Chapter Fifteen: To End the Melon Lord
Makki |~|
A little over a week has passed since Zuko and I finally made up. Explaining it to everyone was really... embarrassing. Especially since everyone thought it was a joke at first and when they finally realized that we were being serious, they all freaked out.
I suppose it is a bit... surprising. But I feel like everyone has kind of overreacted. Especially Sokka.
When everyone finally came to terms with it, it was actually really nice. It wasn't weird for Zuko and I to show affection towards one another, or for me to wear my necklace.
I feel so... I don't know... elated now that I've finally come to forgive Zuko and... love him again.
As of the moment, all of us were watching as Zuko trained Aang in fire bending just outside of the beach house. A lot of us were wondering why Zuko was pushing him so hard, but then again, none of us could really tell him about Aang's plan to sit out during the comet.
"More ferocious!" Zuko demanded. "Imagine striking through your opponent's heart."
"...I'm trying," Aang groaned.
"Now, let me hear you roar like a tiger-dillo!" Zuko exclaimed.
Aang spun around and shot a small amount of fire from both of his hands and his mouth.
"That sounded pathetic," said Zuko. "I said, roar!"
Aang repeated his earlier actions, but now fire streamed from his palms and mouth as he roared; scaring Momo. Zuko nodded in approval.
"Who wants a nice cool glass of watermelon juice?" Katara asked.
"Ooh, ooh, me, me, me!" Aang went to run over to us but was stopped by Zuko.
"Hey, your lesson's not over yet! Get back here!"
"Come on, Zuko. Just take a break. What's the big deal?" Suki said.
"Fine," Zuko let Aang go. "If you wanna lounge around like a bunch of snail sloths all day, then go ahead!"
Zuko huffed before stomping away.
"Maybe Zuko's right," said Sokka. "Sitting around the house has made us pretty lazy. But I know just the thing to change that– Beach party!"
All of us, except for Zuko, rushed down to the beach in our bathing suits. Sokka dove into the ocean before gathering seaweed for something, Suki lied on a beach towel onshore, and Katara made a surfboard out of ice that she used to ride the waves that I created.
"Get ready for a big one, Katara!" I exclaimed as I began to bend the seawater into a large wave.
"Bring it, Makki!" Katara cheered before gliding across the top to the wave and jumping into the air.
Once Katara landed back on the calm ocean surface, I walked over to Toph to see how she was doing.
"Check out my Appa sand-sculpture!" Aang called to us.
Toph and I walked over to see Aang's pretty impressive sculpture.
"Awesome, Aang! Quite impressive," I applauded.
"Not bad, Baldy," said Toph. "But I've been working on my sand bending. You're gonna love this."
Toph cracked her knuckles before turning around and created a beautifully scaled version of the city of Ba Sing Se.
"Whoa!" Aang awed as he knelt down to observe the city. "Wow. You even made a little Earth King and Bosco."
"Very impressive, Toph," I nodded before the three of us walked over to Sokka and his creation.
"Try and top that, Sokka," Toph crossed her arms.
"...Ta-da!" Sokka presented his sand-sculpture.
"Is that a... blubbering blob-monster?" Aang asked.
"No, it's Suki!" Sokka exclaimed.
"Huh, that was my second guess," I teased before me, Aang, and Toph started laughing.
"Suki, we'll all understand if you break up with him over this," Toph smirked.
"I think it's sweet," Suki smiled before Sokka planted a large kiss on her cheek.
"But, it doesn't even look like–"
Aang was interrupted by a large fire blast that came soaring through the sky, destroying Sokka's Suki sculpture. As a reflex, Aang, Toph, and I all ran from the scene. Once the sand cleared, we watched as Zuko landed on the beach and charged towards Aang as he cowered behind his Appa sand-sculpture.
"What are you doing?" Aang exclaimed.
"Teaching you a lesson," Zuko glared before destroying the Appa sculpture.
Aang continued to run from Zuko as he blasted fire at him. Aang soon began to use his air bending to jump onto the cliffs that led up to the beach house. Zuko climbed up the cliffside to chase him.
"What happened?" Katara asked as she came to shore.
"Zuko's gone crazy!" Sokka exclaimed. "I made a sand-sculpture of Suki and he destroyed it... Oh, and he's attacking Aang..!"
Together, we all ran after the flaming prince as he chased after the Avatar. We watched as Aang hopped through the environment around him before fleeing into the beach house, and Zuko was right on his tail the whole time. By the time we were able to reach the house, Zuko came flying from one of the balconies. We all ran up to him.
"What's wrong with you? You could have hurt Aang!" Katara exclaimed at him as Aang joined us.
"What's wrong with me?" Zuko stood up. "What's wrong with all of you? How can you sit around having beach parties when Sozin's Comet is only three days away?"
All of us simply looked at him, all feeling a bit guilty for not telling him what was going on.
"Why are you all looking at me like I'm crazy?"
"...About Sozin's Comet–" Aang began. "I was actually gonna wait to fight the Fire Lord until after it came?"
"After?" Zuko asked.
"I'm not ready," said Aang. "I need more time to master fire bending."
"And, frankly, your earth bending could still use some work, too," Toph added.
"So, you all knew Aang was gonna wait?" Zuko asked us.
"Yeah, for a while, actually," I said. "We're sorry for keeping it from you, but we were a bit afraid of how you would react, and rightfully so."
"Honestly, if Aang tries to fight the Fire Lord right now, he's gonna lose," Sokka stated bluntly. "No offense."
"The whole point of fighting the Fire Lord before the comet was to stop the Fire Nation from winning the war," Katara explained. "But they pretty much won the war when they took Ba Sing Se. Things can't get any worse."
"...You're wrong," said Zuko. "It's about to get worse than you can even imagine. The day before the eclipse, my father asked me to attend an important war meeting. It was what I'd dreamed about and wanted for so many years. My father had finally accepted me back. But in the war meeting, we discussed why we were unable to fully gain control over the Earth Kingdom and my father turned to me for a suggestion of what we should do. I spoke of the people of the Earth Kingdom and how their hope keeps them strong. From that, my father had decided that during the comet, he would completely wipe out the Earth Kingdom and cover it in flames with an army of airships; destroying the Earth Kingdom, their people, and their hope. I wanted to speak out against this horrifying plan, but I'm ashamed to say I didn't. My whole life, I've struggled to gain my father's love and acceptance. But once I had it, I realized I'd lost myself getting there. I'd forgotten who I was."
The entire Earth Kingdom will be gone, and the world will be in ruins...
"I can't believe this," Katara fell to her knees.
As everyone contemplated the news, I made my way over to Zuko and wrapped an arm around his shoulders in an embrace.
"Nobody blames you," I said. "Only a monster could think of something like that."
"I always knew the Fire Lord was a bad guy," said Sokka. "But... his plan is just pure evil."
"What am I gonna do?" Aang asked.
"I know you're scared," Zuko approached him. "And I know you're not ready to save the world. But if you don't defeat the Fire Lord before the comet comes, there won't be a world to save anymore."
"Why didn't you tell me about your dad's crazy plan sooner?" Aang started to stomp towards the beach house.
"I didn't think I had to," Zuko explained. "I assumed you were still gonna fight him before the comet. No one told me you decided to wait."
"This is bad. This is really, really bad," Aang held his face in his hands as he fell to his knees.
"Aang, you don't have to do this alone," Katara said as we all walked up to him.
"She's right, Aang. You have us," I smiled.
"Yeah!" said Toph. "If we all fight the Fire Lord together, we've got a shot at taking him down."
"All right! Team Avatar is back!" Sokka exclaimed as he pointed at us. "Air. Water. Earth. Fire. Fan and sword!"
"Fighting the Fire Lord is gonna be the hardest thing we've ever done together," said Aang. "But I wouldn't wanna do it any other way."
We all laughed as we embraced each other in a hug. We paused when we noticed that Zuko stood back, so we all opened our arms to him, inviting him into the hug.
"Come on, Zuko," I called. "You're a part of this team, too."
"Being a part of the group also means being a part of group hugs," Katara added.
Zuko slightly frowned before walking over and joining the hug. As soon as the group was together, Appa came flying over and tackled all of us in his own hug.
[~][~][~]
Continuing with the old plan of fighting the Fire Lord before the comet, Zuko immediately took Aang into the courtyard of the beach house and began to train him. Sokka, Suki, and Toph all retired to their rooms for a bit, while Katara and I stayed behind to watch the boys train.
"There is one technique you need to know before facing my father," said Zuko. "How to redirect lightning."
Ah! The student becomes the teacher. Iroh would be very proud...
"If you let the energy in your own body flow, the lightning will follow it," Zuko explained as he moved his arms in the same motion as before. "You turn your opponent's energy against them."
"That's like water bending!" Aang exclaimed.
"Exactly," said Zuko. "My uncle invented this technique himself by studying water benders."
"So, have you ever redirected lightning before?" Aang asked.
"Once... against my father."
"What did it feel like?"
"...Exhilarating. But terrifying," Zuko explained. "You feel so powerful holding that much energy in your body, but you know if you make the wrong move– it's over."
"Well," Aang nervously scoffed. "Not over-over. I mean, there is always Katara and a little spirit water action, am I right?"
"Actually, I used it all up after Azula shot you," said Katara.
"Oh."
"You'll have to take the Fire Lord's life before he takes yours," said Zuko.
"...Yeah, I'll just do that," Aang frowned as Zuko walked away.
[~][~][~]
As the sun was setting, Sokka gathered all of us to discuss and act-out his plan of attack against the Fire Lord. He and Toph set up a nice area in the middle of the jungle on the island and created a large scarecrow with a watermelon for a head as the Fire Lord.
"Gather around, Team Avatar," Sokka called. "In order to take out the Fire Lord, or, in this case, the Melon Lord, our timing has to be perfect."
Sokka knelt down and began to draw in the sand with a stick.
"First, Suki and I will draw his fire. Then, Katara, Makki, and Zuko charge in with some liquidy hot offense, and while the Melon Lord is distracted, Aang swoops in and 'bam,' he delivers the final blow."
"Uh, what about me?" Toph asked.
"For now, you're the Melon Lord's forces."
"So, I get to chuck flaming rocks at all of you?" Toph asked, excitedly.
"Whatever makes the training field more realistic," said Sokka.
"...Sweetness."
Everyone, except Toph, ran to get into position at the bottom of the slop that the Melon Lord was standing on.
"Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" Toph evilly laughed, letting us know that she was ready.
We all looked over at Sokka and watched as he gave the signal. All of us started to charge towards the Melon Lord.
"...Watch it, Toph!" I heard Sokka scream.
"I am not Toph, I am Melon Lord! Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"
A large flaming rock came soaring over to me, Katara, and Zuko. The three of us ran to dodge the rock before fighting off Fire Nation soldiers made of earth that surrounded us. When none remained, we continued towards the Melon Lord.
"Now, Aang!"
Aang jumped from a rock and came soaring towards the Melon Lord. When Aang landed, he went to strike the Melon Lord's head but stopped short.
"...What're you waiting for?" Zuko yelled. "Take him out!"
"I can't," said Aang as we all walked up to him.
"What's wrong with you?" Sokka pointed a finger at Aang. "If this was the real deal, you'd be shot full of lightning right now."
"I'm sorry, but it just didn't feel right. I didn't feel like myself," Aang explained.
Sokka simply raised an eyebrow before unsheathing his sword and slicing the Melon Lord's head.
"There! That's how it's done."
[~][~][~]
Later that night, Aang sat a few feet away from everyone as we all ate dinner.
I'm sure this is hard for Aang to accept, but there really is no other way for this to end...
"I have a surprise for everyone!" Katara exclaimed as she walked up with a rolled piece of parchment.
"I knew it! You did have a secret thing with Haru!" Toph exclaimed.
We all stared at her with shock and disbelief.
"Uh... no," said Katara. "I was looking for cooking pots in the attic and I found this..! Look at baby Zuko! Isn't he cute?"
Katara unrolled the parchment to reveal a cute little baby with jet black hair and a big happy smile. We all laughed at Katara's teasing before cooing at the adorable baby picture. I glanced over at Zuko to see him sitting stoically.
"We're just teasing you," I lightly elbowed his side. "Don't be so upset."
"That's not me," Zuko stated. "It's my father."
...Whoa–
"But he looks so sweet and innocent," said Suki.
"Well, that sweet little kid grew up to be a monster," said Zuko. "And the worst father in the history of fathers."
"But he's still a human being," Aang argued.
"You're going to defend him?"
"No, I agree with you. Fire Lord Ozai is a horrible person, and the world will probably be better off without him, but there's gotta be another way," Aang stood up.
"Like what?"
"I don't know," Aang frowned. "Maybe we can make some big pots of glue and then I can use glue-bending to stick his arms and legs together so he can't bend anymore."
"Yeah," Zuko teased, sarcastically. "Then you can show him his baby pictures and all those happy memories will make him good again."
"Do you really think that would work?" Aang smiled.
"No!"
Aang sighed, "This goes against everything I learned from the Monks. I can't just go around wiping out people I don't like."
"Don't think about it as wiping out everyone you simply don't like," I said. "You're ridding the world of someone evil, you're doing something good, Aang."
"Yeah, I mean, you're the Avatar," said Sokka. "If it's in the name of keeping balance, I'm pretty sure the universe will forgive you."
"This isn't a joke, Sokka!" Aang snapped. "None of you understand the position I'm in!"
"Aang, we do understand. It's just–"
"Just what, Katara? What?"
"We're trying to help..!"
"Then when you figure out a way for me to beat the Fire Lord without taking his life, I'd love to hear it!"
Aang began to stomp away.
"Aang, don't walk away from this," Katara demanded.
Katara went to walk after him, but Zuko stood up and stopped her.
"Let him go," he said. "He needs time to sort it out by himself."
[~][~][~]
That night, after helping Katara clean up after dinner, I searched the house and found Zuko on one of the balconies, just looking out at the ocean.
"Hey," I approached him. "What are you doing?"
He lightly shrugged, "I don't know. I guess I'm just... thinking about the comet and ending the war... about ending my father."
I lightly placed a hand on his shoulder and had him face me. I sadly smiled up at him and wrapped my arms around his neck to pull him into an embrace. He lightly wrapped his arms around my waist and let them rest there.
"I'm sorry that this is something that you have to experience–"
"It's alright," Zuko interrupted. "I've always known that it would come to this. I just didn't know when."
Zuko and I both lightened our holds on one another so we could look at each other.
He looks so handsome... especially in the moonlight.
I bring one of my hands up and place it on his cheek. Zuko leaned into my touch before slowly leaning down to plant a loving kiss on my lips, which I returned.
"You're so beautiful, Makki," Zuko whispered after our lips separated.
I felt myself blush as I started to brush his bangs out of his eyes.
"And you're really handsome," I smiled.
Zuko softly placed his forehead against mine.
"I love you," he said.
"I love you, too," I told him back.
After a few short moments of silence, we eventually separated but Zuko grabbed my hand.
"We should get some sleep," he advised.
"Yeah, it's going to be a long couple of days soon," I agreed.
With our hands still connected, we walked back into the beach house and prepared to get a full night's rest before it was time to set out to end the Fire Lord.