Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction ❯ Avatar: Doomsday ❯ Vengeful Plans ( Chapter 5 )

Standard Disclaimer: I don't own anything in this story aside from my own original characters and concepts. Avatar: The Last Airbender and all of its characters are property of Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. I own nothing and make nothing from this work.

Summary: Takes place shortly after The Boiling Rock, Part 2. Ever wonder what happened to Mai and Ty Lee during Sozin's Comet? Prison escapes, chimera monsters, freakish firebenders, secret takeovers, dragons, sibling rivalries, and evil spirits. It's all here.

Okay, I am writing this in my `personal time' up here in Canada with my college cross country team. Unfortunately, I didn't get the five reviews I wanted so no double update but that's probably a good thing considering that I only had enough time to finish this chapter. Hopefully, I can have the next one done sometime next weekend.

Enjoy!

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Chapter 5: Vengeful Plans

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It was a full day before Raijin woke after the escape. Ty Lee had been a bit nervous at how exhausted he had been but Iroh had just told her that, “a man needs his rest.”

When the former prisoner came to he was greeted with the sight of a cheery Iroh sipping a cup of tea by his bedside. The ex-general gave him a large grin as he sat up and offered up a white porcelain cup.

“Tea? It's jasmine,”

Raijin couldn't help but smile as he took the cup. “It's good to see you General Iroh.”

Iroh waved a hand at him. “Please, I am no longer a general and should not be addressed as one. I'm not even with the Fire Nation anymore yet everyone insists on calling me `General.'”

Raijin smiled behind his cup. Same old Iroh. Raijin took the man into greater detail and his eye widened slightly. Okay…maybe he's made a few changes.

Iroh was much larger than he ever remembered him, even back during his siege on Ba Sing Se. The man wasn't a wall of muscle by any means but he seemed much more solid than Raijin remembered. He had also let his beard grow out so that it was one solid form, almost making a curtain for his neck. Tilting his head slightly, Raijin also saw that the ex-general had let his white hair grow out a bit. But more than anything, Raijin noticed that his belly, which had swelled as grew older, was almost nonexistent now.

Raijin brushed some of his too long hair out of his eyes and asked, “How long have I been out?”

“A little over a day since we left the prison. You do not need to worry about us being pursued; with a master waterbending at the helm we are making excellent time. No ship in the Fire Nation could catch us.”

Raijin nodded and let his body slump back against the bed. Feeling the pillow holding his head Raijin realized that this was the first time he'd used a pillow - or a bed, for that matter - in half a decade. A wide grin split his face as he bounded up and raced for the door. The free world was just outside!

Iroh cleared his throat loudly. Raijin's hand stopped just before the door handle and he turned back to face Iroh.

Iroh laughed at the excitement on the teen's face. “I was just going to suggest that you shower and put on the change I brought for you before heading outside.”

Raijin scratched the back of his head and peered at the bathroom on the far side of the room. “That…sounds nice,”

Iroh just chuckled and let himself out, leaving the teen alone.

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It was another hour before Raijin emerged from his cabin. His hair was still too long and damp with water but his hair was much, much cleaner, and his face was clean shaven now. The clothes Iroh had left for him were nothing overly special but they were much better than what he had previously. A simple dark green sleeveless shirt and a pair of light black pants with matching color shoes. Along with clean undergarments, Iroh had even managed to get him a new eye-patch.

Needless to say, he wasn't expecting Ty Lee to burst out laughing when she saw him. “What's so funny?”

The girl calmed herself. “Sorry, Rai, but you just look a lot like Zuko right now.”

Mai huffed. “Please, Zuko looks much better that Raijin.”

Ty Lee grinned at her old friend as she did a handstand. “You're just saying that because you're in love with Zuko, Mai. Oh, don't look away! Ever since you two got together at Ember Island you aura has been brighter than ever! Besides,” Ty Lee gave Raijin another once over. “I think he looks good…except for one thing.”

Raijin raised an eyebrow, a bit unsure of what to say at this point.

Ty Lee flipped out her handstand and land inches away from Raijin, staring the larger teen down. She giggled and pulled lightly at the hair dangling in front of his eyes. “You hair's too long, silly. But don't worry; I can cut it for you!”

Raijin leaned around the acrobat and look at the gothic teen. “Mai…” he whined.

Mai rolled her eyes. “Relax; I'll cut his hair, Ty Lee. Why don't you go talk to Bumi some more.”

Ty Lee peered back and forth at the two but finally shrugged and left in search for Bumi.

Raijin rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh, thanks Mai, but who's Bumi?”

“Having Ty Lee give someone a haircut is too cruel, even for me. As for Bumi, do you remember the crazy earthbender from the breakout?” Raijin nodded.

“Yeah, but what does that…oh spirits, Ty Lee is friends with an insane earthbender. That cannot end up well.”

Mai shrugged. “Who cares? Now go find a chair and scissors so I can get this over with.”

Raijin mock saluted. “Yes mam!” and left in search of the goods.

Minutes later, Raijin was sporting a new hairdo. His wild mane had been trimmed back so that his bangs stopped at the middle of his forehead and he had a small bunch of hair tied back at the base of his neck (if you need a visual, think of Miroku's haircut).

Shortly after, Iroh came, and after complementing Raijin on his haircut, took him to meet the others who had helped in the breakout. He led him to the helm of the ship where the three other men stood in a line in front of a long table. Mai and Ty Lee were already sitting at the table waiting.

The first man Raijin knew very, very well. Upon sight on him, Raijin bowed deeply. “It is an honor to see you again, Master Piandao.”

The older man smiled widely. “It is good to see you too, Raijin. I expect that we have much to talk about.”

The next was a man of average height with a balding head of white hair and neatly trimmed facial hair in the same color. He was dressed in a thick blue jacket with pants in matching color with a stern look upon his face. “Greetings, I am Master Pakku of the Northern Water Tribe.”

Raijin bowed his head in acknowledgement. “Yes, I have heard of you. You led the resistance against the Fire Nation invasion there a few months ago, correct?”

Pakku gave him a slight smile. “It seems that you are well informed.”

Raijin shrugged. “Guards like to talk…a lot.” That earned a laugh from Iroh.

The next man was Bumi, as Mai had told him. The man was stooped over in his old age - and he looked old - with a short and stubby gray beard and several rings on his fingers. He had a bizarre cap atop his head with two long feathers extending from it down to behind his back. He wore a large green robe that covered most of his body.

The man extended out a shake to greet Raijin. Cautiously, Raijin extended one of his own to greet the man but raised an eyebrow when Bumi jerked his hand back at the last second. The old man let out a series of laughs and snorts before crushing Raijin in a hug. “The name's Bumi, resident King of Omashu.”

Bumi released Raijin, who glanced at Iroh, eye clearing asking, `is this guy really a king?'

Iroh just chuckled. “Alright, now that introductions are over we must get down to business. You may know scraps on information, Raijin, but now you need to know exactly what we are up against.”

“In a few days Sozin's comet will arrive,” Piandao began. “I trust you know what that is and what it can do so I shall move on. Under General Iroh's command we plan to overtake Ba Sing Se during that time, bringing it back under Earth Kingdom control.”

“However,” Pakku interrupted. “we are unaware of what Ozai's plans are for the when the comet comes. If he is not at Ba Sing Se then there is no way that we will be able to counter whatever his plans are.”

“Realistically though, Ozai will attack the Earth Nation in some way; he won't allow the comet to pass with no action.” Bumi said in a grave voice. “Most likely he will not consider the recently reclaimed Omashu as a threat and will focus on destroying any resistance left in Ba Sing Se.”

“I…see,” Raijin muttered. “This does not look good. What are the Avatar's plans for the comet's arrival?”

“We…do not know,” Pakku said quietly. “We have not been in contact with the Avatar's group in over a month.”

“So let me get this straight,” Mai said from her place at the table. “You all plan to take back Ba Sing Se but have no idea what the Fire Lord's plans are or what the Avatar is going to do to stop him?”

Bumi shrugged. “More or less,”

“On that same subject,” Iroh interjected. “You two, Mai and Ty Lee, were the last to encounter members of the Avatar's group at the Boiling Rock. Did you learn anything about their plans?”

“Nope,” Ty Lee shook her head. “I was with Azula most of the time and we just fought against them. Let's see…there was the water tribe boy Sokka, that warrior girl Suti or something like that, Sokka's dad, some other prisoner, and Zuko.”

Iroh's bushy eyebrows rose but he kept his face blank. “My nephew was there?”

Mai scowled slightly. “Yes, Zuko was found at the prison. My uncle is the warden there and he notified me so that I could see him…after he broke up with me…with a note.”

Collectively, the entire table winced at that. Iroh frowned, “I thought I taught so much better than that,”

“Its fine,” Mai muttered. “Zuko's been going through a lot since you last saw him. He told me that he faced his father on the Day of Black Sun before becoming a full-fledged traitor to the Fire Nation. Apparently, he had joined up with the Avatar and was captured while trying to help Sokka's father, a water tribe chief, escape from prison.”

Iroh tried to suppress a smile but could not. “It seems that Zuko has finally chosen his path. This is excellent news; we shall need all the help we can get on the day Sozin's comet arrives.”

Piandao looked over at Raijin. “Speaking of the comet, I know that you have special bending properties, Raijin. How will you be affected by the comet?”

The ex-prisoner shrugged. “No idea; I've never experienced something like this before.”

“I see,” Pakku muttered to himself. “I noticed that your bending seems to be a mix of firebending and waterbending, so theoretically your bending should be stronger at certain times of the day, just as waterbenders are stronger at night and firebenders are in the day.”

“Yes,” Iroh spoke. “Firebenders are strongest at high noon and become even more powerful when Sozin's comet draws near. Waterbenders, however, are strongest on the night of a full moon.” Pakku nodded in agreement.

“Um, I know this is interesting but shouldn't we be more worried about what the Fire Lord and Azula are planning instead?” Ty Lee asked.

Iroh smiled at her. “You are correct in your assumption, Ty Lee, but it is vital to try and discover if Raijin should even fight during the comet's arrival. We would not want him to be weakened before battle.”

Raijin sighed. “Well from personal experience I can tell you that I know I'm the strongest at midnight on the night of a new moon, when the sky is completely empty. During the day of the eclipse I felt very weak and couldn't bend in the least. With Sozin's comet I have a feeling that the opposite will happen and I will be at my strongest.”

Bumi snorted. “Or you'll be weak as a newborn,”

Iroh ignored the older man and look at Raijin, his face more serious than the teen had ever seen it. “Raijin, can we depend on your help to take back Ba Sing Se?”

“To be honest, Iroh, Ba Sing Se is the farthest thing from my mind.”

The table was dead silent and every eye was now focused solely on Raijin. “What do you mean by that, boy?” Pakku asked coldly.

“I mean that I have other plans.” Raijin said reasonably. “Don't get me wrong, I do plan on helping to kill Ozai but I really don't care about some Earth Kingdom city.”

Piandao, the man who had trained Raijin personally, kept his voice light as he spoke, “Then what are your plans, Raijin?”

The teen was silent but his body tensed and his silver eye hardened. “That's easy,” his voice was sharp and cold. “I plan to kill my family, Ozai, and Azula.”

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Woo! I wrote this whole thing in about an hour or two so I'm sorry if there are any spelling errors. Just tell me about them and I'll make sure to fix them up.

Explanations about…

Raijin's new look: The guy just got out of prison and needed new clothes badly. Since they're going to the Earth Kingdom right now, I figured it would make more sense to give him green clothes instead of red. As for the hairdo…well, I couldn't think of anything else that wasn't overly plain.

Raijin's attitude at the end: There's a lot here that will be explained the next chapter so I can't give away much...

Piandao as Raijin's master: I used Piandao as Raijin's master to make his swordsmanship seem more believable. If Sokka learned all his skills in about a week, imagine what Raijin could do in several months or even a year.

Jeong Jeong absence: He's keeping things under control back at the camp. I didn't think that they would need two firebenders for this mission.

Woo! Wrote this whole thing in about an hour or two so I'm sorry if there are any spelling errors. Just tell me about them and I'll make sure to fix them up.