Chapter 21

-[Aroh]-

The teens stared at the large temple that had a fire nation banner hanging from the top, signifying its allegiance with varying emotions.

"The northern air temple…it's been taken over by the fire nation." Aang muttered in shock and despair.

Sokka turned to glared at Aroh. "You see why we can't trust you people?!"

Aroh merely arched an eyebrow. "Are you insinuating that I'm responsible for this?"

"You're from the fire nation, aren't you?! Taking over things is like your natural instinct!" Sokka accused.

Katara finally enough as she stepped in between them. "Sokka that's enough! He isn't with the fire nation anymore. He's on our side." She defended but Sokka wasn't convinced.

"I still don't trust him!"

While they were arguing, Aroh had opened up the bag of supplies he had salvaged from Jeong Jeong and his people, pulling out some wires and knives, hiding them on his body.

He remembered that the scientist/inventor that lived in the temple was the one who created weapons for the fire nation, unwillingly helping them stay at the top of the power struggle.

'Alive or dead?' He wondered whether to simply kill the man and keep the fire nation from gaining more advanced weaponry.

He remembered that the man was also important in creating the equipment for the invasion on the day of black sun…if that would still happen.

After a moment of careful consideration, he came to a decision. 'Alive.'

The two siblings temporarily paused their argument as Aroh fastened his sword to his side.

"And what do you think you're doing?" Sokka questioned.

"Get us closer to the temple." Aroh said, ignoring the question.

"You want us to waltz into a place filled with firebenders! I knew it!" Sokka accused.

Katara groaned as she got in his face. "Can you not be immature for five minutes?!"

Before either of them could say anything more, the monk who had been silent so far was at the helms as Appa sped up.

The look of despair was still on his face as he piloted the bison closer. Whether it was because Aang wanted to help him or because he was upset that the fire nation had desecrated the temple, Aroh didn't think too deeply as he tensed.

As soon as they were above the temple, Aroh jumped off the bison, letting gravity take him down.

"Are you crazy?!" He heard Sokka scream.

His eyes quickly scanned the courtyard, looking for any civilians among the groups of fire nation soldiers.

Finding none, he took in a deep breath, quickly exhaling a large stream of fire aimed downwards. The fire engulfed a good deal of the court, enveloping the soldiers below who screamed in shock and pain.

A knife fell into his hand from inside his sleeve. With a flick of his wrist, the knife tore through the air and dug into the side of the wall of the temple.

As he descended, he gripped something invisible as a brief shine of metal revealed a tiny wire in his grasp, the other end tied to the knife.

Using the wire, he swung himself to the wall of the temple. Using the temple as a foothold, he pushed off the wall, moving downwards at even greater speed.

He pulled out his sword midair, lightning flowing through it as he quickly reached ground level, a single swing taking down two soldiers the moment he landed.

"It's him!"

"Kill him!"

The ones who survived the initial attack were barely able to organize themselves as he slipped in between them, his sword cutting through them like a hot knife through butter as it hummed with lightning.

He tilted to the side, avoiding a blast of fire that passed by his face. Dodging another blast from the same attacker, he moved quickly, decapitating them in mere moments.

Barely a minute passed and only one of them was left. Just as he was about to finish him off, he leaped backwards to dodge a blast of air.

He turned to see Aang with a horrified look on his face and his staff in his hands, tense and ready.

"What are you doing?!" The bald monk screamed in horror.

Aroh raised a brow. "I'm doing what needs to be done."

"You're killing people!" Aang accused furiously..

"That's what happens in war. A war you interestingly abstained from. Go back on ice and wait another 100 years." Aroh said, tired of the boy constantly seeking a fight with him.

With a flick of his wrist, a knife sailed through the air faster than Aang could react, burying itself in the head of the man who tried to run away.

Some of the men didn't wear the skull helmet, leaving them unprotected against such attacks.

"You monster!" Aang screamed, swinging his staff in front of him, a large blast of air shooting forward.

It went forward without resistance but Aroh was gone before it could get to him. Before Aang could express his shock, an intense feeling of dread washed over him.

In the few seconds that passed, he saw hallucinations of himself getting killed in numerous brutal ways, his knees buckling as he fell back to the floor.

He didn't need to turn back to know that Aroh was behind him, being the source of the sensation of death he was feeling.

The teen's next words only proved it. "Our little dance is over. Get in my way again and I'll kill you. It's as simple as that."

Aroh didn't raise his voice but the message was loud enough as he walked away. He barely cared whether Aang was alive or not.

The only thing that stopped him from being the one to end it was his curiosity about the situation with Vaatu and whether killing Aang, Raava's host, would make it worse.

The boy was proving to be more trouble than it was worth.

As he walked away, he saw more fire nation soldiers running into the courtyard. He heard metallic sounds, watching as metal tanks with the fire nation insignia rolled out as well.

He frowned at that, increasing the amount of lightning he generated through the sword as it crackled audibly.

Preparing to move, his frown deepened as he felt the wind pick up around him. 'Give it a rest!' He screamed internally.

In all his recent years, Aang was one of, if not, the only person that had personally fought Aroh more than once and it was becoming a struggle to hold himself back.

Just when he resolved himself to make the air nomads permanently extinct, he noticed something as a funnel of air was generated, pulling the tanks around and tossing them away.

The wind surrounded Aang and Aroh, cutting them off from the others, causing the latter to frown even more.

"What are you doing?" He asked cautiously, his sword ready to strike when the glow in Aang's eyes and tattoos brightened, enveloping the monk.

By the time the glow dimmed, a taller and elderly figure stood in his place, a soft glow surrounding him.

"Roku. Why are you here?" Aroh questioned, even more on guard.

"I am not here to harm you. I am simply here, hoping you would grant me one request. To spare this young avatar." Roku said in a somewhat pleading manner.

"Why should I grant that request? He's been nothing but a nuisance so far." Aroh asked.

"Because the avatar is-"

Aroh interrupted immediately. "If you're going to spew me grand words that the avatar is the key to balance then you might as well stop right there."

His words caused Roku to enter a state of silence.

"Give me an actual reason or his head rolls. There will still be three more avatars before the cycle ends completely." Aroh said, completely serious.

Roku hummed for a moment before speaking. "Think of it as a request from a great grandfather to his descendant."

-[Azula]-

She had finally gotten a hold of Mai and Ty Lee. The latter was a bit reluctant to leave the circus but it was nothing she couldn't fix.

She was a princess after all.

A few polite suggestions during her performance and the girl quit the circus immediately after to join her.

"I still don't get why we're looking for this guy." Ty Lee said in confusion.

Mai nodded. "For once I agree. Why are we looking for some rogue soldier? From what I hear, he's dangerous."

Azula smirked as she turned to face them. "That is exactly why we're looking for him."

Ty Lee was holding a poster of the so-called 'Demon blade' with a curious look on her face. She held it high as she inspected it.

"He kind of looks like you." She joked only for Azula's smirk to widen a bit.

"Of course. It's only natural that twins look alike." She said, causing Mai in Ty Lee to freeze in shock.

She had long since figured it out.

Her mother, nearly driven insane from the pressure that came with being in a forced marriage, thought her a monster while she babied Zuko.

After her mother disappeared, she stumbled upon an old hidden letter in her mother's vacant room from uncle Iroh that her son had been taken to war.

Zuko was still in the palace so it obviously wasn't referring to him. It also brought attention to the feeling she'd ignored up until then, that something was missing.

Ozai obviously didn't want them to know about it so she had to be as discreet as possible. There were servants who roamed the palace since before she was born.

A few questions and threats of death and punishment got them talking. She had a brother, a twin brother who disappeared mere days after they were born.

It was assumed to be the work of assassins as the baby was never seen again. The servants and important people who were aware were forced to stay silent on the matter or risk Ozai's wrath.

Apparently, it was a lie. He was alive and he was sent to fight in the war, something Ozai was obviously aware of which meant that he had a hand in it.

Iroh was also aware of it but this was when he was still a cold hearted general and not a tea loving senile.

She knew there was no way he'd survive in a war. Talented as she knew she was, she was also aware that she would struggle even with all of her training at the time.

She was proven wrong as a name rose among the soldiers years later. The details were sketchy but as time went on, it became clearer and she was a patient person.

Only after the 'Demon Blade' clashed with Zhao did the details finally become clear enough. Same age as she was and with similar features for any who tried to see the resemblance.

The most important yet minor characteristic that clinched it was the black eyes, the apparent reason he was expunged from the royal family.

The color of one's eyes were very important in distinguishing one's birth nation or ancestry. A child of a fire lord born with black eyes rather than the amber eyes of a fire bender…unspeakable.

She knew it, she had found her brother.

'Wait for me.'