Book Two: Earth

Chapter 5

Avatar Day

Disclaimer: I own nothing Avatar except the characters I create.

It was almost daylight and the four heroes were sound asleep. Lin was dreaming of Zuko and as he was about to kiss her when the waterbender felt a giant earthquake. Her lovely dream was disrupted as she quickly sat up from her sleeping bag to see Fire Nation guards on rhinos. They all scrambled towards Appa, but Katara and Aang forgot their scrolls and staff. Lin tried to hold off the guards by sending out water whips, but their deft movements allowed them to quickly dodge. At best she was giving a small distraction as the two quickly retrieved their belongings while dodging the firebenders attacks. As they were flying away Sokka realized he forgot his boomerang and wanted to go back and get it.

"We don't have time for that" said an adrenaline filled Katara.

"So we had time to get your scrolls and Aang's staff, but not my boomerang." "That's right."

"Oh".

Katara really had a way with her brother.

Sokka was still down in the dumps about his boomerang as the travellers landed in a nearby village to buy some produce. As they were leaving the store the shop keeper said "Happy Avatar Day!" Of course this piqued Aang's interest since he thought it was a good thing for the Avatar to be appreciated.

"C'mon guys let's go check it out" Aang turns around to see a large statue of Avatar Kiyoshi slowing pass by.

"Out of all the festivals I have been to I have never seen one for the Avatar. Wonder if its spiritual?" Lin asked herself as she put her forefinger to her lips.

Together they went to see the festival and saw floats of Avatar Kyoshi, Roku, and even Aang.

They were surprised to find that it wasn't an appreciation festival as the townspeople started chanting "Down with the Avatar" and started burning the floats. The group watched in confusion and horror until the people set Aang on fire. Katara became flustered and doused the giant wooden Aang with water. Aang decided to show himself to the crowd and demanded to know why they hated him so much. Apparently Avatar Kiyoshi killed their leader many years ago and the village had not been the same since. That didn't make any sense to them since the Avatar is supposed to help people and bring about peace. The young boy wanted to get to the bottom of this and decided to stand trial for the sins of the previous Avatar. Though his friends thought he should just move on and save the world he refused to leave until proven innocent.

Aang asked the boy from the water tribe to play detective and find clues about what actually happened. Sokka was all too happy to play the part and whipped out a hat with a monocle attached and a dragon pipe. The girls gave each other a puzzling look as they could not figure out where he got these items from. As Aang stayed in prison the rest of the group investigated the crime scene. There wasn't much to go on except a small foot print and that the temple and statue of the village's leader were made at the same time. Both brother and sister thought it best to visit Kiyoshi Island for more information. Lin was ecstatic since she never been there.

Sokka helmed the sky bison while the two waterbenders tried to figure out how to free Aang.

"You are a way better detective than your brother" Mei-Lin had noticed that Katara beat her brother to every deduction which only infuriated him.

"There is just no getting through to him. This investigation would go so much faster if he would put his pride aside" the brown haired girl re-braided her hair which was a sign that she was agitated.

"You feel bad about the boomerang don't you?"

"That obvious that's why I'm playing along?" asked Katara.

"Only to the un-oblivious which turns out to be just the two of us. I think your secret is safe" Lin gave her best friend a warm smile.

The townspeople of Kiyoshi gathered below as they saw Appa coming down to land, but were disappointed that the Avatar was not with them. The three from the Water Tribe explained the situation and the village leader was willing to help by showing them the shrine of Kiyoshi. As they climbed the hill Sokka asked about a girl named Suki who apparently left the village much to the boy's disappointment. Mei-Lin could not understand how many times this boy could fall in love, it just seemed endless.

Once inside the shrine they found it had all of Avatar Kiyoshi's clothes and history. As Sokka pranced around for evidence, Lin was more interested in the history. She figured it was best not to be part of the investigation as Sokka was already getting mad at his sister for beating him at solving the mystery to the point where he even pushed her. It wasn't often she experienced sibling rivalry.

Once they came to the conclusion that Kiyoshi did not kill the town's leader they headed back for the trial. It turned out the evidence when coming out of Aang's mouth did not sound sustainable enough for him to be released. Katara had a brilliant idea of dressing up Aang in Kiyoshi's clothes to maybe summon her spirit to get the real truth. Lin took on the role of the makeup artist and enjoyed putting makeup on Aang. She thought she did a terrific job, he was just adorable as a girl.

"I think you are enjoying this too much" the Avatar pouted.

"Oh c'mon you have never looked more lovely, right Katara?"

"I agree with Lin. You're going to be a hit!"

The girls couldn't see it under Aang's painted white face, but he was blushing.

Aang faced the court in his new threads and makeup and pretended to be Avatar Kiyoshi, but then a large burst of wind surrounded the boy and the real Avatar Kiyoshi appeared. She confessed that she killed the leader when she separated her homeland from the mainland thus creating Kiyoshi Island. The leader ended up falling to his death since he was too stubborn to move. There was no denying that the Avatar was guilty. The townspeople spun the wheel to decide Aang's punishment. His friends held their breath and hoped it would land on community service, but as usual he was not so lucky. The wheel slowed down and the pointer landed on boiling oil. Thankfully that was when the Fire Nation on rhinos called the Rough Rhinos arrived to take over the village. The leader of the town changed the sentence to community service so the Avatar could save them.

It didn't take long for the young heroes to dispatch of the Rough Rhinos and luckily Sokka was able to get his boomerang back.

"Boomerang! You do always come back!" the boy with the ponytail had tears in his eyes as he kissed it.

In return for the village being saved they turned Avatar day into a day of appreciation. To celebrate the Avatar not being boiled in oil they made un-fried dough that resembled Aang. It tasted awful uncooked and Sokka said out loud the exact sentiments the group was feeling "This is by far the worst town we have ever been to."

One date with Isatok turned into many and eventually Lin made it official. He wasn't the prince of her dreams, but she was fond of him. The brown haired boy was sweet to her and supportive of her self-training. Mei-Lin's parents were happy and thought that she was finally coming around now that their daughter could always be seen smiling.

The young couple decided to go out sledding since a new layer of snow had fallen the night before. This was one of their favorite activities as they created large mounds of snow so they could catch some air. There really wasn't much else to do in the city as there weren't many festivals due to war preparations. Most of their other dates were spent going out to eat, romantic gondola rides, fishing, and snowball fights.

"So uh… I was wondering if you want to go eat after this. I got reservations at the Aurora Glacier" despite the cold Isatok was visibly sweating.

Lin's ice blue eyes opened up wide "Isn't that place really fancy and expensive?"

"Well yeah, but my brother was supposed to go and his date cancelled so he gave me the reservation. He's paying too" Isatok picked up the sled and held Mei-Lin's hand as they walked about the giant hill.

"That's generous of him, but I would feel really that he was paying for us" the healer bit her lower lip.

"He's totally cool about it. Besides maybe we'll catch a glimpse of Princess Yue there. You know the socialites have to eat the freshest fish" he made a snooty tone and puffed out his chest mimicking one of the worst offenders of the Chief's cabinet.

Mei-Lin punched him lightly in his arm and decided why not take an opportunity to dress up. "Ok fine you twisted my arm. I need some time to get ready so I'll see you later" Lin gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

"See you later babe!"

Two hours later they met at Aurora Glacier. Isatok barely recognized his girlfriend as all her hair was swept up and to the left side. She didn't wear any makeup, but that didn't make her look any less flawless in her tightly wrapped tunic dress. The waiter set them up at a table with a view of the water reflecting the stars in the night sky.

They made idle chit chat and mocked many of the patrons as they engulfed their main course. They were waiting for their dessert to arrive when Mei-Lin noticed that Isatok was fidgeting.

"Are you ok? You look like you have sea slugs in your pants."

Isatok took a deep breath and reached out to hold Lin's hands. "You know me so well. Mei-Lin we been together for over a year and I really care about you. You are the most kind, stubborn, persistent, and beautiful person that I know. When you want something you will stop at nothing until it's yours. These qualities have made me fall in love with you. At first you were my best friend, but you definitely are more than that to me. Now I'm not trying to rush things cause that is not your style so I have this blank betrothal necklace. I want you to know that this is my intention. Where I see us going. Will you let me one day put my mark on this necklace for you?"

Time stopped for Mei-Lin as Isatok put the necklace in her hand. The whole time he was speaking she felt she couldn't breathe. The walls closed in on her and the lights seem to go out. She couldn't even look at her potential betrothed and only stared down at the necklace. The only words that resonated with her was 'When you want something you will stop at nothing until it's yours'. She wanted to learn how to waterbend and he was supportive of that. She wanted to eventually go back out into the world and he would probably support that too. Even though she was dating Isatok did she ever plan to marry him or was he just a way of passing time?

Looking at the betrothal necklace she saw Zuko's face. Tears welled up in her eyes as Lin thought she was over him. It had been years since she thought of that little boy's face. Suddenly panic turned into anger at herself. When was she going to let him go? Was she going to spend the rest of her life pining over some boy she met over the summer and let it ruin her? Was Zuko what she wanted and she was willing to do anything to have him?

No. She didn't need the Fire Prince to live a happy ending. All her life she wanted freedom and to become the greatest female waterbender the North has ever seen. If she was single for the rest of her life it wouldn't phase her. Lin just wanted to live a fuller life than what she had here. Her mother Yuki had given her a glimpse of that life as a kid. Zuko was not only a boy she liked, but he was a symbol to her that she could be herself and be strong without anyone denying her.

Lin didn't feel that way with Isatok. "I'm sorry Isatok. I can't. It's over" with those simple words she ran off with the necklace. It became an important symbol for her to never compromise herself.

Zuko lost his mother and his world changed forever because of it. No matter how much he investigated he never received a straight answer. It was like his mother had vanished into thin air. Not only did he lose his mother, but he also lost a cousin, and his grandfather. With his father as the new Fire Lord Zuko almost never had access to him. Azula didn't seem to care that their family tree was dying off and almost seemed happy that their mother was gone.

The young prince could only mourn to himself until his Uncle Iroh joined him. They started to form a close bond and Iroh treated him like a son. It was nice to have a paternal figure around, but it still wasn't his father. Mai was also another pillar of support for him after the loss of his mom. He could see that she tried her best to show emotion on her stoic face. It made him feel special that he was the only one that could make the governor's daughter smile.

He wasn't quite sure if Mai would be considered his girlfriend as they secretly started spending a lot of time together. They both felt messed up due to their royal upbringings and found ways to feel normal around each other. Zuko was definitely quite fond of her, but he made sure to hide that information from his sister who would just use it to torture him. While avoiding Azula and trying to get into his father's good graces Zuko didn't really have much time for anyone else. What he loved about Mai was how understanding she was about him not being around.

Without Princess Ursula around Zuko had to grow up quickly and wanted to take on the role of his father's heir. The competition between him and his sister only intensified as if she was fighting for the throne as well. Azula did eventually find out that Mai had a crush on Zuko just by the way she would look at him. It wasn't long before their predictions came true and Azula tried to exploit it. His sister acted out as if she was threatened where she wanted everyone to herself, their father and her friends. Mai's fear of Zuko's sister caused her to see him less, but they often wrote notes to each other that Ty Lee would pass along.

Regardless of his personal life Zuko through all his concentration on his firebending and gaining access to the war council meetings. Even though he finally mastered firebending Azula was still the prodigy with her blue flames and lightening. It just wasn't in Zuko and he figured it was because he wasn't as crazy as his sister and that was a good thing.

It had taken three weeks for Zuko and his uncle to arrive on land after escaping the North Pole. The journey was exhausting leaving a lot of time for the firebending prince to be alone with his thoughts. His failures are what revolved in his head and he felt tired. Tired of being banished and not able to gain his father's respect. To make matters worse once they finally arrived on land Iroh found out they were both labeled traitors to the Fire Nation. Guards were on high alert to arrest them so they were forced to hide in the Earth Kingdom with no money.

The Prince was struggling to survive in the woods with his uncle inside a small cave. In order to blend it with the Earth citizens the two firebenders had to cut off their top knot. After everything else he had lost cutting off some hair didn't really phase Zuko. What he hated most was living like a lowly peasant having to beg for money. Zuko noticed the looks of mockery and did not want to be looked down on. He was a Prince after all. What made him more upset was how easy going his Uncle Iroh was about all of this. Nothing seemed to upset him, even when a pompous stranger made Iroh dance and made fun of his weight. Zuko had enough and decided to become the Blue Spirit and rob the people of the Earth Kingdom. The young firebender's heart was becoming blacker each day as he didn't know what to do with his life.

It didn't take Iroh long to figure out what his nephew was doing and was disappointed by it. Zuko's uncle had hoped that this would be a humbling experience for the young prince and that he could finally learn to be a little carefree. He confronted him telling the boy to not lose hope and at this point capturing the Avatar would not solve their problems. Hearing those words destroyed Zuko even more. What was he to do then? Live like this for the rest of his life? He needed time to think and left his uncle alone in the cave they were living in.

Part of him wanted to just set the world on fire with his rage, but then he would be no better than his sister. He knew he was becoming someone he did not like, but didn't know what to do about it. Zuko came across a stream and sat by the riverbed and looked into the water. He often avoided looking at himself because of his damned scar, but this time he hated the person he saw in the water. Eventually the face in the water transformed into Mei-Lin's. It had been quite some time since he thought of her and it brought a tinge of warmth in his heart. She would not look at him with those kind eyes if she saw the person he was now, a lowly thief. All he knew was that he had to part with his uncle because he could not live like this any longer. He was at risk of becoming something evil and it crept at his insides. Maybe he would find his true self, a person he could look at without disgust. He returned to the cave and bid his uncle farewell.