Chapter 2: Arc 1: Avatar CH2: 2 Avatars
She couldn't stop herself from staring at him while he meditated. He'd kept the pose all night, and Katara felt safe. She had the best rest she ever had; the spirit continued to glow with a soft green light. It looked almost like green flames but clearly weren't. No fire could feel so inviting.
Katara felt her cheeks heat up and looked away. With his eyes closed and focused, she had a little time to wash up. She took an old rag and bent some ice into water over the embers of their wood stove. The water heated quickly, and she turned around to begin cleaning herself.
"What are you doing?" The spirit asked.
"Do spirits not need to bathe?" Katara asked.
"I was talking about the water manipulation. Why did you push and pull the water instead of any other control method? Is pushing and pulling with your qi important for your morning rituals. Does it have something to do with the gods you worship? How did you develop the control necessary to only move the water and nothing else? Are there exercises?" The spirit asked her question after question about the finer points of her bending, and she couldn't answer.
"I'm sorry, but I don't know. I'm a water bender, but I don't know how exactly I bend the water. It has something to do with the moon." Katara said.
"An inborn talent then, by the way, you describe it. Are any of your people water benders?"
Katara shook her head. "I'm the only one in the whole Southern Water Tribe, but there are supposed to be hundreds at the North Pole."
"When was the last time you had correspondence with them."
"My gran gran is from there, and she told us stories about them," Katara said.
"Interesting, and it's called bending. Is it hereditary?" Katara didn't know what that word meant, but in context, she figured it had something to do with bloodlines.
"Water benders are more likely to have children who are water benders."
"Interesting, we'll have to cut this conversation short; a ship is about to crash into the village if it doesn't slow down now." The spirit blinked, then stood up. "I'll stop it from crushing your village. Evacuate whoever you can, just in case."
Katara froze and not because of the cold water dripping down her thighs from clutching the rag too hard. Instead, the spirit was casual in how he stood up and crawled out of the igloo-like he had all the time in the world.
Sokka shot up out of bed. "Wait, did I just hear that a Fire Nation ship is about to ram us?" Sokka shot up and smashed his head against the same pot as last night, clutched his head, and felt around for his pants. "Katara, help. I need my war paint; I can't go into battle without it."
For once, even knowing the Fire Nation was attacked, she didn't feel afraid. It was an odd feeling, but she shook it off easily enough without the spirit nearby; the effects of his presence diluted enough for her to think.
"Sokka, forget your warpaint; we need to evacuate everyone. I don't think this is an attack; the ship might be damaged and lost control."
…
My aura manifested quickly enough. Resting all night and focusing on my qi had given me time to sort out some of the emotions I had been left with. This world was weak, incredibly weak compared to what I was used to. There wasn't even a wall to defend against the occasional band of goblin raiders. Only a single girl had any qi worth mentioning, and it wasn't much. No sect would take someone with power that low. She also appeared to be over-specialized for manipulating water through pushing and pulling. Why that exact method, I didn't know?
I created an aura bubble, expanded it through some water, and lifted it. With a thought, the water turned to ice and expanded after my aura dropped the temperature within. My aura shifted, moving the ice with it entirely under my control. I only needed to practice, and I could specialize in water manipulation. Still, there was much more to it than simply splashing water around. Water was life, and my qi was predisposed towards life. Wielding elements through qi can build upon the properties my qi already had. I pulled my aura away from the ice and pushed and pulled it rapidly with my qi. In moments it turned back into water.
Pushing and pulling the water was a more hands-off approach. There were advantages to it. By watching Katara manipulate the water, I had gained something new to my arsenal. Concentrating on only the water wasn't as difficult as I thought. Sometimes what I thought was intuitive didn't match up with reality. When I mirrored Katara's bending, the method didn't work well with the air. Truly it was a unique skill, and using it could improve my arsenal.
A horn resounded from the charging ship. If I stopped it from where I stood, it would probably destroy the village. Turning it while I slowed it down would be the best method to limit casualties the most. Or I could stop it like a wall and kill everyone inside. By the flame flag, the ship was flying; this was the fire nation vessel that had come to attack. It was filled with holes and sounded a horn to warn us, so I was going to give them the benefit of the doubt.
There was always a chance they could be useful, and I didn't want to kill them all.
I wanted to roll my eyes at my own thoughts. A day in a world where suddenly I'm the biggest fish, and suddenly all the lives are in my hand. For all intents and purposes, I was the world's emperor because no one could stop me. Perhaps it was growing up in an empire, but I always wanted to be the emperor. This world was my chance to do just that.
My qi radar reached me, and I counted multiple individuals more powerful than Katara. Mostly they felt like good people. One had the feel of a wise old master, and I could finally take Samson's advice and find my own wide old master. With that in mind, I stepped out on the water.
Walking on water was like qi control; once you got it down, you never forgot how to do it. Of course, having a buoyancy skill didn't hurt either. I sucked in a breath and planned out what I would do.
First, I shot over to the ship's side, turned around, and kicked against the ocean. Then, with my body facing the vessel's same direction, I could catch up and begin slowing it down. Next, I shot over to the ship's prow, braced my fingers against it, and pushed against its momentum at an angle.
Heavy was the first word that came to mind as the ship's angle changed and seawater blasted away from me. I looked up to see a bald kid with an arrow on his head staring down at me. Behind him, a truly massive buffalo joined him. Following the two, an old man stared down with curious eyes, followed by an angry-looking fellow with a burn scar over one eye.
"Hey, do you need any help?" The bald-headed tattooed kid yelled.
I grunted, powered up my aura, and pushed back against the ship, careful to saturate it with qi to increase my surface area. The ship's momentum slowed down, but it didn't do a thing to stop the accelerating engine.
"Helmsmen douse the engine," Scarface yelled, and a man ran off, and orders flew across the ship. The acceleration from the engine flowed at first and then stopped entirely. I sucked in a breath and let it out before jumping to land on the deck.
…
Air Bending, Zuko blinked, and then everything made sense. While he didn't look to be from the water tribe, that didn't change the feat of incredible bending he had just seen. The green light had to have come from somewhere, and perhaps there were two Avatars. He didn't know how the cycle was supposed to work, but the next Avatar after air was supposed to be water. Aang was practically dead, frozen in ice, and a new Avatar was born to mixed parents. That was the only way he could square the circle that was the enigma before him.
"So, you're the Fire Nation I've heard about."
"Don't let the stories fool you; we are grateful for your help, young man. If your tribe would let us resupply, we will be on our way. We, of course, will pay for anything we need." Uncle said, and Zuko calmed down and tried to channel his inner Azula. He only needed one Avatar to reclaim his honor, but his Father might love him again if he caught two.
"I like your ships metal is a superior material to wood. Sorry about your hull. I've left my handprints behind."
Zuko filed the possibility that this Avatar was much further along than Aang. That was expected; he looked to be in his late teens or early twenties. It was impossible to tell by the man's face. The ten rings the man wore said he was someone who valued things. He was far more materialistic than Aang, and that was something he could work with. An Avatar that can be bought wasn't a threat to the Fire Nation.
"You have an interesting sense of style, young man." Uncle Iroh said, and Zuko relaxed; he wasn't the only one playing the game.
"Thank you, your qi is pleasant to be around. Sorry about the flare. I saw a derelict ship made of fine steel that no one was using, so I."
"You were scavenging for parts." One of his crewmen said, and Zuko wanted to dock his pay immediately. Where was the discipline?
"No, I planned to use it as a skeleton to build my house around. It was too convenient not to use. After dragging it away, I saw something and stopped, and the flare went off."
Zuko wanted to fall on his knees and thank the spirit of Agni. This was pure luck on his part. If the water tribe avatar managed to reach his destination, likely, they wouldn't have seen the flare.
"Does the Fire Nation normally take things without paying?" Aang asked.
"When men are out to sea and supplies run out, they become desperate. Hunger can make the best man turn into a monster. That doesn't make them evil, but high-minded ideals only last while dinner is on the table."
"About the derelict ship, could we scavenge supplies from it to repair our ship."
"Sure, if you can give me a ride back to the Fire Nation. I haven't seen much of the world so far, and that seems like an interesting place to start."
Zuko felt a sudden sense of unease course through him. The Avatar's goal could be to defeat his Father.
"Interesting, you've heard about us but still want to visit. Could I ask why?"
"You don't know people until you've walked a mile in their shoes. I've heard a little about the Fire Nation, but I would rather go to the source and learn firsthand."
Zuko changed his original opinion of this Avatar. He isn't a mercenary; he's a pragmatist. Most likely, he knows what we're here to do and plans to use us just as we're using him.
"You have a deal," Zuko said
"Excellent; let me inform my friends in the Southern Water tribe, and we can head out once the ship is ready."
"Can I come too? I haven't been to the Southern Water Tribe before?"
"You probably shouldn't. The Fire Nation seems to have been at war with the Southern Water Tribe not too long ago, and they're still a little tense. Seeing you walk off a Fire Nation vessel will make them suspicious." The other Avatar said.
"You went to war with them; why?" Aang yelled.
Zuko was suddenly on the back foot, and Uncle didn't have a response ready. So it was the other Avatar who came to their defense.
"Wars happen either over resources, misunderstandings, or a difference of ideologies. They happen; it's human nature to fight. I doubt the people on this random ship had much of a choice unless they were ahead of state at the time."
Aang calmed down and bowed his head. "Sorry, I jumped to conclusions. While I don't agree that wars are a part of human nature, I understand that none of you had a choice. But why haven't I heard of it?"
Once again, the other Avatar rolled with the difficult questions filling in where Zuko and his uncle hadn't bothered. It was almost like he was just trapped in ice and emerged around the same time as Aang.
"Wars can be short but brutal things. Sometimes they can end before a single battle is fought. They aren't limited to battlefields either. Economic wars where the losers fall into a depression happen more often than you think."
"The monks never said anything about something like that happening."
"How old are you, Aang?"
"12," Aang said while the older Avatar hummed.
"They may not have taught you because they felt you weren't ready for it."
"I understand; maybe I should go back to the temple now."
Zuko's eye twitched. "No, you can't."
Both of their gazes turned to Zuko. "Why can't I go back?"
"We've already told our people that you would come, and it would bring great shame upon us if you didn't at least enjoy a feast in the homeland," Iroh said.
"Well, I did just leave. One feast wouldn't hurt. Will there be egg custard tarts?" Aang asked, and Uncle nodded.
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