Fire and Aether

Chapter 4: The Southern Air Temple

     Once Rose's basic training was completed, she and her friends said goodbye to her family.
     They rode on Appa and Crystal until nighttime started to fall. Finding a spot, they settled down for the night.
     The next morning, everyone was awake and preparing themselves for their new journey.
     "Wait til you see it, Katara!" Aang was saying. "The Southern Air Temple is one of the most beautiful places in the world!"
     "He's not lying." Rose added as she pet a palm-sized Crystal.
     "Aang, Rose, I know you're excited, but it's been a hundred years since you've been home."
     "I know!" Aang continued. "That's why I'm so excited!"
     "It's just a lot can change in that time." Katara reminded him. "And I'm fairly certain airbenders are a lot different than aetherbenders."
    "I know." Aang repeated. "But I need to see it for myself."
    Immediately, he went to wake up Sokka who was still asleep. Sokka rolled over, ignoring him and that's when Aang had a mischievous look on his face. He tricked Sokka into thinking there was a snake in his sleeping bag which woke Sokka up and he jumped around before faceplanting in the dirt.  
     Rose burst out laughing.
                        * * * * *
     Meanwhile, Zuko and Iroh had stopped to make repairs on the ship.
     "We need to make repairs quickly so we can capture her." Zuko was saying as they arrived.
    His mind was still reeling from his first meeting with Rose. She had been very beautiful and he had felt something in their flirting and sass battles but he still wasn't sure how he felt about the situation other than annoyance at being tricked by a mere girl.
     "You mean the Avatar?" Iroh asked.
     Zuko whirled around. "Don't mention her name on these docks. Once word gets out that she is alive, every firebender will be out looking for her. It's also best that no one is aware that she's a girl."
     Iroh smirked. "Or that you have a crush on her too, right?"
     Zuko glared at his uncle. If looks could kill, he'd be dead right now.
     "I don't have a crush on her! I don't even know her!" He snarled. "All I'm saying is I don't want anyone getting in the way."
     "Getting in the way of what, Prince Zuko?" A voice called out.
     A man stepped out of the shadows, tall, dark, and imposing.
     "Captain Zhao."
     "It's Commander now." Zhao sneered. "And General Iroh, great hero of our nation."
     "Retired general." Iroh corrected respectfully.
     "The Fire Lord's brother and son are welcome guests anytime. What brings you to my harbor?"
     "Our ship is being repaired." Iroh gestured to the damaged vessel.
     "That's quite a bit of damage."
     "Yes. You wouldn't believe what happened. Uncle, tell Commander Zhao what happened. "
     Iroh's eyes widened with a "oh shit" look. He cleared his throat. "Oh yes. I will do that. It was incredible!" Leaning towards Zuko, he whispered, "What did we crash or something?"
    "Yes!" Zuko quickly covered. "Right into an Earth Kingdom ship!"
    "Really?" Zhao asked, surprised. "You must regale me with all the thrilling details." He leaned in towards Zuko. "Join me for a drink?"
     "Sorry but we really have to go." Zuko started to walk away but Iroh caught him by the shoulder. "Zuko, show Commander Zhao your respect." He turned to Zhao. "We'd be honored."
    Iroh followed Zhao while Zuko stewed in relative silence.
                         * * * * *
    "Aang, before we get to the temple, I wanna talk to you about the airbenders." Katara said, hanging her head at the thought of having to tell Aang the bad news.
    "What about them?"
    "Well, I just want to prepare you for what you might see. You as well Rose. The Fire Nation is ruthless. They killed my mother, I'm sure they killed someone you cared about Rose, and they could have done the same to your people, Aang."
     Aang argued back that just because they hadn't seen an airbender didn't mean they didn't exist.
    "Besides," Rose added, "they'd need something to fly them there. A flying bison, a dragon, and well, Appa and Crystal are the last of their kind."
     They had no idea what would be waiting for them at the Southern Air Temple...
                       * * * * *
     Zhao was explaining how the Earth Kingdom was so close to falling, making the Fire Lord's victory inevitable.
     "If my father thinks the rest of the world will follow him willingly then he is a fool!" Zuko spat, venomously.
    "I see three years at sea has done little to temper your tongue." Zhao said, a smirk adorning his face. "So how's your search for the Avatar going?"
    At those words, Iroh accidentally knocked over some weapons. He apologized, moving out of the way.
     "We haven't found him yet." Zuko responded, intent on keeping the fact that the Avatar was a woman a secret.
     "Did you really expect to?" Zhao asked condescendingly. "The Avatar died a hundred years ago along with his Guardian and all the airbenders." Zuko looked away, trying not to give away anything important. "Unless you found evidence that the Avatar is still alive." Zhao added, smugly.
     "No. I haven't found anything." Zuko lied.
     "Prince Zuko, the Avatar is the only one who can stop the Fire Nation from winning this war. If you have an ounce of loyalty left, you'll tell me what you found."
     "I haven't found anything." Zuko repeated. "It's like you said--the Avatar probably died a long time ago. Come on, Uncle." He said, turning to Iroh. "We're leaving."
     Two guards crossed their spears together, effectively stopping Zuko from leaving.
     "Commander Zhao," another man spoke, "we interrogated the crew as you instructed. They all said the same thing: Zuko let the Avatar escape. And, get this, the Avatar...is a woman."
     "Now remind me," Zhao sneered, "how exactly was your ship damaged?"
                       * * * * *
      Rose, Aang, Katara, and Sokka arrived at the Southern Air Temple. Rose and Aang ran ahead, glad to be home while Sokka and Katara walked behind, the former complaining about food.
     Aang began showing his friends the sights of where he used to play with his friends and so on, sighing as he felt sad that the monks and animals seemed to have vanished. "I just can't believe how much things have changed."
    Rose comforted her honorary brother and Sokka tried to distract Aang. "So this airball game--how do you play?"
     "Should we show him?" Rose asked with a smile. Aang chuckled. "Definitely, sis!"
     A few minutes later, Rose and Aang were playing airball, Rose letting Aang win for the most part, while catching herself a few goals so Aang didn't get suspicious.
    After awhile, Sokka tried it but Aang knocked him to the ground and he groaned. "Making him feel better is putting me in a world of hurt."
     That's when he noticed a Fire Nation helmet. He got Rose and Katara's attention, saying that they should warn Aang.
     Rose shook her head. "No, Sokka. It's best he doesn't know."
     "Hey, Aang! We got something we wanna show you!"
     "Ok!" Aang ran up, only for Rose to elbow Sokka out the way. "Ignore him. He's just being goofy."
     "Ok." Aang repeated, shrugging. "C'mon! Let me show you guys around!" He ran off.
     "Rose, you can't just pretend that Fire Nation soldiers weren't here!"
     "I can for Aang's sake." Rose argued. "He's not just my Guardian, he's also my little brother and I love him! And if I can keep him safe, that's all that matters to me."
     Aang then introduced them to a statue of his and Rose's surrogate father, Monk Gyatso. Rose and Aang bowed to him in the customary way.
     "You both must miss him." Katara said, placing a hand on Aang's shoulder.
     "Yea." Aang said.
      Rose began to walk up the steps, Aang following not far behind. "Where are you going?" Katara asked.
     "The Air Temple Sanctuary. There's someone I'm ready to meet."
     Without a word, Sokka and Katara followed. Sokka tried to open the door, failing.
     "It only opens with airbending." Aang said.
     Rose and he then used airbending to open the door. With that, the group walked inside the sanctuary.
                            * * * * *
     "So a teenage girl bested you and your firebenders?" Zhao asked, condescendingly. "You're more pathetic than I thought!"
     Zuko growled. "I underestimated her once. I won't again."
     "No you won't because you won't have a second chance."
     "Commander Zhao, I've been hunting the Avatar for three years and I--"
    "And you failed!" Zhao barked. "Capturing the Avatar is too important to leave in a teenager's hands! She's mine now."
     All of a sudden, a feeling arose inside of Zuko. He wasn't just angry at Zhao for trying to steal the only way he could regain his honor. There was something else in his feelings. He, for some reason, felt protective of Rose.
    With that, he leapt at Zhao but the guards held him back. Feeling petty, he kicked the table over.
    Iroh simply said, "More tea, please."
                           * * * * *
    The group walked into a room full of statues, two directly next to each other, leaving a space after with another two directly next to each other and so on in that pattern.
     "They're in a pattern." Katara announced. "See these pair is an aetherbender and airbender, the next is an airbender and waterbender, the next after that is a waterbender and earthbender, the next is an earthbender and firebender, and this pair right here is a firebender and an aetherbender."
     Rose snapped her fingers. "I got it now! They're the Avatars and their Guardians."
     "So half these people are your past lives and the other half were your friends and protectors."
     "Past lives? Katara, you really believe that stuff?"
     "It's true." Katara argued. "When the Avatar dies, he's reincarnated into the next nation in the cycle. And his Guardian is in the next cycle after that."
     Rose stood in front of the last pair of statues. The Avatar was a tall male firebender dressed in robes. Beside him stood a female aetherbender with long wavy hair dressed in a long flowing medieval gown. Somehow, she felt like they seemed familiar.
      Aang came to stand beside her and the both of them seemed to fall into some sort of trance until Katara shook them both out of it. "Who are they?" Katara asked once the pair got their bearings back.
     "That's Avatar Roku." Rose explained. "The Avatar before me."
     "And that's his Guardian, Luna, the one before me." Aang added.
    "They were married." Rose explained. "The bond between an Avatar and their Guardian is absolute. They can be blood related or like family or have a strong friendship bond or become lovers."
    "How do you know that?" Katara asked. "There's nothing written here."
    "I just know." Rose shrugged.
    "You honestly couldn't get any weirder." Sokka commented.
    At that moment, they heard a sound coming from the entrance and, thinking it was a firebender, they all hid, preparing for a sneak attack. However, it turned out to be a flying lemur instead and Aang and Sokka fought over whether to eat it or keep it as a pet.
     As they raced to catch it, Rose and Katara turned to each other and shook their heads. "Boys!"
                        * * * * *
    Commander Zhao teased Zuko, claiming he'd let him and his uncle go free once his crew was far enough ahead that they couldn't catch up.
    "Why?!" Zuko growled. "Are you afraid I'm going to try to stop you?" 
    In truth, he was planning on doing that very thing because he wanted to capture the Avatar himself.
    Zhao simply laughed. "You? Stop me? Impossible!"
    Zuko quickly jumped to his feet. "Don't underestimate me, Zhao. I will capture the Avatar before you!"
    Iroh spoke up. "Prince Zuko, that's enough!"
   Zhao continued to taunt Zuko, claiming not even his father wanted him. "If your father really wanted you home, he would've let you return by now, Avatar or not, but in his eyes, you are a failure and disgrace to the Fire Nation. You even have the scar to prove it."
     "MAYBE YOU'D LIKE ONE TO MATCH!" Zuko bellowed.
     "Is that a challenge?" Zhao asked, all teasing and taunting gone from his voice now.
     "Yes! Agni kai at sunset!"
     "Very well." Zhao accepted. "It's a shame your father won't be here to see me humiliate you. I guess your uncle will do."
     With that, Zhao left. Iroh immediately spoke, "Prince Zuko, have you forgotten what happened the last time you dueled a master?"
     "I will never forget."
                          * * * * *
    Aang had almost caught up to the lemur. "It's ok, little lemur!" He called. "That hungry guy won't bother you anymore!"
   He pulled back a curtain only to see something horrible: skeletons of firebenders littered the ground. Worse still, he saw the remains of his old master. The sight was too much for the boy and he sank to his knees. 
    At that moment, Sokka came through the curtain behind him. "Hey, Aang, you find my dinner yet?" When he saw that Aang was crying, he changed his joking tone to a more serious one. "I was just kidding. I'm not gonna eat the lemur." Then he looked up and saw what Aang was looking at. 
    Before he could assure Aang that everything would be ok, Rose appeared behind them. "Did you guys find the lemur yet?" 
    Sokka quickly whipped around and grabbed Rose by the shoulders. "Rose, don't look--"
    But it was too late. 
    She rushed forward and saw her and Aang's old master's remains, as well as those of all the firebenders. A look somewhere between anger and sadness clouded her features and, suddenly, the tattoos on her body began to glow, as well as her eyes. 
    Aang snapped out of his bout of sadness and reached for Rose but before either he or Sokka could touch her, she rose into the air. First, spirits swirled around her, then the air whipped around, then water swirled in a spiral around her, then chunks of earth rose around her, and finally fire swirled in a spiral around her in the opposite direction of the water.
     Around the world, a strange phenomenon occurred. Lights came out of nowhere in every corner of the world and every nation of every element knew the truth: the Avatar was alive and she had returned!
                           * * * * *
     Back at the ruined temple, Katara had arrived to see what was happening. "What happened?"
     "Gyatso is gone!" Aang cried. "When Rose saw, she lost control and went into her Avatar state!"
     "Someone's gotta go over there and calm her down!" Katara shouted over the sound of the wind.
     "Don't look at me!" Sokka said, backing up.
     "I'll do it!" Aang responded. "She's family. She'll listen to me."
     "Well hurry up before she blows us off the mountain or destroys it!"
     Aang rushed over to Rose, telling her how she's the only family he has left and that he loves her as a sister. Katara added that she and Sokka are also her family.
    Finally, she calmed. The elements around her fell back to the earth. Rose slowly lowered herself onto the ground. Her tattoos faded back to normal and she suddenly fell, Sokka quickly catching her. She turned and sobbed into his shoulder. 
                              * * * * *
     At sunset, Zuko and Iroh met Zhao in the courtyard. 
     "Remember your training, Zuko." Iroh told his nephew. 
     Zuko nodded. "I refuse to let him win."
     "This will be over with quickly." Zhao snarkily said to himself.
     Both men turned to face one another, in position. Zuko started the fight by throwing a large fireball towards Zhao who sidestepped easily. He sent several more in succession, all of which Zhao dodged. At the last, Zhao crossed his arms over his chest, making the fire dissipate. Zuko was panting but didn't let that stop him, kicking at the air, fire flaming out of his foot. 
    Now Zhao was fighting back, sending fire back at Zuko. They fought back and forth until Zhao became more aggressive, making Zuko jump back again and again. He was starting to lose.
     Zhao finally leapt into the air toward Zuko. Zuko moved quickly, putting out the fire with his feet and knocking him down with several more spurts of fire. Zhao lay on the ground, beaten, with Zuko standing over him. Yet, as Zhao taunted him, Zuko refused to kill him.
     As he was walking away, Zhao got to his feet and threw fire at Zuko's back but Iroh stopped him, sending him skidding back. 
     "Even in exile, my nephew is more honorable than you." He thanked Zhao for the tea and he and Zuko left. 
    "Did you mean that?" Zuko asked, referring to his uncle's words about his honor.
    "Of course. I told you ginseng tea is my favorite." 
                             * * * * *
     The flying lemur flew to Aang's side after feeding Sokka. He ended up naming him Momo. 
     As the small family loaded up onto Appa and Crystal, Rose's mood slowly improved. And, as she drifted off to sleep, she reminded herself that no matter what happened, she had her little family and, together, they could save the world.