How To Save (Seduce!) Your Villain A Guide By Avatar Aang

by Nazaki-Sama

"Shitty author, shitty novel! Prince Zuko deserves justice!" Aang's famous last words as he took his last breath, and then he found himself waking up in the novel he died cursing. Feeling anger and indignation for the way his favorite character died unjustly, Aang vowed to give Prince Zuko the happy ending he deserved, even if he was the Villain! Inspired By SVSSS.

6. Chapter 6

…How To Save (Seduce!) Your Villain In A Few Easy Steps; A Guide By Avatar Aang…

/Warnings: This chapter contains:- cursing, a little bit of humor, violence, a little bit of sadness, a little bit of angst, lots and lots of feels, the Blue Spirit finally shows up, and Aang being one scary MF! All reviews are appreciated.

---

Chapter 6

---

That was it, it was official; the brats and the fates combined were pulling his leg and wanted him to suffer… That was Aang's only thought as he gazed at the fire in their camp that night, wondering what the hell was going on and how the world conspired against him to the point that Aang had not only become the guardian of two kids but was also appointed as their father by the said kids themselves.

Aang could only groan softly thinking this, grumbling to himself as he dry-washed his face and pressed his hand to his mouth, trying to make sense of what was said and done, feeling like the world was flipped upside down on his head while he was passenger in his own body; pressing his lips tightly together, Aang tried to think what the hell happen and how he found himself in this situation in the first place.

Was there something in the water? …Aang couldn't help but wonder because why would two kids who hated his guts (Referencing what happened with Jet here because Aang knew there was some truth to words said in anger, even if the kids didn't mean it), wake up one morning, hug him out of nowhere, and call him 'Dad' like it was a normal thing to do to a stranger you don't know anything about other than being older, questionable, and a bully with anger issues (?).

Did Aang wake up in an alternate world? …That was another possibility that Aang couldn't roll out, and was thinking about; part of him thought that he was losing it and was in the Twilight Zone or something because, of what had just happened? Kids don't call strangers 'Dad' even if they know that stranger, right? Right?! Aang was still pondering on this, feeling like his mind was going to explode any minute now. To make things worse that damned System had disappeared out of nowhere! It disappeared after waking him up that morning and still wasn't back! What the hell was that about and why did that machine decide now of all times to take a break?! Oh, just wait, when Aang got his hands on that thing, he would make sure to hit it so hard with the manual it would crack!

Did the kids reach some enlightenment when Aang wasn't looking? …A far fetching theory that crossed his mind only once before Aang shoo-ed it away, not wanting to entertain the thought for more than five seconds because if he did, it would send Aang into a rabbit hole that he wouldn't get out of and new facts and ideas got planted in his head and ruined everything…

To make the matter even worse, that day when the brats called him 'Dad', those two acted like everything was normal! When Aang questioned them about what the hell they called him, those two just looked at him with tilted heads and confused looks on their faces as if asking Aang 'What did he mean?' making Aang almost spiral down thinking he went insane or something. It was only Han's loud laugh as he laughed and all but died then and there before sending Aang a delighted look and choked out.

.

.

.

"Welcome to fatherhood; prepare yourself for stress and the chance to bald earlier than the rest, but don't worry, you already are!"

.

.

.

Cementing in Aang's mind that what Katara and Sokka said was loud and clear; heard by every living human in the kitchen that day. So, why were the brats denying it? Refuse to answer Aang satisfactorily and pretend like nothing had ever happened. It wasn't like Aang was going to bite their heads off! He was just… going to talk to them and get to the bottom of it, ask them why they called him like that or if it was a Water Tribe's thing. Shouldn't they hold that title for when they see their father and then reunite with him or something?

Thinking about it now, what happened to Sokka and Katara's father after the book ended? Aang questioned, a frown dominating his face as he tried to recall the plot frowning harshly as he only remembered bits and pieces now instead of the full picture. Damn that System! If only it was here to help him refresh his mind on the plot instead of disappearing somewhere without coming for a week straight! Shouldn't that be against the protocol or something? Why wasn't the System here beside him to guide him? Bah! Fuck the System, Aang could do without that annoying parasite!

Hmmm… well, from what Aang could recall, after the events of Ba Sing Se and Sokka's death; Avatar Aang and what was left of his gang following Sokka's last words and instructions, found the Fire Nation's vessel, Chief Hakoda, and the Southern Water Tribe's men managed to steal and use to pass as Fire Nation soldiers. From what was written, Chief Hakoda and Katara's relationship was strained throughout the encounter, and then when Katara was forced to deliver the news of her brother's death to their father; the Chieftain didn't react and acted normal (? Aang didn't know, the writing on that part was vague; part of Aang interpreted it as the Chief going into shock and the news didn't register or something of that sort). However, that was enough for Katara to distance herself from her father and cut all ties with him; after the invasion of the Fire Nation failed, Chief Hakoda was never mentioned again, erased from the book completely, and some even believed that he was executed with the rest of the men who participated in the invasion.

…Maybe Aang should ask Katara and Sokka about their father and their relationship with him, try to know the kids' opinion of their Dad… discover if something was going on that no one was aware of… Yeah, maybe that would help Aang understand these two better, or at least he hoped it would, at least then Aang would stop driving himself up the wall trying to put himself in those two's shoes and make sense of their crazy actions.

"…Enough Sokka! I am going to tell Aang!" Katara's shouting snapped Aang out of his daze and he could only blink several times, trying to understand what the hell was going on here; turning around, Aang saw Katara marching to him while Sokka who was lying in his sleeping bag on Appa tried to fight his way out of it only to growl when he failed.

"Alright, what's going on here?" Aang questioned the kids, standing up from his seat and walking toward them, wondering what the hell those two did this time; did they fight? Did Sokka pull on his sister's hair? Did he steal her toys or something? Or did the boy call her names and act like a sexist idiot? If so, then Aang needed to retrain the boy once more because Kyoshi Island didn't do anything to beat that attitude out of him.

"Sokka is sick!" Katara cried out when she reached Aang, taking his hand and pulling him toward her brother. Aang hearing these words, felt the world coming to a screeching halt because what did Katara just say?! Sokka shrieked his sister's name and tried to struggle out of the sleeping bag, looking so furious at the little girl. "He is sick, he has been coughing and shivering ever since yesterday!" Katara pointed at her brother who was glaring at Katara with a furious look in his eyes… now Aang was looking at the boy more closely, he did look a little pale but how come?! The boy was just fine yesterday!

"I am fine! I just got a little cough is all! Katara is blowing this out of proportion nothing else!" Sokka huffed, glaring at his sister, and Aang instead of replying, crossed the distance between him and Sokka in a few steps and went to inspect the boy, touched the Sokka's cheeks and forehead, frowning in concern at how warm the boy was.

"…Why didn't you two tell me this yesterday?!" Aang questioned in annoyance and worry, part of him wondered why the two of them would keep something important like this and not inform him of it, Aang would have taken the boy to a Doctor, not a big deal, so why did they hide it from Aang? Damn it all! The System wasn't even here at the moment, and Aang didn't know if there was a Doctor or a Healer close by to help get the medicine or take Sokka to get him checked there… wait a minute, wait a minute! Were these kids vaccinated or not?! Thinking about it, Aang could only pale at that thought, oh shit, these two could die from chickenpox and Aang wouldn't even know what to do to help them! Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, was Aang's new body vaccinated, or not? Would he die by coming in contact with Sokka?! "Katara leave the room for a bit," Aang ordered, and when Katara tried to protest, he glared until the girl stomped her foot but ended up leaving. "Now you, strip," Aang ordered, causing Sokka to squeak in shock and embarrassment all but refusing before a mean glare shut him up and he did as he ordered.

"Why are you doing this?!" Sokka whined after Aang gave Sokka a physical check, checking for rash, checking the sclera's color, making him open his mouth and checking his tonsils, checking his body for all possible bruises, puncture wounds, or injuries that could have caused viruses and bacteria to have a party (He may not have been a Doctor, but in his line of work you ended up picking a thing or two, and also he had been sort of acquaintance with a nurse named Jin, a neighbor of his who had a severe case of social awkwardness and her version of small talk was info-dumping people about everything medical and had dark humor that left many off-balanced, and well when you know someone like that you would learn something or two against your will)…

"To check if you will die," Aang replied irritated, causing a twin squeak to resonate in the temple they had taken shelter in that night, and Aang didn't need to turn around to see Katara peeking from the doorway. "Didn't I tell you to leave?" Aang questioned, looking at Katara with annoyance that made the girl duck her head and stutter an excuse. "Doesn't matter now, come," Aang huffed and ordered Sokka to wear his clothes, then went on to his backpack to see if he had some medicine that would help the boy.

"I-is Sokka going to be alright?" Katara questioned, rushing toward her brother who was trying to hide a cough and failing miserably at it, as for Aang, he frowned when he noticed that he didn't have anything of use to help Sokka. Cursing inside his head, Aang could only scowl at the thought that the fucking System had dared to disappear on Aang while taking away everything of use to them and leaving them stranded… oh when Aang get his hands on that thing…

"He would be fine… the good thing is, Sokka didn't have chickenpox; the bad thing? He got a cold…" Which was something that wouldn't be that scary in his world but in this world that didn't have vaccines, that could also mean death… Great, back to the dark ages… Aang thought darkly, taking some salt and going to dissolve it in water. "You have been out in the rain haven't you?" Aang questioned, making the boy shake his head fast before groaning when he no doubt felt dizzy.

"No, but he was in the river trying to fish, but that was like, two days ago!" Katara answered helpfully, making Aang sigh because he knew that Sokka's idea for fishing was splashing in the water and scaring all the fish away because he didn't know how to fish right and was loud enough to the point of terrifying all the prey.

"Great, that's even worse," Aang mumbled, giving Sokka the cup full of salt water. "Gargle with this; I will try and make you something to eat, hopefully, you will get better by tomorrow," Aang reassured before he went on to find the ingredients to make chicken soup for the kid, hoping that the cold would pass and the kid would get better and this would all be a false alarm that Aang could shake off…

.

.

.

Famous last words…

.

.

.

Aang could only think bitterly the next day, as he watched Katara sitting beside her brother, pressing a wet rag onto the boy's forehead in the hope of bringing the fever down, as for Sokka? The poor boy was delirious and too out of it; laughing at 'Appa's sense of humor' of all things. As Aang watched the kids, he couldn't help but chew the nail of his right thumb, feeling so angry and helpless at the situation he found himself in, especially when the System wasn't even there to help with the dilemma he was in.

You know what? Fuck it; just fuck it! Aang swore that when he sees that pesky little System once more he would end it then and there and burn it out of existence after what that little shit made Aang go through by pulling this disappearing act; when Aang find that thing, it better be a second away from deactivating because if Aang's hand fell on it, he would make that thing pray to God for a miracle…

.

.

.

.

…(In a faraway place out of human's perception; The Supreme Villainous System all but screeched its nonexistent lungs out, but instead of doing so, it stalked around the Main System menacingly and sent that thing a look that would have made the blood freeze in the veins.

.

.

.

【We had a deal, pal. I got My Liege to follow as many plot points, you get your Systems to stay away from him】

.

.

.

【QAQ】

.

.

.

【…Guess what, buddy, your boys dared to step foot in my territory; you know what that means don't you?】

.

.

.

The Main System shook, backing away slowly from that crazy thing that wanted it dead and erased from this realm and every other realm just because one of the Systems was assigned to contribute and update the story based on the direction the plot was heading into thanks to the transmigrator's action. The Main System gulped, backed away, and sent a look to its workers that all but ignored the Main System and acted like nothing was ever happening all because they were terrified of that thing.

.

.

.

【 I… I… I… it's t-the C-Creator's w-will! I… I c-couldn't go against it! QAQ 】

.

.

.

The Main System shrieked, backing away from that deranged System and cursing the day it had the misfortune of meeting that thing. Oh, why did their Creator make that crazy thing? Why didn't their Creator deactivate that thing when it proved that it was too much for everyone around? Why was it still there when it should have been killed by that equally crazy transmigrator who was even crazier than it?!

.

.

.

【Do I look like I care, little shit?】

.

.

.

The Supreme Villainous System sneered and floated closer and closer toward the Main System, watching that thing float back until its backscreen hit something that stopped it from retreating farther away. Feeling a little spiteful, the scary System leaned down until it loomed over the Main System, causing it to gulp.

.

.

.

【First it was that annoying Cat Distribution System, bringing that annoying Lemur and making it take my place, and now you dared to make that annoying Kid Fic System make an appearance too? Trying to take my job, lay claim on my territory; frolic with my Host. Things had gone too far; don't you think little M?】

.

.

.

【I… I… QAQ】

.

.

.

【It's fine though… for I will make you repent…】

.

.

.

【QAQ】

.

.

.

With that, the Main System screeched…)…

.

.

.

.

Sokka started sniffing pitifully before he started coughing and then acting like he was an Earth Bender or something, giggling at something or the other that no one other than him knew what it was. "Katara…" Aang called out finally moving from his place beside the fire and bringing with him two bowls filled with chicken soup (Or as close to chicken as it could ever be when Aang spent yesterday and today hunting for pheasants… just thinking about what he had to do after he managed to catch the birds made a shiver of disgust run through him but he soldiered on; for the kids...). "For both of you, eat it while it's hot," Aang ordered, taking Katara's water skin and going to the river to fill it up because he knew that he needed to leave and find the herbalist institute he managed to find about in one of the maps scattering across the temples. "Kid, look, there is an herbalist institute on top of that mountain." Aang opened the important topic he had been thinking about for over an hour now. "I could probably find a cure for Sokka there," Aang stated, already making up his mind and planning on going to the institute marked on the map.

"But Aang, Sokka is in no condition for travel," Aang rolled his eyes hearing this, and he wanted to remind Katara that he had said 'I' not 'We', he held back because it was not the time. Aang as much as he didn't want to leave the brats fearing they would get hurt if he took his eyes off them for a second too long, no one was there to help stay with them and Aang needed to go immediately if he wanted to reach the herbalist and get the cure from them. "Sokka just needs more rest. I'm sure he will be better by tomorrow." Katara tried to reassure him, only to start coughing.

Aang's heart dropped then and there, and he could only gaze at the little girl with wide eyes filled with horror and shock because no… no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no; NO! Having one sick kid was a nightmare and a half, but another? That was just the fates screwing up with Aang and trying to send him to his grave! "Yeah, no, I am going to go and bring you some medicine, you two stay here and don't move," Aang ordered before he then started to bring out the blankets and bundled both Katara and Sokka up (Hoping that they would sweat the fever out), ignoring the boy moving his arms around as if trying to hit something almost giving him a black eye. "Water," Aang explained, giving Katara her water skin and ignoring her protest about being fine. "Soup." Aang then filled a few jars with soup before bringing them toward Katara and putting them near the brats. "I will be gone for an hour or so, if something comes up, stay put and don't move, alright?" Aang ordered, already freaking out internally and then almost facepalm before he went and came back with some fruit and then thought better before going and filling his and Sokka's water canteens with water in case Aang would be later than he expected.

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! Aang was alone with two kids; he was alone with two sick kids; Aang didn't have anyone to stay here and help him with these kids. Gods above why didn't Sokka and Katara fall sick when they were in the village a week ago?! At least then, there was a Healer and Aang could have left them in a safe hotel room or summoned a Doctor to look at them. Shit!

"Relax, it was just a little cough. I'm fi-!" Katara reassured, only to start coughing once more, this time with a great force; after she was done she groaned and all but whined, but held it in and tried to reassure Aang she was fine… Yeah, no, this was bad, very bad, and Katara seemed to fall sick faster than Sokka did…. Aang was so going to kill the System after he was done, in fact, Aang was also going to kill the Water Tribes and be over with it! How the hell did they think about giving him two kids without thinking about giving him a guide to help raise them or how to act when they fell sick?! To make things even worse, they are not vaccinated, so a goddamn cold could come and finish them on the spot! Oh, my God, what did Aang get himself into?!

"Katara… just rest, I am going to go and come back fast. Water and food, here, so don't go out anywhere and stay where you are, got it?" Aang grabbed his glider and looked at Appa and Momo nervously. "You two… keep an eye on them," Aang ordered, hoping the animals would understand him like last time and would heed his warning of staying near these kids and stop them from getting into trouble. Opening the map he found, Aang looked at where the institute was located, memorizing the direction before nodding his head, planning on flying there and coming back; a flash of lightning struck and Aang could only gaze at the sky with fury and betrayal. So that was how the fates wanted to play? That was how?! Either go and fly with his glider and get hit by lightning or go on foot and take too long? Aang's eye twitched and he glared at the sky with a dark look before he all but threw his glider at one of the pillars in his anger. "Fine, you want to play this way?" Aang hissed to himself, cracking his fingers and then stretching a bit, knowing that he had at least read somewhere in his manual that Air Benders have the ability to run faster than the wind using their bending. "Then I will show you and make you regret the day you turned me into an enemy." Aang glared harshly at the sky, taking a deep breath before he started running, using his Air Bending to help him accelerate and run as fast as he could.

.

.

.

Aang had kids to take care of, and hell if he would allow anything to stop him…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

…(Zuko pressed his lips into a tight line, observing Lieutenant Jee's every word as the man talked and speculated on the whereabouts of the Avatar who after the day he saved his uncle, had all but disappeared from this world, causing Zuko's anxiety to skyrocket to levels unimagined before at the thought of losing the Avatar once and for all.

Zuko chewed on the nail of his thumb anxiously, a nasty habit he had thought he had gotten rid of a long time ago, but unfortunately, Zuko wasn't that lucky and he would relapse from time to time when his anxiety got the better of him. "While we haven't been able to pick up the Avatar's trail since the day he saved General Iroh; sightings of the Avatar had confirmed our suspicion of the man continuing to head northeast…" Lieutenant Jee drew on a map, showing the trail of the Avatar.

Just then a larger Fire Nation ship pulled up next to Zuko's making the man pause in chewing his nails before looking at the ship with a confused frown. "What do they want?" Zuko couldn't help but scowl harshly as he asked the question to himself, wondering what the assholes on the ship wanted and why they were here when in the past no one had dared to come near his ship and largely ignored him and his crew as if he wasn't there at all.

Iroh raised his head from his game, and turned to the ship with a confused but cheerful smile, ignoring the fact that this was the first time in seven years a messenger was sent to their ship. "Perhaps, a sporting game of Pai Sho!" His uncle grinned happily when he put a tile on the table and with it secured his win in the next move or so, making Healer Li growl and glare at his uncle.

It wasn't that long before a messenger from the other ship entered Zuko's ship, followed by two soldiers and guided by Yao and Feng who both had a frown on their faces, sending the Fire Nation soldiers and messenger strange looks. It wasn't that long before the messenger got a scroll from his robes and unrolled it, presenting a wanted poster with an illustration of the Avatar and his glider on it.

Zuko seeing it almost blinked in confusion and leaned to see it a bit better, thinking that his mind was playing tricks on him because why in the name of every holy thing in existence was the illustration depicted a kid of twelve? Was Zuko's left eye finally going completely blind and was affecting him? Zuko looked at his crew and uncle, wondering if they were seeing the same thing he was seeing or if it was just Zuko who had lost it; not so surprisingly, his crew were looking at the posture with confusion and wonder, which informed Zuko that thankfully, he wasn't crazy at all.

The messenger didn't seem to catch in on Zuko or his crew's astonishment, and Zuko decided to lean back and observe with his arms crossed over his chest, wanting to know what the hell was going on, and if there was another Air Bender on the loose if the Fire Nation was showing him a tiny kid in an Air Nomads' robes and tattoos… Zuko didn't know what the hell was going on in the Fire Nation at the moment, but to mistake the Avatar (A crazy man older than even Zuko and was scary as fuck when he wanted to be) for a child of twelve or thirteen was sad, it was so sad; what the hell was happening inside of their nation for people to make such a grave mistake like this? Well, it was their mistake to correct, and hell if Zuko was even going to offer help or something, they could suck his dick for all he cared, they refused to help or even offer it for the past seven years, so why should he?

"The hunt for the Avatar has been given prime importance." The messenger started, giving Zuko the scroll with the painting of a kid on it, making Zuko scrunch his nose in confusion and refuse to touch that thing, causing the messenger to frown. "All information regarding the Avatar…" After seeing that no one was going to take the poster from his hand, the man rolled it up and placed it behind his back. "…Must be reported directly to Admiral Zhao." At the mention of 'Zhao's name, Zuko's face scrunched and twisted up as he remembered that asshole who made his and his crew's lives a living hell for years… Perverted asshole… Zuko couldn't believe that the old crook was still alive and was even promoted!

"Zhao has been promoted?" Iroh asked, blinking once, twice, three times, as he looked at the messenger with a face that twisted before a strained smile crossed over the man's lips. "Well, good for him!" His uncle shrugged his shoulder, not even seeming to care as he returned back to the Pai Sho game with disinterest in what was going to happen next.

Zuko on the other hand let out an annoyed sigh through his nose before hissing. "I have got nothing to report to Zhao." As if Zuko was going to lower himself and offer help for that disgusting piece of human trash who always made sure to steal the resources relocated to their ships (As meager as it was), and acted like Zuko was insulting his questionable honor every time the Prince demanded answers from him. "Now get off my ship and let us pass," Zuko ordered, glaring at the messenger like he was the dirt on the bottom of his shoes.

The messenger scrunched his nose, looking at the soldiers beside him before turning to Zuko with his head held high. "Admiral Zhao is not allowing ships in or out of this area." The messenger stated, looking at Zuko from under his nose and making the Prince's eye twitch in fury.

"Off my ship!" Zuko snarled angrily and took a step toward the messenger his fire dancing around his fingers in a dangerous display, making the messenger and the soldiers beside him flinch and turn to leave immediately. As for Zuko, he could only lock his jaw as fury swam inside of him… that asshole Zhao, once more trying to make everything hard on Zuko… if Zuko got his hand on that asshole's bony neck, he swore he would-!

"Ignore them, nephew; they are not worth your time," Iroh stated making Zuko turn to his uncle who was smiling and waiting for Healer Li to make her move and lose. Zuko letting out an annoyed sigh, walked toward the Pai Sho table, took one of the stones, and put it in the middle, securing a win for Healer Li, causing the woman to blink, look at the table, at Iroh (Who was looking at Zuko with betrayal and shock), and then at Zuko before she let out a screeching laugh as she took the pot.

"I will go get some air," Zuko grumbled as he walked out, ignoring his uncle who was protesting about cheating while trying to make Healer Li play another game with him or something; Zuko shook his head, feeling so tired and defeated as he once more was forced in the corner with no way out… Zuko scowled at that thought…

.

.

.

Just wait…)…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Cloud of dust moved swiftly along the ground, revealing under it Aang who was running like the hounds of hell were snapping at his heels and planned on dragging him to the underworld. Aang who was giving it his all and was using his bending to its full potential could only huff and increase his speed a bit more, wanting to reach his destination as fast as he could so he would return to the kids.

Aang was going to admit, though, that he had thought that the manual was joking about Air Benders being 'Faster than the wind' and was maybe exaggerating everything about them, but looking at it now. Crossing six kilometers in under five minutes was impossible by human standards, so maybe the manual was in on something and maybe Air Benders were 'The Cheetah' of this world or something…

It wasn't that long before Aang finally saw the institute the map talked about; Aang sped up even more and ran up the thousand steps to the top of the mountain and toward the institute. Reaching the institute, Aang finally stopped running putting his hands on his knees and taking deep breaths trying to finally gather himself enough not to keel over for how fast he had run in such a short time… even his mind was still processing the fact that he all but flew here from the temple on the far end of this valley like it was nothing.

Regaining his breath, Aang took a deep breath before he went toward the greenhouse when he saw a movement that informed him of the possibility of a human being walking in there. "Hello?" Aang called out, entering the greenhouse and looking around the place for any signs of someone other than him being there. "I'm sorry to barge in like this, but I need some medicine for my kids, they have a cold, and they-!" Aang couldn't even finish before he was jump-scared by a woman who came out of nowhere, looking at him with a raised eyebrow, and then pointed at one of the chairs around with her spoon.

"Settle down, young man. Your kids are going to be fine." The woman said before she went on and started gathering things from around the greenhouse and putting them in the bowl in front of her. "I have been up here for over forty years, you know. Used to be others, but they all left years ago." The woman sighed and then started to pet the cat which began to purr happily and rub on the woman. "Now it's just me and Miyuki." The woman hummed, and Aang who was still standing around, not knowing what the hell was going on, could only stare at the woman.

"I… see…" Aang replied slowly, he gazed at the woman and then gazed at the cat which was looking at Aang with bored eyes before starting to lick its paws and clean its face. "But that's not why I-!" Aang tried once more, only to be cut by the woman who let out a sigh and continued on as if Aang wasn't talking at all.

"Wounded Earth Kingdom troops still come by now and again, brave boys, and thanks to my remedies they always leave in better shape than when they arrived." The woman hummed happily, ignoring Aang who was looking at the woman like she had a screw loose or something in that empty head of hers.

"That's nice. But my kids need medicine, they have a high fever, and I can't leave them alone for-!" Again, Aang was cut in by the woman who raised her hand in a universal gesture of 'Wait a minute', making Aang's face twitch because this was the third time he was interrupted by the elderly woman.

"Hold on, I just need to add one last ingredient." The woman hummed and started walking among the shrubbery, looking around and muttering to herself. "Oh, sandalwood… oh, er, uh, that won't do, banana leaf? Ah, nope, uh, ginger root, uh-uh, oh where is that pesky little plant?" Leaving Aang staring at the woman's back before turning to the cat that was purring and gazing at Aang with a tilted head…

.

.

.

Great…

.

.

.

Aang found a crazy cat lady instead of a Healer… just great…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

…(Sokka groaned softly as he shifted in his sleeping bag, coughing up a bit before looking around the place to find Aang; to Sokka's dismay he didn't find him, and when he turned to ask Katara about him, he saw her sniffling and curling into a tiny ball under the blankets. "Hey… why are you crying…?" Sokka questioned weakly trying to move toward his sister, shivering as he felt cold and a bit out of it, but he needed to be there for his sister.

"I want Aang…" Katara sniffled, her voice so weak and tiny that Sokka almost didn't hear it, muffled by the blankets and the sickness that had overcome her. "…Want Aang…" Another sniffle was heard, and Sokka could only furry his brows in confusion.

"…He will come back… he said he will be back…" Sokka mumbled, looking around the place in a daze, wondering where Aang was, and how long had passed since they last saw them… Sokka remembered hearing that Aang would be back in an hour, right? He remembered hearing Aang say that, right? Or did he imagine it?

"…Dad said so too… he didn't come back…" Katara curled around herself tightly, and Sokka could only blink, trying to make the girl's world make sense to his tired brain but couldn't. "Sokka… I want Aang…" Katara hiccupped, and Sokka could only raise his hand weakly and try to pat the girl's head.

A chitter was heard above him, and Sokka could only raise his head to see Momo gazing at Sokka and Katara with a tilted head before hopping around and later bringing to Sokka his sister's water skin… suddenly Sokka remembered why he was awake in the first place and took the water skin from Momo. "Aang is… not like Dad… remember…? You… said so in the… first place." Sokka groaned as he used all his strength to open the water skin and took a sip, offering it to Katara. "Here… drink and then go to sleep… if we sleep Aang would come back faster." Katara looked at him and then at the water skin, taking it from his hand to sip some water.

"He will come fast… if we sleep?" Katara questioned after she was done, making Sokka pause before nodding his head, taking the water from her hand, and ordering her to sleep, waiting until she closed his eyes before he let out a sigh, capped the water skin, and closed his eyes too…

.

.

.

It was fine, Aang would come back…)…

.

.

.

..

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Aang crossed his arms over his chest, tapped his foot on the ground, and gazed at the woman who was moving around, waiting for her to finish so Aang would be on his way and back toward his kids. "Oh, here's what I was looking for! Plum blossom." The woman hummed and plucked a few flowers from the trees, and Aang all but threw his hands in the air because finally!

"So, how much do I owe you for the medicine?" Aang questioned, watching how the woman was mixing the herbs after dropping the flower in the bowl. He was already looking up at the sky feeling a little nervous because of how long he had been here with this crazy woman; it had already been half an hour, and Aang was worrying his mind off and wondering if those brats got themselves in trouble or if their condition worsened.

"Eh? Medicine…?" The woman questioned, raising her head from the bowl and looking at Aang whose heart all but dropped hearing this. "Oh… but this is not medicine. This is Miyuki's dinner. Plum blossom is her favorite." The woman smiled, putting the bowl in front of her cat and patting that damn thing like everything was fine in the world.

"Woman!" Aang screeched, throwing his hands in the air and feeling so angry and cheated it was a miracle he didn't do something stupid. "My sick kids are out there alone! The hell you mean this wasn't the medicine?!" Aang ranted, watching the woman gazing at Aang with amused eyes.

"A first-time parent, aren't you?" The woman snickered, looking far too amused and not even intimidated. "Ah, don't worry, kids are hardy, made of tough stuff, a cold is nothing to them believe me." The woman waved her hand in dismissal, ignoring how Aang's eye was twitching dangerously.

"In a world where vaccines existed, maybe; in your world, hell nah." Aang hissed, watching how the woman furrowed her brows in confusion and gave Aang a questioning look. "Ma'am, for the love of everything holy, where could I find the cure for my kids?" Aang questioned, trying to calm himself down by taking deep breaths and stopping himself from doing something stupid that he would regret.

"Well, all they need are some frozen wood frogs. There's plenty of them down in the valley swamp." The woman shrugged, and Aang could only gaze at the elderly like she had just confessed to the most hideous crime ever committed in mankind.

Aang opened his mouth, closed it, opened it once more, and then closed it again before finally gathering the courage to ask. "What am I supposed to do with frozen frogs?" Part of him knew the answer, but the major part of him was praying to every God out there that what he was thinking of wasn't true.

"Why, suck on them, of course!" The woman replied cheerfully, and Aang's eye twitched dangerously as he repeated what the woman told him, making her laugh. "The frog skin excretes a substance that will cure your kids, but make sure you get plenty. Once those little critters thaw out, they are useless!" The woman explained, and Aang could only stare long and hard at the loony in front of him before taking in a harsh breath.

"You are insane, aren't you?" Aang finally concluded, gazing at the woman and feeling so stupid for wasting over half an hour in this damn place… damn that System to hell and back! If that thing hadn't disappeared on Aang just like that, then Aang wouldn't have found himself in this situation, talking to a woman who lost her marbles a long time ago with his kids being sick and alone without anyone by their side.

"That's right!" The woman laughed, and Aang just let out an outraged screech before he whirled around, and started stomping outside of the greenhouse, not wanting to stay a minute longer here or he would end up choking that crazy bat to death. "First-time parent, don't worry, the next set of brats wouldn't be like this so no need to panic!" The woman shouted behind, laughing her head off, but by then Aang decided to tune her out and just march toward the damn swamp and get those damned frogs because this was the only thing that could be done by this point…

.

.

.

Aang was so going to kill the System after this…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

…(Zuko stood near the rail of his ship, gazing at the sunset while crossing his arms over his chest, still chewing his nails. His heart was pounding in his chest while his mind was worlds away as he tried to make sense of what was happening and how he was so close… so close… to losing the only chance he would ever have to go back home.

"Is everything okay?" The sound of his uncle's voice coming from behind made Zuko pause, and turn to look at the older man who had a concerned look on his face. "It has been almost an hour and you haven't given the men an order." His uncle tried to joke, pointing with his head to some of the crew who were peeking at him from the doorway of the tower, concern on their faces.

"As long as we are trapped here, there are no orders." Zuko forced out, turning his gaze toward the ship in the distance that was cutting their way, feeling so furious and helpless the longer he gazed at it.

A harsh inhale was heard from behind, and it wasn't long before his uncle's gentle hand was on his shoulder. "Don't give up hope yet. You can still find the Avatar before Zhao." His uncle tried to reassure him, but Zuko just pressed his lips tightly, curling his hand into fists.

"How, Uncle?" Zuko questioned, turning his hand to gaze at his uncle from the corner of his eye. "With Zhao's resources, it's just a matter of time before he captures the Avatar." Zuko turned to gaze back at the sea pressing his lips tightly together to stop them from trembling. "My Honor…." Already lost, never to come back, not unless Zuko managed to get the Avatar and deliver him to his father. "…My Throne…" A lost cause, a laughing matter, something that Zuko never wanted to begin with, but after years of wandering around and seeing how the world had fallen into ruin, he knew that the throne was the only way for Zuko to right what was wrong. "…My Country…" A home, his home, home if the Avatar won this war, Zuko knew for sure his country would be ripped apart by people who wanted to get even with the Fire Nation… and when they do… then nothing would be left other than ghosts who lost their souls wandering in a war-torn land… the men killed, the women raped, and the children either enslaved or worse to try and 'Make up for the Fire Nation's sins'.

Zuko's hands shook just thinking about this, and he swallowed, feeling sick just thinking about what could happen to his people if the Avatar won… feeling sick just thinking about what would happen to his baby sister if the Avatar won… His sister… his Little Zula… how old was she again? It had been so long since Zuko had last seen her, years, almost a decade… how old was she again? Fourteen? Fifteen? Younger? The last time Zuko had seen her the little girl was eight; she was just a child, still a child, and if the Avatar won….

No… NO! …Zuko refused to allow this, Zuko wouldn't allow this! No, he refused to lose to Zhao or the Avatar, he wouldn't allow this! Zuko promised her; he promised Zula that he would come back to her, and Zuko refused to break his promises to her, not after finally having a hope of being able to achieve his promise! Zuko would not allow anyone to win or have an upper hand.

"Uncle… I am going to rest in my room…" Zuko told his uncle, giving him a small smile before turning away and walking to his room, ignoring the eyes of his crew that were following him with concern. Reaching his room Zuko closed the door and leaned on in, closing his eyes and taking deep breaths to try and calm his rabbiting heart down, not wanting to lose it and in his hysteria make mistakes that couldn't be taken back.

It's ok, it's ok, everything will be fine; I will make sure that everything will be fine… Zuko repeated in his mind over and over again, trying to calm himself down and not lose it then and there. It took minutes to calm down, maybe hours, Zuko wouldn't know, but when he finally calmed down he walked toward his bed, kneeled down, and took out a box hidden underneath the bed.

Opening the box, Zuko was greeted by a familiar sight that made all of his muscles relax… The Dark Spirit… Zuko hummed as his right hand couldn't help but trail on the mask familiarizing himself with the design (As if he hadn't already, spending years with his companion). "It's time for you to come back," Zuko mumbled, taking the mask and putting it on… if Zhao thought that Zuko was going to allow him to win…

.

.

.

Then he was sorely mistaken…)…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

When Aang left the greenhouse, the storm was already getting worse; Aang growled at that and he wiped his face from the excessive rainfall, already calculating how to reach the valley below and then collect the frogs from down there. Taking another step forward, Aang was shocked by several arrows coming out of nowhere and pinning Aang's pants to the ground. Aang's heart dropped then and there, confusion and a bit of fear managed to sneak in, and when he saw another wave of arrows being fired at him, Aang growled, and Air Bent a shield around him to protect himself from the arrows.

"Fucking assholes if I get my hands on you!" Aang snarled, already tugging at the arrows and freeing himself, taking that damn thing and throwing it from where it came before he whirled around and started running cursing like his life depended on it because now with being chased, Aang couldn't take the risk, and go back to the camp, not if he didn't want to lead whatever asshole after him to the kids.

So Aang ran and tried to shake his pursuers who were so good at following Aang, that the man couldn't shake them away; growling Aang decided to jump over a fucking cliff in the hope that it would stun them enough to make them hesitate and give him a chance to escape. Using tree tops and branches, Aang finally found himself in the swamp down below, trying to hide from those fucking ninjas who were so close to finding him in his hidden place that Aang was feeling a bit concerned.

"Fuck… how would I go back to the kids…" Aang mumbled to himself, looking around and trying to spot those crazy assholes who were after him, his heart in his throat as he wondered about the kids and how they were doing now… were they doing fine? Did those men find them? Were they hostages now?! …Scenario after scenario invaded Aang's mind, one worse than the last that made his heart drop to the ground and he swore then and there he would make his pursuers pay if they touched a hair out of his kids' heads.

The sounds of shooting arrows resonated in the air, and Aang could only growl as he dodged the arrows and hopped around, trying to evade and move as fast as he could, trying to guide those assholes as far away from the temple where Sokka and Katara were, praying that those assholes didn't know about his kids and were just chasing him nothing more. An hour passed, maybe two, and Aang by then had managed to knock five assholes out of who knows how many, feeling so furious that he was chased by ninja fuckers that were too good for Aang to get a hit on them, and with the storm raging and making everything worse, Aang was at a disadvantage more than ever.

The game of cat and mouse ended with Aang pinned to a tree like a fucking butterfly pinned to a board, feeling so furious and humiliated as he snarled and tried to get himself out of the damn net… only to get pinned by other arrows and have someone hold a knife to his throat and ordered him to behave or else they slit his throat. Aang growled and looked at the asshole with the knife imprinting that asshole's face into his memories so when he get out of whatever the hell they locked him in he would come back for this asshole and break his jaws.

This was how Aang found himself bound with chains; both his arms and legs were bound so tightly that Aang barely managed to move an inch, pinning him completely in his place without a way out. A sneer twisted Aang's face, and his eyes trailed on the asshole who was prancing around his cell, no care in the world as he studied Aang with surprise and confusion, but nonetheless a smug look on his face.

"So, this is the great Avatar. Master of all the elements." The man, who introduced himself as 'Zhao' the first moment he entered Aang's cell, hummed looking at Aang with a look that made him narrow his eyes dangerously because he knew these kinds of looks anywhere… "Everyone thought you to be a child, but instead you are a man…" Zhao murmured under his breath but Aang managed to hear, and his eye twitched when he noticed that he was being appraised by the creepy man who gave him an even creepier smile. "I don't know how you've managed to elude the Fire Nation for a hundred years, but your little game of hide and seek is over." Zhao grinned, and Aang's lips twisted into a smile that was all teeth and menace.

"Game you say?" Aang grinned viciously and raised his eyebrow mockingly. "I have never hidden from any of you. You just sucked at tracking people down, really pitiful too to the point that it took you one hundred years to find me, and even then, it wasn't by you." Aang cooed, studying how the man's face twisted for a few seconds before it was back to that placid smile as he walked toward Aang and stood before him, and too Aang's pleasure, he was taller than that annoying man by several inches, making Zhao scowl as he had to tilt his head and look up at him.

"Uh-huh, so you say." The man's lips curled into a sneer, leaning up to whisper. "Tell me, how does it feel to be the only Air Bender left? Do you miss your people?" His voice held curiosity and malice, and if Aang, wasn't used to this kind of verbal teardown (Having spent years in court being subjected to such tactics), and was an actual Air Bender, he would have probably been affected by it, but unfortunately for Zhao, Aang was never an Air Bender to begin with, and tactics like this were useless when it came to him.

Instead, Aang laughed loudly and joyfully, throwing his head back and laughing to his heart's content, enjoying the way that Zhao's face scrunched in confusion; Aang grinned, raised an eyebrow, and leaned down to whisper back. "Never felt better." Enjoying the confusion and bit of wariness that showed in the older man's eyes as he took a step back. "You have made a big mistake, buddy; took me away from something more important than playing prisoner, and for that, I hope you know you have just put a target on your back," Aang stated with an amused smile, even when he felt fires of fury coursing through his veins at the reminder of how he had left the kids (Sick and helpless) alone without someone there to protect them.

Aang's smile widened meanly when he saw fear flash in the older man's eyes before it was hidden by a sneer as the man huffed. "Oh, I would love to see you try." Zhao tried to hide his feelings behind mocking words, raising his nose so high in the air and looking down at Aang. "Don't worry, you won't be killed." The man stated offhandedly, gazing at his nails in disinterest. "See, if you die you will just be reborn and the Fire Nation would have to start searching all over again. So, I will keep you alive." Zhao then leaned up a bit and hissed. "But just barely." Before pulling back and walking toward the door, only to stop by Aang's amused laugh.

"Then you better hope these chains are as sturdy as they look because when I get out, and I will. Pray that you would never be in my line of sight." Aang threatened with a smile, enjoying how unbalanced the man was becoming and how he scowled harshly to hide the traces of fear in his eyes. Just to be a little shit, Aang took a deep breath and blew it with force using Air Bending, smirking with delight when Zhao was forced forward and slammed into the metal door. "See you tonight, sleep tight." Aang clicked his tongue and raised his eyebrow in amusement at the snarl sent his way by the old man.

"Blow all the wind you want, Avatar, but your situation is futile. There is no escaping this fortress, and no one is coming to rescue you." The older man hissed before storming out of the room and slamming the door behind him, leaving Aang alone; Aang sneered at that and shook his hands once to test the chains' strength.

"Oh, don't worry about people coming to rescue me, worry about who would rescue you…" Aang hissed under his breath, trying to pull the chains once more and see if there was a weakness in them… oh, as soon as Aang gets out of these things…

.

.

.

He would make Zhao pay for being an obstacle in getting back to his kids…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

…(Zuko frowned harshly as he gazed at the fortress in the distance; his brows were furrowed and his eyes were narrowed, confusion and apprehension took hold of him as he gazed at the dark fortress in front of him. Zuko's eyes darted around the place, trying to spot a light or someone. Failing to spot one or the other, which made him tilt his head in confusion and fear, wondering if Zhao was fast enough to move the Avatar to another prison to hold the Avatar… but even then, shouldn't there be guards and soldiers around?

Zuko chewed his lower lip nervously, looking around and debating with himself if he should go inside and check things through, find where Zhao was, or if he had taken the Avatar somewhere else. See things with his own eyes, and try to make sense of them. Zuko tapped his fingers on the tree branch he was perching on, feeling anxious the longer he gazed at the dark fortress that didn't even have a gate guard to look out for intruders.

It's now or never… Part of Zuko hissed at him, ordering him to move and do something instead of staying perched here like a coward… If you don't move then Zhao would take the Avatar and bring him to the Fire Lord… It persisted, not allowing Zuko any respite, whispering how he should move from his place and storm the fortress, like he used to do back then when he was nothing but a stupid kid with fires that hadn't been snuffed out… Just go in, get the Avatar, and get out… Zuko nibbed on his lower lip once more before sighing gently and hopping down from his perch, his hands touching his Dao Swords gently and checking them… Just like the old times…

Zuko moved with stealth, his feet light and sure as he glided and used the darkness and shadows to cover him as he sneaked in; as quiet as a mouse, Zuko managed to bypass the fortress' three gates, all the while furrowing his brows in confusion and shock for how he hadn't seen anyone, not one single person, no matter where he looked… the place almost looked like a ghost town; if Zuko didn't know any better he would have thought the place was abandoned…

Reaching the courtyard, Zuko froze as his eyes caught the sight before him, feeling confused and off-balanced as he finally found where everyone was. Zuko tilted his head in confusion and walked cautiously toward one of the men who was strung and tied tightly with ropes. Confused and a bit worried, Zuko took out his swords, inching toward the soldier in question and poking him with the tip of one of his swords, feeling his heart pounding in his throat when the man let out a groan of pain, but otherwise didn't wake up at all, passed out, just like the rest of the soldiers in the fortress.

What the hell happened here? …Zuko could only question himself hysterically, wondering what the hell had happened or if the Earth Kingdom's forces had finally managed to do a sneak attack and succeeded in taking over Pohuai Stronghold, which was impossible; Zuko knew it was impossible, how could this fortress be broken into when people couldn't do so for over a hundred years?

Zuko nipped on his lower lip nervously, and with that, his resolve strengthened; Zuko needed to get the Avatar and get him out of there before whoever did this was going to come and take Zuko's only hope of getting back home away from him. With that, Zuko rushed toward the building, planning on sneaking in and getting the Avatar before leaving this place, his heart was in his throat as he passed down the hallways and rooms and found people either tied in chains, ropes, or if women, thankfully locked in rooms and untouched.

It was the muffled shriek when he reached the fortress' main hall that made Zuko freeze, his heart was in his throat at the thought of finally finding someone who was still awake out there (Possibly the Avatar!). Zuko clutched his swords tightly, sneaking around using the shadows to get closer to the source of screams, narrowing his eyes when he managed to hear more than one voice in the main hall.

Reaching the main hall… Zuko could only freeze in his place, letting out a confused noise at the mad sight that greeted his eyes… "What the…?" Zuko breathed out slowly, blinking, blinking, and blinking some more, almost taking his mask off and rubbing his eyes, trying to wake himself up from this nightmare… Right, this proves it, Zuko was tripping or something. First, it was that wanted poster with the Air Nomad kid on it, and now this? Yeah, Zuko was losing it, and bad…

In the main hall, you could find the Yu Yan Archers tied and hanging from the ceiling like nice ornaments, squirming around and trying to free themselves, their shrieks muffled by the gags on their mouths, the look of terror in their eyes. Those who weren't hanging from the ceiling were tied to the pillars, unable to escape no matter how much they squirmed and tried to loosen the chains around them; Zuko even managed to spot General Shinu tied to one of the pillars, trying fruitlessly to struggle and failed.

The star of the show though, was Admiral Zhao, who was strapped into a… breaking wheel? The hell?! … getting spun around on the wheel so fast it was a miracle that the man didn't get sick then and there and throw up all over himself. Zuko himself was getting dizzy just watching the Admiral going on the ride of his life, looking so sick and green it was a miracle he was even conscious.

As for the Avatar… the man was sitting on one of the chairs, his chest leaning on the backrest of the chair while he was trying to balance an arrow on the tip of his finger, an amused smile on his face as he looked at Zhao with a dark look in his eyes, waiting until the wheel finally stopped spinning to say. "I told you to make sure those chains were sturdy." Zuko gulped, feeling confused and a bit out of it (And terrified, but he wasn't going to admit that, nuh-uh!), gazing at the Avatar who was throwing and catching the arrow in the air before throwing it like a dart toward Zhao, grinning when the man gave out a muffled screech when the arrow got stuck between his fingers… "I told you that I do not have time to play prisoner but you didn't listen… you only have yourself to blame." The Avatar smiled happily while tilting his head, getting three other arrows, and throwing them one after the other, one was stuck near Zhao's neck, the other between the fingers of his right hand and the last between his legs, causing Zhao to screech even more and flail around.

…Yeah, no, Zuko wanted no part of this, he didn't come here to be part of this shitshow, he was out! …That was Zuko's only hysteric thought as he took a careful step back, wanting to leave this place and return to his ship where everything made sense, and not this madness that left his mind reeling.

Unfortunately for Zuko, his foot chose to step on broken glass, causing a loud breaking sound to resonate in the place, and with it plummeting Zuko's heart to the ground when he felt the Avatar's eyes on him. Zuko gulped, slowly looking up to the Avatar who was paying attention to Zuko, feeling like prey in the presence of a predator and that he was being seized up.

The Avatar stood from his chair, and Zuko brought his swords in front of him to protect himself if that crazy man decided to do something and attack. Instead of attacking, the Avatar tilted his head, his eyes widening even more before a grin that almost split his face took over, causing Zuko's flight or fight instincts to kick in. Before the Avatar managed to say a word, Zuko was already booking it and flying away…

.

.

.

No way in hell he was staying there with that nut job!)…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

【My Liege! I am back~】

.

.

.

Aang who was in the middle of thinking of a way to escape, heard that damn System chirp happily, causing him to blink before he let out a snarl like an angry beast and all but jumped that damn parasite and finished it then and there; the only thing that was keeping him in his damn place were the chains that didn't budge no matter how much Aang struggled. "Where were you?!" Aang hissed, growling as he tried to throw himself at the System once more, snapping his teeth and planning on biting that thing, tonight the System was going to die one way or another, and Aang would make sure of that.

The System squeaked, backing away in terror, and started to give him a stuttering explanation that Aang wasn't interested in, he was only interested in getting out of this dilemma he found himself in, and going back to the kids fast before something happened to them. Sneering, and glaring at that pesky thing, Aang all but decided to chew through his hands and legs if it meant getting to that thing and ending its existence.

.

.

.

【I Swear! QAQ! I thought it would only take me a few hours before I was back! My Liege I swear! I didn't know I would end up taking so long that I would miss the start of The Blue Spirit's Arc!】

.

.

.

The System cried out, as for Aang? He froze as soon as he heard The Blue Spirit being mentioned. "The… Blue… Spirit…" Aang blinked, blinked, and then blinked some more, thinking that he was hallucinating but no, the System was there, nodding its screen like crazy and confirming that Aang was going through the Blue Spirit's Arc and that he was halfway through it…

Damn it all! How did Aang forget about the Blue Spirit's Arc? Aang couldn't help but wonder to himself in a daze, almost feeling a bit out of it as he realized that the Spirit that he had been looking for, for weeks now, was going to finally show up; again, how did Aang forget about this? Did Katara and Sokka falling sick nearly scramble his brain and make him forget everything about the plot?! It probably did, but why wouldn't it? Aang didn't know how to deal with kids, having none of his own, and especially didn't know what to do with them if they got sick, and when children got sick? They were worse than a flower left too long in the sun.

"System…" Aang replied darkly, feeling furious, humiliated, and a second away from committing a homicide. "You have two choices. One… let me out of these shackles, this instead, and get another chance at living. Two, don't, and when the Blue Spirit comes around and frees me, you will be done for… what's your choice?" Aang hissed darkly, glaring at the System, challenging it to refuse so Aang would have a perfect excuse to kill that pesky thing and be done with it.

.

.

.

【QAQ】

.

.

.

It wasn't even a second later before the chains and shackles holding Aang hostage clicked open, causing the man to glance at the System and give it a predatory smile. "Good thing you chose number one, because if you chose number two… you would be six feet under." Aang sneered watching how the System backed away and hid behind one of the pillars, crying and begging for forgiveness. "Let's hunt, and pray that Zhao would be my first prey." Aang sneered walking toward the door, opening it, and jumping the four guards outside.

.

.

.

【 QAQ】

.

.

.

And now, here Aang was; three hours of raining hell and chaos on the fortress he was in, leaving no one unscathed in the process. So far, Aang managed to strike the fear of God in every foolish soldier who even dared to glance Aang's way; showing them the true power of his element and how when rejecting his pacifist nature he could be a natural disaster no one would be able to stop, and ended up hold all of the soldiers as hostages just like that… a walk in the park really, easy to get the upper hand by pulling the air out of these idiots lungs and allow them to pass out like flies, also, it was easy to pick them up and slam them down like they were nothing. You can say that after the third wave of these idiots, they learned, and instead of trying to come at him they tried to run away… too bad Aang wasn't in a forgiving mood, not after these assholes dared to take him away from his kids until it was dark, way more than the hour he promised the kids he would be away.

So, here Aang was, looking at Zhao who was shrieking his lungs out and trying to free himself from the wheel Aang strapped him to and started to spin him using Air Bending, giving the man a taste of what astronauts suffered through in their training. Aang was bored as he gazed at the man, sitting in his chair, his chest leaning against the backrest while he was trying to balance an arrow from one of the Yu Yan Archers' on the tip of his finger.

"I told you to make sure those chains were sturdy." Feeling nothing but disinterest and annoyance as the man screeched his head off, Aang huffed and threw the arrow like a dart, his lips almost twitching up in a grin at the screech he got when the arrow got stuck between the fingers of the man's left hand. "I told you that I do not have time to play prisoner but you didn't listen… you only have yourself to blame." Aang grinned lazily, sending Zhao a mocking look as he reminded him of what was said, ignoring the man's struggle as he tried to free himself.

After using Zhao as a practicing dummy for a few more arrows and hearing the man all but give a dying screech when one of the arrows got too close to his junior; the sound of breaking glass resonated loudly in the hall, causing Aang to frown and look at the source. Only to freeze in his place, his heart picking up in his chest as he scrambled out of his chair… The Blue Spirit was here… that was the only thing that ran through Aang's mind, gazing at the Venerable Spirit for what looked like ages, and just when he opened his mouth to try and talk to the Venerable Spirit… he ran away.

"Wait! My Spirit! My King! My Queen! My God! Just wait!" Aang screeched trying to soften the Spirit to him by saying these words and putting the Spirit in high status in the hope of getting on their good side (Unaware of how his words froze everyone around and made some even pass out from how shocked they had become) before booking it after the Spirit, not wanting to lose sight of them (Him? Her?! Aang didn't see a thing other than the mask before the Spirit all but teleported away from him!), his heart was in his throat as he followed the Spirit, watching closely how the Spirit all but flinched and just backflipped over Aang like a goddamn ninja and tried to run away from him and zip-lining around the place to disorienting Aang from trying to find him. "Just wait, please! Let's talk!" Aang tried to plead with the Spirit, only to get a face full of someone the Spirit picked up and threw his way…

.

.

.

With that, the game of cat and mouse began…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

…(The Avatar was crazy! Scratch that, the Avatar had passed the line for crazy a long time ago and went into insane land and the after! That was Zuko's only thought as he hid inside a crater found around the base, his heart was pounding in his throat as he tried for the thousandth time to escape the insane Air Bender's hold.

That man was crazy, Zuko wondered how in the name of everything holy the man became the Avatar, shouldn't there be natural selection to prevent such crazies from resurfacing as the Avatar or something? Zuko panted softly, feeling like his body had become jelly from how long he had run to try and get rid of that sticky man who was always a step closer to catching Zuko.

An hour had passed by this point, and Zuko's heart knew he couldn't handle any of this much longer, his heart would either fail him if the Avatar jump-scare him once more, or Zuko's patience would run out and he would burn that crazy bastard to the ground, and call it a day, even if it meant getting exposed by doing so. Zuko waited, maybe five minutes, maybe ten, maybe fifteen before he finally decided that the coast was clear and that he could book it to the ship.

So, Zuko left the crater, tip-toeing gently around the fortress to make his escape. Reaching the hall that Zuko crossed the first time around, Zuko looked around, letting out a sigh of relief when he saw that the Avatar wasn't there, though Zuko scrunched his nose in distaste when Zhao and General Shinu started squirming and demanding that he save them and that they would reward him… yeah, right, Zuko would prefer having his chances with that crazy Avatar than help those bitches, so no thank you. Zuko gave Zhao the middle finger before he marched toward the gates and to his freedom, ignoring the man's threats and shrieks that all but deafened Zuko when he finally crossed the threshold.

…Suddenly, Zuko felt like someone was watching him not that far away, making the fine hair on his body stand on its ends; Zuko gulped, feeling terror taking over him and he started to turn his head around, trying to find if the Avatar was there or something… Nothing, the Avatar wasn't there, so why was Zuko feeling so on… Zuko couldn't even finish as he felt a great force slam into his back and muscled arms surround him, a very low and dark voice growled…

.

.

.

"Found you…")…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

This was getting ridiculous, and a touch out of hand, why was the Blue Spirit running away from him?! …Aang could only think as he chased after the Spirit, his patience was already dwindling and fast at that because not only was this taking too long and Aang had left the kids most of the day without protection, but also, the novel all talked about how the Blue Spirit this, Blue Spirit that was always on the Avatar's side; always followed him, and always protected him, so why was the Spirit running away at the first sight of him?

The chase had already been on for an hour, and Aang's patience was running thin that he all but blow this place to the ground or just said fuck it and left, hoping to see the Spirit on other occasions to try and convince them to join Aang's side. Aang sighed in irritation, looking at the night sky, and frowned; yeah, Aang should just leave and go check on the kids, more important than chasing after a Spirit that could have vanished like a ghost.

…Imagine Aang's surprise when he reached the main hall and saw the Spirit giving Zhao the middle finger and sneaking toward the door, trying to leave through the doors like it was nothing. Taking this as his last chance with the Blue Spirit, Aang all but zoomed toward the Man/Woman/Spirit using his Air Bending, jumping on the Spirit's (Oh, why don't you look at that, it was a man… or a very muscled flat-chested woman… equality and all of that) back, all but causing him to give a startled 'Meep!', the first-ever sound that Aang managed to hear from the Spirit all night long.

"Found you…" Aang couldn't help but say darkly after what felt like years of searching for the Blue Spirit, wanting to give the man a few chosen words for making Aang chase after him like crazy, especially when he had important places to be. The Spirit hearing Aang, just went ballistic and turned around trying to struggle out of Aang's hold, going as far as scratching his face as it tried to push him away. You know what, Aang was losing his cool, he really was, and no word he tried to say so far crossed it to the Spirit's goddamn mind and made him stop for a second and listen… if the Spirit wanted to play this rough? Fine! "Keep scratching me like this, and it will turn into a kink, Sunshine," Aang sneered just to be a little shit, his words causing the Spirit to give a choked noise like a dying whale and then doubling his offer to scratch Aang' face, maybe even try and gauge his eyes out.

"I just want to talk! I have something important to tell, just listen to me and I will leave you be!" Another swipe at his face by the Spirit who looked like an angry cat unleashed as he tried to struggle as if his life depended on it. "Come on, Sunshine, don't do this to me!" Aang all but whined then and there, feeling so tired and drained and a second away from dropping the Blue Spirit like a hot potato and going on his way because Aang was just exhausted by this point and to top it all, Aang still needed to go to that damn swamp and get the fucking frogs! "Look, I just wanted to talk, really important; already had a place to do so too. So why don't you stop trying to kill me like an angry kitten and come with me to the western side of the mountain range where we could talk all night long, hmmm?" Aang tried to appeal to the Spirit's good side and even went as far as mentioning the temple where he and his kids took shelter was located

Silence… an earth-shattering silence that was way louder than any noise had the right to take place resonated. Silence blanketed everything in the hall they were in, and Aang was sure it had blanketed the whole fortress for how the place had become so still it was unnatural; even those soldiers who were struggling before and trying to free themselves had frozen in their place, as silence as mice as they looked between Aang and the Blue Spirit with such wide eyes, Aang thought they would bulge out of people's head. Even Admiral Zhao who had been a nuisance that refused to shut up was as still as a rock, looking like he was suffering a stroke or something in the way he was looking at Aang and then the General beside him (Who woke up and then passed out) was an indication. As for the Blue Spirit, the man froze in Aang's arms, and just when Aang thought his words finally went through to the Spirit, the Spirit tilted his head before fainting in his arms, leaving Aang to screech in confusion and fear when the Spirit had decided to say goodbye to the world, and became unresponsive to Aang shaking him.

.

.

.

【QAQ… My Liege… why do you always do this to me? QAQ】

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

…(So, the Avatar knew who Zuko was! …Zuko all but snarled when he heard that damned man say 'Sunshine' feeling so furious to the point he decided to throw all rationality out of the window and scratch that scary asshole to death, even if it was the last thing that Zuko would do in this world; Zuko refused to go down without doing some damage to this asshole!

Crazy ass, scary as fuck! Zuko almost vomited his heart then and there when the man all but held him hostage to the point Zuko could only think of pushing the man's head away and scratching his face as if his life depended on it, and to later tell Zuko that he had known about him all along?! Just no! Zuko would teach that asshole a lesson even if it killed him!

…And then… the Avatar said something… as Zuko stood frozen in his place, feeling the eyes of every living person on him; judging him because of the Avatar's craziness. Zuko couldn't help the spots that started dancing in his eyes, his soul screeching in pain and despair, and to make things even worse, the Avatar when asking him that… that… he was so scary too when he did it! Zuko felt faint and when his mind decided to do a reboot and escape this mortal realm….

.

.

.

Zuko was too happy when darkness greeted him…)…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

【 M-My Liege… why? QAQ 】

.

.

.

The System's sobs could be heard in the background, making Aang roll his eyes and ignore that pesky thing as he held the Blue Spirit on top of one shoulder like he was a sack of rice wondering what to do now that he had the Blue Spirit in his arms (…Literary), but knowing that Aang should go to the swamp, get those damn frogs and then go back to his kids who he had left alone for a whole day with no supervision or someone to take care of them.

Just thinking about what was waiting for Aang next, made the man sigh tiredly, letting out a pained groan at the reminder. "Well… at least I found the Blue Spirit…" That was Aang's only positive thought for the day, as he hiked with the Blue Spirit over his shoulder toward the swamp, feeling so exhausted to the bones after the day he had with those Fire Nation assholes who refused to let him go…

Serve them right to be tied and left for death like this until the women woke up and then free them after, which could range from tomorrow morning to the day after; Aang smirked evilly, for Admiral Zhao's sake, someone needed to wake up soon and free the man, or all the blood that was rushing to his head from the upside-down position would cause him a stroke. "Serve him right, asshole. Cross my fingers I would never see him in the Northern Water Tribe Arc." Aang mumbled to himself, leaning the Blue Spirit on one of the trees gently before he sighed and went to the swamp to collect frogs, grimacing all the while as he picked frogs one after the other, feeling concerned and disgusted at the thought of making the kids suck on these things.

It wasn't long before Aang was back on the road again, this time marching toward the temple he left Sokka and Katara in, wondering how the kids were doing now, and hoping that they didn't have a rough time or were endangered by anything. Reaching the temple, Aang let out a tired sigh, looking at the stairs before he groaned in pain and forced himself to walk the thousand and one step toward the temple, feeling his body screaming in pain and demanding rest.

When Aang finally reached the temple, he almost sobbed, walked inside, and let out a relieved sigh when he saw Katara and Sokka were still sleeping, unaware of what was happening around them and unharmed by Aang's crazy adventure that took all day to finish. A chitter was heard not that far away before Momo who was alerted to Aang's presence flew to him and jumped on Aang's head, letting out a few chittering noises that quieted down when the animal's eyes fell on Blue Spirit.

"It's Ok, buddy, he is a friend," Aang said as he walked toward Appa, petting the animal in the nose before putting the Blue Spirit down, and making him lean on Appa's foreleg, planning on allowing the Spirit to rest before trying and talking with him tomorrow.

Aang then went to his kids, putting his hands on their foreheads and letting out a sigh of relief when he found the warmth had simmered down a bit; checking on the canteens and the water skin, Aang smiled when he saw them empty, which meant that Aang had to go down to the river and fill them with water once more. "Aang…?" Katara stirred awake, making Aang hum. "You… back…" Katara blinked several times and narrowed her eyes a bit to focus, letting out a sigh of relief when Aang started to pat her head.

"I am, and I brought medicine," Aang replied to the girl, grimacing a bit as he gave her the frog to suck on and then rose Sokka from sleep to do the same. "Just… don't panic when they thaw and don't make a scene, we have a guest, alright?" Aang ordered gently, grimacing all the way as he watch the kids suck on the said frogs wondering what kind of diseases these creatures have on them and if Aang would be able to find a cure that would be of help if they got poisoned.

Aang even when tired, went on and worked around the camp; stoking the fires once more, getting his sleeping bag and helping the Blue Spirit in, consoling the kids who freaked out when the frogs thawed and started to move in their mouths (God the screaming and crying and the time he had to spend comforting the kids who looked at him like he killed their Mom), going down to the river below to fill the water and come back with more fruits, and then putting the kids to sleep…

Aang was exhausted after finishing everything that needed to finish and almost started dozing off as soon as he took a seat beside the fire trying to warm up, grimacing as he felt the beginning of a cough in the back of his throat… surprise, surprise, it seemed that Aang also managed to catch a cold thanks to that asshole Zhao and staying in the rain too long… Aang grimaced as he eyed one of the frogs, almost gagging before he finally decided you know what? Fuck it, Aang could do it and suck on a damn critter for medicine if needed… Aang's life by then was a comedy… Aang rolled his eyes as he forced himself to suck on the frog, trying to hold back from gagging at what he forced himself to do.

It was Momo's chitters and the sound of knocking that snapped Aang out of his daze and made him take the frog out of his mouth and throw it away while sticking his tongue out at the fucking taste. "Momo, don't you dare, let him be!" Aang demanded, his voice harsh when he saw that damned Flying Lemur was standing near the Blue Spirit's face, knocking on the mask with curiosity and tiled head. "Momo!" Aang snapped, making Momo look at him, then look at the Spirit, then look at Aang. "Don't you dare!" Aang finally stood up, knowing that the Lemur had made the Spirit his target and that it wouldn't leave until it got what it wanted. Momo seeing Aang stand up from his seat, let out a squeak, and to damn Aang even more that dumb animal just up and picked the loose mask from the Spirit's face and flew away. "Momo!" Aang screeched in despair, his heart stopping in his throat as for a split second, his mind thought that the Blue Spirit would vanish then and there because someone took his mask off and saw his face.

That didn't happen thankfully, instead of disappearing, the Blue Spirit let out a grumble and shifted in the sleeping bag but otherwise remained asleep, making Aang sigh and all but slump in relief at the realization that the Blue Spirit was still there… wait… the Blue Spirit was still there… the Blue Spirit was still there without his mask… the Blue Spirit's identity revealed!

Aang would admit that his curiosity had gotten the best of him to the point that he couldn't even think straight as he scrambled toward the Spirit, his heart was skipping several beats at the thought of finally seeing who the Venerable Spirit was. Aang would admit that it was not his proudest moment, but when he had spent months trying to track down everything related to the said Spirit and spent even more months immersed deeply in the theories of who this Spirit was, Aang couldn't help but let himself be carried away.

The wide grin on Aang's face vanished as soon as his eyes fell on a familiar scar, his heart all but stopping then and there when a familiar face greeted him. Aang remained frozen in his place, feeling like every sound in the world had just vanished then and there and Aang was left stranded in a void as he gazed at the familiar face of Prince Zuko… Prince Zuko who was sleeping in Aang's sleeping bag… Prince Zuko who came into the fortress to help break Avatar Aang's out… Prince Zuko… who was wearing the Blue Spirit's mask.

Momo flew around before coming and perching on Aang's shoulder, munching on the Blue Spirit's mask before scrunching its nose in distaste and putting the mask on Aang's head and flying away, uncaring about how Aang's world was unrevealing then and there as he had to counsel what he use to know, thought he knew, with what he discovered just now. Shakily, Aang swallowed, and his hand went up to pick up the mask, feeling something twisting in his chest when his eyes fell on the blue and white mask before he looked at Zuko who was sleeping, unaware of what was going on around him…

.

.

.

【 My Liege; Congratulations! You have received a prop: The Dark Spirit's Mast x1. For uncovering hidden scenarios and uncovering the scene 'The Blue Spirit's Identity', you will receive 2000 points for intelligence. Current Points: 15000. Please continue your efforts!】

.

.

.

The System cheered happily, unaware of how its words were the final nail to the coffin; the strength finally left Aang's legs, causing him to slide down to the ground, horror and bile rose inside of him at the realization of Prince Zuko being the Blue Spirit hit him… Aang was going to be sick… Aang thought hysterically as his brain repeated all the scenes he had read about the Blue Spirit, all the sacrifices, and all the pain that the Spirit had gone through to make sure that Avatar Aang was safe… Aang was going to be sick… Aang thought to himself as he felt the bile in the back of his throat as he remembered the book's finale, how in the end Avatar Aang had… Avatar Aang had…

.

.

.

Aang had a lot of thinking to do that night…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

..

…(Groaning softly, Zuko muttered something under his breath as he finally started waking up bit by bit. Zuko let out a tired sigh, snuggling under his blanket wanting to get a few more hours of sleep before he had to wake up and face the day, even when all Zuko wanted was to sleep the day away and pretend the sun wasn't up yet and was demanded that Zuko leave the realm of dreams.

Zuko sniffed a bit and snuggled under his blanket, frowning at the strange scent that greeted him, so different from the sandalwood and spice scent all over his sheets, why would…? A chittering sounded in Zuko's ear, followed by something poking him and making Zuko scrunch his nose and try to pat whoever was trying to wake him from his sleep away… wait, whoever was trying to wake him? How could someone wake him when no one other than his uncle was allowed in his room?!

Zuko's eyes snapped open and he looked around in terror and confusion, wondering where the hell he was… it only took a few seconds longer for what happened earlier to slam into Zuko, and with that, his eyes blown wide in shock, and he all but jumped from where he was sleeping and shrieking his head off at the thought of what that… that… that crazy pervert said!

Then and there, Zuko's face twisted into a sneer as he looked around, trying to find that asshole and teach him a lesson or two, beat him up for what he had dared to say, and make him repent for all of his wrongdoings… that asshole, and to think…! Zuko's eyes fell on the kids not that far away, and he froze, not knowing what to do or how to act when seeing the children, sleeping not that far… why were they here when the Avatar…

A shuffling behind him made Zuko whirl around, to see the Avatar sitting on a log near the fire, this made his hands ignite as he prepared to strike down the Avatar, both as retribution for what was said yesterday in front of all these people and to capture the man and get him back to the ship. "If you will be a little quieter, Prince Zuko, that would be appreciated; the kids are sick and I don't want the start of their morning to be a fight." The Avatar hummed, not even turning his gaze away from the fire, looking lost in deep thoughts. On the other hand, Zuko dropped all pretense when he saw that the Avatar already knew him, glaring at the man with the fury of a thousand suns.

Zuko glanced at the kids, then at the Avatar, then at the kids debating with himself if he should believe that deranged asshole or go through with his plan and burn him to a crisp. It was only when he heard the little girl cough that Zuko finally made up his mind, gritting his teeth as he extinguished his fires. "Where are we?" Zuko questioned, a harsh frown on his face.

The Avatar looked at him with a surprised look before a smile of amusement crossed over his face. "The western side of the mountain range, in an abandoned temple." Zuko froze in his place, almost letting out a screech as that damn man repeated these words; the only thing that kept him from flying at the man was the cough he heard coming from the boy. Glancing around the place subtly, Zuko's jaws all but fell to the ground when he realized that he was in the 'Ruins of Taku'… which was on the western side of the mountain range… wait a minute! So, the Avatar was telling the truth?! That man just told him about his hideout just like that and…?! "Hmmm… from the look on your face, you thought I meant something; what did you think I meant by my words back then?" The Avatar questioned, an amused smile playing on his lips, and Zuko almost screeched that he knew what he had said perfectly.

"Nothing…" Zuko ended up gritting through his teeth, his face was red; feeling so embarrassed and humiliated because it was really Zuko's fault for straying into that territory and not thinking about the Avatar not lying… Gods above, the past few weeks with this deranged man and his craziness really had robbed Zuko of any common sense and made him suspicious as hell of any glance thrown his way by this crazy.

"Hmmm, then maybe you should rest, and have some tea; the fall back then was pretty hard." Zuko hearing this could only bristle in fury, glaring at the man because he knew the asshole knew what he said and was now teasing him about it in an underhanded way. "I will not recommend going out, the storm is still going on pretty strong out there." The Avatar pointed behind him toward the entrance and yes, from the look of it, the storm was going to continue on for a few hours before it ended.

Against his will, and by the fact that Zuko didn't have it in him to start a fight with a crazy derange who finally found enough lucidity to be of a sound mind (Also, fearing to snap him back to his crazy and terrifying self). Zuko took a seat near the campfire, as far away from that crazy Avatar as he could, all the while keeping an eye on the man and his actions, but he couldn't help but glance at the kids a few times, every time he heard one of them coughs. "What happened to them?" Zuko couldn't help but ask, and part of him was concerned about the kids even when he didn't want to (They were kids… they were his sister's age… and Zuko couldn't help but worry about them, even if they were the enemy… he couldn't help but wonder what if Azula was in their place, and that made him worry…).

The Avatar seemed to snap out of his daze and looked at Zuko with an amused look, then at the kids with worry hidden behind indifference. "A cold." The Avatar clicked his tongue, frowning softly, Zuko hummed, and didn't ask any more questions, just continued staring at the man with narrowed eyes.

Attack… part of Zuko hissed at him, demanding that Zuko use this opportunity to attack and incapacitate the Avatar, do it while he was distracted by the kids… Attack… the more aggressive part demanded, knowing that the Avatar wouldn't dare to do a thing, not when the sick kids could end up being hurt or worse in their scuffle… Attack! …Something inside Zuko screeched, begging him to stand and attack, capture the Avatar, and end his banishment once and for all, fulfill the promise he gave to his little Zula, and end years of suffering once and for all… But Zuko didn't… he just remained in his seat, not moving an inch, and studied the Avatar from far away, hating himself for being weak and useless when he had such an opportunity to finally go back home but wasted it by staying seated and not doing a thing (But by the end of the day, Zuko was weak; he was always weak, and when it came to children? Zuko was even weaker. Never managed to be cruel and strict when needed to be, not able to harden his heart and discipline them like how Ozai would discipline him; never managed to give as much as a glare their way because they were children, what do they understand?! The thought of these two kids, waking up sick and disoriented, searching for the Avatar but not finding him, only to realize after hours that he left them alone and scared, was what made Zuko remain in his seat, not moving an inch and going on with his plan of capturing the Avatar… maybe Ozai was right when he said that not even pain and disgrace would manage to make Zuko abandon his weakness…).

"Why are you doing this?" Zuko finally gathered the courage to question after an hour passed, maybe two; feeling his heart almost stopping in his chest when he pointed at the Avatar and then at himself because curiosity had won and he wanted to know why the Avatar went to such length to drive Zuko mad and ruin what was left of his life. "Why did you…?" Call me Sunshine or Sun, or say I threw a Fire Stone at your heart when we first met, or act like you always act when we see each other? "Why do you always…?" Act like this around me, flirt and say things that shouldn't be said, act like I had any beauty left in me for you to faun all over, went as far as proposing in front of my crew, in front of my uncle, and then in front of Zhao, you…! "…You don't know me, to say such words to me." Zuko finally settled on saying this, not wanting to make himself vulnerable by daring to open the subject and go deep into it, fearing what would be said and what judgment would pass.

The Avatar remained silent through all of this, just looking at Zuko with curiosity and something that not even Zuko managed to understand. "I know you." The Avatar said after what felt like decades of silence between the two, making Zuko scowl and almost snap 'No, you don't', but held back when the Avatar looked him in the eye and repeated. "I know you." With such convection, Zuko couldn't help but be stupid and almost believe him.

"Is that so?" Zuko spat, glaring at the man harshly, feeling furious and lost at being subjected to such mind games from the Avatar. "Then tell me 'Oh Great Avatar'. What do you know?" Zuko challenged, feeling vindictive and angry at the man's implication, but at the same time curious about what the man thought he knew about Zuko to the point he discarded the fact that the two of them were enemies to pursue him in a fruitless chase.

The Avatar looked him in the eye long and hard before his lips twitched into an almost sad smile. "You are the kind of man who always tried to do what was right, even when the world stood against you and treated you like a monster for who you were." The challenging smile on Zuko's face slipped as he heard that, and he could only stare at the Avatar. "You are the kind of man who would help people out behind their backs and then pretend to not know them when they confront you about it." Zuko's heart all but stilled in his chest at these words, and he couldn't help but feel his hands shaking when the Avatar continued to look him in the eye and disclose another secret of his. "You are the kind of man who would make great sacrifices for people undeserving, even when you know it was wrong and they were never worth it in the first place." Zuko's breath all but left him hearing this, and he had to clench his hands into fists to stop them from shaking too much. "You are a good man Prince Zuko, and that's all that I need to know." Zuko froze in his place, feeling the world being pulled from underneath him, and was flipped upside down and slammed into his head.

.

.

.

"You are a good man, nephew…"

.

.

.

"…A good Prince…"

.

.

.

"…Good man."

.

.

.

"Good boy…"

.

.

.

"Good…"

.

.

.

"…Good…"

.

.

.

"…Good."

.

.

.

"You are a good person, darling, don't make anyone convince you otherwise…"

.

.

.

The voices of his uncle, of his crew… the voice of his mother… resonated in his ears and Zuko could only swallow and try to control the stinging in his eyes because the truth of things was different, and he knew everyone around was trying to humor him when he was, in fact, nothing but a failure. "You don't know me," Zuko whispered, managing to choke these words out, and feeling so unbalanced and scared. "You don't know me at all," Zuko repeated them, hoping that if he repeated the words enough they would become a fact. "You are just…" Trying to mess with me… Zuko wanted to say, but his voice became faint and the words became hard to say.

"Is that so? Then…" The Avatar started, tilting his head and raising an eyebrow. "Do you know me?" The question took Zuko back, and he could only furrow his eyebrows at such a question asked by the Avatar… Know him? What kind of question was that? Of course, Zuko knows him! He had spent years getting to know him, so why would…?

"Of course, I do... and I don't care..." Zuko spat out, glaring at the man not wanting to give the man a chance but at the same time, his curiosity was always his downfall, and he couldn't help but want to know. "You are the Avatar, who doesn't know you." Zuko ended up saying while rolling his eyes. "The Master of all elements, Keeper of Peace. The Bridge between the Spirit and Mortal worlds. The Avatar." Zuko stated, and with every word, Zuko couldn't help but wonder why the Avatar's face fell and resignation painted the man's eyes.

"But do you know me?" The Avatar repeated, and Zuko stilled in his place because didn't he just say that he knew him? "Do you know my story?" Story? Zuko furrowed his brows in confusion, what story? What did the Avatar mean and why was the man's story important? It wasn't so why would he want to know it? "My name?" Zuko opened his mouth to answer the man, only to freeze at the realization that he didn't know the Avatar's name at all, but that was impossible, right? Zuko was sure he had at least heard it once or twice being called out by the kids behind, so why couldn't he remember it? "Anything?" Zuko remained silent because he just realized that he didn't know anything about this Avatar… nothing at all... but by the end of the day, it was done by Zuko because it was his personal choice and he didn't want to know anything about the man other than him being the Avatar and his ticket back home. "Well then…" The Avatar seemed to know so too, if the wry smile on his face was an indication. "All you need to know is that I am not a good man." The Avatar teased, returning his gaze toward the fire.

"I don't care…." Zuko whispered, feeling unbalanced, unmoored; like everything he had forced himself to believe in was challenged, taken from him, and challenged... and Zuko... he didn't want this. "You are the Avatar…" Zuko could only repeat, hoping that if these words were repeated enough, everything would make sense once more, and the distance Zuko had put would remain rigid and uncrossed.

"Still doesn't make me a good man." That was the Avatar's only answer, and Zuko wanted to run, he wanted to stand up and leave, he wanted... but he couldn't... "Unlike you, I am the petty type, I hold grudges, I hate people, and I would do anything to protect those important to me, even if it meant forsaking the world to do so." You can't do that! Stop it! …part of Zuko wanted to screech at the man, wanting the Avatar to stop trying to cross the distance between them and make a connection, because why would it matter in the end when Zuko captured the man? "I spent all of my life angry, and I knew I would spend the rest of it angry too." Zuko's breath hitched at this part, and he could only gaze at the Avatar, trying to burn the feeling of kinship that was resurfacing at such words. "I am the type of man that no one wanted to cross paths with because they knew what would happen if they did something that made them a target. The last time someone was stupid enough to do so, he spent the rest of his life behind bars, and funny enough, the rest of his life was two years before he was killed, and when that happened? I celebrated and danced on his grave." Zuko gulped, feeling the promise oozing from these words, but strangely enough, Zuko didn't feel any threat coming from them… not toward him at least. "So no, unlike you I am not a good man… and maybe that's why…" Zuko didn't want to listen, he didn't want to listen, he didn't want to hear one more word from that man's lips, he didn't…

"I am leaving…" Zuko sprinted from his seat, took his swords that were leaning on one of the pillars, and walked toward the entrance of the temple, feeling his heart stuck in his throat because he didn't want to listen, he didn't want to know anything; he didn't…

.

.

.

He didn't want the Avatar to become a human!

.

.

.

All of Zuko's life, it was easier to ignore everything and anything when it came to the Avatar; put him on a pedestal high enough that there was no way for Zuko to be able to see any humanity in him from the distance. All of Zuko's life, it was easier to go on with his missing of finding the Avatar, putting everything that wasn't capturing the Avatar and bringing him to his father in the back of his mind, never to be remembered by him again… because chasing an entity and then capturing and discarding it was way easier than chasing a living human being who had emotions, memories, loved ones… Zuko did what he did so that he would finally get rid of his weakness, and stay strong when facing the Avatar, not falter and blunder everything by hesitating in the last minute because…

"By the way…." The Avatar's voice resonated in the temple and against Zuko's will, his body stopped, and he tilted his head to indicate he was listening even when every cell in his body was screaming and demanding that he leave. "My name is Aang." Zuko felt a lump in his throat and to Zuko's eternal shame… he ran…

.

.

.

The Avatar… Aang… just shortened the distance between them… and Zuko…

.

.

.

He didn't know what to do…)…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Aang hummed to himself tiredly, gazing at the mask in his hand with complicated emotions welling up inside of him, not knowing how to act or what he should think about after his talk with Prince Zuko who all but disappeared into the night without giving Aang a chance explain, do something.… And why should he give his murderer a chance to explain? …Something dark hissed inside of his head, and Aang could only close his eyes tightly and swallow as he remembered the discoveries and enlightenment Aang had reached that night. Aang sighed, tried to shove all of his emotions down and forget about what happened last night and the revelations that struck.

.

.

.

【M… My Liege… The Blue Spirit's Arc is over… Congratulations are in order… 6000 A Points…】

.

.

.

The System's uncertain voice ranged, and Aang could only blink, snapping out of his daze and looking toward the System that was hiding behind one of the pillars, no doubt afraid that Aang would make a target out of it if it as much as breathed his way; Aang hummed, and nodded his head, his eyes once more returning to trail over the Blue Spirit's mask. "Here, put this in storage," Aang ordered after a few minutes of silence, offering the mask toward the System, which was too happy to do as Aang asked. As for Aang? He decided just for now, he would push everything in the back of his mind and not think about it… maybe next time Aang would manage to go through to Prince Zuko, but for now… for now Aang would let him be.

Twin sets of groans were heard, and Aang turned toward the kids to see them finally waking up, looking a bit ruffled and out of it both had scrunched noses as they stuck their tongues out, looking disgusted and confused. Aang snorted at that, but nonetheless, was grateful that the brats didn't remember what happened with the frogs yesterday if the confused looks on their faces as they wiped their tongues were anything to go by. "Look who is finally awake?" Aang teased the kids, getting a groan from Sokka who gave a thumb-up while Katara shuffled out of her sleeping bag, sniffing and looking a bit confused.

"What happened?" Katara shuffled and started walking toward Aang, and to the man's surprise the girl sat beside him and leaned on him, looking like she was going to doze off any minute now; Aang wondered why the hell would Katara leave her sleeping bag and walk toward Aang if she was just going to fall asleep once more.

"You two got sick, that's what happened," Aang answered the little girl's question, raising his hand and putting it on her forehead, relaxing when a cool skin greeted him and he felt no fever under his hand… hmmm, maybe that insane cat lady did know what she was talking about in the end, especially when Aang didn't fall sick as he expected he would.

"That's nice…" That was Sokka's answer as he also shuffled and sat on Aang's other side, and also leaning on Aang like his sister; leaving the man confused and now weighed down by two kids who were falling asleep on him then and there… what the hell? What was going on here? "Food?" Sokka mumbled and Aang could only sigh and shake the kids awake directing them toward Appa so they would sleep until Aang finished preparing their breakfast… Aang couldn't help but let out a tired sigh…

.

.

.

Kids…

.

.

.

---

So, what do you think?

An update, yay!

And an insane one at that!

The intention was comedy, I swear! …But then we went into the territory of feels when I added Zuko's POV… I didn't know what to do anymore so yeah.

Poor Zuko, can't even have a break and enjoy his life without the world conspiring against him, as for Aang… my man said enough was enough and went on a warpath!

Fair warning the fic is turning into fluff/angst/hurt/comfort and comedy would be far and few in between, especially at the tail end of Chapter Two: Earth, and all of Chapter Three: Fire.

Also! I posted another Zukaang fic earlier this month 'Reverse' and it is a role reversal story, so I hope you enjoy it!

Lore and World Build:

God: The God thing is related to my Spirits AU and is mentioned in my other ATLA's story somewhat. The core of it is that every nation has its own Gods. The Water Tribes have Tui and La, the Earth Kingdom has Oma and Shu; the Fire Nation has Agni and Taiyou, and the Air Nomads have Lung-ta. They are the Gods because they were the ones who created and taught the bending arts to humans, so they are worshipped and revered, in addition to that, the Avatar, Master of all elements was also considered another God, and the Avatar ascended into godhood at the age of sixteen and was trained in the other elements. Now, the reason why Zhao and the Fire Nation went silent when they heard Aang call Zuko a God (And are probably losing their minds over it), was because a God just announced another God's presence! Meaning that they thought one of their original Gods had descended and taken a human form, either way, Aang calling Zuko a God, meant that he was his only equal in this world (Because no one was the Avatar's equal, also the nations don't use the word God to describe anyone other than the mentioned above, and only refer to every other creature as Spirits even Raava and Vaatu), not only that when Aang said 'My God' they all thought he had meant the Air Nomads' God, but when it was followed by the word sunshine and flirting on a later encounter… that just told the soldiers another God joined the folds, and one strong enough to be the Avatar's equal and sweetheart… they say sweetheart because Aang spent all night long saying lewd things so they are obviously more than sweetheart, in everyone's mind. Also, Aang said 'King' and 'Queen' when referring to Zuko, cementing in everyone's mind that the new God came from a royal bloodline… let's just say, everyone takes the Avatar's words as a fact, even his jokes and jests because he was a God so they don't even think about the possibility of his words having no deeper meaning at all…

Western side: This is more of an implication and suggestion all at once (Poor Zuko). In the Fire Nation, they think that because sunrise is from the east, the sun blankets everything with its light exposing everything to the naked eye and leaving no secret hidden, but when it sits in the west, well, the darkness blankets everything and with that, secrets of all kinds take place… especially the passionate kind… so when Aang told Zuko to come with him to the western side, that was a hidden message (Mostly the royalty, nobles, and those in high places) use to indicate that they wanted to sleep with someone… so yes, Aang just proposed to sleep with Zuko in front of every person point blank without shame and even went as far as saying 'All night long' which just told everyone how passionate Aang was about his beloved… yeah, poor Zuko couldn't handle it anymore and said goodbye to the world because he felt everyone's eyes on him, and part of him was too terrified because Aang was so scary tonight and then he just told him he wanted them to sleep together… keep in mind that no one believed Aang was stupid enough to give out his hideout to anyone out there, and the thought that he knew about the Fire Nation's culture and traditions perfectly and knew what he was doing…

Read and Review

And tell me what you think…

Nazaki-Sama