Chapter Five: Memories, New and Old
Zuko [~]
"I'm so excited to spend the weekend on Ember Island. It's gonna be great to hang out on the beach and do nothing," Ty Lee smiled.
"Doing nothing is a waste of time," I snapped. "We're being sent on a forced vacation. I feel like a child."
"Lighten up. So Dad wants to meet with his advisors alone, without anyone else around. Don't take it personally," said Azula.
"Doesn't your family have a house on Ember Island?" Ty Lee asked.
"We used to come every summer when we were kids," Azula explained.
Back when Mom was still around.
"That must've been fun," said Ty Lee.
"That was a long time ago," I said.
[~][~][~]
When we finally arrived at the docks of Ember Island, Li and Lo greeted us in hideous pink Fire Nation robes.
"Welcome to Ember Island, kids."
We looked past Li and Lo to see where we were staying, which was in a tiny beach cottage that was mounted onto some rocks. They led us inside the shabby cottage and it was even worse than I had imagined. Everything was so pink, it was like Ty Lee threw up in here.
"It smells like old lady in here," I whispered to Mai.
"Gee, I wonder why," she responded.
"...Who are these two beautiful women?" Ty Lee asked as she pointed to a painted picture of two young women in bathing suits.
"Can't you tell? It's Lo and Li."
...I'm gonna puke.
To avoid any other surprises such as that one, we led our own way into the room where we were going to be staying, with Li and Lo behind us. Immediately, Ty Lee hopped onto one of the beds.
I wouldn't have done that if I were you...
"Ooh, I love the seashell bedspread," Ty Lee smiled.
"Are you serious? It looks like the beach threw up all over it," Mai frowned.
"We know you're upset that you were forced to come here this weekend," said Li.
"But Ember Island is a magical place. Keep an open mind," said Lo.
"Give it a chance. And it can help you understand yourselves and each other."
Lo picked up a small rock from the table beside her.
"The beach has a special way..."
"Of smoothing even the most ragged edges," Li finished.
"Time to hit the beach," the two clapped before undressing their robes to show their bathing suits.
Mai tried to cover my eyes, but it was too late.
Makki |~|
After Sokka's swordsmanship lessons with Master Piandao, he decided that there was a small about of free time in the schedule that we could use to have a good time. Luckily enough, we found a small crater that was filled with cold water. We all decided that it was time for a swim day.
"Aang, I know swimming is fun and all, but do you really think you should be exposing yourself like that?" Toph asked, referring to Aang's arrows. "Cover up."
"What? I'm wearing trunks," Aang smiled.
"I know, it's your tattoos I'm worried about," Toph explained. "What if someone sees you?"
"There are walls all around us," Katara dismissed Toph's worry. "It's completely safe."
"Yeah, but knowing our luck with Aang, I still feel like someone will see him," I said.
"Quit fretting," Sokka exclaimed. "You should be enjoying this time I made for you in my schedule."
"Yes. Oh, thank you, Sokka, Lord of Scheduled Time," I teasingly bowed.
Sokka gave me a bored and slightly annoyed glare.
[~][~][~]
"Guys, you're all gonna think I'm crazy," Toph woke us all up from our sleep. "But it feels like a metal man is coming."
We all glanced around and collectively landed on a reflection of light that was coming from the top of the crater. The reflection was of the moon, and it bounced off of a man's metal arm. The man stood, watching us. We all slowly got ready to attack until the man shot something out of his third-eye at us that caused an explosion.
Toph tried to earth bend at him, but he easily blasted it away. Aang made an air shield to block the blast which allowed both me and Katara to bring up two different waves of water at him. He blasted both away at the same time and caused a large amount of smoke between us.
Who is this guy?!
Knowing that he could blow up all of our attacks, we ducked together under a large rock as the metal man continued to cause explosions around us.
"This is crazy!" Sokka exclaimed. "How can we beat a guy who blows things up with his mind?"
"We can't. Jump on Appa. I'll try to distract him," Aang said before taking off.
We watched as Aang ran up the edge of the crater and led the metal man away from us. We quickly climbed onto Appa and chased after Aang. From above, we watched as Aang hid from the metal man's explosions until the man lost sight of Aang.
Suddenly, a body made of rock shot into the air, and the rocks fell from it to reveal Aang. Just in time, we flew Appa under Aang's flying body in order to catch him. Katara embraced Aang once he was on Appa's saddle.
"I'm okay," Aang sighed.
"Well, that was random," said Toph.
"I don't think so," said Katara. "I get the feeling he knows who we are."
Zuko [~]
Once we were changed into our bathing suits, and away from Lo and Li, we headed for the beach. Mai and I walked together with an umbrella, making sure that neither one of us had to deal with the sun. We chose a spot together and sat down on a towel, with the umbrella still giving us shade.
I hate this place...
Bored, I glanced around, looking for something to take my attention away from running kids and loud teenagers. To my left, I saw a medium white conch shell...
That afternoon, Uncle had me and her join him in collecting seashells on the beach just outside of the spa. I grumbled at the thought of having to do anything so stupid while she gladly joined him, always happy to help.
"Do girls actually like this stuff?" I asked.
"Depends on the girl," she smiled. "I think they're really pretty."
She picked up a medium white conch shell and held it up to me.
"Do you not think so?"
Yeah, I guess it is pretty...
I picked up the shell and tried handing it to Mai.
"Here..." I smiled. "This is for you."
"Why would I want that?" Mai stated stoically.
"I saw it and I thought it was pretty," I told her. "Don't girls like stuff like this?"
"Maybe stupid girls," Mai scoffed.
...She's not stupid.
"Forget it!" I yelled as I threw the shell away.
Why..? Ever since I've come back home I can't stop thinking about what I've done to her and Uncle. Uncle's family but her... I have a girlfriend now, but I can't get her out of my mind...
I sighed to myself before getting up for a walk. On my walk, I spotted a place that sold ice cream and thought that it would be a good idea to get me and Mai some since, you know, we're on a beach and beaches are hot. I ordered two cones and made my way back to Mai as she sat under the umbrella, alone.
"I thought since it was so hot..." I said as I sat down under the umbrella and handed Mai the cone. "Here."
I edged the cone closer so that Mai could grab it but the ice cream on top of the cone fell onto the bottoms of her bathing suit.
"Thanks," she sighed. "This is really refreshing."
"...Hey, beach bums, we're playing next," Azula said to all of us.
We all turned to see that she was talking about beach volleyball that a bunch of other teens were playing. Together, we made our way over to Azula as she walked over to one side of the net.
"See that girl with the silly pigtails?" Azula asked us. "When she runs towards the ball there's just the slightest hesitation of her left foot. I'm willing to bet a childhood injury has weakened her. Keep serving the ball to her left and we'll destroy her and the rest of her team. Dismissed."
Ugh... this is a waste of time. But if I didn't do it, I'm sure Azula would still make me, somehow.
It was our serve first. Azula threw the ball into the air and kicked it to the other team. The ball flew past all of them without any of them being able to stop it. That's already one point for us. When they served next, I ran to where the ball was going to land and kicked it back up into the air. To follow up, Azula smacked the ball over the net to the girl with the pigtails.
She dove to save the ball but didn't make it. The game continued, Ty Lee kicked the ball to the other team and landed on top of the net. The opposing team was able to return the ball, but Mai was able to knee the ball back over. The other team returned the ball one more time before I helped Azula jump into the air. She kicked the ball to the other team for the winning point, as she set the net on fire.
"Yes. We defeated you for all time. You will never rise from the ashes of your shame and humiliation..!" Azula told the other team.
...It was just a game.
"Well, that was fun," Azula calmed down.
"I'm having a party tonight," two teens approached Ty Lee. "You should come by."
"Sure. I love parties," Ty Lee smiled.
"Your friend can come, too," the other teen smiled, talking about Mai.
"Uh, what about me and my brother?" Azula asked the teens. "Aren't you going to invite us? You don't know who we are, do you?"
"Don't you know who we are?" the first teen raised an eyebrow. "We're Chan and Ruon-Jian."
"Yeah."
Maybe I should tell you who we are..!
I charged up to the two but Azula stopped me before I could reach them.
"But fine, you're invited," said Chan. "Just so you know, though, some of the most important teenagers in the Fire Nation are gonna be at this party so... Try and act normal."
"We'll do our best," Azula smirked.
[~][~][~]
"Why didn't you tell those guys who we are?" I asked Azula as we sat around a table eating dinner.
"I guess I was intrigued," she explained. "I'm so used to people worshipping us."
"They should," said Ty Lee.
"Yes, I know, and I love it," said Azula. "But for once, I just wanted to see how people would treat us if they didn't know who we were."
"Like waves washing away the footprints on the sand, Ember Island gives everyone a clean slate," said Li.
"Ember Island reveals the true you," Lo added.
The twins stood up together, clapped a few times, and exclaimed, "To the party!"
[~][~][~]
As soon as the sun was on the horizon, Azula made us walk to Chan's beach house, claiming that we needed to be on time.
If it was my choice, I never would have come. These guys have already gotten on my nerves.
"Um... you're a little early. No one's here yet," Chan answered the door.
"I heard you telling someone you'd be partying from dusk till dawn," Azula explained. "It's dusk so we're here."
"But that's just an expression," Chan frowned.
"We are the perfect party guests. We arrive right on time because we are very punctual."
Chan shrugged before motioning us through the door. His beach house was completely decorated with Fire Nation decor and there was a long table covered with food.
"All right, listen, my dad's an admiral," Chan began. "He has no idea I'm having this party, so don't mess anything up."
"...That's a sharp outfit, Chan... careful," said Azula. "You could puncture the hull of an Empire-Class Fire Nation battleship leaving thousands to drown at sea... because it's so sharp."
What was that..?
"Um... thanks," Chan said before leading us further into the house.
"Hey, first ones here, huh?" Ruon-Jian asked as he leaned against a table.
I really don't like that guy...
"He thinks he's so great..." I clicked my tongue and turned to Mai. "Well, what do you think of him?"
"I don't have any opinion about him. I hardly know him," Mai shrugged.
"...You like him, don't you?"
Mai sighed in irritation before walking ahead of me.
[~][~][~]
It wasn't long until Chan's beach house was filled with a bunch of loud, partying teenagers. To get away from them all, Mai and I sat together on a bench near the front of the house.
"I'm bored," Mai sighed.
"I know," I told her.
"I'm hungry."
"So what?"
"So find me some food," she ordered.
"Sure," I said before getting up and walking over to the table of food.
Why do I have to serve her? If she's hungry, she should get her own food... I wished she'd be a little more independent sometimes...
I went to face the last soldier but she stood in front of me.
"You can't have all the fun," she smirked at me as the soldier came charging with his spear.
Before the soldier reached her, she bended a stream out of her waterskin and used it to wrap around the spear and yank it away.
Why can't she act on her own like that..?
After filling up a plate of food for Mai, I went to give it to her, but on my walk back to her, some guy hit my arm, making me drop the plate. The food spilled on the floor, making it so that you couldn't eat it.
"Hey, watch it!" I yelled at the guy. "That food was for my cranky girlfriend!"
I pointed to where Mai was sitting and the guy looked over and rose an eyebrow. I followed his eyes to see that Ruon guy from earlier leaning on the wall and flirting with her. Feeling my blood boil, I ran over to Ruon-Jian and tossed him away as I took his place.
"What're you doing?" he asked.
"Stop talking to my girlfriend..!" I told him.
"Relax, it's just a party," he approached me.
That doesn't matter!
When he got close enough, I easily pushed him back and made him fly into a vase, breaking it.
"Zuko, what is wrong with you?" Mai spun me around.
"What's wrong with me?" I asked.
"Your temper's out of control," she pointed. "You blow up over every little thing. You're so impatient and hot-headed and angry."
"Well, at least I feel something," I said. "As opposed to you. You have no passion for anything. You're just a big blah!"
Mai turned away from me, "It's over, Zuko. We're done."
"...Who broke my Nana's vase?" Chan shouted before his friend pointed at me. "That's it. You're out of here."
"I was just leaving," I turned towards the door.
"Have fun by yourself, Loser Boy," Ruon-Jian taunted.
"Nice," said Chan.
On my way out, I slammed the door. Not wanting to go back to the elderly twins or hang around any other annoying people, I figured out the perfect place to go; our old family beach home. If I remember correctly, it was far away from other beach homes and was just around this large rock corner.
I looked around the familiar setting, remembering when Azula and I would run around together, and when Uncle was here with cousin Lu Ten. I made it to the house's front doors. They were locked so I just kicked them open and I was greeted by a family photo we had from when I was just a kid. I looked over to Mom and remembered when we made a concrete handprint of my hand when I was younger. I found the piece of cement and put my own hand over it.
Everyone's who ever truly cared for me... they're...
"Try to calm down."
I can't keep her voice out of my head.
"Now come on, let's go do something fun..!"
The way she smiled at me... The look in her eyes, how they always showed acceptance to who I am...
"I think you're doing great."
"...your hair... it looks nice."
She was always there. Even when she had a chance to leave, she didn't.
"No. You seem happy..."
I was happy. She made me happy.
"I like you too..!"
"You told me you changed!"
...I have changed. You've changed me. Makki, I'm so sorry...
"I thought I'd find you here," Azula walked up to me while I sat on the porch of our old beach home.
"Those summers we spent here seem so long ago," I told her. "So much has changed."
"Come down to the beach me," Azula ordered. "Come on, this place is depressing."
I placed my concrete handprint down and followed Azula back to the beach. There, Ty Lee and Mai were waiting for us.
"Hey..." Mai said as I walked past her.
I ignored her.
"...I'm freezing," said Ty Lee.
"I'll make a fire," I smiled as I looked up at our old beach house. "There's plenty of stuff to burn in there."
I made my way back up to the house and came back with a bunch of old junk. I started the fire, and once it got big enough I threw our old family portrait in it.
"What are you doing?" Ty Lee asked.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" I said.
"But it's a painting of your family."
"You think I care?"
"I think you do."
"You don't know me, so why don't you just mind your own business?" I snapped.
"Ah, I know you," Ty Lee muttered.
"No, you don't!" I exclaim. "You're stuck in your little Ty Lee World where everything's great all the time."
"Zuko, leave her alone," Mai demanded.
"I'm so pretty, look at me. I can walk on my hands, whoo!" I mocked before I did a handstand and then lied down in the sand. "Circus freak."
Azula giggled at my comment.
"...Yes, I'm a circus freak," said Ty Lee, angry. "Go ahead and laugh all you want. You wanna know why I joined the circus?"
"Here we go," Azula sighed.
"Do you have any idea what my home life was like, growing up with six sisters who look exactly like me? It was like, I didn't even have my own name. I joined the circus because I was scared of spending the rest of my life as part of a matched set. At least I'm different now. Circus freak is a compliment..!"
"Guess that explains why you need ten boyfriends, too," said Mai.
"I'm sorry, what?"
"Attention issues?" said Mai. "You couldn't get enough attention when you were a kid so you're trying to make up for it now."
"Well, what's your excuse, Mai? You were an only child for fifteen years," Ty Lee shot. "But even with all of that attention, your aura is this dingy, pasty, gray..."
"I don't believe in auras," Mai stated simply.
"Yeah, you don't believe in anything," I stood up.
"Oh, well, I'm sorry I can't be as high-strung and crazy as the rest of you," Mai shrugged.
"I'm sorry, too," I said. "I wish you would be high-strung and crazy for once. Instead of keeping all your feelings bottled up inside. She just called your aura dingy. Are you gonna take that?"
"What do you want from me?" Mai lied back. "You want a teary confession about how hard my childhood was? Well, it wasn't. I was a rich only child who got anything I wanted, as long as I behaved... and sat still. And didn't speak unless spoken to. My mother said I had to keep out of trouble. We had my dad's political career to think about."
"Well, that's it, then," said Azula. "You had a controlling mother who had certain expectations and if you strayed from them you were shut down. That's why you're afraid to care about anything and why you can't express yourself."
"You want me to express myself? Leave me alone!"
"...Calm down, you guys," said Ty Lee. "This much negative energy is bad for your skin. You'll totally break out."
"Bad skin?" I snapped. "Normal teenagers worry about bad skin. I don't have that luxury. My father decided to teach me a permanent lesson on my face."
I harshly pointed at my scar.
"Sorry, Zuko, I..."
"For so long, I thought that if my dad accepted me, I'd be happy. I'm back home now, my dad talks to me. Huh, he even thinks I'm a hero..! Everything should be perfect, right? I should be happy now, but I'm not. I'm angrier than ever and I don't know why."
"There's a simple question you need to answer, then," said Azula. "Who are you angry at?"
"No one, I'm just angry," I lied.
"Yeah, who are you angry at, Zuko?" Mai asked.
"Everyone... I don't know."
"Is it Dad?"
"No, no."
"You're uncle?" Ty Lee asked.
"Me?" Azula asked.
"No, no... no, no..."
"Then who?" Mai asked. "Who are you angry at?"
"Answer the question, Zuko."
"Talk to us."
"Come on, answer the question."
"Come on, answer it."
"I'm angry at myself!" I screamed as I threw my hands down, causing the fire to become a column of flames.
"Why?"
"Because I'm confused. Because I'm not sure I know the difference between right and wrong anymore."
"You're pathetic," said Azula.
"I know one thing I care about..." Mai said as she walked up to me. "I care about you."
Mai leaned in to kiss me but I softly shrugged her off.
"...Well, those were wonderful performances, everyone," said Azula.
"I guess you wouldn't understand, would you, Azula?" I asked. "Because you're just so perfect."
"Well, yes, I guess you're right," Azula smirked. "I don't have sob stories like all of you. I could sit here and complain about how our mom liked Zuko more than me but I don't really care... My own mother... thought I was a monster... She was right, of course, but it still hurt."
"What Lo and Li said came true," Ty Lee said as she looked at the fire's embers. "The beach did help us learn about ourselves. I feel all smoothed. I'll always remember this."
"You know what would make this trip really memorable?"
[~][~][~]
"We've got some bad news, Chan," Azula smirked when he opened the door.
"Party's over!"
Together, we all destroyed Chan's beach home and burned it down.
Yeah... Now, it's memorable.