Dirty Doug
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Chapter 7: In which time is the enemy and also an ally
🕑 Added 2025-08-14 20:39:55 +0000 UTCNight had fallen, and so had the mist that clouded my perceptions once again.
I was once again in the room I had been given to sleep in, and I found myself uncomfortable, not because of my cross-legged position but because of the energy flushing through my veins.
That and the fact that I was a little tired after three days of no sleep.
The Comet was close now; this was the last day before its arrival, and there was so little time.
I noted there was another heat presence in my room, and I reached out, feeling the fluttery presence of someone who could only be Anya, the airbender, who was actually the Avatar.
“Do you enjoy watching people sleep?” I asked curiously.
A squeak echoed through the room as Anya leaped several feet into the air. I opened my eyes to see a guilty-looking Anya balanced on her staff.
“No! That’s not what this is!” she exclaimed, her grey eyes wide, waving her arms back and forth.
“What is it then?” I asked, concealing my amusement at her flustered expression, my face a dour mask.
“Uh, I was, uh, coming to wake you up?” Anya said in a questioning voice that made her sound completely unbelievable.
“Were you?” I asked.
“Yeah, totally!” Anya grinned sheepishly, seemingly settling with that answer.
I stood up, yawning and stretching my limbs out, “Why?” I asked.
“Sister Iio wanted to see you,” Anya shrugged her shoulders awkwardly
That actually was a rather reasonable excuse, so I decided to let it slide for now.
“All right,” I continued, stretching my limbs out to make sure the blood was flowing properly, going through a couple of breathing exercises as I did so.
“It’s so warm in here,” Anya commented, looking about in curiosity, “Is it because you’re a fire bender?”
“Something like that,” I shrugged my shoulders, “I’m ready to go.”
Anya startled before she nodded and turned to exit the door. She led me through the temple to another balcony area where, this time, six women sat in a half circle on cushions.
They were not speaking to each other and, for all the world, looked to be locked into their own meditations, but they did not seem actually relaxed.
“Thank you, Anya,” Siter io said, “You may leave.”
I felt Anya stiffen and her face screwed up in an annoyed expression for a moment before she released a breath and walked outside the room.
I remained standing, crossing my arms behind my back as if I were giving a report, and waited.
A long moment of silence stretched between me and the masters.
Finally, one woman, rather aged, spoke up, “Sister Iio has told us that you believe the Fire Nation is coming to kill all of us.”
“Yes, that is true,” I nodded my head.
Another master spoke, “Tell us, Zuko of the Fire Nation, why should we believe what you have to say?”
So the crux of the matter is what we would approach first: “There is no physical evidence that I can present to any of you; my only evidence is my knowledge, and that even now I can sense the nearing of the comet, you have at most this day to leave before the Fire Nation will come, they will be here tomorrow.”
“Which are but your words and your say so,” another woman with long brown hair said.
“Yes,” I acknowledged, “That is true.”
“So why should we believe you?” another one of the masters asked.
“Because if you don’t, the airbenders as a whole will be destroyed,” I said softly, “I came here to do what I could to save your people.”
The masters did not shift, but I noticed a slight uptick of heat in their heads, though I could not guess as to why.
“And how do we know that you are not here in furtherance of that plan, regardless?” the woman with long brown hair said, “You could be attempting to displace us from our temples to make us easier targets. These temples have protected us since time immemorial.”
“I understand,” I bowed my head, “The Fire Nation is determined, though; they have found routes to each temple, and they have mustered and gathered forces nearby, have you not seen any of them?”
There, there was a faint ripple of movement among the masters as if my words had finally made their mark.
The records were spotty of the genocide of the air nomads, especially because of the way that the Fire Nation had dealt with the records of the event, by portraying the Air Nomads as the aggressors.
I had realized, though, that transportation should be a severe issue, especially one hundred years ago.
The Fire Nation troops could not have appeared from nowhere, even if they were hidden, the airbenders could fly; surely they must have seen something.
“There have been… some words spoken on that topic,” one of the other airbending masters allowed, “We have seen some people of Fire Nation description, but surely what you are suggesting is beyond the pale.”
Right then, here was the time to lay knowledge that could only be known by me, knowledge I had confirmed with the diaries written and placed in the catacombs.
“Are any of you aware of how the last Avatar died?” I asked.
Silence was my answer as the airbenders stiffened as they looked at me.
Finally, Sister Iio responded with hesitation, clear in her tone, “He died in halting the flow of a volcanic eruption in the Islands of the Fire Nation.”
I raised an eyebrow at her words, “And how do you suppose the Avatar, Master of all four elements, was killed by a mere erupting volcano?”
Silence but for a shorter period of time.
“Are you suggesting that the Avatar was murdered?” one of the masters asked.
I hesitated a carefully calculated amount of time before I reached to my brow and rubbed the pale white strands of my hair in between my fingers consciously, “I am not suggesting anything, only that it is fortuitous indeed for the Fire Nation’s desire for expansion that we reside in a world bereft of an Avatar. An Avatar who died in the Fire Nation while working with the Fire Lord to prevent an eruption from destroying the Island the Avatar lived on.”
“How do you know this?” the woman with brown hair asked, her face noticeably pale from my words.
Well, it hadn’t been a card I wanted to play, but perhaps given the spirituality of the air nomads…
“The spirits have blessed me, as you can see, I am here on their direction,” I said, tracing a path to the truth with my words.
The eyes of the masters now focused on my strand of white hair.
This was my plan that I had spent a day and night thinking about: if I could convince the masters that my knowledge came from the spirits themselves, I had hope their spirituality would lend credence to my words.
The words were hopefully most effective now, in front of all the masters, revealing as much as could be believed.
Sister Iio spoke, “You have given us much to think on; we will let you know our decision after our deliberations.”
I withheld a snarl of frustration as I bowed my head to the airbending masters.
It was a clear dismissal.
“By your leave, Masters?” I asked.
“You may go,” said the woman with long brown hair.
I turned, exiting the room, clenching my fists tightly to avoid letting off any sparks. I walked the halls of the air temple, taking in the sights, unable to shake the feeling that I was looking at people who were already dead.
And I was letting them down, but what could I do?
My voice only had the weight of my convictions and my knowledge; there was no time to prove myself to the Air Nomads as I had to the Northern Water Tribe.
I found my way to an open courtyard positioned on the edge of the mountain and found no one within, merely a fountain that bubbled in the center and white paved stone about the area.
I stepped out to the edge, trying to contain my frustration, the helplessness.
Finally, with a shout, I let loose a punch that bloomed a column of blue fire off the side of the mountain.
Only three days, but today was the real last one as far as getting the airbenders to flee, if the airbenders did not flee today, it would be even harder tomorrow, this was a problem I could not solve with firebending or waterbending, or rather I could show them my bending abilities but I was unsure of said result. If I showed them both bendings and they decided I was the Avatar I might have more weight in my words, yet at the same time the moved seemed almost emboldening, would they not expect the Avatar to be able to protect them?
Not to mention the possible confusion that would be incited given that they believed Anya to be the Avatar. What consequence would there be if they thought there were two Avatars? Shouldn't the fact I was spirit blessed be enough?
“Would one more day have been too much to ask for?” I muttered into space, sighing to myself.
Agni’s gaze warmed my skin, and I closed my eyes, letting the sunlight fall upon me, wondering if he would say anything, if there would be any indication of the validity of my choices.
“Spirits,” I mumbled, not sure if the words were a prayer or a curse.
I felt a heat presence approaching me, and I turned to see Anya looking like a wary rabbit mouse crossing the ground as she approached me.
She made it to a couple of steps in front of me before she stopped, “Are you okay?” she asked nervously
Unable to help myself, I snorted, and she flinched immediately, “I’m sorry-“ she immediately said.
I shook my head, “No, it’s fine, thank you for asking, I appreciate it.”
“Really?” Anya asked, shifting slightly on her feet, “You mean that?”
“Of course,” I grinned at the girl, “I appreciate the thought behind it at least.”
“Oh,” Anya’s face twisted as she seemed to war with herself, “You still won’t tell me why you’re here, will you?”
“Nope,” I shook my head before I grinned at the girl, masking my own thoughts with ease, “We can do something else though?”
“Like what?”
-
“I’m really not sure about this…” Anya muttered.
“You had me jump off a cliff onto an air bison,” I pointed out.
“Yes, but that was that.” Anya shook her head, “This is-“
“Not all that different,” I overrode her.
“But I won’t have my staff,” Anya said plaintively.
I sighed, having gone through this argument before, “You don’t need your staff, I’m not going to be using one, plus it would only get wet.”
“You’re a firebender, I’m an airbender, no airbender can just fly with just their airbending!” Anya exclaimed, glaring at me.
“And I’m not asking you to fly, more-“ I struggled for the words, “Fall with style?” I said, questioning my own words somewhat.
“You’re not even sure this is going to work!” Anya accused, “Not even Bumi would do this!”
“I’m like- mostly sure,” I reflected for a moment, then shrugged my shoulders and patted her on the back hard, nudging her over the edge of the waterfall we were standing on.
Anya tilted over the edge of the rocks we were standing over, and she windmilled her arms in the breeze, frantically trying to regain her balance.
She took a deep breath, evidently about to blow herself backward onto the rock.
I sighed and grabbed her hand and jumped over the edge, pulling Anya with me.
The wind whipped past us, and Anya cried out as we began to fall to the water below.
The wind blew past us as we fell, blowing our clothes and hair backwards.
“Now what?” Anya cried out.
“Use your air bending,” I yelled back at her, “Control the fall!”
Anya gestured with her hands, and the air around us swept up underneath us, directly before our fall into a crescent, but not ceasing our drop.
“Now what?” Anya yelled.
I grabbed Anya around her waist and kicked out with my feet, jettisoning blasts of blue fire from my feet, sending us roaring through the sky.
Anya cried out, but this time with laughter, “This is awesome!”
We streaked through the valley, given the direction by Anya’s wind that I couldn’t manage with fire, and the force with my firebending that couldn’t be done with just wind.
This was just like I had imagined back when I was in Appa’s saddle, actually, it was more than that, it was a level of control I had never thought possible in the air.
We shot through the valley, circling around the statues soaring through the air like a bird.
Well, a bird that was attached to a firework.
The air ripped past us as Anya laughed, seemingly having completely forgotten her own nerves around this particular adventure.
Her face had relaxed in a way I hadn’t seen since I had met her, her cheeks flushed with delight.
Which was good, that had been my goal after all.
I had some thoughts on how I was supposed to start Anya’s journey, but if I was going to do that, I had to get to know her.
Showing her something that I thought she might like had made natural sense, which I supposed could be considered manipulative, but on the other hand, I wasn’t sure how I was going to get her to leave without being manipulative.
Anya needed to leave, and she needed to leave tonight. I couldn’t tell her what was about to happen either because I was sure she would try to stay.
I slowed the burn of the fire beneath my feet, slowing our flight the closer we got to the ground.
I realized that I had slowed my output too much an instant before disaster, our force cut off but I had done it slightly to high and we plummeted toward the ground in a tangle of limbs.
We landed with a thump rolling over each other for several feet.
We slowed to a halt with Anya positioned atop me looking down at me our lips inches apart.
Anya’s eyes were wide open, and she was breathing heavily, still unable to stifle the laughter that had come from her lungs completely.
“Haha! That was awesome!” she exclaimed.
I grinned back at her, taking a deep breath of my own, “Told you it would work!” I grinned at her.
Anya nodded her head excitedly, giggling, “I’m so happy to have met you! We can have so much fun together now!”
“Right!” I nodded my head, masking my thoughts behind a smile, “You pick next!”
The least I could give Anya the day before the worst night of her life was a little bit of fun.
-
We stood at the edges of lapping ocean waves.
Anya had stripped down to just a chest wrapping and slim bottoms that showed off long, slender legs.
I slipped out of my own clothes, stripped down to just briefs.
“Have you ever swum in the ocean before?” Anya asked, bouncing joyfully from one foot to another, making her chest slightly shift with her motions, bouncing under her wrappings.
I remembered my recent adventure to the North Pole, and I shrugged my shoulders, “I used to dive back when I was in the Fire Nation.”
Anya grinned brilliantly, “Then the person who dives to find the coolest rock wins!” she cheered before leaping into the waves.
I laughed and leaped in after her, hitting the cold water and beginning to swim out.
I dived out, letting my natural breath capacity trained by firebending carry me deeper and deeper.
I stretched out my vision, searching the bottom of the sea, ignoring the burning of the water against my eyes.
It was like Ember Island all over again, and I was searching for pearls for my sister.
Yet it also wasn’t even as I swam, I felt the current buoying my progress, pushing me far farther along from my motions than I would be able to just with sheer muscle power.
I was bending the water without even consciously focusing on it, I realized.
I dipped down to the floor of the ocean as something attracted my attention. I reached through the silty sand on and pulled free a stone that was pale white in color.
It was smooth rock, finely textured against my fingers, shale, I thought.
I felt a shift in the water to my right, and I turned to see Anya swimming toward me, grinning, holding a smooth blue rock out which I couldn’t readily identify.
We exchanged the rocks, looking them over before Anya held out a hand with a thumb pointed to herself, obviously declaring herself the victor.
I shrugged and grinned at her.
-
Anya had shown me the game of airball played on the court I had seen yesterday. Of course, playing airball was another issue entirely. I had to use my firebending to bridge the gap between the air nomads' natural agility and airbending capabilities.
I leaped through the air, engaging an arc of fire behind my leg to spin me into a kick that blasted the ball back towards Anya’s end of the area.
Of course, competing against a master airbender was not so easy.
Anya caught the ball and swirled it around her shoulders, redirecting it once again towards my hoop.
“Don’t you think you should be taking it easier on me?” I called out, kicking a flame arc behind my foot to get me through a flip before I grabbed the ball and sent it flying back toward Anya.
“Why?!” Anya called out, “Not up to the challenge!”
“You are older than me,” I pointed out mildly, beginning to sprint across the posts again.
“By a year,” Anya snorted, “If you want to play it that way, I’m basically your elder and you have to do what I say anyway.”
I groaned, already not appreciating this discussion, “Whatever you say,” I sighed.
I noted that Sister Iio was standing on the sidelines along with several other airbenders. I glanced at Anya, who was busy running around cheering after scoring another goal against me.
I kicked off the post with a fire-aided leap and came down in front of Sister Iio.
Her expression was impassive, the kind lines on her face drawn down into a slight frown.
I already knew what she was going to say before she spoke.
“Do you have a moment?” she asked, her eyes flicking to Anya.
“Of course, Sister,” I said.
We walked some distance away, and I felt the air enclose on us again.
“The masters have made their decision, we will not be leaving the Eastern Air Temple, even if what you have to say is true, we believe that we are safer within these walls than outside of them.”
I looked at Sister Iio, wondering exactly how to respond to those words. I wanted to scream and rage at her; I was angry, almost beyond belief.
"How can you say that? You can tell I'm blessed by the spirits? Does that mean nothing?"
Sister Iio gave me a long look before her eyes flickered to Anya before rapidly returning to me.
"You believe the Avatar will save you?" I muttered incredulously.
Sister Iio's face twisted into a severe frown, "I don't know why Anya told you as such, but yes. Even if the Fire Nation comes, they are no match for the Avatar."
"She hasn't mastered any other element aside from air; she'll die!" I said harshly.
"If we were in danger, the Avatar Spirit would emerge," Sister Iio shook her head, "We have faith."
They were too certain, too sure, there was something I was missing, I hadn't wanted to, but perhaps if I demonstrated my ability to bend water...
"That's not all, is it?" I said softly.
Sister Iio's eyes hardened as she looked at me, "There have been... concerns about your appearance. We have within our records items that concern us. You do not happen to have the ability to bend a second element, do you?"
I didn't flinch, but my eyes narrowed at her, "That's a strange question to ask, isn't such a thing impossible? Only the Avatar can bend the four elements."
"Yes," Sister Iio nodded, "I do not believe it to be true, but there are records of those who bend more than one among the Air Nomads, infrequent, yes, but we know from our records that they challenge the legitimacy of the Avatar. That these gifts are in truth curses from malignant spirits, and we believe them to be the biggest threat that the Avatar can face."
"Why are you saying this to me?" I asked softly.
Sister Iio shrugged, a soft but unsubtle move of her shoulders, "Not all spirits are good, we Air Nomads have learned that the hard way. You are blessed by the spirits I merely say these words to tell you that not all blessings are positive."
“Is that all?” I asked softly.
Sister Iio’s face remained impassive, “We believe it would be for the best if you also left tomorrow, there are concerns of your potential effect on the nuns who call this temple home.”
Well, a dark part of me realized that this decision at least didn’t really matter, considering that there would be no people left at this temple tomorrow.
One way or another.
“If that’s your decision,” I said shortly, turning away.
“Zuko,” Sister Iio called after me, still within the bubble of air, “Take heart, these temples have protected us since the time of Chin the Conqueror, even if what you say is true, we will be safe.”
I glanced back at her, furious words burbling in my throat, before I turned away and continued walking.
There was no more reason to talk.
-
I had waited to go back to talk to Anya; I was in no place to talk to her right now. There was too much I had to figure out.
I had made my way down to the bridge I had appeared on and stared at the ocean, attempting to think, to come up with something.
It was near the end of the day, and as I stared out from the bridge, I let my mind drift. The comet was close; it would be here tomorrow, and my last plan had failed.
All because of some belief about second bendings, I had certainly never heard of such a thing. I had been blessed directly by Tui, I could scarcely think of spirit further from darkness.
I looked down at the waves peacefully lapping against the rock far below.
I imagined for a moment what this place would look like in a hundred years, empty of the people who called it home.
My scalp tingled, and I rubbed my head where the streak of white hair was. As I did so, for a moment, I was back in the swamp, under pale moonlight, a cool, icy mist floating around me.
Then I was once again back at the Eastern Air Temple.
I grimaced, shaking my head. I needed to remember why I was here.
I had to start Anya’s journey.
I raised my head, closing my eyes, feeling the sun's gentle rays warming my flesh, stoking my chi.
There was only one thing left to do, really.
Anya could not be here tomorrow.
-
It was just as the sun was about to set that I set my plan in motion. I had little time before I would be called back to my present.
In the shadows of the temple, I had slipped into Anya’s room where she was peacefully sleeping on her bed.
“Anya,” I called out softly, and instantly I felt her heat spike as she came to full wakefulness.
“Wha- What is it?” she said sleepily.
I could only hope that she would forgive me for what I was about to do.
“I have to leave tomorrow,” I said, and instantly she startled into full wakefulness.
“No! You can’t!” she cried out, and she leapt out of bed, sprinting to come to a stop in front of me.
“It’s not really my choice, Anya,” I said softly, “I wanted to tell you now, you deserved to hear it from me.”
“But why would-“ Anya froze and her expression scrunched as she seemed to realize something.
“The Masters told you to leave, didn’t they?”
They had, but that wasn’t really the point.
“Yes,” I said simply.
“So they just rip away everything I want!?” Anya cried out, “Here was supposed to be the compromise. I already had to leave the Western Air Temple,” she said softly
She was tearing up, wet droplets beginning to shine in her eyes.
Not really thinking through the move, I wrapped Anya in a hug, pressing her face into my chest. She froze, seemingly not prepared for the unexpected move.
“It’s going to be okay, I promise you,” I whispered to the girl as she tightly clutched onto my chest.
I pulled away slightly, “You have to leave, Anya. I can’t tell you why right now, but you have to.”
“Leave?” Anya asked, seemingly startled, before she seemed to firm herself up, “Where would I go?”
“Go to the South Pole,” I said.
“The South Pole?” Anya questioned, “I mean, I had thought about it, but why there?”
“You need to find a teacher, don’t you?” I gave her a small grin I didn’t feel.
Anya flinched back, pulling free from my arms, “You know?” she exclaimed.
“Yeah, I know,” I admitted.
“How long?” Anya asked.
“I suspected since yesterday when you told me you were a master,” I admitted, “Not because of that but because, well, spirit stuff,” I said, not really wanting to get into this conversation, who knew if Anya believed the same as the Masters.
“Spirit stuff?’ Anya questioned.
I shook my head, “It’s not important, I promise I’ll tell you later,” hopefully I remarked internally, “Either way, you have to go.”
Anya looked at me for a moment, “You’re not coming with me, are you?” she asked softly.
“I can’t,” I shook my head, “Not right now, but I promise this won’t be the last time we see each other. There’s some stuff I need to take care of first.”
“Stuff you can’t tell me yet, either, huh?” Anya sighed.
I shook my head guiltily. It wasn’t fair, but Anya couldn’t know, or I was sure she would stay.
And that would be the end of her.
“Please,” I said, bowing my head in a way I knew was inappropriate for Fire Nation Royalty, but I needed to get my seriousness across.
Anya did not respond immediately. I could feel her standing in front of me, heat flushing wildly through her body.
I felt Anya stand on her tiptoes and lean forward, and something soft and wet was pressed against my cheek.
I opened my eyes, looking down at Anya, whose cheeks were slightly red as she gazed at me hard, “You promise, right?” she asked.
“Promise?” I repeated somewhat dumbly, too surprised to say much else.
“You promise we’ll see each other again,” Anya said, looking at me with a gaze that was much less the peacefulness of an airbender and much more the determination of a firebender.
“Yes,” I said, “On my honor.”
Anya nodded her head slowly and then started sprinting around the room in short order, grabbing every single personal item contained within and bundling them into a bedroll.
She stepped up to the window and glanced back at me, her grey eyes wide, before she leaped over the edge, disappearing into the night.
I sighed, leaning out the window, the moon rising to its full zenith, stirring my chi,
Mist curled around me, fogging the air till I couldn’t see anything.
My conscience faded, and the world fogged to the point that all I could see was mist.
Clouded white mist swirled around me, and golden light glinted over the deck, casting shadows across its surface.
The sun’s light began to peak over the trees again, and I took a deep, shaky breath before I kneeled on the wood. I was more tired now, I hadn’t slept in what was essentially forty-eight hours of somewhat constant activity, spending the day in the present and then another day at night in the past.
By the end of today, and under those conditions, I would have to do what I could to save the Eastern airbending temple’s people.
Well, if I could take out pirates with my lungs actively disintegrating, what was the Fire Nation military on several days of no sleep?
-
I moved about the deck of the ship, and I could feel Yue’s eyes on me as I saw to guiding our ship deeper into the swamp.
I wasn’t sure of the reason yet, but I doubted it was because I had stripped off my clothing from the waist up, letting the sun sink into my skin as much as possible.
We were drifting down another straight of the river when Yue finally spoke, “Something's happening to you, isn’t it?”
I looked up from coiling a rope, surprised to meet Yue’s eyes as she looked at me solemnly, her eyes darker than usual.
She was also stripped down, though likely to deal with the heat, only having a chest wrap and a skirt on as she leaned back against the metal of the cabin.
Sweat trickled down her dark skin, and with a gesture of her arm, the sweat frosted over, and she sighed in relief.
“I-“ I hesitated but then nodded once, “Yes, since we entered the swamp,” I said softly before I turned back to coiling the rope.
Yue nodded, taking my words and seemingly turning them over in her head, “Is it dangerous?”
Well, I was about to be transported into the middle of an active genocide where I would likely in vain try to save people my great-grandfather was intent on murdering.
I shrugged my shoulders, not knowing what to say, not sure what I should even say. I suppose I could hide, save myself, but that would mean abandoning people to die.
Not to mention my own guilt for what my ancestors had done.
“Possibly,” I said, the closest to lying I was willing to come to.
“Possibly,” Yue repeated, rolling the word over in her mouth, “says the boy who went after Pirates by himself with his lungs filled with blood, I asked you not to do something that stupid again, remember?”
I did, but I didn’t really have a choice regarding this. I had tried using my words, but I often found that words were not enough.
Sometimes violence was the only way.
“I know Yue,” I said, breathing out a sigh, releasing a misting cloud of frost, “But this is something I have to do; if there was any other way, I would take it.”
A long silence stretched between Yue and me, and I realized that it was rather painful; there were thoughts and emotions that couldn’t be expressed, we were fighting, and it was over my decisions.
I made a decision, “The morning of tomorrow, I’ll tell you what’s going on, I promise.”
Yue looked up, seemingly surprised. She didn’t reply for a long moment. Then, “I’m to be your wife; it is not my concern to impede upon my husband's decisions.” Her face was tilted down to the deck, so I couldn’t see her eyes.
I frowned and stood up from the rope and walked across the deck kneeling next to her, “It’s not like that Yue,” I said softly, “This is something only I can do, if you could help me-“ well actually I wasn’t sure I would take her help either, if she was in the past with me tomorrow she could die, I couldn’t let that happen.
Yue gave me a soft smile, and her hand reached out, stroking my cheek, her fingers cool against my heated skin. “You would have me help?” she giggled softly, before shaking her head, “I don’t believe you,” a moment of silence, then, “It’s not because I’m a woman, is it?” she asked.
That hadn’t really crossed my mind, but I reflected on the thought seriously for a moment because her question deserved a thought-out answer.
“No,” I shook my head, “But this is out of your league right now, you’ve only just begun waterbending, and even if you were a master bender…” I trailed off before I sighed and shook my head, “I was ten when I killed the first time,” I admitted.
Yue did not so much as blink, looking at me seriously.
I continued, “It wasn’t in the heat of the moment in a fight, it was premeditated, planned out, I did it to save the lives of other people, but that didn’t stop his face from sticking with me, he wasn’t a good man, but he was still a man.”
I sighed and, despite myself, I broke eye contact, looking down at the metal below me, “I’d do the same thing again,” I acknowledged, before I looked back up at Yue, “There may be a time when you have to kill Yue, but for now this burden has to be mine alone.”
“People are going to die?” Yue asked.
I nodded, “They have to so that others can live.”
Yue nodded, before she shrugged her shoulders, giving me a wan smile, “I’m a Princess and a Healer, I know about death,” she said quietly, a long moment passed, before she gently grabbed my chin and tilted my face to look at her, “That’s what I’m concerned about,” Yue whispered, “I can’t see you die Zuko.”
I leaned forward, and Yue’s eyes fluttered closed as our lips met each other for the briefest of moments, her soft, wet lips moving against mine, just barely touching.
I withdrew a small distance so I could meet Yue’s eyes directly. Her eyes remained closed for a second before they opened to look at me.
“I’m going to be fine, I promise,” I gave Yue a small smile.
Yue’s lips twisted into a small frown, “You'd better, if you don’t…” she trailed off, seemingly out of words.
I raised an eyebrow at her, “What’ll you do?” I asked curiously.
Yue’s lips twisted in a frown, “Nothing you’ll like!“ she exclaimed sharply, then her tone softened, “So be careful?”
Her words ended in a question, all I could do was give her the best smile I could manage, an unusually awkward expression on my face, “It’ll be alright, I said I’d be fine, right?”
“Mmm,” Yue hummed, though I wasn’t sure whether she believed me or not. She leaned against my chest, taking a deep breath that gusted against my skin.
I guess it was the best I could expect for now.
-
Mist cloyed around me as I stood on the deck of my ship. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes.
I exhaled, and a small burst of blue fire echoed out. My senses expanded once again in the past. The day was just about to dawn, and I felt strength beginning to flood my veins.
I looked to the sky, seeing a flaming trail beginning to mark a path across the dawn.
I stretched my senses out for a moment, stretching further and further till I encountered a mass of heat presences, far warmer than the airbenders I felt in the temple.
I leaped out the window, letting a burst of blue fire jet me upward in a barely controlled motion to land on top of one of the buildings.
I brought my hands together and swirled them, generating a small blue flame before rapidly filling the flame with chi before I coalesced the ball as tightly as I could, the flame screeching at my grip.
My eyes locked on the far bridge where I felt a concentration of the higher-than-average temperature bodies.
I didn’t have to wait long as men in black armor leaped up onto the bridge, pulling themselves up with grappling hooks.
They felt strong, and the fire in the sky was making them burn stronger.
The blue flame rocketed forward, soaring through the early dawn sky before detonating with a massive concussive blast, ripping away the sleepiness of the early morning just as it blew the men back off the bridge.
Several plummeted to the water below, while others kicked at the air, generating hastily created concentrations of fire behind their feet to attempt to land back on the bridge.
I narrowed my eyes; these firebenders had some skill.
I rolled my shoulders, generating a plume of blue flame from my left hand hovering over my palm. I rolled it over my shoulders to my right, gathering chi as it went, before I pointed at the bridge. Flame rocketed free from my palm, obliterating the stone where the firebenders were about to find purchase, sending them into free fall, unable to sustain their flight for a long period of time, even with the empowerment of the sun.
I could feel the presence of the airbenders stirring within the temple, and I looked back as some sleepy-looking woman in robes trailed out of the buildings, looking about in surprise.
I leaped through the air, landing in front of them, turning to face a concentration of heat signatures that appeared from over the walls of the temple grounds, revealing themselves to be firebenders, gesturing down with their fists, unleashing a tidal wave of fire.
It was simply massive, blocking out everything in a massive wave of light and heat.
I clapped my hands together, seizing control of the flames before wrenching my hands apart with an exhaled breath, splitting the wave of fire around us, circling it in two separate streams around the back of our group, turning the wave of orange fire blue, and sending it screaming back towards the firebenders with my added strength.
The firebenders joined together to throw up a wall of flame to meet my blast, orange meeting blue in a cacophonous explosion resounding throughout the temple blowing the roof as well as the firebenders away,
I turned back to the airbenders who were looking at me in shock, “The Fire Nation is attacking, you must run, now.”
“What-“ the airbender in the lead said, but I had no more room for patience.
“Take your children and run, with this comet above you cannot hope to match the Fire Nation!”
The airbender looked at me and then at the temple roof that my massive fire blast had torn open and even now was smoldering.
She turned back to the other airbenders with her, “You heard the boy! Get the children and I’ll summon the bison!”
“Wait!” I tried, but one of the women reached within her robes and pulled out a whistle and blew long and hard, though no sound that I could hear emerged.
A loud roar echoed out, and I saw air bison emerging from the lower part of the temple, gliding towards the courtyard we were in.
I was already sprinting forward, kicking off the stone of the courtyard, blasting myself into the sky, screaming through the air just in time to catch the concentrated fire blasts heading towards the bison from the ground below, generating a massive circular disc of fire.
I growled in frustration, spotting the fire benders below having climbed up atop one of the temple roofs, already moving together to summon more blasts to shoot down the bison.
I kicked the air, jettisoning a blast of blue fire from my foot, and rocketed towards the ground, flaring a flared fire to my fist, creating a massive trail of blue fire behind me as I screeched down toward the firebenders.
Like a missile, I came down and created a thunderous explosion that blew apart the entire roof as I plowed through it, sending the firebenders flying.
I landed crouched low to the floor, flicking my dao free of its scabbard, shooting forward at a collapsed man in front of me, cleaving through his armor in a single strike as my swords flared pale orange with the heat running through them.
I sliced clean through the neck of the firebender on the ground, sending a splashing stream of crimson across the ground.
The other firebenders began to recover, kicking out with fire from their feet to launch themselves toward me. I flipped onto my hands, spinning my body in a quick rotation, spinning arcs of blue fire toward them in a torrent of blue flame, blasting through their hastily attempted blocks, searing through their flesh as they screamed, collapsing, trying to rip off their heavy armor to get at the pain.
I slashed twice, silencing their screaming, ignoring the sizzle of flesh as my swords cut through their bodies.
I had to put a bit more force into my fire attacks. I idly noted if I wanted to burn clean through the soldier's armor.
I heard more cries and kicked off the ground, soaring through the air again, immediately locating the next group of attacking firebenders and sending a pillar of flame down, letting the momentum of the blast push me higher to land on another roof.
Some of the Nuns it seemed had managed to gather children onto the Bison even as I saw one of the airbending masters blowing firebenders off the cliffside to their deaths with a sweeping gesture of her staff.
I turned as another heat signature landed next to me, though it was lower in body temperature so I knew it to be an airbender.
Sister Iio stood with a staff over her shoulder, looking at me with wide panicked eyes.
“You were right,” she whispered, her gaze regarding the rest of the temple in horror.
“You need to gather whoever you can and leave,” I ignored her words. “Where are the rest of the masters?”
“They’re engaging firebenders over there,” Sister Iio pointed at a far portion of the temple where streaks of fire were rising into the sky in an almost overwhelming display of light.
“Are there more of your people over there?”
Sister Iio shook her head, “No, but we are fighting for our home!” she exclaimed
“Your home is lost!” I growled, “This is only the first wave of firebenders, they will send as many as it takes to kill all of you. You can fly! Damn it, fly!”
Sister Iio’s eyes widened before she looked back around, taking in the burning temple fully, and yet more firebenders leaping up the mountain the temple was on.
“We need a distraction, they’ll just shoot us down, if we try to fly away now,” the words were calm and collected but her gaze was regarding me it seemed with guilt.
I already knew what she was asking, which was fine, because I wouldn’t be leaving here till the last of the airbenders was gone, one way or another.
“Of course,” I said shortly, “Let me give you one.”
I gestured sharply at one of the fountains in the courtyard below and raised my arms, drawing a massive wave out of it, finishing the motion by sending a blast of water to encompass a wave of firebenders who had just leaped up the side of the cliff, freezing them entirely except for one of their heads.
I stormed up to the man whose face was covered by the impassive metal plate of his helment.
I generated a small blue flame in front of his eyes and heard his choked gasp.
“Go on!” I shouted, bellowing as loud as I could, “You found the Avatar, now it’s time to see if you can kill me!”
The man dutifully cried out in a loud, bellowing voice, “The Avatar is here! Quick help-“
I beheaded the man in the next instant, searing straight the flesh of his neck with my sword.
I looked back at the Sister Iio, who looked horrified, whether because of the violence or the unexpected waterbending I had no idea.
“You-“ she said, but I cut her off. There was no time.
“Run,” I said simply, “Anya’s already left, but the air nomads must survive, you must survive.”
“You’ll die,” Sister Iio said quietly.
I shook my head, giving her a small forced smile, “Only if they kill me.”
Sister Iio frowned, looking at me for a long moment, and for the first time, it seemed like she was really looking at me.
“Your eyes are too noble to die here, young man, please-“
“The world needs balance,” I said, raising my face to the comet burning above, letting its energy sink into my flesh as I prepared myself, “We must all do our part, now go!”
Sister Iio finally nodded, "Perhaps our myths were wrong," she whispered and turned, leaping off the roof, snapping her glider out to soar toward air bison.
I reached out with my senses, isolating the firebender presences that were creeping up the mountainside. I sensed several groups of airbenders facing off against the firebenders who had made it up, and I frowned.
There were simply too many, and they were coming wave after wave, if their power didn’t overwhelm the airbenders, then by sheer numbers, they would.
Yet it seemed some of the firebenders had heard their compatriot and were headed in my direction.
Time to draw more attention to myself, I shifted my feet with my eyes closed, focusing on the presences about to come over the cliff edge.
I shifted my motion loosely, drawing my fingers across my chest and then flicking my arm in the direction of the next group as they leaped up in blazing plumes of fire.
They had a single moment to see the air temple before a bolt of blue lightning cracked through the sky, blowing them away, their bodies crumpling as electricity coursed through them.
That seemed to get the attention of the Fire Nation’s forces that I hadn’t been able to accomplish so far.
More of the presences that I had marked as firebenders were now coming towards me. Enough firebending and waterbending at an air temple seemed to now be giving them the idea that the Avatar was here.
Which had been the plan.
I began sprinting along the rooftops, as blasts of fire began to rip up the roof around me. They were coming from too many directions to deal with piecemeal. I need to draw the soldiers together and then deal with them at once.
Sweat was beading my forehead as I ran, even as I expended my chi reserves, they rapidly refilled by the comet, so the true limit was becoming my body and how much chi I could run through my flesh before I burnt out.
Literally.
I leaped over a fire blast, swirling it around me to blast back at the firebender who had sent it, and at the same time, I kicked off the roof with a blast of repelling fire that carried me high into the sky.
The firebenders that were coming seemed to think that was an opportunity as they sent massive streams of fire toward me, turning my world into nothing but flame.
Just as I had learned in waterbending, I grabbed the flames, bending them to my will, sucking in a breath, and overpowering the chi within them to my will, seizing control of the massive ball of flames surrounding me, swirling my arms about me.
I breathed out, and flame shot free in massive plumes directed back at the firebenders who had launched the blasts in the first place.
Explosions and screams rang out through the temple as men were launched with their chests smoldering from their burns.
I landed in a roll in another courtyard, tumbling across the ground for several feet, the sheer power of my flight overwhelming my physical capabilities.
I rolled to my feet, panting heavily, my body was burning, my mind was straining, the lack of sleep and the chi expenditure were taking their toll on my body.
I shrugged off the feeling and kicked my way back up to the sky, thankful now for the practice I had with Anya.
-
There were far fewer airbenders within the temple now, a mere dozen or so if I didn’t miss my mark. I noticed distantly as I slipped around another group of firebenders before driving two fire knives straight through their armor, burning holes clean through their chests, making the count of firebenders within the temple two less, but I could feel more at the edges of my senses beginning to scale the walls.
Some of the airbenders I had seen managed to escape on bison.
Others I had seen smoking on the ground, their red and yellow outfits burnt almost beyond recognition.
I couldn’t tell if my eyes were burning from the smoke that now seemed to encompass everywhere I went in the temple, or if it was for some other reason, the overwhelming sadness of each life taken by my great-grandfather's quest for world dominion, the knowledge that I had been able to change so very little.
What had even been the point of this? Why had the spirits sent me here?
I knew what my family had done was wrong, was this simply punishment? To show that no matter what I did to help in the future, this sin was eternal?
I grimaced to myself, shaking off my childish feelings, childish not because the feelings weren’t valid in some way, childish in that they didn’t matter in the slightest in the present.
I continued fighting because it was what my body knew best. I drew my swords to bat away another fireball, but I must have done something wrong because the ball of searing hot flame shattered the steel weakened from constant blocks of fire.
I was blown backward from the force of the fireball. I spun, throwing my other sword in a spinning arc that bit into an armor gap on the man’s shoulder, severing his arm from his torso.
He screamed, but the sound was distant in my ears as I sent a spike of fire out from my palm, blowing through his armor.
I had certainly mastered armor penetration, it seemed, from constant practice.
Make the fire so hot it seared through metal with enough concussive force imbued within the strike to explode.
I took a deep, gasping breath as I felt the energy that had swelled within me retreating. I looked up to the smoke-filled sky, watching the flaming trail peter out.
I collapsed to my knees, my strength all but gone.
I was sure that if there were any firebenders left within the temple grounds, the same should be happening to them as the comet’s strength faded from their limbs.
I lay back against the ground, feeling the warmth from the stone, heated by one of my fire blasts or perhaps one of the other firebenders.
My clothes were in singed tatters, I noted, as I had gotten more mentally tired, my blocks had gotten worse, my skin was even singed in some places, notably a patch of raised red skin over the left side of my chest where a blast had pierced my defenses almost entirely.
That firebender had died quickly after.
I stared at the sky for a long moment, the atmosphere finally free from the comet, the gentle blue clouded by the ashen grey of the smoke trailing through the sky.
I noticed the air thickening around me beginning to fog up.
I groaned, trying to push myself back to my feet. I couldn’t be done yet; there was more I still had to do.
The fog thickened even more until I could no longer see a single thing.
“Please,” I whispered, my voice hoarse from the smoke, “I’m not done-”
I tried to push myself back to my feet, managing to push myself up a couple inches before I fell back to the ground.
The fog completed its encompassment of the world.
For a long moment, all I could see was fog; I couldn’t feel anything, and all my senses could find nothing to latch onto.
Then out of the fog emerged two glimmering blue slits side by side, like the eyes of a fox.
A high-pitched giggling laugh echoed throughout the fog.
“Didn’t do enough, little spark?” the voice giggled.
I frowned, “Who are you?”
“Who am I?” Another high-pitched giggling laugh erupted, “You’re in my home, little spark, I should ask, who are you?”
Something uneasy flickered in my gut, “You’re a spirit,” I said to the grey mist.
“Certain of yourself are you? Always, so certain-“ the voice cut off with another high-pitched laugh.
I remained lying on the mist, closing my eyes briefly, trying to center myself, “What is it that you want, spirit?”
“How rude! I let you walk through my home!” the spirit replied before giggling again.
I remained silent. Uncle Iroh would have known how to handle this, but I had no way to gain my bearings.
The spirit spoke again, “I bet you want to chase the Avatar now, little spark, you could even succeed!”
It was the natural next step, but I kept my face impassive.
“I like the world as it is, though. Those Avatars cause so much fuss.” The voice continued
“Are you going to stop me?” I asked the mist.
“Stop you!?” the voice exclaimed, “I’m going to help you! Haven’t you been wondering if that sister of yours is alright!?”
Unexpectedly, my heart quickened. I forced myself not to react, “My reports say she is,” I said quietly.
“Well, if you trust your reports,” the voice giggled again, “Who am I to argue? How interesting that you’ve spent so much time taking care of the princess of the family that ruined the world! How much trust must you have to believe that such a girl would be safe?”
“Is there something you mean to say?” I asked the mist.
There was no response, and the mist slowly began to fade away, revealing the world around me.
My back was on the deck of my ship, and I was staring at the beginning rise of the sun through the trees of the Great Swamp.
What?
My head fell back against the deck, my eyes burning and my head spinning.
I had been so sure I could change things. How many airbenders had escaped? I didn’t know. What had that spirit been?
Was it telling the truth?
“Zuko!” I heard Yue cry out before rapid steps made their approach, and she crashed down to her knees next to me, “Are you alright?”
Her water-covered hands were running over my chest, running over the burns I had gotten, though I could feel them shaking slightly.
“I’m fine,” I said, automatically attempting to sit up, only for Yue to force me down with a single hand.
I blinked, surprised. I didn’t think I had been that weak.
“Who did this to you?” Yue asked, and my stomach twisted as I noted her voice was shaking, almost choked, her water-covered hands glowing over my chest, tracing over the patch of reddened skin.
I had promised to tell her the truth.
“Firebenders,” I replied shortly, wincing as her hand trailed over my skin again.
“Firebenders!” Yue exclaimed, startling her head whipping about to spot them.
“They’re not here,” I shook my head wincing again, tiredly as I did so, “It’s something the spirits did, I was back in the past, right before the airbenders were-“
I paused. I couldn’t bring myself to say it.
“Well, before they disappeared,” I said quietly.
Yue’s blue eyes locked onto my own golden ones, “How is that possible?” she whispered.
I shrugged my shoulders, sighing and lying back fully on the deck, “I don’t know, I told you they say the spirits are present and the past and present join together in the Great Swamp, but this was- well, more literal than I expected.”
Yue took a deep breath, running more healing water over me, “Tell me everything,” she said quietly, her blue eyes piercing into my own.
I had promised.
Taking a deep breath, I began from the beginning, “When we entered the swamp-“
Even as I talked, though, the blue slits floated through my mind.
Along with the high-pitched laughter.
Comments
CBlue
Great story :) wanted to show support o7
Winnie39
He met an air spirit didn’t he?
