Double Bender

Part 47

Later that day, Zuko and Aang were out in the courtyard again, Zuko was teaching Aang his final lesson. "There's one final thing you need to learn before you face my father: How to redirect lightening." He showed Aang the correct position for redirecting as he continued speaking. "If you let the energy in your own body flow," he put his index and middle finer in the air facing the roof on the east side, "The lightening will follow it." He showed Aang the how it went; Putting your other hand against your wrist and moving it downward. "You turn your opponent's energy against them." "Sounds like water-bending." Aang said. Zuko smiled a little bit. Aang was finally getting the idea. "Exactly," he said. "In fact, my Uncle invented this technique by watching water-benders." "So..." asked Aang. "Have you ever used this technique?" Zuko's face fell a little. "Once," he answered. "Against my father." "What happened?" I asked, worried. "I talked to him, asked him why. Why he...burned me. Why he challenged me when I was only thirteen. And I asked him what happened to my mother. And he told me. Then...he tried to kill me. Somehow, I redirected and escaped." "What did it feel like?" Aang asked. Zuko thought for a moment, trying to find the right word. Then, he finally said, "Exhilarating. But terrifying. You feel so powerful, holding that much energy in your body. But you know that you make the wrong move, it's over." I shivered. How could he stand something like that? Heck, how did he even make it out alive? I know that Zuko's a really skilled bender but, how could anyone withstand that? Aang laughed nervously. "Well, not over over, right? I mean, there's always Katara with a little spirit water action right?" Katara looked a little sad for a second. "Actually," she said, "I used it all up after Azula shot you." "Oh..." said Aang awkwardly. Zuko went on. "You'll have to take the Fire Lord's life...Before he takes yours." He said gravely. What I thought was a little odd was that Zuko said "The Fire Lord" instead of saying "my father". I think that he meant that he had completely cut him off. He was no longer Zuko's father and Zuko was no longer his son. All they were now was enemies.
Sokka broke our concentration by shouting at us "Gather round, team Avatar!" "What now?" I complained. Sokka was drawing a face on a hollowed out melon and sticking it on a pole with a red cloth. "What the heck is that for?" I asked. "He's our stand-in Fire Lord." Sokka answered. "Got it." I said, still confused. "Alrighty," said Sokka. "In order to take out the Fire Lord, or in this case 'Melon Lord', our timing has to be perfect. First, Suki, Geo, and I will draw his fire." "Oh great." Said Geo. "I've been denoted to 'distraction.' How fun." Sokka continued. "Then, Tatiana, Zuko, and Katara charge in with the offense while the 'Melon Lord' is distracted. Aang swoops in and BAM! Delivers the final blow." "What about me?" asked Toph. "For now, you're the 'Melon Lord's' forces. " "So I get to chuck flaming rocks at you?" Toph asked excitedly. "Pretty much." Said Sokka. "Sweetness!" Toph chided.
Zuko, Katara, and I ducked behind a rock while Geo, Suki, and Sokka ran around the front at the bottom of the cliff. Toph stood on top of the cliff in front of the melon scarecrow or "Melon Lord" as we started calling it. Next to Toph was a pile of rocks, covered in tar and lit on fire. We had to move fast or else we'd be either crushed or scorched. Anyway, Sokka and Suki ran around the front with Geo trailing behind. While Zuko, Katara, and I stayed on the edge. Suki ran swiftly but Sokka was having a bit of a tough time. He was about to catch up with Suki when BOOM! a flaming rock landed right in front of him. His face was inches away from being crushed. He stood up and shook his fist at Toph. "Watch it Toph!" he yelled. "I am not Toph!" Toph retorted snarkily. "I am MELON LORD! MUAHAHAHAHA!" I looked at Zuko and whispered, "I don't think she's quite right in the melon." I joked. "She's never been." He whispered back. Katara watched, waiting for the right time. "Okay...now!" she yelled. We jumped up from our hiding spot and ran around the front. Toph signaled for about ten or so soldiers made of rock to come straight out of the earth and surround us. The rock soldiers appeared right in front of us. What happened next was a combination of the three of our bending abilities; Katara used water whip to take down the soldiers, Zuko used several blasts of fire, and I used a combination of earth and water to take down the soldiers in front of me. I froze several of them and, as soon as I was done with them, another regiment popped up in front of me. I gathered up all my strength and pushed both of my arms away from my body. Two massive boulders shot up from the earth and followed in the direction I sent them, sweeping the soldiers away from us. From there, we stood and waited for Aang to deliver the final blow. We saw him jump from his hiding place, fist ready and right there he...stopped. He swung his staff over his head and it was just inches away from the melon but he stopped. He didn't deliver the final blow. "What are you waiting for?!" shouted Zuko. "Take him out!" "I can't." Aang whispered.
We all walked up to Aang. He couldn't do it? If this were real, he'd be dead. "What is wrong with you?!" Sokka said, pointing a finger at Aang. "If his were the real deal, you'd be shot full of lightening right now!" Aang looked solemnly at the ground. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "But it didn't feel right. I didn't feel like me." Sokka angrily swiped out his sword and slashed the melon in half, spraying juice everywhere. Momo hopped down and started licking what used to be our Melon Lord. "There!" Sokka exclaimed. "That's how you do it." "Sokka." I said. "Calm down. He'll get it. Just give him ti-" "We don't have any time!" he snapped. "We only have three days!" "You're starting to sound like Zuko." Geo said. "Hey!" they responded at the same time. "Look," I continued. "Aang is trying his best, we all are. Stop stressing about it." Sokka looked at me critically. "Our 'best' isn't going to be enough."
That night, we were all sitting out in the courtyard eating our dinner. Aang was feeling dismal. Suddenly, Katara came tearing into the courtyard, grinning from ear to ear with a rolled up scroll under her arm. "I have a surprise for everyone!" she said edgily. She unrolled the scroll to reveal a baby sitting on the sand at the beach with both arms in the air and a huge smile spread over his tiny face. "Look at baby Zuko." she cooed. "Isn't he cute?" We all laughed our heads off. I had to admit, as much as I loved Zuko and as much as I don't like to embarrass him (Who am I kidding, yes I do), this was pretty darn hilarious and I couldn't help laughing. Zuko drew back for a second, closed his eyes and took a breath. "Oh, come on, Zuko." I said, brushing a bit of hair from his eyes. "We're only teasing." He opened his eyes and looked angrily at the rest of us. "That's not me." He said. "That's my father." We all looked in disbelief at the adorable little baby on the paper in front of us. That was Ozai? That sweet, innocent looking little kid grew up to be the most horrible person ever? That couldn't be right. Katara, who realized she had just spawned a very awkward situation, rapidly rolled up the scroll. "He looks so innocent." Said Suki thoughtfully. "Yeah," said Zuko, "well that sweet little kid grew up to be a monster...and the worst father in the history of fathers." I took his hand. He obviously didn't want to talk about it because he shook my hand off. That was one of his fatal flaws, I'm talking aside from the temper, the attitude, the overactive pride, and his unneeded humorlessness, even though he tried to be funny sometimes and still wasn't funny. What I mean is he pushed people away, even though they cared and wanted to help. He was the kind of person who claimed he didn't need help, even thought he was denying that he did. I guess we all have that one flaw that we can't fix even though we try. Anyway, Aang decided to be "Guru goody goody" (as Zuko once called him) again. "He's still a person." Aang said. "You're defending him?" Zuko snapped. "No!" Aang retorted. "I agree. He is a horrible person and the world would probably better off without him!" "So why can't you do it?" I asked. Aang drew back and said, "There has to be a better way." "That doesn't answer my-" "Like what?" Zuko snapped, interrupting me. I rolled my eyes. Aang thought for a moment and said, "Maybe we could make giant pots of glue and then I can use glue-bending to stick his arms and legs together." "Glue-bending?" I asked doubtfully. "You're kidding, right?" Geo was a little less polite. "That's the dumbest idea in the history of dumb ideas." She snapped. "Just hear me out." Aang continued. "If we stick his arms and legs, he won't be able to bend!" He grinned, as if this plan was foolproof. The best Zuko could do was give a sarcastic answer. "Then you can show him his baby pictures and all those happy memories will make him good again." A couple of us snickered. "You really think it'll work?" Aang asked naively. "No!" Zuko said sternly, shaking off the sarcasm. Aang hung his head. "This goes against everything the monks taught me." He said sadly. "I can't just go around wiping out anyone I don't like-" "Sure you can." Sokka cut him off. "You're the Avatar." "Wait." I said. "Since when does the Avatar just straight up kill people?" "Clearly, you aren't familiar with Avatar Kyoshi." Geo said snidely. "This isn't a joke!" Aang snapped. "None of you understand the position I'm in!" Katara cut in. "We understand Aang, it's just-" Aang cut her off. "Just what?!" he growled. "We're just trying to help." Said Katara, who was starting to get annoyed. "Then when you find a way for me to stop the Fire Lord without taking his life, I'd love to hear it!" he yelled as he turned on his heels and walked off. "Aang!" Katara shouted after him. "Come back here!" "Just let him go." Geo said. Katara angrily sat back down. "Well," I squeaked. "He does kinda have a point." "What do you mean by that?" Sokka asked. "Um..." I thought for a moment. "Even though Ozai is a horrible person, he's still a person and, in my opinion, every person can change and any person deserves to live." "Really?" Zuko asked sarcastically. "Any person can change? Even a person who continued an unneeded war, banished his wife, burned his son, killed several people, and is going to burn the entire Earth-Kingdom to ashes?!" "You're twisting what I said." I answered casually. "Even then?" he asked. I sighed "Yes, even then." I answered. "Pardon me for not sharing your obviously correct opinion." He said sarcastically. "Well everyone at least deserves a chance." I said, starting to get a little annoyed. "I don't think so." He said. "Why not?" I retorted. "Because, he's done so many horrible things, you of all people should know that!" "Yeah, but he still has a chance to change!" "No! That's what you can't understand! He's done unspeakable things, things that are easily unforgivable! He doesn't deserve change and he doesn't deserve forgiveness!" That tore it. "Then why the hell did I forgive you?!" I said angrily. He was silent. I had obviously had done something unexpected and even a little rude. He shouted angrily and stormed off. I turned on my heels and started towards my room. "What is it with everyone storming off tonight?" Geo asked.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN, WAFFLEBUNNIES!!!!!!!!!!!!
So what are your guys' costumes?
I'm sitting here in a homemade ''red riding hood costume" and I have the head of a were wolf costume in my little basket, and I'm just going around scaring people. I even have a plastic wolf claw around my neck (Red riding hood went psycho on the wolf *rubs hands together like a psycho*)
Love you guys, my wafflebunnies
~Maeve