Rage Of The Black Dragon

by Nazaki-Sama

Ozai and Azula won, and what was left of the world was burned to ashes... But when Zuko woke up ten years in the past with the ability to change his fate; he promised to win this war and end Ozai's reign once and for all. But first, he was going to hunt down everyone who robbed him of his mate and child. Time travel, Dark, Omegaverse, Aged up Aang, Dark Zuko! Cover art by me enjoy!

12. Chapter 12

…Rage Of The Black Dragon…

Warnings:This chapter contains:- cursing, sadness, crying, darkness, violence, mental health issues, possessiveness, mental breakdown, panic attacks, mistaken identity, more lore about the Spirits being dropped, Azula and Zuko having their showdown, and Aang being too tired and underpaid to go through the emotional rollercoaster he suffered in this chapter! All reviews are appreciated.

P.P.S.: This is an Omegaverse story as in Alpha/Beta/Omega dynamic, with Alpha Aang and Omega Zuko, so you have been warned! And it is also a time travel one! The titles that would be used for the Omegaverse dynamic in this story, are from the Chinese fandom (As the story would have many customs and cultures from southern and eastern Asia; China specifically):-

Alpha - Qianyuan

Omega - Kunze

Beta – Zhongyong

P.P.P.S: This is a dark (and I mean really dark!) story that takes place in the ALTA's timeline (the original show, not the live adaptation, but who knows, maybe I will add a pointer or two from the NATLA after I watch it?) to some extent but with many major changes, such as Aang being aged up to sixteen and Zuko being OOC; this story is also the first part of the series that would follow the first chapter but diverge after a certain point.

---

Chapter 12

---

.

.

.

.

.

.

…("Sokka…" The mention of his name made Sokka, who was reading one of the books forced upon him by Zuko (Such a cruel, cruel man! Trapping Sokka on the ship and not allowing him to leave until he finishes this mountain of books! Sokka couldn't do that! There were too many books to even keep track of!), raise his head and look at the caller, his breath hitching slightly when his eyes fell on Yue who looked nervous as she glanced at Sokka then the floor.

"Yes, Princess?" Sokka questioned, feeling a little guilty and sad when Yue flinched at the mention of her title and looked down; her fists were clenching tightly, and even from afar, Sokka could feel the sadness and helplessness surrounding the Kunze.

"I… you… are…" Yue started before her voice grew faint, and Sokka could only remain sitting in his place wondering if Yue would say something or not; just when Sokka lost hope of the girl ever talking to him and telling him what was on her mind, Yue looked up to him and all but shouted. "I am sorry, ok? Please don't stay mad at me, anymore!" This made Sokka blink in confusion before the realization finally slammed into him, and with it came the heartbreak and pain he tried to ignore ever since that day when the Northern Water Tribe had come onto the ship to establish a betrothal between the Princess and the Avatar; showing him how twisted and wrong everything was to the point he almost got sick then and there.

Sokka looked away, not knowing what to say to the girl (Part of him, the angry and hurt part, wanted to just get up and leave, ignore the girl and go on with his life and try to forget her, maybe if he did that, the pain he felt would go away). From the corner of his eye, Sokka managed to spot Zuko who was looking between the two with narrow eyes, before he motioned to Sokka to take Yue off the ship and talk; that traitor even made a threatening motion if he didn't do so! And as much as Sokka didn't want to listen to Zuko, he knew that the other teen would retaliate and then make the rest of Sokka's stay on this ship a living hell, and at the moment, Sokka wasn't looking up to it, not when he was already swamped in books and study to prepare to take over his position as a future Prince of some sort (Curse his loud mouth! If Sokka had known back then what it would be like to be a Prince or a Chief in training, he wouldn't have been so eager to proclaim himself a Prince or something, and actually went on with his life and enjoyed himself!).

"Princess, if you will; please, come with me." Sokka stood up, put his book on the table, and started walking away, with Princess Yue following behind; but before he went off the ship, he couldn't help but send a harsh glare to Zuko for putting him in this mess; promising him a heavy punishment for doing this.

Something that made the Kunze stick his tongue out at him in retaliation before skipping toward his Dao Swords, picking them up, and then jumping off the ship. No doubt rushing toward Aang to spend the day with him after two weeks of separation that made the Fancy Fingers agitated and angry; his short fuse made Sokka whine and complain and beg Aang to do something about it (And kind of feel an unbearable amount of guilt when Aang raised his head and those tired eyes that had dark circles around them -Almost turning him into another Momo- looked at Sokka with confusion like he didn't understand what Sokka was telling him, and maybe he didn't, sleep deprived and all).

Two weeks… That was how long since they were told about Tui and La's punishment, and with that a mass hysteria had taken over the Northern Water Tribe. A punishment that when Sokka heard, he could only feel his heart drop from his chest and look at his sister with worry, watching how her face fell at the realization that Water Bending would be no more and that Katara would be forever the only Water Bender from what was left of the Great Southern Water Tribes before they were all wiped away for going against Tui and La's will.

Two weeks… That was how long since Zuko and Aang showed up after Aang was possessed by Tui and La and almost massacred the Northern Water Tribe (Bringing fear and terror to Sokka's heart every time he looked at Aang… and while Sokka didn't want to feel this, because he knew how gentle, kind, and good, Aang was… part of Sokka couldn't help but wonder how dangerous the man truly was, to the point Sokka was hyperaware of Aang in a way he wasn't before… almost as if he was a prey gazing at the eyes of a predator and wondering when the other teen's patience would snap and he would be his next meal… a mentality Sokka tried to get rid of because he knew it wasn't fair to Aang who never ever hurt anyone -Consciously, and excluding that time with Captain Zhao- and always tried to do what was right and that what happened two weeks ago was because of Tui and La and not his friend… but part of him still refused to believe, and he could only feel guilt every time he looked at Aang with fear and helplessness when the man smiled at him or tried to talk to him…) telling them of the solution they found to save the Water Tribes and stop Tui and La's rage from harming the innocents who didn't have anything to do with this madness, and with that hope once again shone on the Water Tribes.

Two weeks… That was how long since Sokka, Yue, and Katara started their lessons under Zuko's tutelage, who was planning on turning them into the perfect picture of future rulers of their tribes (Spirits above! Sokka was done! He was done he says! It was all pain and backbreaking and more pain until Sokka thought he would drop dead! He never knew how much a Chief -Or in his case now, a Prince- had to learn and memorize! Not to forget the lessons about fighting! Princess Yue thankfully seemed to have the ability to Water Bending (As rusty as the ability was for not having trained with it other than the mandatory training at the healing hut in her youth) so she went with Katara to learn how to fight under Master Pakku who turned out soft in his teachings, but Sokka who was a Non-Bender had the misfortune of learning under Zuko... man that Kunze was crazy and a slave driver! How did Aang even handle being with this crazy Kunze who enjoyed the suffering of the innocent?!). With that, spending all of their waking hours either training or studying, or studying or training, and then studying and training some more! Sokka would end up going to sleep after midnight, only to have Zuko come and wake him and the rest before sunrise to start this charade once more (Curse Fire Benders and their 'Rising with the sun' thing, how could they even function like that?!)!

Two weeks… That was how long since the new rules were written by Tui and La's orders and new traditions were taught to everyone around; with that, not only anger and confusion were brought forth (From those closed-minded idiots who didn't want to give their places of power and had gotten too comfortable with how corrupted things were… people that were handled by Aang -who almost Air Bend them to space when they talked shit about Zuko- and Zuko -who was less forgiving than Aang and didn't hesitate to kick people in the balls to make them listen… man! Sokka was still laughing and shrieking every time he remembered this- who brought them to Tui and La to be punished). But also, even with that, Sokka could see happiness and relief taking over, and what felt like a heavy atmosphere that had blanketed the Water Tribe was lifted (That was mostly from the newer generation; Sokka's age or younger. But it also came from the older generation, especially the women -And some men- who broke down and started crying in relief at the thought of not losing their loved ones to the old rules and traditions).

Two weeks… That was how long Tui and La gave another demand, and it was to have Aang learn the true essence of Water Bending from them (Being the Avatar and all); less chance of him getting corrupted by those around (Tui and La's words not Aang, as even the other teen was confused and a touch out of it when Tui and La demanded that of him or their deal would be off). With that, Aang had spent every waking moment he had teaching and teaching and reteaching the Water Tribes the laws and traditions of Tui and La, before rushing toward the said Spirits to spend the rest of his time with them being taught how to Water Bend from the Spirits directly, and after when Aang would be back he would teach Katara and the rest of the Water Tribes Benders what Tui and La taught him (Which was really nice of Aang, even if not necessary, but Sokka knew Aang was doing it for Katara, and the only reason he taught the rest was that Aang was all about being fair and not wanting to be biased or anything), before going to Chief Arnook's palace and teach the man and his family how to rule (If Sokka thought he was having a hard time, then Aang and his only two hours of sleep every day for two weeks to the point he almost turned into a raccoon with the dark bags under his eyes, was having it rougher than anyone around, to the point, Zuko was planning on marching to Tui and La to start a fight with them for Aang).

Two weeks… Finally, here they were; in a changed place, Sokka would feel proud of calling a Water Tribe without feeling shame and suffocation every time he remembered he was from the Water Tribe. Sokka hoped that in the end, he and Katara would be able to make the South flourish like how the North did; for their Gran-Gran, for their people, and those who were unjustly hurt by the false rules and traditions enforced upon them…

.

.

.

Two weeks… and here they were….

.

.

.

So, here was Sokka, leading Princess Yue to another part of the city (Hoping that Fancy Fingers was with his Pretty Boy and wouldn't make Sokka's life a living hell by spying on him and giving him his infamous disapproving looks, Sokka had been at the end of these past couple of weeks). Sokka taking a walk along the bridge beside Princess Yue (If you could count walking along the top of the bridge's wall and trying to balance himself, walking). Sokka could only let out a hum, trying to gather his thoughts into a coherent line of thinking before speaking to the Princess.

"I am not angry at you… I was never angry at you…" Sokka finally gathered the courage to say, stopping in his advances and sitting down on the ledge, gazing at Yue with a soft look. "I was angry, yes, and sad… but it was never directed at you… just the circumstances surrounding everything." Sokka turned his gaze to his legs, wondering what he was going to say, what he was going to expose.

It had been weeks since the day when the Water Tribes had shown up at Zuko's ship and demanded to see the Avatar, and when Zuko refused and ordered them to state their business to be allowed in… everyone had the shock of their lives when they heard that the Water Tribe wanted to establish a betrothal with Avatar Aang and Princess Yue… at that time, Zuko had exploded (Literally and metaphorically), and Sokka was sure he had heard and explosion or two from the engine room before the Kunze kicked everyone out with the threat of burning them to ashes if they dared to show up again; as for Sokka? Sokka could only gaze at Yue who couldn't look anyone in the face, wondering if he should laugh or cry because this… this was insane and so wrong on so many different levels it wasn't even funny!

Sokka had days to think about this… weeks, really… and during all that time, he never blamed Princess Yue for anything because he knew she wasn't the one at fault. Yue loved her people, she truly loved her people; loved them more than she loved herself, and cared about her happiness, and because of that; Sokka knew of the heavy sacrifices the girl would make to achieve her people's happiness and safety. Sokka would never blame Yue or be angry at her because of this, not when it was what attracted him to Yue in the first place. It was her kindness, her everything really, and if Sokka got angry at her for being herself even when she wasn't the problem? Then Sokka wouldn't be better than that annoying Hahn who wanted Princess Yue because of the 'Perks' her position had.

So Sokka looked at Yue and told her this, told her everything he hadn't dared to tell her before; Sokka wanted Yue to understand, he wanted her to realize that Sokka never blamed her nor he was angry at her so she never really needed to apologize in the first place. Sokka told her, and he hoped in the deepest part of his heart that Yue would understand, and that when she did? Sokka hoped that by then, Yue would find the courage to love herself enough to chase after her happiness instead of pushing it away to put her tribe first and forsake everything else.

"I… I… s-so… so…" Yue started, her lips trembling and her hands clenched tightly, and Sokka's heart couldn't help the painful pang that almost knocked him out; unable to stop himself, Sokka raised his hand and brushed the tears away.

"Don't apologize. Never apologize for who you are, Princess." Sokka tried to comfort her, even when part of him wanted to break down and cry just like Princess Yue. "You love your people, and you have embraced your duties to your tribe. You should never be ashamed of this, after all, this is what made me like you in the first place." And they stayed there, silence dominated the place, only broken by Yue's hitched breath and sniffles.

"But they weren't the ones I would end up marrying…" Yue finally choked out, coming to stand near the rail and putting her hands on it. "For as long as I remember… it was always my duty to my family, my duty as a Princess, and my duty to my tribe… for as long as I remembered…" Yue let out a shuddered sigh. "Then you all came… you came and made me question everything for the first time… Katara came and made me wonder if women could be rebellious too and learn how to fight… then Avatar Aang came and broke everything I had believed in all of my life… then Prince Zuko came and he changed everything and made me a Chief, trained me to be a warrior, and for the first time in my life… I could walk around without feeling the need to lower my head and be submissive about everything… you all came and you changed my life, and just as you did, you would leave…" Yue sniffled, looking so sad and angry. "And part of me is resentful about that fact; I don't want you to leave… I don't want any one of you to leave; I want you to stay, and if you don't, I want to go with you… but I know you nor I, can't do that… you have your duty to stop the war, and I have mine to Tui and La to enforce their will…" Another sniffle before Yue raised her sleeve to wipe her tears away. "I just… I just… I couldn't help but feel resentful that I had lost my chance… I… did I lose my chance?" Yue finally questioned, looking at Sokka with pained eyes filled with helplessness.

Sokka knew what Yue meant; he knew what she meant and the helplessness she felt… he knew… which was why tears started stinging his eyes in return. Want it or not, the two of them were in the wrong place, at the wrong time, suffering because of the wrong circumstances. However, Sokka could only smile, even when he knew the answer the two of them had concluded but were putting it off and not wanting to think about it even when they knew they should.

"Even if we lost our chance…" Sokka started, looking at Yue and giving her a soft smile. "We could start over again, couldn't we?" Sokka teased and offered his hand; letting out a choked laugh when he saw Yue give a trembling smile as she heard this and took his hand in a tight grip. "So… friends?" Sokka questioned the girl softly, receiving a trembling smile and a sniffle.

"Friends…" Yue stared before a laugh left her. "Until the time is right." Here Sokka couldn't help feeling a weight being removed from his back, and ignoring the lessons that Zuko had hammered into him about royalty and conduct (And knowing damn well if Zuko heard about this he would either laugh himself breathless or slap him on the back of his head) Sokka pulled Yue to a tight hug.

"Until the time is right," Sokka vowed, tightening his hug for a second before pulling back. "You know, Yue… after weeks of being under Zuko's crazy training regime, I knew just the right thing to have fun." Sokka teased, straightening his back and offering a smile. "You need to meet my good friend, Appa!" Sokka could see the curious look on Yue's face; Sokka offered a mischievous grin and pulled his friend to the stables.

.

..

.

..

.

..

.

"Oh… my… goodness!" Yue's joyful laughter made Sokka smile, and just to impress Yue even more, Sokka couldn't help but make Appa fly in loops, feeling happy when he heard Yue's shriek of delight. "It's so beautiful up here." Yue sighed in delight when Sokka stopped making Appa fly in loops and instead made him fly gently over the surface of the sea.

"It is…" Sokka smiled, not being able to help but look at Yue as he said these words; feeling happy and content… happiness and contentment that all but vanished when his eyes fell on the 'Black Snow' that started falling from the sky. "Oh, no…" Sokka choked up, feeling terror taking hold of his heart at how thick the 'Black Snow' was falling… this meant only one thing…

"Sokka? What is happening?" Yue questioned gently, her hand raising to catch the snow mixed with soot; her eyebrows furrowing as she brought the snow to her nose and sniffed a bit. Sokka could only curse, holding Appa's reign and making a sharp turn to get back to Agna Qel'a.

"Black Snow," Sokka said almost breathlessly as he edged Appa to go faster and faster, wanting to reach his friends and tell them about what he saw. "It's soot mixed with snow." At the confused look on Yue's face, Sokka could only swallow. "It's the Fire Nation." Sokka felt breathless just saying this. "They have closed in on the North Pole and from the look of how thick the snow is falling… I would say there's a lot of them." Sokka snapped the reigns in his hands ordering Appa silently to get faster and faster, his heart pounding in his throat at the possibility of the Fire Nation being here…

.

.

.

Sokka needed to warn his friends…)…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Aang cursed, and cursed, and cursed some more under his breath; grumbling as he tried to do as he was ordered. Feeling tiredness and sluggishness in every move as he repeated the stances for what felt like the thousandth time in the span of five minutes from being taught this move to knowing when he failed at doing it right and having the Spirits of the Ocean and Moon make fun of him for that… really, Aang was not a happy camper at all.

As much as Aang was grateful about the Ocean and the Moon Spirits giving the Water Tribes a second chance (More of a third one really), Aang was a little confused about why the Spirits had decided that they would teach Aang Water Bending instead of the benders in Agna Qel'a; he was even baffled when he heard about it the first time, part of him a little bewildered, but no less optimistic about the arrangement, especially when the Spirits insisted that Aang as the Avatar should be taught under Tui and La…

If only he knew it was so that the two of them would use this chance to annoy and annoy and annoy him some more with their squabbling and bully him all day every day from midnight to sunrise to afternoon to sunset to midnight once more… or really whenever they wanted to have someone to bully and hear their chatter… Who would have known that being part of koi fish meant the Spirits would turn into chatterboxes? Aang certainly didn't!

.

"You are strange, Young Avatar…"

.

"…Strange…"

.

"...So, strange."

.

Tui and La whispered; they giggled, and their voices overlapped one over the other. One was a male and the other a female but you could hear their voices and distinguish what they said and what they would say even if they said it simultaneously. "Oh? And why is that?" Aang couldn't help but question in a grumble, glancing at the two koi fish as he tried to Water Bend once more, trying to go through the motion Tui and La taught him… even if they didn't teach him because you know, fish, couldn't walk and they bend with their mind or something, so all of their instructions were orally which meant a harder time for Aang because he couldn't have a demonstration to help him learn.

.

"Lower your hands, Young Avatar."

.

"…The wrists, it's all in the wrists!"

.

"You bend the water like you bend the air…"

.

"…Like that peacock! Peacock!"

.

Tui and La bombarded him with instructions that made his eye twitch some because hadn't he just adjusted the position of his wrists just now and they told him it was fine?! "…Peacock?" Aang sighed as he inquired about this nickname and if it was the new title the two of them were going to call him by, like the many names they had called him by these past couple of weeks. "Who is that?" Aang decided to bite the bait and ask because hell if he was allowing a couple of fish (Spirits or not!) to call him a peacock when he did nothing to deserve such an insult.

.

"…Lung-ta…"

.

"Annoying!"

.

"…Peacock…"

.

"Bratty ass!"

.

That was Tui and La's answer; while Tui's voice was calm and collected and even hesitated when she talked, La was full of annoyance and rage as he huffed and grumbled, causing Aang to stop for a few seconds before it finally clicked in his mind that the two of them had just insulted the Air Nomads' God. "You don't seem to like him that much, do you?" Aang's dry voice rang as he glanced at the two fish swimming in circles, and a huff resonated in his head was what greeted him from the two Spirits.

.

"…Not exactly."

.

"Stupid idiot who…"

.

"…He is annoying…"

.

"Obsessive, more like it!"

.

Once more Tui's calm voice mixed with La's exclaim full of outrage made Aang pause in bending once more, his brain trying to make sense of what the two were going on before he paused and blinked when he realized that his God was being slandered in his face. "Hey?!" Aang squeaked when he felt a water whip slapping his butt, and he could only jump and shield the stinging area with embarrassment and outrage. "What was that for?!" Aang couldn't help but shriek, glaring at the two fish who dared to do something like this; no respect whatsoever! To spank him like he was a misbehaving child when he was trying to do his best; not even monk Gyatso had done anything of this sort when Aang misbehaved!

.

"Your movements are that of Air Bender!"

.

"Push and pull."

.

"Don't show me how Lung-ta bent! Show us how we do it; the push and pull!"

.

La's outraged cries overshadowed Tui's amused tone, and Aang could only glare at La, knowing that the asshole was the one who did such a disrespectful thing. Really, and here Aang thought he had anger issues or something! Compared to La, Aang was an angel who was doing nothing wrong! "Ok, ok! Fine! Shesh!" Aang growled, sending La one last glare as he rubbed his poor butt, before returning to Water Bending, giving an exaggerated pose and sending La a look as if asking him 'Is this better?!', to which he received hums of praise.

.

"That's more like it!"

.

"…More like it."

.

Tui's happy chirp made Aang sigh, and he glared at La until the Spirit grumbled something and told him to continue his lesson… Spirits above, how awkward and off-balancing it was to hear Tui and La's voices in his head while he was acting and talking animatedly to some fish that did nothing but swim in circles uncaring as Aang bent the water in their sacred pound to learn Water Bending.

.

"Now, the lesson you need to learn, today."

.

"Learn!"

.

Tui and La said in unison, and Aang could only groan in pain and annoyance as he grumbled under his breath. "…All I have done in the past couple of weeks is learn…" Another water whip slapped his butt and Aang could only shriek and jump away. "Aw! What was that for?!" Aang screeched, his face flaming hot as he glared at the two fish that stopped circling the other and started floating up and down as if laughing at his plight. For the second time that day, Aang all but scrambled away from the pond, shielding his poor and abused butt as he glared at those fish like they were the bane of his existence… so much for being the Avatar and being offered respect…

.

"Being cheeky…"

.

"A peacock!"

.

"Now, Young Avatar. Tell us, what do you know about Water Bending?"

.

"No, no! Water, what do you know about water?"

.

And here Aang was insulted and was called a peacock; his eye could only twitch at that, and when the questions soon followed, Aang could only furrow his eyebrows in confusion his sluggish mind refusing to make sense. "What do I know…? I mean… it's water? What's more complicated than that?" Aang couldn't help but question, gazing at the water in question like it held the secrets to whatever Tui and La wanted to know. The silence that followed, made Aang all but shift in his place, especially when he could feel the Spirits' eyes on him, looking at him with judgment for being a fool… two fish were looking at him with judgment… really, Aang felt like a fool just being in these annoying Spirits presence… so much for being a revered Gods or something.

.

"…You are stupid…"

.

"Lung-ta had corrupted him…"

.

"…All that peacock's fault!"

.

"Should have kicked him where it hurt last time, we saw him…"

.

"An idiotic ass!"

.

"Well, what do you expect? Didn't he chase Agni like the lovesick fool he was?"

.

"Hah! It was funny seeing him get rejected."

.

"And even then, he was stupid and refused to learn…"

.

As expected, Aang was insulted then and there by two snotty fish who huffed and puffed and swam around in agitation, before the insults were directed at Lung-ta and after? Even Aang's sluggish mind came to a screeching halt when he heard about what the fish implied when they mentioned Lung-ta and Agni in the same breath.

"Wait, what?!" Aang couldn't help but screech, feeling more awake and focused now since he had the misfortune of waking at the crack ass of dawn and coming here to learn Water Bending. "Agni and who?!" Aang couldn't help but sputter, looking at the fish like a scandalized maiden on Lung-ta's behalf, feeling so confused and part curious to know more.

.

"Oh, yeah… that wasn't mentioned in any of the books, was it?"

.

"…Why would it be mentioned? Lung-ta is all about appearances and images… can't have people know his blunders."

.

"…Or that he was rejected…"

.

"Or that he swooned for someone who had a sweetheart."

.

"…In his defense, Taiyou was dead at that time…"

.

"You always come to his defense…"

.

"Only when he deserved it, darling, only when he deserves it."

.

More info was dumped then and there, and Aang's eyes couldn't help but widen as his jaws dropped the longer, he continued to hear about Lung-ta and Agni; Tui and La's amused voices and giggles resonated around the clearing and Aang could only sputter, looking between Tui and La who then started ignoring Aang in favor of flirting with one another and swimming circles around the other, looking too happy for fish whose only job was swimming in circles.

"Ok, back up a bit! Back up a bit! Could you please tell me about Lung-ta and Agni?! You can't just drop a bomb like this and then get sidetracked!" Aang finally snapped out of his daze, demanding that the two Spirits explain and tell him more about Agni and Lung-ta because sure as hell, the info he heard wasn't mentioned in any book or scroll or even folk stories he heard the nomads singing when they came to the Southern Air Temple from time to time.

.

"…Hmmm, should we tell him?"

.

"No… he doesn't deserve it!"

.

Tui's question was answered by La's annoying voice making Aang twitch and glare at La like he was the bane of Aang's existence (And he was! He was an ass through and through, and Aang had it up to here with this annoying ass and was even thinking about roasting him and getting this over with and Aang was a non-violent person!).

"Ok, now that's mean! I am like… the Avatar! If anyone deserves to know such things, it's me!" Aang started, huffing and crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at Tui and La… only to squeak when his butt was once more spanked with that damned whip causing him to whine and glare at those annoying fish.

.

"…You know what, darling, this child is too much like Lung-ta…"

.

"…Too much of a peacock!"

.

"…Too much…"

.

"Hmmm, you know, he reminds me of someone…"

.

"Who?"

.

"…The one we agreed to 'Thou Shall Not Be Mentioned'…"

.

"Ohhhhh! I can see that now!"

.

Once more, Tui and La started talking to one another like Aang wasn't there, and once more Aang could only growl and send the asses a glare, hoping they would feel the wrath of the Avatar and apologize for being little shits… No such thing happened, and Aang could only huff and grumble as he stumbled toward them. "Care to elaborate?" And ask in an irritating tone.

.

"No."

.

"Nope!"

.

Tui and La seemed to look at one another (Actually, Aang got the feeling of them looking at one another) before chirping these words, and Aang could only grumble the word. "Rude." Under his breath, wondering if he could Water Bend the two asses to space or something and make them behave.

.

"You know what, Young Avatar…"

.

"Why don't you answer some of our questions?"

.

"If you are good and are to our satisfaction by the end of this day…"

.

"We promise to tell you a little story."

.

"What do you say?"

.

Tui and La tried to appease Aang by saying such words, and Aang could only narrow his eyes at the two Spirits, wondering if they were pulling his leg or something. As much as Aang wanted to just huff and march away, find somewhere to sleep, and get the rest he desperately wanted for days now… the offer was tantalizing in a way, and Aang's curious side couldn't help but perk up at the thought of listening to some of the stories from the Spirits. Weighing the pros and cons of such an offer, in the end, Aang let out a loud sigh before stomping near the sacred pond, his hands on his waist as he huffed. "Alright, deal." To which the two fish circled around happily.

.

"Wonderful! Wonderful!"

.

"Now! Tell us, what do you know about the Water Benders?"

.

The question, Aang would admit, caught him off guard, and he had to blink a bit to make sense before he answered. "Uh… I mean Water Benders are at home surrounded by snow, ice, and seas?" When Aang saw that Tui and La didn't interrupt or use that damn whip made of water Aang felt confident enough to continue. "It's why Water Benders stay near the areas full of water and avoid deserts and places with no water." And with that, Aang started listing everything he was taught about Water Benders by Monk Gyatso and the other monks.

.

"Correct."

.

"Not completely, but correct in a way."

.

Tui and La suddenly stated after Aang was finished, their words made Aang pause and wonder where he had made a mistake before mauling over their words inside his head… Correct but not completely… what was there more to Water Bending that was lost in time when the Water Tribes deviated from Tui and La's rules and orders?

.

"That's why you need to learn…"

.

"Learn!"

.

"…To control water wherever it existed."

.

"Everything is made out of water!"

.

"Air, plants, even living creatures…"

.

Aang paused, he furrowed his brows and tilted his head in confusion as he repeated these words in his head. "Air?" Aang questioned slowly, wondering why his element was brought into the mix before he thought this over once more and reached a conclusion. "I mean yeah sure, if the air is humid enough, I heard Water Benders could Water Bend; I even heard that clouds are made of water and air so it's possible to Water Bend them. But just plain air?" Aang inquired after speaking his conclusion, remembering that once upon a time one of the Air Monks who took him to Agna Qel'a a hundred years ago had told him how Water Benders could bend the mist and evaporated water in the air.

.

"Everything is made out of water!"

.

"Young Avatar, wherever there is life, there is water."

.

"Connect…"

.

"Yeah, make a connection!"

.

Tui and La suddenly jumped from the pond and splashed into the water once more, looking too excited for a pair of fish as they ordered him to make a full connection with them and step into the pond and not force them to strain themselves by making a connection with him just to speak to him telepathically.

After mulling this over in his head, Aang narrowed his eyes and questioned almost suspiciously. "…You are not using this chance to take control once again and go on a rampage, are you?" Glancing at the two like they were going to deceive him and act dishonorably if he did something as stupid as touching the pond.

.

"No…"

.

"…No, we promise to give them a chance, and we do as we promise… unlike an idiot peacock who is only good at…"

.

"…Besides, we don't want a repeat of last time, even if we wanted to see what the Spicy One would do if he saw us."

.

Against his will, Aang's lips couldn't help but quirk into a smile as he felt Tui and La mention Zuko; part of him wanted to snicker in delight when he heard the Spirits call his beloved 'Spicy One' behind his back. However, Aang felt that this description fit Zuko to the T, not only was the Kunze a firecracker and a fresh breeze of air, but he was now a spicy one who managed to snag the Spirits' attention (But that couldn't help but make Aang's mind drive toward the reason why Tui and La… were too… interested in Zuko; it make Aang narrow his eyes, and it made his heart pound in his throat, as the possibility of Zuko having connection with the spiritual world once more made itself known).

.

"Yeah, besides, it's fun, talking to someone after all these years, as you saw, there are not many people who visit us to talk."

.

"Taiyou does, though."

.

"Taiyou is different, she is a kind and lovely Spirit; I am talking about the rest of the assholes up there."

.

"Yeah. They are assholes."

.

The two Spirits lamented, and Aang refrained from telling them that no one came to talk to them because they chose to be koi fish in the mortal world, in a sacred pond that was rarely visited by anyone, and even when people came here, they don't particularly want to talk to fish because that would make them seem crazy or something.

Aang didn't burst their bubble, instead, he listened to Tui and La talk about Taiyou, the Spirit of the sun, before once more being mean and cussing the other Spirits for being asses… like Tui and La weren't a handful themselves.

"Fine, fine, but if you are lying…" Aang threatened, narrowing his eyes before he let out a tired sigh and marched toward the pond, bending the water around so he could walk on the surface without sinking… just as Aang's feet touched the pond the connection was opened once more…

.

.

.

Tui and La swam around his legs…

.

.

.

Aang's breath hitched at the sudden rush of power that coursed through him; the fatigue and pain he felt for the past two weeks had all but disappeared as he was once more energized by the two Spirits sharing their power with them, causing Aang to smile because this was the first time in weeks, he felt like he wouldn't keel over from how tired he was.

.

"Wow, no wonder you were shit at bending…"

.

"…Rest a bit, little one; we will help, come and meditate."

.

Tui and La, for the first in what felt like weeks, allowed Aang to rest… they allowed him to sit in the middle of the pond in a lotus position and meditate to recharge his energy that all but was zapped out of him by stretching himself thin with the Water Tribe… It was strange; comforting in a way… and Aang wasn't the type to look a gift horse in the mouth. So, he sat, he meditated, and he allowed himself to recharge and rest after what felt like decades of battling instead of a couple of weeks.

It was only when the sun was high in the sky, did he felt the first push from Tui and La, the two of them waking him up from the trance he was in and telling him it was time to train. "Thank you…" Aang mumbled as he finally rubbed his eyes, feeling like a human being for the first time in days after resting for what seemed like… Oh… from the look of the sun's placement, it had been three hours or so, no wonder he felt more energetic and balanced, less grumpy too!

So, Aang stood up and stretched a bit, and he could only prod at the connection he had with Tui and La, feeling curious and amazement when he felt amusement that was his but at the same time wasn't (?) Aang didn't know how to describe it, but thinking about it, it was less intense than what Aang felt weeks ago. Not only that, but Aang was in full control of his actions, even when he felt the connection with Tui and La in the back of his mind.

.

"Now, after resting you need to learn."

.

"Let's start your lesson."

.

"Feel the motion, and repeat after us."

.

"…Fell the push and pull."

.

Tui and La started, and with that, they started bending the water around… from the water in the sacred pond to the waterfalls behind… Aang's eyes could only widen in amazement as he finally started feeling the push and pull everyone talked about resonate in his being, directing him in a way Aang never felt before.

So, Aang felt the push and pull, he imprinted it in his mind, and he repeated after the Spirits, feeling proud of himself and almost getting annoyed at the amusement he felt coming from the Spirits.

.

"Everything is water, Young Avatar, even the air."

.

"Especially, air."

.

"You do not need humidity to pull water from air…"

.

"You just need to feel the push and pull…"

.

"…It's subtle, too subtle…"

.

"…But it's there."

.

Tui and La said, and in a quick movement of Aang's right arm; Aang watched how Tui and La used Water Bending to manipulate the air, liquefying it and coating his fingertips before freezing it in what looked like claws. Aang's jaw could only drop a bit, amazement and wonder coursing through him as he turned his hand around and studied the claws made of ice. "Wow…" Aang could only whisper, and he didn't even have it in him to be embarrassed when he felt the Spirits giggle and laugh, their amusement and delight felt through their connection.

.

"Now, repeat."

.

"You have got to keep an open mind."

.

The Spirits ordered, and Aang prepared himself, trying to remember the subtle push and pull the Spirits talked about, trying to recreate what the Spirits just did. It took time and a few failed tries before Aang finally breathed a sigh, a delighted smile painted his face when he managed to pull water from the air and coat his fingers to create the claw-like fingertips Tui and La had done before.

.

"Well done!"

.

Aang smiled happily as he finally unfroze the water and allowed it to slide down his hand, feeling proud of himself as he started to try and manipulate and liquefy a much bigger portion of water than the amount that managed to coat his fingertips. Aang discovered a lot of things as he practiced this move, but the lesson he learned the most was that by exerting himself and forcing the air to create water, the harder it would be to breathe… it was almost as if forcing the air to create water was sucking all the air out from the area around… Aang learned that when he almost fainted if it wasn't for Tui and La controlled him to Air Bend a small storm in the pond… Aang then and there, concluded that a move like this would be for emergencies only, and not something to play around with or try to practice in a confined space…

.

"There's water in places you never think about."

.

"Where there is life, there is water…"

.

"Everything is made out of water."

.

"Look at the forest behind."

.

"Look at the trees and plants all around."

.

"They are life."

.

"They are water!"

.

Aang turned to the bamboo forest behind, furrowing his brows as he tried to think with Tui and La's logic… water? The forest was water? …Aang pressed his lips tightly. "Water?" Aang ended up asking, wanting the two Spirits to elaborate because it was harder for Aang to imagine what the two meant by their words.

.

"Yes, like all plants and all living things, they're filled with water."

.

"The Third Tribe…"

.

"…Our children…"

.

"Live in a place…"

.

"…With the nature…"

.

"…And could control the vines…"

.

"The trees, plants, anything…"

.

"…By bending the water inside!"

.

Hearing this, Aang's eyes widened a bit, and he then narrowed them as he started to concentrate on the push and pull that Tui and La talked about, trying to concentrate on the water that filled the bamboo… push and pull… Aang tried to focus on the push and pull, convincing himself that if Aang could feel the subtle push and pull in the dry air, then he would no doubt be able to feel the water that existed in the plants… It took time (Mainly because Aang had to focus on the subtleness of the push and pull in the plants compared to the pond and the waterfall surrounding him) but Aang managed to feel it in the end, and with that, he started bending the bamboo around; his eyes widening as the bamboo took whatever shape Aang desired, even the grass, the trees, the plants around. Aang grinned as he managed to bend the plants around by bending the water inside. "…I did it!" Aang couldn't help but exclaim proudly, feeling a little embarrassed when he felt Tui and La laugh.

.

"You did."

.

"Good job, little one."

.

"But…"

.

"…You can take it even further."

.

Aang felt a shiver run down his spine before, in a sharp, swiveling motion, Tui and La used their connection to draw the water out from the grass and bamboo trees, forming a whip they used to slice the dry trees left by their previous actions. The sound of bamboo falling one after the other resonated loudly in the sacred pond and Aang could only open and close his mouth in shock at the destruction that took place to part of the oasis. "Why would you…? The forest…" Aang could only mumble, his gaze not leaving the dead trees and grass in front of him.

.

"Young Avatar…"

.

"Water is life…"

.

"…But is also death…"

.

"Ying and Yang."

.

"…Push and pull…"

.

"Wherever there is water, there is life…"

.

"…And wherever there is life, there is death…"

.

"Ying and Yang…"

.

"Life and death…"

.

"…The Cycle that kept on going…"

.

"…Oh…" Aang could only let out this choked sound at the explanation given to him, his eyes still refused to leave the destruction in front of him and part of him even wondered if the forest would get back to how it was before if he gave the water back… but Aang knew what Tui and La meant, he knew… but part of him still felt guilty at the destruction he left behind even if the ones who did this was Tui and La who used his body.

.

"Young Avatar, you must be ready for death."

.

"You must know the darkness and death that water held within."

.

"Just as there is life, there is death."

.

Here, Aang felt Tui and La stop, and hesitation that was not his but at the same time was, coursed through him. Aang blinked in confusion, and he looked down at the fish that stopped in their movement, making Aang worry and wonder what the Spirits were thinking about. It was only when Aang took a step forward did Tui and La seemed to finally snap back to the present, and with that they told him what was on their mind.

.

"We had a child…"

.

"…A vengeful child…"

.

"…She lost the way, allowed her darkness and hate to blind her, but in doing so, she uncovered a secret that should have been kept buried and forgotten."

.

"…No one should have remembered!"

.

"But she did… and with that, brought forth the true power of water."

.

"…A dangerous power that should have been left buried and forgotten."

.

Aang raised his eyebrow in confusion, wondering about what the Spirits talked about; many questions raced through Aang's mind and he wondered which one he should ask the next. In the end, after thinking things through, Aang asked the only question that really mattered instead. "…What's her name?" That was what really mattered, not the power, not the way she achieved it, and not what she had done with it; just her name.

.

"Hama…"

.

"…Hama."

.

"If you ever had the misfortune of meeting her…"

.

"Young Avatar…"

.

"…Don't hesitate to kill…"

.

"…Such a vengeful child…"

.

Hearing that, Aang's heart all but dropped to the bottom of his stomach and he all but stumbled and sank into the pond after losing concentration for a split second; it was only Tui and La taking over and bending the water around that stopped him from sinking below the water. "I… I… w-what…?" Aang could only choke out, feeling a bile rising in his throat as he was ordered to kill someone by the two of the Spirits who were considered Gods.

.

"You heard us the first time, young one."

.

"You heard…"

.

"…And hopefully, you will comply…"

.

"Because if not…"

.

"…Be prepared…"

.

"The Spicy One would die…"

.

Hearing that, Aang felt all the air leaving his lungs then and there, and suddenly, it was like every noise in the world was sucked out. Terror, horror, and confusion (And rage, rage, rage, RAGE, so strong took hold of him as everything inside of him blared and ordered him to attack something or someone that was nonexistent in front of him) took hold of him, choking him, and Aang almost felt everything around become blurry. "W-what?! What do you…?!" Aang shook, feeling so unbalanced, and a touch mad as he asked that question, feeling his breath coming out of him in harsh gasps.

.

"She is a vengeful child…"

.

"She kills, she hates; she wants those around her to suffer…"

.

"…But most of all…"

.

"…She hated Kunzes the most."

.

"She spent decades in the Fire Nation."

.

"…Killing Kunzes…"

.

"…Especially men…"

.

"She killed and killed…"

.

"It's why the Southern Water Tribes were attacked and killed instead of captured and imprisoned like how the Fire Nation used to do."

.

"She dared to kill Agni's beloveds."

.

"…Mothers, fathers, children, and elderly…"

.

"…They knew she was from the south, so they knew she would return back home eventually…"

.

"…She was too vengeful to return back home."

.

Dread suddenly took hold of Aang, and part of him couldn't help but come to a conclusion from the picture painted by Tui and La. He could only gaze at the two Spirits, feeling too horrified as he asked the question, he knew the answer to but wanted it to be denied desperately. "…Was she… was she the reason why Katara and Sokka's mother…?" Aang couldn't even finish the question, wondering what to feel or think if it would be right to tell his friends about what he learned today or if it would be like sprinkling salt over an open wound.

.

"She was."

.

And Aang felt like the air once more was stolen from his lungs as he had his suspicions confirmed by Tui and La. Sadness, anger, and loath took hold of him, and Aang didn't know if it was his feelings, Tui and La's, or a mix of the three of them.

.

"She was a woman, and she was old, but everyone had forgotten how old because she killed all who remembered."

.

"So, when Kya lied about being a Water Bender…"

.

"They didn't care that Kya was a Kunze…"

.

"Hama was dangerous and she killed Agni's beloveds…"

.

"People lost their loved ones because of her."

.

"If Kya hadn't lied…"

.

"They wouldn't have killed, but that meant little Katara would be taken to the Fire Nation and taught there…"

.

"…A fractured family…"

.

"…One way or the other."

.

Aang could only close his eyes tightly, swallowing as he was told this. Part of him was feeling angry on his friends' behalf, both of them losing their mother because of the action of a madwoman who used to be kin, while the other part wondered if it would be worth something to tell his friends what really happened and why their mother was killed.

.

"If she ever met the Spicy One."

.

"…He would be in grave danger."

.

"…She hated Kunzes… men, the most…"

.

"Would you allow that, Young Avatar?"

.

"No," Aang answered the question without even thinking about it, knowing the answer deep down in his bones, just as he knew that if Zuko was to ever be in danger, then Aang wouldn't hesitate to do the impossible to save him and make sure he was fine… even if it meant he would break his vows…

.

"Then be prepared to kill because that's the only way to stop Hama."

.

Aang closed his eyes, swallowed, and in the end, he let out a shuddered breath before he nodded his head, reaching his final conclusion on the actions that were going to be taken from now on. After that, it was a while Aang bent the water around, trying to gather his barriers and stop himself from falling over the edge and doing something stupid.

.

"Young Avatar… what do you know about us?"

.

"About us…"

.

"What have you heard about us?"

.

"Before our ascension."

.

"What do you know?"

.

The question was sudden, and Aang almost faltered before he regained his footing and started to think about what Tui and La meant by asking such an obvious question everyone knew. "…You were one of the few Spirits who came into the world after Vaatu and Raava. The Spirit of the moon gazed at the Spirit of the Ocean and decided to start their game of push and pull, with that, teaching Water Bending to the world." Aang answered dutifully, gazing and Tui and La who once more stilled in their place, a really concerning image as Aang was used to Tui and La swimming in circles and playing around, and the only time they stilled when they were about to say or do something unpleasant.

.

"Close…"

.

"…But not close enough."

.

Tui and La answered after what felt like a long while of silence before they returned to swimming in circles around Aang's legs, making the teen blink his eyes and look at the Spirits in confusion. "Was I… wrong?" Aang couldn't help but inquire, wondering if he was saying something wrong or if the story of Tui and La was different than what everyone around knew.

.

"You were not wrong…"

.

"…But not right either."

.

"Then… what is the right answer?" Aang couldn't help but question after hearing this, wondering what was the true story of Tui and La if the version that had been told for centuries wasn't right, but at the same time wasn't wrong.

.

"Show us what you learned…"

.

"…And we will answer."

.

Tui and La bargain, and Aang, realizing that the Spirits needed some time to come to their final conclusion about telling him or not, nodded his head. "…Alright…" Aang agreed and then started to show Tui and La everything he had learned from the day Tui and La took over teaching him to what he was taught today from start to finish not leaving a thing behind. It was after a while Tui and La sighed, and they ordered him to stop, and with that, Aang knew they had reached their final conclusion and they were ready to give him their answer.

.

"To become a Spirit…"

.

"It meant you have to be a human first."

.

"A law that had only a few exceptions."

.

"Raava, Vaatu, and the Mother of Faces."

.

"The last one… no one knew much about…"

.

"…Agni would know though…"

.

"…Agni always knows!"

.

Aang could detect the hint of annoyance coming from La if the whiny tone was anything to go by, and an amused smile crossed over his face as he heard that. Wanting to know more, Aang once more sat in the middle of the pond in a lotus pose, using Water Bending to keep him floating. "But Raava and Vaatu?" Aang inquired gently, feeling a bit excited to learn about Raava and Vaatu (Especially Vaatu) from the two Spirits who knew them no doubt.

.

"One born out of light, and the other out of darkness."

.

"The only Spirits who were born not made."

.

"Not like us."

.

"To be a Spirit…."

.

"It meant you have to be a human first."

.

"To do great deeds; good or bad."

.

"…And if the fates saw and liked what they saw…"

.

"…Then you will ascend."

.

"…Is this like… the Avatar Cycle?" Aang tilted his head thinking about it a bit. "In the Avatar Cycle, you will be born a human; when you reach sixteen you are told you are the Avatar and then taught the other elements, and thus doing your good or bad deeds and keeping balance. After that, you ascend as the Avatar the bridge between the humans and Spirits." Aang tried to put it in a way that would be easier to understand.

.

"It's like that…"

.

"…But not completely…"

.

"To be the Avatar…"

.

"…It meant to hold Raava's Spirit within your soul."

.

"So even if you had done great deeds and the fates wanted you to ascend…"

.

"…You wouldn't be able to as you were already considered a part Spirit thanks to Raava."

.

"…Such a cruel, cruel fate…"

.

"But what did you expect?"

.

"That's Raava and Wan to you…"

.

"Both are idiots…"

.

"…But at least they did something right to correct Raava's mistakes…"

.

"…And it was only because a human got involved and opened Raava's eyes that not every human was bad, just like not every Spirit was good."

.

Tui and La's annoyed voices resonated around, and part of Aang couldn't help but feel flustered and off-balanced as the two Spirits went on and on about Wan and Raava making Aang feel embarrassed at what he heard. "Uh…" Aang could only let out an embarrassed sound hoping the two Spirits would get back on the track.

.

"Don't worry about it too much, Young Avatar."

.

"Yeah, we are totally not dissing Raava."

.

"…Even when this is what we are doing~"

.

"But she was… well…"

.

"She was a bitch, point blank."

.

The last remark had come from Tui, the kind one who was never angry or had an annoying personality like La, and that itself made Aang wonder what Raava had done to Tui to have the Spirit look so angry and huffy about everything "A-ah?" Aang could only glance around. "I… isn't that too mean to say? I… I m-mean, she is the Spirit of light and all… that's mean to say this about her." Aang tried once more, feeling kind of insulted because well… Tui and La were attacking him and Raava with their words.

.

"No."

.

"No."

.

The dry tone of both Spirits made Aang double-take, and he could only feel his face flush with embarrassment before he cleared his throat and mumbled. "I see…" Wondering what Raava had done to Tui and La to have the two of them so angry and annoyed at the Spirit of the Light.

.

"No, you don't see."

.

"Raava the Spirit of Light and Order; Vaatu the Spirit of Darkness and Chaos."

.

"Two faces to the same coin."

.

"Ying and Yang."

.

"Just as there is destruction and chaos in orders; there is order and rules in chaos."

.

"Chaos does not always mean destruction, death, and pain. Chaos could be beauty and fun, something to relieve the stress of harsh rules. Order does not always mean discipline, goodness, and life. Orders and laws if followed rigidly could cause destruction and chaos amongst everyone."

.

"But Raava didn't see that."

.

"…Refused to see that…"

.

"…That's why her fight against Vaatu started."

.

"…A fight that bred hate, which bred destruction, and ended with death…"

.

"…They intervene…"

.

"…The Lion Turtles had to intervene…"

.

"…What was left of the humans ended up living on their backs."

.

"…To survive."

.

"…As for the Spirits?"

.

"They stayed down and suffered."

.

Aang's breath all but left him as he heard these words, his heart pounding so loudly in his chest and almost blocking every sound out there; many sides inside Aang warred with one another, and confusion had taken hold of him because… what the Spirits told him about Raava and Vaatu was different than what was written and everyone made sure to hammer in his head since young…

"I… I never knew…" Aang mumbled absentmindedly as he for the second time in his life since Zuko had found him that day and told him he wasn't a misfortune, Aang had come to another enlightenment he needed to make sense of. Tui and La though, took his question literally and answered him.

.

"No one knows, Young Avatar."

.

"And no one shall."

.

"…It was only when Raava and Wan created the first ever Avatar, that Raava finally opened her eyes…"

.

"…But it was too late…"

.

"…Always too late."

.

"What Raava did not know. Was even if she were to destroy Vaatu and usher a new era of peace…"

.

"…What little darkness existed in Raava would magnify until Vaatu was reborn and burst forth, beginning the cycle again…"

.

"…The reverse would happen to Vaatu if he were victorious over Raava."

.

"But they did not see this…"

.

"…They refused to see this…"

.

"…So, we suffered."

.

"I… I am sorry…" Aang couldn't help but apologize then and there on Raava's behalf, even if the Spirit of Light never wanted to do such a thing and believed her cause was the true one centuries ago. "I… I never knew… no one ever knew… and…" Aang could only babble, wondering how so much history was lost that no one knew about such important pieces of information that should have been known to everyone… information if had been known when Aang was young, maybe… just maybe… he wouldn't have…

.

"And no one shall know."

.

"The secrets of the mortals are their own."

.

"But the secrets of the Gods?"

.

"…They will remain with us, and no one; mortal or Spirit, shall know about it."

.

"Understood, Avatar?"

.

Suddenly, the feeling of danger intensified, and Aang could feel a dangerous pressure coming from within him; Aang could only swallow, knowing what the two Spirits meant by their words and that want it or not, what was going to be disclosed today was not going to leave this place unless Aang was willing to forfeit his life.

"I understand." Aang nodded in acceptance, part of him feeling weary and terrified at the thought of Tui and La thinking him a liar and killing him then and there, but suddenly the pressure Aang felt had lessened until it disappeared, and Aang could finally sigh.

.

"Well then…"

.

"Our story was way before the first Avatar."

.

"Way before Raava and Vaatu decided to start their fight."

.

"Way before the chaos and death started."

.

"We were once humans…"

.

"…Who ascended into Spirits…"

.

"…Who ascended into Gods!"

.

"With only Raava, Vaatu, and the Mother of Faces, as our only equals."

.

"First, there was fire."

.

"Everything started with fire. Everything started with Agni."

.

"Then, air appeared, dominated everything, and empowered the fire until it set the world ablaze."

.

"Just like Lung-ta always did… that annoying peacock."

.

"After that, we came into existence."

.

"You were so beautiful that day, love."

.

"Oh, stop it, you big flirt!"

.

And then as always, Tui and La started flirting with one another and side-tracking, and Aang against his will, couldn't help the loud 'Pfft' that left him as the Spirits cooed at one another and seemed to forget that Aang was right there. Aang couldn't help but wonder if he and Zuko were like that, thinking about it, a small flush couldn't help coloring his face at the thought, with that, Aang cleared his throat loudly, wanting the Spirits to snap out of flirting and continue their story; thankfully, Tui and La seemed to finally snap out of it and realize that Aang was still with them.

.

"Ah, yes, where were we?"

.

"Oma and Shu joining you later?" Aang filled in the blank, his words making the koi swim around and jump around letting out a laugh before they finally returned to their story, making Aang smile despite himself.

.

"With that, the cycle of the Avatar was completed."

.

"But at that time, it wasn't known as the Avatar Cycle."

.

"…Back then, it was known as the Gods' Cycle."

.

"But this is our story."

.

"Every God had their own story."

.

"Ours began with puppets."

.

"Manipulation."

.

"And a game that ended with love and death."

.

Aang paused, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion as he tilted his head. "Puppets?" Aang couldn't help wondering about what Tui and La meant by starting their story with puppets, and part of him felt apprehension and the feeling of foreboding.

.

"Yes, puppets."

.

"It started with me, who created puppets and controlled them using strings… which turned into manipulating those around, which turned into… To control everything, to know the ins and outs; to manipulate and control and play behind the scenes. That was me…"

.

Tui's voice sounded, this time alone and not accompanied by La, and in her words, Aang could hear the shame, disappointment, and pain. Aang could only furrow his eyebrows as he repeated these words inside his head more than once, shifting as he felt discomfort at the realization that the story, he was going to hear wasn't going to be pretty at all. Especially when now, Aang was slammed with the fact that the Moon had a dark side that remained hidden from all…

.

"It started with me, who saw through Tui's games… Oh, how I loved games… so instead of being angry, I started our game of push and pull. Push this beauty around, winding her up, and then watching her go; see how Tui would react and what she would do... if she will pull back or push me away."

.

La's voice resonated next, and Aang could feel the comfort in it as La swam playfully around Tui, making the Spirit of the Moon pause before she once more started swimming with La in circles; Tui's joy resonated through their connection.

.

"And I pulled."

.

"She pulled back, and I pushed her around."

.

"He did."

.

"Our game of push and pull started."

.

"I manipulated, I sat on the stage, and I enjoyed my puppets to their full potentials; be it made from wood or flesh, I did not care as long as I wind them tight and watched how they reacted."

.

Aang could only feel discomfort as he heard about how Tui was careless in her description of how she… manipulated people… almost as if she was amused by her words; Aang though, did not interrupt or comment, only nodding his head and allowing the two Spirits to continue their tale.

.

"And I empowered her, she pulled and I pushed and we complemented one another. Both of us wanted to top the other; both of us were excited to see who would come out on top."

.

La's joyful laugh almost startled Aang out of his concentration and made him sink in the water, but thankfully, Tui and La bent the water around and allowed Aang to remain afloat in their pond. Aang could only offer a shaky smile, feeling thankful, even when he was uncomfortable by the careless way the Spirits talked… but by the end of the day, Tui and La were Spirits, they were Gods… the rules of the mortals and Spirits differ, and even Aang didn't have the right to say anything about it, Avatar or not.

.

"That obsession…"

.

"…Turned into love."

.

"…And that love."

.

"Turned into a life together."

.

"And by then we left childhood and entered adulthood."

.

"Still playing our game of push and pull…"

.

Despite himself, Aang couldn't help but smile at the thought of Tui and La spending the rest of their lives together, and part of him couldn't help but fantasy about him and Zuko a bit, before he snapped out of him and asked the question he wanted to know. "Then, how did you ascend as Gods?" Aang wanted to know how Tui and La managed to achieve such a fate when they were mortals before.

.

"…We died…"

.

"W-what?!" Aang squeaked, Tui and La's answer taking him by surprise he once more lost his concentration and sank down, only having Tui and La making an ice floe beneath him to keep him above, did Aang manage to save face.

.

"Oh, don't look so surprised, Young Avatar."

.

"Just as La managed to see through my façade, other people were bound to do so, too."

.

"But others weren't as kind as I was when they did so, and when they discovered we played them for the fools they were?"

.

"Years of suffering began."

.

"But why? Why would they do that?" Aang couldn't help but question, feeling angry on Tui and La's behalf. "You didn't kill…?!" It was the guilt and shame that Aang felt rushing through his veins from their connection that made him freeze still, and he could only let out a choked 'Oh' at the realization that even if Tui and La didn't kill directly, their game of push and pull had harmed people and may have even led some to their death. "What… What happened after?" Aang finally managed to ask after he gathered his thoughts into a coherent line of thinking; not wanting to think about the implication anymore, he decided that the laws and rules of the Spirits weren't his to change or say something about.

Aang had no right to feel angry or even disgusted at Tui and La for what they had done thousands of years ago, nor did he have the right to lecture them about it; it was none of Aang's business and would remain so until the end of time. The rules of the mortals were their own, and the rules of the Gods were theirs.

.

"You are brave, little one…"

.

"Well, then."

.

"My rage was too strong to lower my head anymore, and after they killed my La, I swore vengeance upon every living creature. With that I started the first form of Water Bending to exist; Blood Bending."

.

Aang heard Tui start the tale once more, and when he heard about how La was killed, he couldn't help the sadness that coursed through him, but when Tui finished, Aang could only feel confused and horrified as he choked out. "B-Blood Bending?" Suddenly feeling like what he was going to hear was something not only dangerous but would flip his worldview once more.

.

"You heard right, Young Avatar; Blood Bending."

.

"I was dead, but I stayed, never strayed, wanting to be with my Tui even if I was nothing but a useless ghost with unfinished business, unable to do anything. I tried to offer whatever power I could so she could succeed, even when she couldn't see nor hear me beside her."

.

"And I have never felt more alive than when I felt La staying by my side despite all. Even if I did not see him, I could feel him… my other half, the push to my pull."

.

"With that, we started our game once more."

.

"Push and pull."

.

"But instead of puppets and games."

.

"It was humans and death."

.

"So, we learned."

.

"…And when I mastered Blood Bending?"

.

"It was a massacre…"

.

"But that's how Mortals ascend into Spirithood."

.

"It all started with fire. It starts with death."

.

"It always did."

.

"Agony, fires, and then death…."

.

"…And then we ascend…"

.

Aang felt like the world was flipped upside down and slammed his head as Tui and La recounted their tale, and Aang could only take a shuddered breath trying to calm himself down and not have a panic attack at what he just heard. "B… but… your teachings, everything you taught to the Water Tribes?!" Aang finally managed to stutter, looking so horrified and confused. "N-nothing of what you say makes sense?!" Aang called out as he recounted all of the laws and traditions Tui and La wrote, and how they differed greatly from what the Spirits were telling him.

.

"Because Young Avatar…"

.

"We were taught."

.

"We were changed…"

.

"…And instead of allowing us to change the world to fit us and our twisted desires…"

.

"Agni found us and taught us…"

.

"…And he taught us well."

.

"No mercy…"

.

"…True agony…"

.

"…And we paid with our lives."

.

"…But we learned."

.

"We changed!"

.

"And with that, we started the first steps to Water Bending."

.

"As for Blood Bending?"

.

"…A secret never to come into light once more."

.

"A violation forgotten about by the orders of Agni and Lung-ta."

.

"We kept our secrets."

.

"…The secrets of Gods are their own…"

.

"…Secrets that no mortal or Spirit was allowed to learn."

.

"We changed."

.

"…We paid with blood to have our second chance…"

.

"…And we never wanted anyone to go through what we went through."

.

"So, we created rules and orders."

.

"We became Tui and La."

.

"Push and pull."

.

"Good and bad."

.

"Life and death."

.

"And we taught the Water Tribes like how Agni and Lung-ta taught us."

.

"Acceptance, change, flexibility... to adapt... to love..."

.

"Things we didn't have as mortals…"

.

"…And maybe that was why we turned so rotten at the start."

.

"But we had centuries to make amends."

.

"Years that turned into decades which turned into centuries."

.

"And we taught the Water Benders like how we were taught…"

.

"We change, we adapted; we opened our heart once more…"

.

"…We earned our second chance…"

.

"…And we never wanted to remember our past…"

.

"So, we didn't."

.

"…And we started new."

.

Aang paused as he heard these words, lowered his head, and thought long and hard about what the Spirits imparted to him. "…That's why you became angry when the Water Tribes deviated from your traditions and rules…" Aang finally concluded, reaching a satisfying conclusion, and decided to take everything the Spirits said and do as they did… forget about it and start new because everyone deserved a second chance, no matter who they were. "…You never wanted them to experience what you did; never wanted them to become what you had become in the past." Aang continued, feeling surer and surer of his conclusion the longer he talked. "You never wanted them…" Aang's words trailed off.

.

"We never wanted them to fall as low as we did…"

.

"…But they twisted and twisted and bent…"

.

"…Show you that the apple doesn't fall that far from the tree."

.

Aang paused when hearing this before he let out a sigh, gazing at his hands and then at Tui and La who were swimming in circles around Aang. "Thank you, for telling me this…" Aang whispered after a while before. "But… why did you decide to tell me your story and not…?" Aang started, feeling curious about the reason Tui and La decided to disclose the darkest part of themselves to Aang when they could have just told him stories about Agni or Lung-ta or any of the other Spirits.

.

"Because Young Avatar."

.

"You need to learn."

.

"And to do so."

.

"We decided to teach you the true essence of Water Bending."

.

"…The one we buried and burned…"

.

"…To start a new."

.

"So, we will teach you how to Blood Bend."

.

"…And you will stop those who learned the truth and used it to do bad."

.

Aang froze as he heard this, his breath stilling in his chest as something akin to horror surrounded him and took hold of his very own soul… Blood Bending… something that until today Aang had never heard of nor thought was possible. Something that from what Tui and La told him and from what it implied meant to reach deep down inside people and control them, to feel the push and pull and play them like they were puppets… To take someone's autonomy away from them and only allow them to do as you like and desire, disregarding their will and desire on that matter… it looked like ra… no, it was rape… an unadulterated form of rape that reached deeper and deeper than the one of flesh; just thinking about it, Aang felt bile raising in his throat and he had to swallow a few times or he would get sick.

"…To reach inside someone and control them…" Aang choked out after an awkward silence that dominated the oasis. "I… I am sorry…" Just the thought about Blood Bending, and how this art originated to play people like puppets made Aang sick. "But I don't want that kind of power. Especially this kind of power…" Aang stressed his words, gazing at the two Spirits who stopped circling around the pond and were still in front of Aang, and the Qianyuan couldn't help the shiver that ran down his spine when he couldn't feel what Tui and La were feeling and what they might be thinking through their connection.

.

"But The choice is not yours, Young Avatar, it was never yours."

.

"This power existed. And it's your duty to learn and use the gifts you've been given."

.

"You need to learn."

.

"To understand."

.

"And you will be taught!"

.

"…Everything started with fires, Young Avatar."

.

"To ascend is to massacre."

.

"Agni had started it."

.

"…Lung-ta soon followed…"

.

"…And then we did the same."

.

"Oma and Shu? They too followed."

.

"It all started with agony and death."

.

"…And you too did the same, little one."

.

"You did it when you abandoned your people."

.

"If you didn't have Raava within you…"

.

"…You would have already ascended."

.

Aang could only take a harsh breath as this fact was thrown into his face, making him pale, and for bile to rise within him at the reminder of the mistake he tried to push away and forget about. "I know…" Aang choked out after a while, feeling so angry and humiliated at the reminder, but still, Aang remained firm in his choice, refusing to cross a line if crossed then there would be no going back. "But I still don't want this power." Aang narrowed his eyes at Tui and La as he said this, and he hoped the two Spirits would understand and not pressure him to learn something unwanted because then, it would be nothing but anger and hate on both sides.

.

"Ah… you are so stubborn…"

.

"…Too stubborn!"

.

"…Just like him."

.

"…Too much like him!"

.

"But well…"

.

Suddenly Aang felt something take hold of him, and he could only let out a shriek when his body started moving on its own without his input. "Wah! Wait, what do you think you are doing?!" Aang cried out, feeling terrified and sick as his body made laps around the pond, jumping and playing around like it was a puppet being controlled by invisible strings. When Aang realized what the Spirits were doing that he was being Blood Bend around, sickness had taken hold of him, and anger and fury followed next as he cursed and cursed and snarled at them to let him go.

.

"Just feel, Young Avatar."

.

"Feel and learn."

.

"It's impossible to fight your way out of our grip."

.

"We could control every muscle, every vein, even parts you didn't know we could control."

.

"It's impossible to get out."

.

"But…"

.

"If you knew the feeling and sensation?"

.

"If you felt the first tickle in your body."

.

"You will be able to break free."

.

"Now…"

.

"…Do you feel it?"

.

"That foreign sensation controlling you?"

.

Tui and La laughed, and Aang could only let out a snarl as they used Blood Bending to twist Aang around and throw him from side to side before they positioned him in the middle of the pond and forced him into a submissive state. Aang was sick, he was angry, and he was so horrified and furious, but still, he tried to focus on what Tui and La told him, the foreign sensation that was controlling him.

"I-it…. it burns…" Aang managed to choke out when he finally located what the two of them talked about, that foreign sensation that was like tiny million strings controlling and tightening the noose around his neck. "It burns!" Aang cried out, feeling hysteric as the sensation buzzed and buzzed and intensified after Aang managed to finally feel it.

.

"Good."

.

"…Good."

.

"Now, get used to the pull, get used to the pain and burn."

.

"Get used to it!"

.

"…Now push!"

.

"Good, little one."

.

"…Push…"

.

"…Every time you feel the pull, push! Just push!"

.

"Never allow it to get a grip on you."

.

"…Never allow the strings to tie themselves around you."

.

"Push!"

.

And Aang did, he pushed and pushed and tried to free himself, and when Aang did he almost let out a sob and jumped out of the pond, but then, Tui and La Blood Bent him once more. They Blood Bend him, and Aang could only feel sick every time they did so, sometimes their bending would be so subtle that Aang wouldn't manage to feel the pull at all until it was too late, others it would be so intense that Aang's leg's buckled underneath him, unable to handle his weight.

Aang pushed, he pushed, and pushed some more; every time he even felt the slightest change inside his body, he pushed and pushed until finally, Aang managed to reach the edge of the pond and jump toward the land behind, looking at Tui and La with fury and betrayal, as he spat. "I did it, are you happy now?!" Feeling so humiliated and unbalanced at being betrayed like this.

.

"Good job."

.

That was what Tui and La said, and Aang's anger almost got the better of him then and there before he forced that anger down by the skin of his teeth. He turned around, planning on leaving this damn place and never coming back ever again; feeling betrayed and hurt that Tui and La would go to such a length to force him to learn (And Aang learned, as much as he didn't want it and the thought made him sick, Aang knew he learned… to know the sensation and how to push and pull, Aang managed to learn something so… Aang was sick to the bones and he managed to learn something so monstrous and it was all against his will… something that should have been forgotten… part of Aang wondered if Tui and La still thought people around were nothing but puppets to do their deeds, which was why they forced Aang to learn even if he refused).

Tui and La's voices as they talked once more stopped Aang in his place, and as much as Aang wanted to just leave and abandon the two who broke his trust, part of him still wanted to stay and listen to what they had to say to justify themselves.

.

"Now you will know what to expect."

.

"…Now you will know what to fight against when you feel the pull…"

.

"…If you felt the pull, then you push."

.

"If you met Hama, then you kill."

.

"…Never allow anyone to learn…"

.

"…If they do?"

.

"Then the essence of Water Bending will be no more."

.

"It will twist and twist and bend…"

.

"…And when that happens…"

.

"…Then everything would burn, after all…"

.

"…Everything started with fire…"

.

"It all started with Agni…"

.

"And everything would circle back to him."

.

"Do you understand, Young Avatar?"

.

It was not the apology that Aang wanted, and it was not the explanation that he wanted either (Even when it was in a way); it was not something that he wanted to hear, but in the end, Aang could only sigh, curse, and raise his hands to dry wash his face. "…I do." Aang ended up spitting, knowing the catastrophe that would befall everyone if anyone knew about this cursed form of bending that should have remained in the past.

.

"Good."

.

"Then you are ready…"

.

"…The Fire Nation had arrived at our doors."

.

"Wait, what?!" Aang screeched, feeling his heart drop to the pit of his stomach as he heard Tui and La's message. "The Fire Nation?!" Aang could only choke out as he questioned, desperately hoping that he had misheard or that Tui and La would tell him that they were joking.

.

"Yes, they arrived…"

.

"…They will be here, soon…"

.

"…And then, there will be war."

.

Aang could only take a harsh inhale as he heard this, almost turning around and sprinting to warn the people… only Aang felt the pull, and he could only growl and whirl around as he pushed the strings that wanted to take control. "What the fuck do you think you are doing?" Aang screeched, looking so furious, and a step away from Water Bending the koi and throwing them at the waterfall. "I need to warn everyone! I don't have time for your games-!" Aang shouted, only to get interrupted by a wave being bent his way, drenching him in water.

.

"Young Avatar."

.

"Before you leave."

.

"We want you to remember."

.

"What we taught you…"

.

"…What others will teach you…"

.

"…And what you were forced to learn."

.

"There will come a time when you need to decide which path to choose…"

.

"…Good or bad…"

.

"…And when that time comes?"

.

"Do remember…"

.

"…Everything started with fires. Everything started with Agni… his love, his devotion; his hate…"

.

"…Everything started with him…"

.

"…And from Agni's love, from his hate, and his devotion; the first fires were created, and from Agni's first fires the sun was formed…"

.

"…With the sun's formation, light, warmth, and prosperity were brought to the land."

.

"…And that only happened because everything started with destruction and death."

.

"For you to stop this war, you will need to end it with death and fire."

.

"Even if you refused to see…"

.

"…You will be forced to open your eyes."

.

"And when that happens?"

.

"…We pray that you will not be a repeat of Agni when he lost Taiyou…"

.

Aang froze as he listened to Tui and La's parting words (Because that was what they were, parting words imparted to him by the two Spirits). Pressing his lips tightly, Aang let out a harsh exhale through his nose. "…I understand…" Those were the only words that Aang was willing to offer to the Spirits, words that seemed to be what the Spirits wanted as they said.

.

"Well then."

.

"Off you go, Young Avatar."

.

"We are counting on you to stop this war."

.

With that, Aang turned around and started running toward Agna Qel'a's royal palace, planning on informing the Water Tribes to get ready and prepare for war. It was when Aang left the oasis that his eyes widened as the 'Black Snow' that Sokka talked about started descending from the sky in a scary amount, informing Aang that their enemy no doubt outnumbered them. It was only when Aang felt someone touching his shoulder that Aang snapped out of his daze, and he turned to see Zuko looking weary and confused as he looked at the snow littering the ground.

Seeing Zuko, Aang's resolves hardened and he offered the Kunze a smile before he dragged Zuko to the royal palace, wanting people to prepare for war when the Fire Nation came knocking on their door… one way or another… Aang would stop this war…

.

.

.

He just hoped he wouldn't lose something important along the way…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

…(Huazo let out a breathless laugh as the ship sailed toward the Northern Water Tribe; her heart was pounding in her chest and anticipation had all but made her buzz in her place as she gazed at the distance…. Any minute now, any minute now, and they were going to reach the Northern Water Tribes… Huazo grinned manically, feeling Lieutenant He standing beside her with an amused smile on her face even as her face was that of a stone with no emotion to be seen.

"This will truly be one for the history books, Lieutenant He." Huazo cooed, looking at the distance from the balcony in her room. "Just think, hours from now, we will finally meet Prince Zuko and General Iroh." Huazo grinned just thinking about it. "Years of searching for the Prince and the Avatar, and we are going to the first who will meet them." Huazo let out a breathless laugh.

"You are too excited, General. Control yourself." Lieutenant He chided softly, even when her lips were pulled into an amused smile and her stand was the most relaxed that Huazo had seen in years; Huazo instead of doing so let out a loud laugh of delight, throwing her head back and allowing herself to fully relax.

Time passed, and Huazo could only grin happily as she watched how their ship broke through the thick ice floes floating in the water; amusement colored her face as she turned to, He and asked. "What's our little rat doing at the moment?" Feeling excited at the eye roll she received from her best friend.

"She is planning on sneaking off as soon as we reach the Northern Water Tribe." Lieutenant He hummed after a while, sending Huazo an amused look. "Your plan of sneaking around using the underground structure and infiltrating the Northern Tribe is a bust." He mocked and Huazo rolled her eye as she heard her friend mock her with an amused look in her eyes.

"No, it isn't." Huazo snickered as she saw He sending her a confused look, feeling so overpowered and at the top of the moon at the moment. "Everything is going according to the plan, actually," Huazo finally confessed, her words making her friend raise her eyebrow in surprise and confusion at such words.

"You…" He muttered, narrowing her eyes before her eyes widened as the realization painted her face. "You want Princess Azula to meet the Prince…" Huazo grinned, letting out a snicker when her friend finally realized what her new plan was all about. "Why?" He questioned, gazing at Huazo with a look that told the older Qianyuan she better confess or else her friend would end up considering her an enemy then and there if her actions ended up hurting Prince Zuko,

Huazo smirked, her gaze returning to the sea once more before she let out a hum. "You know… from all the reports I managed to gather on Prince Zuko, I was always told that the Prince was cold, calculated, and downright cruel when he wanted to be. The Prince never cared about Ozai, nor did he care about Princess Azula, he was not the type to form unwanted attachments and was a cruel, cruel Kunze who liked winding people and watching them go." General Huazo started, her words trailing off.

"But you suspect it isn't true." He filled in, raising her eyebrow and a confused look dominated her face. "You think Prince Zuko would falter when the time to face Fire Lord Ozai and Princess Azula came, so you are trying to test him." Huazo grinned as her friend filled in the blank. "Do you think you are taking the right action by using Princess Azula?" Lieutenant He questioned, raising an eyebrow in skepticism.

"Only time would tell, He." Huazo hummed, sending her second-in-command a cheeky grin that widened when she saw the icy mountain in the distance that signaled, they were close to Agna Qel'a. "Only time would tell." Huazo breathed out, straightening her back. "Now, be a dear and tell everyone to prepare for war," Huazo ordered her friend, receiving a nod from her friend before the Lieutenant walked out of the room; Huazo sighed, feeling anticipation coursing through her body the closer they got to Agna Qel'a…

.

.

.

Soon.)…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Aang stood on top of a snow mound, holding his staff tightly as he watched the citizens fleeing to safety with their children inside the palace, while the benders, men, and women took their positions, preparing to start the war. Fear and terror were painted on every face as people watched the black snow that continued to drift toward them in a large amount.

"Such a dreadful event." Hearing a familiar and warm voice behind him, Aang snapped out of his daze and turned behind to see Zuko, his breath stilling and he finally managed to relax somewhat at the sight of the Kunze who came and stood beside him. "And here I was, finished for the day and planning on spiriting you away on a night out." Zuko sighed in mock annoyance, leaning on Aang's shoulder and making the Qianyuan smile despite himself. "Uncle must have been conspiring against me from the sideline." Aang couldn't help the chuckle that left him at hearing this, and his arm sneaked around Zuko in a half hug.

"Ah, he is still angry at the kiss, isn't he?" Aang couldn't help questioning, letting out a choked laugh when a pout dominated Zuko's face; the tension that Aang felt since that afternoon with Tui and La left his body and Aang finally managed to relax as he nuzzled Zuko's hair and allowed his beloved's scent of sandalwood and spice to calm him down further.

"You want to join them…" Zuko suddenly stated, making Aang pause for a bit before he sighed and nodded his head in admission; Aang knew it would be counterproductive to hide such things from Zuko when he seemed to know everything, so he didn't even try.

"I… I wasn't there when the Fire Nation attacked my people." Aang finally admitted pulling back a bit and gazing at the sky that was still snowing that damned black snow that had blanketed the lands with ominous darkness. "I'm going to make a difference this time… I hope I will make a difference this time…" Aang then paused looking at Zuko who was gazing at him with a soft look. "Do you think I will be able to make a difference?" Aang couldn't help but question the Kunze, part of him wanted to know what the other teen was thinking.

Zuko smiled as he raised his hands and cupped Aang's face. "If anyone could do it then it's you." Hearing this, Aang couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed but nonetheless, he was overjoyed at the confidence that Zuko had in him. "Go join them now before I change my mind, pretty boy." Zuko teased, and despite himself, Aang couldn't help the laugh that left him as he heard this.

"Thank you…" Aang whispered before pulling back completely and opening his glider, pausing a bit, Aang turned to Zuko. "Oh, and before I forget." Aang smiled nervously before leaning down and giving Zuko a peck on the lips. "Payback." Aang teased a bit enjoying the confused and flustered look on the Kunze's face (Because this was the first time that Aang dared to initiate such a kiss) before Aang Air Bend himself and flew toward the walls of Agna Qel'a where he knew Sokka and the warriors were stationed.

.

..

.

..

.

..

.

…The attack started shortly before sunset; the Fire Benders lunch fireballs one after the other at Agna Qel'a trying to break the defense and harm the innocent found within these walls. Aang as much as he found it strange and concerning about the reason why the Fire Benders would attack when the moon was going to rise just a few moments away, and with it every Water Bender would be at their peak of strength; he didn't pay much attention to that line of thinking, taking Appa with him and flying toward the Fire Nation's fleet to destroy as much as he could from their ship and stop their attacks once and for all.

Reaching toward one of the Fire Navy ships, Aang paused when he saw the flag… The Kyu Navy… was the only thing running through his head as he saw two black foxes overlapping over the other and brandishing their claws out… What are they doing here? …Aang could only wonder feeling a bit of terror and weariness as he continued to gaze at the red flag with the two black foxes within.

From what Aang heard from Zuko and Iroh, the Kyu Navy was a special op force that was unmatched by all and was only dispatched when things became hopeless for the Fire Nation; they were the jack of all trades, and no one, no matter who could defeat them. A navy, unlike any other military in the Fire Nation, had brought more wins to their Nation than all of their forces combined. No plan had failed, all of the missions were completed with the utmost success, and not even one defeat in their records for over twenty years ever since the current General had taken over.

A General, who was known to be nothing but a ruthless Qianyuan with a heart of stone who didn't fear doing whatever it took to get the job done. A woman whom Aang managed to hear General Iroh and Lieutenant Jee talk about how they should avoid under any circumstance because she was a dangerous maniac and was a ticking bomb with a thousand backup plans under her belt.

But here they were… here the Kyu Navy was… proudly showing themselves at the North Pole and starting a war with the Northern Water Tribes because the news about the Avatar had spread out no doubt. Aang gritted his teeth, he took a deep breath to calm himself down before he made up his mind and flew toward the ship… Aang was not going to allow them to reach Agna Qel'a no matter what it took.

When two fireballs were launched toward Agna Qel'a and subsequently Aang who was in the way. Aang jumped and used his glider to direct the fireballs toward an icy cliff side near Agna Qel'a, away from the innocent people behind. "I will take it from here, boy," Aang told Appa before he jumped down from the bison and whistled to it to fly away.

Aang flew down using his glider to the first ship, using his bending to sweep several trebuchet operators off their feet before he leaped onto one trebuchet. An operator came forward and slammed a sledgehammer onto the machine, nearly striking Aang who managed to back-flip away, and when he saw more people rush after him with their hammers, he could only grin… let the games begin… Aang could only think as he dodged the people and played them around.

Aang ran past the soldiers and operators; sabotaging their ship and sinking it into the ocean. Halfway through his fight, the Northern Water Tribe's Benders had arrived, and Aang could only grin as he jumped off the ship and flew toward the next one. "You have got to be kidding me…" Aang mumbled to himself, his eyes widening almost comically when his eyes finally caught the Kyu Navy fleet, his heart almost jumping toward his throat at the number of the ships before him…

Aang knew that the Kyu Navy probably had large numbers on them considering how successful and sought after, but this much?! Aang could only swallow, feeling the first inkling of fear and hesitation snuck into his heart… Should he go back and warn everyone? Should he go back and ask Tui and La for help? Should he…?! …More questions one after the other almost choked Aang as the what-ifs took hold of him and terror almost choked him.

.

.

.

We are counting on you to stop this war…

.

.

.

It was the voices of Tui and La, resonating in his head, the image of Zuko in Agna Qel'a… Aang let out a shuddered sigh before he strengthened his resolve, taking a deep breath, Aang gathered all of his courage and flew toward the ships in the distance all the while gazing at the sun that was going to sit any moment now… Just a few more, and the moon would rise, and the Water Benders would be at their strongest… With that, Aang flew faster.

After that, the same song and dance repeated over and over until Aang felt everything going by a blur. By then, Aang didn't know how many ships he had managed to destroy, two, three, five, ten? Aang had lost count when he destroyed the sixth ship, but that didn't stop him from going on and continuing on his quest to get rid of as many ships as he could before returning to Agna Qel'a.

Aang didn't realize the Kyu Navy had stopped firing; the moon was high in the sky and even the Water Benders had fallen back and returned to their home. Aang didn't know about this by the time he had reached the largest ship there was, most of the ships had already retreated; Aang's attention by then was to destroy as much as he could to help the Water Benders and protect Zuko from harm.

.

.

.

It started with the sound of humming…

.

.

.

Everything in Aang's body froze as he heard someone humming…

.

.

.

By then, Aang had reached the largest ship there was and was planning on destroying it from the inside out, in fact, he had already started raining chaos the second he had landed. It was when Aang paused a bit as he saw the soldiers retreat that Aang heard it; the sound of someone singing.

Now, Aang wouldn't have normally cared about someone singing and having the time of their lives; he wouldn't have cared and would have destroyed the ship and gotten everything over with. Aang wasn't even in the mood to hum and sing and was in fact a step away from unleashing his rage on the Fire Nation and getting this over with. But… but this song… this song!

.

.

.

The Air Monks used to sing this song at the beginning of every year…

.

.

.

…A song dedicated to celebrating Lung-ta…

.

.

.

…No one knew this song other than the Air Nomads.

.

.

.

The humming was coming from behind, and Aang took a shuddered breath before he turned to see the person who was humming. What greeted him was a tall woman (Taller than any woman, Aang had seen before, in fact, the only woman he could think was this tall was Avatar Kyoshi) wearing the Fire Nation's armor; her back was straight and her hands were crossed behind her back. Aang saw the woman's right eye gazing at him with delight (Red, the woman's eye was red; something crawled under Aang's skin when he felt that eye tracing his every move with delight and something else. The woman's left eye was covered by a black eyepatch, and Aang didn't know if it was because the woman had lost it, or was a fashion statement), and a grin full of mischief played on her face.

"Avatar Aang, so nice to finally meet you." The woman's grin widened even more (To the point it almost split her face in half), and Aang could only narrow his eyes; snapping his glider shut, Aang clutched it tightly, raising his head high and looking at the woman with an almost bored look as he studied her from the top of her head to the tip of her toes, not bothering to be subtle about it.

"I wish I could say the same," Aang stated dryly, gazing around subtly and watching how the soldiers backed away, some even leaving the deck, making alarming bells ringing in Aang's mind. "Care to introduce yourself? It's quite rude to talk to me with such familiarity when I don't even know who you are." Here, the woman threw her head back and let out a delighted laugh that shook her body.

"How sad! Not being able to recognize your grand-grand-grand-grand-granddaughter!" The woman pouted, looking at Aang with a look full of fake tears. "But I guess it couldn't be helped." The woman sighed sadly, and Aang narrowed his eyes as the woman claimed to be one of his (Or really the Avatar) descendants. "General Huazo, at your service Avatar." The woman then introduced herself with a mock bow of respect, making Aang tighten his grip on his staff when he realized that this woman was the General responsible for the attack on the north.

"Descendant?" Aang hummed and then it was an intense battle of staring as he gazed at the woman with narrow eyes, trying to study her every move. "Well then, that will make things easier." Aang grinned lazily, enjoying the way the woman's smile almost slipped as she narrowed her eye. "But before we start. I have a question I hope you will be honest enough to answer your Ancestor when they ask." Here Aang started to whirl his staff around almost lazily as he started to walk in circles, followed by the woman who was looking at him with an amused title of head as if she was telling him to 'Go on'. "Where did you learn that song?" Aang paused a bit, his eyes were narrowed dangerously when he saw the woman's grin widen at that.

"I told you, I am your grand-grand-grand-grand-granddaughter, how wouldn't I know of such a song?" Aang narrowed his eyes at the annoying claim, and he couldn't help but let out a sigh of disappointment, his mouth twitching into a harsh frown before…

Aang swept his staff to the side, throwing an air swipe directed at the woman, watching how the woman's instincts were sharp enough to feel the danger and leap out of the way. Huazo flicked her wrist, and a handful of needles were thrown at Aang, who used his Air Bending to deflect; alarm bells were blaring loudly in his mind as he wondered if the needles were coated with poison or something.

There was no time to think as Aang charged forward, forcing the General to fight him using her Fire Bending, and if not then one of the numerous weapons hidden all over her body. They exchanged a series of attacks and Aang, who was using this chance to study the woman and her fighting style could only narrow his eyes dangerously when some of the moves the General had made, were used by Air Benders exclusively for how hard they were. Not only that, but her fighting style was familiar in a way that Aang knew he had seen somewhere before not that long ago. Aang looked at the woman who was grinning like she was having the time of her life before he decided on a new approach by using Water Bending on his next attack.

As the General backed him closer to the edge of the ship, Aang used this to his advantage and threw another air blast at the woman before using the move Tui and La taught him to create ice daggers from the air and throw them at the Qianyuan; watching as the woman's eye widen slightly knowing that she would not be able to dodge without getting some damage.

Caught you… Aang almost laughed hysterically when he saw the woman get a fan hidden in her sleeves and deflect the attack. Using this to his advantage, Aang leaped high into the air and hurled back into the ground with high speed, sending a massive shock wave of pressurized air all around him, causing everyone to be thrown back, General Huazo included.

Before General Huazo could stand and continue their fight, Aang thrust his staff at the woman's neck, gazing at her with narrowed eyes. "Avatar Kyoshi and Rangi's descendant aside. A special song like this isn't taught to outsiders, and it doesn't matter if the person in question is the Avatar. So, I will ask once more and you better answer or else." Aang pressed the glider harshly to the woman's neck, watching how the woman's eye shone with delight and mania that made Aang frown harshly. "Where. Did. You. Learn. That. Song?" Aang spat every word, glaring at the woman harshly and ordering her to speak.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" General Huazo snickered which turned into a burst of full-blown laughter as she shook and looked at Aang with an eye filled with delight before glancing at her crew and then at Aang once more. Aang frowned harshly at that before he clicked his tongue with annoyance, and before the woman even managed to react, Aang used his staff to slam the right side of her head… knocking her out in the process.

"General!" Someone snarled, and Aang had to use his fast reflexes to dodge the fireball directed at him from an enraged woman who was looking at Aang with confusion mixed with fury; Aang, using this to his advantage, picked the General by the back of her armor and putting her in front of him as a shield, freezing the woman who was preparing to throw another attack.

"If you want your General alive then please don't do something stupid. A full ceasefire would be enough to ensure the General's safety, if not…" Aang just smiled, letting his words hang in the air before snapping his glider open and lunching in the air with the help of his Air Bending, dragging the unconscious General behind, ignoring the shouting and hysteria behind as Aang flew as far away from the ship as he could. "Now, are you going to answer me or are you going to feign being unconscious?" Aang questioned after he had flown a fair distance away, not looking at the woman who shifted after a while and let out a snicker of amusement.

"How did you know I was awake?" The General questioned, tilting her head to gaze at Aang who raised his eyebrow and gave her a deadpanned look at such a stupid question when they both knew that Aang hadn't hit the woman; only acting so to intimidate the General before the woman had to go all seasoned actress on him and feign passing out when his staff stopped a hairbreadth away from connecting with her head. The said General only let out an amused snicker when she received this look, an amused light shown in her one eye. "Tell you what, allow me to see General Iroh and Prince Zuko and I will tell you all you need to know." The woman bargained, her words making Aang scowl harshly and he loosened his grip a bit, sending the woman a threatening smile when she let out a squeak of surprise when he all but dropped her on one of the ice floes below.

"Now, why would I do something like that?" Aang questioned, his eyes narrowing dangerously, ignoring the grumble the woman let out. "Grand-grand-grand-grand-granddaughter or not…" Aang mocked. "You are the enemy, and if you think I will allow you to do as you like…" Aang loosened his grip some more making the woman pout harshly and hiss something at him but refused to talk.

Seeing this, Aang just smiled and let the woman go when they flew above an ice spike, causing the woman to squeak and flail around, but still, Aang just whistled softly as he went to catch her, raising an eyebrow at her when she sent him a harsh glare for his action. "You truly are a brat, and different than what everyone expected." The woman stated dryly, sending Aang an amused look before she started laughing happily. "Oh, Ling would have the time of his life meeting you…" Was whispered under the woman's breath, but still, Aang managed to hear it. "To answer your question, grandma…" Just for that insult, Aang dropped the woman once more, waiting until she nearly hit the surface of the water before going to catch her; grinning at the curses that were directed toward him by the angry woman. "…I just want to meet the legitimate rules of the Fire Nation; Fire Lord Zuko." General Huazo huffed, her words freezing Aang momentarily.

"You mean the Fire Prince and future Fire Lord," Aang said, his words were met with a pause before that annoying hyena started laughing once more as if her life depended on it. part of Aang wondered from where the woman got her crazy genes (Hoping that it wasn't Kyoshi nor Rangi the ones who carried it) because from the stories he heard about Avatar Kyoshi, the woman wasn't like this crazy in his hand not even one a bit.

"The Prince didn't tell you? You?!" The General laughed and laughed, and Aang was having second thoughts about dropping the General into the ocean and getting rid of her once and for all. "Ah… but really… thinking about it now… Prince Zuko was too young when Ozai challenged him to an Agni Kai; some things must have become muddled and forgotten about when Ozai burned his child and banished him on the spot." Hearing this, every muscle in Aang's body tensed, and he could only snap his head toward the woman who was gazing at the walls of Agna Qel'a with wonder in her one eye.

This… so this was the reason Zuko had the scar… this was… Aang narrowed his eyes, something inside of him almost snapping, and a growl of fury almost left his throat. So, it was Ozai who dared to touch Zuko and burn him, not a training accident as Katara and Sokka had thought (Part of Aang though, couldn't help but feel a little sad and confused about why Zuko didn't share such a secret with him, but the other part, the one who always forced himself to forget and forgive, knew that sometimes to lessen the hurt… forsaking the painful memory and banish them to a dark corner of your mind was probably the only thing that would lessen the hurt and protect someone's heart from being broken completely).

"If you say so." Aang hummed, finally reaching Agna Qel'a's wall and dropping the General on the ground, watching how the Water Benders and warriors surrounded her almost instantly and trapped her in a block of ice, with only her head free to move around.

"Aang, buddy, don't mean to be annoying or anything, but who is this?" Sokka asked, coming and throwing his arm around Aang's shoulder. "And just between us, why the hell did you take so long to come back?! Zuko almost burned me on the spot when I didn't allow him to take Appa and go fetch you from your crusade, do you know how extra mean Zuko was to me?! Shame, shame!" Sokka whined, looking at Aang with a huge pout on his face.

Aang hearing this could only smile a bit, his gaze was on General Huazo who was listening to Aang and Sokka with rapid attention, and an amused look. "Sokka…" Aang breathed out, finally relenting when General Huazo mouthed to him 'The song' and started humming that damned song once more; looking too happy and chipper for someone trapped in a block of ice and surrounded by enemies. "Please, tell General Iroh and Zuko to meet us at the royal palace… we have a guest of honor who would like to meet them for something important," Aang stated, sending the woman a glare that offered painful retribution; Sokka seemed to have sensed something in his voice, for the man stilled for a bit before he nodded his head, and went running, motioning to Katara who was in the distance with Appa to fly them to the palace.

General Huazo grinned at that, looking at Aang with so much amusement and delight that Aang rolled his eyes and started motioning to the other Water Benders to help transport the woman to the palace. When the woman started chatting to Aang and telling him how delighted she was to have a 'Granddaughter, and Grand-grand-grand-grand-grandmother day!' with Aang, making everyone look at them strangely; the Qianyuan could only groan and curse softly to himself…

.

.

.

He hoped he wasn't going to regret this any time soon…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

…(In and out, in and out, in and out… Azula chanted inside her head as she prepared her boat, wending up some ropes as she went through her plan once more for what felt like the thousandth time that day… In and out, Azula, you got this, you got this… Azula thought to herself, even as her hands shook, making the teenager curse and snarl before whirling around and punching the metal wall behind, trying to regain control of herself.

"You got this…" Azula whispered to herself shakily before turning to the boat once more. "You can do this… just… just kill the Avatar, capture Zuko, and bring him back home, and then… then Dad…" Azula's words trailed off as she sniffled a bit before her hand went to wipe under her nose. "It's ok, you got this, it's easy," Azula mumbled, returning to the ropes and finishing her preparations for her solo mission.

Azula finished, she took a deep breath and got inside the boat, her heart pounding inside her chest as her eyes watched the water below. But it was alright, she could do this, everything was going to be fine, she was going to succeed in her mission and she would return home with Zuko and when that happened; when that happened, then… then her Dad would…

Azula took a deep breath, she waited inside the boat for the Fire Nation to attack the Water Tribes and distract everyone. Azula waited… five minutes, ten, fifteen, twenty… an hour… two… and then the Fire Nation started their attack. The tense muscles in Azula's body relaxed, and she finally lowered the boat suspended by ropes into the water.

In and out, in and out, in and out… Azula told herself, as the boat finally touched the water, and with that, Azula started her journey to the Water Tribe's stronghold where she was going to kill the Avatar and bring Zuko home, and when that happened, then she would… Azula shook her head not having enough time to daydream about the what-ifs when she was this close to getting Zuko back and making everything right once more…

.

.

.

Just a little bit longer…)…

.

.

.

---

.

.

.

"Lady Huazo, what a pleasant surprise to see you…" Zuko watched his uncle greet the woman who was led to the middle of the hall with a pleasant smile, and cautious eyes, making Zuko raise his eyebrow and gaze at the woman with curiosity; this was the first time that Zuko had seen the woman (Ozai's court or the palace), so it was bound to make Zuko's curiosity raise, especially when Aang had returned from his crusade and told him that he managed to capture the General and the leader of the Kyu Navy.

"Ah, General Iroh, such a long time since we last met. I must say you look good, probably all that jasmine tea, hm?" Lady Huazo raised her eyebrow in amusement and a huge grin painted her face as she looked General Iroh up and down before her only eye found Zuko, and fixated on him with such an intense look that Zuko only scrunched his nose. "Prince Zuko, such an honor to finally put a face to the Kunze everyone lost their mind for." The Qianyuan teased, making Zuko grimace and roll his eyes.

"I wish I could say the same," Zuko stated dryly, his reply making the woman blink, look at Aang then him, and then burst out laughing like a hyena who was having the time of her day; when Zuko looked at Aang, he found his beloved had a tired look on his face, before mouthing 'Her crown was crooked and she lost it along the way' to Zuko when he noticed the Kunze's eyes on him, Zuko could only sigh hearing this… great, just great.

"Man! I finally knew from where you get your sassy personality, Grandma! Only Fire Nation Kunzes can break through that shy exterior and years of Air Monk training, huh?" The Lady turned to Aang, who looked so fed up and a step away from freezing the woman's mouth, and when Sokka's shriek of 'What?!' and 'You had a daughter?!' and 'She is huge!' resonated across the room, Aang's face darkened in contrast to Lady Huazo who laughed in delight and sent Aang a cheeky smile. "Why thank you! I inherited all of this from Grandma!" The Qianyuan chirped, ignoring how Aang growled and hissed.

"For the last time! Kyoshi and Rangi's descendant or not, I am not your grandma!" Aang growled, looking so fed up and a step away from throwing fists that Zuko had to interfere and drag his Aang away from the Qianyuan while wondering how long the woman had been winding his beloved that he exploded at her (Deep inside… deep inside Zuko's heart… everything was agony as he heard this exchange… everything was agony as he remembered a beautiful baby girl with Aang's eyes and his beautiful smile, she was so tiny and… Zuko wondered if she was here would she too say proudly 'I inherited all of this from Dad!' With a happy grin… You are slipping! …Zuko hissed, trying to snap himself out of the maze that he had unwillingly been thrown into by such a harmless exchange).

"Lady Huazo, as much as I enjoy your visits, today's visit was not that nice or called for. Care to elaborate on why you are here?" Iroh questioned with a placid and happy smile, even when his eyes were dark and held suspicion within. That made the woman grin even wider if that was possible, before her eye trailed to Zuko with wonder.

"Why, I came to see Fire Lord Zuko, of course, what else?" The woman blinked innocently, ignoring the shock and silence that descended on the hall, people looking at one another in confusion; Zuko blinked, blinked, and tilted his head in confusion at the words before the realization finally struck him and he could only mutter 'Agni Kai' under his breath, finally realizing what the woman meant and feeling so annoyed and somewhat angry that he didn't realize this sooner… fuck, how didn't he realize this sooner?! "So, that's how it is…" The woman hummed, the smile vanishing from her face before she turned her gaze from Zuko to Iroh whose smile was frozen stiff on his face. "Care to elaborate, General Iroh, about why you still haven't told Prince Zuko or the Avatar the truth, or do you want me to explain the situation?" Huazo inquired, tilting her head and looking at Iroh with a challenging eye.

"…Lady Huazo… this is not the right time nor place for such conversations." His uncle finally choked out, trying to smile happily even when Zuko noticed how strain that action was. This seemed to be the wrong thing to say as the woman's face twisted into that of a beast and the sound of ice cracking and breaking alerted everyone that Lady Huazo had finally broken out of her icy prison, marching to Iroh with a speed that Zuko had only seen Aang possessed.

"Not the time nor place? Not the time nor place?! Then when is the time or place, General Iroh?!" The Qianyuan snarled, standing in front of his uncle and towering over him, ignoring the Water Benders who almost attacked but backed away when Aang snapped at them to back off when it was apparent that Iroh would be harmed in the crossfire; he furious look in the woman's eye informed Zuko that Lady Huazo had been at the end of this sentence from his uncle one too many that she snapped hearing it. "Do you even realize what's going on in the Fire Nation, right now? Do you even realize the civil war brewing underneath? General Iroh, when would there ever be a time or place with you?! You continued to evade us again and again, and when we decided to make your nephew the Fire Lord, you refused us to even meet Prince Zuko! Do you understand that people are suffering because of your inactions or do you just ignore everything and brush it under the rug because Ozai is your 'Oh-So-Dear' little brother?" The Lady spat, glaring at his uncle whose smile had vanished as he looked up at Huazo with annoyance.

"Lady Huazo, control yourself!" Iroh snapped, his voice may not have been louder than his normal gentle tone, but Zuko who had known his uncle since young, realized the man was furious and one misplaced word could cause the older man to explode. "Zuko is too young to-!" His uncle started only to be cut off by Lady Huazo's sharp laugh as she threw her head back and laughed; a laugh that was furious and lacked any humor in it.

"Young? Young?!" The Qianyuan mocked, tilting her head and sneering at his uncle. "So, Prince Zuko is too young to be told the truth about who he really is, but is not too young to marry and have relation with the Avatar?! General Iroh, either your crown is too crooked or your worldview is being affected by old age!" Huazo glared at the man, ignoring the murmurs and confused looks from those within the room; Zuko grimaced, looking at his friends who were terrified and confused, and Aang who was frowning and watching the woman with narrowed eyes. "Prince Zuko stopped being young when Ozai challenged him to that shame of Agni Kai and burned his face!" Horrified gasps rang around the room, and Zuko didn't need to turn to see his friends looking at him with horrified looks. "And what did you do when that happened? What did you do?! You just stood there and didn't do anything! I left for one goddamn month and you just started a civil war before disappearing from the face of the earth not even having the courage to see things through! Learned from Ba Sing Se, huh?" His uncle's face twisted at that, and Zuko had had enough.

Walking between the two at a brisk pace (Fast enough Aang didn't have the chance to catch him) Zuko stood between the two Qianyuans and pushed them apart with a harsh shove, watching how they both stumbled back before looking at Zuko, but not daring to say a thing because it was a Kunze who broke their fight.

"For your information, Lady." Zuko spat, glaring at the woman with cold eyes that promised murder. "It was by my orders that General Iroh left the Fire Nation, it was by my orders he cut ties; it was by my orders and my orders alone, so don't you dare twist the tales because you don't dare to point at a Kunze and blame them. So, get your facts checked before coming and spewing shit about my uncle like you know anything about what really happened." Zuko sneered looking at the woman with a look that dared her to open her mouth and object or she would be at the end of his wrath.

"Prince Zuko, I don't need to know anything to know that General Iroh is a coward who refused to put a stop to his brother when he had the chance!" Huazo snapped, looking at Zuko's uncle with anger in her only eye. "We told you after Lu Ten's death, after Azulon's death, after Ozai sat on the throne; after Lady Ursa disappeared to God knows where, and before that cursed Agni Kai! General Iroh, we pleaded with you and told you we would handle everything, you just had to get your shit together, become the Fire Lord, and stop this damned war! We told you we would handle Ozai, but you refused to fucking listen! Too absorbed in that damned filial piety and the hope that there could be another way that didn't involve killing Ozai to see that the only way to end this was with fire and death!" A harsh breath sounded in the room, and Zuko glanced around to see Aang's eyes widen before narrowing.

"That's enough." Aang snapped, marching toward Huazo and glaring at the Qianyuan who growled at him. "If you had come here just to start petty fights then I had no problem throwing you out of this damn place and back to your crew!" Aang growled raising his staff and pushing the woman back with the tip a few feet away. "You wanted to see the legitimate rulers of the Fire Nation; well, here they are! You wanted to talk to them; you shouted enough for everyone in the room and the whole North Pole to hear!" Aang glared at the woman before pointing his staff at one of the cushions. "Sit," Aang ordered, and his order was followed by protest from everyone around. "Sit! All of you, now!" Aang snarled, his anger making many flinch and some dropping to the ground where they were standing, still remembering what it was like when they made the Avatar angry and they didn't want a repeat of that time.

Lady Huazo pressed her lips tightly before she let out a huff and went to sit on the cushion Aang pointed at; she gave the Qianyuan a 'Now what?' look when she did so, making Aang's eye twitch in anger. "I will take it from here," Zuko murmured, putting his hand on his beloved's shoulder, watching how the Qianyuan looked at him before relaxing and nodding. "Now, Lady, I had had enough of this charade, and believe me when I say I am not in a charitable mood today. So, either tell me why you are here or I will get the answer out of you one way or another." Zuko threatened, cracking his right hand to emphasize. "The truth, and nothing but the truth, Lady. Why did you come here?" Lady Huazo's lips quirked up into a manic grin, and Zuko twitched at that, finally realizing why his beloved was so winded up by this woman.

The woman seemed to mull over her answer before she let out an annoyed sigh. "Two reasons." Lady Huazo answered raising two fingers. "One, find Prince Zuko and try to convince him to return to Caldera and lead our civil war against Ozai and his followers who lost their path and discarded Agni's laws and rules." Hearing this, everyone started looking at one another; the murmurs of skeptical people resonated around, but Lady Huazo didn't pay any attention, she only lowered her finger as she finished disclosing the first reason. "And two… Deliver a message to Grandma." Lady Huazo gave Aang a cheeky smile, ignoring the way Aang's face twitched at that.

"A message? Huh?" Aang stated dryly, looking at the woman with a look of pure annoyance that Zuko swore he had only seen once or twice in his life "You know, there is something called a messenger hawk you Fire Nation loved to use, a letter of this kind would be more appreciated than a siege any single day of the week." General Huazo could only shrug, her grin widening even more, ignoring how Aang just raised his hand and massaged his temple while mumbling something under his breath that even Zuko had difficulty hearing and he was standing beside his beloved. "Fine, I will bite! What was this 'Oh-So-Important' message, you decided to come into the Northern Water Tribe leading a siege to deliver, hmmm?" Aang questioned, looking at Huazo who for once looked serious as she gazed at Aang.

"They are alive." Lady Huazo said, looking Aang in the eyes with every word leaving her; receiving a confused look from Aang. "The Air Nomads… they survived." Here, everyone, even Iroh (And Zuko thought Iroh knew everything and anything because he was from the Order of the White Lotus) looked shocked, eyes wide and jaws dropped. "You asked me from where I knew that song. You told me such a song wasn't taught to outsiders. Well, I am not an outsider, not anymore." Zuko turned his eyes to Aang, watching how his beloved had frozen in his place, gazing at Huazo with eyes that held many emotions Zuko had a hard time making sense.

"…You married an Air Nomad…." Aang stated after what felt like decades of silent starring between Lady Huazo and the Avatar that made most of the people uncomfortable; as for Zuko, he was taking everything in with rapid attention because how? Just how were the Air Nomads alive when everyone and their mothers had sworn, they went extinct sometime after the war? How did they…?! Many questions ran through Zuko's head, and he could only stay silent for now, promising himself to ask Aang later.

"His name is Ling, like the majority of his family, they live on the Sei'naka Clan's island. His grandfather was from the Southern Air Temple, Jinju I believe his name was." Zuko turned toward his beloved, watching how the Qianyuan clenched his staff, but other than that, Aang's face was emotionless as he gazed at Huazo. "You don't look so surprised hearing this." Lady Huazo said slowly, tilting her head and studying Aang who just blinked.

"I knew many great people from the Fire Nation…" Aang finally spoke after a while, taking a deep breath before. "…I knew they wouldn't have allowed the genocide to happen." Aang blinked as he turned around and started walking out of the hall before throwing. "If you will excuse me." Making Zuko clench his fists tightly and turn to the people in the hall.

"Well then, you adults could stay here all night long and discuss everything that needs to be discussed and what's going to happen next," Zuko stated dryly, his eyes going to his friends. "Sokka if they acted out like misbehaving children, just make Yue and Katara freeze them or something, that would teach them." Zuko turned around, ignoring Sokka's whine and grumble about why Zuko 'Always put him in such situations'.

"Wait! Prince Zuko, you can't just-!" General Huazo called out sprinting from her seat and calling out to him, only to stop when the lanterns exploded, making darkness descend on the meeting hall, and everyone looked at Zuko who was gazing at the woman with an undeciphered look.

"Lady Huazo… You have your plans, but I also have mine." Zuko stated, gazing at the woman with a look that made the Qianyuan pause and something akin to weariness flash in her only eye. "And my plans involve killing Ozai, ending this madness, and then leaving the Fire Nation under General Iroh, the new Fire Lord." Here, even his uncle sprinted out of his seat and called Zuko's name. "I don't want the throne," That shut everyone, and Lady Huazo's lips twisted down at that. "I have no need nor desire for." No, what Zuko needed and desired was his beloved, their baby, and a place away from all this madness that left him all but crazy. "If I ever get myself involved with the throne later in life then that's only because of my desire and nothing else, as for now? Leave me the fuck alone! Don't involve me in your games in the hope you will win because if you do, then I will lash out, and believe me you won't like me when I lash out." Zuko threatened, his eyes cold as he looked at the woman like she was an annoying gnat buzzing around him. "Our goals may align for now, but the Grand Finale is mine and I will allow no one, now one, to spoil it for me." With that Zuko turned around and walked away to find his beloved…

.

.

.

Zuko hoped he would find Aang before his beloved did something stupid…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

…(Azula rowed, and she rowed, and she rowed, and she… she didn't know how long she had spent navigating the waters to reach the Northern Water Tribe; hidden whenever there were guards on patrol, paddling toward the walls and tried to find the underground maze she knew she could use to sneak into the city. Azula paddled toward the wall and rested there for a bit, taking deep breaths as she looked around and tried to find the hole that would lead her to the underground maze. Azula turned her head around and in the end, she saw a group of Turtle Seals resting by a hole in the ice; one seal plunged head-first into the icy water.

Azula blinked, once, twice, before she approached the hole… Found you… She could only think in a daze. She pulled close, dismounted from her boat, looked around before she inhaled deeply and then… Azula plunged into the water…

She swam… maybe a few seconds passed, maybe minutes… hours? Azula didn't know anymore. She only knew that she emerged from the water through another hole in the ice; she dragged herself out and laid on her back to catch her breath, and she began shivering harshly as the cold finally started affecting her.

It's fine, it's fine, it's fine! Just in and out, in and out, in and out… Azula thought to herself as she started breathing fire to try and warm herself, trying to stock her Chi and control it in a way that would warm her up faster and stop the cold from holding her hostage.

Azula didn't know how long she had remained here trying to warm herself, but time passed, and she was finally in control and when the Turtle Seals barked near her, Azula could only snarl at them to. "Be quiet!" Finally calmed down when the stupid animals stopped barking and did as Azula ordered.

Azula then went to another opening she found, watching how the water poured out of it in strong waves that would be hard to navigate. Azula growled, and she sighed, and she took another deep breath, and went inside. Her foot bored into the wall as she tried to steady herself and make her way through the channel of water; slowly crawling her way through.

She didn't know how long it had passed, fear and coldness had sneaked in, but she pushed them down and continued on her way; she needed to end this, she needed to slay the Avatar and bring Zuko back home, she needed… only then would everything get back to normal and then she…

Azula exited the channel and floated to the surface, emerging from the surface and inhaling deeply several times, coughing a bit as she looked around before she let out a shuddered sigh and ducked her head under the water, surveying the area.

Azula swam, found her way, and swam toward another channel; she swam upward and attempted to resurface… the surface of the water had frozen into a thick patch of ice… Azula hit and hit and tried to break through the ice to no use; fear had sneaked into her very bones and coldness made her movement sluggish and… No! You can do this; you can do this! Everything is fine! Everything is fine! Just breathe, in and out, in and out, in and out… she used Fire Bending, she heated her hand, and she melted a hole in the ice, finally emerging and catching her breath, shivering all the while as she looked around trying to determine where she was.

She found herself in a tunnelway in what looked like the city, and she let out a choked laugh, relaxing against the wall of the tunnel raising her shaky hands to push back her wet hair… Finally, finally, finally, she was here, she was here and she could find Zuko and bring him home and then everything-! …Azula cupped her hands brought them to her face and warmed them with fire… first…. First…

.

.

.

She needed to rest…)…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Zuko found Aang…

.

.

.

…He always found his beloved.

.

.

.

"Aang?" Zuko called out as he slowly and cautiously walked toward his beloved, trying not to slip and fall down the high roof Aang chose as his perch (To this day, Zuko doesn't know what it was with his beloved always choosing high places as his escape spots, always making Zuko suffer and fear that one day he would fall and break his leg because of that). Hearing his voice, Aang seemed to have finally snapped out of his daze and turned to Zuko.

"Zuko…? Why are you…?" Aang mumbled before he rushed toward the Kunze, and Zuko had half a mind to shout at him to watch out or he would slip, but as always, Aang showed him how nimble and fast Air Benders could be and it didn't take long before the Qianyuan was by Zuko's side. "What are you doing here?" Aang questioned, putting his arm on Zuko's waist to steady him, making Zuko smile softly.

"I always find you, don't I?" Zuko teased, his words making Aang let out a choked laugh, finally seeming to relax somewhat as he leaned on Zuko, taking deep breaths and trying to calm down before he pulled back and opened his glider, launching them in the air. It wasn't long before they left whatever high roof, Aang had decided to make his temporary home like the bird he was and chose a more appropriate place to stand in, which just happened to be the high walls of Agna Qel'a overlooking the ocean and the Fire Nation's navy… still high, but at least they could move without the fear of falling and breaking their necks (In Zuko's case).

A while passed in silence between the two of them; no word was spoken, and instead, both were standing and gazing at the vast ocean. Zuko was leaning on Aang, holding the Qianyuan's hand in his; every now and then he couldn't help but gaze at the man who was watching everything with a look that was hard to decipher.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Zuko inquired softly, watching how Aang blinked several times, finally snapping out of it and turning to look at Zuko. "The Air Nomads… do you want to talk about them?" Zuko repeated, watching how Aang opened and closed his mouth before he sniffled and looked forward, not saying a thing.

Time passed in silence; Zuko snuggling in his beloved's embrace and relaxing when he felt Aang's arm tightening around him. It was only when Zuko almost lost hope of Aang opening up and talking about what bothered him, did the man finally dared to open his mouth and speak. "I… I suspected… I… their survival… I… I suspected… back then… the Fire Nation followed the will of Agni… stronger than now… hurting children and Kunzes? The Fire Nation's people would kill themselves before doing so." Aang breathed out, his hold tightened around Zuko before it relaxed. "I… I don't know what I… should feel like… having my suspicions confirmed…" Aang choked out, a laugh mixed with a sob left him as he raised his other hand to wipe under his eyes.

"Happy will be more appropriate, don't you think?" Zuko teased, making his beloved choke a laugh, as he nodded, his free hand was hiding his eyes away. "Maybe… relieve… sadness is appropriate too… annoyance? Maybe, after all, that annoying woman had this uncanny ability to get under everyone's skin… anger too is welcomed." Zuko started to numerate one emotion after the other, making Aang laugh softly, and lean down to kiss the top of his head.

"Anger? What's with you and anger? If I didn't know any better, I would say you only function on anger alone." Aang shoulders shook as he said this before he pulled back and gave Zuko a tired smile; his eyes were rimmed by red, but nonetheless, they held relief and happiness in them that made Zuko give his beloved a cheeky grin.

"Six shots of pure rage after waking up and three before bed; keep you young and beautiful. It helps if you keep a picture of someone you hate on hand; make the fire brighter." Zuko teased, making Aang blink before throwing his head back and laughing in delight, looking too happy and amused; the sadness and pain had finally left to make way for more positive feelings, making Zuko soften at the sight.

"…Thank you…" Aang breathed out after he finally calmed down. "Really… just thank you… thank you for being here… I… I don't believe I would have been able to go through with this without you…" Aang confessed his words making Zuko pause before a soft smile played on his lips; Zuko cupped Aang's face gently, caressing his face softly before pulling him into a kiss. Letting out a small sigh as he felt his beloved finally relax and lean into their kiss.

"Avatar!" A voice snarled not that far away before a familiar sound of crackling made Zuko tense and push his beloved harshly with all his strength, causing the Qianyuan to squeak but balance himself to jump away. Aang's eyes widened with confusion that morphed into terror when what looked like lightning struck the spot they were standing in, destroying the place.

Zuko looked at Aang who had a confused look on his face; he looked at the destroyed ice where they stood before finally turning his head to look at the person, he never imagined he would ever see this soon in this life. "…Azula…" Zuko's eyes fell on Azula, and something inside of him started cracking and unrevealing when his eyes fell on that… that!

…Anger all but consumed him and Zuko could feel himself losing control for the first time in years. Azula looked at Zuko with confusion, horror, and something that not even Zuko managed to decipher. The world came to a screeching halt when Azula's voice cracked as she said…

.

.

.

"…M-Mom?"

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

…(She found him… She finally found him!

.

.

.

Azula all but sobbed as she found the Avatar flying toward the walls of the city, running after him and trying to reach him before the man did something and escaped her grasp. Azula bit her lower lip bloody, her heart pounding in her chest as she followed and followed and followed the man that would be her ticked to-!

Azula found the Avatar; she found him, and she stalked him. She never allowed herself to slow down, never allowed her eyes to stray from the man in the fear of him disappearing. She never allowed anyone to stop her in her quest, barreling into those who refused to move out of her way; her rationality had abandoned her at the thought of her finding the man who was her only…

It took time before she did, but she found him standing on the walls of Agna Qel'a with someone else; Azula's breath by then was leaving her in harsh gasps and an almost manic grin took over her as she gazed at the Air Nomad... she could do this, she had to do this… Kill the Avatar and bring Zuko back, just do that, and finally, finally… Taking a deep breath Azula centered herself, cleared her mind, and summoned her power from within; she looked at the man one last time, finding him distracted with kissing his companion.

"Avatar!" She snarled before she unleashed her lightning, wanting the man to at least hear the voice of his killer before he departed from the world. Azula's eyes widened in anticipation and hope, a hope that all but dashed away when the Avatar's companion pushed him away and jumped back themselves, making Azula snarl in frustration and rush to the two planning on finishing them on the spot.

The world came into a screeching when the Avatar's companion turned to face her; there was no noise, no air, no nothing as her eyes took in the person (Mirage?) who stood up and faced Azula… The same face, the same makeup, the same hairstyle that she grew up looking at; bolder clothes than Azula ever saw that person wear, and they… they… But there was a scar? …Azula doesn't know anymore… but that was… the person gazing at her was… this was her…

.

.

.

"…M-Mom?")…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Azula called him…

.

.

.

…Mom?

.

.

.

Zuko blinked, blinked, and blinked some more as he tilted his head and watched the woman who was looking at him; finally noticing how shaky she was and how her breath had picked up as she continued to stare at him unmoved. From the corner of his eye, Zuko saw how confused Aang was as he stared at Zuko and then his sister while mumbling under his breath 'What the fuck…?', a sentiment that Zuko shared as he continued to study his sister.

She was… off… Zuko finally noticed, raising his eyebrow as he stared at the girl whose eyes were still on him and refused to leave him alone… Way off, worse than that… Here realization slammed into him and it took all of Zuko's willpower not to lose it then and there and start laughing and laughing until he was a mess on the ground.

Oh… how amusing to see! Azula had lost it way earlier than the past, she had lost it way earlier than the past! And it all needed Zuko to present as a Kunze? Gold! This was pure gold! Zuko allowed himself to smile feeling amusement and delight when the girl stumbled back and started to freak out in Zuko's presence.

"My, my, Zula. Aren't you a big girl now?" Zuko cooed, using the nickname their mother used to call Azula by when the girl was young; feeling amusement and delight when the girl freaked out even more and almost started having a panic attack then and there. Oh, oh… his sister was losing it, she was really losing it!

"…Zuko…" It was Aang's shaky voice that snapped both of the siblings out of the strange zone the two of them had fallen in, making them whirl around and gaze at Aang who was looking between the two with weariness (That was directed at Azula) and worry (As he looked at Zuko, inching closer to him as if he wanted to stand in front of the Kunze and shielded him from Azula).

"Wha… Z-Z-Zuko…?" Azula's voice cracked as she called his name before she turned to gaze at Zuko with wide eyes. "…Zuko?" Azula stumbled looking at Aang and then at Zuko, her breath picking up faster and faster; Zuko narrowed his eyes and took his fighting stance when he noticed how his sister was losing it before his very own eyes. "Zuko?!" By then, Azula had lost it completely and she shrieked, taking an awkward fighting stance, and spun, sending a blast of blue fire at Zuko.

.

.

.

With that, their fight was on.

.

.

.

Just as Zuko always imagined their fight to be; it was destructive and catastrophic. Azula was way off her game, even worse than that time when the two of them fought in the past under Sozin's Comet; complete animalistic instincts without even a rational thought in her mind, and every time Azula looked at his face? Zuko knew she was losing it even more, spiraling out in a way that she had never before.

By then, the alarming bells were blaring out loud, people were already evacuating and fleeing from where Zuko and Azula crashed down to continue to fight, as for Aang; the poor Qianyuan was left trying to do damage control, snuffing out the fires and pulling people away from the line of fire.

"Zuko!" His uncle's voice resonated across the clearing the two crashed into, a harsh gasp left him, and then… "…Azula?" The older man's voice went unnoticed by the fighting siblings as they fought and clashed, one with fires as blue as the skies while the other tried desperately to control and conceal his true fires from being shown to the world.

Blue collided with dark red, forming a wall that melted the homes and ice around them; too hot for even the Water Benders to attack and successfully incapacitate the two. When the wall began to die, Azula leaped up on a jet of fire and kicked her legs forward, sending a wave of fire from her feet during each of her three spinning kicks; easily dodged by Zuko as he laughed and jumped away.

"I see you've learned a new trick, dear, so proud of you." Zuko mocked, watching how his sister faltered and how his words made the girl unravel and shriek, losing her concentration more and more as she attacked. Uncoordinated and unbalanced; she snarled and sent blast after blast at Zuko.

"Don't pretend to act proud!" Azula snarled as she punched a powerful blast of fire toward Zuko; her blast of blue fire blended with a blast of dark red. "I know what you really think of me! I knew what you have always thought of me!" Azula cried out, and Zuko narrowed his eyes, not knowing if his sister was even talking to him or thinking of someone else when saying this. "You think that I am a monster! You always thought that I was a monster! That's why you always chose Zuko over me! That's why you always feared me!" Well, that answered Zuko's question, Azula was not seeing him anymore, let alone register the fact that the person she was shouting at was her brother and not their mother whom only Agni knew where she was now.

"I think you're confused, Zula." Zuko cooed, dodging a powerful fire blast streaming from Azula's fists; a smirk played on his lips as he decided to play along with the girl's delusions and confuse her even more. "Tell me, did I really not choose you? Did I really fear you? Did that really happen? Or was it Ozai, who fed you these lies?" Suddenly Azula stopped her attacks, looking at Zuko with a confused and scared look; her eyes were wide and she stuttered through a rushed explanation, that Zuko/Ursa had left her and that Ozai… Then Azula stopped, her breath hitched, looking even more confused and scared, her hands going to her hair as she started tugging at it until her topknot was unrevealed and her hair descended on her face and back as she mouthing the words 'No', 'Liar', and 'Dad would never…'.

"Zuko, get away from her!" Iroh called out, getting ready to Fire Bend and create a wall to separate the siblings; Zuko could only curse when Iroh's voice caused Azula to snap out of whatever weird headspace she was in, and then once more she stumbled back looking between Iroh and then Zuko with confusion that turned into rage.

"Zuko…" The girl hissed, looking so angry, so betrayed, before she generated lightning all around her, blocking everyone from reaching her without getting harmed; her stance was irregular and off, showing Zuko how out of it Azula really was. "Where did she go?! Where is-?!" Azula snarled, looking around wildly before her eyes fell on Aang who pushed their friends out of the way of a stray wreckage that would have fallen on them.. "…Avatar…?" Azula breathed out, and Zuko's heart dropped to the pit of his stomach when he saw his sister's attention was on his beloved…

"No!" Zuko could only cry out when his sister snarled and summoned her lightning from the sky. "Aang!" Suddenly, Zuko was in Ba Sing Se catacombs once more; suddenly, his legs could only freeze stiff in their place just like back then as he watched the lightning directed at his beloved. Suddenly Zuko could only feel his heart drop at the thought of losing his beloved once more… suddenly…… Two things happened almost too fast for the mind to make sense of.

One… Aang's eyes started flickering in and out of the Avatar State; his face became emotionless and he took a familiar stance (A stance that when Zuko saw he could only falter for a second because…. How?! Zuko still hadn't taught him how…?!), and when the lightning came, Aang easily redirected it away from him toward a faraway ice cliff outside of Agna Qel'a. Silence had blanketed everything, and Zuko could only watch as Aang blinked, looking confused then mumbled something under his breath.

.

.

.

Two… Zuko's tight control over his fires just… snapped…

.

.

.

"You brat!" Zuko roared, letting go of his control completely, and with that, his fires burst out; instead of the dark red it was before, his fires were completely pitch black and rising higher in response to Zuko's anger. "I tried to be patient with you but I had had enough!" With a flick of his wrists, black fires encircled him and Azula in a circle made of fire; the high flames preventing the girl from taking a step back or fleeing unless she wanted to meet her doom by touching the fires around them.

"Wha… what's…. wha…" Azula's voice cracked as she whirled around, her eyes wide and terrified as she looked at Zuko; a look of terror that didn't even make Zuko feel happy or content, it was the opposite in fact; that look just made him more furious because that brat had no right looking at him like this when she had dared to raise her hand at her beloved!

"What a shame, Zula." Zuko sneered, stalking toward the girl and watching how she scrambled until she tripped and fell back on her butt, looking too scared and horrified. "And here I thought we could finally be one big happy family again… but I guess Ozai was right when he said he would create a monster in his image that no one would ever love." Zuko mocked, watching Azula's lips tremble as she heard that before her eyes misted with tears.

"Y-you are wrong! You are wrong! D-Dad would never say… he wouldn't… he… he…" Azula choked out, sending a weak blast of fire directed at Zuko which the Kunze swatted like it was nothing but an annoying fly, looking at Azula with an amused smile and a chuckle couldn't help but leave his throat.

"Oh, but He did, Zula, he did, and look at the masterpiece he created… unloved and unwanted by anyone," Zuko stated coldly watching how the girl just… broke… Zuko could only watch with mild surprise as the tears started sliding down Azula's face; she looked at Zuko with hurt and pain so deep, that the Kunze couldn't help but falter in his advance.

"W-was that w-why you left, M-Mom?" Azula sobbed and sobbed, her hands going to her hair and she once more tugged and tugged at it; Zuko could only stand there, unable to blast the girl and end all of this once and for all, something keeping him rooted in his place as he watched Azula break before his very own eyes. "Was t-that why Z-Zuko left t-too? W-why he l-left me with…?!" Azula began to cry bitterly, letting out a wounded noise, more suitable for a dying animal than anything.

He should finish this once and for all; he should kill Azula and get rid of her once and for all. Zuko should end years of pain and suffering for once and for all; end Azula now before the girl turns into an even bigger monster than she already was, he should… he… he couldn't… as Zuko stood there, listening to his sister crying bitterly and calling to their 'Mom' over and over in such wounded voice; Zuko's mind couldn't help but drift to his daughter… Zuko could only close his eyes and swallow harshly, slamming that line of thinking shut before it corrupted him and turned him as crazy as Azula.

Zuko sighed, mouthing the word 'Fuck' over and over again before he walked and kneeled before Azula. "What a shame, I have always loved your hair." Zuko hummed softly, pulling Azula's hands off her hair and brushing it aside, patting his sister's head gently before cupping her face; watching how Azula was gazing at Zuko with red-rimmed eyes filled with pain and confusion. "It's Ok, Zula." Zuko smiled softly, watching how Azula's eyes widened, and her hands shakily taking hold of his robes. "Everything is going to be… alright." Zuko used his left thumb to brush the tears away from Azula's left eye. "Just go to… Sleep…" Zuko's voice was so soft and gentle, just like the one their mother had when she used to tuck Zuko in bed.

Azula's lips trembled and her breath picked up the longer she continued to stare at Zuko. "M… M-Mom?" Azula breathed out, looking at Zuko with eyes that filled with even more tears when Zuko paused, smiled, and nodded, watching how Azula's eyes widened even more at that and she started sobbing once more.

In a motion too fast to stop, Zuko pressed Azula's pressure points, sending some of his Chi within and forcing the girl to fall asleep. It was when Azula passed out completely that the smile on his face vanished, and in its place was anger and rage so strong that he tried to control it by taking deep breaths.

Glancing at Azula one last time, Zuko swallowed and with one harsh motion he snuffed the fires down; his eyes were as cold as ice when they fell on the people who were watching him with wide eyes. Some with wonder, some with terror, and some (Especially the Fire Nation people) with reverence, already on their knees.

It was when Zuko's eyes fell on his uncle (Who was looking shocked, confused, and a little bit hurt no doubt about Zuko not telling him) standing beside Lady Huazo (Who was on her knees, her single eyes wide as she recited the prayers people prayed to Agni when repenting from their sins… in fact, even his crews -Excluded his uncle who was too shocked to move- were on their knees, praying with Lady Huazo and some even crying) that Zuko's anger got the better of him once more and he marched toward the woman with rage on his face.

"It was you! You brought her here, you allowed her to get in, you-!" Zuko snarled, losing control and almost gripping the woman by the front of her armor, wanting to shake her and scream at her until his voice was hoarse because that crazy woman had just brought Azula to the Northern Pole and made all of Zuko's plans go down the drain! That woman had the gall to waltz in and then demand from Zuko what he didn't want to give and when he refused her, she brought his sister?! Zuko would show her! He would-!

Someone took a tight hold of his hand and Zuko growled and looked at the one who dared to offend him, only to still when he saw it was Aang. "Enough… that's enough," Aang ordered calmly, his hand tightening around Zuko's momentarily, making the Kunze frown at the way Aang was looking at him. "You made your point clear, Zuko; no need to attack someone to make it reach across." Zuko furrowed his brows in confusion and when Aang saw that, he swallowed and glanced at Zuko's hand, making Zuko follow his line of sight and freeze when he noticed his hand encased by black fires.

"Fuck… fuck!" Zuko pulled his hand away, terror took hold of him at the thought of losing control to the point of not noticing how his fires had slipped out and Aang was harmed because of that. "How could you just hold my hand like that?!" Stumbled back, taking deep breaths and trying to calm himself before he did something even more stupid and burned his beloved, uncle, or friends; it was only when Zuko finally managed to gather enough control and snuff the fires out did Zuko realized that Aang touched him and was burned, bringing with it a wave of terror. "Show me your hand! Show me!" Zuko ordered, hysteria coloring his voice at the thought of Aang getting burned by Agni's fires… Avatar or not, Zuko knew from experience even if someone scorched one area, the burn would spread until it covered the victim's whole body in a short few days, causing agony and pain until the victim succumbed and died not that long after.

"Wah, calm down, Zuko. Calm down; see. Nothing happened; I wasn't hurt or anything. Here look." Aang tried to calm down, showing his hand to Zuko, making the Kunze take it with shaky hands and turn it around, confusion coloring his face as the unblemished skin greeted him. "The fires weren't even hot, just warm, and it didn't sting, look." Aang chuckled nervously before shutting up when gasps were heard and murmurs came from the Fire Nation people, as they looked at Aang and then Zuko with wide eyes, not that Zuko cared about it, not when he felt like he could pass out from relief when he noticed that his Aang was alright.

"You… you are the chosen one… you truly are the chosen one…" Lady Huazo mumbled, her words almost bringing Zuko's rage to its boiling moment. "You are… the holder of Agni's will, you are the chosen one, you-!" Lady Huazo stumbled back to her feet and took a step toward Zuko, her only eye was crazed and she looked so unbalanced and a touch out of it as she spewed crap about Zuko being 'The holder of Agni's will', 'The Chosen One' and so much more crap that was the reason Zuko kept things to himself because he knew if people knew about Agni's gift, they would go crazy and force him to return to the Fire Nation. The woman went on and on, ignoring the fact that years of planning had gone down the drain because she had stuck her nose in something that didn't involve her and now all of Zuko's secrets and his triumphed card were out, and Ozai could plan a counterattack and erase all of Zuko's hard work.

Zuko's anger got the better of him once more and he snarled, all but jumping at the woman to beat the daylight out of her and end this charade once and for all; hoping that if he did everything would go back to normal and everyone would forget about this cursed day and how all of Zuko's years spent planning to the big day were flushed down the drain.

"Oh, shit…" Aang muttered as he jumped to intercept Zuko and hold him back, ignoring how Zuko struggled and tried to get his hand on Huazo's neck and choke her until she left this world and met Agni in the flesh. "Enough! Zuko, enough!" Aang pleaded, pulling Zuko away from Huazo to form enough distance that Zuko wouldn't escape without Aang stopping him before Aang cupping Zuko's face, directing the Kunze's sight to him. "Sweetheart, please…" Aang whispered, and Zuko… stopped… he scowled, and let out a huff, but ended up nodding his head after a while. "…Thank you…" Aang smiled before the smile all but wiped off his face as he turned to everyone then gazed at Azula who was still passed out and then looked at their friends. "This is going to be a long night…" Aang's shoulders slumped and Zuko could only glare at Lady Huazo with accusing eyes…

.

.

.

It was a long night, indeed…

.

.

.

---

.

.

.

.

.

.

…("How…?" Iroh questioned as he poured two cups of jasmine tea and gave one to Zuko; the man didn't look angry, he didn't look sad, he didn't look betrayed as he gazed at his nephew, just pure curiosity for why his nephew didn't tell him about this colossal secret.

Zuko took the cup, and sipped, before pausing. "…Agni…" Zuko finally admitted, giving the best answer he could give without exposing more of himself and destroying everything. Iroh hummed, nodded his head, and sipped his tea.

"…Did Agni also tell you about…?" About what, Zuko didn't know; but he suspected what his uncle was thinking of. About the Order of the White Lotus? About Ozai and how he was planning on using his children to further his plans? About the place where to find the Avatar? About anything and everything that Zuko knew about but was a mystery to all? Zuko paused, looked at his uncle, smiled, and put a finger across his lips.

.

.

.

Iroh's smile was full of amusement…)

.

.

.

.

.

.

…("Oh, my Tui! You guys were so awesome!" Sokka's shriek of delight was heard as the teenager jumped Aang and started shaking him. "Aang! How did you do that thing with lightning?! It was all, pew-pew! And then wwwooosssshhhh! And BOOOM!" Sokka laughed as he finally let go of the Qianyuan, making him stumble a bit. "So amazing~!" Sokka then turned toward Zuko who gave his friend a warning look. "And Zuko! My man! How could you hide something so awesome like that?! Black fires? Really? Why would you hide such a thing?!" Sokka whined, his words were met with an eye roll.

"Maybe because some secrets are meant to be just that, secrets," Zuko stated dryly watching Sokka roll his eyes and start protesting about this or that and how Zuko should have shown his fires way earlier, maybe then they wouldn't have had a rough time in the beginning.

Katara rolled her eyes and pushed her brother away from Zuko and Aang, ignoring the Zhongyong's whines and huffs. "It doesn't really matter in the end, all that matters is that the two of you are safe… I am glad…" Aang and Zuko looked at one another before they smiled at their friends…

.

.

.

Yeah… Zuko was glad…)…

.

.

.

.

.

.

…("….B-but-!"

"Safe, Lady Huazo." Zuko snapped, glaring at the woman with a harsh look in his eyes before turning to the other woman in the room who was more collected and seemed to still have her marbles. "Lieutenant He, I am counting on you to return Azula to the Fire Nation unharmed, and if this crazy tried to say or do anything about it then throw her in the sea or something." Zuko hissed, glaring at the woman who was pouting and crossing her arms over his chest like a misbehaving child instead of the adult she was.

Lieutenant He blinked before bowing. "As you wish, Prince Zuko, I give you my word that no harm shall befall Princess Azula." Zuko sighed and nodded his head in thanks before standing up and planning to leave.

"Are you really going to abandon everything?!" Lady Huazo snarled, looking at Zuko with anger in her single eye. "You have a blessing from Agni himself; a gift." The woman spat, shaking in her place. "And you are just going to ignore it and leave everything behind? For what?! What's so important that you will abandon your people and the throne for?!" The woman shouted her words stopping Zuko in his place.

Zuko took a deep breath, sighed, and closed his eyes… The image of a beautiful girl in his arms, she had Aang's eyes, she had Aang's smile, the perfect mix of Zuko and his beloved; she was so beautiful and so tiny that Zuko feared he was going to hurt her just carrying her in his arms… she was his, she was Aang's, and she was the treasure that he would do anything for, even giving that curse throne that turned his bloodline insane with power.

"Lady Huazo, I said it once, I will say it again." Zuko turned his head to glance at the woman with cold eyes. "You have your plans, but I also have mine, and if you dared to spoil them then I promise you I will lash out… and believe me, you won't like me when I do." Zuko left his threat hanging in the air, watching the woman's face twist before he marched away wanting this nightmare to end once and for all…

.

.

.

…He missed his daughter…)…

.

.

.

.

.

.

…("Zuko, I am fine!" Aang whined as he was inspected for the thousandth time by Zuko who was turning his head around, trying to see if he was hurt by Azula's fire or his and was hiding the fact from Zuko. "I told you. The fires were warm, they didn't even hurt me or anything, they just tickled!" Aang pouted as Zuko shushed him for the umpteenth time, looking like an angry Momo at being shushed.

When Zuko was reassured that Aang was fine and that he wasn't hurt, he finally relaxed, and to reward his beloved for being a good boy and allowing Zuko to check him over, he gave the boy a soft kiss, making Aang's pout go away. "It was so stupid of you to touch me like this." Zuko couldn't help but chide, looking at his Aang who looked away. "You as the Avatar, knew the dangers of Agni's fires and probably read about them, to be so stupid as to touch my hand… Aang, why?" Zuko questioned, cupping his beloved's face as he demanded his answer.

"I know, but I didn't get hurt; maybe it's an Avatar thing or something but look, I am fine," Aang reassured, only managing to make Zuko glare at him harder for that, which made the Qianyuan sigh, his shoulders slumped. "I… I just… I don't want you to regret it, that is all. If I allowed you to go through with this, then…" Zuko sighed in annoyance, but nonetheless pulled Aang into a tight hug.

"You are stupid…" Zuko mumbled after a while, finally pulling back and looking at his beloved with an amused smile. "By the way, where did you learn how to do such thing as redirect lightning?" Zuko couldn't help but question, wanting to know the answer to the question that had been bugging him ever since he saw his beloved do that.

Aang blinked, once, twice, three times… "I… don't remember…" Aang answered, looking as surprised as Zuko by his answer. "I don't remember who, but I swear I remember someone teaching me how to redirect lightning once…" Aang frowned harshly, looking deep in thought as he tried to come up with a reasonable explanation. Zuko hummed, and kissed Aang once more, before pulling the teen into another tight hug… It wasn't important for now… Zuko concluded after thinking things through; that wasn't important at all. As long as Aang was safe, he could live with that… "Zuko…?" Aang inquired softly and Zuko just shook his head, his hold on Aang tightening more…

.

.

.

It wasn't important for now…)…

.

.

.

.

.

.

…("So, they finally left?" Sokka questioned absentmindedly as he went on prepared carrying boxes around, raising his head to look at Katara who had a relieved and worried look on her face as she helped him.

"Yeah, the Fire Nation left," Katara confirmed before she paused a bit before giggling for a bit. "I think Lady Huazo eventually got tired from getting rejected by both Aang and Zuko and decided to go to the Fire Nation to lick her wounds in peace." Katara looked amused and happy, and Sokka could only huff and roll his eyes in amusement.

"Good riddance," Sokka mumbled to himself before he let out an amused snicker as he remembered how that Lady all but got thrown out of Agna Qel'a by both Zuko and Aang who looked so done with the woman and her persistence. "But man! I still can't believe that woman was Aang's granddaughter! She was so huge and-!" Sokka paused a bit, furrowing his brows before. "You know what, thinking about it now; I can see the family resemblance. She could have been Aang and Zuko's love child if they married years ago!" Katara raised her eyebrow at that, giving Sokka a flabbergasted look at such words. "The temper and anger issues from Zuko and the stubbornness and playful personality from Aang. Man, how did I not see that!" Sokka commented, making Katara blink, and tilt her head, before she started giggling…

.

.

.

Sokka grinned…)…

.

.

.

.

.

.

Gods above!

.

.

.

Did you hear?

.

.

.

Did you…?

.

.

.

…Oh, Agni…

.

.

.

Did you…?!

.

.

.

It…

.

.

.

…Prince Zuko! Prince Zuko!

.

.

.

…The Chosen One…

.

.

.

…The Avatar!

.

.

.

Agni helps us…

.

.

.

…Fire Lord Ozai… he went mad!

.

.

.

Fuck him!

.

.

.

Burned half the palace… killed…!

.

.

.

The true Fire Lord…!

.

.

.

…All along…

.

.

.

This is a sign from the Spirit world! This is a sign from the heavens above! All the sinners who deviated from Agni's divine laws shall be punished and condemned to eternal suffering!

.

.

.

Agni had not forsaken us!

.

.

.

…Agni sent us the Prince, he sent us the Prince!

.

.

.

Return to Agni's ways you sinners! Repent! Repent! The judge and executioner have arrived, they arrived!

.

.

.

…Be prepared…

.

.

.

…War…

.

.

.

…Fires!

.

.

.

…Agni above…

.

.

.

Did you hear…?

.

.

.

They said Ozai had…!

.

.

.

Princess Azula…

.

.

.

Her? They said she…

.

.

.

Did you hear?!

.

.

.

Where is the Prince? Where is our Prince? Where is the holder of Agni's will?!

.

.

.

Where is he and where is the Avatar?!

.

.

.

…No one knows…

.

.

.

General Huazo… she said…

.

.

.

…Prepare for a war…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"…Now you listen to me, and listen well." Zuko's voice rang across the place, loud and clear; his eyes trailing from one person to the other, gaze unflinching. "I am entrusting you all to stay in the North and continue what the Avatar and I started by teaching the Water Benders…" Aang smiled, watching his beloved from the sideline as he continued to give orders to his crew, telling them what to do after Zuko, General Iroh, Aang, Sokka, and Katara left the north to continue their journey.

"He really is the picture of a true leader, Avatar Aang." Aang blinked as he heard this, turning his head toward the person who said these words only to find Princess Yue standing beside him, offering a happy albeit sad smile.

"He is," Aang confirmed, returning to gaze at his beloved, a soft and amused look on his face as the Kunze continued scolding his crew for their reluctance to stay in the North, due to their desire of wanting to stay with Zuko and protect him.

"You know Avatar… you all came here and brought changes with you; changes that no one here ever dreamed of happening not in a hundred years." Princess Yue started, fiddling with something in her hands before she looked at him. "I am sad that you are going to leave, but you have your duties and I have mine, but hopefully, someday we will meet again after this war ends." Aang smiled a bit before turning to bow to the Princess and the future Chief of the Water Tribe.

"I hope so too, Princess." Aang smiled before his eyes fell on Sokka who was helping Katara load Appa. "And maybe when that happens… it would finally be the right time to seek the happiness you want." Aang pointed toward his friend, watching Princess Yue blush a bit, but smile and bowed back.

"I hope so too." Princess Yue then offered Aang an amulet containing what looked like water. "This is water from the Spirit Oasis. It has many special properties. A gift from Tui and La to help on your journey." Aang blinked, and narrowed his eyes at what he heard, but nonetheless took the vial from the Princess and gave a bow of gratitude.

"Give the Spirits my sincere thanks, and tell them… tell them I understand what needs to be done to end this war and restore balance," Aang vowed, standing from his bow; his mind had drifted to his last conversation with the Spirits, and now, weeks since that took place, Aang realized how true their words were and that to stop this war for once and for all, it needed to end with fire and death.

With one last bow between the two, Aang turned around and walked toward Zuko who finished giving his last-minute talk to Lieutenant Jee who looked like he was ready to cry but was holding back. "Hey, are you ready to go?" Aang inquired gently, receiving a nod from Zuko who took his hand and started dragging Aang away toward Appa ignoring Aang's squeak of surprise at the action.

"Come on, pretty boy, hurry up! Can't have anyone from my crew crying on my shoulders and begging me to stay, it already happened twenty times, can't have more." Zuko hissed, only succeeding in making Aang snicker at the realization of why his beloved dragged him and all but ran like to Appa like this.

It took time for everyone to say their goodbyes. Sokka to Princess Yue, both looked at one another with hopeful smiles after their talk. Katara to Master Pakku who told Katara about leaving for the South and helping protect and restore it with the help of other benders and healers, and then titled Katara as a Water Bending Master, making the girl give a bright smile. General Iroh then went to talk to the crew one last time before going to talk with Master Pakku.

"Ok, guys, hold on tight, we are going to take off," Aang ordered everyone, waiting until they situated themselves safely on Appa's saddle. "Yip-yip!" With that, Appa finally took off and started flying, Katara and Sokka leaned out of the saddle a bit, waving to Princess Yue and the Fire Nation crew they left behind. "Now, does anyone have a destination in mind?" Aang questioned as they flew over the walls of Agna Qel'a, feeling content and happy to allow his friends to decide their next destination before going to Omashu where Aang was going to learn Earth Bending from Bumi.

Sokka almost jumped at the opportunity to share his desire, only to be stopped by Zuko who pushed Momo against Sokka's mouth before calling out. "Kyoshi!" Ignoring Sokka's sputter and cough as he tried to wipe Momo's fur off his tongue as for Katara, the girl had forgotten all about Aang's question as she started laughing at her brother's misery.

"Kyoshi, huh?" Aang questioned an amused smile crossed over his face when he saw Sokka's eyes lit up at the mention of Kyoshi. "Well, any objection?" Aang teased, knowing that no one would dare to do such a thing after Zuko was the one who gave the orders; instead of objections, cheers from Sokka and Katara were heard, as for General Iroh, he started talking about the aromatic tea he wanted to try at one of Kyoshi Island's villages. "Well then, Kyoshi Island it is!" Aang laughed turning his head forward and whistling to Appa to go faster. Aang closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and finally let go of the tension that had taken hold of him since coming to the North…

.

.

.

This chapter was finally over…

.

.

.

.

.

.

---

So, what do you think?

Finally, an update! And God what a massive update… 30K… I almost split the chapter in two before I was like; Nope! Not a chance! The Northern Water Tribe Arc will end one way or another in this update or else!

Enjoy the art made by yours truly; Me.

So many things happening in this chapter I don't even know where to start, but well…

Zuko's secret is out! As for Aang, my man just learned Blood Bending because of Tui and La, and I wonder what the butterfly effect would be for this action… hehe…

And more Spirits lore! More lore!

Tui and La's story is finally out (Part of it really), and next, it will be Oma and Shu!

We learned so much about everything today, especially General Huazo and the Air Nomads who turned out to be alive! Man!

For Azula, the reason she was unbalanced in this chapter and was on the brink of a mental breakdown even more severe than the show… well… after Zuko and Iroh left the Fire Nation and Zuko's being presented as a Kunze, Azula's life shifted and turned into hell, suddenly she turned from the daughter who was born lucky to the son who was lucky to be born, and unlike with Zuko who had Ursa and Iroh by his side to protect him from Ozai's more derange behavior, Azula had no one by her side (In the past, it was Zuko -Because Zuko loved his sister and always protected her even when the girl didn't know- but then Zuko left and cut ties and then Ozai went mad… you see where I am going?) so she suffered. Not only that but every now and then assassination attempts were put on her for being Ozai's favorite and his prodigy (But truly she was the spare kid that Ozai had to put up with after his golden goose escaped). So, she was mentally unstable and had this thought in her head that if she got Zuko back home then everything would go back to how it was (Like Zuko being with her, and Ozai stopping his abuse), and maybe her mother would even return home now Zuko had presented as a Kunze. Keep in mind that Azula is thirteen in this chapter, and when Zuko presented she was ten, so yeah…

Also, the reason why Azula called Zuko, 'Mom' in this was that Zuko not only wore his makeup and hair like Ursa, but he looked startlingly like their mother with his makeup (I mentioned in chapter 10 that Zuko looks like Ursa)… and then Zuko went around trying to disorient Azula by acting like Ursa, in a way that confused Azula (She genuinely thought Zuko was her mother until people called him by his name) and sent her over the edge… Cue, Azula had her mental breakdown way earlier than the show… which we will see more of in the coming chapters.

To be honest… it was this chapter that made me start thinking about giving Azula a redemption arc… but well, even if she had it, she nor Zuko are in a good enough mental space to be able to handle the other (Because this won't be the first, nor the last time Azula mistakes Zuko as their Mom and get possessive and murder-y every time someone got close to him, thinking they will steal her mother away. As for Zuko he just wants to kill her like ninety-nine percent of the time… yeah…)… but still, any thoughts?

But anyway! finally we finished 'Book One; Water', and in the next update, we will start 'Book Two; Earth'!

Also, we will meet Suki because Suki is joining the Gaang, yay!

Read and Review

And tell me what you think…

Nazaki-Sama