Chapter Text
“What kind of suggestion is that?” Tetsutetsu growled, displeased.
“Our powers would elicit too much suspicion, dumbass,” Bakugo snarled back. “And it’s not like I’m peachy with the scenario, either. Can’t believe I’m saying this, but we can’t rush in blind.”
“I get it,” Kirishima nodded along thoughtfully. “We’ll basically be doing what Midoriya did for the longest time. Using strategy to win instead of sheer power.”
“Still, that puts us at a heavy disadvantage,” Honenuki muttered. “Maybe we can increase our power by using Quirks at the right time.”
“How so?” Todoroki asked.
“Using Tetsutetsu or Kirishima as an example, they can participate in hand to hand combat. However, they would increase their attack power by only hardening their fists when they punch.”
“Yeah, that makes sense!” Tetsutetsu cheered. “We’d still keep our Quirks well hidden and have a fighting chance.”
“For Todoroki, using ice in smaller bursts would help,” Honenuki continued. “You can’t explain a large wall of ice like the one you used to stop the fireball, but I doubt anyone would notice it on a smaller scale.”
Todoroki nodded, and began pitching in his own ideas. “Kaminari can revert to his old ‘Stun Gun’ method, shocking people on touch. Or, alternatively, he can claim that the lightning only comes from the Sharpshooting gear and not bending. Bakugo, similarly to Kirishima, can activate his Quirk to add more impact to his punches.”
“Don’t tell me what to do, Icy Hot!”
“Tsuburaba and I can set traps,” Honenuki suggested. “They would be hard to notice. I can also control the terrain to an extent for larger scale traps.”
“I would most likely be relegated to support, in this case,” Shiozaki noted in disappointment, running a finger along one of her vines. “There is little I could do in this scenario without revealing myself.”
“Right,” Todoroki sighed. “Since we’ve got a plan, let’s see if we can coordinate something with the other warriors. We can also get treatment for our injuries.”
The group walked back into the main city area. The fireballs that breached the wall were minimal, but there were still some destroyed bridges and buildings.
“I hope no one’s trapped there,” Kirishima fretted, biting at his lip.
“We’ve dealt with small time villains and had disaster training, but this is something of a whole new caliber,” Honenuki agreed. “We’ve never been in an all out war.”
“We’ll have to undertake rescue operations if things get dire,” Todoroki suggested.
“Let’s hope that actually pays off,” Tsuburaba sighed.
They saw Pakku a few feet off, leading a tactical meeting of sorts. The group dispersed before the heroes could reach them, leaving only Pakku.
“We’d like to offer our services,” Todoroki started. “Perhaps we could discuss strategy.”
Pakku’s initially indifferent expression turned to one of distrust. “So now you want to help?”
“What do you mean? We always did,” Kaminari spoke up, uncertainly.
“If most of you are non benders, you could have volunteered with Arnook’s warriors. However, you ignored that option. I can’t take you seriously as fighters, given your ridiculous outfits.”
The group remained silent, eyes shifting between each other. In a sense, Pakku was right. In the haste of the battle, they forgot their cover story. Their hero costumes also let them down once more.
“At this moment, I frankly don’t have the capacity to trust you,” Pakku explained. “In this direct line of fire, you will be a liability.”
“Just try us!” Bakugo exclaimed. “We’ve been spending the last few hours taking down ships with Arrows! We’re plenty qualified!”
“What he said, but more politely,” Honenuki interjected. “While our skill sets might not be fully compatible with yours, but I can assure you that they exist. Even if it is to simply play support, we’d like to help.”
Pakku looked at them for a few more moments, contemplating. “Fine,” he grumbled. “If you wish to strategize, then Honenuki can come meet with me. He seems to have a good head on his shoulders. Use your skills wisely.”
“Got it!” Tsuburaba cheered. “We won’t let you down.”
This only seemed to make Pakku look more pessimistic. He turned away, leaving the heroes alone once more. Honenuki was quick to follow him.
“Well, at least he somewhat trusts us,” Kaminari shrugged.
“More like he doesn’t see any other choice,” Tetsutetsu growled.
Princess Yue, Katara, and Aang walked up behind them. “You guys have a plan?” Katara asked.
“Sort of,” Tsuburaba shrugged. “Do you?”
“We were going to turn to the spirits for aid,” Princess Yue explained. “I was leading them to our spiritual oasis.”
“I’ll accompany you,” Shiozaki offered. “My abilities in this current battlefield are severely limited.”
“Alright,” Katara agreed. The four of them continued walking.
“I guess the rest of us start preparing,” Kirishima sighed, stretching slightly. A round of nods followed.
~~~
“I don’t like this,” Shiozaki murmured lightly, tugging at her veil.
“What do you mean?” Yue asked.
“I feel frustrated,” Shiozaki admitted. “I wanted to become a hero to help people, but here I am useless.”
“You’re not useless,” Aang protested.
“That doesn’t change how I feel,” Shiozaki replied. “People of my faith are often accused of doing nothing but praying when disaster strikes. For years, I’ve wanted to prove that stereotype false. I’d be God’s warrior, taking action to save others. Yet here I am, in the line of battle, and all I can do is pray.”
Katara pursed her lips. “Well, as far as I’m concerned, you’ve been doing a great job,” she said firmly. “In all the time I’ve known you, you always try to help in anyway you can. You tried to save me and Sokka when that mole creature and the bounty hunter attacked. And, if it helps to see it this way, now you could help protect Aang as he asks the spirits for help.”
Even though Shiozaki’s face was full of uncertainty, the taller girl gave a slight smile in gratitude.
A few moments later, they arrived at a small circular doorway. Yue pulled it open, allowing the others passage. It led to a small yet lushious oasis, complete with a waterfall.
“This is the center of the spiritual energy in our land,” Yue explained, leading them to a small pond in the center of the oasis. Two fish, one black and the other white, swam in mesmerizing circles in the water.
“It’s so warm,” Katara exclaimed, removing her coat. Yue did the same while Aang settled down in front of the pond, taking a meditative position.
“Shiozaki, are you sure you don’t want to take off the veil?” Yue asked. “It’s too hot for that.”
Shiozaki still looked uncertain, almost conflicted. All the sudden, she burst into tears. “Forgive me! It was not my intention to deceive you or your people.”
Yue was confused. “What do you mean?”
“Yeah, calm down,” Katara said worriedly.
Shiozaki finally lifted the hood off her head, revealing her head of vines. “Lying is an egregious sin. I only did it to help keep up the semblance of normality.”
Yue looked between the now weeping girl and Katara. “Is this about her hair?”
With the ruse up, Katara relented. “Yeah. She would have stood out too much, so she agreed to hide her hair. It looks like it took a toll on her mental state.”
“My comrades and I stand out too much based on the norm of appearances,” Shiozaki explained while drying her tears. “Therefore, most of them disguised their unusual features. However, my vines cannot be subjected to the same treatment, and I was resigned to the veil. Please, forgive me for not being truthful!”
Yue put her hands up, smiling slightly. “Don’t worry. It’s nothing.”
Shiozaki looked like she still wanted to protest, but Aang piped up, “Hello! I’m trying to concentrate over here!”
“Our apologies!” Shiozaki called out, clasping her hands together. The girls stopped talking, looking on keenly. A few moments later, Aang’s eyes shot open, glowing in a pure white light. His tattoos lit up in a similar fashion.
“He’s crossing over into the Spirit World,” Katara explained, seeing Shiozaki and Yue’s shocked expressions. “He’ll be fine as long as we don’t move his body.”
“Should we go get help?” Yue asked, still uncertain.
“No, he’s my friend,” Katara smiled. “I’m perfectly capable of protecting him.”
“Well, aren’t you a big girl now.”
Katara and Shiozaki both felt a similar drop in their hearts, turning to see none other than Prince Zuko, appearing from near the waterfall.
“Hand over the Avatar and I won’t have to hurt you,” he threatened. His face was bruised and cut, as if he had just escaped a brutal fight. Yue ran off to the exit, presumably to get help. Katara and Shiozaki stood their ground, poised for battle.
Zuko struck out the first attack, kicking out a ball of fire. Katara blocked with water from the pond. Shiozaki detached several of her vines, forming a shield around Aang.
Zuko and Katara exchanged a few more blows, each succeeding in negating the other.
“I see you learned a new trick,” Zuko scowled, frustrated. “But I didn’t come this far to lose to you.”
At that moment, Shiozaki’s vines burst from beneath the ground, ensnaring Zuko and suspending him in midair. “A boastful fighter is the one most brimming with sin,” Shiozaki reprimanded him.
“You seem to have forgotten that I’ve bested you once before,” Zuko scowled, summoning more flames. Katara moved quickly to counteract him, but Zuko managed to burn through the vines and dropping nimbly to the ground.
The second he landed, however, Katara wrapped small rivulets of water around his ankles, proceeding to freeze him to the ground. With a look of fierce determination, she waved her arms in a circular fashion, calling forth wave after wave, trapping Zuko in a sphere of ice.
Inside his new prison, Zuko looked furious. “You little peasant. You’ve found yourself a master, haven’t you?”
The ice began to glow with heat. Katara stood at the ready, Shiozaki mirroring her stance with vines raised. The second the ice shattered, Shiozaki’s vines shot forward, grabbing hold of both of Zuko’s wrists. While the Fire Prince was occupied with the restraints, Katara produced the largest wave of water yet, using it to slam Zuko into the side of the oasis, freezing him to the wall.
“I doubt he is still conscious after that,” Shiozaki noted, her vines falling against her head.
“Right,” Katara nodded, still fiercely determined. “Do you think you could get more vines to shield Aang?”
Shiozaki nodded, rooting more vines in a circle around the meditating boy. “That dishonored prince is right about one thing, though. Fire is my weakness. As much as this sounds as shifting the blame, it may be the reason I’ve been less effective in fights. All my attacks can be easily negated.”
~~~
Aang wandered through the Spirit World. His past life gave him instructions, telling him to turn to the Face Stealer Koh for information. That is where his journey took him.
He walked past the twisted trees, crawling out of the lagoon where he landed. It was a very eerie place, and Aang felt goosebumps on his arms.
He passed by a section of the water that looker darker than the fluid around it, so it caught his attention. The dark water didn’t bleed or blend with the rest of the lake. He peered into it. He was shocked to see figures inside its depths.
The water served more as a looking glass. Temporarily distracted, Aang stopped to observe. There were three people seated in a circle around a rectangular board, if they could be called that. One was a girl with pale gray hair covering one half her face and tired bags underneath her one visible eye. Another seemed to have a bird for a head, given the dark feathers and beak he had in place of a face. The last figure was inky black in color, save for stark white hair.
“We are gathered here today to ask the spirits for aid,” the girl announced, looking dead serious. “Namely, we want to know if they have any information on our missing classmates.”
The bird boy sighed, interrupting. “As much as I respect your adoration for the darkness, Yanagi, I can’t help but feel this is a bit silly. The dark and dead are powerful indeed, but I fail to see how they can aid us in this scenario. Besides, meddling with dark forces beyond our comprehension might just cause more ill fortunes to befall our friends.” His language was rich and robust.
“Tokoyami, your knowledge on the darkness is still limited,” the black figure chided, his words as colorful as the last. “It has been over two months since our dear friends have vanished off the face of the earth. This is the point where we throw caution to the wind and leap headfirst into the abyss. We have to be willing to try any method if we are to have any hope of finding them.”
“I understand your concerns, but-” Tokoyami got cut off by the inky figure once more.
“Look, I am truly desperate this time, understand?” This time, his smile and the chuckle that accompanied it seemed more pained. “As previously stated, it has been over two months. You see a silly summoning ritual, I see a legitimate chance to get him - everyone - back.”
“Tokoyami, Kuroiro,” Yanagi addressed her companions crossly. “If you are done with your ‘goth-off’, let us continue.”
Aang stepped away from the pool, holding his head. “What did I just see? Was that-”
He cut himself off, shaking his head. “No, I can worry about that later. Focus on Koh for now.”
~~~
“The sun’s out. Everyone ready,” Honenuki announced, putting on his helmet once more. The Fire Nation ships moved again.
In the oasis, Zuko recovered, melting the ice holding him. He targeted Katara first, deeming her the larger threat. She was too late with her shield, and the fire blast slammed her into the side gate, knocking her out cold. Shiozaki was swift in her counterattack, but her vines once again proved to be ineffective, and she fell, as well.
With no one there to stop him, Zuko burned through the vines separating him from the Avatar’s body, and left with him in tow.