Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction ❯ Prophesied ❯ Sleep Tonight ( Chapter 24 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

“Stand my ground, I won't give in

No more denying

I've got to face it

Won't close my eyes

And hide the truth inside

If I don't make it, someone else will

Stand my ground…”

--Within Temptation, “Stand My Ground”

Chapter 24: Yoru Neru (Sleep Tonight)

They sprung forward, all of it instinct, and nothing surprised her more to see HIM there. This wasn't how she wanted to meet him. No, this was wrong. What could she do? What could she say?

“So…you are a traitor.”

NO! That wasn't what I wanted to say! She screamed in her head, but the moment had passed. Her opportunity was gone. Never more…never again…

Azula woke as calm and collected to the outside world, but inside her heart churned against the walls of her chest, screaming its woe to all who could hear. She stood and dressed in a light training outfit and without bothering to tie up her hair, headed out onto the deck to train.

She pushed herself, bending until she had to force the fire to bleed from her limbs, exertion wiping away pain from her body, or so she thought. She also thought she was alone but she felt someone's eyes upon her and she spun around, her hair dancing lightly around her.

“Jet!” She whispered.

“What are you doing?” He inquired.

“I am training, what does it look like I'm doing?” she cried defensively.

Jet however did not appear discouraged. “I mean…why are you crying?”

Azula raised a trembling hand to her cheek and when it came away wet, she was all too happy to fall into Jet's waiting arms.

She just lay there, surrounded by this circle of protection, unwilling to reveal everything that tore at her.

“Tell me, `Zula.” Jet urged.

She sighed, her hands wrapped around his neck. “I…I am tired of what this war has made of me.”

She raised her head, almost desperate for him to understand.

“I wasn't always cold and harsh. My brother and I used to get along and we understood that we had to stick together because our father wanted us to fight, to become stronger. We…I promised that I'd stand by him.”

“And you didn't.” Jet finished. Azula nodded into his chest.

“Now, even when I want to say I'm sorry, to say a kind word to him, I can't.”

He kissed the top of her head lightly. While he felt her pain, he felt a strange sort of pride that he was the only one who saw this side of his princess.

“Then…I guess we'll have to change that.

They floated softly in the air, Tasha glowing against the night sky, only a little ways away. The five of them were mostly silent with anger, all except for Zuko who was tense from exhaustion.

Zuko was too caught up in his own thoughts, for the first time since the island a wild anger filled him that he couldn't release, and his thoughts only fueled it.

Aang sighed. “I can't stand this.”

Anger filled his voice. “All I'm trying to do is protect everyone and all these people keep trying to stop me.”

The winds trembled with his anger and Sokka joined him.

“I know! Why does everybody want to ruin the world?”

Midori said nothing, thinking of her brother. Katara turned to Zuko.

“What do you think, Zuko?”

“I think…” he paused, pushing the anger he felt deep within him, ignoring it for now. “I think that things are much more complicated than they appear.”

Before the conversation got any more awkward, Midori announced that they had reached Tasha.

Below them, the people of Tasha had noticed them as well. Cries went up all over the city as Appa glided in. Those on board forgot the topic at hand, all except for Zuko, who only harbored his anger for later.

The city was filled with rising towers made of the strongest earths and upon one of the many balconies was a couple. The man, tall and the epitome of an earth-bender, stood behind the girl, a hand on her shoulder.

“The Avatar?” The girl said calmly. “This could be interesting.”

The man's eyes narrowed. “Remember your place, Mitsu.”

She waved a hand. “Don't worry, Hoshi.”

Deeper within the city, at their version of a palace, a messenger ran up to a man of clear high rank.

“Lord Mako, the Avatar has arrived on the outskirts of the city.”

The lord nodded and after a moment headed out of the Great Hall to greet this symbol of hope.

Appa found a clear place to land and they were immediately greeted by a crowd of people.

Aang air-bended from Appa's head and waved to the crowd while Sokka and Katara climbed down with the ease of having done so often, Zuko held Midori's hand as they slowly climbed down Appa's tail.

A man stepped forth from the crowd, dressed in long green and gold robes and held his arms out in a welcoming gesture.

“Welcome, Avatar and companions, to the Earth Kingdom city of Tasha. I am Lord Mako, governor of Tasha.”

Aang grinned. “Hi, Lord Mako! I'm Aang, and this is Sokka and Katara.”

He pointed to each one in turn and the two siblings acknowledged this with a wave.

Behind them, Midori stepped wrong and fell forward into Zuko, who just barely missed losing his balance but maintained and stepped smoothly onto the ground while carrying Midori.

Katara smiled as the two came over, Aang laughed. “And this is Midori and Zuko.”

The young girl from the Southern Water Tribe couldn't help but think back to all that had happened since she had left her home.

The same prince that had attacked her home seeking his own salvation moved to stand beside her as he had become accustomed to doing so, the broadswords Arnook had given him strapped over his shoulder. His skin tone had gotten darker due the sun and he was dressed in a borrowed blue tunic.

If she didn't know better, she would think he was Water Tribe.

The lord of the city bowed. “You and your companions could not have come at a better time. We may have need of your military assistance.”

Zuko stepped forward. “While we would have no objections to helping you, Aang is here to learn earth-bending.”

A soldier muscled his way forward from the crowd.

“And who are you to speak so to our gracious lord?”

Zuko glared at the soldier and for a moment Katara though the heat of the battle hadn't left him, but then he backed down.

“It is custom for the host to introduce themselves first.”

The soldier smirked. Katara gasped as she realized Zuko had read his high rank in a heartbeat, but then again, Zuko had been born noble.

“I am Hoshi, military commander under Lord Mako.”

Zuko raised his head to meet Hoshi's gaze. “I am Suiro, a Royal Guard from the Northern Water Tribe sent to ensure the Avatar's safety on his journey.”

Everyone he'd come with stared at him like he'd lost what was left of his mind. Hoshi smirked.

“Water Tribesmen don't have yellow eyes. Wolves have yellow eyes.”

Zuko tilted his head. “My mother was Earth Kingdom.”

Hoshi opened his mouth again but Lord Mako raised a hand.

“Leave him be. His weapons bear the symbol of our ally, Arnook. Be still, Hoshi.”

Hoshi gritted his teeth but backed away.

Mako and Zuko's gaze met for a moment then the great lord bowed.

“I will show you to rooms in my home. You may rest and tomorrow, you may seek a teacher.”

They nodded and followed Lord Mako further into the city.

The night was sound in these mountains where the sun rarely rose. He closed his eyes, trying to drown out the roar in his ears, the want, the need that he'd fought with for years. This body he was in was only nineteen years old, but he'd lived for centuries, traveling back and forth between Origin and Aye. He knew he was stronger than his father, but he had obeyed every order.

Until White Heaven.

He was a demon, ripping down the angel and making him what he wanted, he hated it.

Golden eyes stared at nothing until a tiny sleep-filled sigh brought him back to reality. He turned, those hateful eyes softening as they viewed the dark-haired beauty lying in the bed.

Somehow in this nightmare between dimensions, he'd learned the truth of that want. He wanted someone to love, someone to protect.

And White Heaven was that something.

Darkness surrounded them.

The night deepened and Zuko couldn't sleep. Aang was pretending to sleep, Katara and Midori were bathing in the other room, and Sokka was snoring loudly.

The young fire-bender stood by the window, arms crossed, staring out.

The Avatar's breath steadied out and he slept. Zuko gave no visible sign of acknowledgement when Midori and Katara came in dressed in silk green gowns for sleeping. Midori immediately curled up and slept on her pallet. Katara, however, spotted him and walked over.

“The wind is cold.”

Zuko nodded. Katara worked his arms apart and inserted herself within them. He hesitated a moment before wrapping his arms around her though his gaze never averted.

“What are you looking at?”

Zuko shook his head. “Nothing, really.”

He then let her go and gave her a gentle push in the direction of the beds.

“Go get in bed before you freeze.”

Katara obeyed and then looked back at him. “You, too.”

“I will in a minute.”

Katara was so pleased to be in a real bed after so long that she was asleep in seconds despite her intentions to wait until Zuko also slept.

The moon had risen high. She had been lucky and none of the ice wolves had survived the fall. However, she was trapped in a bed of thorns that had made their home at the bottom of the ravine.

The moon was in its waning crescent and the light was the least it could be. The thorns did nothing for her already torn body but she pushed and tried to break herself free. Her legs were sore from the position she'd fallen in but from what she could tell, nothing was broken.

Flashes of light caught her attention and her head snapped around. When she saw the cause, she shrank back among the thorns, hoping the darkness would hide her.

It was a human, a male at that.

He was tall, his hair dark and his eyes bright. He moved lithely, creating fire like her ancestors had done.

The dance of fire became tighter and more intricate. The bender even closed his eyes as he moved, feeling the flames with his heart rather than seeing them with his eyes.

A spasm of pain ripped through her and she longed to call out to the fire-bender, but she couldn't…she couldn't!

The pain grew and she couldn't help but let out a small whimper.

Instantly the lights froze and faded away. She could no longer see the bender but his stance was wary, prepared. He had heard her. She didn't know whether to be relieved or afraid.

Shivering, she drew further back into the thorns, not caring where they pricked her.

The stone she lay upon reverberated with each of his footsteps, each slow and measured.

The minutes dragged out and suddenly he stepped into a beam of light, so close…so CLOSE!

She screamed in terror and jerked back so suddenly that her whole body exploded in pain and she collapsed.

Ziri stared at the single beam of light that shuttered through the bars to his cell. He'd been moved since the announcement to a place with less security and his meals were better. He'd started eating again but most of his time was filled with thinking.

And his dreams were filled of people he didn't know.

Sometimes there was a woman with black hair and blue eyes who walked before him and smiled.

Other times there was a silver-haired man.

But the most frequent was a dream of a silver dragon, screaming his defiance, and himself raising a sword, the blade made of pure light, far above his head.

The door opened and shut, admitting a soldier he'd never seen before, who immediately fell to his knees and touched his forehead to the floor.

“Prince Zuko, if I had known this would happen, I would have never said those things to you the night of the storm.”

Ziri blinked. It was something else he knew nothing about. Who was this guy anyway?

“All is forgiven.” He said and turned back to the wall.

“I knew it.”

Ziri sighed and turned again. “Knew what?”

“You're not Prince Zuko.”

Ziri's jaw dropped in surprise. The man smiled.

“Prince Zuko would never have forgiven me for what I said.”

Ziri couldn't help but smile.

The man bowed. “My name is Jee and I was a lieutenant on the prince's ship. I am going to help you get out of here.”

He was becoming an excellent fighter, Jun admitted to herself. He learned things so quickly that she honestly wondered where he had come from.

The sharp sting across her shoulder of a well-thrown knife brought her back to reality.

“How is it there in that little world of yours?” Rou inquired with that beautiful smile of his.

She smiled. “A little humid.”

She held open her arms and Rou rushed into them, happy to be close to her.

Jun had undergone so many changes since she found this little angel. Her new outfit hid most of her tattoos, as if she wanted to hide her past from her innocent ward. At his request, she pulled her hair back away from her face.

Shirshu was as lively as ever and behaved even better than usual when Rou was on his back.

They ate supper late and as they sat around the fire, Jun looked across its light to Rou.

“So, where would you like to go next?”

Since the Ki-Lin had danced, they had wandered aimlessly from town to town, stopping only to get supplies.

Rou ate for a moment and then glanced up at the moon.

“What's the Earth Kingdom capital?”

“Ba-Sing-Se.”

“Then let's go there.”

Jun tilted her head. “Why?”

Rou shrugged. “I have this insatiable urge to help these people, like it's my duty.”

Jun titled her head, looking off into the trees.

“That's a long way. It might take a while.”

It happened fast, so fast that Shiroten never really had time to think about it.

It began with a whisper in his ear.

“Do you trust me?”

He had answered in the affirmative. It had been true, still was. Nothing had happened after that simple question, the inquirer simply walking away, but it had left him with a strange feeling in his gut, something he'd never felt before.

Katara woke in the middle of the night and looked across the room to where Zuko lay sleeping. Maybe tonight she'd have the courage.

Silently she padded across the room and stopped just beside his bed. She bended the water from her bedside and let it cover her hand. Slowly, the blue glow of healing filled the dark room.

Zuko was turned away from her, the scar that marred his perfect skin glaring up at her.

This time she would do it…she was sure she would! Slowly, she placed her glowing hand over the scar.

The water sank into his skin and for a moment, Katara was sure that it had worked, that all of the nights she had woken up and not had the nerve to place her hand over his eye was worth it.

Then the water melted away without a change to his skin.

Slowly one tear fell and then they fell without hesitancy. Unable to hold them back, Katara covered her face with her hands and sobbed until she felt warm arms encircling her.

“I was so sure…so sure that I could heal it.”

“And with it heal the pain?”

She nodded into his chest.

Zuko tilted her chin up so she could look into his eyes.

“You can't fix what's already healed.”

Before the sun rose, she slowly opened her eyes, hoping the male human was gone.

He wasn't, but several other things had changed.

She was free from the thorns, her wings had been bandages, and there was a makeshift tent over her.

“You're awake now.”

Her head shot up at the sound, causing a wave of dizziness to rush over her. Then she felt his hand on her head, steadying her.

“Sh, slowly now. Don't move too fast.”

“Get away from me, human!” she screeched, trying to gather her feet beneath her, but only succeeding in flopping back down.

He tilted his head and looked down at her and she knew she must look awful.

“I'm trying to help you.”

She was trembling but didn't move.

He moved closer, now carrying a bowl.

“Now I don't have to move you.”

He pressed a cloth to the cuts on her belly from the thorns and it felt strangely soothing. After a few moments of silence he began to hum a song she could've sworn she knew.

Perhaps…perhaps he could help her.

The sun rose quickly and when Katara woke the boys were gone. She and Midori headed outside together and a servant told them that their men were at the training courtyard. With a little more help, they found it.

Zuko and Sokka were sitting on the side while Aang worked with the other earth-benders. Zuko's gaze was dark while Sokka held his mouth in a thin line, trying not to say a word.

One look told Katara everything she needed to know.

Aang was training with the soldier Hoshi and it appeared that he was taking out the embarrassment he received the day before out on Aang. Again and again Aang was forced to retreat against the dangerous onslaught of earth.

“He's not training him,” Zuko spat. “He's trying to kill him.”

A particularly violent blast sent Aang spiraling off his feet but before Zuko could leap to his feet, someone else did.

“I believe Avatar Aang has trained enough today, Hoshi,” Lord Mako said.

Hoshi bowed and left the courtyard while everyone else continued. Sokka and Katara ran to Aang who was picking himself up. Mako went to Zuko's side, the latter of whom was restraining himself from going after Hoshi.

“Lord Mako, tell me this is not how you train your benders.”

“No, it is not. Hoshi is an extremist and he is strained by the near-constant attacks on our beloved city by the Fire Nation from their encampment nearby, Taiyo.”

Zuko's gaze narrowed. “That is why you requested our help.”

Mako nodded. “If you will, I will personally supervise Aang's training, please help our soldiers.”

“I cannot pledge for my companions, but I can do so for myself. I will help you, Lord Mako.”

“Thank you, Prince Zuko.”

Zuko gasped and stared at up the governor who smiled.

“Don't worry. No one will hear it from me.”

The group met back in their rooms for supper and a young woman decided to join them uninvited. She said her name was Mitsu.

“It's so amazing that you've been so many places!” She said, giggling.

Katara was sending the girl so many glares that Zuko almost found it funny. Midori was doing a great job of ignoring her. Aang even preferred to slip closer to Zuko to get away from her. Sokka was flirting.

“Yeah, when you get around like we do, protecting the Avatar and all that…”

Zuko grabbed Sokka's ear and in the process of dragging him out of the room, growled.

“The only one who needs protection is you…”

Katara quickly stood.

“I'm going with them.”

Aang was left alone with Midori and Mitsu.

Exactly what Mitsu wanted.

“Why don't we all go out onto the balcony?”

Aang and Midori looked at each other and shrugged, not seeing anything wrong with following Mitsu out onto the balcony.

Zuko, Katara, and Sokka were standing a little ways down the hall, Zuko's mind not quite on the lecture Katara was giving her brother. He turned his head slightly, staring back down the hall towards their room with his good eye.

Something was wrong.

He walked past the arguing siblings and down the stairs, out to the courtyard. Later he would remember walking past Hoshi and the soldier giving him a small smile.

Azula and Jet were walking side by side towards their tent in the middle of Taiyo when Ty Lee came running up, dragging a Fire Nation soldier behind her.

“Azula! Look who I found at the training ring!”

Azula's heart stopped.

“P-P-Peris!”

He was just as cool and collected as she remembered, not a single hair out of place.

“Good evening, Princess Azula,” he replied to her less-than-formal greeting.

She made a show of brushing off her clothes and fixing her hair while Jet watched out of the corner of his eye.

“Um…what brings you here, Captain Peris? I thought you were stationed in the Achlys Mountains.”

“It's `general' now, Princess, as I am sure you are well aware of.”

She was.

“And with Sainan, it is much easier for me to travel.”

She knew that, too.

“Fire Lord Ozai requested that I observe the military forces in this sector. He believes that this fortress, Tasha, should have been taken long ago.”

His gaze never left hers and Azula found herself fumbling for Jet and the support he offered. When had Peris gotten taller than her?

“But of course, now that you are here, I'm sure the acquisition of Tasha will go much more smoothly.”

Azula blushed and found herself speechless. Couldn't he look somewhere else?

Peris never moved but stayed in that military erect position. She recalled he had not looked at all ruffled when Ty Lee came dragging him up.

“It appears that my presence here has startled you, Princess. I shall take my leave. I'm sure that we will meet again before my stay here is done.”

He bowed to Azula, let his gaze drift over Jet, and nodded to Ty Lee.

“Bye, Peris!” Ty Lee shouted, waving enthusiastically as he walked away.

“Who was that?” Jet inquired, still glaring at Peris' back.

“Oh, just some soldier.”

Jet tilted his head at Azula. “Just some soldier? You don't get so flustered with just some soldier.”

Ty Lee tittered. “We grew up with Peris in the palace. Azula used to have crush on him!”

“Did not!” the dignified princess shouted.

Mai stepped up from where she'd been hiding.

“Yeah, she did.”

Jet shrugged. “Oh well.”

Azula let out a sigh of relief. “Despite what Peris said, I hope we don't meet again. He's too…cool.”

Just then a group of Fire Nation noblewomen walked by and noticed Azula.

“Congratulations, Princess!”

“For what?” Azula still hadn't gathered her usual calm from where Peris had left it shattered.

The women tittered. “For your engagement, of course!”

“Engagement? To whom?” Azula continued.

The women laughed again. “To General Peris.”

“Oh, he's so fine!”

“What a catch!”

The women headed on but Azula felt like her stomach had just hit the ground.

Birds took flight as Azula screeched.

“I'M ENGAGED TO PERIS!?”

Shiroten stared at the side wall while Zyperis went over different paperwork as pertained to his duties and reports.

“Why do you do all that?”

“One must maintain appearances even if the part they play is just an act.”

He signed the last paper and heaved a great sigh, lowering his defenses in the presence of his brother.

“That is the last one. It is late. Perhaps you should retire.”

Shiroten looked at him. “I go to bed when you do, Zippy.”

Zyperis flinched at the nickname but ignored it, preferring to stand and de-clothe himself of the annoying and cumbersome decorations that the Fire Nation bested him with.

Finally, and dressed only in the grey uniform that when under his uniform, Zyperis moved to stand beside Shiroten, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder.

Unknown to Shiroten, Zyperis nodded to a soldier on the outer wall.

That single nod began a night of trauma for them all.