Tale Of Two Avatars

The Ember Island Players

A lot has happened since the day Zuko and Sokka set off for the Boiling Rock, they managed to escape from the prison, coming back to us unscathed and managing to successfully bring Akemi, Hakoda and Suki with them. Our reunion with them was short-lived though, after Azula somehow found us at the Western Air Temple with Fire Nation airships. We had to separate from Hakoda and Akemi to escape her while Zuko kept her distracted, holding his own pretty well, though Suki did come with us. And thankfully, I did manage to talk to Akemi about my past, among other things.

Flashback Starts:

In a secluded area of the Western Air Temple devoid of chatter and noise, Akemi and I both sat on a rock bench. I began sharing everything I knew about my past thus far. "Well, I know that my mother is Yamuna, a waterbender and Ryu is my father, a master airbender. Your mother is Kiyome, my sister, who was an airbender. I heard that she and I were pretty much opposites in terms of our personalities, she was calm while I had a uh, short fuse, but apparently, we were really close."

"This is true," Akemi nodded. "My mother was very calm and gentle."

"But I don't understand one thing, the Fire Nation claimed that they wiped out all the airbenders in the world, well, everyone except Aang. I had a vision, where Kiyome stayed back with Yamuna and me when Ryu went to the air temple to battle the Fire Nation. Did she manage to hide herself from the Fire Nation soldiers?"

"She died a sad death, Suzume. She happened to stumble across a cave that looked like it was inhabited by some other airbenders that escaped and once she entered the cave, thinking she had found other airbenders, she was ambushed by Fire Nation soldiers and killed." A tear escapes her eye and I put my arm around her, patting her back comfortingly and holding back my tears.

I clench my fists resentfully. "I should've known the Fire Nation would do something like that." 'Aang and I were lucky to escape from Zhao.'  

"My father took care of me after that," Akemi continued. "He was a great waterbender, but unfortunately, he was unable to teach me any waterbending techniques because of your situation so I learnt the art of healing."

"How about my mom? Did you get to meet her?" I inquired.

"Yes, I did get to meet her, but she was mostly preoccupied with trying to find you. But once she heard about Kiyome's death, she was just burdened with so many things and that took a toll on her health. And she died because of it."

"I ruined her life." I put my head in my hands. "She wasted her life trying to find me when she could've spent it doing so many other things."

"Well, you can't look back at it now, you have to look ahead," Akemi advised, patting my back comfortingly. "You are the second Avatar now and you have the chance to save the world, don't let your mom die for nothing.

"I can't even activate the Avatar State. The only way I see myself defeating the Fire Lord now, is through finding balance within myself and balance with Aang. And I'm not sure if I can even find balance within myself," I sighed sadly.

"Suzume, to find balance within yourself, you must put aside all the past grievances and all the things the Fire Nation has done to your family. You probably feel a deep hatred towards the Fire Nation for everything they've done to us, but as the Avatar, the reason you are taking down the Fire Lord is for the sake of the world, not for the sake of avenging our family. As hard as it may sound, you must put aside your hatred for the Fire Nation to achieve balance within yourself, just think of taking down the Fire Lord as something that benefits the world and brings balance to it, that is your duty."

"It'll be hard for me to do," I admitted.

"I know, and I can't force you to put your hate aside, but what I can give you is space to think about it. You still have time to prepare for your encounter with the Fire Lord with Aang. So think about it carefully and remember, you are doing this for the sake of the world. I know that you'll make the right decision." Akemi rises, walking and leaving me. I gaze ahead blankly, contemplating and mulling her suggestion over, knowing that my decision would be critical to how the war would end. And right now, that outcome was looking pretty grim.