"The old Air Nomads, perhaps. These are Air Nomads born of years of feeling repressed, feeling anger for a sickness that nature deigned them to have. They are not like what we remember."
Zuko had to grip the handles of his chair so he didn't spring up at the way his father pretended that nature had anything to do with the massacre of the airbenders.
Or, perhaps he truly did not know.
There was a lot he was questioning of his father lately.
Either way, Zuko was disgusted at what his father was suggesting. It sounded too good, it almost sounded reasonable. Ozai was able to twist his words all too easily, and Zuko could see how the average lay person would just feed right into the picture of terror and suspicion his father painted.
"So what do you say we do with these airbenders?" Azula asked, a malicious glint sparkling in her eyes.
"We treat any airbender found as a traitor, first off." Ozai had had time to think of this. He answered without hesitation. "We question them and if they refuse to comply, we dispose of them. They'll be useless to us anyway, and we cannot risk them escaping a prison."
"We could send them to the Boiling Rock," Zuko pressed his father. "That place is secure!"
"Zuko, you don't to be painted as an airbender sympathizer, do you? As an Equalizer sympathizer?" Ozai asked, eyes wide in faux horror.
"Asking for mercy is not the same thing." Iroh was staring at Ozai like he never really saw his brother before now. Maybe he had always clung to some desperate hope he would mend his ways or be a better person than they expected.
"And risk them poisoning the minds of other inmates? Of escaping? Of letting their cancerous ways grow like fungus? I think most would agree with me there is only one way to deal with their kind," Ozai said, throwing the blame off of himself, as he always did. Zuko knew he could bend the council to his will to make this whole thing seem like the people's wish and not his own.
"I have decided this matter must be handled with utmost care. I have called in an old friend and a formidable ally to spearhead this movement." Ozai looked to the side, waving a hand to a guard. The pair opened the grand doors to the war council room, and a man waltzed in, his military boots making sharp clacks on the floor and his medals of honor and accomplishment tinkling against the polished metal of his uniform.
"Captain Zhao. I would say I was surprised, but there are few as...determined as you," Uncle Iroh said, eyes narrowing with clear displeasure. Zuko locked his jaw. On the few occasions he'd met Zhao, he'd disliked him instantly. His uncle's attitude toward the man did not encourage him to budge such sentiments.
"General Iroh, haven't you heard? It's Commander Zhao now." Zhao set his helmet on the table, bowing deeply to Ozai.
"I had not, considering all military rank changes go through me, do they not, brother?" Iroh raised an eyebrow to Ozai.
"Yes, but desperate times call for desperate measures. I officiated it. I thought I'd save you some paperwork," Ozai dismissed it simply.
"Thank you," Iroh replied, but Zuko had a feeling his uncle was feeling anything but thankful. He watched the sizzling tension between his father and his uncle for a hard moment before Iroh blinked, breaking it. Zuko wondered, if the paperwork had come across Iroh's desk, if maybe he would have denied it.
"I'd hardly say these are desperate times," Lu Ten said, speaking when his father would not.
"I disagree, young Prince," Zhao crooned, turning to Lu Ten, his tone belittling despite the fact that he was only a handful of years older than Lu Ten; ten, if Zuko recalled correctly. "Wouldn't you say that any assault on the Fire Nation and its Lord calls for a state of emergency?"
Lu Ten licked his lips, but stayed quiet. However, his eyes remained narrowed with heavy suspicion.
"Commander Zhao, what are your plans to deal with these rebels?" Azula asked, leaning forward with a glee that sickened Zuko.
"Well, we take any whisper of an appearance much more seriously. Now that I am a Commander, there will be a task force of guards who will follow me to wherever we hear of an airbender showing up. No corner of the globe is too far to eradicate the vermin they are." Zhao took a seat at the table, which usually would be considered an affront on the most dire levels, but Ozai didn't seem to mind. "We take the ones that seem to know anything. We stop at nothing to learn what knowledge they possess, and then we finish what the plagues failed to do 100 years ago."
"You're still talking about the eradication of a whole group of people," Lu Ten whispered quietly, shaking his head.
"A war always has casualties. However, think of it as...a generosity I'm giving them." Zhao titled his head. "If we allowed them to live, no doubt there would be assassination attempts on their lives for endangering the throne. We will do it humanly."
Zuko bit back the question of how killing anyone could be considered doing something 'humanly'? And, further, did they think the plague was a softer way to go? Did they know the horrors of what the 'plague' had done to the airbenders years ago?
Suddenly, Zuko felt an even stronger urge to dispose of the journal in his trunk. He itched to go find it now and make sure that it never fell into the hands of Zhao or the likes of him.
"In all, the plan is simple, truly." Zhao was still talking. "But no doubt will it still be difficult on many levels. Lord Ozai has already agreed to allow me to take some of the training guards for my platoon, to teach them in the field, which is much more to truth than training against dummies or stick figures. Master Kuzon, I hear you've recently joined the training ranks, no?"
Zuko breathed in hard, trying not to let his heart hammer.
"Yes." Aang's answer was sharp, resounding.
"Well, how about you come with me? It would surely raise your status."
"A marvelous idea. Having a member of the Royal Family on this expedition will show the people that we stand behind it, as well as broaden Kuzon's abilities," Ozai said before Aang could decline or come up with an excuse.
Zuko, with everyone else, turned to Aang. He could see Aang very desperately trying not to break face, trying to even look excited. There was a pregnant pause in which Aang said nothing at all, and Zhao frowned.
Under the table, Zuko kicked Aang's shins. If Aang didn't speak up now...well, Zuko disliked this too, but Aang had to agree. Ozai had played his hand.
"I would be honored," Aang finally managed, grinning at Zhao. "If possible, perhaps we could push it back? I just began, and to be honest, I still need to master a few basics."
"Well, the airbender factions have been quiet," Zhao said. "So, we won't be shipping out tonight." He seemed genuinely upset about this. The relief from not just Aang, but from his Uncle and cousin as well, was palpable.
In his head, Zuko was already running through scenarios to get Aang out of his, rapidly shoving away the ones that would not work, not even considering those that would lead to Aang being discovered, and entertaining a handful. He wondered if his uncle was doing the same logistical equations too, though he figured it was because his uncle could not approve of this mission.
"Yes, a shame. A show of force would be quite what we need right now," Ozai sighed, stroking his beard.
"Ah, the unsettled few," Zhao said, and for once, Zuko felt very out of the conversation.
"They're just idiots, hardly a concern," Azula laughed. "You can't seriously think they're a danger?"
"Excuse me, what are you all discussing?" Zuko asked, deciding that asking now rather than waiting until it was far past the time to admit ignorance was better.
"I suppose you've been busy with the Ladies, haven't you?" Ozai just blinked at Zuko. "But I find it hard to believe you haven't heard about the few Earth Kingdom leaders that are considering an attack on us, since we've been 'weakened'."
"Oh," Zuko frowned. "Those."
He would have to be deaf not to hear about it. First, the Earth Kingdom leaders who discussed this were not as quiet as they thought they were. Second, when you had loyal serpents at your beck and call, few conversations were truly ever in confidence. Third, it just made political sense that there would be some people begging for thread after such an upset.
"You don't seem worried."
Zuko rolled his answer around his tongue before he spoke. "For once, I agree with Azula. I don't think it's a concern. None of the Earth Kings have the power to overthrow us, even if they tried. Plus, I hope we wouldn't need to remind them what would happen if they made an attempt."
Not that Zuko wanted that to happen, or thought fear was the right way to go. Nevertheless, his father did manage to keep a firm grip on his colonies.
"Shame," Zhao chuckled. "A public treason beheading can be quite the event."
Zuko felt ill just looking at Zhao. If he considered an execution a fun family event, Zuko loathed to think what he'd do to any airbenders to get the information he thought they knew.
"Brother, look at the time," Uncle Iroh said after a tense moment. Ozai gazed out the window.
"I see what you mean. Dinner will be ready shortly and we've been in here much too long. I think we've made a good dent in the list," Ozai said, leaning forward to examine a list of topics he'd written out, mostly on certain restorations of the palace. It was dry as hell, but it wasn't murderous rhetoric, so Zuko much preferred it.
Aang was out of the hall first, just a smidge too fast for normality. Luckily, anyone who would have reason to worry about why seemed preoccupied. Ozai had broken off to speak to Zhao and Azula hung around, like a puppy, eagerly waiting to hear anything of the plans.
Zuko felt torn. On one hand, he felt a certain responsibility for any airbenders out there (adopt one, adopt them all), and lingering may shed some more light on Zhao's plans, but after today, Aang was no doubt in a bad place.
Zuko picked his option without a second thought. Katara had told him once he was a bad politician, but a good person. Of course he'd go see if Aang was okay.
xXxX
Aang stumbled through the doors of his personal quarters, beelining for the bathroom. He felt his knees buckle and before he knew it, his forehead was pressed flush against the toilet, his whole body shaking. Deep ripples passed over his shoulders like an earthquake and he felt his lunch come up violently. He coughed until it was just bile, and then coughed some more.
He was being told to go and murder his own people. The thought made him feel ill again, but his throbbing headache took precedence now that his stomach had been emptied.
He fell back on his haunches, wiping his hand across his mouth. The headache had been unending, honestly. Ever since the night of the attack, there had been a blinding pain in his temples that hadn't subsided.
"Shut up, shut up," Aang commanded in a hushed, but furious, whisper. Alas, it did little to help.
He'd heard the whispers. Not the whispers everyone else was talking about, the whispers of more airbenders, miraculously, or the whispers of some foolhardy Earth Lords planning a coup (or, theorizing and dreaming about staging one). No, Aang was hearing whispers that only existed inside of his head.
Now that the Spirit Link had been established a second time, the Avatars of the past were crawling out of the woodwork of his mind, assuaging him at every second with past memories as well as ongoing commentary.
It was enough to drive anyone freaking batty.
They had a lot to say about Commander Zhao's announcement.
Sometimes, an Avatar must be a warrior, before anything else. You are less Air Nomad than you are the Avatar-
That was Kyoshi, who had one of the more militant perspectives.
Ozai will make a mistake, have no fear. It will not be long until my kin take the throne, Agni willing. In the meantime, I'd suggest-
Ah, don't listen to Roku! What does he know of modern day Fire Lords, since he thought he knew Sozin so well. If you ask me-
"I haven't asked you," Aang snapped to empty air. "So please, just please, go away."
Nothing, but, it was worth a try.
He wondered if he'd accepted the spirit link earlier if this would have been more gradual. Or, was it always like this, a room of too many people?
The Avatars have always held a place inside the current Avatar's mind, however, this is a special circumstance you have in all areas.
Agh, even his thoughts were not his own anymore.
Technically Aang, these are our thoughts too, since we are all the same person. We are like your conscious, but a bit more formally present.
"A lot more present!" Aang shoved himself up, leering his elbows fall on his vanity as he splashed water onto his face. Luckily, Roku was the main 'speaker' if you will, who he preferred to the others. It was the 'him' before him, after all, which probably was why. He didn't think he'd ever get used to his mind feeling so...full.
"Kuzon?" There was a gentle rap on the door, accompanied by the nervous shuffling of Zuko.
"Yeah, come in," Aang sighed, wiping his face off with a rag.
When Zuko entered, there was a moment of silence. Then, gingerly, Zuko reached inside of his armor and pulled out the journal that made Aang's head swim and his vision blur.
"I was keeping it in my chest of drawers, but now I think I shouldn't let it go." Zuko was the first to speak, switching to the Nomadic Tongue. After Sozin's conquest, he switched all of the nations he ruled to a common language, something that was an amalgamation of mainly Fire Nation words, with some Earth Kingdom roots. Nearly everyone spoke this tongue now, and only smaller communities held onto their native language. The surprise that the Southern Water Tribe had learned it too was staggering, but Sokka had explained it to Zuko, pointing out that it would have been foolish not to learn the enemy's language. At this point, it was just convenient. Aang knew every language, even the obscure ones, if a past Avatar had known it. Early on, in their travels, Aang had taught Zuko how to speak Nomadic, and it was coming in handy now more than ever. It wouldn't be odd for Zuko to know a dead language, since the study of dead languages was a Royal habit, though his sister learned languages like Old Fire Tongue and The Language Before Bending. "And we should get rid of it as soon as possible, with what Zhao is suggesting..."
Aang didn't answer, not at first.
"I just, I don't know how much longer I can do this, Zuko." He crossed his arms, sighing. Zuko pulled out a chair for him, and Aang sat down next to someone he considered to be his brother.
"I know."
It didn't need to be said that Aang was referring to literally everything. The military training, during which he was just waiting for a slip up, causing everyone to know everything. Masquerading as Kuzon, as while he'd grown used to living in the Palace, it didn't mean he'd grown comfortable. Even being the Avatar, specifically an Avatar in hiding, felt like a bit too much to handle sometimes.
"We all know," Aang grumbled. "I'm failing, Zuko. And these voices..."
"Voices?" Zuko jerked his head up.
Aang bit his lip. He'd forgotten he hadn't gotten around to telling Zuko about that yet. "Yeah. Voices. Past Avatars, giving unsolicited advice...all the time."
I'd hardly say my advice is unsolicited! If you think a question, how can you expect no answer!
"Shut up, Kuruk."
Zuko was staring wide-eyed at Aang. "You mean, you hear all of them, all the time?"
"Yeah. It's giving me a headache the size of an air bison. I think I need a spiritual teacher too, someone to guide me through this. The past Avatars couldn't have survived like this, they'd never get anything done!"
Zuko was biting his nails. "We have a lot of problems."
Aang's shoulders deflated. "Yeah. I don't know how I can go and do that to my kin."
"Well..." Zuko began with a slowness Aang did not enjoy. "Maybe it's not the worst thing?"
"You're joking."
"No, I mean, you'd be right at the center of information. I mean, if you get in good with Zhao, get him to trust you, you can learn where these airbenders are. And maybe, they all just vanish or go underground before you get to them, or you find ways to 'kill them' without doing so. They wouldn't pop up again, that's for sure, because I'd send them to Dhakiya and-"
Aang broke through the voices that were telling him how sound Zuko's plan was to squint.
"What does Dhakiya have to do with anything?"
Aang vaguely recalled the dark-haired, quieter twin that had been sent home a long time ago, under very abrupt circumstances. However, he failed to see how she connected to any of this. Frankly, Aang had hardly given her a second thought when she was in the palace, much less since she'd left.
Zuko clasped his hands in front of his face, inhaling. "Aang. I'm going to tell you something and you have to promise not to get upset."
"Oh, that's always a merry old way to start something," Aang scoffed, looking at Zuko with an irritated glare. "But now you've caught my attention."
"Dhakiya...she was an airbender. She is, I mean. I sent her away for her safety. She's with Appa."
At the mention of his beloved familiar, Aang's heart constricted. He shoved away questions he had about his pet to focus on what Zuko had just told him.
"And when, Zuko, were you going to tell me?" he asked, voice dangerously low. He rarely used such a tone, but he figured right now was a good time.
"I'm not sure." Zuko's face was red, and Aang knew that he knew how shitty it was to keep this information from him. "It wasn't...I didn't want to upset you."
"And you figured I wouldn't be upset now? Agni, Zuko...that's the first airbender other than myself I would have actually met! I know there have been whispers, but we haven't found any of them."
"I know. That's because the Equalists are disposing of them. I think they're looking for the Avatar too." Zuko's shoulders slumped low. "I think they might be working with my father. Admittedly, recently, I'm unsure. It wouldn't make complete sense, but it would clear up a few things."
"This day just gets better and better," Aang groaned. "You'd better have a damn good reason for not telling me." he glowered, with a venom in his hissed words.
"I thought you'd go into the Avatar state," Zuko said simply, which wasn't unreasonable to assume.
"And what, now that I have-"
"Yeah, now that you have, cat's sort of out of the bag anyway. Small miracles that it happened in a metal, underground bunker," Zuko said, missing the acerbic way Aang had begun his previous comment. Or, he'd heard it and ignored it.
"I'm pissed at you," Aang said, almost as angry at Zuko right now as he was at Ozai. He couldn't believe he'd been left out of his own people's strife. He shoved Zuko. "Get out."
Zuko got up, sighing hard. "I knew you would be angry. So, take a day. After that, we can't afford to hold grudges when there's so much at stake." He left Aang in his room. Aang slammed the door and threw his scarf off in frustration, looking at
You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net