Book I, Act VII: Back to Square One, Chapter VII

Edited by: Bieverdog AO3: GalavantingGoose

Book I, Imbalance

Act VII: Back to Square One

Music: Pastorale Rondo / A Window to the Past

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79uXZKUKFUs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osTcYcYmf0o

Chapter VII

As Aang flew back, he looked at the pack he had brought with him. He didn't know what to feel, and he didn't want to reach any conclusions; but his mind was pulled in one direction: it was the Fire Nation. It had to be.

"Come on, buddy; we gotta get back." He flew lower from the clouds, spotting a pack of airships flying in formation. He was reminded of the day of Sozin's Comet, but they had become a common sight, for they were an easier method for transporting colonists from remote areas. He flew past them, already seeing the town of Ji in the distance.

As they landed, children gathered around Appa. He had become quite a celebrity in town. On a different day, he would have taken some of them for a ride; but now, all he thought about was discovering what had happened at the temple.

Sokka waved his arms as he passed through the children. "Hey! Where have you been all this time? You don't get to slack off today; I do! I had to do your chores and mine! I'm telling you next time you–" Aang showed him the pack he found.

"Sokka, whatever it is, it can wait, trust me. I've found something." Sokka crossed his arms as he opened it.

"Oh, don't try to change the subject, Aang, you– What's that?" The avatar had placed the strange device in his hands, and he widened his eyes, gawking at it with curiosity.

"I have no idea. I figured you'd know. What I know for certain it's that it was made in the Fire Nation. I found it in the Western Air Temple…" Sokka was still entranced with the object as he turned it over for a close inspection.

Sokka pointed at a small Fire Nation emblem on the side. "It's from the Fire Nation alright, but what's the big deal?"

Aang scratched his head. "Well… I don't think it's from the day of the invasion; this looks new."

"Could've been from the troops that fought us at the temple."

He shook his head. "No, that isn't possible. I found this in a sealed chamber that could only be opened with airbending. No one forced their way in there."

Sokka shrugged. "Then it's definitely from the early days of the war. It's not like there's another airbender alive, is ther– Um, you know what I mean."

Aang threw his arms at the object. "But it looks new!"

Sokka held out his hand and put the thing back on the pack. "Okay, look; let's head back to my ded and figure things out from there."

A farmer in a straw hat ran towards them. "Hey, Master Listmaster! What will be our assignments in the Capital? You said you'd give us one." The man took a moment to catch his breath as Aang gave Sokka a funny look.

He smirked. "Master Listmaster?"

Sokka chuckled nervously. "Just an honorary title… Ahem. The master is busy today, but my secretary, Katara, will give you your assignments in my stead today." The farmer thanked them and went on his way.

"Think it's a good idea?"

Sokka waved it off. "Yeah, she's always happy to help; let's just keep this between us."

"Sure… Master Listmaster."

Sokka leveled his pile of hay and carefully placed the device atop it, inspecting it from every angle as Aang sat next to him. He pulled out his monocle, pointing at one of the sides of the device composed of what looked like bronze pipes. "Okay, let's see what we've got. This metal part here looks like a cooling mechanism." Sokka brought it to his ear. "I think it has water in it too."

He examined the cone of glass at the end of it. It was cracked. Sokka tapped it carefully and looked at him. "I've no idea what this is. …Did you break it?"

"Found it like that. What do you think it does?"

Sokka shrugged. "Dunno. Knowing them, it's probably some sort of evil weapon."

He raised an eyebrow. "Why would they take a weapon to an empty, sealed chamber?"

His friend tapped his chin and raised his finger after a moment of consideration. "Well, it's obviously because of… Spirits?" Aang stared blankly at him. Sokka's smile dropped when he saw his disappointment, and he shrugged. "Beats me. Ooh, it has a switch!" At first, they only heard the click of the button, then nothing, until the object burst to life loudly. It startled Sokka, and he yelped girlishly and threw it like a hot pomato.

Aang nursed his ringing ears. "Now you definitely broke it."

After recovering, Sokka threw out defensive hands. "It would have killed us if I hadn't tossed it."

"Killed our hearing..."

The barn door slammed open, and they both turned their heads to see Katara standing at the threshold frozen in confused alarm. "Sokka! What do you think you're doing here? And you? I expected better of you, Aang." He looked down, Sokka had already composed himself.

Sokka put on a sophisticated smile. "Relax, Katara; we are conducting a serious investigation here."

Aang nodded nervously. "It's true; I've found something important."

She looked up like a desperate parent. "Listen to me, both of you! We have more than ten thousand people here that are counting on us. They leave today! Now you're going to go out there and help these people get to their new homes."

Sokka held out his hands. "But–"

Katara pointed outside. "Now!" Aang went outside, and Sokka grunted but followed.

She splashed water in her brother's face. "Ouch! What was that for?!"

She smiled faux innocently. "I'm sorry. Is the water too cold, Master Listmaster?"

When they went outside, they saw that a line had formed around the block. Most of the people stood there with their belongings. Now Aang saw what Katara was referring to: the airships landing nearby. She handed some papers to Sokka, who reluctantly went to take roll call of the villagers, and turned to Aang. "Aang, you go to the airships. Tell them we need more help here."

He nodded and headed off walking. They hadn't spent much time in the village, but the story had been the same as all the others: pristine homes dead as the night. It felt depressing; still, he did not forget that the world had to be back in balance, as Roku always told him.

Passing the recently abandoned houses, he saw the airships had landed in a clearing. Soldiers were setting up camp. "Flameo, friends. We need help getting the people here." Some soldiers looked at him in confusion. The apparent commanding officer approached.

"I take it you are the Avatar?" She turned around, looking at her men. "Soldiers, I want two teams of ten assisting now. Take these boxes to the people. Understood?" With that, her men marched into town.

He waved, already turning around. "Thank you. I have to get back."

"Wait here; I have something for you."

He looked at her intrigued, then she walked briskly towards the airship. She returned with a metal tube in her hand and handed it to him.

She sighed. "I regret to inform you that I bring terrible news."

***

He was sitting with his hands on his head while Sokka circled around and Katara sat next to him with a distressed frown.

Sokka stopped. "That Zuko what?!" Then he paced faster, thinking.

Aang took the letter from the tube, unfurling it again. He hoped he had misread it; but on his third reading, he was sure. "It's what it says here: they poisoned him... Do you think he's okay?"

Sokka gave him a deadpan stare. "Yeah, I'm sure the poison is totally harmless. What do you think, genius?!"

"Sokka!" Katara glared at her brother. "Aang, he's going to be fine; he has to be..."

He looked down, trying to hold back tears. "I can't believe it! This can't be happening again..."

Katara held his hand. "We'll go see him as soon as possible. We send these people off and go. Maybe I can help heal him." Her expression turned hopeful. He couldn't say the same about his. He only knew they had no time to waste.

Sokka shook his head. "Zuko really has bad luck, though there has to be a reason behind all this. This is no coincidence at all..."

Aang stood up. "We will do everything we can to help him. Come on, the sooner we finish helping here, the sooner we will leave for the Fire Nation." Katara took the parchment from Aang's hand, and he let it go, discouraged. He could no longer think of anything; he just wanted to be there with his friend. The commotion of people outside–he couldn't even feel it as he walked with the crowds to the airships in silence. She wanted to talk to him, but she withdrew at Sokka's shaking head, taking her luggage to Appa in silence.

When it was time to leave, he took the reins–"Yip yip!"–and their trip continued with an uneasy silence. Sokka went to the back, and Katara sat next to him. None of them could find the right words. Finally, Katara took his hand and squeezed it tightly. "He is going to be fine."

He looked at her in doubt. "You can't know that."

"We all worry about him, but you still can't give up hope."

"I don't understand... After everything he's done…"

Katara placed her hand on his shoulder. "Aang, why don't you let me go on this part; you rest, okay? Just... Try not to think about it. There's nothing we can do from here."

"You're right." He sat back against the saddle and drifted off into what he hoped would be dreamless sleep.

He could feel the noise of the crashing waves, the wind, the heat. He opened his eyes to see he was sitting on the steps of Zuko's house on Ember Island. He saw Katara as she headed for the beach, she smiled, and he smiled back.

"Aang, what are you waiting for? Let's go to the beach."

"Coming!" He looked back towards the house as Zuko opened the door. "Are you coming, Zuko?"

"I'll catch up with you in a moment." Zuko continued walking without sparing him a glance.

"Oh, come on! Don't be a spoilsport, hotman; we'll have a good time."

He shook his head. "We're not on vacation, Aang. And cut it out with that!"

"Sorry… hotman." He sighed. "I know, but that doesn't mean we can't take a moment to relax. Come on, it'll be good for you."

Zuko sighed and turned around, then he shrugged. "If you say so."

When they arrived, all their friends were gathered there. Toph was resting on the sand next to Suki; and Katara was practicing, knee-deep in the water. Sokka was concentrating on building another sculpture; and when he heard footsteps in the sand, he was startled and stood in front of them, stopping them in their tracks. "No offense, Zuko; but stay away from my artwork, or you'll have a meeting with Boomerang."

Zuko walked past him. "Relax, I won't destroy anything this time."

Sokka frowned and clenched his fists. "Yeah, tell that to the sand Suki you destroyed."

Aang smiled, gesturing to the new statue. "Look on the bright side. If it hadn't been for him, you never would have made this… whatever it is…"

Zuko looked at it. "Yeah, it's, uh… really good, Sokka."

Sokka rolled his eyes. "Okay, you guys can't clearly appreciate good art when you see it. That's clearly us riding Appa. Obviously, that handsome guy in the front is me."

Toph smiled fondly, staring in its general direction. "I think it looks great."

Sokka opened his mouth then crossed his arms. "Not falling for that one, Toph."

"Nah, that wasn't a blind joke; can see the sand. You've got a very particular art style, Snoozles. Mine is way better. Didn't really have to try, considering your… 'Appa'."

He smirked. "Oh yeah? I'd like to see you do it with your hands instead of cheating with your bending!"

She grinned at him menacingly. "You're on."

The two began to compete side by side while Suki watched them. Aang sat next to Zuko and looked at the others. Looking back, he barely noticed a smile on his face, which quickly faded away. "Everyone seems to be having fun, like nothing's about to happen in a few days…"

Sokka didn't look up from his new creation. "Way to ruin the mood! Ever heard about ignorance being bliss? You should try it some time."

Zuko became stone-faced. "That usually gets you sent to prison… if you're lucky."

Sokka muttered loudly, "Yep, you need a big dose of ignorance."

Suki pointed to the horizon. "Uh… Guys, what's that?"

The sky slowly turned yellow, then bright red, as a comet roared across the horizon. Following it, a tsunami of fire crashed over the sea in a boiling mist. His heart was in his throat. They were all stupefied. He wasted no time and ran towards the sea, emptying it as he faced the wall of fire. He concentrated all his energy on trying to stop it, to tame it. His friends joined him as he barely resisted the impact, the flames wrapping around him in the shape of a raindrop.

One by one, they fell, unable to withstand the relentless wave. Zuko gave him one last glance before turning into ash. Defeated, he let go to be consumed by the flames.

He awoke covered in cold sweat. Visibly disturbed, Katara shot her gaze to him. "What happened?"

"It– Just a nightmare. Just… a nightmare." He muttered partly to himself as he wiped his brow.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

He crawled towards her. "Yeah, just need to think of something else. You get some rest; I don't think I can really get back to sleep right now."

"Okay." She looked at him in concern one last time as she climbed into the saddle.

As Aang rose to the front of the saddle and took the reins, he stared up into the night sky, wondering if it would help with whatever he had just seen. He shook his head. Perhaps he was too worried; so, he tried to be confident that everything would end up working out just fine. Not that it helped to calm his nerves, but he figured it would be better than just dwelling on a nightmare. Nothing good would come of that. After all, it hadn't been the first time it happened. He took a deep breath, locking his eyes on the path ahead.

We're coming, Zuko. Hang on; we're coming.