Adult-FanFiction.org : Cartoons

Lost Roads	By : Vortex Category: Avatar - The Last Airbender > AU/AR - Alternate Universe/Alternate Reality > Het- Male/Female Views: 10520 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 2
- 3
- 4
Author’s Notes:

It is not my place or tradition to leave notes of this sort while a story is in progress. I believe that the story is much more important than my thoughts on it and so I often do not wish to dilute the experience of reading by putting in comments and thoughts that most readers would find irrelevant or immaterial.

But in a case such as this, there are some things that must be stated. First of all, this is actually the second time I have written this chapter. A week ago my hard drive crashed, taking with it all progress on this story and setting me back significantly. I admit that for a few days I did not want to write at all in this story – it took the convincing of some good friends, and a re-reading of the reviews I had received so far, to bring me back to sit down and write this story some more.

I feel I must also point out what is probably obvious to my readers – the first three chapters of this story are all backfill for what is to come. One does not approach a topic such as this without placing the pieces on the chessboard very carefully. Now that I have placed my pieces, the true story can open up starting with Chapter 4, which will start following the failed invasion.

Unlike most writers, I do not pander for reviews from my audience. If you feel the story was good or bad and you have commentary, leave a review. I won’t think any less of you if you do not leave a review – just the simple act of reading is more than plenty for me.

Enjoy Chapter 3! Look for Chapter 4 within a week’s time!

--Vortex

Time doesn't stop for anyone
It doesn't matter what you've done
I want to lose myself in you
Are you afraid of dying too?
Conjure One – “Manic Star”

One week before the invasion

There were three things that Azula hated in this world: Idiots, doddering old men, and the color pink. It was easy to hate idiots for their stupidity. Doddering old men were, more often than not, the same as idiots, just disguised with grey hair and claims of wisdom. Pink she had always hated ever since her mother had tried to make her wear the color to her classes once; after that rather embarrassing day, Azula had sworn she would never wear the color again.

She stormed back to her bedroom following the war meeting. Two of the three things she hated most had been present at the meeting – idiots and doddering old men. It was common knowledge that an eclipse was due in a week. Fire Nation intelligence had even confirmed that some rebel forces, both earthbenders and waterbenders, were on the move towards the Fire Nation. So why was it that the doddering old men who led the Fire Nation military were being complete idiots?

A swift kick sent the doors to her bedroom flying open with a resounding crash that could be heard and felt throughout the palace. It was a satisfying crash and lessened Azula’s anger a bit as servants scattered from the noise and action. The true source of her anger had been over the suggestion of one of the Fire Nation generals who had suggested that they move all their forces out of the capitol city until the eclipse was over and then retake the city with them. The very suggestion had outraged her so greatly that she would have challenged the particular general to an Agni Kai had she not stopped to think about the whole situation and catch herself. After all, she had seen what had happened to Zuko when he had spoken with disrespect.

Instead, Azula had demonstrated her prowess for fighting and her knowledge of the enemy. Yes, she had conceded, the enemy would likely strike when the eclipse was due. But was it not better to let the enemy think they were facing real resistance by leaving a token defense force inside the town? Once the eclipse had passed it would be easy to bring the rest of the Fire Nation’s forces out of hiding and overwhelm the attackers. Cleaning up would be a simple task and then they could focus on bringing this war to a close.

The other general had been ready to protest but her father had consented to the idea, bringing an end to the debate. Azula was convinced that her father was the target of this invasion attempt. She had undertaken a few other preparations of her own, making sure that the palace guard around the Fire Lord would be doubled during the eclipse. If all went according to plan, she and her brother would keep the invaders preoccupied in the event they managed to reach the underground bunker beneath the palace.

Sighing, Azula found her bed and collapsed on top of it, closing her eyes as her thoughts sorted themselves out. Zuko was a major variable in the equation in her mind. Although her brother had helped her at Ba Sing Se to deal with the Avatar and his friends, Azula had known well that her brother’s heart was not fully behind his actions. Despite her suggestions, Zuko had paid several visits to their incarcerated uncle Iroh, and had even made a trip to see the Fire Sages. Though her spies had not been able to tell her more about what he and Iroh had discussed – or what Zuko had been looking for with the Fire Sages – her own gut told her that there was trouble brewing behind her brother’s golden eyes.

It was entirely possible that he might decide to kill the Fire Lord himself during the eclipse. Azula secretly hoped this was the case. If her brother failed, it meant she would be in line to take over as Fire Lord. Although she loved her father dearly, Azula knew that her destiny was to rule the Fire Nation. Even if her brother was to succeed and kill their father, Azula knew that her brother was too weak-willed to rule effectively. Given a few months she would be able to easily overthrow him – with the help of the Dai Li and her friends – and take control of the Fire Nation for herself as the new Fire Lord.

Luck or happenstance must have been in her favor. None of her maneuvers would have been possible without the help of the Dai Li – an organization that she had barely heard of only a few months ago. But now she was the de-facto head of the Dai Li, and she had even brought several of them back with her. This was not something she openly advertised as she did not want anyone to suspect that she might have a private army at her beck and call, but she intended to make use of them during the invasion when she would be unable to call on her firebending to defend herself. Having a dozen or so of the best earthbenders in the Dai Li’s employ would surely give any invaders something to think about as Azula stalled for time.

She had just begun to relax in her bed when a knock came from the slightly splintered door. A messenger stood in the open doorway, his expression completely blank despite the battered state of the door he knocked on. “Princess Azula, this scroll just arrived for you.”

With a mental sigh, the young princess stood up from the soft embrace of her bed. Taking the scroll and dismissing the messenger with a wave of her hand she closed the doors and turned away from them. She would have to have the royal carpenter repair the damage in the morning.

Part of her wanted to set the scroll down on her desk and collapse back on the bed, but Azula’s willpower was far too strong to give in to such a weak temptation. Her eyes scanned the contents of the scroll for a long moment before a smirk crossed her face. As she snapped her fingers, causing the scroll to erupt into flames, Azula let out the first genuine laugh she had managed all day. It seemed that luck was clearly in her favor, as the scroll had just proven.

The report had been from an outlying village which had reported that an elderly escaped waterbender had been caught and locked up. But that report by itself had not interested her as much as some of the witness statements. Witnesses at the scene had reported seeing a young girl whose description sounded remarkably like that of her new pet waterbender. There had also been reports of a boy whose description sounded very similar to that of the Avatar. It was all the confirmation she needed that the report was real.

She had known that sooner or later the girl would turn up again. If her hunch was right she would eventually run into the Avatar and his friends during the eclipse. If Katara was among their number it would be enjoyable to trigger her pet’s programming and let the young waterbender fight against the Avatar. Another smile, this one more feral, slipped across Azula’s face as she relished the image in her mind of the Avatar being betrayed by one of his closest friends.

But reality was more important right now and Azula reluctantly returned to the present. The eclipse would be in a week, and Azula knew she needed to make sure that the invaders were properly greeted when the time came.

---

The crash from the down the hall had brought a momentary smile to Prince Zuko’s face, which was otherwise locked in a perpetual frown. He had attended the same war council meeting as his sister and knew what had caused her frustrations. There had been only a few times when he had seen his sister that upset, but the way she could suddenly hide her anger behind a veneer of ruthlessness had always worried him. She had taken that ruthlessness and put it to good use in the meeting, suggesting a course of action that no one – not even Zuko himself – had truly foreseen.

There was much on the prince’s mind as he went back to brooding in his thoughts. When he had first returned home with Azula he had thought at the time he had been doing the right thing. They had, after all, brought down the most powerful city in the Earth Kingdom and had effectively brought the war to an end. Only scattered pockets of resistance were left to fight, but it had been clear to Zuko that there were more important matters to attend to at home.

His life had changed when he had returned home. A kindled relationship with Mai had been only one of the many changes that had come his way. He had gotten a chance to spend time with his father again and had finally been shown respect by many in the Fire Nation for what he had done. Yet all these positive things had not been able to quench the whispers in his mind – whispers of doubt and questioning over what terms such as “right” and “honor” really meant to Zuko.

The words his uncle had spoken to him still echoed in his ears. “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.” It had been difficult to accept those words and the burden that they placed on Zuko’s shoulders.

He had spent several days brooding over the words and over what they meant for him. It was clear the direction his uncle wanted him to take: help the Avatar kill his own father and bring balance once more to the world. Part of Zuko’s mind toyed with the idea of killing the Fire Lord during the eclipse, when he would be at his weakest. In a sense it was the most elegant solution; Zuko knew that there was no way the Avatar and his group would breach the defenses and traps that Azula was preparing for them. Killing Ozai without anyone else realizing it would effectively bring the war to a halt and Zuko could take over as Fire Lord.

Unfortunately, too many things stood in his way. His sister would undoubtedly fight to have the title for herself. There was always a chance that he would not succeed in his quest and die in the process. Neither of these sounded like ways to live a long, healthy, and successful life. Besides, the task was ultimately not his to complete but the Avatar’s.

The Fire Lord would have to be faced, however. Zuko knew he could not escape that. If the Avatar’s task was to defeat his father, then it was Zuko’s task to teach the Avatar firebending so that Aang might better complete his task. While Zuko wanted to simply leave and not have to deal with his father, he knew that his honor would not allow him – and that he had grown up far too much to ever think about running away from his fears. So he would face down his father during the eclipse and explain everything that had happened. He would confess to his father that Azula had lied about killing the Avatar and that Aang was still alive. And then he would take his leave and pursue what he knew was his destiny.

Departing the Fire Nation would be difficult though. In the time he had been back he had grown close to Mai and her depressing ways. The two of them had been intimate on a number of occasions and Zuko suspected that the closeness between them had been as addicting for her as it had been for him. Even now the thought of leaving her and her quirks and charms left a hollow sensation in the pit of his stomach.

Sighing, the prince turned his gaze from his desk to the window that let him see out into the courtyard. Through the smoke and haze of the night sky he could make out the moon, which was a sliver less than full. It had been full only a couple days prior, and the sight of the moon conjured up the image of the one way he would survive without Mai: Katara of the Southern Water Tribe.

Zuko had hit on the idea a couple days earlier while spending an afternoon with Mai. He knew he would be leaving to help Aang and his group, and he also knew that the group did not trust him. But Zuko had a secret Pai Sho tile hidden up his sleeve – Katara and her Dai Li programming. If Zuko could activate that programming, he would have an ally within their group and he would be denying his sister the chance to use Katara to her advantage. Being able to talk to her and be around her would infinitely ease the pain of Mai’s absence.

The idea of using Katara like that left Zuko somewhat uneasy. Control and manipulation were tools that Azula used to her advantage. Zuko had never been one to approach anything with subtlety and guile – his methods were direct in their approach. His quest for the Avatar had been as straightforward as his manner. The battles he had fought had likewise been direct and confrontational. Changing his tactics like this was like trying to teach a dragon how to swim underwater – it could be done but required time and learning.

There was also the question of what he would see within the blue eyes that he had seen in passing inside his dreams. As much as he disliked admitting it, although Katara was not a firebender she still had the fighting spirit of one. He could see the defiance and vibrance in her movements and in her expression when they had fought one another and it had always given him a quiet thrill, a shot of adrenaline, to witness it in action.

That spirit was part of what made Katara so interesting to him, and Zuko did not know what he would see in her eyes if he activated her programming. Would she still have that same spirit? This was a question he did not have an answer for and the thought of losing that fire was almost enough to make him re-think his plan. Unfortunately, Zuko knew that he had a greater duty to perform and he was in no position to question whether or not it was worth it – such thoughts were better saved once the deed was done.

Gaze fixed firmly upon the moon, framed by the heavens, Zuko returned to his plans. In a week he would either be dead or on his way to help the Avatar.

---

Halfway across the Fire Kingdom a pair of dark blue eyes watched the moon as it rose gracefully in the sky, lost in her own thoughts. Katara and the rest of the group had bedded down for the night on an empty island deep in Fire Nation territory. The night sky was clear above their heads and the fire had already died down as the night progressed.

The past few weeks had been especially trying for Katara and the rest of her group. With the fall of Ba Sing Se, she and the others had been placed in the position of being the literal last, best hope for the world. It was a position that she had not wanted to assume but circumstances had forced it upon her all the same.

The stress of being placed in that position had been incredible on everyone. Katara had handled it fairly well until recently, but she had seen the cracks starting to develop among the group. Toph, the youngest of their group, had been the best barometer of the stress. Already combative towards Katara because of their age difference, she had demonstrated moments of clearly irrational thought and had involved Aang and Sokka in several ploys that had almost gotten them into serious trouble and jeopardized their quest. Although the two women had resolved their differences and come to a better understanding of each other, there were moments when Katara was actively concerned for the wellbeing of their earthbending master.

Sokka had always been someone who handled stress fairly well. Katara figured it was his light, joking manner that allowed him to cope with the stress so well. Unfortunately for her, she had seen the stress starting to take its toll on him. There had been moments where she had wanted to pull him aside and tell him to calm down; reassure her brother in any way possible that the plans he had developed for the invasion were going to succeed. Then there were the moments where he had made her angry at his stubbornness and pigheadedness towards others. Now that they were only a few days shy of the invasion she knew that his thoughts had to be turning towards their eventual reunion with their father for the invasion.

Then there was Aang. Of all in their group, not counting her, Aang had suffered the worst under the stress. Katara had wept for several days after Aang had finally awoken, crying at the terrible events that had driven the smile from her friend’s face. The expression on Aang’s face when they had suggested that the Avatar remain hidden had been like a Fire Nation soldier’s dagger through her heart. Reason had eventually won the day, and over time the Avatar had returned to his smiling, carefree self. But behind the smile and the free demeanor Katara knew there were worries and doubts lurking there.

Many worries and doubts also lurked in her mind. After her recent encounter with Hama, Katara had begun to wonder if she was cracking under the pressure. She had learned bloodbending against her will, forced to learn it to defend herself by the elder waterbender from her tribe. Bloodbending had been something that Katara wished she could have just as soon forgotten – the feeling of being controlled and having absolute control over a person had left her feeling sick to her stomach and dirtier than if she had rolled in a farmer’s manure pile. After she had defeated Hama and handed her over, Katara had spent several hours bathing herself, trying desperately to remove the unclean feeling.

Her dreams had not helped any, either. Katara had not had a good night’s sleep since their stay in Ba Sing Se. After dealing with Hama, the dreams had turned from just becoming a firebender to being a Firebender who could bloodbend. In her dreams now, Katara often dreamed that she was manipulating her friends when they turned against her, making them fight each other. The dreams often left her lying awake in her bedding in a cold sweat, unable or unwilling to go back to sleep afterwards.

Katara had taken to thinking and reflecting on the war lately, especially in light of the optimism that the invasion would succeed. She was no philosopher or scholar, but Katara had seen the war firsthand and had lived in its shadow since birth. What she had seen had told her that this war was all about control through various means. The Fire Nation sought control through their dominance militarily over everyone else. Although they did not speak for the whole of the Earth Kingdom, the Dai Li had used mind control on some to control what people thought and saw of the war going on outside their walls. Even Hama had resorted towards using bending as a way to control others – a step that Katara felt was no better than the Fire Nation or the Dai Li.

She had no idea why everyone was fixated with the idea of control. Being under Hama’s control had been scary – not having control of her own body had been one of the most terrifying things Katara had ever experienced. She had seen what the Dai Li’s form of control had done to Jet – how it had turned him against everyone and made him believe in things he otherwise would not have believed in. Having Hama under her control had felt exhilarating for a moment as Katara realized she could do the ultimate form of waterbending, but the idea of stooping to the levels of her enemies had made Katara swear she would never use the technique unless absolutely necessary.

No one person or nation should have control over others. Life in her tribe had taught her the value of community and it was a value that she had tried to keep at the forefront with their group. The only way to bring balance to the world and keep it there was to make sure that no one person or nation could have control over anyone else who did not want to be under that control. The Air Nomads had no real government to speak of, and the Water Tribes were built around community as opposed to government. Even the Earth Kingdom was, itself, broken down into many smaller kingdoms that governed themselves.

All Katara wanted now was to bring this war to an end so she could return to her people and live a normal life. Aang and the rest of their group had come so far in so short a time, yet Katara knew that they had very little time left if they were to end things once and for all. Sighing, trying to shake the thoughts from her mind, Katara closed her eyes and hoped that she would not have the dreams again tonight.
- 2
- 3
- 4
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Lost Roads