The Cyclic War [CH. 1-2 UP]

[Tera253]

Part 1 of 14 of my "Tales of the Avatars" series. For once, with canon characters, too!
that aside, I apologize for any rapeage I may do.

THE TALES OF THE AVATARS (I)


PROLOGUE
Just when we thought that the war was over, we learn that it was only just beginning afresh. This war seems to be a little different though, as Fire Lord Zuko is not by any means encouraging any continuation of the 100-Year War. This “new” war seems to be one of prejudice, which seemed to originate against Aang for whatever reason. The tragedy that struck him and his band of friends, who had become war heroes in the three months that had passed since he had removed the bending prowess of Fire Lord Ozai. However, in those three months, Aang had vanished. He was found in the outer regions of the Western Air Temple about a month later. He was unharmed, and yet, somehow, had died. Similarly, around this time, Air Nomad refugees had begun reappearing after Fire Lord Zuko had declared peace.

The mystery on the hands of the world was a simple question, and yet one that struck fear into the hearts of the world: who had slain the Avatar, and more importantly, why? What sort of streak of insanity could drive anyone other than a follower of Sozin to kill him?

Incidentally, the suspects were not Fire Nation, as firebenders left signs when they killed. It was either the Water Tribes, who would do so to have the next Avatar be one of their kind, or a fellow Air Nomad refugee, as those were the only people who ever wasted their times in the near-forsaken Air Nomad regions nowadays. The Earth Kingdom had considered Aang their savior, as he had been the one to stop Ozai in his tracks form burning the entire region to the ground.
Aang’s mysterious death aside, and the unease, everything else seemed to have mostly returned to normal. Needless to say, Katara was quite stressed about the situation, but, like the way she coped with the loss of her mother, she cracked down and decided to make something of her life, and she dedicated her days to the building up of the Southern Water Tribe. She herself became a battle-hardened warrior, and violently defended her region and the Southern Air Temple from rebel Fire Nation raids. After all, not everyone was pleased with Ozai’s fall.

Sokka ran off with Suki somewhere, but always seemed to be there when the call of battle came. When it did, he and Hakoda were always the master strategists a usual, and they proved effective.

Toph devoted her life to becoming an earthbending legend. She was also often seen at Iroh’s Jasmine Dragon Tea House, as she and the old firebender had become quite good friends. When they were not in the Earth Kingdom, they were in the Fire Nation assisting Zuko where necessary, which was usually something about making sure Ozai, and more importantly, Azula, remained in check, and quelling the war supporters and their rebellions.

All of these things kept Zuko busy, but with so many of his friends there to help him, as well as several wise sages and the likes, he got the job done. Additionally, with the help of Iroh, who was either in the Earth Kingdom at his tea shop or in the courts with Toph assisting Zuko, Zuko was able to hold back his enemies.

Azula was the main enemy of peace in times like this. Iroh and Toph were the ones best to keep her subdued. In fact, it seemed that they were the only ones able to do so almost.

Ty Lee quickly rose through the ranks of the Kyoshi Warriors, becoming second in command, only to Suki. She traveled the world with her divisions, doing whatever was necessary to stop any bloodshed.

Mai remained with Zuko, thorough tough times and good times alike. They eventually married, and Mai gave birth to a set of twins. However, during this time and other times, she would often disappear, only to reappear a few days or weeks later. She was unhurt from this, and she did not seem any different from the times she left. She was open about her loyalty to Zuko and his cause, so thought of her being a traitor was out of the minds of most people. What he was doing though, and where she was going, was a consistent mystery.

Ozai was kept locked up in the prison that he was placed in after Aang had defeated him. He said nothing to anyone, and knew nothing of the outside world. If he did, he seemed rather skilled at hiding it.

The world itself was on edge because of the Fire Nation Civil Wars that broke out, the Earth Kingdom rebellions that popped up here and there, some minor complications between the two Water Tribes, and a band of rouge Air Nomads, led by a woman named Nailah at the Western Air Temple. Rightfully feeling that they easily got the worst end of this war, they roughed up anyone of any nationality other than their own. The Air nomad Culture had vanished, but the few Air nomads that were still alive were trying to bring parts it back. Naturally though, this would take time. Sorting everything out would take time—lots of time...

Nine years after the death of Aang, There were still no leads on who had killed him, Azula was still under control, Ozai still did not speak to anyone, and there were still wars and contentions. There was no sign of the Avatar, though the Water Tribe knew that he or she was among them—they would only be 9 years old anyways.

Nailah’s band of rouge Air Nomads proved to be more of a nuisance than the rest of the world had thought. They were not causing extensive damage; just enough to be recognized, and yet not enough to be a world threat by any means. During this time, Mai’s twins, Zabota and Nakrelu, began growing up as well, being 6 years old by this time. The world was seemingly stuck in a repeating cycle, like it had been for the last 9 years. This, however, was about to change...


~Azula~

[Raava]

Nice. WRITE MOAR!!!!!!!!!! MUAHAHAHAHAAAAA!
Woo, I'm hyper. =P But it's awesome ^_^

[monkgyatso]

Oh my goodness this is really good so far!! Can't wait for the next part!!

[Nev]

Awesome, you may need to re arrange the part aout Azual still being under control, it confused me as I thought she had taken over.

BUT STILL AWESOME

[Shonee]

Oh, Tera, how you keep me constantly on a cliffhanger...
Very nice. 83

[Tera253]

woo... popularity FTW? =3

soo... here's chapter 1-1. There's some OCs, but that sort of thing would be expected. don't worry, these Kai and Sanaki people are not the main characters. They're major ones, but they're not going to drown out (most of) the main cast.

and ZUZU IZ FIAHLAWD ZOMG!!! Whcih means that that, combined with my bad writing skills probably means character rape, but that's all accidental. I swear.


but anyways, I'm ranting. here's Chapter 1-1.

CHAPTER 1-1
9 years after the war; Fire Nation Palace

The rebellions had gone on and off, many of them taking place outside of the Fire Nation’s boundaries. There were Two types of Fire Nation forces in other parts of the world—the forces of Fire Lord Zuko, who were there to make amends and repairs, and the forces of Sozin, as they were called, who still believed in the Fire Nation’s imperialistic dreams that the Fire Lords of old had set in their minds. Granted, they were not able to take any territory with their scattered forces, but they were surprisingly well-organized. Many of them were playing the “good guys” and pretending to be on Zuko’s side, and they had yet to be caught.

As a result of all of these things, it was no surprise when a Fire Nation General came in to see the Fire Lord to alert him of another skirmish.
Bowing respectfully, the general informed him that this particular scuffle had broken out in the city of Gaoling itself, and that the Earth Kingdom had brought in at least one unit.

“Toph,” Zuko muttered under his breath. The young Fire Lord looked down towards the general. He was actually pleased to know that Toph was involved in the fighting, and did not think that she would get killed in this fight by any means. For the record, he actually doubted she would even get hurt.

“Send reinforcements to Gaoling at once,” Zuko declared, “and let Sanaki the Apprentice go with them.”

There were many folks of all sorts that were in the courts of Fire Lord Zuko. Among them were many of his old friends, even though they were not living “full-time” in the Fire Nation.

Also in his courts were a waterbender and firebender. The waterbender was a 45-year-old woman by the name of Kai Serenes, and she proved to be an incredible “keeper of the peace.” The firebender was actually a young blind woman aged 22 who was an apprentice Firebending teacher—almost a master. She was never seen away from Kai Serenes during her childhood, and she was an adept learner. Kai Serenes had first appeared just after Aang died, but had sworn loyalty to peace, and proved so far to be a woman of her word. She was 36 when that happened, and so she was not the Avatar.

Sanaki was a cheerful young woman, and her skills were considerable. She was loyal to Zuko and his cause, and was friends with Ty Lee, Mai, Sokka, Toph, and Iroh as well. Though blind, she used firebending to “see”, using the different heat levels of her surroundings to locate them. She would give the division that Zuko was sending to Gaoling the extra edge they could use that would likely help them win.

Granted, she was no one-woman army. She had her own weaknesses just like anyone else, but it was her wily speed that kept her foes off balance. She and Toph often sparred together, though Toph almost always won.

Despite being an adult, Sanaki was cared for by Kai Serenes, who Sanaki still looked to as a mother figure. Zuko summoned her to the throne room after the general departed, only to inform her that he required Sanaki to go with the general’s division.

“Ultimately,” said Kai gently, bowing respectfully in an unusual Water Tribe fashion, “the decision is hers to make, not mine.”

“She looks to you as a mother figure,” Zuko replied wisely, “and when someone needs a child for an errand, who first to inform other than the child’s mother?”
Kai did not reply, as she knew it was a rhetorical question.

“Ultimately, however,” said Zuko, “I will not put on my shoulders the shameful tactics of my forefathers. If it is against her will, I am not going to force Li Chan Sanaki into anything.”

Zuko was naturally not this easily bendable towards people, but he had certain respect for Sanaki, and even more so, Kai. There were few who did not respect them, as they both seldom did anything to make people hate them. Both of them were very friendly—Sanaki was very outgoing, while Kai was much more timid. Both were quite intelligent, and often tried to reason as to avoid fights.

“I do not believe that Sanaki would call it force, my lord,” Kai answered, “She’s eager to join in the fights against the rebellions, but she is a cautious fighter. It is why she plays such a perfect complement to Lady Bei Fong Toph.”

“She is the one who saves Toph’s reckless hide,” Zuko remarked. He even chuckled a little. After all, he and Kai had interacted casually before, and it was not in a rulebook that a Fire Lord was not allowed to smile.

“And if she knows that Toph is there, I assure you that she will want to go with little other motivation necessary.”

“Rise then,” Zuko smiled, and Kai stood up. “You are to inform her of this talk, and tell her that the Fire Lord thanks her. you are dismissed.”

“As you wish, my lord,” Kai replied, and she departed the throne room to present Sanaki with the news...

~Azula~

[Shonee]

Yay, new chapter! 8D

Don't worry, Tera. You didn't completely rape Zuko's character. ^^

Trust me, I've seen waaaaaaay worse... >-<
Does "mary sue shipping" give you a good enough image?

[Tera253]

urgh... yes. yes it does oh so much.

it happens a lot on Avatar RP sites.

but ye... this Zuko is with Mai, as he should be (by that, I mean, that's who he ended up with in the show, sooooo...)

ye. that little Sanaki character might be friendly with him (as we'll soon see) but there's no love intereste between them at all. it's just a friendship, and we'll see why.

but chapter 1-2 is going to move to Gaoling, where we'll see just what sort of mischief Toph has gotten herself into, and how this Sanaki fights.
~Azula~

[Tera253]

and here is this chapter 1-2. sorry about the wait. likewith Water Tribe, it was a lot about computer issues.

that aside, ehre goes.

CHAPTER 1-2
9 years after the war; outskirts of Gaoling

Why did these stupid extremists have to be such idiots about this whole thing? The war was over, and their cause is futile. Toph cursed as she had to think about this again. She had just finished winning another Earth Rumble tournament, and was going for her usual post-victory walk through the outskirts of Gaoling. Where she went from here was not known by anyone, and Toph never let anyone in on her secret.
This time, however, she was interrupted by a decent-sized scuffle taking place several hundred yards away from where she was. It was somewhat of a riot, but on a larger scale, and it was growing quickly.

“Damn,” she swore under her breath, and she raced towards the scene of the crime. This had been the 19th time in the last 31 days that something like this had happened in the outskirts of her hometown, and she was not going to sit for this. She hoped that Fire Lord Zuko’s reinforcements which he had sent a letter to her about would come soon. The letter had come to Iroh, and he had been the means of communicating it to her.

Even now, she stopped to wonder if she should run and get Iroh. She knew that her voice was respected, but to get another respected voice in the area would only make things stronger in her favor.

She eventually decided against it, figuring that the old man should not have to worry himself over minor skirmishes that she could take down almost all by herself. If Li Chan Sanaki was with the reinforcements like Zuko said she would be, then there would be no contest, and Toph would order the other troops away. Toph did not have control over any troops, let alone Fire Nationers, but she was a respected war hero, and they listened to the earthbender’s words with respect, as long as they did not go against their orders from the Fire Lord. The Earth Kingdom listened to her as if she was their queen, but Toph neither acted the part nor demanded her orders be followed. She simply pitched them out, and they were good ideas worth following.

Toph decided that jumping into this fight right now was not something she wanted to do. She had taken several nasty hits from the 44 Earth Rumble rounds she had just gone through, as even she was not invincible. She claimed she was pretty close to that state though, and never hesitated to brag about it.

She stamped the ground and began sliding back into town, to see if the reinforcements had arrived. They were already a few hours late, but Toph figured that with the current state of the Fire Nation, that this might have happened. However, the lateness was worth the wait, for among them was Sanaki Li Chan.

“Katemas, Li Chan Sanaki,” Toph called out, and Sanaki smirked.

“Katemas, Bei Fong Toph,” she replied, and the two blind women embraced each other. What ‘Katemas’ meant was unknown. It seemed to just be a word that these two had created for a greeting.

“So you were deployed with this rabble?” Toph laughed, winking at the soldiers to show that she didn’t quite mean what she was saying,

“Aye,” Sanaki replied, “we heard it was just a small rebellion.”

“That’s true to an extent,” Toph replied, letting the commander of the Fire Nation unit lead her and Sanaki to the scene of battle, “but for the record, an Earth Kingdom military unit has gotten involved against these creeps. These damn conspirators are everywhere.”

“I hate that,” Sanaki growled, “I hope we can show them a thing or two about what war reparation means.”

“Sanaki,” Toph laughed, “show some confidence. We’re awesome, and so the chance of us losing is zero—it’s not going to happen.”

“Toph, you and your zero-fear psychology is going to get you killed.”

“Three times over,” Toph laughed. “Until then though, it’s my duty to be extremely awesome and beat up anyone who opposes me.”

“Very well,” Sanaki replied, “keep in mind though that if you falter, I’ll beat you more than I already do.”

“I still win way more than you, Sanaki.”

“I know that, Toph. That does not mean that I never win.”

The two of them talked in this manner for a while until they returned to the scene of the crime, the march back was slower than Toph’s run to where the reinforcements had been, but that was expected.

“Well Sanaki,” Toph grinned, “ready to show them the fate of all rebels that come into our home turf?”

Sanaki nodded. This was going to be a good, hard fight, but it would be fun.

~Azula~