forsaken place… to where? Even Aang doesn't know as of now.
"Stop!" The boy brandished his spear in front of him, pointing it at Aang and glaring at him daring him to take a step closer toward them, and really Aang didn't even fault or blame those kids for pointing a weapon at him, not after the freaky way he showed himself; beams of light, evil laugh, and all.
"Easy there, kid; I came in peace," Aang said, scrunching his nose as he pointed the tip of the spear away with his index finger while still massaging his lower back; the boy (Sokka, the System introduced him as) squeaked at Aang's action and turned to glare at him harshly, once more pointing his spear at Aang's nose.
"Liar!" Sokka (Now Aang knew who he was) shouted, glaring at Aang with anger and loath (And terror too, but Aang didn't point that as he swatted the spear lazily away from him). "Katara! Stay behind me, this is a Fire Nation spy!" And with that Sokka gave a terrified screech before trying to stab Aang with his spear, to which Aang blinked and pulled the sharp weapon from the boy and broke it in half, ignoring the boy's cry as he threw him into one of the snow mounds around.
A choked noise came from the tiny girl beside him and for a second, Aang couldn't help but feel a little bad about his actions; but really, Aang was on a tight schedule here and he needed to do so many things in such a little short time, he didn't have time for chit-chatting with brats. "Look…" Aang sighed raising his hand to ruffle his hair only to pause when he discovered his hair was gone (Oh… he forgot…). "I am just a traveler who got lost in the storm a few days ago when coming here; just direct me to the closest village you can and I promise I will be out of your hair so fast, you will forget you ever met me." Aang softened his voice a bit, giving the girl a soft smile, trying to be as none threatening as he could so the two of them would cooperate.
"Yeah! As if I would believe this nonsense!" Sokka shouted, spitting snow and coughing as he patted himself, glaring at Aang harshly like he was planning on having another go at him, but hesitated a little when he noticed how tall and big Aang was roughly twice his size. Aang could only roll his eyes, wondering how he would be able to get into the brat's thick head that he wasn't a danger to begin with. Suddenly a low, gruff noise filled the air, coming from within the crater of the iceberg; reminding Aang of the creature he had forgotten about in there. "W-what the hell?! What was that?!" The boy squeaked and whirled around, trying to see the source of the noise.
Aang, knowing that the furry creature named Appa was the reason, and not knowing if it was hostile toward other people. Aang walked toward the ridge of the ice and jumped, surprisingly landing on the beast's large furry head, and not on the icy ground. 'System? Is this creature, alright? It's not dead or injured, is it?' Aang questioned, sliding down until he stood beside the beast's head, checking it for injuries, and wondering if he could find a fantasy version for veterinarians dealing with exotic pets around here, and how much he needed to pay them to make them heal this large beast.
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【Rejoice My Liege! Your companion is in great health, the creature is sleeping and will be waking up soon】
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Aang managed to read the System's response in the childish handwriting, but at least that shitty handwriting was way better than that chicken scritches and demonic letters that Aang couldn't decipher for the life of him, and at least the System's screen stopped being that screaming red that hurt his eyes and made him see green spots, instead, it was a relaxing black and silver screen, that didn't cause his head to pound.
"What's that thing?" Sokka's screeching voice snapped Aang out of his conversation with the System, and his attention was pulled by the beast beside him when its eyelids opened, and the animal raised its enormous head, and let out a rumble before it leaned down to lick Aang with its giant tongue all of sudden, causing Aang to grimace and scrunch at the nasty smell… Gods above, the smell was even worse than that annoying pup Bumi owned which loved slubbering on innocent bystanders.
"This is Appa…" Aang said, wiping the spit away with disgust on his face, before he scrunched his nose, knowing how wired the next words going to be. "…My Flying Bison." The looks he received from those two brats, made Aang twitch before rolling his eyes, going to Appa's saddle, and planning on searching for a new change of clothes that didn't involve the open-shoulder robes he was forced to dress in; flashing his left shoulder and arm to all those around.
"Right, and this is Katara, my flying sister!" Aang heard Sokka's sarcastic reply, which summoned a sigh from him as he grimaced when he saw the sack the bratty Protagonist had brought with him, held nothing in it other than a few robes cut in the same style Aang was wearing, wooden beads, a shaving tool, and an old map; hell! Even money and necessities were absent, showing you that the Protagonist running away from the temple was nothing but a temper tantrum he threw and didn't think about the consequences… Oh, wait! There were a few sheets of gold lying around the sack and a tiny pouch of coins hidden between the robes, if Aang remembered correctly these types of coins were used in ancient times, but the question was; does this world use this type of currency at the moment or not? Especially, when a hundred years passed since the Avatar ran away.
The bison Aang was sitting on shook, and it wasn't long before an ear-ringing sneeze was let out, followed by Sokka's shrieks, causing Aang to jump to his feet thinking the worst happened… only for his face to twist in disgust and something else when he saw the teen completely covered in green snot, squealing and trying to frantically rub his face with snow to get rid of that nastiness covering his body.
"Oh, God…" Aang looked away, his hand going to cover his nose and mouth, not knowing what to feel; it was true that he was annoyed with this brat's personality (It was justified, war and all), but Aang definitely didn't wish him harm… should he call the doctors for infectious diseases? Was he going to get sued because the kid would turn into a zombie and die? Was this just a harmless slimy disgusting substance? "Don't worry," Aang smiled calmly trying to reassure the teen even when he wasn't too sure the boy wouldn't be permanently dyed green. "It'll wash out…. I hope…" In the last part, Aang whispered to himself as he saw the green substances hanging from Sokka's face to his gloves. "So… any villages around here?" Aang questioned, wanting to get this over with so he would leave the South Pole.
Sokka glared at Aang, and pointed at him with his snot-covered hand, looking incensed as he hissed. "Don't answer that, Katara! Did you see that crazy bolt of light?! He was probably trying to signal the Fire Navy!" This made Aang raise an eyebrow, at the baseless accusations, but he let them slide in the end, he needed to be the bigger person when dealing with a punch of brats.
Katara scrunched her face in disgust and pushed Sokka's hand away from her with the tip of her glove, before wiping it with snow. "Oh yeah, I'm sure he is a spy for the Fire Navy. You can tell by that evil look in his eye." She said sarcastically, and against his judgment, Aang couldn't help but crack an amused smile; partly amused, and partly surprised at the turn of events, considering this interaction didn't happen in the original book. In the book, Avatar Aang had remained unconscious after being found by the Water Tribe siblings, which then, Katara had all but begged her brother to bring Avatar Aang with them to the village, at least until he was all healed and was able to travel safely on his own; Sokka not being able to face his sister's teary eyes and pleas had accepted her request, and there was that. "Hey… uh… don't give him any attention, he is a little… out of it today." Katara laughed a little in embarrassment before clearing her throat. "The paranoid one is my brother, Sokka, and I am Katara. You never told us your name?" The girl in question asked.
"My name is Aang." Aang nodded his head to both Katara and Sokka, ignoring how the boy was scowling at him (And definitely ignoring Katara who was strangely staring at him, to the point Aang felt like raising the other side of his robe and hiding his shoulder). "Well…" Aang looked around, wondering if he should just book it and disappear, but then he remembered that those kids' only way out was Appa and him… "I looked around and it seemed you don't have a boat nearby… if you guys are stuck, Appa and I can give you a lift." Aang smiled, even when inside he was chanting 'Please, say no!' over and over again, so that his consciousness may rest in peace.
"We would love a ride! Thanks!" Katara shouted, looking all too happy as she ran to Appa's side to climb, causing Aang to raise his eyebrow and look at Sokka in shock who had the same look on his face… for the thousands time, Aang couldn't help but wonder how Katara managed to live to the end of the book with her easy trusting personality, and her inability to think about the stranger danger situation, especially when both Katara and Sokka doesn't know anything about him.
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【Well, she is the Female Lead, My Liege! So, she will automatically trust and choose the Villain at first, thinking they are good and kind, before getting betrayed by the villain and having their trust and dreams shattered! Muahahaha! The Female Lead's Halo works wonders, all would be good when the Female Lead dies in the end and the Protagonist chooses the path of revenge and comes after the Villain to kill them!】
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The System peeped happily, causing Aang to raise his second eyebrow to the point of wondering how it didn't fly to the sun; at the same time, Aang could only feel disturbed at the mention of this something, something Halo and its ability to mind control the girl beside him. 'Then deactivate it.' Aang hissed inside his mind when he saw Katara climbing Appa's saddle and sitting dangerously close to Aang, which made alarm bells blare in his head because the only thing running in his head now was the feeling of danger.
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【But, but, but, but, but, but! This is the Female Lead! She is the Avatar's one and only, and you need to get together with her and break her heart by the end of the novel, or at least have her die so the Protagonist will follow the dark path to get revenge on the Fire Nation before the Protagonist kills you!】
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Here, Aang could only look at the System in disgust, like it was the most abhorrent thing he had the misfortune of seeing in his life. 'You are disgusting; you are so disgusting. She is just a kid! I could be her older brother, you jackass! Besides, you useless piece of technology, I am the Protagonist!' What followed was a slew of curses that made the System shiver and hide behind one of Appa's horns, probably fearing that Aang would bring the manual and hit it again. 'Deactivate the Halo something, now!' Aang ordered, jumping on Appa's head as far away from Katara as when the girl became busy bickering with her brother.
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【 Wait, what?! My Liege is the Protagonist?! 】
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The System's screeches could have been heard countries away, as shock and choked noises could be heard from the System before him as it demanded more information… not that Aang cared about what the System said as he tried to sit as far away as he could when Katara started giving him these looks that made his flight instincts activated, and he couldn't help but curse the need to make sure those two were ok before leaving on his journey to finish this novel as fast as he could…
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At least by the end of this small tripe…
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The Female Lead Halo was no more…
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…(Somewhere, somewhere, in a place that no one could find or reach in any kind of way without the permission of the creature; the Main System could only feel a shiver run down its circuit that almost short-circuited then and there, and the feeling of foreboding took over it, refusing to give the Main System any respite.
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【You have lied to me…】
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A crackle of thunder came behind the Main System, all but causing it to squeak in terror. Feeling that ominous feeling take over, the Main System could only shiver and turn around to see that scary and insane System, famous for being so out of it and mad, that no one even dared to come close to it, even their Revered Creator.
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【A-ah? What do you mean?】
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The Main System tried to play ignorant, hoping that this scary one would just leave it alone and think that the Main System had made a mistake (Even when it never made one during its thousand years of working) and would ignore it and return back to that crazy Calamity and everyone would have their happy ever after (The Main System couldn't have this System quitting their job! It was the only System that was able to handle that crazy Calamity for more than three months! If the System quit, then they would be doomed!), and the Main System would finally, finally have a good night of recharge.
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【You piece of trash! You told me this Host was the ultimate Calamity that would prove evil could win! You lied! He was the Protagonist! I will show you the fates of those who crosse me, so be prepared!】
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【 QAQ 】)…
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Three hours into Aang's journey to drop those kids at their home before disappearing; Aang finally lost his patience and turned to the creepy kids, one who was sulking (Sokka) and one was still creepily staring at him with sparkly eyes that almost made Aang strangle the System and be done with it but that thing was gone to get an update or another.
"Ok… how far are we from your home again?" Aang asked for what felt like the millionth time that day, gazing at the Flying Bison that was swimming and wondering to himself when that creature would finally start flying so everything would be done faster. Silence met Aang, and for the thousandth time that day, Aang cursed the fact that he had forced himself to drive those kids home and not leave them on that ice floe, to begin with. "Ok… well, the sun is going to set any minute now; I am out of supplies, and staying out here in the open after dark could be dangerous for both me and you, so will you please, direct me to your home so I could drop you and relief myself from the burden of babysitting two creepy brats?" Aang tried to be patient, he really did; but being forced to do something against his will was always something that made his blood boil to the point of no return, even if the ones who did such stupid things were brats who didn't understand anything to begin with.
Ignoring Sokka's outrageous cry, Katara pointed at the iceberg that Aang was sure he had passed for what felt like the thousandth time, and part of him couldn't help but wonder if those two had led him in circles to disorient him… Smart, but dangerous… especially for untrained kids… Aang could only think as he steered Appa toward the iceberg, sighing in relief when he saw icy walls after crossing that damned mountain.
"Katara! Sokka!" Aang managed to hear the cry of an elderly woman as he finally reached the shore, and he couldn't help but notice the villagers dragging their canoes to the water while holding spears and what looked like weapons; what struck Aang as odd was the fact that the people around him were only women and children, no man in sight.
When the book mentioned that all men had gone to war; I didn't think it literally meant all men… Why didn't some of them stay to protect the village? Especially when the place was… tiny… Aang hummed to himself with a small frown, sliding down from the bison's head and patting the creature's nose in thanks for driving them all the way here. Watching from the corner of his eye how the women around clutched their spears and gazed at him with pure fear hidden behind glares.
"Gran-Gran, this is Aang, Aang, this is Gran-Gran! Aang saved us when we crashed, and…!" And then Katara spent the next five minutes or so telling the village how Aang was their savior (What? …What was going on? Didn't Aang order the System to disable the FL Halo), while Sokka spent just as much trying to prove otherwise.
"Hello," Aang smiled, bowing in what he knew was the Air Nomads' greeting (Hoping he did it right and didn't butcher the whole thing). "Do excuse me for the sudden appearance, but… Is something on my face?" Aang inquired after watching the elderly woman finally pay attention to Aang, her eyes wide and shock dominated her face; which made Sokka's shoulders tense and the other shuffle around.
"I am sorry… it is just… no one has seen an Air Bender in a hundred years." The woman, Gran-Gran, tilted her head in wonder, her words causing Sokka to gasp with wide eyes, as for Katara, the girl all but shrieked and whirled around, gazing at Aang with wide disbelieving eyes.
Aang just smiled, knowing where the woman came from and what she planned to say, had already thought of a plan that would leave him out of the suspicious light. "That's quite the surprising news, considering the Southern Water Tribe is known to do trades with Air Nomads, especially the monks in the Southern Air Temple, considering it is close to the south." Aang hummed, pulling his knowledge of the world building into use (Thanks to bullying the System into giving him the information about how this world operates, its rules, laws, and orders that weren't mentioned in the book or face death).
The elderly looked at Aang deep and hard, trying to see something inside Aang's eyes that would inform her, that Aang was lying… not something she would succeed in, not when Aang spent years mastering his Poker face to the point of convincing people that sky was brown and the grass was green; not seeing what she was looking for, the elderly frowned a bit before saying. "While that's true, such thing had stopped a hundred years ago… when the Air Nomads went extinct…" In a slow and gentle voice, causing Aang to blink and gaze at the woman, feeling impressed.
"Ma'am, how would they become extinct when I was with them a few days ago to prepare for my journey to the south?" Aang widened his eyes a bit, trying to look a little bit shocked and a little bit amused at the thought of such absurd words to say. "Surely, a few days of departure wouldn't result in a whole race being wiped out?" Aang tilted his head a bit with an indulging smile.
"Aang…" Katara's voice called out, a look of concern flashed in her eyes before she asked in a hesitant voice, looking so unsure. "H-how long were you in that iceberg?" Which made the elder woman ask Katara to elaborate, something the girl happily did.
Aang, twitching and wondering when all this chit-chat would end so he could leave, he let out a tired sigh before shrugging his shoulders and continuing with his lie. "A few days, maybe? I don't know really; this was the first time I knew something like this was possible and certainly didn't find something like it in the Air Benders' grand libraries." Here, even Sokka looked worried as he looked at Gran-Gran, and the elderly woman sighed tiredly.
"Young man…" Gran-Gran started once before pausing and looking at Aang in silence before gathering the courage to tell Aang the truth he already knew. "I think it was more like a hundred years… one hundred years ago, the Fire Nation had launched an attack on the Air Nomads, killing every Air Bender until they became extinct, and now… you…" Aang's smile dropped, gazing at the woman with wide disbelieving eyes, before stumbling back on shaky legs toward Appa as if trying to run to his bison and prove the woman wrong, something that was met with resistance as surprisingly Sokka held him back, looking reluctant and weary.
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"I… Oh…"
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Just like this, Aang had a place for the night and the suspicion off his back; giving him as much time as he needed to supply himself to go on his journey throughout the Earth Kingdom to search for the infamous Blue Spirit, and if lucky Prince Zuko, where Aang would try to get the man to leave Ozai's side. Everyone warmed up to him soon, treating him as that poor, poor, traumatized Air Bender, the only one of his kind in this dark war-torn world; even Sokka had stopped throwing him suspicious glares and actually looked at him with something akin to sympathy (Not that Aang wanted this, but really, he needed to gather what he needed to, and get out as fast as he could; let Aang tell you something even he wasn't proud of on some occasions, but when needed, he would be an asshole and do whatever it took -Even giving great sacrifices- to achieve his goals, and that was what made him win all of the cases he took, and graduate law school when he was twenty-one when others laughed at him and told him to let go of his stupid and impossible goal of bringing that monster to jus-), and the jackpot? Gran-Gran had dragged Katara away and allowed him to rest peacefully for the night (Thank Gods! Aang was really getting freaked out by all the intense looks and hard stares).
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If Aang didn't win an Oscar after the performance he just did…
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He would seriously lose it…
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It happened the next day when Aang already resupplied, and prepared what he wanted to prepare for his long journey to find the Blue Spirit (Because if there was someone who proved himself trustworthy and would help Avatar Aang above everything else then it was this venerable Spirit, Aang swore to worship if they just help him in his noble quest), and was about to leave the Southern Water Tribe for good. By then, Aang had had enough and was wondering if somehow this world was operating on the concept of forcefully following the canonical events, even if there was a different outcome… or… that hack System didn't disable the FL Halo like it said, which in the end would bring a Calamity on its head when Aang was going to punish it harshly for its idiocy… when it got back from wherever the hell it threw itself…
It all started when the FL (Again!) continued staring at him creepily throughout Aang's stay in the Water Tribe, coming out of nowhere to chat with him, and becoming over the moon when she learned that Aang was able to Air Bend just like she could Water Bend (Almost begged him with the other children of the village to perform some Air Bending tricks and fly with his Staff, just like Avatar Aang had done when waking up in this village) and tried to ask him to teach her…? Aang still doesn't know what happened, too hazy on the concept while trying to stay away from the clingy little girl, wondering what was going on, if the FL was created like this by the hack author, or if something was in the air (And again, where was his stupid System? Did that annoying pest turn off the Halo or was it a glitch from the matrix?).
Then, out of nowhere, Katara questioned him about the Avatar during Aang's sad hour (Really, try to act sad and heartbroken when a little girl all but pestered you about the Avatar this, Avatar that, and why the Avatar disappeared for more than one-hundred and twenty-four years without feeling annoyed, Aang dared you! ...But well, why don't you look at that? Finally, something the System managed to do right!), thankfully, a conversation the Chieftain of the village (Gran-Gran) had managed to put a stop to Katara's pestering and dragged her outside the tent when Aang all but groaned in relief and threw himself at the bed to sleep the pain and aches received from his Air Bending training away.
And then! Today's new annoyance… Otter-Penguin… two words that Aang never thought in his life he would be forced to utter together to refer to something… Yes, you heard right, Otter-Penguins… after Aang woke up this morning, tired and with his body screaming its defeat, Aang could only mutter 'Ouch!' over and over again, as he tried to stretch his body and stop the pain; surprisingly, the System was back at this point, and when Aang questioned it about disabling the FL Halo, the System reassured him it did just that… and that was after Aang brought the manual intending on swatting it like an annoying fly. Just as he was preparing to leave his tent and negotiate with the Chieftain about the supplies needed for his trip; The FL showed up all of a sudden before trying to pull Aang to Penguin slide with her…?! Needless to say, Aang had booked it to the Chieftain's igloo as fast as he could (Which damn was so fast even Aang didn't know he was able to run like this, even if his life depended on it), his mind running through circles and showing him the many cases that started like this and ended up with the other party being labeled as a predator… no thank you! No! Thank! You! Aang was not interested in any of this shit, not at all!
"Thank you, and please take this." This finally led Aang here, standing outside of the village and a step away from jumping on the bison and booking it off this damn place, going on his solo trip to find the Blue Spirit and later find Prince Zuko and convert him to his side, or you know what? Protect him from the sidelines until he kills Fire Lord Ozai, imprisons Princess Azula, and forces General Iroh to take over the throne (Because he was Aang's third favorite character in the novel and he reminded him of his adopted father) until Prince Zuko becomes of legal age to ascend as the Fire Lord; hopefully, by then, Aang would manage to smooth over the conflicts, stop the war, and disappear into the ether or something.
"I… oh, I cannot, young man, this is too much!" The Chieftain's eyes were wide when she saw Aang giving her a few sheets of Gold Foil, partially because he felt bad for all the trouble he had caused, and partly to help with the damage that would take place if the Fire Nation arrived while he was away; considering that Aang refused to go with Katara Penguin sliding and didn't accidentally send the flare that would inform the Fire Nation of this place, the search for him would take days before they find this village, and by then he would be long gone… yeah, yeah… too sad, so bad, he was going to run away when people clearly needed him, but so what? Aang refused to be dragged into the plot and follow it to the T more than he already did.
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【…Uh-oh…】
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'What was that?' Aang couldn't help but question the System when he saw it flash red and back away slowly. "Ma'am, please, do not refuse, this is my thank you for…" And here, the sound of ice cracking, of the ground, rumbling and shaking; the sky darkening, and black snow that was like ash in sight and smell descending on the village, causing Aang to open and close his mouth in shock when he whispered. "What… what is that?" Feeling dread because he knew what the 'Black Snow' meant.
"The Fire Nation… I knew it! You were a spy!" Sokka cried then and there, pointing at Aang and glaring at him with eyes filled with hate, which only made Aang blink once twice before raising his eyebrow at the boy. Katara shouted at her brother, immediately coming to Aang's defense and reminding the boy how Aang was found in the iceberg where he was trapped for over one hundred years, so how he could be the spy of the nation that annihilated all of his race?!
'System… I am going to kill you…' Aang seethed silently at the thought of meeting Prince Zuko unprepared, not even having a good argument or the backing of the Blue Spirit to help him in his noble quest that would change the world, and really, dealing with another angsty teenager after dealing with paranoid one was not something Aang had the energy to deal with (Even when the one he was going to meet was Aang's favorite).
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【 QAQ 】
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It wasn't long before Aang managed to spot the Fire Nation's ship; five minutes in total, with Aang gazing at the ship in silence, watching as the people behind him lost it and started to run inside the protective walls of their village… not that a two meters wall made of soft ice was going to do anything against the metal monstrosity that was heading toward them fool speed.
Aang could only watch in amazement as the ship broke the ice and sailed toward them, blowing through the wall and destroying the village's protection. Gazing at the Gold Sheets in his hand, Aang grimaced, knowing that the village would need more than this to recover… Suddenly, Aang's wallet felt as light as a feather…
"My tower!" Sokka's screech broke Aang out of his stupor and made him rush to enter the village, wincing when he saw the destruction that took place in the few minutes, he was outside; letting out a grimace and sighing in poverty, Aang put the gold in the sack he had, deciding to leave the whole thing in the village as a settlement and be over with it because fate was a bitch who hated him.
Just then, Aang could only watch in fascination as the bow of the ship opened and creaked forward in a burst of steam, forming a walkway. Part of him was a little fascinated and excited, he wasn't going to lie, because seeing the events that happened before him was different than reading and imagining what happened.
Feeling a little bit of apprehension, and a little bit guilty for being the cause of all this panic and terror that had blanketed the village, Aang could only watch, trying to come up with a good enough plan to stop the violence that was going to break out; something that didn't involve him getting into a fist fight because he still hasn't tested himself in the bending arts, and fighting someone was way different than just training.
Just then, Aang watched as Prince Zuko emerged from the mist, two guards following close behind him, all decked in armor of black and red, ready to fight. Against his will, Aang couldn't help but let out a long whistle, his mouth twitching up as the words 'Show off' came to mind; something that was reaffirmed in Aang's mind as he saw other guards trailing behind the Prince, all of them having severe looks on their faces.
"Where is he?" Prince Zuko questioned calmly but severely after wiping the floor with Sokka when the teen attacked, gazing at the people huddling together, too terrified to even move. "Where are you hiding the Avatar?" Prince Zuko's voice was a little louder this time and Aang could only furrow his brows when noticed how deep it was… also, there was something so strange in his tone… tiredness maybe? Aang didn't know what, but he could only frown.
Silence took over the clearing, and shock was visible on every face as the word 'Avatar' was whispered over and over again, many looked at one another with wide eyes, probably not knowing what was going on, but feeling confused and terrified. Not being able to handle staying silent any longer, Aang let out a huff as he walked between Prince Zuko and the Water Tribe.
"Looking for me?" Aang smiled, whirling his Staff around and watching the Fire Nation soldiers double-take and look at Aang with wide and disbelieving eyes, as they looked at one another. Choked gasps came behind Aang, and he didn't need to turn around to see Katara and Sokka looking at him with a shock that was no doubt mirrored on every face.
"You are an Air Bender…" Prince Zuko whispered, looking shocked, and something else shone in his eyes before he narrowed them and finally took a stand. "You are the Avatar?!" Something tinged with hysteria showed itself in Prince Zuko's voice, and Aang could only frown a bit, wondering if something had happened, he wasn't aware of. "I've spent years preparing for this encounter. Training; meditating to find the wise old Avatar, and you… you are just a stupid young man!" The Prince all but shouted angrily, and Aang could only roll his eyes a bit.
"Well, you're just an angsty teenager, Sunshine. So, pot calling the kettle." Aang replied mockingly with a smile, tilting his head in a challenge; amusement coursing through him as he saw the Prince's jaw drop for a bit, and a look of pure shock and indignation shone in his eyes.
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【 My Liege! My Liege! Why did you say that to him?! My Liege, there were some changes in the plot! He is twenty! Twenty! Run! You said something bad, so just run! QAQ 】
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The System blared from the side, not that Aang paid any attention as he tried to avoid the series of Fire Blasts that were launched in his direction, no doubt the Prince felt fury at Aang's insulting remark. Hey, why don't you look at that, it seemed that Aang was able to go toe to toe with Fire Benders! Just by twirling his Staff, to dissipate the flames and throwing the soldiers around like they were toys… Hmmm… Aang got an idea; too stupid, and too dangerous, but it was an idea that would secure the safety of the people around and make the Fire Nation leave this village.
"Hey, kid!" Aang called out, only to have the Prince snarl and rush at him to skew him with a dagger made out of fire, which Aang would admit was a cool concept. "Hoo! That was close." Aang danced around the Fire Nation soldiers (And used his Staff to fling them around the place, which man! Aang didn't know this Staff was so strong! He wondered what kind of wood was used to create this Staff to achieve such durability and lightness!) until he stood at the base of the walkway, gazing at the Prince who paused and narrowed his eyes. "Why don't we play a game?" Aang leaned on his Staff, his words made the Prince furrow his brows before anger flashed in them once more.
"A game? That sounds interesting." Someone hummed behind Aang, and the man only turned his head for a second to see an elderly man wearing traditional Hanfu robes and standing on the ship with a cup of tea in his hands, while gazing at Aang with a look that was hard to decipher. "What kind of game, young Avatar?" The man questioned, which caused the Prince to choke the word 'Uncle!' full of fury and indignation, which made Aang place the man as General Iroh, the Dragon of The West.
"Hmmm, how long do you think you could keep me?" Aang questioned cockily, leaning on his Staff and looking at the Prince who growled. "So, I go with you," Aang then offered his Staff to Iroh, causing the man to blink in surprise and confusion. "And you are going to leave this place and everyone from the Water Tribe alone." Several things happened at that moment, Katara almost ran toward him pleading with him not to do so, Sokka tackled her and pulled her away, and the Prince looked at Aang like he lost his mind, as for the General, Aang watched how Iroh took a long sip of his tea.
"That looks awfully like proposing a deal, young Avatar," Iroh spoke after a while of silence, which he spent staring at Aang from the top of his head to the tip of his toes with a judgmental look, hidden behind a calm smile.
"Oh, no, not at all! Think of it as… setting the stage." Aang grinned, watching how the older man hummed and tilted his head for Aang to continue. "As I said, how long do you think you could keep me on your ship? If we passed the borders of the South Pole with me inside then you win, and I won't fight anymore; a willing man who lost the game and will accept the penalty of my loss. But if I managed to escape the ship before you cross the border…" Aang drawled out, watching as Iroh's lips quirked up.
"Then you are free to leave, without us being able to stop you." Iroh finished, humming while looking at the Prince who remained silent through the whole exchange. "Prince Zuko? What do you think?" The Prince scrunched his nose, glaring at Aang for a brief moment before he let out a sigh through his nose, before standing up straight and nodding his head.
Everything happened so fast after that, Aang was apprehended by the Fire Nation soldiers and was led up the walkway and onto the ship, trying not to wince as Katara's loud voice reached him while calling out his name… "Head a course for the Fire Nation." The Prince beside him called out, sapping Aang's attention toward him. "…I'm finally going home." Before he saw the Prince fasten his steps to enter the tower.
Aang hummed, inspecting the cuffs on his wrists subtly, gazing around the corridors as he was led below the deck and to the cells. "Young Avatar, I am a bit curious." Iroh who was walking beside him hummed, sipping his tea while gazing at Aang from the corner of his eye. "…About your game… it was proposed as a deal, but at the same time, not; care to elaborate why you didn't just strike a deal with Prince Zuko?" Iroh questioned, tilting his head, as he watched Aang enter the cell willingly and watch the door shut, trapping him inside.
"Deals and agreements require a touch of sincerity and honor, which I cannot uphold at the moment; games on the other hand? They just leave winners and losers, not stepping on people's honor and incurring unwanted rage. If I agreed to a deal and then escaped, won't that mean I do not hold any honor to go through with my word, and you have any right to retaliate how you see fit?" Aang explained, bringing up the point that Aang had been thinking about since he read the book and cursed how the bratty Avatar was ignorant of the consequences of his action, especially when dealing with royalty.
At this, General Iroh smiled, amusement and something else shone in his eyes before he nodded his head. "Then I am excited to see how this game would end… if you excuse me young Avatar, it's time for my rest." With that the General left, leaving Aang alone in his cell…
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Well… Aang too was excited to see how it would end…
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【 My Liege… QAQ… why do you make everything so difficult…】
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…("We have to save him Sokka!"
"Katara-!"
"He sacrificed everything to save us and we just stood there!"
"Kat-!"
"They are probably torturing him! We let this happen because of our inactions!"
"K-!"
"How could we even have the gal to hold onto our pride when we let the world's only hope get captured and killed by the Fire Nation?!"
Sokka who could do nothing but stay silent; gazed at his little sister with an exasperated look, not even knowing what to say anymore and feeling nothing but sympathy and pity for the Avatar who was forced to deal with his sister who out of nowhere developed a crush on an older man who spent all day yesterday and today, being uncomfortable with his sister's ways of trying (And failing!) to impress him and flirt with him…
"You know… I suddenly knew why Aang was so eager to go with the Fire Nation…")…
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【My Liege! Do not worry! I will work on freeing you this instead!】
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"Huh? Did you say something?" Aang raised his head to gaze at the glowing screen; already out of his shackles and the door was wide open, the guard on duty already knocked out (Thanks to Air Bending and Aang's genius albeit dangerous idea of trying to Air Bend the air out of their lungs until they passed out… still, Aang didn't know to this day, how a strong element that could cause death and destruction was given to a brat who refused to do anything with it other than run away), waiting for Aang to walk through any minute now.
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【W-w-w-what?! My Liege! But how did you open the door?!】
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The system blared in Aang's face, making the man shrug his shoulder and walk out of his cell, whistling softly as he went to retrieve his Staff from the Prince's room (If the plot was to be trusted) before flying away. "Something I picked up when I was younger." Aang left it at that, not elaborating even when the system started buzzing around him like an annoying fly.
Aang continued treading lightly, making sure to hide in plain sight and not be spotted easily by the soldiers walking around as they guarded the road leading to his cell. Those who Aang managed to sneak away from, he did just that, and those he needed to silence so to continue his escape, he knocked out without mercy. Aang walked through the corridors making sure not to make any sound as he reached the stairs and rose to another deck, rushing after the guard who spotted him and punched the daylight out of him before he managed to alert the others.
Reaching a hallway filled with doors on either side, Aang clicked his tongue in annoyance but rushed to open the doors and peer inside, hoping that he would find his glider and be off before someone noticed something was amiss or the guards' shifts changed.
Four doors down, Aang almost cursed when he opened the door and found General Iroh sleeping, which made him mumble in a voice that became as tiny as a gnat. "Sorry…" And started tiptoeing and walking away, having war flashbacks about the times in his youth when he accidentally woke his adopted father, Gyatso, just like this which always ended up in blood path as later on fruit pies exploded in his face.
Reaching another room, Aang stood still when he noticed the opened door, glancing through, Aang hummed silently when he saw his Staff and wondered if the Prince was waiting for him behind the door, just like how it was in the original novel. Thinking this over, Aang shrugged and entered the room before closing the door, feeling a little surprised and confused when he didn't see the Prince… Well, better not take a gift horse in the mouth… Aang rushed to pick up his Staff, stilling a bit when his eyes fell on the wall that was covered with papers, maps, and drawings.
Aang knew snooping through the Prince's stuff was wrong, but part of him was too curious, especially when the novel hadn't really talked much about Prince Zuko's life before chasing the Avatar, or talked about his hobbies or likes and dislikes… knowing he was going to be in such a big problem later, Aang walked toward the wall on the opposed side of the window. His eyes traced the plants hanging from the ceiling, the books and sketchbooks on every available surface, and the artifacts on the shelves; but what really drew Aang's attention was the sketches and paintings hanging on the walls, around the map that were all put slashed with a giant red 'X', with the same 'X' marks littered every surface of the paper.
Aang never appreciated art or knew much about it to begin with, as it wasn't his forte and he wasn't an artistic person by nature. But seeing these paintings in front of him made him feel so many emotions. He could only wonder who the artist was. If he was the person Aang suspected him to be, then why didn't the novel mention anything about this in the first place?
The first sketch was of General Iroh, but this one was different, the General here looked so young, so… so carefree? Aang doesn't know, but seeing this made Aang's lips twitch into a smile. Another picture was of a woman holding a mask and striking a theatric pose, and he could clearly see how the artist had captured the sadness and longing in the woman's eyes… a look that made Aang look away, not being able to handle looking at the painting any longer. Another sketch was of General Iroh, this time standing beside a teenager and laughing happily; another beside it was just the teenager sleeping under a tree. There were also a few sketches and paintings of a little girl, probably eight or seven, training in Fire Bending, another of her with three other girls playing around, and many other sketches.
A sketch of a pond with ducks (But these ones had turtle shells on their backs?) drew Aang's attention, and he unconsciously pulled the drawing out of its place to take a closer look, only to curse as he was jumped scared by what looked like a sketch depicting an eldritch horror of some sort, making a shiver run down his spine when he saw the figure that was a mix of something humanoid and a… Demon? Three-horns Stage? Aang didn't know… but the smile that broke the creature's face in half and the many eyes turned him off, he ended up returning the skitch of the ducks in its place trying to hide that cursed thing. Pausing a little when he found the phrase 'Fire Stone' on the back of the pond sketch.
"Throw a Fire Stone…" Aang mumbled before he let out a soft 'Oh' when he finally placed where he had read this phrase before. He remembered it now, during the Sun Warriors chapter, just after the dragons had judged the Avatar and Prince Zuko and found both of them worthy.
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Fire of all colors surrounded them, some with shades that Aang had never seen before in his life, and never thought it was possible to create; all holding a degree of warmth that Aang never felt when all he was used to was the burning fire that destroyed everything in its path; a gasp sounded behind him and a soft laughed followed from the Prince, making Aang turn to the Prince who was watching him, with such a soft look that Aang could only open his mouth in shock.
"You know, Avatar… you really managed to throw a Fire Stone at my heart…" Whispered Prince Zuko, looking at him in such an intense but soft way that Aang couldn't help but take a step back.
"What does this mean?" The young Avatar could only question, wondering if this was a new phrase from the Fire Nation he wasn't informed of, or if it had come after the Air Nomads genocide. His words were met with surprise and shock from the Prince before a playful but sad smile crossed over Prince Zuko's face as he turned around and walked away.
"Well… that's for you to know, Avatar."
–Avatar: The Last Air Bender, a selected passage from the Third Chapter, "Fire"… Subchapter 13, "The Fire Bending Masters".
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"And that stupid brat never even bothered to ask around to discover the meaning…" Aang mumbled to himself, feeling a fire inside of him steering and demanding that Aang search then and there for this meaning… The sirens rang in the ship, causing Aang to curse when he knew that the soldiers had no doubt noticed his absence.
Picking up his Staff, Aang booked it out of the room, using his Air Bending to increase his speed to reach the upper deck and jump the ship, knocking the soldiers spotting him and trying to stop him and punch/kicking them where it hurt before running like his life depended on it; not pulling any of his punches of hits (Or trying to do as that stupid system ordered him to do by following through Air Bender's motto and avoid the fight instead of throwing the first punch… Yeah, what a great way to get caught and shackled under heavy security!) until he finally reached the upper deck and the open skies which was Aang's chance to escape.
Opening his glider and intending to run away, Aang could only curse when he was forced to dodge the two Fire Blasts sent his way, causing him to growl and turn around to face the person who attacked, only to pause when he saw Prince Zuko, panting as he looked like he ran all the way here, his face was filled with fury and loath so strong, Aang felt the fine hair on his body stand on its end.
"It Looks like I underestimated you." The Prince sneered, taking a fighting stand, and started sending blasts of fire at Aang, who cursed and used his staff to dodge and dissipate the attacks, that barreled at him one after the other. "What is that?" Zuko questioned with narrowed eyes when a loud growl was heard all around them; making Aang glance up to see Appa making an appearance with Katara and Sokka on the saddle.
"Oh, for God's sake, what are they doing here?" Aang hissed, feeling a little hysterical at the thought of children being involved in this fight and being injured or worse, killed because they didn't listen to common sense and stayed behind, and opted to follow him like the brats they were. Deciding that time for messing around was over, Aang, could only shout. "So, sorry!" Before dodging the Prince's attack, using his staff like a pole and a fixed point to help kick Zuko in the chest, causing the man to let out a shout of surprise as he fell from the edge of the ship. "What the hell are you doing here?!" Aang could only shout in anger as other Fire Nation soldiers surrounded him, planning to drag him down.
"We came to offer help!" Katara shouted, waiting for Appa to land on the deck before sliding down and running toward Aang, causing the man to curse as he managed to get close to sucker punch a soldier and knocking them unconscious.
"Do I look like I needed help?!" Aang huffed, glaring at the children who came to annoy him and throw themselves in danger when they could have been safe and sound in their homes without the dangers of the Fire Nation making a target out of them and their village.
"Well…" Sokka winced when he saw Aang kick someone between the legs, unconsciously his hand almost went down before he stopped himself. "It's all Katara's fault!" He shouted, to which Aang just grumbled and cursed something under his breath; especially when Katara screeched her brother's name looking like she was about to throw him off the deck.
"We came to help! So, stop being mean!" Katara took a fighting stand behind Aang, opening what looked like a water skin filled with water, gazing at the three approaching soldiers behind Aang making them slow down and gasp in surprise when they saw her bend the water within and swing her arms to attack… only succeeding in freezing her brother's legs in the progress.
"Came to help, huh?" Aang questioned when Sokka screeched his sister's name and sent her a dirty look; Aang's words made Katara flush red with embarrassment and made Aang throw his staff at the girl so she would fend for herself. "Free your brother and go climb Appa's saddle; I will be there in a few moments, now go!" Aang pushed the girl out of the way, of a Fire Blast, which looking at the sender, he knew it was Prince Zuko before he even saw him hanging to the ledge, wet and growling.
"Duh? Huh? What's going on here?" General Iroh's voice drew both Aang and Zuko's attention, causing them both to gaze at the man who seemed to have just woken up and was confused and a touch out of it when his eyes traced the deck littered with unconscious soldiers, a huge creature that was floating in the air carrying noisy teens on top of its saddle, and his nephew wet and growling while desperately holding to the ledge of the ship; as for Aang, he held a blabbering soldier (Who Aang managed to hear the General whisper 'Lieutenant Jee?!' under his breath) by the front of his robes with fist raised high, but frozen midway in the air, not making any contact with the soldier's nose as of yet.
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【My Liege went mad! The true definition of a villain! Muahahaha!】
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Was the system's answer, as the creature let out a maniacal laugh; not that anyone could hear that thing or even care about what it said, too busy trying to make sense of the madness happening on the deck. "Ah… nothing, General Iroh, just getting to the end of our game." Aang smiled, punching the man in his hold, in the nose making him groan and stagger back before booking it toward Appa, and jumping on the beast while General Iroh went to help his nephew who almost fell in the water once more when trying to Fire Bend a blast in Aang's direction.
"Hey, Little Sunshine!" Unable to help himself, Aang grinned and called out to the Prince who looked up at this nickname, looking so furious and a step away from jumping overboard if it meant catching them midair even when they were paces away and the Prince would end in the water once more. Wanting to be a little shit and at the same time wanting to know what that phrase he read once upon a time meant, Aang gazed at Prince Zuko, before he winked. "You know, you really managed to throw a Fire Stone at my heart!" To which, a heavy silence descended on the ship, no sound was heard, even the waves lapping on the ship and icebergs.
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Silence…
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…Silence…
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…Silence.
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"…Eh?" Prince Zuko choked out while tripping on thin air, finally cutting the awkward silence; eyes wide, as he opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water, looking so confused and a touch hysteric that Aang really hoped he didn't insult the boy's mother or something of that like.
"Sokka, what did he mean?"
"I don't know!"
The Water Tribe siblings hissed, looking at one another with confusion before they looked at the Fire Nation soldiers who were frozen with a strange look on their faces; eyes almost bulging out of their sockets while jaws all but dropped on the floor. Even those who were whining and wheezing in pain had turned as silent as mice; their eyes darting between Aang and Prince Zuko as shock and something else dominated their faces.
"Huh?" General Iroh blinked, once, twice, three times, his eyes going from his nephew to Aang before he raised his hand to scratch his head. "I didn't expect that…" The man muttered before he furrowed his brows and whispered. "Am I still sleeping?" His hand was on his forehead as if checking for fever.
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【My Liege… why him? QAQ】
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Seeing the system's crying face, Aang took this as his cue to just leave before Prince Zuko snapped out of his shock and attacked when he realized how gravely Aang had dared to insult him (Completely forgetting that Prince Zuko told Avatar Aang this line in the original novel). And directing Appa away at the fastest speed the animal was capable of. Trying not to wince when Prince Zuko's shriek reached Aang's ears even when they were miles away.
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"EEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!"
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So, what do you think?
An update! And a long one at that, yay!
Aang is a menace and a little shit, Hehe…
I do believe that if Aang started swinging fists instead of dodging violence (Or just Air Bend and make people go unconscious via asphyxiation), he would have already left that ship long before Katara and Sokka arrived…
And yes, Zuko, is that stereotypical depressed artist here…
Yeah… it happened, especially when spending over seven years searching for the Avatar and slowly losing hope after scourging the earth and not finding him anywhere; forever believing you would spend your life roaming the earth honor-less and without a home…
Today's world build and lore!
'Sunshine' meant something deeper in the Fire Nation, considering their connection with the sun, only 'Very' close friends and sometimes close family members (Parent to child) use, and sometimes it's considered flirting if said between lovers, especially when saying 'My Sunshine' (GF to BF), or 'Little Sunshine' (BF to GF).
'Throw a Fire Stone at my heart', is a Fire Nation idiom which means 'You made me fall in love with you', and Aang used it not a few hours after meeting Zuko, translated into 'You managed to make me fall in love with you at first sight'…
Yeah… poor Zuko doesn't even understand what's going on anymore.
But did this mean Prince Zuko in the original novel was in love with Avatar Aang?
…Yes… Yes, he was…
Read and Review
and let me know what you think...
Nazaki-Sama