Book Three: Fire

Chapter 6: Roku's Past

Aang is having a dream and just then a wall of fires appears and a figure is emerging from the wall of fire and it's Avatar Roku.

"Aang, it's time you learned of my history with Fire Lord Sozin. You need to understand how the war began, if you want to know how to end it. Meet me at my home island on the day of the Summer Solstice." Roku said revealing an island.

Aang is asleep along with the others and rolls side-to-side.

"Okay, Roku." Aang said in his sleep.

Meanwhile at the Royal Palace in Zuko's room Zuko is sleeping but then he hears footsteps waking him up and so he goes for the hallway to investigate and opens the door finding a cloaked figure and then disappears but Zuko goes after him but then he finds a scroll on the floor and so he picks it up.

"'You need to know the story of your great-grandfather's demise. It will reveal your own destiny'." Zuko read the scroll and looks around the hall.

Meanwhile in a blue cloudy sky a large cloud flies through the sky and inside the cloud is Appa as Aang is using his bending to manipulate the cloud with the help of Katara while Erza, Sokka, Gray, and Wendy take a better look of the island.

"There it is! That's Roku's home." Aang said pointing at the same island.

"About damn time." Natsu said.

Appa lands on the island which is empty.

"There's nothing there." Katara said looking around.

"Roku lived in a dump like this?" Gray asked but Toph and Jiba place their hands on the ground.

"Actually, there's an entire village. Hundreds of houses. They're all buried in ashes." Toph said.

"That's awful..." Wendy said.

"It must be natural to be like this after many years." Erza said.

At the Royal Palace at the hallway full of portraits of previous Fire Lords Zuko stands before one of them while Azula passes by.

"It's never too early for a sitting with the court painter, Zuko. Make sure he gets your good side." Azula said.

"I need to ask you something. What do you remember about our great-grandfather's history?" Zuko asked.

"Oh, Zuko. It's so strange how your mind works. Fire Lord Sozin began the war, of course. He spent early years secretly preparing for it. He was as patient as he was clever. He famously waited for the comet, later renamed Sozin's Comet and used its power to launch his full-scale invasion of the world." Azula explained.

"How did he die?" Zuko asked.

"Didn't you pay ANY attention in school, Zuko? He died peacefully in his sleep. He was ancient." Azula said walking away while Zuko looks at Sozin's portrait frustrated.

Back at Roku's island the gang sit at the tip of a hardened wave of lava and Aang stares at the ocean and starts to meditate and his arrows begin glowing while sitting on a mountain top surrounded by clouds.

Aang is now in the Spirit World and he finds Fang flying to him and on Fang is Roku himself with a smile and Aang smiles back.

Zuko is in his room lying on his bed staring at the scroll and reads it again and again but gets more frustrated.

"What does this mean?!" Zuko asked annoyed as he throws the scroll which lands on a lantern making light from the lantern shine through the paper.

The light reveals a secret message on the scroll shocking the prince and grabs the scroll from the top and looks into the message.

"'The Fire Sages keep the secret history in the Dragonbone Catacombs'." Zuko read the message.

In a dark temple a Fire Sage is walking through a courtyard and stops over a large medallion shaped flower in the middle of the courtyard and the Sage crouches while delivering a blast of fire into the center of the medallion which starts to open revealing a hidden passage under the courtyard and the Sage goes into the passage through the steps and while this is happening Zuko hides behind a pillar and watches what the Sage did.

Zuko goes for the medallion and delivers his blast of fire into it making the passage open showing a spiral staircase allowing Zuko to go down into the passage and travel into the chamber and goes through a hallway lined with dragon bones lined up on walls and later comes across an ornate door with a metal structure of Fire Lord Sozin with his chest having the Fire Nation insignia and so Zuko places his hand over the insignia and bends his flame into it filling the door as the flames come out of the statue's eyes, nose, and mouth revealing a room.

Zuko goes into the room while pulling his cloak over his head while holding his lantern to look around the dark chamber and finds the room full of artifacts and vessels and there is a large statue of a dragon sitting in the middle of the room and under the dragon's head Zuko finds Sozin's history.

"'The final testimony of Fire Lord Sozin'." Zuko read as he looks into the scroll.

At the Spirit World where Roku allows Aang to get on Fang the dragon starts flying off.

"Where're going?" Aang asked.

"To visit my past... OUR shared past." Roku said smiling while Aang also smiles widely.

Zuko is looking into Sozin's history.

"As I feel my own life dimming, I can't help but think of a time when everything was much brighter. I remember my friend." Sozin said in his history.

In a lush courtyard two young Firebenders are dueling and they're young Roku and young Sozin who notices Roku's feet close to a tree root allowing Sozin to step up his attack to drive Roku back causing him to fall over the root but as he falls back Sozin grabs his shirt to prevent the fall and raises his hand ready for a fire blast but allows Roku to fall down.

"Looks like I win again, Roku." Young Sozin said smiling helping Roku back on his feet.

"Are you kidding? The tree root did all the work." Young Roku said getting up. "Nice one, Sozin." Young Roku said patting Sozin's back.

"You and Fire Lord Sozin were friends?" Aang asked shocked.

"Back then, it was just PRINCE Sozin. He was my best friend." Roku said.

As the two leave the courtyard they see a girl walking past them and Young Roku blushes.

"Say something to her." Young Sozin said.

Young Roku runs for the girl and tries to talk to her but as she blushes and walks away embarrassed making Roku sit down the floor downcast while Sozin sits next to him and pours blades of grass over Roku's head.

"Love is hard when you are young." Roku said.

"You don't have to tell me." Aang said.

"Don't worry. It gets better. Now, come with me. We have a party to attend." Roku said as they arrive at a party in the courtyard.

"Whose party is it?" Aang asked.

"Sozin and I share many things, including a birthday." Roku said.

Young Roku and Young Sozin who are now in black robes walk down the stairs and they see two girls and one of them is the girl Roku has a crush on and they both blush making Roku not pay attention to his movements and later almost trips but Sozin catches him helping Roku back up and Roku composes himself but then the crowd gets quiet as a group of Fire Sages arrive.

"Did something happen to my father?" Young Sozin asked.

"No, Prince Sozin. We are not here for you. We're here to announce the identity of the next Avatar." The Fire Sage said making the crowd murmur among themselves while Roku and Sozin look at each other in shock. "It is our honor to serve you, Avatar Roku." The Fire Sage said bowing and so does the crowd while Roku is shocked by the news and Sozin also shocked bows to Roku as well.

Zuko continues looking into Sozin's history.

"Soon the day came when my friend Roku had to leave the Fire Nation and face his destiny as the Avatar. He needed to travel the world so he could master the other elements." Sozin said in his history.

Young Roku is in his room looking dejected while Young Sozin stands near the doorway.

"Hey, why aren't you packed yet, all mighty Avatar?" Young Sozin asked but Young Roku doesn't respond making Sozin have a look of sympathy but smiles. "C'mon, show me how it's done using all four kinds of bending." Young Sozin said attempting to demonstrate all four different bending styles.

"I started packing, the Fire Sages told me I won't be needing worldly possessions anymore." Young Roku said.

"Oh." Young Sozin said sitting next to Roku.

"It all happened so fast. Everything's gonna be different now." Young Roku said.

Sozin then removes his Crown Prince headpiece and offers it to Roku.

"Here, hope you're at least allowed to have this." Young Sozin said.

"But...this is a royal artifact. It's supposed to be worn by the Crown Prince." Young Roku said.

"I want you to have it." Young Sozin said.

Young Roku places the headpiece on his hair with the pin and the two boys bow to each other.

At the island Katara, Sokka, Erza, Gray, and Wendy see Aang standing up with his eyes still closed but the Avatar squats while groaning but smiles in relief.

"Did he just...?" Wendy stops talking.

"Uh, do they have bathrooms in the Spirit World?" Katara asked.

"Considering Sokka and I were in it, no." Gray said.

"Yeah." Sokka said.

Aang sits back down and continues going with Roku and they are still riding on Fang and they later arrive at a temple Aang is familiar with.

"Hey, that's the Southern Air Temple!" Aang exclaimed.

"This was the first stop of my Avatar journey. This was the place where I started mastering Airbending." Roku said.

At the Patloa Mountains there are a line of young Air monks while an older Air Nomad leads his students and launches himself off the ledge while the students follow their teacher and so does Roku who is wearing Air Nomad clothes and is flying with his glider and a young Air monk flies next to him.

"Hey, Gyasto! Wanna see a new air trick?" Young Roku asked as he flies up the loop twice.

"Check THIS out!" Young Gyasto said as he flips over while standing on his glider.

"He's air surfing! I can't believe I never thought of that." Aang said.

Young Gyatso loses his balance and then falls but Young Roku catches him on the back of his glider but Roku is also unable to control his glider and they both go down toward the other monks who are back on the grassy ground and they panic to see the two fall and try to run but Roku and Gyatso crash land on the ground leaving behind a large dust cloud as the monks are scattered while Roku's hair is in his face but Gyatso Airbends it back and they both smile together.

"That's amazing! I can't believe you were friends with Gyatso." Aang said.

"Some friendships are so strong, they can even transcend lifetimes." Roku said.

Fang takes the two to the Northern Water Tribe where Roku gets older while wearing a Water Tribe parka and he's standing on a plateau of ice with his mentor while learning Waterbending.

"After my years of mastering Airbending, I traveled to the Northern Water Tribe." Roku said while his mentor bends a water drill from the ocean and sends it at Roku knocking him and parts of the ice into the water. "Waterbending was challenging for me, but in time, I was able to master it." Roku said.

Roku emerges from the water and then bends a large wave of water at his mentor and manages to destroy the glacier while carrying his mentor back to a Northern Water Tribe building while Roku stands on an ice float and smiles.

Later Roku is shirtless while wearing Earth Kingdom clothes from the waist and begins to bend earth while riding up the mountain.

"I moved to the Earth Kingdom. My Earthbending master, Sud, was uncompromising, stubborn, and blunt and a lifelong friend." Roku said as he's racing up the mountain but his Earthbending mentor Sud keeps up and competes for speed.

The two race into thick brush and trees and they disappear but until Sud reaches the top of the mountain thrusting his fists in the air of his victory but then he sees Roku is already at the top and preparing tea for the two and Sud smiles at Roku for his success and they begin having their tea.

"It was bitter work, but the results were worth it." Roku said as his matured self begins bending the four different elements showing his mastery.

Zuko continues reading Sozin's history.

"Twelve years have passed before I saw my old friend again. When Roku returned, he was a fully realized Avatar and I have changed as well." Sozin said in his history.

Sozin who is now a young adult is sitting on his throne while a wall of fire is in front of him and someone enters the throne room and it's Roku.

"Sozin, or should I say, Fire Lord!" Roku said.

"Customarily, subjects bow before greeting me." Sozin said seriously while walking to the Avatar. "But your the exception." Sozin said smiling as the two hug.

"After all these years, he was still my best friend." Roku said and just then they see a wedding ceremony in the Fire Nation courtyard where Roku who is wearing a fancy robe is with with a veiled bride and Sozin is with a scroll. "And a few months later, he became my best man." Roku said as his young adult self reveals the veil showing the same woman.

"Roku, it's that girl, who didn't even know you were alive." Aang said.

"Ta Min. I was persistent. When love is real, it finds a way. Being the Avatar doesn't hurt your chances with the ladies." Roku said as they watch young adult Roku and Ta Min wed while the attendees clap.

Zuko continues looking into Sozin's history.

"On wedding days, we look to the future with optimism and joy. I had my own vision for a brighter future." Sozin said in his history.

Sozin approaches Roku and Ta Min.

"Excuse me. May I borrow him for a moment?" Sozin asked.

"It's not traditional, but okay." Ta Min said.

Roku and Sozin go for a balcony alone.

"What's on your mind?" Roku asked.

"I've been thinking hard about the state of the world lately." Sozin said.

"Sozin, it's my wedding. Have a cookie, dance with someone, lighten up." Roku said.

"I know, I know. Just hear me out. Right from the start, I was destined to be Fire Lord. Although we didn't know it, you were destined to be the Avatar. It's an amazing stroke of fate we know each other so well. Together, we can do...ANYTHING." Sozin said.

"Yeah, we could." Roku said.

"Our nation is enjoying an unprecedented time of peace and wealth. Our people are happy and we're so fortunate in so many ways." Sozin said.

"Where are you going with this?" Roku asked in a concerned tone.

"I've been thinking, we should share this prosperity with the rest of the world. In our hands is the most successful empire in history. It's time we expand it." Sozin said.

"No! The four nations are meant to be just that; four." Roku objected.

"Roku, you haven't stopped to consider the possibilities." Sozin said.

"There are no possibilities. That's the last I want to hear about this." Roku said walking off.

"That was my first real test as the Avatar. Unfortunately, it was many years before I learned that Sozin has gone ahead with his plan, despite my warning." Roku said.

As Roku is on Fang flying through the sky, he finds an Earth Kingdom dock but also finds an Earth Kingdom fortress pluming with smoke from the inside and then finds a Fire Nation insignia covering the Earth Kingdom insignia shocking Roku even more.

Later Roku bursts into Sozin's throne room and confronts Sozin.

"I've seen the colonies, Sozin! How dare you occupy Earth Kingdom territory!" Roku yelled.

"And how DARE you, a Fire Nation citizen, address your Fire Lord this way! Your loyalty is to our nation first. Anything less makes you a traitor." Sozin said.

"Don't so this, Sozin! Don't challenge me. It will only end badly. It's over." Roku warned as he leaves.

Sozin unleashes a powerful stream of flames at Roku getting the Avatar but as the flames die down Roku is gone making Sozin look around to find the Avatar who rises from the ground behind Sozin who turns around but not before Roku delivers an air blast sending Sozin to the gates of the room but Roku then Earthbends an earth pillar to catch Sozin by the back of his robes to the ceiling and then Roku enters the Avatar State and destroys the room's pillars making Sozin cover his face and finds the whole room destroyed and Roku confronts his old friend while on an air spout.

"I'm sparing your life, Sozin. I'm letting you go in the name of our past friendship, but I warn you; even a SINGLE step out of line will result in your PERMANENT end." Roku said as he leaves on his cyclone.

"Sozin and I didn't speak or see each other twenty-five years after our battle. I've spent most of my spare time at home." Roku said.

In Roku's house on an island an elder Roku is sleeping with his wife Ta Min but just then a loud noise causes them to wake and Roku looks out the window to find fireballs falling from the sky crashing on the island and Roku and Ta Min leave their room and flee the house while leaving behind the headpiece Sozin gave Roku but as they reach outside the air is full of smoke and ash and so their cover their faces but Roku sees a volcano erupting.

"Let's go!" Roku said as he Airbends the smoke and ash away clearing their path.

In the town many townspeople run from the waves of smoke and ash pouring down the streets while Fang flies from behind the house as it's being covered by an ash flow while Roku is leading Ta Min to safety but ash continues to fall as lava oozes from the volcano and Roku turns to his wife and lets go of her hand motioning her to go on without him and Ta Min takes another look at Roku before joining the townspeople as Roku faces the ash and smoke and starts Airbending a huge dome around himself for protection.

The townspeople get on boats while Ta Min joins them and they see the air dome and are worried about Roku.

From the Fire Nation palace an elder Sozin watches the volcano erupt on the island.

"Roku's island was a hundred miles away, but I could still feel it rumbling and see the black plume of smoke. I had never seen anything like this catastrophe." Sozin said in his history.

Large columns of black smoke billow from the summit as lightning strikes above the volcano and the earth rumbles while a landslide approaches the town and destroys it but Roku Earthbends a giant earth wall and rides it to meet the fallen earth to stop it and manages to stop the landslide but the volcano ejects a massive wave of lava and its flow breeches the wall of the earth making Roku flee to the bottom of the summit and uses Earthbending to cut the earth creating a channel to divert the lava into the surrounding ocean away from the town.

"This is amazing, Roku! You're battling a volcano and winning!" Aang said.

"Yes, but unfortunately, my success didn't last long. There was no way I could do it all." Roku said.

Roku looks up at the volcano which expels another giant wave of lava and so Roku runs for the volcano and blows air from his mouth at the lava cooling and hardening it but before Roku could continue a poisonous cloud sprouts out and covers his face but Roku Airbends it away and as the lava approaches Roku continues to Airbend but more poison clouds erupt making Roku keep Airbending.

"Battling the elements was hard enough. I had to do it while I could barely breathe. The poisonous volcanic gases were overwhelming." Roku said.

Fang comes flying in for his master but the volcano emits another lava fountain stopping the dragon.

"It's all right, Fang! Get out of here! I'm fine!" Roku said Airbending more gases.

Roku then enters the Avatar State and then unleashes powerful Earthbending creating a tremor through the volcano and breaking out the back side of the crater lessening the flow but the second volcano erupts as Roku is no longer in the Avatar State but then a blue dragon comes flying in.

"Need a hand, old friend?" A voice asked and Roku sees Sozin on the blue dragon.

"Sozin?" Roku asked.

"There's no time to waste." Sozin said.

Roku gets on the blue dragon and they go for the second volcano as Roku bends the volcano fountain down the crater while Sozin cools down the lava by absorbing the heat passing it through himself and redirects out through his other hand and the two are on the edge of the crater while lightning blasts above Sozin while the earth is unstable under Sozin and falls but Roku uses Earthbending to save him but the earth shakes violently as ash and rocks shoot from the crater.

"Don't breathe the toxic gas!" Roku said.

The two start running but then the toxic gas erupts on Sozin but Roku Airbends it away but another toxic gas goes for Roku and is disoriented and his vision becomes blurry.

"It's too much..." Roku said kneeling weakly and sees Sozin. "Please..." Roku begged.

"Without you, all my plans are suddenly possible. I have a vision, Roku." Sozin said as he gets on his blue dragon which flies off leaving Roku on the island.

Roku is surrounded by the toxic gas as surges of rocks and ash flow at him and black clouds begin to cover the whole island while Sozin's dragon continues to fly off and while Roku is still trapped Fang comes to him as the rock avalanche approaches the Avatar while Fang wraps himself around his master and the wave of rubble and ash cover the two completely never seen again.

A bright light occurs and just then a baby cry is heard and as the light dissipates a newborn baby boy reveals smiling.

"Who... That's ME, isn't it?" Aang asked looking at the baby boy who is with Air Nomads.

"Makes sense of our past, Aang. You will bring peace and restore balance to the world." Roku said.

"But...what about Lucy? With her on Luke's side, what can I do?" Aang asked.

"I may not have the answer, but I'm certain you and your friends might find a way." Roku said disappearing.

"Roku!" Aang called but Roku is gone and a bright light covers him.

Zuko looks at the final parts of Sozin's history.

"With Roku gone, and the great comet returning, the timing was perfect to change the world. I knew the next Avatar would be born an Air Nomad. So I wiped out all the Air Temples, but somehow the new Avatar has eluded me. I wasted the remainder of my life searching in vain. I know he's hiding out there somewhere. The Fire Nation's greatest threat...the last Airbender. Not only that, but the Fire Sages have revealed to me of a prophecy. A prophecy written long ago that explains of an outsider not from our own world. This outsider is someone with the ability to summon forth beings called Celestial Spirits and is known as the Celestial Mage. This outsider was destined to arrive in our world and she, as well as the Avatar will prevent the Fire Lord from creating his new world. I know not of when this Celestial Mage will come, but as I am reaching my end, my offspring or my offspring's offspring will the end of this outsider and none will stop me from my vision." Sozin said in his history.

"This can't be it! Where's the rest of it?!" Zuko asked searching the scroll for more information.

In Iroh's prison cell Zuko arrives to meet with his uncle.

"YOU sent this, didn't you?! I found the secret history, which by the way should be renamed 'History Most People Should Know'! The note said that I needed to know about my great-grandfather's death, but he was still alive in the end." Zuko said.

"No, he wasn't." Iroh said.

"What are you talking about?" Zuko asked.

"You have more than just one great-grandfather, Prince Zuko. Sozin was your father's grandfather. Your mother's grandfather was Avatar Roku." Iroh said shocking Zuko.

"Why are you telling me this?" Zuko asked.

"Understanding the struggle between your two great-grandfathers can help you better understand the battle within yourself. Evil and good are always at war inside you, Zuko. It is your nature, your legacy, but there is a bright side. What happened generations ago can be resolved now, by YOU. Because of your legacy, you alone can cleanse the sins of our family and the Fire Nation. Born in you, along with the strife, is the power to restore BALANCE to the world." Iroh said as he goes for his wall and takes out a brick showing a bundle and unwraps it revealing the headpiece of Roku. "This is a royal artifact. It's supposed to be worn by the Crown Prince." Iroh said as Zuko takes it.

At the island Aang explains Roku's past to the others.

"So after everything Roku and Sozin went through and even after Roku showed him mercy, Sozin betrayed him?" Katara asked.

"Curse that Sozin! He threw his own friend away just so he can go with his selfish schemes." Erza said.

"He's the definition of a complete scumbag!" Natsu yelled throwing fireballs into the air in rage.

"It's like these people are born bad!" Toph said.

"No, that's wrong. I don't think that was point of what Roku showed me at all." Aang said.

"Then WHAT was the point?" Gray asked.

"Roku was just as much Fire Nation as Sozin. If anything, their story proves anyone's capable of great good and great evil. Everyone, even the Fire Lord and the Fire Nation have to be treated like they're worth given a chance. I also think it was about friendships." Aang said.

"Ugh, you're so damn sappy!" Natsu said but Erza smacks him.

"Do you really think friendships can last more than one lifetime?" Jiba asked.

"I don't see why not." Aang said smiling.

"Well, scientifically speaking..." Sokka was cut off.

"Shut up, Sokka." Erza said.

"Yes, ma'am." Sokka said as they hold hands.

"I also think we can save Lucy together. She's our friend and we're not gonna turn back on her." Aang said.

"You're right. If anything happened to us, she'd risk her own life for us. Now we need to that for her." Katara said.

"We never leave a nakama behind!" Gray said.

"No, never." Wendy said.

"When I find Lucy, she's comin' back and I'll burn Luke and send his ass straight to HELL!" Natsu yelled breathing fire in the air.

"Natsu still scares me, but he's right. We're getting Lucy back one way or the other." Aang said determined.