A/N: Hey guys! We've finally made it to the finale of Book 1! I can't believe we've gotten this far, it feels like I just started this fic yesterday. I'll admit, this chapter isn't my best. The Book 1 finale was kind of all over the place, so it's pretty short and not much goes on for Akira. But don't worry, the quality of my last chapter will return! I'm going through the early chapters of Book 2 and adding more detail :)
Response from chapter 20:
Vapor23: Thank you for your review! I'm so glad that you think that chapter is my best, I'm very proud of it. I know that you're joking, but I actually have considered going back through and rewriting earlier chapters. Maybe I'll do it once I'm done with the story c: I'm so happy you liked Aang's moment where he was similar to Katara in the Southern Raiders. To be honest, that wasn't my original intent, but it's smart of you to see that paralell! I agree, a fresh perspective in this story can always be nice, maybe I'll write more chapters in Aang's (or anyone else's) perspectives. I want to do more one-off, orginal stories in the future, and I have tons of ideas! I'm glad that you think my original content writing is where I shine :3 Kataang most likely won't happen earlier here, since I'm trying to stay pretty close to canon, but I would like to write some post-war stories of Akira interacting with them while they're dating! I'm so glad you love the anger issues arc, it will definitely come up again in later chapters as more people join Team Avatar. And yes, unfortunately, Akira is seeming to resort to anger more out of association :( I also loved Aang's conversation with Nygook! It was really fun to write! Thank you for being proud of me, I cannot thank you enough for your unwavering support. I hope you enjoy this chapter, friend :)
It had been a few days since I had gotten captured, and my injuries were healing well. I still had scars, albeit fading ones, from the ice blows, the most prominent one being on my cheek. My body was sore, I needed to be helped up alot and getting around was difficult. Shortly after my awakening, Sokka began explaining all that had happened in the three days I was asleep. He told me that Avonlea was the person who directed my friends to where I was kept. The guy who had captured me is named Nygook, I had learned that he was a part of some waterbender gang who wanted their scrolls back from pirates. They had a court hearing for his crime, where Avonlea revealed she was his niece. He was put into jail, and was now going to be rotting away for the rest of his life. Katara had also been accepted as Master Pakku's student while I was out. I made sure to congratulate her as soon as I could. Aang didn't want me out of his sight, so as soon as I was healed, he started taking me to their practices. It's not like I minded, though, there wasn't much else I could do. Katara was facing another student in a duel. The other student bent the water from a puddle below him, turning it into ice and bending it toward Katara. She used water from the puddles below her to catch the ice ball, using it to aid her giant wave that froze the other student into an ice trap.
"Nice try, pupil Sangok," Pakku said, walking up to them, "A couple of more years, and you might be ready to fight a sea sponge," He then unfroze the other student, causing him to fall to the ground.
"Hey, Kiri, look at this," Aang said. He then proceeded to lift Momo into the air with airbending, and spun him around on his own little air scooter. I laughed louder than I thought I would, causing Pakku, who was saying something important to Katara, to turn his head.
"Pupil Aang, will your sister be too much of a distraction for you?" He asked curtly, "It is a privilege that I let her be here while you train,"
"I'm sorry, Master Pakku," Aang said, "I was the one being the distraction,"
"It's bad enough that you missed four whole days of training," Pakku grumbled, "At this rate, you'll never master waterbending," Aang looked down glumly before speaking.
"I'll make sure to not be a distraction anymore," He sighed. Pakku nodded, alothough his face looked as though he believed otherwise.
"Well, class is dismissed," Pakku stated. The class began to disperse, and Katara walked up to Aang.
"You really need to stop goofing off in front of Master Pakku," She said. Aang sighed, his happy expression dropping.
"Katara, you know I'm not trying to goof off," He stated, "Training just gets painfully boring sometimes,"
"Plus, everyone needs to goof off every once in a while," Aang added, sitting down. He then began to roll around on the ground. Katara sighed and walked away. While Aang rolled around on the ground, I created snow sculptures by manipulating the air around it. A few minutes later, I had ran out of ideas for things to make out of snow. I was going to ask Aang for ideas, when suddenly, I noticed the pearly white snow turning black.
"What's going on with the snow?" I asked. Aang stopped rolling at looked up at the sky, concern and confusion etched onto his features. The sky began to fill with dark clouds.
"Katara, what's happening?" Aang asked.
"It's the Fire Nation," Katara replied, "They're here,"
"The day we have feared for so long has finally arrived," Chief Arnook announced, "The Fire Nation is on our doorstep," A meeting was being held to announce and discuss the fact that war was coming. The air was chillingly still.
"It is with great sadness I call my family here before me, knowing well that some of these faces are about to vanish from our tribe, they will never vanish from our hearts," The weight of the situation rested heavily on everyone's shoulders as the deep realization of death appeared.
"Now, as we approach the battle for our existence, I call upon the great spirits," Arnook continued, "Spirit of the ocean, spirit of the moon, be with us!"
"I'm going to need volunteers for a dangerous mission…" He said.
"Count me in," Sokka stated, standing up. I looked up at him, concern evident in my expression.
"Sokka," Katara said, concern etched on her features as well.
"Be warned, many of you will not return," Chief Arnook continued, "Come forward to receive my mark if you accept the task," Sokka then walked over, getting in a line of other boys who were brave enough to risk their lives for the Northern Water Tribe.
Aang was sitting on a stoop, watching the shores for any sight of Fire Nation boats coming closer. The peace and tranquillity felt out of place with the knowing of battle in the near future.
"The stillness before battle is unbearable," Arnook said, walking up to him, "Such a quiet dread,"
"I wasn't there when the Fire Nation attacked my people," Aang stated, his tone somber, "I'm gonna make a difference this time," His eyebrows furrowed in determination and he stood.
"Katara, I'm going to need you to make sure Kiri doesn't get hurt," My brother said sternly, turning to Katara and I, "Make sure you stay with her no matter what," Katara nodded. Aang then looked at me.
"Kiri, listen to Katara, do everything she says," He stated, "And please be careful," He then hopped down from the stoop and pulled me into a hug.
"Good luck," I said quietly.
We had our defenses ready. The soldiers were all posted at their places. Aang was sitting on Appa's head, his expression stony. Sokka, Katara, and I stood near, watching for any signs of the Fire Nation. I saw a blast of bright light come from the distance, and my eyes widened in shock. As the light came closer, I saw that it was giant fireball. It crashed straight into the wall, knocking everyone backward with a wave of snow. Katara and Sokka made an effort to shield me so I wouldn't get hurt, which worked. Fireballs began to rush through, one after another. Fear began creeping through me as worry that we wouldn't win set in.
"Akira, are you okay?" Katara asked, checking around the areas where my wounds were.
"I'm fine, thanks to you and Sokka," I replied, "Are you okay?"
"I'm good," Katara said. I looked around for Aang and Appa, seeing that they were in the sky.
"Aang's stopping all of the ships," I stated
"Good," Katara replied, "But for now, we should probably get somewhere safer," I nodded.
"They've stopped firing," Princess Yue stated. We were watching the battle, and my nerves were at an all time high. Suddenly, I saw Appa flying through the sky, Aang on top of his head.
"Aang!" I exclaimed, pointing to my brother and the bison. They dropped down to the ground, and we immediately ran over to them. Appa put his head down, and Aang slid off exhaustedly.
"I can't do it," He sighed breathlessly, putting his hands on his head, "I can't do it…"
"What happened?!" I asked, running up to him.
"I must've taken out a dozen Fire Navy ships, but there's just too many of them," Aang replied, "I can't fight them all!"
"But you have to," Yue said, "You're the avatar," My eyebrows furrowed as I looked at her.
"So what if he's the avatar?" I thought, "He's still a person,"
"I'm just one kid," Aang stated before putting his head down. Katara and I walked over, Katara putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"It's okay if you didn't get them all," She said, her voice soft and soothing, "They've stopped for now, so when they start again, you can take out the rest,"
"You don't understand, Katara," Aang said, his words muffled due to the fact that he still had his head down, "There were possibly hundreds of ships,"
"Well, don't you have those boat guys to help you?" I asked, referring to the group of waterbenders on boats that had come to help slow down the ships.
"Yes, but even with their help, it's still probably going to take days to take all of the ships out," Aang replied, "And who knows what the tribe is going to become by then,"
"The legends say the moon was the first waterbender," Yue explained, "Our ancestors saw how it pushed and pulled the tides, and learned how to do it themselves," We were looking at the sky, and I could tell Aang still wasn't feeling the greatest. His head was down, and his face looked somber. I wanted to reassure him, to tell him that we would win the battle and the tribe would be fine. But, honestly, I didn't know if that was completely true.
"I've always noticed my waterbending is stronger at night," Katara stated, pulling me back into reality.
"Our strength comes from the spirit of the moon, our life comes from the spirit of the ocean," Yue said, "They work together to keep balance," Aang's eyes widened, and his somber expression disappeared.
"The spirits, maybe I can find them and get their help," He said with a newfound excitement, picking his head up quickly.
"How can you do that?" Yue asked, turning to my brother.
"The avatar's is the bridge between our world and the spirit world," Katara explained, "Aang can talk to them!"
"Maybe they'll give you the wisdom to win this battle," Yue said.
"Or maybe theyll unleash a crazy-amazing spirit attack on the Fire Nation!" Aang exclaimed. We all gave him an exasperated look.
"Yeah, that's totally gonna happen," I said sarcastically.
"Or wisdom, that's good, too," He added sheepishly.,
"The only problem is, the last time you got to the spirit world by accident," Katara said, "How are you going to get there this time?"
"I have an idea," Yue stated, "Follow me," She walked away, and we all followed close behind.
When we arrived at our destination, I saw a tiny wooden door.
"So, is this the way to the spirit world?" Aang asked.
"No," Yue said with a laugh, "You'll have to get there on your own,"
"But I can take you to the most spiritual place in the entire North Pole," She opened the small door, and Aang stepped inside, gasping in awe. When I stepped inside, I couldn't believe my eyes. The landscape was mesmerizing. There was a large pond with bridges leading to a grassy landscape that had some sort of pavilion in it.
"I never thought I'd miss grass this much!" Aang exclaimed, flipping onto his back.
"It's so warm here!" Katara stated, "How is that possible?"
"It's the center of all spiritual energy in our land," Yue said. Looking into the pond in the center of the area, I saw two fish circling each other. Momo reached his hand inside, seemingly reaching for the fish, earning a look from Katara, Yue, and I.
"You're right, Yue," Aang stated, "I can feel…something,"
"It's so…tranquil," He then sat down, pressing his fists together to start meditating. After a while, nothing seemed to be happening, and Yue started to have questions.
"Why is he sitting like that?" She asked in a hushed tone.
"He's meditating," I explained quietly, "Trying to cross over into the spirit world,"
"It takes all his concentration," Katara added. Knowing that Aang hadn't crossed over yet, I figured he was going to get annoyed with us, as we were whispering kind of loud.
"Is there any way we can help?" Yue asked.
"How about some quiet?!" Aang shouted, annoyance in his tone as he snapped his head back to look at us, "Come on, guys, I can hear every word you're saying!" We then shut up, and he turned back around. Suddenly, his eyes and tattoos began to glow, insinuating that he made it into the spirit world.
"Is he okay?" Yue asked, worry evident in her tone.
"He's crossing into the spirit world," I replied, "He'll be fine, as long as we don't move his body,"
"That's his way back into the physical world," I finished.
"Maybe we should get some help?" Yue suggested, still worried.
"No," I said, "He's my brother, I'm perfectly capable of watching over him,"
"Well, aren't you some big girls now," A voice said menacingly. I turned to see Zuko walking up.
"Oh, yay," I groaned sarcastically.
"No…" Katara gasped.
"Yes," Prince Ponytail replied, "Hand him over, and I won't have to hurt you,"
"Nice to see you resorting to methods that aren't violent," I said.
"Silence," Scarface growled. Katara got into a fighting stance, and Zuko quickly began to blast fire at her. I ran over to Aang and formed an air bubble around us, shielding us from the fight. Katara aggressively hit Zuko with water, sending him into a puddle.
"I see you've learned a new trick," Zuko said, standing up, "But I didn't come this far to lose to you," He then began to blast more fire at Katara. I couldn't keep the air bubble up, so I let it disperse. The bubble's dispersing causing Zuko to fall back, giving Katara the upper hand. She froze him to the ground and put a ball of ice around him.
"You little peasant," Zuko growled, "You've found a master, haven't you?" His fury melted the ice ball he was in, and he began to blast fire at the both of us. Katara and I dodged every blast, but we weren't able to get a hit on him, either. Scarface snuck behind us and was about to grab Aang by his collar, when I knocked him out of the way with airbending. He landed in a puddle again and Katara stuck him in ice, making it so he wouldn't be able to get out. I saw that the sun was beginning to rise, and with the mixture of my sore muscles and overall weariness, my strength was beginning to waver. I stumbled back, plopping down against the trunk of a tree with a grunt. Suddenly, Zuko melted his way out of the ice, blasting fire at Katara. She knocked into me, causing my sore muscles to ache even more. When the smoke from the attack cleared, I could see Zuko holding Aang.
"You rise with the moon, I rise with the sun," He said before running away. I grunted as I pushed an unconscious Katara off of me, my arms still hurting. When I looked around, Zuko was gone. A few minutes later, Katara awoke with a gasp.
"Aang?!" She called out.
"He's gone," I said, the strength in my voice wavering as tears rolled down my cheeks, "Zuko took him," Just then, Sokka and Yue arrived on Appa.
"What happened?!" Sokka asked hurriedly, "Where's Zuko?!"
"He took Aang…" Katara replied, "He took him right out from under me,"
"Where did they go?" Sokka asked.
"That way," I said, turning around and pointing.
"Then we'll go that way," Sokka stated.
"Wait," Yue said, "That's the tundra, it's extremely dangerous,"
"We'll do whatever it takes," Sokka replied, "Come on, everyone on Appa," We all got onto the bison, our hearts heavy and our hopes for finding Aang high.
"Yip-yip," Sokka said. We then took off into the tundra.
We were making our way through the tundra, the cold, windy air blowing in our faces. Sokka looked around, his eyes like scanners for any sight of Zuko or Aang. We saw a large chasm that looked to be recent, but when Sokka turned around, he shook his head. Katara looked down sadly.
"Hey, they've gotta be close," I stated, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Thanks, Akira," Katara said, her mood becoming slightly better. I smiled. Sokka got back onto Appa.
"We've gotta keep looking," He said, "My instincts are telling me they're somewhere close,"
"Don't worry, Prince Zuko can't be getting too far in this weather," Yue said, her tone hopeful.
"I'm not worried they'll get away in the blizzard," Katara stated, "I'm worried that they won't,"
"They're not gonna die in this blizzard," Sokka said, "If we know anything, it's that Zuko never gives up,"
"They'll survive, and we'll find them," He finished, determination heavy in his tone.
The sky was dark. It had almost been a full day since Zuko had taken Aang, and we still hadn't found them. Suddenly, I saw a streak of light go across the sky, and I knew what it was.
"Look!" I exclaimed, pointing toward the light, "That's gotta be Aang!"
"Yip-yip!" I said. Sokka turned Appa's reins and we started going toward the cave.
When we swooped over, Zuko was holding Aang by his colllar. Aang was tied up, and it looked like he'd been trying to escape. I let out a sigh of relief, knowing that my brother was unharmed.
"Appa!" Aang exclaimed. The bison let out a roar as we landed, and Katara immediately hopped down.
"Here for a rematch?" Zuko asked, pushing Aang aside.
"Trust me, Zuko, it's not gonna be much of a match," Katara replied. She then put out a fire blast he sent at her before lifting the ice below him and dropping it down, causing Scarface to go unconscious. Sokka hopped off of Appa and ran over to Aang.
"Hey, this is some quality rope," Sokka stated as he untied my brother's hands.
"We need to get to the oasis!" Aang exclaimed, untying his arms and legs, "The spirits are in trouble," They got onto Appa, Aang froze, seemingly lost in thought, before speaking.
"Wait, we can't just leave him here," He said, regarding Zuko.
"Sure we can," Sokka replied, "Let's go,"
"No," Aang replied, seriousness in his tone, "If we leave him, he'll die," He then walked over to Zuko, picking him up and dragging him onto Appa.
"Yeah this makes a lot of sense," Sokka said sarcastically.
"Sokka, would you want to die an icy, cold death?" I asked.
"No, but I'm also not the one constantly trying to kill us," He replied. We then flew off, Zuko in tow.
We were flying back to the spirit oasis. Luckily, the blizzard had stopped, so the weather was no longer unbearable. Suddenly, the moon became red, causing the sky to do so as well. Yue groaned, putting her hands to her head.
"Are you okay?" Sokka asked, putting his hand on her shoulder.
"I feel faint," Yue replied weakly.
"I feel it, too," Aang said. I looked over at him. He had his hand on his head, and I wondered why they both felt it.
"The moon spirit is in trouble," Aang stated.
"I owe the moon spirit my life," Yue said.
"I guess that explains why they both felt faint," I thought.
"What do you mean?" Sokka asked.
"When I was born, I was very sick and very weak," Yue explained, "Most babies cry when they're born, but I was born as if I were asleep, my eyes closed,"
"Our healers did everything they could," She continued, "They told my mother and father I was going to die,"
"My father pleaded with the spirits to save me," Yue said, "That night, beneath the full moon, he brought me to the oasis and placed me in the pond,"
"My dark hair turned white, I opened my eyes and began to cry," She explained, "And they knew I would live,"
"That's why my mother named me Yue, for the moon," She finished.
When we got back to the spirit oasis, Zhao was at the pond. He was holding a bag and gloating about how he slayed the moon.
"They will call me Zhao the conquerer, Zhao the moon slayed, Zhao the invincible!" He exclaimed. Momo then began to attack him, jumping on his head.
"The invincible that gets attacked by lemurs?" I thought, struggling to not laugh despite the dire situation.
"Get it off!" Zhao yelled, squealing like a little girl. The soldiers around him began to swat Momo away, and the lemur flew over to Aang's arm. Aang glared at Zhao before pointing his staff at him. I got into a defensive position, as well as Sokka and Katara.
"Don't bother," Zhao scoffed, holding up the fish bag and putting his fist near it.
"Zhao, don't!" Aang exclaimed.
"It's my destiny," Zhao replied, "To destroy the moon and the Water Tribe,"
"Destroying the moon won't hurt just the Water Tribe, it will hurt everyone, including you," Aang said, "Without the moon, everything would fall out of balance, you have no idea what kind of chaos that would unleash on the world,"
"He's right, Zhao," A voice that I recognized as the old guy traveling with Zuko said.
"General Iroh," Zhao stated bitterly, "Why am I not surprised to discover your treachery?"
"I'm no traitor, Zhao," General Iroh replied, "The Fire Nation needs the moon, too,"
"We all depend on the balance," He said, "Whatever you do to that spirit, I'll unleash on you tenfold!"
"Let it go now!"
Zhao released the fish from the bag, letting it swim alongside its partner again. Suddenly, he blasted the fish with water, and the sky went dark. I gasped in shock, the sudden murder of the moon spirit making me frozen in place. Iroh quickly began attacking Zhao and his soldiers, the blasts of his flame illuminating the atmosphere. Once the soldiers were dealt with, we all walked over to the fish. The ocean fish was still circling, despite its partner's death. Iroh picked up the dead fish, a somber look on his face.
"Those no hope now," Yue said, "It's over," Suddenly, Aang's eyes and tattoos began to glow.
"No," A chilling mixture of many voices stated, "It's not over," He then walked into the pond. When Katara went to stop him, Iroh put his hand out. I watched in awe as the pond began to glow a bright white before Aang dropped into the pond. Suddenly, the water surrounding the pond began to glow blue, illuminating the Northern Water Tribe's entirety. The water began to rise, forming a fish-like creature, Aang inside of its chest. The fish began to attack the firebenders, my brother like its puppet. Iroh placed the dead fish back into the pond, but nothing happened.
"It's too late," Katara said, "It's dead,"
"What do we do?" I asked somberly.
"You have been touched by the moon spirit," Iroh said to Yue, "Some of its life is in you,"
"Yes, you're right," Yue replied, "It gave me life, maybe I can give it back…" My eyes widened as I realized that in order for the moon spirit to live, she would have to die.
"No!" Sokka exclaimed, grabbing Yue by her arm, "You don't have to do that,"
"It's my duty, Sokka," Yue said.
"I won't let you," Sokka protested, "Your father told me to protect you!"
"I have to do this," Yue stated, walking toward Iroh. She put her hands on the fish, and it began to glow. She slowly closed her eyes, and as the glow died out, she did too, becoming limp and falling over. Sokka caught her in his arms, a look of worry on his face.
"She's gone," He said, the strength in his voice wavering due to the sadness he felt, "She's gone," As he held Yue's dead body in his arms, I couldn't help but mourn for the loss of the brave princess. When I had first met her, I was jealous of her beauty and how Sokka seemed so attracted to her. I thought about what she had that I didn't, and looking back, I realized how stupid and selfish I had been. I realized that Yue wasn't only beautiful on the outside, but on the inside, too. She was kind, caring, brave, and strong. Tears dropped down my cheeks. Suddenly Yue's body disappeared, and my eyes widened in shock. The fish began to glow, and Iroh placed it back in the pond. It swam again, making the entire pond glow. From the glowing pond emerged Yue, her spirit form beautiful and flowing.
"Good bye Sokka," She said, "I'll always be with you," She then kissed him, and instead of feeling jealous, I felt sadness. Not for myself, but for Sokka, and for Yue. When her spirt faded, the moon became lit again.
The next morning, the air was somber. The loss of Yue mixed with the overall feeling of dread that came with battle settled heavily in everyone's heart. Aang and I were standing together in silence, taking in the sight of the destroyed Water Tribe. I felt a shift in the air, and turned around to see Katara behind us. We walked over to her and pulled her into a group hug, our sadnesses melting into one other. Then, I heard a chittering sound, and looked to see Momo staring at us.
"You too, Momo!" Katara said.
"Come here!" Aang added. Momo hopped onto Aang's shoulder. Then, Sokka came up, putting a hand on Aang's shoulder. We all looked at the moon ahead of us, memories of Yue playing through each of our minds. Despite everything that had happened over our journey, we knew we would always have each other, and that our bond was beyond that of any other group of friends.