After Ozai: Book Two (Kataang FanFic)

Chapter Sixteen: And So It Begins

Shivering, Zuko blew fire from deep within himself to warm his hands. Rubbing his hands together, he continued to shiver as he looked out towards the vast ocean that surrounded the Northern Water Tribe.

"You never get used to the cold here." Sokka, giving him a raised eyebrow, turned and began to tease the Fire Lord.

"After what you went through at Boiling Rock? You're going to whine about a little chill? Please Zuko, when I opened your icebox you were just fine, stop crying and moping."

"Sokka, one more word out of you and you'll be swimming with the fishes. Out of all the people to complain about my complaining, you have no room to talk. I think all of us can say that we've wanted to shut your mouth a time or two because of it." This threat brought along a collection of laughter as the Northern Water Tribe came into view. Instantly, Aang's breathing hitched as he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning, he looked to his left and gave a small smile as Iroh's face came into view.

"This will work Aang. You have to trust me, and trust in yourself. If you go into the water and doubt yourself, you'll never be able to reconnect with your past." Sighing, Aang turned back towards their destination, his nerves firing on all cylinders.

"What if it doesn't work Iroh? What if I fail? I have so much weighed on the chance that this is going to work. I mean, if I can't reconnect with the Avatar State, I'll never be able to call upon their help, their wisdom."

"You'll never be able to become reacquainted with the waterbender," Iroh whispered, causing Aang's cheeks to turn a scarlet red. Chuckling, Iroh patted Aang's shoulder and sat down gently next to him.

"I've told you this before. We were going down deep into Ba Sing Se's crystal catacombs, and I feel that this quote still stands. Protection and power are overrated. I still... think that you are very wise to choose happiness and love. Remember this, and you'll be fine." Despite his nodding in agreement, Aang couldn't help but allow his nerves to overtake him. He had so much balanced on if he could regain his memory, and without it, the world was doomed to be taken by Ozai once more. Once Iroh left his side on the top of Appa's head, Aang turned and took in the image of his friends. Would he be able to remember all of them? Would he be able to recount countless adventures with them? Would he be able to read their every emotion and word as he once did before his time with Zhao? Inhaling deeply, Aang turned back and snapped Appa's reins, signifying for the flying bison to descend towards the Tribe's center. Once they touched down, they were instantly bombarded by several different inhabitants of the Northern Water Tribe, all of them wanting to sing their praise for the Avatar and his brave actions during the war. Luckily for Aang, Zuko and Iroh noticed his overwhelmed facial features and began to carve a path through the ocean of people, allocating for Aang to make his way through without trouble. Meanwhile, Aang's mind continued to swarm with the constant affections he was hearing about his life and what he had done. From what he was hearing, it sounded like he was quite the resounding individual, however, Aang couldn't take such praises, even without his memory. He knew that he had plenty of help along the way and without it, Ozai would've reigned supreme with his daughter beside him.

"Thank you all for your kind words, but the real heroes are the people behind me. Each of them made a resounding change within me and allowed me to flourish in any given circumstance. They are the true heroes." Aang quickly looked back with a cheeky smile as Suki, Toph, Sokka, and Katara, all got bombarded with the Tribe's people. Through the sea of Water Tribe inhabitants, Aang could make out a clear frown on Sokka's face, causing Aang to laugh as he caught up with Zuko and Iroh. Once they were clear of the people and their praise, the three ran into a tall, strong man named Arnook. Unbeknownst to Aang, Arnook was the chief of the Northern Water Tribe, despite his inability to waterbend.