Zuko Joins The Gaang Early - Tumblr Posts

Yin and Yang: Index

Balance is a key aspect in the world, so why shouldn’t the Avatar have an opposite?

In a world where Raava and Vaatu merge with humans, the Avatar and the Daimon try to keep the peace between the four nations.

Aang and Hua are the current incarnations, but wake up 100 years in the future.

How will these two learn all four elements in one year and defeat the Fire Lord?

Gallery

Prologue

Book 1.01

Book 1.02

Book 1.03

Book 1.04

Book 1.05

Book 1.06

Book 1.07

Book 1.08

Book 1.09

Book 1.10

Book 1.11

Book 1.12

Book 1.13

Book 1.14

Book 1.15

Book 1.16

Book 1.17

Book 1.18

Yin and Yang: Gallery

Here you will find all the pictures of the fanfiction.

I will make them as spoiler-free as possible.

Section: Daimon Hua

Outfit one: Winter

Outfit two: Winter without the jacket

Outfit three: Fire Nation Festival Disguise

Section: Hua's bonds

Hua's Family: From left to right: Haruka (mother, nonbender), Bai (younger brother, earthbender) and Kun (father, earthbender)

Jaiyi the ninetailed fox: Hua's animal guide and companion. Has the power to change sizes. Proabaly the last kyuubi.

Ai of Ba Sing Se: Hua's first kiss and first girlfriend. She was the beauty of the Lower Rings but her heart belonged only to Hua. She was devasted to never see Hua again. Later she married and had two children.

Veda the Freedom Fighter ( 13 years old, nonbender), a fling

Earth Sage De: One of the sages who told Hua her destiny as Daimon. He became her earthbending teacher and moved with her to the Southern Air Tempel. He dies in the Air Nomad Genocide, fighting the invading Fire Benders.

Previous Incarnations of the Daimon:

The Daimon Cyle, Fire-Air-Water-Earth

Daimon Qi, Water Lion Turtle, first Daimon, partner and married Avatar Wan and had a daughter with him.

Daimon Guo, Earth Kingdom/Omashu, creator of the Way of Enlightment, partner and husband of Avatar Yangchan. They had 10 children, 5 earthbenders and 5 airbenders.

Daimon Longmei, Fire Nation Capital, noblewoman, betrothed to Avatar Kuruk and Ummi. Died young in the quest to kill Koh the Facestealer for killing Ummi.

Daimon Tian Kuo, Northern Water Tribe/Northern Air Tempel, Avatar Kyoshi life long best friend and "brother". Never married or had children since he was aro/ace.

Daimon Lixue, Souther Water Tribe, Avatar Roku's partner and wife, grandmother of Ursa and great-grandmother of Zuko and Azula.

Daimon Tai, Hua's next life. Non-binary, goes by they/them, born on Ember Island. Omnisexual and polyamoures.  In a relantenship with Avatar Korra and Asami Sato.

Section Mainship: Huaang

Avatar Aang (18 years) and Daimon Hua (18 years) a moment in Book 4: Air

Coverart of Aang and Hua

Yin and Yang: Book 1.13

Balance is a key aspect in the world, so why shouldn’t the Avatar have an opposite?

In a world where Raava and Vaatu merge with humans, the Avatar and the Daimon try to keep the peace between the four nations.

Aang and Hua are the current incarnations, but wake up 100 years in the future.

How will these two learn all four elements in one year and defeat the Fire Lord?

Book 1.13: The Blue Spirit

Water. 

Earth. 

Fire. 

Air. 

Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. 

Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. 

Only the Avatar and Daimon, masters of all four elements, could stop them, but when the world needed them most, they vanished. 

A hundred years passed, and my brother and I discovered the new Avatar and Daimon, an airbender named Aang and an earthbender named Hua. 

And although his airbending and her earthbending skills are great they have a lot to learn before they’re ready to save anyone. 

But I believe Aang and Hua can save the world.

***

A pot with vegetable soup was sitting on the fire pit Hua made.

The Daimon stirred the soup and tasted it.

“Mmh, a bit more salt.”, she mumbled to herself.

She added the spice, as Katara called out to her: “How is the soup going, Hua?”

“Nearly done, Katara, how is our patient?”

Together they looked at poor sick Sokka. He was lying against Appa, coughing and sweaty, huddled in his sleeping bag. 

Thank the spirits they had found this old ruin to make camp or Sokka would suffer more.

At least here they were safe from the weather and it was cosy warm.

Katara pressed a wet rag onto Sokka's forehead.

“This should bring your fever down.”, she cooed at her brother.

Hua put the soup in a bowl and joined them.

“Here Sokka, something to eat. It will help you too.”

But the older boy was so delirious from his fever that he just said: “You know what I love about Appa the most? His sense of humour.”

“That's nice. I'll tell him.”, said Katara a bit amused.

Appa growls.

Sokka laughs. “Classic Appa.”

“Come Sokka, eat a bit of the soup.”, pleaded Hua and raised the spoon towards his mouth. “It will help.”

“I want meat soupy.”, he whined like a child.

The Daimon signed so Katara shovelled the soup down her brother's throat. 

At least he eats it like that.

That’s when Aang returns from his little scavenger trip.

“How's Sokka doing?”

“Not so good.”, tells Hua with crossed arms.

“Being out in that storm really did a number on him.”, adds Katara, shovelling the last bit of soup down his throat.

The sick Sokka gulps down his soup but starts sniffing pitifully.

“I couldn't find any ginger root for the tea, but I found a map.”, explained Aang, putting said map on the floor. “There's an herbalist institute on top of that mountain. We could probably find a cure for Sokka there.”

“Aang, he's in no condition for travel. Sokka just needs more rest. I'm sure he'll be better by tomorrow.”, says Katara, however suddenly she starts coughing too.

This alarms Hua and Aang.

“Not you, too!”, they shout together.

“Relax, it was just a little cough. I'm fi-”

She coughs again, this time with greater force, and lightly groans after.

“It’s like how Sokka started yesterday.”, reminds Hua. “Now look at him, he thinks he is an earthbender like me.”

“Take that, you rock!”

“See?!”, waves Hua to Sokka as flails his arms as if he is hitting something.

“A few more hours and you'll be talking nonsense, too. I'm going to go find some medicine.”, decides Aang. He grabs his glider and begins to head out just as a flash of lightning strikes. “Uh, maybe it's safer if I go on foot.”

The black-haired girl steps towards him and holds him by the shoulder.

“Wait a second Aang.”

“Mmh?”

Hua gives him a big hug, which makes both blush, as she whispers in his ear: “I take care of Sokka and Katara, you be careful. You will be all alone, the last we need is you getting captured by Prince Zuko or somebody else.”

Aang hugs her back, nodding.

“I promise.”

They let go of each other and with a last smile, Aang runs out of the ruin.

The girl signs, wondering why her stomach feels all flattery before she turns to the water tribe siblings.

“Don’t worry guys, I will take care of you.”, she promises.

From her friends came only pitiful groans.

A sweatdrop runs down Hua's forehead.

Well, better start caring for them.

So Hua helps Katara into her sleeping back and feeds her then with the soup.

Then she rotatory wipes away the sweat on her friends faces and entertains Sokka's hallucinations.

This goes on for a while, with wiping their face and giving them food and entertaining them, till Hua notes they are out of water.

“So thirsty.”, croaks Sokka.

“I know Sokka.”, coos Hua at him. “I will take a quick trip to the river and fill our water skins, okay?”

“Be careful”, coughs Katara, even sick she still worries for her.

“I promise, maybe Aang will be back then. He is taking his sweet time.”, grumbles Hua a bit.

She really hoped he was just taking his time and not something terrible happened to him.

With a sign, she slugs the water skins to herself, gets out of the ruin and earthbends an avalanche under her with it she surfes down to the river.

As she reaches the river and starts to fill the first water skin, she feels eyes on her.

Fast she twirles around and creates a whole of ice between her and the unknown danger.

“An arrow?”, she mumbles stupified.

More arrows struck the wall before two more landed in the same spot and sliced the arrows that came before it. 

The ice cracks and another set of arrows pin the green sleeves of her kimono top to a fallen tree in the water.

Before she can react a net is launched at her.

Scary Hua looks into the face of the archer who captures her.

Who are this?

And what are they gonna do to her?

***

As it turns out they cart her into a Fire Nation fortress and lock her up in a cell.

Hua was bound at her legs and arms with chains, barely able to move. 

Angrily she struggles against the chains.

Oh, whoever did this to her will pay?!

Her cell door opens and Commander Zhao enters with a smug look on his stupid face.

She growls at him.

“Feisty aren’t we?”, he musses and stands before her. “So this is the great Daimon. One of the two masters of all the elements. 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.”

“I will show you who is feisty!”, she growls back. “Untie me and I will make you pay for implying that I hide from cowards like you!”

“Uhh, no. Tell me, how is it to find yourself in a world where all your loved ones are dead?”

Anraged Hua shows him her teeth. How she wants to bite this asshole!

“Don't worry, you won't be killed. See, if you die you will just be reborn and the Fire Nation would have to start searching all over again. Even if you would be reborn in the Fire Nation. We simply don’t have time for this. So I'll keep you alive, but just barely.”

The arrogant asshole turns his back on her to step out of the cell, as Hua takes a deep breath and spits a fire stream after him.

Sadly he can bend it away.

“Nice little trick, who taught you this?”

“I learned it myself!”

Strangely Zhao laughs and the next words make Hua shiver all over. “You are indeed a feist one, the Avatar just attacked me with an airblast, but you…you were going for the kill.”

“Avatar…”, she repeats shocked. “You have Aang?!”

“We caught him before you. Sadly you won’t be seeing him, who knows what you two would do together.”

With a last arrogant smirk Zhao leaves, leaving a panicked Hua behind.

Oh no.

Oh no!

OH NO!

This was so bad you needed a new word for bad!

The Fire Nation had both of them.

Oh spirits!

Angry tears fall from Hua’s green eyes as she tries to free herself.

She needs to get out and find Aang!

How long she tries to free herself she can’t tell, only how out of nowhere she hears battle sounds.

Surprised she looks up and that’s when Aang steps into the room!

“Aang!”

“Hua!”

He runs up to her and hugs her the best he can.

“Did they hurt you?”, he asked worried, taking her face in his hands.

“No, No. Did you get hurt?”, she asked back, looking him up and down.

“No, I’m fine too.”

Both signs relieved, then Aang steps away, Hua misses his hands on her face, and a tall man in all black with a blue spirit mask steps towards her.

“Aang, who is this?!”, she asked scared.

“A friend. He released me.”, he explains. “He will do the same for you. Don’t get scared of his swords.”

Hua does haven’t the time as Blue (she will call him this in her head) takes out Duo-Swords and frees her from her bindings.

She thanked her saviour with a bow, and then she and Aang embraced each other again, happy the other was okay and that they were together again.

The Daimon can’t explain since when she craved so much Aang touch, she just knows she felt safe and happy in his arms.

“Yeah, you are right, we should go.”, says Aang to Blue, who had pointed at the cell door.

The Avatar and Daimon take each other hand and follow Blue through the fortress.

They managed to reach the innermost wall of the fortress, scaling it on a rope as they got spotted!

A soldier appears at the top of the wall they are climbing. He cuts the rope and the trio falls down the wall.

Thankful Aang airbends them to a soft landing. 

When the dust clears, the Blue Spirit unsheathes his swords and they run.

A wild prison breaks take place, where they have to fight and climb up the walls of the fortress.

Thanks that Hua was an earthbender, she just smashed holes into the walls, where they could escape.

They are nearing the last wall, however, four firebenders unleash their flame on them, but Aang and Hua put the masked man behind them and he airbends and she firebends the flames away.

“Hold your fire!”, commands Zhao. “The Avatar and Daimon must be captured alive!”

The Blue Spirit instantly comes up behind the two children and crosses his swords in front of their throats, surprising Aang and Hua.

A stand-off takes place, in which Zhao gives in and commands to open the gates.

The gate is opened and the Blue Spirit backs out with his captives, swords still at their throats.

The Blue Spirit continues backing away from the fortress. Zhao now looks on from the top of the main gate.

Then all happens fast.

Hua recognizes the archers who capture her and tries to warn Blue and Aang.

“Get down!”

Blue takes the swords from their troats and wants like them to drop down to the floor, but the arrow hits him in the shoulder!

With a pained groan, their silent ally falls down on the floor.

“No!”. scream Hua and Aang together.

Aang creates a huge dusty cloud as Hua checks for Blue.

“This is bad Aang.”, she tells him. “The arrow pierced his whole shoulder, if we don’t help him, he will bleed to death.”

“Alright, let’s take him with us!”

Hua grips Blue's arms and Aang his legs, together they airbend away from the scene.

***

Luck was on their side and they reached their campsite with Blue without any more problems.

Hua and Aang put Blue on Hua's sleeping back, as Katara called out to them: “Aang, Hua, where were you, who is this?”

She coughs pititful.

“Ah, I forgot the frogs, I will be back soon, okay!”, proclaims Aang and races out.

Hua deadpan after him.

“Sure, I will try alone to save the life of our saviour.”

She signs at gets to work.

As she collected the things she needed, she explained to Katara what happened. 

Thankful her best friend was lucid enough to understand, other than Sokka who said Blue was a Demon and here to eat his heart.

Sitting beside Blue, Hua checks their supplies. Bandages and some salves. Thankful she had one full water skin before she got captured so she could clean his wound.

Careful with her knife she opened his black shirt up where the arrow had gone through and checked it.

Okay, it seemed no bone was hit, this was good and the arrow had gone through nicely.

Alright, she could do it.

First, she slowly cleaned the wounds in front and in the back with water and put the antiinfection salve on it.

Then she cut the rest of the arrow with her knife away.

Only the little bit who looked out of his back remained.

Now she needed to carefully slip it out and pray he didn’t bleed to death.

Taking a deep breath she pulled the arrow out.

Blue screamed in pain.

Katara gasped.

Sokka shrieked about how the demon hoards would come for them.

And a blood fountain gushes out from Blue wounds.

OH NO!

Shit, shit, shit!

Hua let out some really creative curses, which made Katara even more gasp, as she tried to stop the bleeding with the bandages.

They get soaked in seconds.

She tries with water to wash it out and then bandaids over.

It bleeds and bleeds and bleeds!

“Oh come on please!”, she cried, holding her wet hand on the wound. “Stop please.”

Then something unexpected happened.

Her hand and the water started to glow blue and like a miracle closed the wound!

Unellegant Hua's chin meets the floor.

What happened?

What had she done?!

Whatever it was, it had probably saved Blue life.

***

“So let me get this straight you get captured by Zhao, Blue Mask over there saves you and you manage to get him wounded and then you bring him here without knowing who he is?!”

“Sokka, he saved mine and Aang's lives he can’t be bad.”

“I don’t trust masked vigilante! They always have something to hide.”

“What done is, is done. I’m with Hua and Aang. He can’t be that bad if he saved them.”

“Katara, you are too trusting.”

Zuko woke up to loud voices squabbling over him. 

He blinked behind his mask the black dots away and turned his head.

There were the Avatar and Daimon together with the two teens of the watertribe and their three animals.

The humans were sitting around a fire, eating something which looked and smelled like soup, which made him notice how hungry he was himself.

What should he do now?

His prizes were before him, but also a bison, a kyuubi, a waterbender and a guy with a club.

He couldn’t just snatch them up.

Also, his shoulder still hurt.

No, he had to analyse the sitation before he did something stupid.

“Ah, I think our guest woke up.”, said the water tribe girl and walked over to him. With a friendly smile, she kneeled beside him, offering him a bowl of soup. “I don’t know who you are, but you saved Aang and Hua. This makes you in my eyes a friend.”

The water tribe boy groaned behind her.

Zuko just said nothing.

He wasn’t used to people who treated him nicely, well besides his uncle.

So he better stay still.

“Not a talker are ya?”, giggled the girl. She put the bowl and a spoon beside him. “You have your reason to hide your face, so no one will look when you eat. Enjoy it.”

“I still think this is stupid.”, grumbled the water tribe boy.

“Sokka, people have a right to their privacy.”, scolded the water tribe girl.

With that, she stood up and joined her friends again.

Incredibly they really turned their backs on him and talked just with each other, even if he could see how the water tribe boy fought with turning around.

Slowly Zuko got an idea.

If they already trusted him for saving the Avatar and Daimon…maybe if he stayed a few days with them, and played their ally, they would leave him eventually alone with the two youngest and he could take them to his ship and then the Fire Nation.

Yes!

He could play a few days being nice, he just hoped his uncle wouldn’t worry so much.

Maybe he could send him a message?

Whatever one thing after another.

He ate the soup, which was after years on the sea with a cook with a bad temper, really tasty and enjoyable.

Soon, he would get his honour back.

He just had to be patient.

Previous

Next

Yin and Yang: Book 1.14

Balance is a key aspect in the world, so why shouldn’t the Avatar have an opposite?

In a world where Raava and Vaatu merge with humans, the Avatar and the Daimon try to keep the peace between the four nations.

Aang and Hua are the current incarnations, but wake up 100 years in the future.

How will these two learn all four elements in one year and defeat the Fire Lord?

Book 1.14: The Fortuneteller

Water. 

Earth. 

Fire. 

Air. 

Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. 

Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. 

Only the Avatar and Daimon, masters of all four elements, could stop them, but when the world needed them most, they vanished. 

A hundred years passed, and my brother and I discovered the new Avatar and Daimon, an airbender named Aang and an earthbender named Hua. 

And although his airbending and her earthbending skills are great they have a lot to learn before they’re ready to save anyone. 

But I believe Aang and Hua can save the world.

***

Sokka was surrounded by turtleducks.

Let him rephrase this.

Too trusting, bright-eyed turtleducks surrounded him.

Ever since the Mask-Guy, he refused to call him Blue like the others, Katara and the youngest followed the masked man around, well, like turtleducks!

They asked him questions, interacted with him and tried to make him feel a part of the group.

Sokka was going to go insane.

How could his sister and his friends be so chummy with someone who didn’t show his face and only answered with nods or a shake of his head?!

His instincts told him behind the blue mask was the enemy, but whenever he tried to talk to Katara or Hua or Aang they just waved it away.

At least they found out something about the vigilante.

Not enough that Sokka could pinpoint who could be under the mask, however, it painted a picture of a young man, who didn’t think things really through, who leapt before he jumped and was moody as hell!

Vigilant tried to be friendly, yet you could see how he struggled.

Sometimes it seemed he was ready to explode.

Especially when Sokka himself asked him questions.

Other than the turtleducks, Sokka had asked him uncomfortable things like if he was Fire Nation.

Sadly he didn’t get an answer because Katara screeched how he could even think that their new friend was Fire Nation if he had saved Hua and Aang from them!

That had been a bummer.

However, when he asked Vigilanten if his socks smelled and held them under his nose, the other man's reaction had been priceless.

He seemed to gasp for air and was ready to murder him.

Ha, take that mask-dude!

It was so worth it, even if Katara hit him over the head with the ladle.

Anyway, Sokka was the only one who mistrusted the vigilante and he would prove this to his young and dumb turtleducks.

The other man would not see what was coming for him!

***

Zuko had many regrets in his life, but playing friends with the Avatar and Daimon and their friends might be his biggest.

The water tribe boy, Sokka he learned, was clearly into him, asked him all kinds of exposing questions, if he wasn’t careful and let him smell his rotten socks.

For a second he had wanted to light on fire the water peasant, yet he could restrain himself.

He had a mission to accomplish.

A mission that seemed annoying beyond belief and he had been with them for only a night and day!

The Avatar, Aang was his name, asked him all kinds of random questions, like if he liked vegetables, if he ate meat if he would try the vegetarian lifestyle, where he got his mask and then he just babbled a lot of things to Zuko that made his head twirl.

Aang told him stories from his life at the air temples and…well it painted a picture that Zuko didn’t like.

He learned from his tutors how the Air Nomads had been a crazy cult, with blood rituals and all that, who had a large army, ready to attack the Fire Nation. That’s why his great-grandfather had attacked them first, to save their nation.

Nonetheless, the way Aang talked about his culture made the air nomads out of spiritual people, who respected humans and nature and liked to prank each other.

The banished prince just couldn’t wrap his head around it.

Why would his nation say, air nomads were a crazy warmonger cult, when the last airbender was so bubbly and friendly and told him about the many pranks he played with his friends and mentor?

No, it made not at last sense.

And Zuko didn’t like this.

Even more so when the Daimon, her name was Hua, remembered Aang's stories or was part of it.

Two people from 100 years ago against all the history he learned.

What was the truth?

Was it even important if his only goal was to get Aang and Hua to the Fire Nation to restore his honour?

No! Screamed a loud part of him, however a smaller voice, one he had tried to ignore his whole life, begged him to think and listen.

He decides for now to ignore and humour Aang.

Hua was nice company and had healed his shoulder. She didn’t talk much about the past, only when Aang brought it up, but talked about banal things and his shoulder.

She had been shocked when HE had to explain to her, with a lot of nods and shakes and gestures, that legends said female Daimons had the ability to cure wounds and sickness with water.

Since then, she regularly every two hours gave him a healing session.

Neither of them knew how it worked, Hua was making it up on the go, nonetheless, his shoulder felt each time better.

If this would go on for a few more days, he would be ready to take Aang and Hua with him.

And then there was the water tribe girl, Katara.

She was so thankful that he brought Hua and Aang back to her, her words, and she would cook him something special.

After the soup from last night, she made a delicious stew with komodo-chicken, and he nearly wanted to cry.

She was an amazing cook.

Also, he noted how Katara clearly was the clue, the mother, who held these people and their three animals together.

Sokka might say he was the leader, but Zuko saw with his own eyes, how Katara took care of anyone.

She cooked, she cleaned, she was a shoulder to cry on and she was the strict parent who remembered the others of their chorus.

Well, besides Hua.

Hua helped Katara without her input and remember her chorus, the two males needed to get set fire under their butts.

Aang mostly wanted to be a dumb kid, while Sokka wanted to prove his manliness.

It was so stupid in Zuko's eyes.

On his ship, male or female anybody had their chorus and did them diligently. 

No one slacked around.

If Katara and Hua didn’t give Sokka and Aang sometimes a metaphorical kick in the butt, they wouldn’t move.

If Katara was the mother, Hua was the big sister.

He would never admit it out loud, but seeing Katara, Hua and Aang together train in their elements had been…really beautiful.

First, they had worked all three on water, then Aang and Hua on air then earth and now the Daimon showed the Avatar the first steps in firebending.

A voice inside Zuko, who sounded like Uncle Iroh, burned to give them tips. 

They only had a scroll and what Hua learned from practice and error, they needed someone to tell them their stances were all wrong, however, he couldn’t for a lot of reasons.

Manly, he couldn’t give away he was a firebender, also helping train the Avatar and Daimon in their elements was surely treason and Zuko wanted to go back home, not end up on the Boiling Rock!

So he was a silent observer.

Sometimes Jaiyi, the kyuubi and Momo, the lemur, came up to him for pets or to beg for food.

Strangely it made him remember how he had fed the turtleducks with his mother.

So he couldn’t resist giving them something.

For that, he earned an amused smile from Katara, which made him note, how she was actually a pretty girl.

Then he kicked himself mentally thinking his enemy was pretty.

The blood loss he had experienced and Aang's nonsense stories made him think weird things.

Yes, this was it.

Whatever, they had finished currently breakfast, some Water Tribe dish, salted fish and rice with vegetables, which the prince still was surprised he enjoyed as Katara suddenly stood up and pointed at the lake they had camped.

“Look!”

It’s a fish, a se tu, who leaps into the air, facing the group in mid-jump before landing in the water again.

Somehow this pisses off Sokka.

“He is taunting us! You are so going to be dinner!”

He grabs his fishing pole from his tent set up nearby and attempts to cast the pole into the water unsuccessfully.

“Hey, where's the fishing line?”, wonders Sokka.

“Oh, I didn't think you would need it, Sokka.”, tells him Aang sheepish, holding up an intricately woven necklace decorated with a red flower.

“Why would you think that?”, asked Hua with crossed arms. “With what are we going to catch fish now? With our minds?!”

“Ha, good one Hua!”

“I’m not joking Aang.”

Stupified the Avatar blinks at her, while Zuko fights off the urge to facepalm and Sokka bemoans how his fishing line was all tangled.

“Not tangled. Woven!”, the Avatar explains, if it would make the whole situation better. “I made you a necklace, Katara. I thought since you lost your other one …”

He pauses in mid-sentence and displays the necklace, holding it between his hands as he flashes a toothy grin.

As if they had agreed on it Zuko and Hua side-eye each other, as Jaiyi yips in deadpan.

Of course.

It was because of Katara.

Zuko had needed exactly only three hours with them to note how the Avatar crushed on the (beautiful) waterbender.

From all the stories and legends he read about Avatar and Daimon, it surprised him how Aang and Hua weren’t all over each other.

They have been soulmates since the beginning of time.

Of course, he read about Avatar Kyoshi and Daimon Tian Kuo, who had just stayed friends, but they had been one of the expectations of the universal rule.

How the Avatar and Daimon were half of the same soul and drawn to each other.

Why this here was not the case astonished him.

Katara approaches Aang, taking the necklace and thanking him.

Sarcastically Sokka tells the Avatar: “Great, Aang. Maybe instead of saving the world, you can go into the jewellery-making business.”

“I don't see why I can't do both.”, he grins, as Sokka starts to fight the fish,  and turns to Hua. “I have something for you too.”

Not only Hua was surprised, but the whole world stopped for a second, beside Katara who was like finally.

“Oh, what do you have?”, mumbled Hua with a cute blush.

Smiling Aang takes her hand and pulls out a little bracelet made out of pink flowers.

“That’s for you, I know how much you like pink and cherry blossoms are pretty.”

“Thanks, Aang, that’s super nice of you.”

The two smile at each other and ah, there was the legendary wordless connection Avatars and Daimons shared.

Aang might have a big crush on Katara, but he was at least attracted to Hua.

And she seemed attracted to him too.

And Katara.

Zuko had noted that she was bisexual at least. She stared quite often at Katara's breasts. (And no! It didn’t mean he had stared too, he had manners!)

Huh, it was kind of funny how the two soulmates who ever soulmated had a crush on the same person. 

Only one was keeping her feelings for herself, while the other really thought a fourteen-year-old would like a twelve-year-old.

Smiling Hua puts her bracelet on and shows it to Blue.

He gives her a tiny nod, which she interprets as it’s pretty.

Then Katara calls out: “So, how do I look?”

All beside Sokka, who still fights the fish, turn to her.

Aang and Hua have the most reaction, both blush up a storm, looking at Katara in one of awe and amazement.

Even Zuko has to gulp quietly.

It seems like all around the waterbender was coloured with shades of pink and purple, sparkles of light glistening every now and then.

She was smiling sweetly, blushing slightly with one hand behind her back and the other touching her necklace in a pose.

“You mean, all of you or just your neck?”, stutters Aang nervous. “I mean, because both look great!”

Hua just nods rapidly.

Finally, Sokka catches the fish and can’t help to tease Aang for his stupid little crush.

Yes, even he noticed it.

“Smoochie, smoochie, someone's in love!”

He makes kissing noises before the se tu breaks free from his grasp, slapping Sokka in the face with its tail and disappearing under the water.

Poor Aang stutters more as Katara goes for the kill. She can’t make Aang think that she has feelings for him. His crush on her needed to die yesterday and he should fall in love with Hua, how it was supposed to be.

Also, they are super cute together!

“Stop teasing him, Sokka. Aang's just a good friend. A sweet, little guy! Just like Momo.”

The lemur has landed on Aang's shoulder and Katara pets him.

Disappointed Aang thanks her.

Sokka emerges empty-handed from the lake, soaking wet and cross. 

Momo suddenly flies off Aang's shoulder upon hearing a loud noise in the distance. 

He leaps onto a rock followed by Aang, who observes the scene. He points to the source of the commotion.

“Someone's being attacked by a platypus bear!”

They all start running.

They find a way to calm man who dodges the swipes of the platypus bear like nothing.

“Well, hello there!”, the calm man greets them friendly. “Nice day, isn't it?”

“Make noise! He'll run off!”, advises Aang.

“No, play dead! He'll lose interest!”, yells Sokka.

The bear swings its claws only to miss striking the man once again.

“Whoa, close one!”, laughs the calm man bemused.

“Run downhill!”, begins Katara.

“Then climb a tree!”, adds Hua.

“No, punch him in the bill!”, shouted Sokka.

“And then run in zig-zags!”, finished Aang.

“No need, it's going to be fine!”

Having enough of this stupid idiot our masked prince gets his swords out and makes a loud screeching noise with them.

All have to hold their ears, so terrible it was.

Luckily the platypus bear didn’t like it either lays a large, spotted egg and escapes the scene, swimming down the river.

“Next time a warning!”, mutters Sokka to Mask-Boy, before he picks happy up the egg and then turns to the calm man: “Lucky for you, we came along.”

The calm man just well calmly responds: “Thanks, but everything was already under control. Not to worry. Aunt Wu predicted I'd have a safe journey.”

“Aunt who?”, asks Aang.

“No, Aunt Wu.”, corrects the calm ma. “ She's the fortuneteller from my village. Awful nice knowing your future.”

Katara looks off to the side as she ponders this.

“Wow, it must be. That explains why you were so calm!”

“But the fortuneteller was wrong!”, reminds Sokka. “You didn't have a safe journey; you were almost killed!

Hua nods in agreement and Zuko quietly in his head agrees too.

The calm man would have been platypus bear lunch if it weren’t for him.

“But I wasn't! All right, have a good one!”, he bids them farewell and begins to walk away only to turn back again. “Oh, and Aunt Wu said if I met any travellers to give them this.”

He hands Aang a wrapped parcel containing a long, thin object and leaves mysteriously. 

Sokka, Hua and Zuko behind his mask eye the man suspiciously.

This was too much cryptic nonsense for their ears.

“Maybe we should go see Aunt Wu and learn our fortunes.”, suggests Katara excitedly. Seems like one like this cryptic nonsense. “It could be fun.”

“Oh, come on. Fortune telling is nonsense!”, said Sokka loud and clear.

“I’m with Sokka, it's just a scam.”, added Hua. “They tell you what you want to hear. If someone could really see into the future they would be powerful!”

Blue agreed with a simple nod.

Meanwhile, Aang quickly unwraps the mysterious parcel, which turns out to be a red umbrella. He opens it and holds it over his head.

“What do you know? An umbrella!”

At that moment, the sky darkens and it begins to rain. A low rumble of thunder can be heard. Katara bends an arched shield of water over her head to shelter herself from the weather. Hua copies her, shielding also Sokka and Blue.

“That proves it!”, tells them Katara, now under the umbrella.

“No, it doesn't! You can't really tell the future!”, argues back Sokka.

“If it wasn’t for Hua, you would be wet by now.”, sasses Katara back.

Suddenly Sokka loses his grip on the platypus egg as it flies through the air. 

He attempts to catch it, however, it merely flies a few feet into the air and lands on his head, cracking and causing the egg to run down his face.

Thankful Hua cleans him with some of the rainwater before she shields them again.

Then a discussion breaks out between Team Avatar-Daimon if they should go into the fortuneteller town.

Zuko stays silent observers.

In the end, Sokka and Hua only agree because Katara reminds them they need more supplies since Blue is now with them.

Secretly Zuko was pleased.

Maybe he could manage to slip away from them for a few minutes, find a Hakwery and send messages to his uncle.

This was something Zuko wouldn’t admit also out loud, but he loved and cared for his uncle.

He knew Uncle Iroh must be already sick with worry over him.

He has been missing for a good two days.

Yeah, so better go into the crazy fortuneteller town and try to send him a message.

***

Annoyed Hua had to listen, on their way to the fortuneteller town Makapu, how Sokka and Katara squabbled over if the fortunetelling was real or not.

She was on Sokka's side, she didn’t believe in this mumbo-jumbo, so she said nothing and continued to shield herself Sokka and Blue from the water.

She was proud of herself for how she could do something like this now and walk.

Sokka then pretended to predict the future, saying how it was still going to rain, but, of course, it stopped then.

Aang told him how not anyone had this gift.

Whatever.

They were finally in Makapu and Blue put a hood over his head.

Katara and she had repaired the shirt she had cut open and added a hood at Blue's request since he was a wanted man by the Fire Nation.

You could never know if someone was a Fire Nation spy or just wanted the ransom which was surely on his head.

Before they could walk up to Aunt Wu's house, Blue tried to tell them something.

It took them some creative charade playing, however, they got how Blue hadn’t any interest in fortunetelling and would take a stroll around the town.

Katara was sad, she had wanted all her friends to have a reading, yet if Blue really didn’t want she would let him.

So they split up.

As they reached finally Aunt Wu’s house a strange man calmly welcomed them with: “Aunt Wu is expecting you.”

Together Sokka and Hua roll their eyes at Katara's excitement.

This was all for the show, didn’t she realise?

The quartet walks through the doorway, Sokka and Hua expressing their disgust. 

They enter a room, with four pillows situated on the floor to the right of the room. 

The strange man closes the front door. 

A young girl walks into the room clad in a pink kimono and wearing her hair in braids that stick out from the sides of her head.

“My name is Meng and I'm Aunt Wu's assistant.”, introduced the girl and suddenly gasped.

She has a twinkle in her eyes Hua knows too well. Couriers she follows Meng's sight of the eye and lands on Aang.

What?!

Something inside her which sounds like a thousand voices start to hiss and growl.

“Well, hello there.”, formally purrs Meng in Aang's direction.

Only Aang disinterested hello, calms the hissing and snarling voices in Hua.

What was going on?!

The group sits down as Meng plays perfect host: “Can I get you some tea or some of Aunt Wu's special bean curd puffs?”

“I'll try a curd puff.”, brightens Sokka up at getting food.

Meng holds up an index finger in a gesture, her eyes never leaving Aang, saying to Sokka just a moment.

The Daimon has the urge to bite off the finger of this girl, even more so, as Meng kneels down beside Aang and gets really close to him.

She clearly tries to hit on him with the whole our names rhyme things and Hua wants to kick her ass.

It doesn’t help how the thousand and thousand voices in her head snarl and hiss.

Mine!

Stay away from them!

That’s MY yang!

Bitch I  will scratch your eyes out!

Was…was she jealous?

Since when was she jealous?!

When Aang had his little fanclub in Kyoshi she didn’t react this way nor was she angry that Aang crushed on Katara.

The way this Meng made come out the jealous girlfriend in her, was not normal!

Hua bet this was her past lives who had been together with their Avatar and now trowed a hissy fit.

Well, Hua would ignore them. Aang was her friend and nothing more.

Still, as Meng left them to get them the tea and food she was quite happy.

“I can't believe we're here in the house of nonsense.”, grumbled Sokka.

“Try to keep an open mind, Sokka. There are things in this world that just can't be explained.”, lectured Katara. “Wouldn't it be nice to have some insight into your future?”

“It would be nice to have some bean curd puffs.”

“Ditto and some tea too.”, agrees Hua.

This earns her a strange look from Katara.

“Hua, are you alright?”

“Yeah, why?”

“It’s just something in your voice…”

The waterbender trails off as Meng with a tray walks towards Aang with a besotted look in her eyes.

Hua feels her and her past lives hackle rise.

Suddenly Meng trips; Aang attempts to help her recover, accidentally holding her hands in his in the process. 

The two stare at each other for a moment; Meng blushes.

They two then hear a growl and turn to a Hua who looks like fury incarnated, with blazing orange eyes and a snarling face.

“Be more careful, girl!”, hiss a thousand voices from Hua's mouth.

Aang looks stupified at his other half, Sokka raises an eyebrow, and Meng looks ready to faint, as Katara puts her hands on the Daimon's shoulder to calm her down.

“Hua, it’s okay.”, she cooes at her best friend and gives her a big cheek kiss.

This gets Hua out of Daimon State.

Embarrassed how she had lost her nerves, Hua grips a mug of tea and gulps it down without looking anyone in the eye

Oh Spirits, what was going on with her?!

Did she really enter Daimon State because of some Floozy, who made pretty eyes at Aang?

Okay, she needed to get a hold of herself and tell her past lives to chill.

Aang would stay her friend and nothing more.

Her past lives whined at this.

Hua ignored them.

While she had her crisis, Meng left and Aunt Wu entered to welcome them and ask them who wanted to go first.

It’s Katara.

So the three stay in the waiting room, Hua drinking tea after another, while Sokka eats the puffs.

“Mm, not bad, not bad!”, states the water tribe boy.

He holds the bowl out to Aang and Hua.

The Avatar declines, while the Daimon puts some in her mouth, still not looking at anyone.

“So, what do you think they're talking about back there?”, wonders Aang.

“Boring stuff I'm sure.”, answers Sokka casually, biting into a puff. “ Love, who she's going to marry, how many babies she's going to have.”

Aang agrees nervous before he proclaims to go to the bathroom.

Finally, Hua looks up.

She knows Sokka would not ask her why she got into Daimon State since it was mambo-jumbo for him, so they could talk.

“This is all so stupid.”, she mumbles to Sokka. “I can’t believe how eager the others are for this nonsense. We should have gone with Blue.”

“Can’t agree more with you, besides the thing with Mask-Boy.”

“Sokka, do you still think he is some kind of spy?”

“My instincts don’t lie, Hua. Look, the guy refuses to take off his mask, who does this?”

“Maybe someone who got hurt badly by the Fire Nation and has a deformed face?!”

That’s when Aang struts back into the room like a happily peacock.

Okay…what happened now?

“Looks like someone had a pretty good bathroom break.”, says Sokka, picking his teeth.

“Yeah ... when I was in there …”

Disgusted, both Sokka and Hua look away and hold up a hand to signal Aang to stop and yell how they don’t want to know.

Aunt Wu with Katara reenters the Room, asking for her next client.

Sokka stans up with a: “Okay, let's get this over with.”

“Your future is full of struggle and anguish. Most of it is self-inflicted.”, tells him Aunt Wu dryer than the desert.

“But you didn't read my palms or anything!”

“I don't need to. It's written all over your face.” 

Sokka resumes picking his teeth in disgust; as Aunt Wu waves Hua over.

“What about you young lady?”

“Oh alright.”

So Hua follows Aunt Wu into her chamber. 

The chamber is a fairly spacious, dimly lit room. 

Four pillars support the ceiling and four cushions are situated in the centre of the room, surrounding a small fire.

Both sit down facing each other.

“What kind of method would you like to see your future…?”

“Hua, my name is Hua.”

“Ah, flower. A pretty name for a pretty girl. It’s said: The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all.”

This makes Hua blush pleased.

“Thank you. That’s nice to say to you.”

“No problem, dear.”

“I think, I would like the hand reading the classic one.”

Aunt Wu nods and Hua gives her hand.

The older woman stares at the lines in astonishment.

“I never saw such lines.”, she muttered, but Hua can still hear her. With a finger, she follows a big one. “Your destiny! This is incredible. You will be involved in a great battle, an awesome conflict between the forces of good and evil. A battle whose outcome will determine the fate of the whole world!”

Okay, this was disappointing.

“I’m the Daimon I already know that.”

Stupified Aunt Wu blinks at her.

“Is this all, then I will go.”

“No wait a second, here is something which will help you on your journey.”

Aunt Wu strokes over another line and explains: “This is the love line. You are destined to love a lot of people and carry them in your heart, but you will have someone who will carry you in your darkest times. Who will be your guiding light, your sun, your rock in stormy waters! This love is so potent, so eternal that it will save the world or doom it if you don’t find each other.”

Now Hua blinks.

“Okay, can you tell me more about this mysterious person?”

“You have known each other since the beginning of time, you loved each other in many, many lives. Your stubbornness and his deafness stop you both from being together and creating a love which will change the whole world.”

“Ah, I get it now!”, snaps Hua and takes her hand away. “Because I told you I’m the Daimon, of course, the Avatar is my destiny. I will tell you that I will create my own destiny and love someone because I LOVE them and not because we did it before!”

Dramatically Hua races out of the room, ignoring the calls of her friends and walks the street of Makapu.

She has a lot to think about.

***

Of course, Aang was worried for Hua, she must have gotten a bad prediction, but he needed to hear from Aunt Wu that he truly was destined to be with Katara like she had told the waterbender when he had listened in on them.

So he was disappointed when the bones just told her what he already knew.

“Yeah, yeah, I knew that already. But did it say anything about a girl?”

“A girl? You want to know about love?”

“Yes!”

Aunt Wu purses her lip, she can’t believe she got two times today the same destiny, as she looks at the bone fragments.

“Ah, there it is.”

She picks up a bone splitter.

“It says this crush, this obsession you currently have will doom the world.”

What?!

Aunt Wu tuts him.

Ups, he had yelled this out loud.

“The one your heart belongs to currently is not for you. If you choose her over your real love, something terrible will happen. You will lose a great power within you. You need to let go of your obsession and realize who your heart belongs really. If you do this, you will become even more powerful and create a love which will change the whole world.”

“But…but…”, stutters Aang totally confused. “Very powerful bender….”

The fortuneteller repeats his words before she understands.

“You listened in, in my reading with Miss Katara, didn’t you?! How dare you?! This was a private matter!”, she scolded him harshly.

“But…but…”

“See, this is an obsession, not love! You are so fixed on the idea that Miss Katara is your love that you forget anything and don’t think any more about what’s right and what’s wrong! Young Avatar listen closely, you will doom yourself and more importantly, the world, if you still go this way. And now out!”

He doesn’t let him told be twice.

Aunt Wu was scary when angry.

And she was wrong about him and Katara.

He was a very powerful bender.

He was the one for Katara.

He ignored the thousand voices in him who called him a stupor idiot.

***

Zuko had been fortunet.

Makapu had a Hawkery, who even sent letters to Fire Nation Vessels. So this meant the little town was neutral.

Better for him.

He wrote quickly to his uncle about where he was and his plan and asked for time.

With this, he gave the man the scroll and the hawk was off to go to delivery.

Since he had nothing better to do he walked around town, waiting for the others to be done with their nonsense.

Zuko didn’t believe in fortunetellers, destiny may exist but if you fought hard enough you could change it.

He needed to believe this or he would never return home.

His feet carried him to the marketplace where he found Hua, sitting on some stairs of a random house, sulking.

Silently he joined her.

“Hey Blue.”, she greeted dull. “Had a nice walk?”

He nodded.

“I should have come with you, Aunt Wu was such a waste of time!”

He nodded again.

The Daimon gave him a little smile and then handed him a little notebook and coal pen.

“Here I bought this for you. So you can better communicate with us. Always playing charades must be getting annoying.”

This…Zuko didn’t know how to feel about this. 

It was a really nice gesture, no doubt. Besides his uncle, no one thought about him to make him more comfortable.

And here was this little girl, the Daimon, who just used her money on him.

Something in his stomach felt unpleased.

She and the other thought he was their friend.

Not knowing they had a snake among them.

Suddenly…his plan seemed cruel to him.

But he shook it off.

Nothing was more important than to restore his honour.

“Ah there you guys are.”, they hear Katara call for them.

She and the rest of Team Avatar-Daimon joined them.

“Why did you run away Hua?”, asked Katara her best friend. “Was your prediction so bad?”

“It was stupid and I don’t want to talk about it.”

For that all gave her a look, so Hua searched for something to distract them.

“Oh look, people are gathering let’s check this out.”

And off she was.

The others just looked all at each other, wondering what was with Hua, before Sokka shrugged his shoulder and made a come-follow motion.

Nearly the whole town stands around a pagoda-like structure, staring at the sky.

“What's with the sky?”, wonders Katara.

The calm man they met before was there too and explained: “We are waiting for Aunt Wu to come and read the clouds to predict the fate of the whole village.”

“That cloud kind of looks like a fluffy bunny.”, musses Aang, pointing at it.

“You better hope that's not a bunny! The fluffy bunny cloud forecasts doom and destruction.”

“Do you even hear yourself?”, groaned Sokka in disgust.

“Wow, even more mambo-jumbo.”, added Hua, while Blue nodded in agreement.

These three were so done with this whole town.

“The cloud reading will tell us if Mt. Makapu will remain dormant for another year or if it will erupt.”, tells a village woman.

The calm man smiles. “We used to have a tradition once a year of going up the mountain to check the volcano ourselves. But ever since Aunt Wu moved to the village twenty years ago, we have a tradition of not doing that.”

“I can't believe you would trust your lives to that crazy, old woman's superstition!”, shouted Sokka in disbelief and was shushed by Katara, since Aunt Wu was coming.

Aunt Wu and her guard appear ascending a stairwell. The crowd had formed an aisle to allow for the two figures to pass by. 

Hua stands beside Katara and then Aang, while Sokka and Blue stand behind them. 

Aang and Katara smile widely as Aunt Wu and the guard walk by them. Hua and the two older males, even the one who wears a mask, look unamused.

The crowd is clapping for the fortuneteller. 

Suddenly Meng appears next to Aang. Hua sees this and feels her anger rise again.

What does the Floozy want?!

The girl in the pink Kimono points at the sky, asking Aang if he thinks this cloud looks like a flower, he shoves her away, which pleases Hua greatly, just to ask the same of Katara.

Katara shushes him to listen to Aunt Wu's cloud reading.

The Daimon only pays half attention, till Aunt Wu proclaims that the vulcano isn’t going to destroy the town this year.

The crowd celebrates, while the three skeptics just cross their arms and shake their heads.

What a load of ostrich-horse shit!

“Since I got you here, uh, there's something I want to tell you.”, hears Hua Aang's voice over the cheering crowd. She turns slightly and sees a blushing Aang and a clapping Katara. “I like you, but more than normal.”

Did he just confess?!

And in the middle of a crowd?!

Either he was brave or utterly stupid.

Utterly stupid decided Hua, since she saw for a second how Katara's eye twitched before she played the I-didn’t-hear-anything-card and gripped the Daimon by the hand to run off to follow the fortuneteller.

“Nice played, Katara.”, whispered Hua to her best friend.

Katara made a grimace.

“Spirits, I can’t believe he did that. Even after I compared him to Momo this morning. Why is he so fixed on me?”

“Who knows? Hey maybe you should tell him he is the son you always wanted, maybe that will help.”

“Well, it certainly can’t hurt to try.”

***

A while later Hua joined up with the boys because Katara wanted another reading from Aunt Wu and the Daimon wanted to stay far away from that place.

She finds an interesting scene before her.

Blue actually uses his notebook and shows what he wrote to Sokka.

After the water tribe boy read, he huffed.

“Okay, you may be not so stupid to believe this utter nonsense in this town, but I still got my eye on you, Mask-Dude!”

“Sokka, play nice.”, chest him Hua. “So what’s going on?”

Aang answers her. “Sokka wants to change the minds of the people here.”

This makes Hua blink before she tells in a deadpan: “They are a lost cause, Sokka. Ostrich-Horse learn to fly before they will change their mind.”

“Oh yeah, we will see. It’s time for science with Sokka!”

With that, he walks to his first victim.

The other three stay still, before Blue writes something and shows Aang and Hua.

>>Science with Sokka?<<

“Yeah, we don’t know either.”, tell them the youngest in chor.

Since they have nothing better to do, they follow Sokka around for a while, trying to change the minds of the people of Makapu.

It was going bad.

So bad, that Hua told them she would get herself a snack and Blue joined her.

She wasn’t that hungry, but seeing Sokka lose his mind was scary.

The Daimon bought a for her and Blue a peach, as Katara joined them.

“Hey Katara.”, greeted Hua.

“Hey, Hua, hey Blue.”

“Is this a papaya in your hand? Don’t you hate papayas?”

The waterbender signed loudly.

“Yes, but Aunt Wu said I have to eat one.”

Her best friend wants to answer, but both see how Blue is writing fast something.

He shows it to Katara.

>>You can’t do all that this lady tells you. If she told you, you were going to marry Aang would you do that?<<

Katara makes a face at this, while Hua nods in agreement.

“Katara this is all nonsense, I mean she told me I would end up with Aang and we all know this is not going to happen!”

“Aha! That’s why you ran out!”, pointed Katara in triumph at her.

“Yes, I choose my own destiny and this Daimon is fine without Avatar.”

“But why?”, whines Katara. “You and Aang are actually really cute together. We all know you cuddle to sleep.”

This makes Hua turn into a pepperoni.

“You know?!”

Blue answers.

>>You are not subtle when you drag your sleeping back beside him when you think we sleep.<<

Hua whines, before she turns to her best friend.

“So what did she tell you, that you believe her so much?”

“I’m going to marry a tall handsome powerful bender.”

For that Hua and Blue deadpan at her.

Now Katara was the one blushing.

“What?”

“Katara that’s exactly what we mean by Aunt Wu telling people what they want to hear.”, begins Hua. “Most girls want a tall handsome powerful bender. She would have probably said the same to me if I didn’t blab out that I’m the Daimon. Also, I bet with you if a lesbian goes to her, she will have trouble coming up with a cover story.”

Blue nodded in agreement, while Katara seemed pensive.

Well, if you said it like this…

More time to think she doesn’t have as Aang with Sokka on his glider lands beside them.

They tell them how the volcano was about to erupt and in that moment an explosion was heard and the volcano rumbles violently. Grey smoke is emitting from the peak of the mountain.

They have to warn the people.

Sadly no one wants to listen to them. The villagers to trusting in Aunt Wu's readings.

However, this gives Aang an idea. If they only listened to Aunt Wu, they would make them listen this way.

So he steals himself into Aunt Wu's house, searching for the cloud reading book, as he sees Meng in the reflection of a mirror.

“Oh, I didn't see you there.”, he says arkwark. 

“You don't like me, do you?”, asked Meng sad, her braids drooping down.

“Of course I like you.”

“But not the way I like you.”

“Oh, I guess not.”

“It's okay. It's just really hard when you like someone, but they don't think of you that way.”

Aang casts a sad glance to the side, thinking of Katara. “I know what you mean.”

“She's beautiful, by the way.”

“Huh?”

“That Earth Nation girl. I can see why you like her so much. She's strong, she's a bender, she is the Daimon and her hair seems so manageable.”

…Uh what?!

Aang blushes so red, that you need a new name for it.

“What you think I’m in love with Hua?!”, he shouted shocked, gasping for air. “She is my friend nothing more.”

Meng deadpans at him.

“Your friend? Sure. That’s why she was ready to kill me.”

“That’s a bit extreme…”

“Her eyes glowed and she spoke with a thousand voices!”

“Yeah, this is a Daimon Avatar stuff our past lives want us probably to be together but I like Katara and Hua likes currently no one.”

The girl lets out a sound which clearly says that she doesn’t believe him.

“Here.”, she hands him the cloud reading book. “You searched for this, right?”

“How did you know?”

“I've kind of been stalking you…Heh …”

“Oh, thanks ... I guess.”

Okay, he needs to get out of here!

***

In the end, all went smoothly. 

Aang, Hua and Katara on Appa’s back bend the clouds into the symbol of volcanic doom.

Sokka leads Aunt Wu there when it’s done and finally, the village moves.

The earthbender bends the earth away, while the non-benders shovel a big trench which leads to the river.

Hopefully, it would be enough.

However, it wasn’t.

The trench filled too quickly, and the people of Makapu ran away, while Team Avatar-Daimon stayed to watch.

Then when it’s ready to overflow Aang and Hua bend together in a kind of dance with air the overflowing lava away and cooling it down.

Katara, Sokka and Blue who were the last ones standing were astonished by the feast they created.

“Okay, now I get this whole Yin and Yang thing. These two just stopped a volcano without words.”, tells Sokka.

Katara and Blue nod in agreement.

So this was the power of the Avatar and Daimon.

Beautiful and otherwordly.

It made them all feel really humble.

The village was safe now and the people returned.

Aang handed the cloud reading book back to Aunt Wu. “By the way, we kind of borrowed your book.”

“So you messed with the clouds, did you?”, guessed Aunt Wu angry.

She takes her book back in anger while Katara and Hua look guilty and Sokka smiles and points at them, indicating that they had a part in the cloud manipulation, too.

“Very clever!”, laughs Aunt Wu.

“No offence, but I hope this taught everyone a lesson about not relying too much on fortune telling.”, called Sokka the villagers out.

The calm man just responded with: “But Aunt Wu predicted the village wouldn't be destroyed and it wasn't. She was right, after all.”

Anraged Sokka gets near the Calm man's face and through gritted teeth tells him he hates him.

Katara and Hua each grab a hand of Sokka leading him away, trying to calm him down, as Blue follows them with a shake of his head.

After Aang finish talking with Aunt Wu, he joins his friends on Appa.

Today Katara flow the bison and she said goodbye to the villagers for them and asked Meng to take care.

Never seeing the fake smile and wave from Meng stopped she muttered a: Floozy.

Previous

Next

Yin and Yang: Book 1.15

Balance is a key aspect in the world, so why shouldn’t the Avatar have an opposite?

In a world where Raava and Vaatu merge with humans, the Avatar and the Daimon try to keep the peace between the four nations.

Aang and Hua are the current incarnations, but wake up 100 years in the future.

How will these two learn all four elements in one year and defeat the Fire Lord?

Book 1.15: Bato of the Water Tribe

Water. 

Earth. 

Fire. 

Air. 

Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. 

Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. 

Only the Avatar and Daimon, masters of all four elements, could stop them, but when the world needed them most, they vanished. 

A hundred years passed, and my brother and I discovered the new Avatar and Daimon, an airbender named Aang and an earthbender named Hua. 

And although his airbending and her earthbending skills are great they have a lot to learn before they’re ready to save anyone. 

But I believe Aang and Hua can save the world.

***

“Ah isn’t it nice? Just us four, Momo, Appa and Jaiyi, no stupid Mask-Dude around!”

“Sokka, you are so annoying! Blue is our friend! I’m a bit worried for him.”

“Katara, Blue said in his note that he had some things to do here, I’m sure he will be back.”

“I hope so, Aang.”

“I wonder what Blue has to do here. I mean, besides the water tribe ship from the fleet of your dad we found, here is nothing interesting.”

“Well, Hua, maybe Mask-Dude has to report to his evil boss about us! Telling him how gumble we are and will lead us straight in these hands!”

Annoyed Hua, Katara and Aang looked at Sokka, who was sitting, like them, around the campfire, acting like he knew why their friend had left.

This morning as they had found clues of a battle between the watertribe warriors of the South and firebenders, Blue had been with them. 

Then they had decided to camp tonight beside the ship.

That’s when Blue “said” he had some stuff do to around here, however he would soon rejoin them.

Only Sokka was happy that Blue was gone. 

All the others, especially Momo and Jaiyi, who Blue had always given some extra food, were sad. 

Blue hadn’t been long with them, yet, his quiet helpful presence was missed. 

Since he could now communicate with him, they also missed his opinions and snarky responses.

Suddenly a strange noise can be heard, its source originating from somewhere in the fog around them.

All jump up, benders in their bending positions and Sokka has his boomerang ready.

“Who's there?”, demands Sokka to know.

A man, hailing from the Water Tribe with white bandages wrapped around the upper left portion of his torso, stepped out of the shadows. 

He is surprised to see them.

“Sokka?”

The addressed one raised an eyebrow quizzically before he recognised the warrior.

“Bato!”

“Who?”, chorus Hua and Aang a bit confused.

However, no one seems to hear them as Katara also calls out the name of this Bato and she and Sokka run up in his arms. 

The three watertribe members hug each other tight.

“Sokka! Katara! It is so good to see you two. You've grown so much.”, tells them Bato moved.

How does he remember Hakoda children being so tiny and cute, and now? Now they were nearly adults.

Aang and Hua get a bit closer to the three, staying a respectful distance away.

Both bow in greeting.

“Hi, I'm Aang and this is Hua.”

“Nice meeting you.”

No one seems to listen to them, because Katara and Sokka ask where their father was and Bato tells them he and the other warriors are in Eastern Earth Kingdom now.

The Avatar and Daimon are a bit dumfound been ignored. Not even Katara or Sokka presented them to Bato.

Normally you introduce your friends to your…family? Was he their uncle?

Why wouldn’t anyone explain to them anything?

A gust of wind blows, causing them all to shiver.

Bato states that this is no place for a reunion and leads the siblings away.

Thankful Bato looks back at Aang and Hua and gestures for them to follow.

Oh, well good.

For a second both thought they had to stay here.

Aang takes Hua's hand and so they follow Bato and their friends to an abbey.

Appa with Momo and Jaiyi follow of course too.

“After I was wounded, your father carried me to this abbey. The sisters have cared for me ever since.”, explained Bato, before he spoke to a nun, who was the highest one. “Superior, these are Hakoda's children. They've been travelling with the Avatar and Daimon. I found them by my boat.”

“Young Avatar and Young Daimon, it gives me great joy to be in your presence. Welcome to our abbey.”, bows Mother Superior to them.

The two bow back and say together: “Thank you, it's truly an honour to be here.”

“If there's anything-”, begins Aang, but gets interrupted by Sokka: “What smells so good, Bato?”

“The sisters craft ointments and perfumes.”

“Perfume? Maybe we can dump some on Appa because he stinks so much. Am I right?”

Everyone is silent, and a single person coughs.

“You have your father's wit.”, deadpans Bato at Sokka.

The group moves to the hut in which Bato is staying, with a tent on the opposite side of the door being the bed chamber, a fire with cushions in the middle, and various pelts placed and hung everywhere.

“Bato, it looks like home!”, exclaims Katara happy.

“Everything's here, even the pelts!”, points Sokka out.

Aang who is holding Momo looks at the pelts in mild disgust. 

“Yeah, nothing's cosier than dead animal skins.”

“Aang!”, hisses Hua, flicking the back of his head. “This is part of watertribe culture, don’t disrespect it.”

“It was not my intention.”

“Really? Then keep your mouth shut about these things.”

Offended Aang looks at her, though Hua just stares him down.

Their little squabble gets interrupted as Katar and Sokka find a pot of stewed sea prunes cooking over the fire.

Bato tells them all to help themselves.

Aang sniffs it but looks away in disgust and sets it to the side, while Hua at least takes a taste.

Meh, she has eaten worse things.

And food, was food when you grew up in poverty.

So she keeps on eating, which earns her a flabbergasted look from Aang.

How can she stomach this?!

“Bato, is it true that you and dad lassoed an arctic hippo?”, asked Katara, happily eating her own stewed sea prunes.

“It was your father's idea, he just dragged me along. Well, the hippo did the dragging!”

Aang wants to join the conversation, but sadly Sokka cuts him off.

“So, who was it that came up with the Great Blubber Fiasco?”

“You knew about that?”, chuckles Bato.

“Everyone does!”, tells Katara.

“What's that story?”, asks Aang curious.

Sokka waves Aang off.

“It's a long one Aang, some other time.”

This makes the Avatar pout, while the Daimon softly hits with her elbow in his side to cheer him up.

Katara and Sokka were just so happy to see an adult from their tribe, it was normal how they didn’t give them any attention.

Aang gives her a little smile, then stands up to loo around the room more.

Hua shrugs her shoulder and gets herself and Jaiyi another bowl.

You get used to this salty, slimy taste.

“You and Dad had so many hilarious adventures.”, said Katara right now to Bato.

“Not all of which were hilarious at the time, but everything's funny in hindsight.”, then Bato sees how Aang was wearing a pelt hat. “Hey, Aang! Please put that down, it's ceremonial and very fragile.”

Aang does as he is told and then sits in the back of the room.

He wasn’t having much fun right now. How Hua could just listen and eat these nasty stewed sea prunes was beyond him.

Well, the answer was simple.

Hua would do anything to see someone again who remembers her family and share stories with them.

Katara and Sokka deserved this space with Bato because she was so sad she would never get it.

So she ate the food and was silent observing one hilarious story after another.

A bit later Hua was playing with Jaiyi, as she heard how Bato told Katara and Sokka, how he was waiting for a message from their father and that they could see him again.

Something cold and terrible took place in her heart as she saw the excitement of Katara and Sokka.

A part of her wanted to speak up, to beg them not to leave her and Aang, yet a bigger part understood.

She understood it so well.

She would give anything to see her family alive and well again.

So she fought off her tears, but she didn’t need to cry.

Katara and Sokka told Bato clearly that they would love to see their father, but Hua and Aang were more important right now.

This was the moment when Hua let out a happy cry, all the attention turning to her.

“Oh Hua.”, cooed Katara and embraced her. “We won’t leave you, you are family too, remember.”

She just hiccuped and hugged Katara back tighter.

Even Sokka patted her head.

“Now, now, Hua, it’s okay. We won’t leave you.”

“I love you guys.”, she just told them.

Her family might be long dead, but she had a new family.

It was little.

It was a bit crazy.

But it was good.

No one noted how Aang was missing and what a decision he currently took.

***

The next day the kids and Bato walked back down to his ship.

“This ship is sentimental to me. It was built by my father.”, explains the man.

“Is this the boat he took you ice dodging in?”, asks Sokka.

“Yep! It's got the scar to prove it. Ha. How 'bout you Sokka? You must have some good stories from your first time ice dodging.”

Suddenly Sokka looks really sad.

“He never got to go.”, explained Katara. “Dad left before he was old enough.”

“Oh, I forgot you were too young.”

“What's ice dodging?”, wonder Aang and Hua.

“It's a rite of passage for young Water Tribe members. When you turn fourteen, your dad takes you-”, Bato stops. He smiles and puts his hand on Sokka's shoulder with a new thought. “You know what, you're about to find out!”

Soon they find themselves on Bato ship, sailing along the shore. 

“Ice dodging is a ceremonial test of wisdom, bravery, foresight and trust.”, begins Bato. “In our village, ice dodging was done by weaving a boat through a field of icebergs.”

“How are we supposed to ice dodge without ice?”, wonders Sokka.

“You'll be dodging those.”

The watertribe man points to a group of tall, sharp, jagged rocks near the shore. 

Katara, Hua and Sokka get nervous.

If they weren’t careful, they would end up on the rocks, with severely broken bones.

“Sokka, you steer and call the shots, lead wisely. Katara, you secure the main sail. The winds can be brutal, so be brave. Hua, you are on the bow, look out for danger. Without your judgment, we risk getting more than hurt. Aang, you control the jib. Without your steady hand, we all go down. Your position is about trust.”

Somehow this offends Aang since he babbles: “I know that. Why wouldn't I know that? I'm the Avatar; I know about trust!”

He crosses his arms and looks away, but gives Bato a second glance.

“For this is to be done right, I cannot help.”, tells them Bato and sits down cross-legged. “You pass or fail on your own.”

“Alright let’s do this! Hua, what’s your opinion?”, asked Sokka.

“These rocks seem manageable, we need a steady hand, captain.”, she calls over.

“I agree. Aang, ease up on the jib. Katara, steady. Aang, less sail. Katara, give him room.”

The ship moves to the side and sails between some rocks.

“Captain Sokka, more rocks on the left!”

“Aang, helm to lee. Helm to lee!”

“What does that even mean?”

The waves knock Bato around. Sokka and Hua struggle while Katara and Aang close their eyes. However, the boat passes between more rocks.

“Great job!”, praise Sokka.

Katara and Aang smile, as Hua calls out frantically: “Captain, a large group of rocks, is before us. We better turn around!”

“There's no way through!”, agrees Katara.

“We can make it.”, insists Sokka.

Bato stands up and grabs the side of the boat. “Sokka, you've already proven yourself. Maybe we should-”

The water tribe boy doesn’t listen and gives new commands: “Aang, I'm gonna need air in that sail. Katara and Hua, I want you guys to bend as much water as you can between us and those rocks. Now!”

Katara and Hua bend the water below the boat while Aang fires airbending blasts at the sail. 

Sokka groans nervously as the boat clears the rocks. 

When they reach clear water, Sokka sighs and relaxes. 

The rest of the group smiles at him.

Back on land, the kids stand in line before Bato, who holds a small cup of purple paint.

“The spirits of water bear witness to these marks. For Sokka, the Mark of the Wise.” Bato uses his thumb to put an arc and a small dot on Sokka's forehead. “The same mark your father earned. For Katara, the Mark of the Brave. Your courage inspires us. For Hua the Mark of Foresight.”

He paints a circle with a little dot on her forehead. “You are now an honorary member of the Water Tribe.”

Hua has to fight the tears as she bows down in thanks.

“I’m honoured to be part of the Watertribe.”

“And for Aang, the Mark of the Trusted. You are also now an honorary member of the Water Tribe.”

It’s like a slap in the face for him. 

Aang can’t accept this honour. 

Not after what he did.

“I can't.”, he mutters.

“Of course, you can!”, disagrees Katara.

However, Aang steps a few feet away and wipes away his mark.

“No, you can't trust me.”

“Aang, what are you talking about?”

He takes the crumpled map out of his sleeve.

“A messenger gave this to me for Bato.”

Katara takes it from him.

“You have to understand. I was afraid you would-”

“This is the map to our father! You had it the whole time? How could you?”, shouts Sokka. “I’m so sorry Hua, but I won’t go to the North Pole with a liar. I'm going to find Dad.”

“Now, Sokka. I think you should-”, tries Bato, but gets interrupted by Sokka: “Katara, are you with me?”

The waterbender looks at the two youngest, Aang full of guilt and Hua who shakes her head, mumbling, please over and over.

“I'm with you Sokka.”

Sokka, Katara, and Bato walk away and that’s when Hua turns to Aang full of anger.

“What did you do?!”, she screeched. “Why did you do it?! Katara and Sokka never wanted to leave us!”

“But they said yesterday-”

“If you had stayed to listen, then you would have heard how they promised to stay with us since we are also their family, but now…”

Hua lets out a loud wail and sinks down on the sand. Aang looks full of guilt and anguish at her.

“I already lost my family, I lost Monk Gyatsu and now Katara and Sokka!”, she whimpered, fat tears rolling down her eyes. “Why do all the people that I love leave me? Why?!”

Aang sinks down too and embraces her tight, first Hua fights him off, she is still angry, but then she cries into his robes.

They only have each other now.

“I’m so sorry Hua.”, Aang cries too. “I was stupid and hurt and desperate, I really thought Sokka and Katara would leave us because they ignored us for Bato.”

“Aang, they saw a friend of their father! Of course, they wanted to catch up. I would have done the same if I met someone who remember my family! Stupid idiot.”

“Yes, I deserve this.”

They stay for a while like this.

Hua hurls insults and cries at Aang's robes and he agrees with her and promises to do better.

***

Later the groups get ready to depart.

How strange to think of them as groups and not anymore as Team Avatar-Daimon.

Hua was sitting on Appa's saddle with Jaiyi in her arms, trying to console her crying ninetails.

Jaiyi understood that Sokka and Katara would leave them and hated it.

Aang was with Momo on Appa's head, watching how Katara got ready with Bato and Sokka.

Then the watertribe girl stepped on them.

“Good luck.”, she wishes them.

“Okay. You too.”, answer her Aang.

Hua and Jaiyi stare at Katara with big eyes, tears glistering in them and the older girl has to fight of her own, as she joins Sokka and Bato at the abbey gate.

Mother Superior, in front of Appa, stares at Aang.

“Guess we should be moving on.”

“That would be best.”, then she turns to Hua and bows. “It was still an honour meeting you young Daimon.”

“Thanks. Let’s go Aang.”

“Let’s.”

Appa walks out of the abbey and Aang notices three figures walk away in the distance.

“I'm really an idiot, Hua.”

“Yeah, I told you this only 100000 times today.”

“What should we do next?”

“Wait for Blue? He should be back soon.”

“Hopeful he won’t leave us either.”

With this, they walk into the forest.

A few minutes later they hear someone approaching.

It’s Blue!

Happy they call out his name.

Their friend is wearing clean black robes with a hood, his mask still in place, his trusty swords and a bag slung over his shoulder.

“Where you shopping?”, asks Hua as she helps him up the saddle.

After he sits down he writes his answer and Hua reads it aloud so Aang hears it too: “Something similar. Where are Sokka and Katara?”

So they tell him what happened.

“That’s rough, buddy. I’m sorry. I won’t leave you, I promise.”

“Thanks, Blue.”, chorus Hua and Aang together.

Zuko can’t believe his luck.

Katara and Sokka left them!

He could now under false claims steere now Aang and Hua to his ship!

Ha!

And his uncle had thought him crazy when he had been back on the ship to get his things.

How his plan could never work.

But look at it now!

Sadly the universe was against Zuko because they heard the shouts of Sokka and Katara.

They all turn around and see the water tribe siblings running up to them.

“Katara, Sokka!”, yells Hua and Jaiyi yips happily. “What are you doing here?!”

“Well, what do you think? We're getting you guys to the North Pole.”, smiles Katara.

“Yeah, we've lost too much time as it is.”, agrees Sokka.

Stupified Aang and Hua look at them, while Zuko inside cries out in anger.

He was so close!

“Don't you want to see your father?”, wonder Aang and Hua.

“Of course we do, Aang and Hua. But, you're our family, too. And right now, you need us more.”, reminds them Sokka.

“And we need you, guys.”, adds Katara.

No one can watch this fast as Hua jumps down from the saddle and hugs ugly crying Katara and Sokka.

“Never leave us again! I can’t lose another family.”

Katara hugs her back just as tight, giving her cheek kisses and Sokka pats her head.

“There, there Hua.”

That’s when he notes Blue on the saddle.

“Oh awesome, Mask-Dude is back?!”, he groans.

In his head, Zuko isn’t thrilled either seeing them again, but he waves in the hope that it seems welcome and friendly.

After Hua calms down enough, all go back on the saddle and they fly in the direction of the North Pole.

Previous

Next

Yin and Yang: Book 1.16

Balance is a key aspect in the world, so why shouldn’t the Avatar have an opposite?

In a world where Raava and Vaatu merge with humans, the Avatar and the Daimon try to keep the peace between the four nations.

Aang and Hua are the current incarnations, but wake up 100 years in the future.

How will these two learn all four elements in one year and defeat the Fire Lord?

Book 1.16: The Deserter 

After two weeks I can finally update T.T

I’m so happy I finished this chapter, it gave me so much trouble.

It helped that I worked on My Hero Academia FF Kill La Hero, so give it a look.

Also, I want to announce something: I have finally decided to say fuck it.

People today say we can’t write smut or similar things for FICTIONAL characters even if they are underage.

Do these people not know how teenagers are?

Most of them are horny all the time and when they can have sex they will do it!

They won’t stop watching porn and having sex with each other because we aren’t anymore writing about Fictional Character A having sex with Fictional Character B.

Also, writing should be free!

We should write what we want, it’s not my task to monitor kids and teens.

I put the warning on and if they still can read it, then blame the parents not us authors!

It’s their mission to protect the innocent of their children.

Even if they talk in school about sex.

I can still remember what we talked about in my teens.

And it wasn’t My Little Pony or grades. XD

Sex is something normal and natural and not something to be ashamed of.

And more I don’t say.

If you disagree feel free to block me and search for other fanfics.

You think like that, I think it this way.

Let’s respect each other's opinions.

I’m telling you this because we will experience together with Aang and Hua the first steps in physical love. I don’t think I will let them have sex right now, but dear god I want them French kissing without people coming for my ass.

Also, Zutara is to hot to not have sex when they are a couple ;D

Anyway, we are still a long way away from these things I just wanted to give you a heads-up. ^^

Now on with the story!

Water. 

Earth. 

Fire. 

Air. 

Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. 

Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. 

Only the Avatar and Daimon, masters of all four elements, could stop them, but when the world needed them most, they vanished. 

A hundred years passed, and my brother and I discovered the new Avatar and Daimon, an airbender named Aang and an earthbender named Hua. 

And although his airbending and her earthbending skills are great they have a lot to learn before they’re ready to save anyone. 

But I believe Aang and Hua can save the world.

***

It was nearly sunset when Team Avatar reached a little roadside kiosk.

Getting curious they walked up to it.

“This should give us a good idea of what's around here.”, mussed Katara reading the posters.

Sokka flips a small pouch to find it empty aside from a few crumbs.

“See if you can find a menu, I'm starving!”, groaned the water tribe teen.

“I bet we'll find something to eat here, the Fire Day's Festival.”, said Aang, before he read aloud. “Fire Nation cultural exhibits, jugglers, benders, magicians ...This would be a great place for Hua and me to study some real firebenders.”

The Daimon, who had Jaiyi in her arms, raised an eyebrow. “What? Are you saying my firebending lessons are not enough?”

“Hua, we learned the scroll up and down.”, reminds her Aang. “Now we are making it up on the go and I don’t think we are making great progress.”

Hua raises a finger, like she wants to argue, then frowns and signs.

Aang had a point.

They knew the firebending scroll by now without even looking at it.

They needed to learn new moves.

“You are right. It would be good to go to this festival.”

“You guys might wanna rethink that. Look at this.”, called Sokka from the other side of the kiosk.

All joined him to see what was wrong.

The answer was simple.

“Hey, posters of me, Hua and Blue!”, grinnend Aang.

The posters looked good!

“Wanted posters! This is bad.”, corrected him Soka.

Each of the three who had a poster removed it from the kiosk. Blue just grumbled it, Hua studied the painting of herself, while Aang read his poster.

“I think we better keep moving.”, declares Katara.

“The scroll helped us, this could be Hua and mine only chance to watch a master's up close.”, begged Aang.

Hua nodded.

“I’m with him. We will never master firebending only with the scroll.”

Katara frowned, but she had to admit, the youngest had a good point.

“I guess we could go check it out.”

This made Aang and Hua smile, while Sokka and Blue stared at Katara.

Did they hear right?!

“What? You wanna walk into a Fire Nation town where they're all fired up with their ... you know, fire?”, questioned Sokka.

Blue wrote his thoughts.

>>I’m with Sokka. This just screams trouble for us.<<

Sokka narrowed his eyes at him but then signed: “Can’t believe I’m with Mask-Dude on the same side…but this doesn’t mean I will stop keeping watch over you mister?!”

All just deadpannend at Sokka.

His paranoia of Blue was getting old.

Secretly Zuko was happy how only Sokka mistrusted him still. It was one obstacle less in his quest to capture Aang and Hua.

“We'll wear disguises and if it looks like trouble, we'll leave.”, proposed Katara to the two sceptics.

“Yeah! Because we always leave before we get into trouble.”, sasses Sokka back.

However, since the two oldest boys were outvoted, they had no choice but to go with the others to the festival.

Sokka to protect them, while Zuko hoped a chance would turn up to snatch Hua and Aang.

At nightfall, they had nearly reached the town where the festival was held.

They stopped on a hill and Aang told their animal friends to hide. Momo and Jaiyi dived into a bush and Appa hid behind the little bush.

It was adorable!

Then it was time to disguise themselves...

Blue just put the hood of his robe even deeper over his masked face. Hua, Sokka and Katara put on their black cloaks while Aang pulls his orange shawl over his head with a smile, making him look ridiculous.

“It's like you're a whole different person …”, retorted Sokka sarcastically, while Hua and Katara giggled.

Blue just shook his head.

“Let's go.”, said Aang cheerfully.

After a few minutes they enter the bustling town.

People with masks were everywhere, children played and they nearly got run over by a costume dragon.

“I think we need some new disguises.”, told Katara studying the people with the masks.

“Where are we gonna get masks like that?”, wondered Sokka.

It seemed like the universe was good to them tonight since they heard a man calling: “Get your genuine Fire Festival masks here!”

“That was surprisingly easy.”

Blue keeps his mask since they sold Blue Spirit masks too, so hopefully, no one would conclude he was the real Blue Spirit, while the other picked out their mask.

Hua chose a white with red markings kitsune mask, Katara chose a lady with makeup, Sokka a blue smiling mask with petals around the rim, and Aang chose a red mask with a frown on it. 

After looking at them Katara removes Sokka's mask, revealing him to be frowning, and Aang's mask, revealing him to be the one smiling. 

She places Sokka's original mask over Aang's face and Aang's over Sokka.

You could feel Sokka frown even more.

They walked around for a bit looking at the attractions. Sokka nearly burned himself with this food called Fire Flakes.

Not even he was hungry enough to eat them full.

They watched a little puppet show with Firelord Ozai who burned down an earthbender and decided to move along.

Too macabre for them.

Then Aang sees a big crowd and leads his friends there, Sokka murmurs that it was probably an execution.

Zuko heard him.

And it didn’t make him feel good.

The other where the whole time on edge at the Fire Festival, while he remembers happier times, going with his mom and uncle and Lu Ten to them and enjoying them.

How Sokka said that the main attraction of the festival had to be an execution…was this how the other nations saw the Fire Nation?

That when they celebrate, they like to execute people?

What he learned with his tutors so long ago was how the Fire Nation wanted to spread their technological advance over the primitive nations, but this?

It made him question things again.

He was never more thankful as the show turned out to be a magician who needed a volunteer for his next trick, picking Katara. Aang thought she was in danger and airbenden the fire away, which turned into confetti and lost his mask.

As a distraction, Aang made a silly dance, while Hua and Sokka freed Katara from her seat, as people recognised Aang as the Avatar.

Then a wild chase took place and a man in a hood helped them to flee with explosions.

Aang called for Appa with his whistle and they flow away from the festival.

The Avatar praises their new ally for his quick thinking with the explosion and setting off the fireworks, while Sokka impressed tells him how the man knows his explosives.

That’s when the man turns around and they see he is a Fire Nation Soldier!

The man corrected them.

He was once and his name was Chey.

The group lands to make camp.

When the campfire burns, Chey begins to speak.

“I serve a man.”, he says. “More than a man really, he's a myth, but he's real, a living legend, Jeong Jeong the Deserter. He was a Fire Nation general, or wait, was he an admiral?”

“He was very highly ranked, we get it.”, stops him Sokka unamused.

“Yeah! Way up there! But he couldn't take the madness any more. He's the first person ever to leave the army - and live. I'm the second, but you don't get to be a legend for that. That's okay though. Jeong Jeong's a firebending genius. Some say he's mad - but he's not! He's enlightened.”

Did Aang and Hua hear right?!

“You mean there's a firebender out here who's not with the Fire Lord?”, they chorused together, Aang even stood excited up. “We've gotta go see him! He can train Hua and me!”

“We're not gonna go find some crazy firebender!”, makes Sokka clear.

Even normally Firbender where a pain in the butt, however a crazy ex-general/admiral living in the woods, just screamed trouble!

Annoyed Chey comes to his master's aid. “He's not crazy! He's a genius! And he's the perfect person to train the Avatar and Daimon! That's why I followed you into the festival.”

Now the annoyed Sokka makes clear how he was thankful for the help, however, they would leave for the North Pole in the morning.

Now Hua and Aang protested together.

“Sokka, this could be our only chance to meet a firebending master who would be willing to teach us!”

“It can't hurt just to talk to him.”, agreed Katara with the two youngest.

“That's what you said about going to the festival! Why doesn't anyone ever listen to me?”

“Is this again about your instincts?”, mumbled Hua, yet Katara and Aang heard her and giggled.

As Sokka turns to pout, he almost runs right into a spear. 

In a flash, they are surrounded by men wearing straw hats, light armour, tribal make-up, and wielding spears.

Oh-Uh!

***

The Spirits hated him, Zuko was sure.

Not only was going to the Fire Nation Festival a disaster, no, but now he was in one of the huts of deserters and traitors of his country!

If his father ever found out he was near the infamous Jeong Jeong the Deserter, he could forget his throne and say hi to a nice little cell on the Boiling Rock!

Maybe Uncle Iroh was right and his plan did have flaws.

No, he couldn’t think like that!

As long as he keeps his “Blue” theatre-going, no one would ever need to know how he captures the Avatar and Daimon.

Still…when he was a boy, Zuko remembered how Uncle Iroh talked about Jeong Jeong, calling him a military genius and a dear friend.

Could someone, whose uncle so appreciated, really be a bad guy?

The part of him, that was formed through propaganda, said yes, but his emotional side, who trusted his Uncle said no.

So…does it mean the Fire Nation, his father, was in the wrong? It was like someone threw a bucket of cold icy water on him.

How could Zuko think such traitorous thoughts?!

He was his father's and his nation's loyal servant!

That’s why he did this spiel of being friends with Aang and Hua to capture them for his nation.

For his honour and to eliminate their biggest treat!

Still…he looked at the people who slept beside him.

Katara was nearly snuggled on his side, which was not good for his racing teenage hormones.  He was still a teenager and she was a beautiful girl, who was too trusting of him!

Sokka slept behind him to not make any funny business happen.

Like Zuko would do anything to Katara.

Sweet and fierce Katara, who naturally took him in in their group and acted with him like they were old friends.

She didn’t deserve the heartbreak he would cause her when he took Aang and Hua away.

Zuko had seen and felt how Katara saw the two youngest as her own.

But he wouldn’t have a choice.

He never has a choice.

Then there were Aang and Hua.

Hua slept on Aang's chest, gripping his robes, while Aang embraced the smaller girl.

They looked like two puzzle pieces.

A perfect fit.

Just none of these two wanted to look reality in the face.

Behind his mask Zuko signed.

He was already a way to invest with everyone, even with Sokka when they squabbled over random things, it would only hurt when he betrayed- when he had to fulfil his mission.

More than normal he wished for his Uncle's advice, okay, Uncle Iroh would sprout some weird proverb nonsense, but then he would help Zuko figure it out.

Another sign left his lips.

He should try to sleep.

Thinking this all over and over wouldn’t change a thing.

He NEEDED his honour, his place as the crown prince back.

He wouldn’t leave the Fire Nation in the perfectly manicured hands of his cruel sister!

Azula cared for power, not for people.

It’s then that Chey enters their little hut.

So much for sleeping.

Careful, with Hua still in his arms, Aang sits up.

“What happened? Can we see Jeong Jeong now?”, he whispered, while Hua cutely snuggled up closer to him and Aang stroked her black hair.

Yeah, these two were already a couple and didn’t even notice.

How did Katara said to Zuko? Aang and Hua were two lovable idiots in the mysterious ways of love.

He had to agree.

Meanwhile, Chey made a face.

“The thing is…he only wants to speak to the Daimon since her next element is Fire. He doesn’t want to talk to you at all. After talking with the Daimon he wants you all to leave immediately.”

“Finally!”, shouted Sokka, which woke now everyone up.  “Let's hit the road.”

“Why won't he see me?”, wonders Aang, while Katara and Hua yawn and rub the sleep from their eyes.

“He says you're not ready. Says you haven't mastered waterbending and earthbending yet.”, Chey explains.

“Wait, how does he know that?”

“He saw the way you walked into camp. He could tell.”

“I'm going in, anyway!”

“Wait Aang!”, stops him Hua. “I should probably talk first with Master Jeong Jeong. He did ask for me. Maybe I can sway him to teach you too.”

Katara nodded. “I’m with Hua. Let her talk with him first.”

After a second to reflect on it, Aang agreed.

That’s when Chey let the metaphorical bomb explode.

“He wants to talk to the Blue Spirit too.”

All eyes zero’ed on Zuko, while he started sweating.

What did the infamous deserter want from him?

Maybe his rigid body told Chey what he was thinking since the man said to him: “I dunno, why he wants to talk with you. Maybe because you are fighting against the Fire Nation too?”

“Or because he IS Fire Nation.”, whisper-shouted Sokka.

For that, Katara hit with her elbow the side of his stomach.

Ignoring Sokka’s paranoia Hua stood up and waved to Zuko.

“Come on, Blue let’s talk to Master Jeong Jeong.”

Did he have a choice in this matter?

Not if he didn’t want to blow his cover.

So he followed Hua to Jeong-Jeong's hut.

They squabbled a bit about who should go in first before it was decided Zuko should go in first.

Jeong Jeong surely wanted to talk longer to Hua as she was the Daimon, than he who was a vigilante.

Yeah, Zuko had a bad feeling.

The feeling got worse when he stepped into the hut and saw Jeong Jeong already turned in his direction, fixing him with a knowing look.

Nervous Zuko bowed before him.

He wondered what Jeong Jeong wanted from him.

***

Yawing Hua was sitting beside Master Jeong Jeong's hut.

He and Blue were talking quite long.

What did a Firebending master need to tell their friend, which took so much time?

If she wasn’t so sleepy, she would thought about it more, but Hua wanted just to fall back in Aang's arms and sleep till midday.

She was really tired, okay?

That’s when Blue stepped out of the hut. Her friend stared down on the floor, seeming pensive.

“Hey Blue.”, she greeted him, standing up. “Is anything alright?”

Even if his mask didn’t show his eyes, Hua felt them formally on her.

Something desperate and sad was in them.

“Blue?”

He just patted her head and walked in the direction of the forest.

Did he need time to think?

Hopeful he would return soon.

With a sign, Hua stepped into Jeong Jeong's hut.

She could smell the soft fragrance of jasmine as she bowed before the master.

“Master Jeong Jeong it is an honour to meet you.”, she greeted him.

“Raise, girl.”

So she did as she was told.

Jeong Jeong had wild white hair, a scar going down one of his eyes and wore simple black clothes.

He was currently making tea.

That’s why she smelled jasmine.

“Take a seat.”

She kneeled in perfect seiza before him. Jeong Jeong handed her a cup of tea.

“Drink. It’s a brand a friend of mine likes quite much, it will help you to stay awake.”

Hua thanked him with a bow and tasted the tea.

Mmh, what a filigree and delicious taste.

Jeong Jeong's friend knows his tea.

“You wanted to speak with me, Master?”

“Indeed, girl. I know you aren’t an earthbending master yet.”

How did he know?

“But you are getting closer. Your next element is fire.”

She nodded.

“I’m currently training in it with a scroll, but there isn’t anymore for me.”

“I see.”, hummed Jeong Jeong, sipping his own tea. “You need a master.”

“Are you offering yourself, it would be a great help and honour, Master.”

“This would mean, you have to leave your friends and your Avatar.”, he told her simply. “He needs to learn water and has to go to the North Pole, if you wanna learn fire you have to stay here with me before you rejoin him to learn earth.”

It was like a slap in the face!

Leaving….Leaving Aang, Katara and Sokka?

Staying here all alone?!

What?!

“I had a feeling.”, declared Jeong Jeong with wise eyes. “You and the Avatar were brought together too soon and started to learn together 100 years ago, I’m correct?”

Not trusting her voice Hua nodded, before she croaked out. “I lived in the Southern Air Temple a few months before Sozin’s Comet came. With me was an Earth Sage, Master De, who trained me in earthbending, while Aang should have perfected his airbending. Since then we have always been together.”

“What fools.”, grumble the master. “I can understand letting you meet so soon and tell your destinies because the war was on the horizon, but starting the bond between you was foolish! An Avatar and Daimon pair normally meets once at 16 then four times a year, when each season begins, till they have mastered their respective elements. Then the bond should take root and lead to love or companionship. But this mess…only complicated things. You can’t anymore be without each other.”

This made Hua bite her lips nervous.

Should she ask?

She needed to ask.

“Will you teach Aang then with me?”

 “No!”, he said loud and clear. Even the flames of the candles rose up. “He needs to learn water and earth first! But I recognize I can’t keep you from your Avatar.”

Jeong Jeong handed her a little chest, which she hadn’t noted before.

“Here are some Firebending scrolls. More advanced than the one you have surely. Learn with this, till you and the Avatar come to learn fire from me. But before master earth and water. This is the best solution for the mess the monks and Earth Sages did 100 years ago.”

The Daimon thanked Jeong Jeong with a bow, hugging the chest to herself.

“Go in peace, young Daimon.”

“You too, master.”

Hua knew when she was dismissed, so she went to their hut for the night.

How should she explain to Aang that Jeong Jeong didn’t want to teach him?

***

In the end, Hua's worry was for nothing.

Somehow Aang convinced Jeong-Jeong to teach them both.

So the next morning, while Sokka fishes, Katara practices her waterbending and Blue still hasn’t returned, the Avatar and Daimon stand bandy-legged, on flat stones in the river.

Jeong Jeong stands a foot or two away on the bank in front of his cottage.

“Widen your stance. Wider! Bend your knees. Now, concentrate.”, tells them, Jeong Jeong. “Good, good!”

“Wait! What do we do now?”, wonders Aang, while Hua sends him a look that screams don’t speak!

“Silence! Talking is not concentrating! Look at your friend, is she talking? Even that oaf knows to concentrate on what he's doing!”

From Sokka comes an offended Hey.

“But what are we concentrating on?”, asks Aang again and Hua makes an aport-the-mission sign.

“Feel the heat of the sun. It is the greatest source of fire. Yet, it is completely balanced with nature!”, explains Jeong Jeong.

Hua nods, takes a deep breath and closes her eyes.

She tries to feel the warmth, only concentrating on that, but, of course, Aang has to interrupt again: “So when do I get to make some fire?”

“Concentrate!”

“Aang, you make ME lose my concretion!”, shouts Hua together with Jeong Jeong.

Their teacher leaves them and Aang feels embarrassed. Even more when he hears Sokka and Katara giggle behind him.

He blushes.

Hua just signs and follows Jeong Jeong's instructions.

She wants to become a better firebender, if she has to start at the beginning she will.

A while later, Jeong Jeong returns and leads them high up on a mountain.

Aang can’t keep himself from asking if they can make fire now, only for their teacher to say he brought them there to breathe.

The Avatar was in disbelief, but he followed Jeong Jeong's instructions.

Then he leaves the two alone again.

It takes Aang exactly five minutes before he whispers: “Hua, hey Hua!”

The spoken to girl just continued breathing, trying to ignore Aang.

She wants to fulfil this exercise to Jeong Jeong pleasing.

Sadly Aang calls her again a few times.

Hua loses her nerves when he pokes her.

“What Aang?!”, she shouts. “What is so important?!”

“Come on, you have to think this is wasting our time. We already can do firebending moves.”, Aang whines.

“Aang, I think we should listen to our teacher. Jeong Jeong knows more about this then we both together. Look, he already corrected our stance. We were all wrong.”

The boy huffs a little.

But it was so boring!

It was more fun learning firebending with Hua and the scroll.

“You know what, I’m going to talk to Jeong Jeong.”, declared Aang.

“Aang that’s a bad idea, just do the exercise.”

However, her other half was already on the way to their master.

Hua couldn’t help herself to huff.

Aang, the airhead, wanted to have fun, then really learn the elements.

Did he think the war was a joke?

Well, she at least would listen to Jeong Jeong.

She didn’t know how much time passed, it was like she had fallen into a trance when she heard someone come for her.

Silence was around them.

Curious she opened one eye.

It was Blue!

“Hey, Blue, were where you? We have been worried.”, she tells him.

Blue only stares at her.

A bit nervous Hua opens fully her eyes.

“I’m currently meditating, feeling the sun, you know for firebending.”

Still nothing from her friend.

A bad feeling took its place in Hua's stomach.

Then Blue finally moved, coming towards her.

***

After Katara healed Aang's burn, they finally noted their missing friends.

“Where are Hua and Blue?”, wondered Katara.

She had a bad feeling in her stomach.

“She is probably still where Jeong Jeong left her. I know where.”, said Aang calmly.

Jaiyi yipped it at him in a way that said let’s hurry and pick up my girl.

So Aang flows Appa in the direction of the mountain.

What they found there surprised them.

It looked like a battlefield, with burn marks on the ground, yet strangely Blue and Hua were sitting there together, talking with each other.

The girl even seemed to have cried.

“Hey Hua, Mask-Dude!”, called Sokka for their attention. “Need a lift?”

“Hey guys, that would be nice.”, sniffled Hua and Blue patted her shoulder.

They helped them on Appa and Katara fussed over Hua.

“What’s wrong Hua? Did you hurt yourself?”

“No, no…Blue and I talked.”

“He can talk.”, sassed Sokka in between.

All ignored him.

“Blue wants to give you something Katara.”, told Hua.

Now all were curious.

Blue took something out of his pocket and gave it to Katara.

“It’s my mother's necklace!”, shouted Katara happy. She thought she would never see it again. “Blue where did you find it?!”

“I found it on the prison ship you started a riot with the earthbenders.”, talked Blue for the first time to them.

His voice may have been a bit muffled from his mask, but the other three know this voice well enough.

Sokka got his boomerang ready.

“I know it!”, he shouted. 

Slowly Blue took his mask off...and they looked at Prince Zuko's calm and somewhat defeated face!

Muhahahaha I hope you like the cliffhanger!

I wonder what will now happen? :D

Let me hear your theories!

I hope the next chapter won’t take this long, but if it does please be patient with me and motivate me with comments so I keep on writing :D

Till next time <3

Last

Next

Yin and Yang: Book 1.17

Balance is a key aspect in the world, so why shouldn’t the Avatar have an opposite?

In a world where Raava and Vaatu merge with humans, the Avatar and the Daimon try to keep the peace between the four nations.

Aang and Hua are the current incarnations, but wake up 100 years in the future.

How will these two learn all four elements in one year and defeat the Fire Lord?

Welcome to the first original chapter of the FF, I hope you like my Episode, tell me what you think!

Book 1.17: Zuko’s Decision  

Water. 

Earth. 

Fire. 

Air. 

Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. 

Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. 

Only the Avatar and Daimon, masters of all four elements, could stop them, but when the world needed them most, they vanished. 

A hundred years passed, and my brother and I discovered the new Avatar and Daimon, an airbender named Aang and an earthbender named Hua. 

And although his airbending and her earthbending skills are great they have a lot to learn before they’re ready to save anyone. 

But I believe Aang and Hua can save the world.

***

The night before with Jeong Jeong and Zuko…

The feeling got worse when he stepped into the hut and saw Jeong Jeong already turned in his direction, fixing him with a knowing look.

Nervous Zuko bowed before him.

He wondered what Jeong Jeong wanted from him.

“Raise boy.”, said the deserter. “And take off this silly mask, I know you are Iroh's nephew.”

What?!

How could he?!

Jeong Jeong let out a huff. “Other than your uncle, I will not entertain your silly games. Your uncle wrote to me, he had a feeling, we would meet, he asked me to talk to you. So this is what I’m going to do.”

Well, wearing the mask still, seemed silly if Jeong Jeong knew it was him.

But how did Uncle Iroh know that he moonlighted as the Blue Spirit?

His uncle was way more aware of things than Zuko taught.

Slowly he took off the mask and kneeled in perfect seiza before the deserter.

The older man looked at him with a fire in his eyes, which made Zuko feel small and unimportant.

“I will not sugarcoat anything, this may be Iroh's way to guide you to the truth but it’s not mine.”, began Jeong Jeong. “This whole plan of yours is foolish! Capture the Avatar and Daimon so that your father gives you back your honour? Think boy! If your father wanted you home he never would have sent you to an impossible mission! It was just luck that they reappeared.”

“N-No, that’s not truth.”, spoke back Zuko. “He knows I could do it and-”

“Don’t interrupt me!”, silenced Jeong Jeong. Zuko bit down his lips. “Foolish boy, think! Would a loving father really challenge his 13-year-old boy in an Agni Kai, because his son had the best interest in mind for the army? You must understand that your quest to capture the Avatar and Daimon is not merely a personal mission, but one that carries grave consequences for the entire world. The Fire Nation's relentless campaign of conquest has brought nothing but suffering to the other nations - the Earth Kingdom, the Water Tribes, and even our own people. We have become a force of destruction, our flames consuming all in their path. The Avatar and Daimon, the bridge between the physical and spiritual worlds, are the last hopes for restoring balance and healing the wounds we have inflicted. To capture them would be to extinguish that glimmer of hope, condemning the world to an eternity of war and oppression under the Fire Nation's rule.”

 Jeong Jeong paused, his piercing gaze meeting Zuko's, imploring the young prince to truly hear his words. 

"The path you walk, boy, is one of darkness and despair. It is not too late to turn back, to see the truth that your own nation has hidden from you. The Fire Nation is not the beacon of power and prosperity it claims to be, but a force of ruin and devastation. Only by embracing the true meaning of firebending - the warmth, the life, the connection to the natural world - can you find the strength to break free from this cycle of violence and lead your people towards a brighter future."

Zuko just…he was lost for words.

“Remember, boy, remember your journey and what you have seen. How the children you travel with see the Fire Nation. How the whole world sees the Fire Nation!”

Oh spirits, it was like Zuko was pulled in two directions.

On one side, he heard Jeong Jeong's words, remembering how Aang and the other seemed to not see the Fire Nation as the heroes who would advance the primitive nations as his country sold to them, but as monsters who destroyed their lives.

And Aang…Aang was because of his Great-Grandfather the sole survivor of…a Genozide. 

He couldn’t sugarcoat it.

Whatever the Air Nomads wanted to attack them, killing an entire nation…it was too much.

To harsh.

To brutal.

To unforgivable.

Then there was the other side, who still longed for his home, for his father's approval for his birthright…

It was like thunderstruck him.

He…he only thought about what capturing Aang and Hua would mean for him.

Not what it would mean for these two bright kids, for the world, for the people of the other nations, for Katara and Sokka.

“Master…”, he began slowly, fear in his heart. “If…If I brought Aang and Hua to the Fire Nation what will happen to them?”

“Finally you are asking the right questions. They wouldn’t be killed.”

Oh, thank the spirits.

“But so barely kept alive that death would be a mercy!”

No…no!

“My father wouldn’t do this to…to children!”

“He burned your face and banished you, his own flesh and blood. What makes you think he would treat his enemies kinder, even if they are children.”

It was like a slap in the face.

Zuko felt tears spring in his eyes, yet he wouldn’t cry.

He hadn’t cried since he had been banish.

“Can you live your life with this burden?”, asked Jeong Jeong cold. “Could you sit on your throne, knowing two children are under brutal and inhuman torture, any hour of the day? I would fear especially for the Daimon, she is already a pretty girl.”

So fast that Zuko's head snapped up, you could worry he broke his neck.

“No, you can’t mean…”

“Rape is a preferred tool to break the spirits of women and if the female in question is the number one enemy of the state…”

Jeong Jeong stopped, yet he didn’t need to speak. Zuko could imagine it.

He felt so sick he threw up.

Could he doom Aang and Hua to such destinies, for his honour?

What honour was even in this all?

There was none…

“Think about my words boy, now leave.”

Fast he put his mask back on and when Hua talked to him, he gave her just a pat.

Zuko needed to talk to his uncle.

Urgently!

***

His ship followed them unseen since he returned to it the first time.

So he could board it fast and walk up to his uncle.

He didn’t give his Uncle the time to greet him and just shouted: “I talked with Jeong Jeong. He talked to me in your name! Uncle it’s time you tell me the truth!”

General Iroh had a pensive look on his weathered face. He knew this conversation would not be an easy one, but it was a necessary step in Zuko's journey of redemption. 

"Zuko, my dear nephew, I feel it is time we had an honest discussion about the Fire Nation and the path we have been walking." Iroh's voice was gentle, but firm. "For too long, we have been blinded by the propaganda and lies fed to us by those in power. The truth is, the Fire Nation's conquest and subjugation of the other nations is a grave injustice, fueled by greed, fear and the thirst for domination."

Zuko shifted uncomfortably, his brow furrowed. "But Uncle, the Fire Nation is powerful, prosperous. We are bringing order and civilization to the world." 

Iroh placed a weathered hand on Zuko's shoulder. 

"That is what they would have you believe, my boy. But the reality is far more complex and sinister. The other nations suffer under our rule, their cultures erased, and their people oppressed. This is not the noble destiny the Fire Lord speaks of." Iroh's eyes grew distant, tinged with regret. "I have seen firsthand the devastation our armies have wrought. Too many innocent lives lost, too many families torn apart."

Zuko opened his mouth to protest, but Iroh raised a hand. "I know this is difficult to hear. I struggled with these truths myself for many years. But we must face them, Zuko, if we are to find the moral courage to make amends." Iroh's gaze burned with conviction. "The Avatar and Daimon offer us a chance at redemption, a path to restore balance to this war-torn world. We must help them, Zuko. It is our duty, as members of the Fire Nation, to right these wrongs."

“That’s why you agreed on that I travel with them!”, gasped Zuko. “You wanted me to make friends with them…to see things your way!”

“Yes, it was my hope.”

“Uncle I…”

“I see you are very much confused, but I think it’s time I tell you a family secret. The reason why your soul is torn apart in two directions.”

Tired Zuko just sat down beside his uncle.

What would come next on this day full of revelations?

“You know how the grandfather of your father was Firelord Sozin.”

“Of course Uncle.”

Iroh took a deep breath and placed a hand on Zuko's shoulder.

“What was kept secret from you are the grandparents of your dear mother. It’s Avatar Roku and Daimon Lixue.”

No…it couldn’t be!

Shocked Zuko sprang up and stared at his uncle.

Avatar Roku and Daimon Lixue?!

It means…

“I have Water Tribe blood in me. Azula has it too! I just…why?”, asked Zuko.

So Iroh began to tell him how his parents met.

His mother Ursa had been the Lady of Hira’a and thanks to her Water Tribe grandmother a master herbalist.

Her fame was so grand, that she was invited to the Fire Nation Palace to show her abilities to Firelord Azulong, whose wife Ilah had been at the time sick with an unknown fever.

No one knew how she had done it, but Ursa managed to heal Ilah.

Azulong wanted to give her treasures, however Ursa asked for one thing.

For the hand of Prince Ozai.

In the time she had been in the palace, she had met the young prince. 

Ozai wasn’t always a power-hungry egomaniac. Years ago he was just the second-born prince who searched for his place in the world.

The two spend time with each other and fall in love.

It was a bit of a scandal.

Yes, Ursa was a noblewoman, still in her blood flow Water Tribe, even from the former Daimon!

Could Azulong allow such a pair?

In the end, he did, but only because the Fire Sages told him about a prophecy which said a royal descendant of Roku and Lixue would bring great power to Azulon's lineage.

They married and had Zuko.

All seemed good.

Just Iroh admitted no one knew why Ozai suddenly became the man he was now.

And this was the end of the story.

Pensive Zuko stared at the ground.

This was…a lot.

He needed time.

He needed to think this over.

All these revelations today.

His uncle understood him.

“Why don’t you lay down for a while? Some sleep will do you good.”

With a simple nod, Zuko made his way to his cabin.

Iroh signed and prayed to the spirits that Zuko would make the right choice.

***

The sleep had helped a bit.

Zuko was now determined to make a decision.

Yet for this, he needed to talk to Aang or Hua.

So he said for the time goodbye to his uncle and made his way back to Jeong Jeong camp.

He was lucky and found Hua before the camp on a hill meditation.

Zuko comes near her, yet no sound comes out of him.

He isn’t sure how to begin.

That’s when Hua opens an eye and smiles at him.

“Hey, Blue, were where you? We have been worried.”, she tells him.

He only stares at her.

A bit nervous Hua opens fully her eyes.

“I’m currently meditating, feeling the sun, you know for firebending.”

Still nothing from him.

He could see how Hua was getting nervous.

Finally, he moved, coming towards her.

“Please don’t run away.”, he begged her as he took off his mask. “I want to talk to you.”

When Hua saw who he was, she switched to a defensive position.

“Zuko!”, she snarled. “It was you the whole time! Sokka WAS right, you are the enemy!”

Tears fell from her green eyes, however, before he could explain himself she attacked him with fire blasts.

He had trouble to counter them.

The time with Jeong Jeong already born fruits.

“Hua please listen!”

“I’m not listening to you, you…you….sneaky bastard! Did you have fun playing our friend, waiting to snatch up Aang and me?!”

“It was the plan, but now-”

“Aha, you confess! I won’t let you take me away none let you near Aang!”

They got a bit back on forth, before Zuko managed to grab her hands, making her stop firebending.

He saw in Hua's eyes she was ready to unleash another element at him, so he fell down on the ground before her and bowed.

Hua gasped surprised.

“Please Daimon Hua, listen to me. I just wanna talk, I don’t want to capture you. I will stay in this position, till you tell me to rise.”

It was still between them for a few seconds before Hua declared: “I don’t trust you, so stay this way and tell me what you want to tell.”

And so Zuko told her all about his talk with Jeong Jeong and then with his uncle.

Then he even told her why he was so after her and Aang.

It was then that Hua told him to face her.

Big fat tears fall from her eyes.

“I’m so sorry Zuko.”, she sniffed. “Your father is an utter bastard.”

Finally, they sat down beside each other.

“I understand you better, but what do you want from me?”, asked the Daimon curious.

“Please tell me the truth about how it was 100 years ago.”

She did it without a problem.

Hua told him about her life, her life with the Air Nomads, all the friends she had in the world, even in the Fire Nation and how his Nation was once a place full of love and laughter.

She talked about Kuzon, a firebender and one of Aang and her best friends in the whole world.

A boy so loyal and kind, his fire warming them when it was cold, who did little tricks to amuse them.

The world and his Nation from 100 years ago sounded…right.

How it should be.

“Did you get the answer that you sought?”

Slowly Zuko nods.

He had made his decision.

That’s when they heard Appa and he put his mask on.

Now he needed to tell the others all this too.

***

Katara stared at Prince Zuko, how he was bowing before them, telling his little cry tale and believing they would just take it in.

Ha!

This was surely just a scam so he could grab Hua and Aang.

Sadly it seemed only she thought this, Aang and Hua were crying and even Sokka seemed touched.

Her brother who had been all the time mistrusting of Zuko, believed his tale!

What was going on?!

“I’m sorry I tricked you.”, said Zuko right now. “But I think it was destiny that I travel with you. I learned a lot of things.”

“Oh, and what that would be?”, snapped Katara.

She ignored how the other looked at her in a please stay calm way.

“For so long, all I wanted was for my father to love me, to accept me. I thought it was my honour I wanted, but really, I was just trying to please him. My father, who, banished me just for talking out of turn. My father, who challenged me, a thirteen-year-old boy, to an Agni Kai. How could he possibly justify a duel with a child?”

“He can’t, no one can’t.”, mumbled Sokka. “Your father is a sick bastard.”

Zuko nodded and continued: “Growing up, we in the Fire Nation were taught that our country was the greatest civilization in history. And somehow, the War was our way of sharing our greatness with the rest of the world. What an amazing lie that was. The people of the world are terrified by the Fire Nation. They don't see our greatness. They hate us! And we deserve it! We've created an era of fear in the world. And if we don't want the world to destroy itself we need to replace it with an era of peace and kindness.”

“Wise words.”, smiled Aang.

“And pretty ones.”, added Hua.

Both kids were still crying.

Katara was disbelieving.

“Oh come on, you can’t believe what he says!”, she jumps up and points at the still kneeling Zuko. “He hunted us down from the South Pole and then played our friend. He used our trust and he will do it again.”

“Please Katara, you don’t know what you say…”

“I don't? How dare you! You have no idea what this war has put me through!”, cries Katara touching her necklace. “Me personally! The Fire Nation took my mother away from me.”

“I'm sorry.”, says Zuko, looking at her like he knows this pain. “That's something we have in common.”

Huh…!

Surprised Katara stares back at him. No, the hurt in his eyes was real.

However, Zuko told them of the night his mother vanished.

Now all were crying.

“The worst part is I don’t know if she is dead or alive. Sometimes I think it’s better for her to be dead than wandering the world all alone without a home. Sometimes I hope she found a place to live in peace.”

“Not knowing is terrible, mmh.”, sniffed Katara and gave him a friendly pat.

The boy just nodded.

“Okay we all know now Zuko's tragic backstory and his chance of mind.”, began Sokka, sniffing away his last tears. “But Zuko what are you planning now?”

Since her hand was still on his shoulder Katara felt how Zuko took a deep breath.

“I would like to help you. My Uncle is the better firebender, but I think no one should know that I changed sides, so Uncle Iroh will be sailing with my ship, playing the role of hunting Aang and Hua down, while I teach Hua firebending.”, explained Zuko.

A happy shout came from Hua and, incredibly, she hugged Zuko.

Stupified he patted her head.

Katara had to admit it was cute.

“Oh, that’s so great! I have a firebending teacher!”

“Okay, you will help Hua to learn to play with fire, but what then when we face off against your father?”, wonders Sokka.

“I don’t think I will ever get the throne, I’m still and will be a banished prince, but I will help you defeat him. Also maybe we can manage to get my uncle on the throne. With him, the Fire Nation can become good again.”

Aang gave him a big smile.

“That sounds good. Also, I’m sure your Uncle will lift your banishment.”

A little crooked smile formed on Zuko's face, which strangely made Katara's heart race.

Besides his stupid ponytail, he was actually quite handsome…

With that, all was now clear and they could be friends without secrets.

So Zuko had only one thing left to do.

When all were sleeping, he wandered over the river they camped and cut off his ponytail.

He let it fall into the river, watching it flow down.

It had been the mark of the banished prince, but now he was the ally and firebending teacher of the Avatar and Daimon.

He swore by his mother he would do good and be better any day.

So yes I changed the backstory of Ozai and Ursa.

It was my headcanon before the comics ruined it. 

I hate the comics and always thought Ozai became slowly an utter bastard, he had to be a nice man before to snatch someone like Ursa up.

So I mixed it a bit with the comics.

I hope you are all okay with this ^^

Until next chapter :D

Last

Next

Yin and Yang: Book 1.18

Balance is a key aspect in the world, so why shouldn’t the Avatar have an opposite?

In a world where Raava and Vaatu merge with humans, the Avatar and the Daimon try to keep the peace between the four nations.

Aang and Hua are the current incarnations, but wake up 100 years in the future.

How will these two learn all four elements in one year and defeat the Fire Lord?

Book 1.18: The Firebending Masters

Water. 

Earth. 

Fire. 

Air. 

Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. 

Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. 

Only the Avatar and Daimon, masters of all four elements, could stop them, but when the world needed them most, they vanished. 

A hundred years passed, and my brother and I discovered the new Avatar and Daimon, an airbender named Aang and an earthbender named Hua. 

And although his airbending and her earthbending skills are great they have a lot to learn before they’re ready to save anyone. 

But I believe Aang and Hua can save the world.

***

The next day an excited Hua sat before Zuko on a rock as he started their first lesson in firebending.

They had decided to train a bit further away from camp, not that they accidentally lit some of their things on fire!

Jaiyi was also with them, yawning cutely as Zuko began: “I know you're nervous, but remember, firebending in itself is not something to fear.”

“I’m not nervous, I’m excited!”, corrected Hua, jumping a little up and down on her seat.

For this Zuko gave her a serious look. 

“Hua if you don't respect it…”, he raised his word at the last parts, which made Hua and Jaiyi jump. “it'll chew you up and spit you out like an angry komodo rhino!”

Scared Jaiyi jumped onto Hua's lap and hugged her tight.

Jeez, Zuko could be scary when he wanted!

“Now show me what you've got. Any amount of fire you can make.”

So Hua put Jaiyi back on the ground and showed Zuko her fire blast.

“Good, good.”, nodded the banished prince. “You have a solid basis. We will together go over your scroll, and do the moves you know before I teach you the next level.”

“Alright, Sifu Zuko!”

Getting called Sifu made Zuko turn a bit shy. He was far from a firebending master, he just hoped he could teach Hua what she needed.

They turned in the direction of the river and performed together the fire blast.

Well, this was the idea, however, Hua made a perfect one, while out of Zuko came just small flames and a puff of smoke.

Stupefied Zuko stared at the weak flames he made, while Jaiyi could be heard making a fox laugh.

“Erm, are you okay?”, asked Hua, also stupified. “That was not how you normally made it.”

“I know Hua! I don’t know what’s wrong!”, he grumbled, before he tried the fire blast again.

Again nothing.

“What is going on?! That was the worst firebending I've ever seen!”, shouted Zuko.

Hua shrugged and Jaiyi rolled around the ground from laughter.

“Jaiyi that’s not funny!”, turned Zuko his anger to the kyuubi. “How should I teach Hua firebending if…if I produce something so weak?!”

This made Jaiyi stop. 

She gave a little apologetic whine and rubbed herself against Zuko's legs.

Signing Zuko patted the kyuubi.

He shouldn’t take out his anger at Jaiyi.

“Maybe it’s your shoulder? Katara and I worked on it yesterday, but it’s not like it’s completely healed.”, gave Hua her theory of what could be wrong.

“Maybe. Maybe it’s something with my chi-paths.”

“Let’s go back to camp. Katara and I will work on it again and pay special attention to the chi-paths.”

They did just that.

Together Katara and Hua waved the water over Zuko's shoulder wound, while the other looked on.

Well, Sokka ate loudly his breakfast, Aang played with Momo and Jaiyi, and only Appa looked on.

“I don’t know what to tell you Zuko.”, signed Katara. “From what I can feel your chi paths seem alright.”

“I agree, but they feel kinda cold, don’t you agree Katara?”, asked Hua.

Katara hummed and inspected the chi paths deeper.

Huh?!

“Okay, this is strange. The centre of the chi paths…it feels like a small flame…not like a burning fire you would expect from a firebender.”, diagnosed Katara.

The girls retired the water.

Zuko looked at them worried.

“What does it mean?”

“I’m not an expert Zuko.”, reminded Katara. “But if you ask me…your inner fire got smaller, that's why your bending is so weak.”

A loud laugh escaped Sokka, which made all turn to him.

“I just find it ironic. As he hunted us down he was all angry Jerkbender, now he is part of the team and can’t jerkbend anymore!”

“Sokka, that’s not funny that’s a huge problem!”, chested him Katara. “How should Hua and later Aang learn firebending if Zuko can’t anymore bend?!”

No one saw how Aang made a face because everyone expected him to learn firebending later too.

“What should we do now?”, asked Hua in the round.

“My uncle is still near us with the ship.”, told Zuko. “I will visit him, maybe he can help me. Also, I can bring the rest of the stuff to the camp.”

“That’s a good idea.”, agreed Katara.

The others nodded.

Before Zuko just walked all the way to his ship Hua told him he could ride Jaiyi.

The kyuubi didn’t have a problem with this order, turned big and Zuko mounted her.

He promised he would be back soon and Katara told him they would wait here for his return.

With this, he was off.

***

Katara and Aang trained together in waterbending, Hua her earthbending, while Sokka fished, as Jaiyi and Zuku returned.

“You are back!”, greeted Hua and walked up to them.

Zuko jumped down from Jaiyi, petting the kyuubi, having a pensive look in his eyes.

“Could your uncle help?”, asked Aang.

“Well, he told me it’s a common reaction for a firebender to lose their Spark when they make huge changes in their life. Me joining you, made all the anger vapoured which with I filled my bending with.”

“So you aren’t angry enough to bend?”, summarized Katara.

Suddenly Sokka leans towards Zuko and points a finger above.

“So, all we need to do is make Zuko angry. Easy enough.”

He starts poking Zuko with his club’s hilt in the head and waist several times, laughing.

“Okay, cut it out!”

Unamused Zuko takes the club from him and throws it somewhere on the side.

“Well, did your uncle tell you a way to get your Spark back?”, wondered Aang.

The face Zuko made would be funny if the citation wasn’t so dire.

“Yes, he told me he should go back to the original bending form. No more hate and anger. I’m all for not relying on anger and hat, but…”

“But…”, chorused Hua, Aang and Katara together.

“The original firebenders were the dragons, and they're extinct.”

“What do you mean‌? Roku had a dragon, and there were plenty of dragons when Hua and I were kids.”, said Aang surprised.

“Well, they aren't around anymore, okay?”, yelled Zuko.

All took a step back, staring at him.

Frustrated Zuko rubbed his head.

“I’m sorry, I’m actually angry at my uncle, he told me this, even if he knows CLEARLY why there aren’t any more dragons.”

“You wanna talk about it?”, offered Katara kindly.

He just shook his head.

“He told me, I should go to the place where the Sun Warriors, the first people who learned from the dragon's firebending lived.”

This made Hua and Aang listen up.

“Where the Sun Warriors lived?”, repeated Hua. “Long ago when Aang and I visited Kuzon we stumble across their ruins. It’s there that I found Jaiyi. A little cub, barely weened from her mother. She was all alone so I took her with me.”

“Besides the dragons, kyuubi’s and also phoenixes were sacred animals for the Sun Warriors, since they all could firebend. No wonder you found her there.”, explained Zuko.

This shocked anyone, even Hua.

“Jaiyi can firebend?”, she turned to her kyuubi. “I never saw you do some fire.”

Her kyuubi just yawned.

Well, this was also an answer.

“My uncle explained Kyuubi generate a special kind of fire, it’s called Fox Fire, it’s blue, burns cold and can apparently create illusions.”

“Wow, I’m not messing with the Fluff Ball again.”, mumbled Sokka.

“There is more.”

“Of course, there is more!”

“The Sun Warrior civilisations are in the Fire Nation, it would take weeks on Appa to get there. We can’t do that if we are this close to the North Pole.”

“True.”

“That’s why we need Jaiyi’s Fox Fire.”

 All just stared at him.

***

“So let me get this straight.”, began Hua. She was riding Jaiyi, Zuku behind her. “In their prime time, the Sun Warriors built a system of shrines around the Nations devoted to the Kyuubi’s, called Inari Shrines, after the All-Mother of all ninetails. When a Kyuubi sends his Fox Fire in it and jumps in they get transport to the Sun Warrior capital, where we hope to find something to get your fire back on.”

“Yes. And you asked this a few times already.”

“Just because it sounds insane! Are you sure your uncle isn’t pulling your leg?”

“Uncle Iroh is a lot of things, but that’s not the kind of jokes he makes.”

Hua signed tired.

“And you sure if we jump back in the one we come out, we will return here?”

“That’s what Uncle Iroh said.”

“Did he ever travel boy Kyuubi Fox Fire?”

“Not that I know.”

Now Hua groans.

“Hey, it will be okay.”

Softly Zuko patted her head.

“I trust my Uncle, he wouldn’t send us on a wild goose chase…I hope.”

“You HOPE?!”

That’s when Jaiyi let out a yip.

The humans saw an old and giant statue of ninetails. 

It was overgrown, but you can still make it out.

Like the way behind it.

“We have found one of the shrines.”

“Okay, then we will follow the way and hope the shrine still stands.”, thought Hua aloud.

She let Jaiyi run up the way.

After a while, there really was a shrine!

Overgrown with plant life, but seemed still alright.

Together the humans and kyuubi ripped the plants away to clear the entrance.

As the entrance was free, Hua shivered staring down at the dark ominous entrance.

Inviting was something else.

“Okay Jaiyi, do your thing!”, said Zuko.

Jaiyi just titles her head.

“You know…”, he waved his hands around. “Make Fox Fire!”

The Kyuubi just yawned.

“Hua…help me.”

“I’m coming Zuko.”

Hua took Jaiyi's face in her hands and stared into her blue eyes.

“Girl I know you never have done it, but I need you to firebend like me, look.”

The Daimon turned in the direction of the shrine and let out from her mouth a fire blast.

“See? Like this!”

Curious Jaiyi titles her head. 

She stepped before the shrine.

Her mouth opened.

Zuko and Hua were tense.

Would she do it?!

Incredible, a little blue flame came out of Jaiyi's mouth!

“Yes that’s good!”, called Zuko.

“Bigger Jaiyi, girl, you can do it!”, motivated Hua.

It took a while, however, a big blue flame burst from Jaiyi's mouth.

Hitting the shrine bullseyes, it lights up like nothing they have ever seen.

“Fast, let’s get in it!”, shouted Zuko.

They jumped on Jaiyi's back and raced into the shrine.

And they vanished.

***

“I can’t believe we are really here.”, whispered Hua in aww.

Zuko and her were walking around the majestic ruins of the Sun Warriors.

Jaiyi had decided to stay at the shrine they had come out of.

“Even though these buildings are ancient, there's something eerily familiar about them.”, declared Zuko. “I can tell the Fire Sages' temples are somehow descended from these.”

“That’s cool, but I hope we find more than just buildings, Even a scroll would help!”

Out of nowhere Hua trips!

Spikes spring out of the ground, but thankful Hua earthbends the ground again above the spikes and rolls over it.

“Oh Spirits, what was that?!”, she shouted, holding a hand on her fast-beating hand.

Zuko kneels down to inspect the tripwire.

“I can't believe it. This booby trap must be centuries old and it still works.”

“How is this possible?!”

“I know you are scared, but Hua people don't make traps unless they've got something worth protecting.”

“Uurgh so we go on?”

“We go on.”

A whine escapes Hua.

So they walk around, climb a stair and find an interesting building before them.

“Look, this seems promising.”

She points at a mural of a person being surrounded by two dragons who are breathing fire at him.

“But it doesn’t look like a bending pose, wonder what this means.”

“They look pretty angry to me.”, pointed Zuko at the dragons.

“Wasn’t you who said Dragons and Sun Warrior were friends?”

“Well, they had a funny way of showing it.”

Without looking at her, Zuko moves away. Hua frowns, something is wrong and calls out: “Zuko, there is something you are not telling me. Something about the dragons, I’m right?”

“My great-grandfather Sozin.”

“What’s with him?”

They walked together over a bridge as Zuko explained: “He started the tradition of hunting dragons for glory. There were the ultimate firebenders. And if you could conquer one, your firebending talents would become legendary and you'd earn the honorary title, of Dragon.”

They approach a path which has one dragon's statue on both sides and stop walking.

“The last great dragon was conquered long before I was born by my uncle.”

A shocked gasp comes out of Hua.

“That’s why you were so angry with him, telling you to go find the dragons. He is the reason they are extinct! I’m lost for words… your uncle doesn’t seem the type.”

“He had a complicated past. Family tradition, I guess. Let's just move on.”

They do so.

Soon a a vertical column with a sunstone in the center was before them.

A wall with two gates, with the both walking toward them. As they both come closer, Zuko stops walking, and Hua runs to the gates and unsuccessfully tries opening the gates.

“It won’t budge!”

Thinking Zuko rubs his head, and looks behind, before quickly going aside to see the sunstone from the column in front of the gates beaming light.

“Wait. It's a celestial calendar. Just like the Fire Sages have in their temples. I bet that sunstone opens the door, but only when sunlight hits at just the right angle. On the solstice.”

“Well, we can’t wait for the next solstice!”, points Hua out, raising exparted her arms in the air.

However, she doesn’t need to worry since Zuko has an idea. He uses his sword to direct the light to the sunstone and after a few seconds the gates open!

“Amazing Zuko!”

Happy Hua gives him a short hug.

“I’m so glad you are part of our team!”

This makes Zuko smile happily.

They enter the room, where an angry statue stares down at them.

Both split up to look around.

In the room are a lot of statues in different positions forming a circle.

Hua read the inscription on one of the statues: “It says this is something called the Dancing Dragon.”

Thinking Hua puts her hand under her chin.

What could this mean?

She takes a step back to look at the statue better, before copying its stance.

A button on the ground gets pressed. 

Surprised Hua comes out of the posture and examines the button. She looks around at all the statues, they all have these buttons behind them.

Maybe…?!

She runs toward Zuko, catches him by the hand, and pulls him. 

“Zuko, I want you to dance with me!”

“Erm, wouldn’t you prefer Aang and why suddenly?”

“Huh? Aang? Whatever, I think these statues are actually firebending forms, if we press the buttons while we copy them, maybe we will get a scroll or something.”

“This better teach us some good firebending.”, grumbles Zuko, but he moves to the other side.

Together they follow the steps of the statues till they reach the last two statues, who are bent by their waists toward each other, and their arms in the direction of their twin. 

A collum with a golden egg rises from the ground.

“An egg, I’m disappointed.”, murmurs Hua sad.

She had hoped for a scroll!

“It's not an egg it’s some kind of mystical gemstone.”, corrects Zuko and tries to touch it.

Hua slaps his hands away.

“Hey!”

“Don’t hey me! Don’t touch weird glowing eggs, this could be a trap like the spikes from before?!”

Zuko ignores the Daimon and picks the sunstone, as Hua's eyes twitch.

“It feels almost alive.”

He tries to put the sunstone back but yells in surprise as a geyser of viscous slime erupts out from the pedestal and pushes Zuko toward the grates in the ceiling, sticking him there.

“I told you it was a trap!”, shouts Hua.

The Daimon try to bend Zuko down with air, but it just changes his position.

In the end, both of them are stuck on the gate of the ceiling.

“At least we have air.”, tried Zuko to be positive. “Maybe if we stay calm, we can figure a way out of this.”

For that, he gets the mayor's side eye from Hua.

Hours pass and it’s night.

“You had to pick up the glowing egg, didn't you?”

“Well, who made us do the silly dance?”

“So it’s my fault?!”

“I think, I shouldn’t say anything more, the look in your eyes is scary.”

“Good decisions….oh spirits what should we do?”

“Think about our place in the universe‌?”

“Sorry, but what the fuck?!”

Before Zuko can chest her for using such foul language a man wearing a loincloth, an important hairpiece, jewellery and sandals steps to them.

“Who is down there?”, growls the stranger.

Shocked Hua and Zuko stare at the man.

***

As it runs out the Sun Warriors are not dead, they just hide from the world.

They got them out of their prison and currently aardvark sloths lick away the slime from them.

“For trying to take our sunstone, you must be severely punished!”, says the Sun Warrior Chief to them.

“We didn't come here to take your sunstone. We came here to find the ancient origin of all firebending.”, explained Zuko.

One of the Sun Warriors Ham Ghao doesn’t believe them and tells his Chief how the two are clearly thieves here to steal their treasures.

Finally, Hua and Zuko are free from the slime.

“Please listen to us. I’m the Daimon. We came here because we wanted to learn not to steal. Just hear us out.”, begs Hua.

Zuko takes over: “My name is Zuko, Crown Prince of the Fire Nation. O-or at least I used to be. I know my people have distorted the ways of firebending, to be fueled by anger and rage. But now I want to learn the true way the original way. When we came here, I never imagined the Sun Warrior's civilization was secretly alive. I am truly humbled to be in your presence.”

Both bow before the Sun Warrior.

“Please, teach us.”

The chief stays still for a second before he says: “If you wish to learn the ways of the Sun, you must learn them from the masters, Ran and Shaw. When you present yourself to them, they will examine you. They'll read your hearts, your souls, and your ancestry.”

He takes a step toward Zuko and towers over him, who looks worried.

“If they deem you worthy, they'll teach you. If they don't, you'll be destroyed on the spot.”

Worried Hua and Zuko look at each other.

Since they can meet the master only in daylight, the Sun Warriors give them a hut to sleep in.

After a bit of a rough night's sleep, Hua is worried about the destroying part, the Chief picks them up and leads them to a large fire, the Eternal Flame as the Chief calls it.

The very first fire, given by the dragons to men, which they had kept burning for a thousand years.

Zuko and Hua were in aww.

The chief tells them they need to present to the masters a piece of the flames.

So he bends and gives each of them a little flame.

“It’s like a little heartbeat.”, tells Hua fascinate by her flame.

“Fire is life not just destruction.”, explains the Chief. “You will take your flames up there. The cave of the masters is beneath that rock.”

So they begin their pilgrimage with their flames.

After hours they reach finally reach the top of the mountain and see that Sun Warriors are already there, with the Sun Warrior chief, Ham Ghao, and another Sun Warrior standing before them.

“Facing the judgment of the firebending masters will be very dangerous for you. Your ancestors are directly responsible for the dragons' disappearance.”, explains the Sun Warrior Chief to an ashamed Zuko. “The masters might not be so happy to see you.”

“I know I wouldn't be.”, tells Ham Chao smugly.

Sad Hua looks at her little flame, at this little sun and heart in one.

“Then I believe they won’t be happy with me either.”, she says distressed. “I vanished for 100 years and didn’t stop the Fire Nation.”

“You are wise, young Daimon and it’s true.”

The chief roots his staff on the ground. 

The other two Sun Warriors get into a kneeling position and the chief walks toward Zuko and Hua, taking a small portion of their flames and giving the flames to both of the Sun Warriors, who go to each of the sides. 

The chief turns back and walks. 

Some Sun Warriors are standing or sitting, alternately, as the two Warriors stand to create a circle made of fire. 

“Well this is it, either we learn firebending from the masters or your Uncle needs a new successor when he becomes Fire Lord and the world has to wait for me and Aang to be reborn.”, giggles Hua nervous.

“Oh true, I forgot. If one of you dies, the other dies shortly after. You can’t live without your other half long.”

“Yeah, that’s why Sozin only killed all Air Nomads and didn’t attack the big Earth Kingdom, since killing Aang would have killed me.”

Her flames start to flicker.

“Stay calm Hua.”, tells her Zuko in a reassuring voice. “We will manage it. And if the masters attack us, we can handle them. We are the Fire Prince and the Daimon. I think we could take these guys in a fight, whoever they are.”

He gives her a smile, which she shakily copies.

Zuko tells the Chief they are ready to meet the masters.

“Chanters!”, shouts the Chief.

The chanters play the music. 

Sun Warriors, who are sitting down, beat their drums in a synchronized rhythm. 

Other Sun Warriors holding the fire circle in their crouched positions.

Zuko and Hua walk toward the stairs. 

On the other side of the circle, the Warriors alternatively rise and bow. As they reach the stairs the chief and the other two Warriors, step aside to let Zuko and Hua pass.

The two look at each other and take a deep breath before climbing. 

They reach the top as the setting sun shines at them. 

The music stops playing as soon as they reach the top. 

Both of them look at the caves on each side of the bridge.

“Those who wish to meet the masters, Ran and Shaw, will now present their fire.”

Hua and Zuko turn toward the caves and bow down with their hands stretched out.

“Sound the call!”

The sound from the horn sends a flock of birds scattering, as the cave begins to shake.

Two eyes glow inside a cave and a red dragon comes out, roaring, circling the bridge. A blue dragon came out of the other cave. 

It joins the other dragon as they circle the bridge.

“These are the masters?!”, whisper-shouts Zuko.

“Yeah, you still sure we can take them.”, whisper-shout Hua back, her flame shaking.

“Sshh. I never said that.”

The dragons circle the bridge in familiar forms, as Hua gets an idea.

“Zuko, I think we should do the Dragon Dance with them!”

“What‌? What about this situation makes you think they want us to dance‌?”

“I don’t think standing around and showing them the flames is it. They want us to see bending.”

“Fine!”

Hua and Zuko get into the first posture of the Dancing Dragon and change their postures to the next. 

Hua spreads her arms out, her fire following along, as the blue dragon flies behind her following the shape of her arms. 

Then she turns her arms to her side as the dragon turns as well. 

Zuko pushes his hand up as the red dragon behind him goes up as well. 

He dips and the dragon dives down accordingly. 

The dragons fly above the bridge as below the two performing the Dancing Dragon. 

They end in the final move, their fist touching, their flames gone.

Hua and Zuko look to either side.

The dragons have stopped moving and are hovering on either side of the bridge.

“Judgment time.”

The blue dragon stares Zuko down, while the red one Hua.

Scared Hua grips Zuko's arm.

This was it, wasn’t it?!

Then the two dragons breathe fire at them. 

They are encircled in a beautiful flame vortex made out of multicoloured flames.

Hua gasped and has tears in her eyes.

She had never seen something so beautiful!

Zuko is touched by this too.

“I understand.”, he whispers quietly.

The vortex slowly dissipates and the dragons curl their bodies, fly up, circle one time and go into their caves.

Changed from the experience Hua and Zuko go down the stairs.

“Their fire was beautiful. I saw so many colours, colours I've never imagined.”, mutters Zuko still thinking about it.

Hua wipes away her tears.

“It was otherworldly beautiful. It’s like it lit a fire in my soul.”

They came to a stop before the Sun Warrior chief who heard them.

“Yes. They judged you and gave you visions of the meaning of firebending.”

“I can't believe there are still living dragons. My uncle Iroh said he faced the last dragon and killed it.”

“He lied, obviously.”, said Hua, still sniffling a bit.

“Actually, it wasn't a total lie. Iroh was the last outsider to face the masters.”, revealed the Chief. “They deemed him worthy and passed the secret onto him as well.”

“He must have lied to protect them, so no one else would hunt them.”, guessed Zuko.

Hua smiles: “I already felt close to firebending, but this…this energy, this harmony…it’s life in its purest form. I never again want to bend in another way!”

“Yeah. It's like the Sun, but inside of you. Do you guys realize this?”

Zuko turned with his last sentence to the chief.

He smiles amused. “Well, our civilization is called the Sun Warriors ... so yeah.”

“That's why my firebending was so weak before. Because for so many years, hunting you and Aang was my drive ... it was my purpose.”, realizes Zuko. “So when I joined you, I lost sight of my inner fire. But now, I have a new drive. I have to help you two to defeat my father and restore balance to the world.”

To show how he found a new and better inner fire, Zuko performed two powerful fireblast.

Smiling Hua makes one too.

“Now that you have learned the secrets, and you know about our tribe's existence, we have no choice but to imprison you here forever.”

Shocked and scared Hua and Zuko stare at the chief.

“Just kidding.”, laughs the chief, which relaxes Hua and Zuko, only to jump when the chief practically yells. “But seriously, don't tell anyone!”

***

Like Iroh said the Inari Shrines worked in both directions and Hua, Zuko and Jaiyi were back where the other waited for them.

As a greeting, they performed before them the Dancing Dragon.

“With this technique, the dragons showed us, Zuko and I will be unstoppable. Also one day Aang, when it’s time for him to learn.”, tells them Hua, as she and Zuko come to the end pose.

Their friends applaud them.

“Yeah, that's a great dance you two learned there.”, said Sokka.

“It's not a dance. It's a firebending form.”, corrects Zuko.

“We'll just tap-dance our way to victory over the Fire Lord.”

“It's a sacred form that happens to be thousands of years old!”

Katara cheekily raised an eyebrow and asked: “Oh, yeah‌? What's your form called‌?”

Zuko cringes.

“The Dancing Dragon.”

The three and the animals laugh, while Hua pats an embarrassed Zuko back.

13/06/2024 Hello, my loves, I need to make a short announcement. For those of you who use fanfiction.net, the site is currently experiencing serious issues. Comments are not appearing, messages are not getting sent, and this is frustrating for us writers. I like to update all my fanfiction sites on the same day and since the last problems were fixed, I hope they will do the same with this one. What does this mean for you? I I'm a perfectionist and I won't update my stories for the next few days until the problem is fixed and I can update them together as I usually do. However, I will continue writing them in the meantime, so you get your chapters fast. Thanks for your support and understanding. Have a nice day/night!

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So, I got this vague idea inspired by pirate- and spirit-blessed!Zuko AU's where Agni basically transforms the scarred side of our boi's face. Like, the skin there becomes covered in deep crimson scales. The ear sorta reforms into something more pointed. His damaged eye becomes bright with a slit pupil, starkly visible even in total darkness.

I wanna say that such a drastic change in his appearance would absolutely demoralize him because so what if he captures the Avatar? He looks like a monster! He's been cursed by the spirits or something for his weakness, and he's on the brink of losing it completely. Maybe not even the crew he set sail with initially can tolerate him because he looks like such an omen, and that's what pushes him over the edge.

I don't know how he'd begin his career in piracy exactly, or if he'd involve himself in some other form of illegal activity, but I know his notoriety earns him monikers like "Dragoneye" and "Scaleface."

Tea shop owners!Zuko and Iroh are basically the Cabbage Man if the Cabbage Man was actually an important character. Like, Zuko abandoned his so-called "mission" once he came to the realization that his father is just hateful and all that jazz.

The ship is where they live still, but they acquire or build a transportable stall they take into (mostly port) towns to sell Iroh's magnificent blends. They eventually settle on something like "the Popup Tea Shop" as a name. (Hehehe. It rhymes.) True to their canon forms, they introduce themselves as Li and Mushi versus Zuko and Iroh to anyone who asks.

The Gaang's first encounter with them happens while the uncle-nephew duo are in search of a rare plant for a new summer special they've been concocting that can only be found in the South Pole. There's a conflict, of course, between the parties, but there's no time for it when the Southern Raiders appear to investigate the big-ass beam of light that lit up the sky. Everybody works together to defeat the Raiders, mutual understanding is reached, and they go their separate ways. Unfortunately, news of the Avatar's return escapes into the world still.

The Jasmine Dragon appears after the Siege of the North Pole; Zuko's ship is destroyed by Zhao because Zuko remains the Blue Spirit who frees Aang from Pohuai Stronghold. The pair can't just show their faces anywhere they want now and build a new life in Ba Sing Se until that investor gives them the opportunity to run a new shop of their own. Then, Azula ruins everything by infiltrating the city, and Zuko joins the Gaang officially in the Crystal Catacombs.