Chapter 5 - Awake

One night, near the beginning of Autumn changes everything.

Zuko awakens to the concerned eyes of Druk, the image of a sky bison, two water tribe children and an iceberg still on his mind.

Stood at the helm of his ship, he watched as the beam of pure blue light flew straight up not the sky. It was not the celestial lights that were common to the North and South Poles.

Barking out his orders to his helmsman, their course was corrected, and the large ship changed direction. There was a small village around here somewhere, the formerly great South Pole, now reduced to a handful of huts by the might of the supreme Fire Nation.

Feeling the icy burn of the wind on his face, he allowed a dark smile to cross his features. He will capture the lost Avatar, and bring glory to the Fire Nation.

Zhao the great, he stroked his beard thoughtfully, I like the sound of that.

Under the pole!

You idiot!

The pole isn't a big stick moron! It's a physical place!

Aang has spent the last 100 years trapped under the South Pole, unable to perform his duty to the world, and now he has caused me to suffer for it.

But I won't fail.

I will master the other three elements, before I return home. Not the spoiled prince who was banished, but the Avatar, the one destined to save the world.

I will do what is necessary to defeat my father, and bring balance to the world.

My name is Zuko … and I am the Avatar.

Zuko's dreams had changed.

Gone were the images of fire hurled at his face as his sister looked on with a joyful expression, while pain marred his uncle's features.

In their place, were images of fun. A land of snow and ice, where people walked around in blue and white furs. Two dominated the dreams. A young girl, well, younger than he himself was, a waterbender, and her older brother, around his own age, the boy who wanted to be a warrior, yet lacked the experience to be so.

They were playing in the South Pole when he came.

The black snow heralding his arrival, Commander Zhao invading the South Pole, threatening the elderly, and searching for him, as he made his way back there.

And then they were fighting.

Fire against … air?

And only air.

He didn't throw any fire back, or attempt to bend the water around them as a weapon, he only used his staff to block and redirect, never to attack.

Wait! When did I get a staff?

Then he did the unthinkable.

He gave up and surrendered.

He handed his staff over, as Zhao mused how it would make an excellent gift for the Fire Lord. They bound his hands as they marched him onto the ship, when caught his reflection in the mirror.

A twelve year old boy with arrow tattoos stared back.

Airsday, Zuko awoke to the memories fresh in his mind, with one thought racing through his head.

Aang's awake.

If Aang was awake, then there were two Avatars in the world now. So long as Zhao didn't manage to kill him.

Dispelling those thoughts from his head, he recalled the feeling of freedom as he managed to escape on Appa.

Wait … Appa?

Oh! The flying bison … probably.

Shaking the thoughts from his mind, he watched as Druk settled into place in the courtyard and taking a breath, he began with his basic forms, before moving into the higher levels and finishing with the advanced forms. Druk nodded his approval after each form, and as breakfast time approached, Druk disappeared for his day of hunting, while Zuko pulled a two mangoes from a nearby tree. He drained one into a glass for juice, before using his pearl dagger to halve the second, and then devouring it hungrily.

If a second Avatar was in play, then his timetable had just been sped up. From his dream last night, it seemed Aang apparently hadn't learned anything outside of airbending, while Zuko had at least pushed himself to learn new techniques and attempt the other styles, it seemed Aang had only ever learned one style.

And that was dangerous, not only for himself, but for his travelling companions. If the Father Lord sent his best men after the Avatar, and by sending Zhao he already had, then there was no way a single master airbender, a single basic level waterbender and a fool with a boomerang would stand a chance.

There was a very good chance that there would soon be a sole grown Avatar soon.

However, morning practice showed that there was one good thing that came from viewing Aang's memories in his sleep.

Call it theft, muscle memory, or memory retention, but somehow, his body had remembered the airbending movements that Aang had used, and he found an improvement in his own airbending.

Bending lessons in my sleep … that's definitely new.

He attempted a basic air strike, a movement he had read in the old airbending scrolls, as well as a movement that Aang had used against Zhao, when he needed to launch snow as an offensive wave. The fact that he could replicate the move after watching and feeling Aang do it was kinda cool.

And slightly creepy.

Druk usually disappeared at breakfast and returned after dinner, so when Zuko heard noises coming from the temple during a much needed afternoon meditation session, he knew he wasn't alone.

"-and that's where the elders used to meditate ... and that's where we used to play airball … and that's where Appa and the other bison used to sleep, and that's-"

Walking behind his sister and the tattooed, bald-headed airbender that he was, rather begrudgingly, coming to think of as another member of his family, Sokka made an attempt to look interested at whatever it was that had Aang and his sister were so excited about.

Though it was hard to tell if Katara was actually interested or just humouring the monk.

Eh, little sisters are crazy – especially mine. She's probably loving it.

The first thing that really grabbed Sokka's attention was the feeling that came over him when he stepped onto the courtyard. The lower levels of the air temple felt … unclean.

Not in the 'this could do with a dusting' kind of unclean, but the 'people have died here' kind of unclean. Even if he thought all the spiritual mumbo jumbo was Aang's problem, it didn't mean he couldn't tell the difference between places were the spirits had been respected, and the places where they still felt restless. No hunter hunted amongst the dead.

And the courtyard felt as though someone had been at it with extra strong spirit grease.

In fact, Sokka decided to sum up all of his feelings with one all describing, all covering word.

"Whoa"

He was vaguely aware of Aang and Katara's similar reactions.

While the other two were busy, Sokka leant back against the mango tree, struggling to understand exactly what it was he was feeling. He felt warm and safe, like when his dad used to let him stay up with him as the fire went out.

He felt home.

Someway, somehow, no doubt with some weird voodoo-y, magic spirit-y air stuff, the air temple was making him feel like he was sat back on his family hut with dad wrapping his blanket around him as he slept.

Sinking to the ground, he saw Aang and Katana making their way over to where he was sitting, Katara sporting a small smile but with glassy eyes, whereas Aang's expression was one of forlorn. They all just sat at the base of the tree, trying to regain their composure.

Absentmindedly, Sokka skimmed the grass with his fingertips, just breathing while the other two did the same. When his fingers brushed over something denser, he just jabbed at it, without taking his eyes off the distant horizon.

"Ow"

Even though it was spoken and not yelled, the three of them jumped back, scrambling for their feet.

Zuko just watched as the trio stumbled about in a heap, attempting to both, stand, as well as look dignified. He had to suppress an inward chuckle and a smile.

They were failing miserably.

Granted, laughing at other people's misfortune was more Azula's thing than his, but they really did look like complete fools.

By the time they managed to find their footing, the older boy – Sokka if I recall – had stepped protectively in front of the other two. Before drawing his boomerang and brandishing it in his face.

"Who are- OW!"

Stepping forwards from where he was leant against the tree, Zuko grabbed the boy's wrist and twisted, causing Sokka to shout and lose his boomerang to Zuko's grip, who then threw it to the side, smirking as the other boy rubbed at his wrists.

"Now", Zuko said, drawing their attention to himself, watching their reactions of various levels of horror as they took in his appearance, "What do you want?"

The monk and the girl, looked towards him, offering him small smiles in lieu of greeting, while the idiot, as he was about to be permanently known, was still staring at his face.

Hang on … he's staring at my eyes.

My … gold … eyes.

"You're Fire Nation!"

The water tribe children were now looking at him as though he had Firepox, while the other Avatar was blissfully ignorant to their obvious hatred of him.

The Avatar's travelling companions are idiots and apparently prejudiced. Great!

While a myriad of options tumbled through his head, ranging from his uncle's calm answering and tea to his father's burn them all to cinders, he decided on the answer that was best for him.

"Really? What was your first clue?"

The boy makes a strangled noise from the back of his throat, obviously expecting him to deny his heritage, and while his father may be a monster, Zuko is proud to be from the Fire Nation. The girl narrows her gaze ever so slightly. It's obvious she distrusts him, but either she isn't completely sure or she doesn't want to upset her new friend, or maybe even a bit of both.

Contrasting them both, the monk bounded up to him, with bright wide eyes, and moved onto his tip toes, trying to get eye level with him.

"Hi, my name's Aang. What's yours?"

Torn between the urge to tie up and drag the boy, who has just confirmed to Zuko that he is the Avatar, back to his father and return to his rightful place as heir to the throne.

Right … and then I'll let them throw me in the cell next to him … or execute me …. Or use me as a weapon to try and take out the other two nations, which will probably get me killed.

I wonder if I'll get reborn.

"Lee", even he can hear the exasperation at the boy in his own voice, "My name is Lee"

Eventually, things had calmed down enough so that they were all seated in the courtyard, chewing on pieces of fruit and sipping tea.

Uncle would be so proud.

"So you're Fire Nation?"

For being, arguably, the most level headed one in the group, the peasa-, NO, Sokka was a very slow

learner.

"Yes"

"But you live in an Air Temple?"

"Yes"

"Because you like it?"

"No I'm here to learn about the newest Air Nomad fashions"

"Oh. Why? Don't they all wear the same robes?"

Agni help me.

"Anyway", his sister, wait – Katara, cleared her throat, as she tried not to slap herself, where she was sat next to her brother, Aang had decided the position next to him was his seat, "Why live here? I know you don't agree with what the Fire Nation's been saying, but you could've blended in with the colonies"

He scratched the back of his neck, "I thought about it, but decided that I preferred it here. I like the solitude and the spirituality. It helps with my meditation"

"Firebenders meditate?"

Sokka seemed generally curious, like he knew that wasn't completely normal for a firebender, so he's not a complete idiot after all.

"Yes. At least, true benders do. It helps keep our more explosive emotions in check"

"Ah. So that's why you're not a fire throwing psychopath"

He rolled his eyes, causing more curious glances to be thrown his way, "There's more to fire than death and destruction. Most people have just forgotten that"

"Really?" Sokka didn't sound convinced, "Like what?"

"Passion", Zuko's answers were swift, he was certain of himself, "Joy, happiness. Life from the sun. The heat that Agni uses to keeps us alive"

Sokka now resembled a fish, with his mouth opening and closing repeatedly. Katara just looked lost, like the thought of a good firebender was unprecedented. Aang just looked thoughtful.

"It makes sense", the water siblings just stared at the monk, "I mean. If there was supposed to be an 'evil' nation", he made quotation marks with his fingers, "Wouldn't there be two. You know, for balance"

Sokka stroked a pretend beard, "All I got of that was some sort of spiritual mumbo jumbo, and that all firebenders aren't evil"

"That's about it", Aang's cheery voice was full of typical airbender optimism, "So, are you a master?"

Zuko let his exasperation out in his voice, "No, not yet … at least, not until I take the master's exam"

He had Sokka's full attention again, "What do you have to do for that?"

"Know all known firebending forms and movements, the duel a true master and win"

"Sounds fair", Sokka mused, "Like being a tribe hunter. You have to prove you can actually catch something first, before they let you go solo"

So he's not a complete idiot, just a part one.

"Yeah, something like that"

"You should come with us!" Aang was now jumping up and down in his seat, "Yeah, we could travel together, we're going to the North Pole to learn waterbending, you see", he puffed out his chest, "I'm the Avatar"

"I know", they shot him surprised looks, "The arrows make it obvious, but … I can't go with you"

"What?" He sounded genuinely upset, "Why not?"

"I have … things I need to take care of. Important things"

All of their eyes widened, "What's more important than the Avatar?" It was Katara that asked the question, her tone was one of incredulity.

Everybody dying.

"So he's the Avatar", he sounded bored, and he felt bored. These people weren't teachers or guardians – they seemed to be naïve idealists, "What makes him more important than anyone else? Why should I abandon people who need my help to train someone who failed", he spat that last word at the boy, "In his duties and abandoned the world to this fate"

Aang shifted uncomfortably before bolting from his seat and back down the mountainside, while Katara sent him a pitiful attempt glare before going after him. Sokka just shrugged his annoyance at him and began walking after them, snagging another mango as he walked, pausing only to call out.

"Bye Lee"

"Bye Sokka"

Neither of them seemed too bothered by the abrupt dismissal, and if the time ever came when he needed to work with them, he might have himself an ally, or at least have someone that respected him.

The feeling he found, wasn't completely one-sided.

For an idiot … he's not so bad.

In the distance he sees Apps rise into the air, using his tail for a large airbending gust, he pushes off, the four of them leaving him to his thoughts.

By the time Druk returned, Zuko had come to a decision.

He had to learn waterbending.

His brief meeting with the trio had made one thing undoubtedly clear in his mind. Aang was too childlike and naïve to fight in a war. Katara was too trusting, naïve in her own way. Sokka was … well he was Sokka. Sarcastic and foolish. Brave, but foolish.

Given time, yes, they may – MAY get themselves ready. Learn the other three elements and end the war, but could an Air Nomad, a person of peace take a life? Could Aang kill Ozai? And if he can't, what then?

It's leaving too much to chance. He might not like it, but the world needs him, needs an Avatar that is prepared to do what is necessary, and that's him.

The end is coming, and he's henna be the one to bring it.

It is decided.

When Druk returns later, he'd already packed. If he uses the edge of the Earth Kingdom to move north, flying solely at night when Druk's scales seem black, he should be able to reach the Northern Water Tribe within three weeks. Two if he's lucky, but that never happens.

Azula was born lucky … You were lucky to be born.

They load up, Druk almost seems approving of his choice. He's packed clothing, both warm and cool, his bending scrolls, plenty of food, his dual dao, pearl dagger and on a whim, he throws his mother's mask into the pack.

The Southern Air Temple almost feels like home, and he doesn't really want to leave, but his duty comes first, and he has a duty to his people and the world.

Facing the setting sun, the Avatar and the last dragon fly into the wind.

Ready to take on the world.

Author's Note

So ... learning airbending in his sleep ... cheap? Tacky? Delightfully original? What do you think?

I needed to get air out of the way and allow the focus to be on water really. In my mind this AU runs concurrently with the show's timeline, and this also seemed a noce way to stop him from travelling with the Gaang.

Anyway, hit the review button and let me know what you think.

-MarvelMatt