Avatar: Rise of the Black Lotus

((The OoC is Found Here))

Nizhoni moved silently through the air ducts of the palace in the heart of the Fire Nation capitol. None would notice her, as she moved silently yet swiftly. Upon her body she was clothed in black that wrapped about her slim figure and her arms and legs and head. A black sash about her hips tied it closed. Upon her forearms she wore dark leather gauntlets. About her biceps were grey armlets. Her hands were gloved in grey as well. Her feet were covered by dark brown, boots made of a light leather into which her black clothing was tucked. The most distinguishing feature about her person was the blue and white mask which covered her face. To any it would appear to be the Blue Spirit who had once wrought havoc upon the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation eight years ago. It’s teeth were born into a vicious grin with tusks protruding past the lips. The eyes were small and slanted, but the Water Tribe femme could see well enough from their holes.

Usually, there was no reason as to why she should be adorned in such a way, for she normally wore the red robes and the top-knot common within the Fire Nation. She had even made herself as close to the new Fire Lord figurehead and those who advised him as she could while still blending into the scenery, so to speak. She had even adopted a cover-name, Zhon Ying. It sounded close to the end of her true name, so it hadn’t been difficult to grow used to people addressing her in this way.

None around knew she was a spy, for her attempts to fit into the culture of the Fire Nation were not at all as difficult as Nizhoni had first anticipated. Because the islands that comprised the Fire Nation were tropical, many had darker skin, and blue eyes, while rare, were not nonexistent in this country. It was easy to blend into the culture once she acquired the proper clothing, as she had been living here ever since the former Fire Lord, Zuko, had enlisted her to be a part of his secret group, the Blue Spirit Warriors, three years ago. Nearly one year ago, Fire Lord Zuko, Avatar Aang, and the rest of the team who had helped end the war had been killed together at the hands of the Order of the Black Lotus, lead by Ozai.

The Blue Spirit Warriors had disbanded, believing the propaganda the Black Lotus had spread about Zuko having gone insane like his sister and killing his friends, but five- including Nizhoni- remained loyal to their dead master. They couldn’t believe he would have ever done something like that. He wasn’t as crazy as Azula, and they took the necessary steps to learn the truth.

Nizhoni and Kano had snuck into the palace, dressed in their Blue Spirit masks and dark clothing. They were certain no one would notice them, as they were stealthy and secretive, but if someone happened upon them, they would remain anonymous, and they could escape. They made their way to the royal bedroom where they searched tirelessly for anything that may have been Zuko’s. The new Fire Lord had had yet to go through his coronation, so the room remained empty save for the silent searching bodies.

It was completely by accident that Nizhoni had pressed her hand into the wall behind a dresser at precisely the right location. Her hand sunk inward as did the wall. She had summoned Kano to her side, and they pushed aside the small brick to make a hole. Hidden in this secretive space were scrolls that they soon discovered to be records of Zuko’s life and of his fears. They took the scrolls and left the palace as undetected as they had come.

They had met with the other three, and together they read through the scrolls, learning of Zuko’s innermost feelings and fears. He had known a coup was going to happen, but he hadn’t any idea when, and he hadn’t thought they would attack while the Avatar was present. Who in their right minds would ever attempt such a feat against the fully realized Avatar of all people? The Warriors mourned their leader’s silence, and they mourned the wrong that was put against him and the rest. They knew they needed more information, and Nizhoni and Shigemi had both volunteered immediately to become spies. Shigemi was born Fire Nation, and Nizhoni knew it would not be difficult to blend herself into the scenery so long as she didn’t reveal her ability to Waterbend.

It was dangerous work, but she was worthy, and it wasn’t long before they discovered the true plot. Ozai had escaped prison with the aid of men who still believed in him despite his inability to bend. It had been a plot in progress that had taken seven years to put into effect, but it had been accomplished well. Zuko, the Avatar, Katara, Sokka, and Toph Bei Fong were all meant to be killed in a blaze of fire, so a figure-head, not Ozai, could be placed upon the throne, and the baby who became the new Avatar would be closely watched and secretly trained to obey them.

Nizhoni easily placed herself among the Black Lotus, pretending to be one of them, to be loyal to Ozai and his rule just so she could gather more information. Steps were already being taken to win people of the Water Tribes to their side, so when the time was ripe, they could replace the Chiefs with their own figureheads. Of course, the figureheads had to be Water Tribe born, but they would be loyal to the Fire Nation and to the Order of the Black Lotus. Nizhoni showed only her ascent, never allowing even the faintest glimmer of unrest and disgust narrow her silver-blue eyes.

Hawks were intercepted and read by the five Warriors of the Blue Spirit, and occasionally they made their own replies, but often they had to send the messages to where they belonged if there wasn’t an obvious ill intention or if it would have been out of place for the message not to have arrived where it was due. Most messages were directed toward the Northern Water Tribe, but others made their ways to the Earth Kingdom and to the Southern Water Tribe. Before they took over the Water Tribes, they needed to know where the new Avatar was, but they couldn’t discover this until the baby was roughly one year of age. There would be a ceremony where all of the children born within two weeks of the Avatar’s death would choose four toys, and the one who chose the four Avatar Relics would be the next Avatar. This ceremony would take place in both the Southern and the Northern Water Tribes, for the new Avatar would be born under the symbol of water and of winter, the next element and season in the Avatar cycle.

When the time came for this ceremony, the Black Lotus was going to send ambassadors from the Fire Nation to the Northern and Southern Tribes, and they had convinced the Earth King to do the same despite not having the Kingdom under their power. Little did they know that Nizhoni and those Warriors who were still loyal to Zuko were also going.

A new meeting had been called for the Black Lotus members, and Nizhoni made her way through the air ducts until she was above the chamber in which the meeting was to be held. She wasn’t privileged enough to be a part of this as Zhon Ying, so she would watch it as a Blue Spirit. One year had allowed her to infiltrate their people, but she hadn’t helped their cause enough to be among those who made the real decisions like Ozai and his ten closest advisors.


Nizhoni listened through the entire meeting, though it lasted an hour or more. It was expected to be long, but compared to most meetings it was relatively short. When the room had finally become empty, she made her way through the air ducts until she dropped into a low ceiling servant chamber. It was empty, as all servants were doing their duties toward the palace. It was here that she changed from her Blue Spirit Warrior clothes into her crimson robes trimmed in a lighter red and her black shoes with the golden accents and the toes that pointed toward the ceiling. She tied half of her hair into a neat top-knot with the rest waving down her back in dark brown, nearly black waves. Beneath her long robes, she tied her mask and her dark clothing to her legs and torso in such a way as it seemed there was nothing lumpy or out of place. The mask was the most difficult, but she managed.

With an unhurried air, she made her way out of the palace and toward the home she was privileged enough to have acquired during her year among the Black Lotus. It was here where she stashed her gear before she made her way in secret to a location beneath the streets of the capitol.

The entrances to the sewers were just outside the perimeters of the city for the comfort of the residents. No one noticed another civilian walking through the streets. Her silver-blue eyes scanned the area thoroughly as she walked. Nizhoni was not followed, and no one witnessed her slip the manhole cover, drop into the abyss, and recover the entrance.

The smell was terrible, but that was to be expected. She walked along the side which was raised away from the grotesque waters. There were many passages and turns she needed to take, but eventually she was satisfied that she had arrived. It looked exactly like any other part of the sewer, but this was definitely different. A small scratch in the wall that was hardly discernible unless one was looking for it marked her location.

Two bricks above the scratch and five bricks to the right side, Nizhoni pressed her hand hard into the wall. With difficulty the brick sank inward. With her other hand, she pressed into the wall three bricks below the marking and four bricks to the left without releasing the pressure of her right hand. Only when the second brick had sunk into the wall did she release the first brick to find the third which was six bricks beneath the first and one to the left. She released the second brick, and, with her foot, she pressed the second brick from the bottom that was directly vertical to the small scratched marking. With the scraping of brick against brick, a circle of bricks sunk into the wall and rolled aside, making room for a crawl space.

Nizhoni looked around her before slipping inside on her hands and knees. Behind her, she used her foot to press a latch that caused the circular, brick door to roll to reseal the opening. Though the crawlspace was too small for her to stand, it was roomy for her slender figure while she crawled, but it would be a bit of a tighter fit for someone who with an extremely muscular physique. She only had to crawl for about five minutes before the hole opened into a larger space. This was not where they were to meet. There were more passages though these lacked the smell. Fresh, clean water filtered through here from a far off river, and it never met with the sewage.

She traveled through a few more corridors before she made her way to a door. Like the door to the crawl space, this one was not obvious to the naked eye, but unlike that one, this one was far less complicated and took less force to open. Slightly off center from the wall, but directly in the center of the door was one, unmarked brick. She needed only to gently press against it for it to slide away and to reveal a latch which she pulled to the right. The door slid open easily revealing a moderately sized room.

It was in this place that the remaining Blue Spirit Warriors met to make their own plans, and none seemed to know of this place other than them. That didn’t keep them from being cautious and speaking in hushed tones with their ears open to other sounds while they were there.

The Warriors had agreed to meet there after the meeting had ended. Nizhoni need only wait for a few more moments before their arrivals. There was important news the Waterbender needed to share with her group. There was also the chance that others had some other information, but this was definitely highly important.

If there was one thing Shigemi hated about sewer travel it was. . . Well, it was everything. Really, there weren't many things quite as vile. Shigemi would bet that swamp travel was far more pleasant. Sure, one had to face the occasional swamp creature. However, it probably beat out knowing you were walking with waste. Not to mention the smell was simultaneously unnatural and atrocious.

In hindsight, it would have been a good idea to change her clothes. Pink robes didn't go well with brown water. Shigemi had to old up her skirts just to keep them from getting dirty. Note to self. Shigemi grumbled mentally, looking both left and right before vanishing down a corner. Change your damn clothes before adventuring down into the watery passage ways of the Fire Nation. . . Ugh, what is wrong with their digestive systems? Shigemi crinkled her nose in disgust as a particularly unsavory smell wafted by. This wasn't the first time that she'd traveled through the sewers. However, that certainly wouldn't stop her from complaining every step of the way.

The moments preceding the particular one Shigemi was currently were exponentially uneventful. So very uneventful were they that Shigemi was inclined to believe that someone was keeping someone from her. Alternatively this could be paranoia from an impatient and moody firebender. In fact, the latter of the two probably made the most sense. Though, Shigemi would most likely insist, as she usually did, that she was right. She'd also go on to note that she was the most sane person that one would lay eyes upon. This, as most who had come to know her, was a lie. Not to say that she was crazy, but she certainly wasn't the most placid person in the world.

It was noted that no one was sure why Shigemi had been chosen over her Ruijinn. He was, as some described, a perfect firebender. He could do every form with not a finger out of place. He was impassive and almost emotionless. Some would say such control over that which he felt was amazing and only helped one master firebending. Shigemi would simply quote her Aunt on such debates. "Firebending without fashion is like life without love, dull and listless."

Well, that was neither here nor there seeing as Ruijinn was so obviously not the one chosen. For whatever reason, his polar opposite had fallen into the ranks of the Blue Spirit. Be this by her ability or her disloyalty to the Fire Nation even Shigemi was unsure, even women like Shigemi doubted themselves every once and while. Granted, she always hoped it was due to her firebending prowess. Pushing a hand against a brick she watched as a new path opened, and she gratefully took it. Anything to get away from the stench of the sewers.

Shigemi grimaced as she got on her hands and knees. At the back of her mind her more materialistic side complained about the price of her clothes. She did her very best to shake the nagging voice away. Shigemi didn't exactly have time to worry herself with such trivial things such as her attire. Once Shigemi had gotten through the crawl space, the rest of the way was easy for her. The initial sewer travel was always, in her opinion, the hardest part.

"Knock, knock." Shigemi had called out to her teammates upon her arrival, tapping the wall with her fist. "I'm not late, am I?"

"Think you could be a little louder, Shigemi," asked a low baritone voice from a dark corner of the cavern, a pair of light white eyes almost glowing as Kano stepped from the shadows, the dark dark burgundy hood that attached to his robes pulled up over his head to help conceal his face. His feet were bare, as was the case with most Earthbenders, though you couldn't tell from the wide bottoms of the black pants that he wore so that no one saw that he was barefoot: For some reason, the people of the Fire Nation thought that people with bare feet weren't as respectable as those with shoes, which Kano thought was entirely snobby of them, but he held his tongue.

"We might be a few hundred feet underground, but that doesn't mean that someone, somewhere might not be able to hear us." He flipped his hood down and flashed a soft smile in her direction before closing his eyes softly. The life he'd decided to live was a hard one, and he knew that as well as anyone. He didn't want to seem like he was a completely stubborn person, but he wanted his team to stay safe and keep stealthy, even if that meant that a few of them didn't like him.

He turned his attention to Nizhoni, his eyes snapping open quickly. This girl was one of the best spies and fighters that he'd ever had the pleasure of serving beside, and he'd spent time with the Kyoshi Warriors after he'd left Ba Sing Se. "I've been down here checking the seals and the mechanics on every one of your little deterrences since you took off for that meeting earlier," he said softly. "As far as I can tell, we're entirely secure down here with no way in or out unless you know it by heart. I had to seal a few holes here and there, but it was nothing life threatening."

That was a lie, and he knew that, out of anyone, Nizhoni would be able to tell. Those cracks were attempts at forced entry by someone, whether it be knowingly or unknowingly. He forced a smile and looked around the cavern slowly. "Shigemi, why don't you go ahead and give us a little bit of light in here so we can actually see where we're going?"

Nizhoni looked up as she heard the light footfalls of Shigemi enter. As a dancer, her movements were light and graceful. She stepped even lighter than Nizhoni who had trained with Zuko for two years in stealth.

The Water Tribe femme and the rest of the group had been involved in the discussion when the deliberation between Ruijinn and Shigemi over whom would be added to the Blue Spirit Warriors had been underway. In the end, the female’s interesting style and her passion had been the deciding factors that had won her membership. Ruijinn had been cold, emotionless. His fighting had only seemed perfect when in reality, his stoic demeanor was a major flaw that caused his bending to be less than what it could have been. He would never have been able to gain the respect and the trust of the other members that was required for a proper team effort. The Warriors needed to watch one another’s backs, they needed to be close, and while precision was necessary, there also needed to be some growing room. Ruijinn was only interested in his own perfection. He had nothing to teach, and he had no desire to learn from other kinds of benders and fighters.

The Blue Spirit Warriors and their leader, Zuko, had watched the two benders closely over the series of debates over the weeks. The decision had been final, and Shigemi had joined the group and Ruijinn had never learned that he had even been a possibility, for he had never been told. It would have been potentially disastrous for people to know about the Blue Spirit Warriors unless they were almost certain to either join or to never speak of it if they chose to decline the offer. This was why after several years, the group was relatively small, but they were all very close, and not one person had declined the offer to join.

The five who remained loyal to Zuko and who vowed to find the truth grew closer of their year together. The rest just went to their original homes, and they promised never to speak of the Blue Spirit Warriors among whom they had been. The five trusted them to say nothing, so they never had to worry.

Before she could respond to Shigemi’s question, Kano stepped from the shadows with a reprimand. The women had both chosen the Nothern one of three entrances to this area. From his position, the Earthbender must have taken the eastern entrance. “He’s right. We can’t afford to be found, especially now.” The healer was naturally soft spoken, but her voice was still strong, and it wasn’t difficult to hear even among crowds of chattering citizens.

Her attention turned toward Kano as he explained what he had been doing. It worried her that there had been some holes that needed sealing. That meant someone either accidentally broke through some of the seals, or they were looking for something. Her gut told her that they weren’t in immediate danger, but it was still worrying. “We have to be more careful now. We need to be more attentive to make sure no one ever follows us here. Keep your ears and your eyes open wider. I don’t even need to tell you to trust your gut. Even if the coast seems clear, we need to trust our intuitions to guide us, too.” She always tried to follow her instincts, and it was rare that they ever steered her wrong. Of their group, she probably had the highest inner sense about things, but she wasn’t really sure how high theirs were. It was well known that if she said she felt like something was or wasn’t right, they had better pay attention.

Nizhoni nodded when Kano asked Shigemi to make a light for them. They had some torches down there, but it would be unwise to use them in the event that someone really was aware of their position. Shigemi could make a small light by which they could see, but it could also be easily extinguished in the event they heard something. She paused, listening as she heard some shuffling. Though she was wary, and she signaled for Shigemi to dim her light, she wasn’t really worried. There was water flowing through here with which to fight despite her not having her katana with her. At this point, it would be okay if someone discovered her to be a Waterbender because they were leaving soon anyway. Departure just wouldn’t be as smooth as she was hoping.

However, she was glad to see it was just Wing carrying food among her robes. She remembered when Wing had worn them for the first time. She had felt the same way when she had first begun to wear traditional Fire Nation clothing, but she had gotten used to it. The reds and gold actually looked good with her darker complexion, and their fabrics were a lot lighter than those of the Water Tribe to accommodate for the heat. Even those that were long sleeved were comfortable in the warm weather.

Having grown up in a Water Tribe as a female, Nizhoni had learned to sew from a young age. She wasn’t nearly as passionate about it as she was about bending, but she was still just as good as the next woman her age. She had actually learned how to dye fabric while she was in the Earth Kingdom, so she could sew herself outfits that were coloured and designed to show her nationality, but they worked well in the weather of the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation.

However, she had often traded between her National pride and the Fire Nation colours. Being among the Blue Spirits had a good pay, but in order to better blend into the culture, she had worked as a nurse in a small hospital reserved for the poorer parts of the city. It wasn’t like in Ba Sing Se where there were walls separating everything, but most large cities had richer and poorer parts. She helped in the latter. Of course, she was able to use her bending back then because it wasn’t necessary to hide her true identity. Nizhoni was also able to learn many other techniques to healing that couldn’t be immediately solved with Waterbending. It had been a very worthwhile experience, and she had been sad to leave it behind in order to go undercover, but everyone tin the hospital simply believed she was returning to her home land.

Nizhoni hoped that Wing’s buying all of this food meant that she had gotten a lot of information. If not, it would at least make for some good meals for the next few nights. A small frown tugged at the corners of the Waterbender’s lips, but she managed to keep it hidden in the dim light of the stony room. “That’s all right. It’s harder to gather information from civilians.” It wasn’t impossible, but the Black Lotus was even more secretive than the Blue Spirits had surmised. However it was less dangerous in a sense unless one spoke to the wrong person.

Silver-blue eyes gazed around at their faces. “I have some important information I learned from their meeting.” Her voice was even quieter. “Rajain sent a messenger hawk to tell me he would be late, so we’ll just fill him in when he gets here.

“They’re sending three ambassadors each to the Northern and Southern Tribes in one month’s time. If we leave in a few days, we can beat them there. They have their own ships, and they were talking about the speed of them. We have to take public transportation, so we’ll be a lot slower, especially if a ship doesn’t leave some time soon.

“I have a feeling the new Avatar is going to be in the Southern Tribe. It makes sense because Avatar Kuruk was from the North Pole. I know the Black Lotus is being cautious by sending their people to both Tribes, but we don’t have to be. Even if we arrive late, we can still speak with Chief Hakoda about this matter; it’ll just be a lot harder to get him away from those people to speak with him, and we won’t be able to remain a secret.

“However, we can all wear our own clothing. The Order of the Black Lotus said the Earth King is sending some people to both Tribes in order to just oversee the whole event. I don’t know if the Black Lotus sent a message from the Fire Nation to tell the Earth King or if the Water Tribes invited them after accepting the request that a few Fire Nation, but either way, it won’t be conspicuous if you guys wear your own colours with the exception of Shigemi.”

Nizhoni paused for a moment, gazing around at her companions before she spoke again. “I finished making our clothing we’ll need to wear while we’re in the South Pole. The weather there is harsh, and it’s going to be freezing especially compared to the Fire Nation, but the clothing I’ve made will protect you. I’ve made all of your clothing according to your national colours as requested, but Shigemi will be my cousin from the Northern Tribe for this trip.

“Everything sound all right with you guys?”

Shigemi placed her hands on her hips in a haughty fashion. She couldn't believe she was being reprimanded by someone who didn't even wear shoes! How utterly barbaric. As if she was going to be taught etiquette by someone who didn't have the mind to fully clothe himself. Kano, Shigemi had come to believe, was a total grump. His humorless and straight forward attitude was something she'd grow accustom to. Granted, that didn't mean she wouldn't react to it.

"Yes, well. . ." She began, her body now twisted somewhat to the side as she puffed her chest out. Shegemi stammered a moment, trying to think of something to say. However, a torrent of snarky and unintelligent insults clouded her mind. She bit her tongue and scowled, unimpressed by the fact that on this particular day she couldn't think up a cheeky comment. "Yeah, well, If I wasn't so dizzy from sewer fumes I'd have something to say about that!" She nodded, yes, that would suffice for the time being.

The comment itself was directed more towards Kano than it was Nizhoni. In fact, Shigemi seemed to show nothing but respect for Nizhoni. The others had probably noticed it too. Even back when they were lead by Zuko she'd given the team leader a good deal of sass. However, there was something about the waterbender that just made Nizhoni listen. The woman had a quiet strength about her and Shigemi respected that.

Despite her seemingly frustrated nature Shigemi did listen to the conversation between Nizhoni and Kano. Kano mentioned, in a casual manner, that he had to seal a few hole. He'd attempted to make it sound like it was no big deal. Somehow Shigemi had a feeling Nizhoni also knew he was lying through his teeth. It was a deceptive or sneaky lie though. It was done to comfort them, which Shigemi had to admit was admirable in it's own right. Kano snapped away from serious conversation briefly to ask Shigemi to provide them with light. She nodded and snapped her fingers, a flame forming from the friction. She then rolled her wrist, causing the flame to grow in her palm.

Shigemi jumped a little at Wing's arrival. It was probably due to the fact that she'd let her guard down. How careless it was to let her gaurd down in such a time, she'd noted dully as she turned to the airbender. She flashed a grin at Wing and lifted her free hand to give her a wave. Shigemi also stared at the bag of food rather hungerly. The sewer smell had ruined her appetite. However, the foul stench was slowly drifting out of her nostrils. The fainter the smell got the more empty Shigemi's stomach seemed to be. She also sighed a breath of relief when Wing announced that she hadn't gotten any information.

"Good." She breathed, pushing a stray strand of hair out of her eye. "I'm not the only one. I've got zilch." She claimed, somewhat embarrassed. Shigemi hadn't had as professional of a role as Nizhoni. Most of Shigemi's information was gathered by getting people hopelessly drunk and having them spill their guts to her. A lot of the time they sputtered useless drivel. Every now and then they would tell her something useful, or she'd need to sort through unnecessary information till she found something worth mentioning. All in all, spying was the easier route.

When Nizhoni began to speak Shigemi's attention snapped to the woman. It was a surprise she didn't get whiplash by the way she turned her vision to see the woman. She listened intently on her plan, not wanting to miss a part of the plan. There wasn't anything she disagreed to. However, there wasn't anything for her to contribute. The plan was solid. Granted, she did have one question.

"How are we going to know who the new Avatar is?" Shigemi asked, feeling rather foolish. She wasn't sure if there was a manner in which the water tribe intended to determine such. Not to mention they'd have to check several children.

The sewers. Such a disgusting place. For a distinguished group; as the name "The Blue Spirit Warriors" suggested; their secret base was unbecoming to say the least. A secret base in the middle of a well known area wasn't exactly plausable though. The base in the sewers was probably the best they could do and still stay a secret. Not many people were around in the sewers. In fact it was only inhabited when the cleaners were sent to clean it. The walkways were only cleaned every two weeks and only one section at a time. Naturally the Blue Spirit Warriors were pretty good at avoiding unwanted attention.

There the cleaners were. Cleaning near the southern entrance to the base. When noone was looking, one of the cleaners began opening the secret entrance into the base. Once in the small cavern of an entrance, the cleaner made his way into the base as if he knew where to go. He soon came upon the others as Shigemi asked about the new Avatar.

"The Avatar will be revealed just as the previous Avatar's were. With thay knowlege the question still will not have been answered though." The cleaner looked around the room and removed the hat that forcefully sat upon his head. It was now obvious as to who he was, although the others most likely already knew. It was none other than the final member himself, Rajain. There stood the man wearing a one piece janitorial suit. He had two symetrical scars on his face, one under each eye. They ran from the edge of his nose to almost touching his sideburns.

His golden eyes scanned the small room. "I apoligize for my late arrival. I do hope the messenger hawk I had sent arrived already. You see I was just running a bit late. I was following a lead to the black market, that at the time I thought I had. Unfortunately he was as useless as anyone else that we questioned. It seems the black market isn't exactly easy to find but the information we could gather could be worth the trouble. So now let us move onto buisness. Did I miss much?"

Nizhoni couldn’t help but to allow a small smile to turn the corners of her lips as she listened to Shigemi speak. The woman was very showy, but it was all well and good. She added a bit of humor to their group that often kept things lighter. She loved all of her fellow Blue Spirit Warriors, and the Firebender was no exception. Her jests and attitude were a part of what made her who she was. It was part of why Zuko had chosen her to be among the Blue Spirits in the first place. It was already well known that being good at one’s craft was not the only thing that contributed to being chosen. One needed to be skilled, yes, but they also needed to have passion and emotion. They needed some sort of quality that made them stand out. Each of them had it in her or his own way.

The Wing arrived, and Nizhoni began to inform them of what she had heard and what the plan would be. It would be a simple yet effective plan. The Waterbender hoped they would be able to find a ship to take them to the South Pole in time. It would be terrible if Chief Hakoda was swayed by the Black Lotus just because they had arrived so late that the Chief wouldn’t even listen to them. She had faith that all would go as well as she hoped, but she knew it would not be so easy as it sounded. Chief Hakoda was probably still mourning the loss of his only children, and people in mourning were not easy to judge, for they may act differently than they would in higher spirits.

“You are most welcome, Wing.” She knew that the Airbender, especially, felt uncomfortable in the Fire Nation’s colours, and she was glad to have been able to make suitable clothing in the colours of her homeland. To answer Wing’s other question she said, “Yes. We will need to make everything ready within two days’ time. On the third day, I am hoping we may depart. It was good of you to by all of this food because we will likely need it for the trip. I also have some dried spices in my appointed house that I may bring with us. Water Tribe food is rather bland, and while I love it, I know some of you will be grateful for what I’ll bring.”

Shigemi’s question was a good one. Had Nizhoni not grown up in a Water Tribe, she would not have known the answer. As her lips parted to speak, a sound sent her on edge, and she refrained from speaking. However, her nervousness was in vain as the sound was made by none other than their fifth member, Rajain. He was dressed in the uniform of the sewer cleaners which was a clever disguise. However, the words he spoke were rather cryptic and unnecessary, as Nizhoni did in fact have the answer to the question.

She decided to answer his question first. He needed to know the information she had just delivered to her other three comrades. “Your hawk reached me in time. I seem to be the only one who found anything useful, but that is just as well. We can’t follow any more leads because we’re out of time. We’re leaving for the Southern Water Tribe in a few days’ time in order to speak with Chief Hakoda about the Black Lotus. We have to get there before they do which is why we’re leaving so early. We’ll be there for a couple weeks, then the ritual for the identity of the new Avatar will occur. I have made warmer clothing for all of us, and because the Earth Kingdom is also sending ambassadors, I was able to dye Kano’s, Wing’s, and your clothing in your own national colours. Shigemi will be dressed in Water Tribe colours, for she is going to be known as my Northern Tribe cousin when we arrive. It is important that you do not forget this.”

Her sapphire eyes turned toward Shigemi, the young woman’s flickering flame reflecting in those silvery optics. “Several toys will be laid out, and all children born within one month of the last Avatar’s death will be asked to choose four toys as their own. Among those toys are four relics that represent each nation, and the child who chooses those relics is the Avatar. The Avatar supposedly chooses those relics because they are familiar to them. I, for one, am honored to be among those who will witness this ritual.

“When Aang disappeared over a century ago, they used to go through this process every year in the hopes that a new Avatar would come to be among them, but obviously the effort was fruitless, and we stopped when we learned about Avatar Aang, but I witnessed many of the rituals. I never had hope during them, but this time it will be different.” Her voice was less grave as she spoke her last statement. She truly felt her heart lifting, knowing that she would be able to help the world by stopping the Black Lotus from taking over the child’s life and turning her or him to their evil purposes.

“Shigemi, you’re going to need a cover name while we’re there just like I have to have a cover name here.”

Shigemi turned around once more to see Rajain. She furrowed her brow and chewed on her tongue. Suddenly the world was full of holes that people just magically appeared through. If she hadn't reminded herself not to get scared of random appearances shortly after Wing's appearance Rajain would have definitely scared the wits out of her. Shigemi held a finger to her mouth as if to keep her lips sealed. She really wanted to say "Nice outfit." But, she'd have to refrain. You know, because Shigemi was a mature and serious--

"Nice outfit." And, other times Shigemi was horribly immature. It as all in good fun though. It always was. Shigemi rested her hand on her head and twisted a black strand of hair around her finger. "I know the whole toy ordeal." Shigemi began, waving her hand in a dismissive manner. "But, we don't know how many kids are born that day and whatnot." She bit down a bit harder on her tongue and looked up at the ceiling. She might as well not dig a deeper hole for herself. "And, yeah, forget it." She muttered, changing the shape of the fire in her palm from a simple flame to a star.

The woman kept her mouth closed and listened when Nizhoni spoke. She changed the shape of the star to that of a lemur. Then, spun the orange light about her wrist, returning it back to its original shape. The water tribes. . . She didn't exactly visit those places often. Shigemi wasn't a fan of the cold. Then again, growing up on a tropical beach made that a given. Snow certainly wasn't her element. Anyone who'd been around Shigemi in the snow would know she looked like a cat with bags tied around its paws.

"Your cousin?" Shigemi raised and eyebrow while smirking. "I didn't realize we bear such a striking resemblance." Shigemi noted, touching her face in a vain manner. The thought of a new Avatar terrified Shigemi. Though, she would never share that with the others. A new Avatar would mean that there was a person the group would need to protect with their lives.

Dying wasn't what scared Shigemi. Failing did. There would be an infant that Ozai would want dead. At least Aang was at an age where he could fight back, even he was still just a child during the war. This new Avatar on the other hand wouldn't even be able to use the bathroom let alone defeated an army. It wasn't fair to it, that it would have to grow up with the weight of the world on its shoulder and in almost constant danger due to the impending threat of Fire Nation armies. The raven haired woman was pulled out of her thoughts by Nizhoni.

"My name?" She sputtered, almost stumbling out of her own head. "Oh. Uh, let me think." She mused, playing with the fabric of her skirts. "I think I'll be Inali." She nodded. "Has a nice ring to it. Ends in the i sound like my name. It'll be easy to remember."

"Inali," Kano mused, his gaze pinned somewhere above the firebender as she showed her immaturity. "Yes, I think that will work for you: It has the same ring as a playful child's name, and you've shown yourself to be young in mind a good plenty of times, Shigemi dear."

A smile played across his rough features as he took a firm stance and drove his heel into the stone floor of the cavern. Five short stone columns rose from the earth in a circular pattern, then moved in close together with a stiff motion of his arms. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead and fell to the floor before he took a seat on one of the columns. "The point is that the Water Tribes are still extremely wary of the Fire Nation. Chief Hakoda especially, and he'll have his warriors at the ceremony as well. I'd almost bet my life on it."

He sighed and clenched his eyes shut tight, his free hand running up and down the crimson and gold embroidered shirt that he was wearing before opening his eyes once more. "We have a limited amount of time to get there, and we have to be there before any Black Lotus operatives set their feet in the snow. I've got a plan, but there's always a chance that things could fall through at any moment so we can never get too comfortable with one idea."

"Option one: I have a connection with the man that runs the pier on the outskirts of town. The man is a former councilman of Zuko's that believes just as we do with just as much disdain for the Black Lotus as we do. He's promised us safe passage onto the next boat out to the Water Tribe and the papers to get us through any checkpoints that we might encounter."

"Second option: We use our great powers of persuasion," he looked at the girls with a smile, "and our stealth to make it aboard the same ship that the Black Lotus is taking. It's dangerous, reckless and probably stupid, but it's an option. An option I'd rather not use, but still."

Rajain simply looked around as the rest spoke. He was still listening but still keeping aware of his surroundings. It wasn't until Shigemi's sudden burst of immaturity that he decided to turn his attention on anything imparticular. He turned to look at her, while trying not to laugh a bit. "I do what I can. I for one will not be caught and if we happen to be, I can get you all by. Am I the only one that thinks ahead for this type of stuff?"

After a few moments Shigemi had revealed what she now wished to be called while they were in the southern water tribe. Inali. Simple, but did it sound water tribe enough. He just wasn't sure. He wasn't going to worry about that though. There were things of greater importance on the line right now, and some of the ideas the others put out there wasn't exactly helpful.

"Were you not listening, Kano? The second so called option you outlined isn't an option. We must get there before the Black Lotus. Traveling with them will not only leave us so very vulnerable, but will put us there at the same time as the black lotus members, not before. We will need our own vessle to leave with as soon as possible. There is no other option." Rajain began to rub his head.

"We must decide something now however. How far are we willing to go? Allow me to specify. The Black Lotus desires the Avatar. The Avatar will only be known by those present during the ceremony. We need to meet the cheif before they arrive. We need the Avatar but the Black Lotus will not just give up if we get him. That means we have but two options." Rajain leans up against one of the walls.

"Option number one. We talk with the cheif and get the Avatar before the Black Lotus does. This will let them know we still are around, and we will be hunted. Option number two. We take the avatar and get the chief to give the Black Lotus a different child. It will be quite a while before they are able to realize they have the wrong child. Even if they do their own test and realize it early on we will still have time to escape. Option two sounds more reasonable to me. Possibly sacrifice a child to ensure even just a bit more time for us. It seems heartless but in my opinion it needs to be done."

The Waterbender looked to Rajain disguised as sewer maintenance. She had actually been humored by Shigemi’s comment, but he was right in what he said. “The utmost care is needed, especially now. We all could take a lesson from your book, Rajain.”

Nizhoni’s eyes moved to Shigemi when the other spoke. They were the same age, but they were so vastly different it was strange to think that they were peers. Nizhoni had a quiet authority and a gentle grace, but Shigemi had a lot more zest, and while she was extremely graceful, it was a sharper grace. Dancing and Firebending were very well suited to the Fire Nation citizen as Waterbending and Healing were well suited to the Water Tribeswoman.

Her lips parted to speak even as Shigemi told her to forget it. The Waterbender didn’t particularly like to keep people in the dark even about the most simplistic things- even if they would learn it later- because she didn’t like to be kept in the dark for so long. She answered Shigemi’s question anyway. “We don’t know who was born at that time, but they keep records on all of the babies born after the Avatar dies. It’s said that the Avatar spirit connects with a child in the womb about a week after the former Avatar dies. I’m sure all of the babies who were born from the day the Avatar died to about three months after that go through the ritual. We’ll find out who those babies are when we get there. We can ask Chief Hakoda for the records when we get there if he’ll allow it.”

She watched as the Firebender transformed the shape of the flame that hovered above Shigemi’s palm. The Waterbender had always wondered what it felt like to bend fire. Zuko had told them that in order to work together in the best possible way, and in order to be the best possible bender they could be, they needed to know about all four elements, not just their own. The information had been useful, and they had formed many tactics that allowed the elements to work together in unison rather than working separately. They had been a wonderful team.

One of his teachings had been that fire was life, and he had told them that the Avatar had once said bending a flame was akin to caring for a small heartbeat. It was strange that something that seemed so destructive should be a root of life, too. However, it could be justified that all of the elements in their own ways were the same way, just has human-kind was much the same in description.

Nizhoni chuckled at the comment about their appearances. “Well, you don’t exactly look like you’re from the Water Tribes at all, but we could say that your father is from the Earth Kingdom, and you look most like him. Perhaps we’re second cousins or something. It doesn’t have to be exact. As long as we’re said to be related, your being Water Tribe will carry more weight, so the Black Lotus won’t suspect as much.”

When Shigemi announced her cover name, Nizhoni nodded approvingly. It sounded Water Tribe enough to work. Then Kano spoke about the playful nature of it, causing a small smile to lift the corners of the healer’s lips. “Whether you knew it or not, it means ‘fox,’ and I think it fits you perfectly.” She added to the Earthbender’s comment.

Nizhoni seated herself upon one of the columns Kano had created for them. They all stood in a circle, inviting the others to rest upon them. Then he gave them his ideas and told them of his contacts. “I hope he comes through with his plan. It will be our best way to get there, and I agree that it’s important to arrive as much ahead of the Black Lotus as possible.”

Her silver-blue eyes moved from Kano to Shigemi to Wing and finally to Rajain. “It’s far too dangerous to risk boarding their own ships, but if the pier operator falls through, joining their ships may be our only option. Ships don’t often head to the South Pole. I am certain I can be granted permission to go with the Black Lotus to the Southern Tribe, so I would be able to sneak you all onto the boats. It’s still so dangerous to our mission that one false step could result in all of our deaths,” She didn’t add that much worse than their deaths could happen, “so even if this contact doesn’t help us, we need to try our best to find another way. If it becomes our only option, I think it would be better to risk being caught by entering the Southern Tribe at the same time as them rather than arriving later than them.”

Nizhoni’s eyes went wide when Rajain spoke of sacrificing one child for another. How could he even suggest such a thing? The idea was horrific to her, and it seemed to go against what Zuko had taught them, what her own parents had taught her. Innocent lives should be protected, not sacrificed. Her eyes closed, and she inhaled a breath to keep herself calm. She soon realized this was a good thing, as Rajain didn’t need two women yelling at him about what a terrible idea this was. Shigemi began chastising him for his idea almost as soon as Wing had stopped speaking. The Waterbender thought it would be best to let the Firebender wind down because there was no telling if she could even get the dancer to be silent before she had said her piece.

Once it seemed that Shigemi’s fury was waning, Nizhoni thought it would be the best time to interject. “Listen! Calm down, and lower your voice!” She commanded a little loudly herself. “That definitely isn’t an option because the Black Lotus doesn’t even intend to take the Avatar out of the Southern Tribe. They’re going for a political take-over, and taking the child away from her or his parents would definitely break any trust they’d be trying to achieve with the Water Tribes.” The healer took another calming breath, and made sure her voice was low enough for them to hear but quiet enough that she couldn’t be heard through the stone walls all around them. “They have someone in the Southern Water Tribe… I don’t know who it is. I don’t even know their gender. I only know that this person was born in the Northern Tribe but moved to the South Pole once it was restored to its state before the Fire Nation took away all of their benders. That person is loyal to the Black Lotus, and they’re going to be there to influence the Avatar as he or she grows.

“The only thing we can do is make sure that Chief Hakoda knows his tribe has a worm working for the Black Lotus, so maybe the child won’t be overly influenced. Once we’re able to convince him about their scheme, we have no choice but to leave the child there in the care of its own parents. We have to go straight to the North Pole to speak with Chief Arnook about this. He and my father are friends, so I think it will be a lot easier to convince him than it will be to convince Chief Hakoda, despite the Black Lotus reaching the Northern Tribe before us. I only hope we can reach him before any pacts are made.”

She smiled at Wing before continuing, “You’re right. We need to start preparing for the trip as soon as possible. I think we’ll have enough food with what you bought, but it’s a good idea to prepare it for a long journey, and I need you all to try on your warmer clothing so I can make sure it fits you perfectly. It’s really a bad idea to have drafty clothing in the Water Tribes.”

Suddenly, her eyes lit up and she looked at Shigemi. “When we leave the Southern Tribe and go to the North Pole, we’re just going to say that you’re from the South Pole without any relation to me… since… well… I actually do have family in the Northern Tribe.”

Rajain could do nothing but sit down as Shigemi began to rip him a new one, so to speak. Wing didn't really yell though Rajain could sense the resentment she felt twoard his idea. Shigemi though, was not so kind. She certainly wasn't shy about telling anyone how she felt. That was something that Rajain wasn't a fan of. It was alright when she was yelling at someone else, at times it was even humorous, but when it was directed at you, unpleasant was putting it very mildly.

Rajain didn't even flinch however. He sat back and took what she dished out. Honestly Rajain had expected something like this to come from one of them. It wasn't long before Nizhoni had stopped Shigemi's rant though. He decided to not respond to Shigemi. That was mostly due to the fact he had zoned out through quite a fair chunk of it. He then listened to Nizhoni speak. He would not interupt her for that would be rude. Instead he waited until she had finished. Only after she finished did he try his hand at voicing his his ideas or opinions again.

"So it seems an innocent child need not be sacrificed then. In the future we may come across a similar decision. We will have to cross that bridge when we come to it. Now if there is a worm in the tribe then we can only assume that we can trust almost noone. It is likely that said worm is a priest or priestess in the temple. They would not only ensure the knowlege of the child's identity, but they will also be able to influence it more. It's the most logical option."

Outside of the small room a small commotion could be heard. Rajain sighed. "Our time here is almost up. The sewer workers were given orders to find and exterminate any rats in the sewers. They were refering to the black market, but we can't afford to be found either. We must coordinate our movements through hawks now. Color coded messages. Red for a member in distress, yellow for caution, blue for safe quick movements, black for stealth, and green for emergency meeting."

The quintet of warriors managed to escape the sewers undiscovered by those who may have been looking for them. On the first day after that, they only communicated via messenger hawks using the coloured ring system that had been proposed by Rajain and short missives that seemed like nothing more than pleasantries when they were really coded messages that would keep them prepared.

On the second day, Nizhoni carefully and secretly made her rounds to each of them to make sure their Water Tribe style clothing would fit them well. Though the ensembles were bulky, it would not do to have them be drafty if they were too big. As Wing was roughly the same measurements as Nizhoni, she had been able to make her gear perfectly on the first try. She had done relatively okay with the men, too, needing only to take in a quarter of an inch or less here or there. The real trouble came only with Shigemi. As the shortest of the group with the most obvious curves, the Waterbender had actually had to take out the bust and take in the waist for the Firebender. The mukluks she had made were perfect for all of them.

The colours for those belonging to Rajain and Wing were green and yellow. Wing’s were lighter tones than the man's to show her gender much the way that it was done in the Water Tribes. Darker blue signified the male wardrobes while medium tones signified women. For the three who were of Earth Kingdom descent, the healer had embroidered strong designs that were reminiscent of rock. Because the coats were so bulky, there was a band sewn around the waist of them to give a waistline to both Wing and to Shigemi, though the latter’s clothing was made in the same blues and whites that were a part of Nizhoni’s. For the two who would don the blue clothing, she had embroidered the flowing designs that were reminiscent of water.

Nizhoni had each person perfectly fitted to their protective, winter clothing. She was glad that they were all so pleased with what she had designed for them. It was stylish, and the material was quite good, though she had had to do some more complicated things to the clothing since they didn’t have exactly what she needed in the tropical Fire Nation. The skins here were made to breath to release the heat, unlike the insulated animal pelts of the North and South Poles.

Kano’s contact was a good one, and they had been able to book a speedy passage to the South Pole. At the last minute, Kano decided not to join them, for he felt he would be of better service to them where he could spy on the Black Lotus where they were strongest.

They had all the food they would need, and Nizhoni brought her spices for the rest of them. Truth be told, while she still loved the bland food of her culture, she had also grown to love the incredibly spicy foods of the Fire Nation. The Earth Kingdom food had had a nice balance between the two as well. The healer hoped to introduce some of the less intense foods to her fellow countrymen. It could also prove to be an economical advantage that would encourage trade between the three nations, for such spices could not thrive in the frozen tundra of her homeland, so they would have to purchase it from other places. Likewise, they could offer the beautiful pelts and carved stonework that wasn’t available in warmer climates.

For the Waterbender, the boat trip wasn’t so bad. She had never been apt to seasickness, and being surrounded on all sides by water was definitely a wonderful thing. She also felt comfortable knowing that even if there wasn’t enough water to drink, she could find a way to separate the sea salt from the ocean water to make it fresh. Of course, the captain of the ship and his crew had sailed over many seas, so they knew how much of which provisions were necessary. Still, it made her feel better to know she wasn’t powerless in case there was a miscalculation.

The closer they were to the South Pole, the chillier the air became. It saddened Nizhoni to realize that she had become so accustomed to the warm weather of the Fire Nation that she had become unused to the weather of the Poles. Living in the tropics for years had caused this of course, but it was a pity. She hoped it would take less time for her body to remember this cold than it had taken for her body to become accustomed to the intense heat of the islands when she first set foot upon them. Their duration in the South Pole would depend on the movements of the Order of the Black Lotus.

The trip to the South Pole had taken about a week, so the Black Lotus would arrive in about three weeks. Their ships were faster than anything else, so their trip would take half the time it had taken the Blue Spirits. Three weeks was sufficient time to speak with Chief Hakoda, warn him, and be prepared for the unveiling of the new Avatar.

When at last the ship landed at the port, Nizhoni gathered her luggage of extra clothing, food, and other such provision and led the way off the boat. Her mukluks crunched through the white blanket of snow though her feet did not feel its cold bite. Her limbs did not feel the icy air through her parka, and her hands were hidden inside the warmth of her thick gloves. Her fur lined hood covered her ears, and a thick scarf covered her face. Her eyes watered at the icy air that struck them, but she was not ashamed. Those silvery blue optics would cease watering in time.

In the years since the first Northern Tribesmen had moved to the South Pole to help rebuild, the place had flourished. It was not nearly so large as the North Pole, and a small smile turned the corners of Nizhoni’s lips as she thought of the reaction the other four would have when they first set eyes on it. However, the Southern Tribe had become a bit bigger than it had been in all of its glory before the last of the Waterbenders had been stolen from it decades ago.

There were huts made of ice as hard as stone, and some that were made of animal skins and the like. Each had its own personality, but it was a comforting sight. It would soon be obvious that everyone knew everyone else in this place, but many welcomed outsiders with curiosity. There were bound to be a few who looked on the green parkas of the Earth Kingdom with disdain, but when they saw that those three were accompanying two women in their own colours most would be satisfied that there was no real threat.

Among the huts from which the smoke of hearth fires curled, there was one larger than the rest that bore a large image of the national emblem. It was here that Nizhoni knew Chief Hakoda lived. However, he could wait. First, they needed to find lodging for themselves and become settled. It would be rude to simply barge into the Chief’s home unannounced.

A kind young woman and her boastful father were kind enough to find them a hut that would be large enough for all of them if they didn’t mind the closeness of it. It was a one room hut. The walls and the floor were covered in thick, furry pelts of various animals. The ones upon the wall were merely decoration, but if any of them became too cold in the night- despite having a great many pelts under which to take cover, they could take the pelts from the walls and be content. Nizhoni had a feeling that at least one of the five of them would need to do such a thing, but she couldn’t be certain. The huts were well insulated and warm with a friendly fire already lit in the center of the room. There was a hole in the ceiling through which the smoke could escape, but it didn’t let the cold seep into the room.

Nizhoni set her bags onto the floor near the wall with a contented sigh. She was homesick for her father’s hut, but she would see it again soon. She turned to the two who had found this hut for them. “We are weary from travel, but I was wondering if you could tell Chief Hakoda that we have come? We would like to speak with him soon.” The young woman smiled. She couldn’t have been more than sixteen. Her father nodded and assured her that not half an hour would pass before their leader knew of their request. The Waterbender thanked them before they left.

She pulled her gloves, parka, and scarf from herself before plopping onto a pelt while dropping those items beside her. It was obviously made to be a bed, for she could feel several pelts beneath it, cushioning her fall. “So what do you all think of the Southern Water Tribe so far?” A bright smile illuminated her face as she questioned them.

Rajain kept to himself for the most part through the first day. When the second day came around Nizhoni, visited him to give him his water tribe clothing. They were almost a perfect fit. All Nizhoni had to do was take out the wrists a bit. Rajain had larger ten average wrists. After she was done they were fine. It wasn't too long after that before they all were to leave.

Rajain was indifferent about ships. He didn't care if they were on there or not. He did take the time on the ship to train his body though. He stood for hours on end on the front of the ship in nothing but apair of shorts. The harsh winds and splashing water would help his endurance. When it began to get cold as they neared the southern water tribe he braved through the cold. He only added clothing when the risk of frostbite was about. Gradually he kept adding the bare minimum of clothing until they almost arrived at the southern water tribe.

By that point Rajain had almost all his warm clothing on anyway. He did put the rest on before arriving though. Once they landed he followed Nizhoni out. It was a peaceful place. The white snow covered the entire area. Rajain just followed Nizhoni silently taking in his surroundings and noting the reactions to them. He saw some people stairing at the bo staff, perched upon his back but he just turned his head and smiled at them.

It wasn't long before they were led to a hut. Once inside the man that led them there said he would inform the Chief they had arrived. After he left Nizhoni had asked how they were liking the tribe. Rajain looked around the hut, took off his weapons and turned to Nizhoni. "It is very nice. It also seems pretty quick and efficient. The southern water tribe must have been a nice place to grow up in. The children around seem to be enjoying themselves."

The boat ride didn't faze Shigemi. Growing up on an island with all the commodities of the rich allowed her to be on boats quite often for recreation. While seasickness wasn't an issue that didn't stop Shigemi from complaining. First, she had decieded to completely and utterly ignore Rajain due to his offer that they kill a child. She had actually let out a bit of an outburst while at the sewers, and deemed it a good idea to simply not share a word with him after that. This was done more or less for her own amusement.

Secondly, she incessantly complained about her hair. According to her, the wind was much too strong and was blowing about her hair much too much. She didn't like it. Honestly, Shigemi didn't very much care about how wind blown her hair got. However, her focus on vapid issues kept her mind off the idea possible failure and the dire value of their mission. Being petty kept Shigemi from sweating the larger issues when she was out and about it public. After all, she had a confident image to obtain and wasn't about to let people know she had her doubts.

During the boat ride, when not frantically fretting about removing a wrinkle from her clothes, Shigemi had gone to Nizhoni for "Water Tribe training". Or at least, that was what Shigemi called it. If she was going to fake being indigenous to the northern water tribe than she would have to know all that she could about the place and it's mannerisms. Being an actress helped Shigemi in this aspect, for she could easily memorize things she had to do or say with a few nights of repetition. The new clothes she wore were quite foreign to her. The water tribe, from what she gathered, preferred practicality over the general aesthetic of it all.

The group eventually made it to land. Which was quite good, for on the last day Shigemi had become antsy. Long travels on boats weren't her favorite things. Normally because after a certain degree of time Shigemi would become increasingly paranoid that the boat would sink and her fire bending would be of no use to her out in the big open sea. Not to mention that apparently one of the water villages had some nasty creature called the Unagi wandering about. She'd rather not contend with a monster bigger than the boat.

Nizhoni seemed in her element as she plopped down on the floor of the hut which they'd been led into. Shigemi, however, remained a bit reserved. She hugged her shoulders and looked around at the hut in a apprehensive yet observing manner. The Water Bender's question snapped her out of her thoughts.

"It's okay, I suppose. I never do think I'll get used to the idea of a hut keeping you warm." She shrugged. She then smirked insidiously at Rajain's comment about children. "Heh, try not to stab any as they run by Raj." It was probably one of the first things she'd said to the man in a few days, and immediately after saying such she twirled her hair and smirked in an attempt to feign the act feigning indifference.

The early, foggy morning greeted the traveling Earth Kingdom ship with a sudden jolt to port. With a bellow, Hayato flew out of his hammock and crashed onto the hard wood floor bellow. His pain-laced swearing woke up the other inhabitants of the cabin, earning him a stern glare and half a pack thrown in his face from a very annoyed-looking Kazuki who promptly turned over and went back to sleep. Wei Chen chuckled at his children's antics before pulling himself upright with his one good arm. "Hayato, come with me above deck." The aged man pulled on his parka and ascended the stairs, leaving Hayato to shake himself off and run a hand through his hair.

A few moments later, Hayato obediently followed his father above deck. The chilled, foggy morning air was barely noticed by Hayato, who only wore his green gi pants. It was refreshing to feel the sudden cold touch his skin, as it forced Hayato awake and made him quite alert. In the months following the reclaiming of Ba Sing Se, Hayato felt himself becoming too lax. Anything that pushed him was welcome. "What is it, father?" Wei Chen hardly asked for his son's audience, and when he did it was often quite important.

"I want you to stay on your guard while we're staying at the South Pole." The sharpness of suspicion surprised Hayato. "What for? Are we not at peace with the Water Tribes?" Wei Chen locked onto Hayato's face with his one good eye. "Listen to me, and listen to me closely. The Earth King does not bend knee to common rumors and fear-induced speculation. Agents from within the Fire Nation recently returned with news that Zuko had not in fact murdered the Avatar, as we were led to believe. At the same time, informants have begun whispering back to us rumors of an organization which was behind the murders of the Fire Lord, the Avatar, and his friends. They could even be searching for the new Avatar themselves. Be on your guard." By the time he finished, the man barely spoke above a whisper, less the deckhands overhear something as they went about checking on the mast and lines.

Stunned beyond words, Hayato turned and stared out into the fog and allowed his mind to process the new information. A group of people staging the murder of the Avatar and making it look like the Fire Lord did it? It sounded like a conspiracy, but Hayato had to lend it some plausibility. The Avatar was very powerful, having bested Ozai and even, if rumors were to be believed, suppressed all the past Avatars so as to spare Ozai's life. Aang couldn't be beat in straight-up combat. It would had to have been a surprise attack. And with a member of the White Lotus on the ship, the idea of a secret organization existing for a prolonged period of time was well known to Hayato. Simply the idea of an organization having plotted the death of the Avatar, and possibly move to control the world sent a shiver up his spine that had nothing to do with the weather.

A few hours later, with a shout of land on the horizon, Hayato stepped onto the deck. He wore more appropriate winter clothing. The parka was quite heavy, but Hayato left the front open, exposing the middle of his torso to the chilling cold. It kept him awake and alert. Pulling on the mukluk boots and gloves, he gathered his belongings up into his pack and pulled it onto his back. As he stepped up to the side of the ship, Hayato grabbed his polearm and put the tip into the deck. He reached back and fished a whale bone sheath from his pack and slid it onto the blade. Baring steel at landfall might be seen as a hostile gesture. With a finishing touch of string, Hayato stood at attention as the vessel made landfall.

Deckhands ran about securing sails and lines as a plank was lowered to allow the Earth Kingdom delegation to disembark. Wei Chen stepped off first, followed by Hayato, Kazuki, and then the other three members of the delegation. Hayato and two of the others were armed. Kazuki only wore a small knife that was of more use for cooking than for war. The assembled group stood there, admiring the South Pole. It had clearly flourished since the end of the war, though it was not as big as Hayato might have hoped. One thing he noticed almost immediately was the presence of a wall two men high that surrounded the town. Four sentry towers dotted the corners. Clearly, they were upgrading more than just city space.

Snapping back to the matter at hand, Hayato saw three Water Tribe men approaching the group. Indeed, he recognized one of them as Master Pakku, the legendary Water Bender who had taught Katara and aided the reclamation of Ba Sing Se. "Welcome to the South Pole. Allow me to show you to where you'll be staying." The old Water Bender was quite friendly with them as he led Wei Chen on. "Hakoda will meet with your shortly," Pakku explained as they passed under the city gate. "This business of running the Southern Water tribe as allowed him little time to mourn the loss of his children."

"It must be hard for him." Hayato spoke up. "Why doesn't he step down?" Pakku coolly glanced at the young Earth Bender and spoke as if stating the obvious. "I believe that should Hakoda step down from his position as Chieftain, he would lose what little purpose he believes his life still has." Stiffing a remark, Hayato kept silent for the remainder of the journey. The hut they were afforded was large enough for the six of them to fit comfortably. Wei Chen and the other three headed out with Pakku to speak with Hakoda. Hayato and Kazuki stayed in the hut to get organized.

Some time after the sun at reached it's high point, Wei Chen stepped into the hut with a pleased expression on his face. "Hakoda says they've several candidates that could feasibly be the new Avatar, and is watching over all of them carefully."] Hayato quirked an eyebrow. "I thought your meeting was supposed to last longer? His father chuckled. "Quite right, my son. However, another group of people have arrived and sent for an audience with Hakoda as well. I believe the woman said they numbered four- Two Earth Kingdom folk and two Water Tribe women." Hayato looked up curiously and stood up to put his parka back on. "Where are you going? Kazuki asked.

"See who the new people are. Look around." Hayato stepped out and wondered why two people from the Earth Kingdom would come down south. They couldn't be part of another delegation; the Earth King already sent two to the two poles. So what were they up to?

Nizhoni kicked off her mukluks, scrunching her toes in her socks as she propped them near the fire in the center of the room. Though this hut reminded her a lot of home, her parents’ house had been much bigger and a lot nicer. It had been decoratively fashioned from ice and snow and pelts. It had been inherited by her father by his father who was from a long line of advisors and friends to the Chiefs of the Northern Water Tribe. She missed it, and she missed her family. Being in the South Pole made her wonder how her mother was, how her brother with his wife and child fared, but she was pleased that she would reunite with them soon enough. The Blue Spirit Warriors’ next destination was her homeland.

The waterbender smiled at Rajain as he offered his opinion of the Southern Tribe. He was usually geared toward efficiency and the like. He would find that the North Pole, though larger and more extravagant, would also be incredibly efficient. “Yes. In the Poles, a lack of efficiency will get its people killed. It‘s peaceful here. I can’t imagine why any child used to the weather would be unhappy with it. Besides, there’s always penguin sledding for the small ones.” There were penguins in both poles, and she and her brother had often left the protection of town to ride on the backs of penguins or of the buffalo yak for fun when the weather permitted it.

She turned toward Shigemi. The firebender had come to her for lessons in the general norms of the Water Tribes on their journey to the South Pole. She had given her tips on how to style her hair in the fashions of the Water Tribe women, and she had coached her on the proper greeting hand-shake. Rather than bowing with their hands or fists together, those in the water tribe gripped right forearms. To all of them, she warned that they were never to remove any of their protective gear unless they were indoors. In the summer, to those who would be used to the weather, it was possible to not wear gloves or a scarf or something, but this was autumn, and it was colder than Earth Kingdom winters at this point in the Poles.

In reality, the Poles really only had summers and winters, but in other parts of the world, it was autumn, so it wasn’t so terrible to keep that mindset here, too.

A small chuckle left the healer’s lips at Shigemi’s comment. “Yes, it would take some getting used to, but I can assure you they aren’t drafty in the least, and the fire keeps the entire room warm, so we should be sure to keep it going. A small wince wrinkled Nizhoni’s nose at the dancer’s stab at Rajain. She’d rather not be reminded of that idea of his. Her features soon smoothed, and she shook her head at her false “cousin” for the time being. “Now is not the time, Inali.” She warned kindly, using the alias because she knew she would be less apt to slip if she used it all the while they were there.

A grin reciprocated over Nizhoni’s lips as Wing stated the obvious. “Yes. I was surprised at the cold, too. I suppose those years in the tropics have dulled my resistance to the icy winds of the Poles. I’m hoping I can get used to it soon. If you think it’s beautiful here, just wait until you see the Northern Water Tribe. It’s bigger and a bit more complex in the architecture. I will agree that life in the Poles do seem simpler in comparison to life in the Fire Nation, but to people who are used to many basic comforts that they can simply purchase in the marketplace will find life here difficult at first.” Her gaze turned to Rajain, “I wonder if you would like to try your hand at hunting with the other men if they permit it? I bet you would be excellent at it.”

She lowered her voice so only the other three could hear her. “We need to prepare a little for speaking to Chief Hakoda. I know we need to cover the death of his children and the others in that group very gently. He may still believe it was Fire Lord Zuko who destroyed them. We also need to tell him about Ozai and how he escaped prison to become the leader of the Black Lotus, and we can’t forget to mention that they have a native as an informer right here. Is there anything I’m missing?”


After they had had time to discuss their game-plan, they heard the girl who had shown them their hut call to them. She announced that Hakoda was ready to see them.

Rajain looked at Nizhoni and nodded. "Efficiency is crucial everywhere. If a civilization is too laid back, all that will come is complete destruction. Just take a look at the ai... Nevermind that thought." Airbenders. That was what he was going to say but he decided not to because of Wing.

From then on he sat back and just listened to everyone talking. That was until Shigemi decided to open her mouth. Rajain looked at her with an emotionless look. "Yes, let's hope I can contain my urges." The sarcasm was pouring from his voice at this point.

"You know Inali, you should start acting less like a child. It would be a shame for me to go wild and stab you thinking your a child due to your immaturity." He ended it there when Nizhoni chimed in telling Shigemi that this wasn't the time for it. They were all still obviously hung up over his comment.

Well all except for Kano who stayed behind. That fact was a shame. Rajain liked Kano. He was the one that could see his point of view, if he agreed with it or not. the fact that some of the others faild to see is that they were once again at war. The sacrifice of the few for the salvation of the mass was a necesity many times. That was the true price of war.

He turned his head when Nizhoni mentioned hunting. He would've never thought of that. "What is it they hunt around here? I could get into hunting."

When Nizhoni asked if there was anything she was forgetting he just shook his head. Everything seemed to be in order and he wasn't exactly the perfect people person. When the woman came to the door saying cheif Hakoda was ready for them, Rajain was the first to stand. He attached his whip to his waist and was about to do the same with his staff but stopped. He left the bo staff against the wall and looked to Wing, who was still warming up. "I don't think we all need to go if you'd prefer to stay behind and warm up. This cold is very brutal. Noone would look down on you for it."

Shigemi bit her lower lip as Rajain and Nizhoni discussed efficency. She didn't quite agree with efficiency, she could help but realize as she chewed on the unpainted flesh. Or rather, she didn't like efficiency without some sort of artistic flare. Some people would say that her preoccupation on the physical side of things was shallow or vapid. Shigemi disagreed. She didn't say that things had to be beautiful or extravagant. They just had to get the proper image across, Shigemi was fascinated by the physically terrifying too, which had to account for something. It was the sharp sting of splitting open her lip that broke her out of her day dream in time to hear Rajain's comment.

"Oh I'm so scared." Shigemi laughed. Well, the laugh was more like a shrill cackle. Her right hand went up in a sharp toss, as if she was holding a fan. The movement was force of habit, and Shigemi was rather embarrassed to realize she wasn't holding the fan.

Then again, why would she be? The fan was an obvious fire bender weapon. It's colors bore the colors of her nation and the design over all wasn't something you'd find in any water tribe. Shigemi put her hand to her mouth and sucked on her lip as her eyes slid to the side. From under breath she muttered an apology, feeling not to confident in her break of water tribe character with an old fire tribe habit. Mentally she scolded herself in a vehement manner as she used to so many years ago when she'd mess up during dress rehearsals.

"Now Nizhoni, you know the joking is all in good fun. And, you should know that too Rajain. You know, before you go attempting to spear me." She draped an arm over his shoulder and a large grin spread across her face. "But, it's okay, I forgive you." She drew her other hand to her mouth which was pulled in a small mock from as she pretended to choke out the words. The sad act was obviously fake, done for the purpose of humor.

It was somewhere between slipping her arm off Rajain's shoulder and letting out another cackle that Nizhoni began to speak. Shigemi listened, and nodded at various parts, her index finger curved thoughtfully on the tip of her chin. When Nizhoni asked her question Shigemi opened her mouth to answer but was interrupted by the call of the water tribe girl.

"I don't think you left anything out no." Shigemi shrugged as she looked over in the direction of the voice. "I'm coming too, right?" She asked in an unsure manner. "Are we all going? Are are some of us staying? Who's staying?" A tiny pang of nervousness racked her mind, causing her to ramble.

Even with the sun being in the air like it was, shining over the winter landscape, there was no warmth to it's touch. Despite his earlier dress, the chill proved to be an unwavering presence. Hayato pulled his gloves off long enough to button up his coat and slip them back on before resuming his wandering. Those people had to be around somewhere. Perhaps staking out Hakoda's hut would yield the answers he was looking for.

For a few minutes, Hayato just stood at the end of a row that gave him perfect line-of-sight to Hakoda's hut. Just standing there, it was hard to ignore the cold. He stood there, moving in place and rubbing his arms to try and stay warm. All it accomplished was making him conspicuous to everyone else. A few women and children chuckled and went about their business, causing the Earth Bender to flush in embarrassment.

"Hey."

Hayato looked over his shoulder and spotted three Water Tribe males standing there, one in front of the other two. The looks on their faces seemed one of amusement but their stances were little too aggressive for his liking. Standing up straight and turning to stare at them, Hayato put both hands in the pocket of his jacket, grabbing hold of several large stones he brought along for the trip. "What can I do for you guys?"

Smirking, the lead male tossed his head to one side and stepped forward. "Me and the guys were thinking about sparring some. Since we don't get many outsiders, we were curious if you'd like to join us."

For a moment, Hayato debated. There wasn't any real reason for him to get into a sparring match with this three, but he felt compelled by that stupid emotion known as pride to meet their challenge. Deciding that if his father hadn't set about looking after the new comers himself that they couldn't be too important, Hayato nodded. "Sure. I could use the exercise. Lead on."

----------

"So then... I guess you're next?" Hayato called out to the lead Water Tribe male, doing his best not to sound snide. The other two were lying in a mass off to one side, groaning and holding their stomachs. The "friendly" spar had quickly degenerated into a two-on-one match. Unsurprisingly, neither were expecting rock fists to the gut. That just left their leader, who seemed to be at a loss for words.

Without warning, the ground erupted in twin columns of water. Hayato jumped back and stared as the Water Tribe male circled his arms around his body, causing the water to form a ring around them. Opening his hands in a flash and breathing, the ring solidified into a ring of ice. "Now you can't run."

Hayato laughed. "Run? Someone's feeling cocky." He relaxed his body and loosened his fists, causing the rock covering to fall apart. Lifting his hands up, the rocks lifted into the air and began to follow an orbit around him as he twirled his fingers in a circle. "So then, you ready for this?" Sliding one foot back, Hayato crouched and grinned. "My move."

Nizhoni frowned at Rajain’s almost-said words. She had known what he was about to say, and she was inclined to disagree. In her mind, there was nothing wrong with a peaceful civilization that was self-sustained and laid back. What was wrong was that other nations had to be so war minded. Even the Water Tribes had a formal military for protection, but she knew if no other nations ever posed a threat, there would be absolutely no reason to have militaries. Learning to fight would just be for fun and not a precaution.

Perhaps it was true that the Airbenders probably should have had a better military to protect themselves, but they hadn’t. They had seemed to have a faith in humanity that few others shared. It must have been nice to have such a positive outlook… until the end, at least. What a shame…

However, it was good that the gift of airbending was beginning to resurface a little. Finding Wing had been truly great. She was so nice, and her bending was only improving. The airbender was only one more hope for the world. Of course… if they couldn’t stop the Order of the Black Lotus, that hope would diminish considerably.

Even though the South Pole wasn’t her native land, it was one branch of her culture, and she took pride that Wing seemed to be so interested in it. Perhaps when all of this was over, if they could stop the Black Lotus, Nizhoni would return to the Northern Water Tribe to live among her family and possibly even take a husband. That would be a long time away. For now, she would have to be satisfied that she would return for a short while in about a month.

With a few words, Nizhoni halted the sarcastic bickering between the firebender and the weapons specialist. Despite the tension between the two, they did work well together. However, the healer knew it was important that they try to get along personally, too. Having a positive relationship would only strengthen their abilities to work together. “I hope it’s all in good fun, Sh- Inali.” She mentally chastised herself for almost using her proper name instead of the alias. “I just don’t want it to get out of hand.” She wondered if Shigemi knew how sharp the bite of some of her words could be.

She was glad to answer a question about the Southern Water Tribe to divert from the possibility of an argument. “Well, I’m not quite as familiar with the animals here as in the North Pole, but I do know there are tiger seals and the undomesticated polar bear dogs and occasionally the penguins to hunt. Hunting whales is a lot harder, but they do that here, too. I think there are also arctic hen and arctic wolves for hunting, too.” The Northern Tribeswoman was glad to have peaked Rajain’s interest. With his nature, she was sure he could appreciate hunting with the other men. He may also benefit from learning the customs of the Water Tribes with thanking the spirit of the animal for giving its life to the tribesmen so they could live, and she knew he would be impressed that they used every part of the animal in some way or other, from the pelts to the bones to the meat to the blubber to everything between.

“Good point, Wing.” Nizhoni said when she mentioned discussing the new Avatar. She had forgotten to mention it, but one of them would have obviously remembered it when they were finally speaking with Chief Hakoda.

Her dark brows knitted together when Rajain made the offer that perhaps Wing should stay behind. Her lips parted to speak, but she closed her mouth when the airbender declined the offer. Then Shigemi asked if any were staying behind, and the waterbender shook her head. “All of us are going. This is important, and we are a group. Besides, we’re going to be here for a month. We can’t just stay cooped in this hut the entire time. After this, we’re going to the North Pole, so we should all get used to this weather while we can. It’s only going to get colder.”


When it was announced that the Chief was ready to speak with them, Nizhoni replaced her mukluks onto her feet along with the rest of the items she had discarded in the warmth of the hut. She pulled her hood over her hood. She left her katana behind. There was a ready source of water in the form of snow and ice all around her anyway, but she doubted she would need it. This was her sister tribe, after all.

The quartet left the hut, fully garbed in warm clothing. They moved steadily toward the Chief’s hut. A man stood outside it, but he was welcoming and ushered them inside without the unnecessary flare that officials presented in the Fire Nation.

Nizhoni pulled her hood back as she entered. Chief Hakoda sat on a pelt on the far end across from the door. His face had become very lined, and grey streaked his hair and goatee in places; one such lock of white threaded its way through one of the braids on one side of his head. He hadn’t had so many lines or so much grey in his hair when she had visited this tribe years ago, before Katara and Sokka had been murdered. These physical signs were just one sign of the stress and pain he must have felt at losing his only children.

Two advisors sat directly on either side of the Chief, the one on the right bearing a terrible burn scar over his left hand and a little up his neck. Nizhoni wondered if the scar covered his entire arm, but his shirt seemed to hide the rest of his arm from view. A map of the world lay before him with pelts on either side. Pelts had been laid on all side of the map. This was obviously not the man’s home, but it was a meeting place of sorts for planning and other things pertaining to the tribe. He motioned for them to be seated on his sides. Nizhoni sat herself on the left of the Chief, nearest to where he was.

When the four had seated themselves, the Chief spoke. “I’ve been told that you have something very important you need to discuss with me.”

Nizhoni nodded and began. “Thank you for receiving us. I am Nizhoni from the Northern Water Tribe. This is my distant cousin, Inali, and these two are Wing and Rajain from the Earth Kingdom. What we need to discuss with you is very important, but it requires a great amount of secrecy. We were hoping to discuss this with you alone.” Telling a Chief that his closest advisors probably weren’t to be trusted was risky, but it was important. “If you feel you need to discuss this with your advisors later, that is your choice, but right now it would be best if they weren’t here.” She spoke, trying to keep any sort of inflection from her voice that could be construed inappropriately.

Chief Hakoda seemed to contemplate this for a moment while his advisors looked to him for direction. After a moment, he nodded and motioned for them to leave, including the one on his right. Nothing in their faces showed offense. After all, they could discuss things later. Nizhoni knew they would be waiting just outside the door. Keeping her voice too low for outsiders to hear but loud enough for her group and for the Chief to hear, she began. “Chief Hakoda, we have come here because a terrible plot within the Fire Nation has begun to take root.” She paused a moment, trying to decide how to carefully word what she was going to say next.

“Sir, Fire Lord Zuko did not murder your children or the others in the Avatar’s group.” Another pause hung on the air as she observed his face. There was only a momentary flicker in his eyes that she couldn’t read. “Fire Lord Zuko was a good man who only wanted the best for his country. He suspected a plot to free Ozai and regain control of the Fire Nation, but he was too late. Ozai was freed, and they killed Zuko and the others to make sure they couldn’t be stopped, but they didn’t know about us.”

Nizhoni scanned Hakoda’s face. His brows were knitted together in deep thought as he processed her words. “We were brought together by Zuko to help protect people. After his death, most of us were disbanded, but the four of us stayed together. We have another of our group in the Fire Nation keeping an eye on things.

“Ozai is leading a group called the Order of the Black Lotus. They already have control of the Fire Nation, but now they’re plotting to take over the rest of the world by political means because they couldn’t do it with war.” Nizhoni remained quiet for another moment, waiting for Hakoda to say something, anything.

Rajain rolled his eyes more and more as "Inali" continued. Just then though he decided that it had gone on long enough. Nizhoni would get angry soon if they didn't stop. "Of course it's all in good fun. If I really wished to Spear you, I would've. Of course now that you forgive me I'll be able to sleep at night." When Nizhoni decided to tell them to stop however, he did. He didn't need to feel Nizhoni's wrath of repeating herself a third time.

When he heard about the creatures they hunted, he was intrigued. Not being water tribe meant he never hunted anything like them before. Of course he didn't remember his past so that didn't help either. "Hunting sounds interesting. I'll get to see their food gathering efficiency in action as well. I wonder where I can sign up." The last part wasn't to anyone, it was just his way to show his interest.

As they all left he followed silently. He didn't want to mess anything up. He sat nearest to the door. The others needed a few seconds before they could bend. Raijain just used his hands so he had the quickest of reflexes of them all. Of course this was only in the case of an almost inpossible attack. Better safe then sorry he always thought.

He sat there listening to Nizhoni speak. At first all they got was scilence. Hakoda just had a troubled look upon his face. He clearly looked as if he both wanted to beleive him but didn't want to at the same time. A normal response but perhaps he needed more information. Rajain took the opertunity to try and convince him.

"You see sir, our group is called the Blue Spirit Warriors. I understand that this all may seem hard to take in however it is true. You have a traitor amongst your ranks. That is why we didn't want your advisors in here in the case that they were involved with the Black Lotus. I understand that you've chosen them yourself but their manipulative abilities would deceive even the brightest, strongest of men."