Fool's World: War and Peace (ch. 27) (Patreon)

"I think you're wrong about Aang," Katara informed me as I leaned over a few maps. They seemed a bit dated, but the terrain was unlikely to have changed that much. I had a map of the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation that marked villages and cities. Drawn on them were notes about Fire Nation activities -- patrols, garrisons, and forts. They were good maps. The kind that you would want during a war. It was just a question of how old the information was.

"I'm not," I responded, checking a list that Suki had provided. She was being a lot nicer to me once she heard that I was going after the Fire Nation. I had a catalog of the resources on Kyoshi island and now that I had a broader view, I could see that the island was a terrible staging ground. Far too close to the Fire Nation, the island couldn't support an army, not that the Fire Nation would ever let it reach that point.

"But you are!" Katara snapped when I wasn't willing to hear her out. "He's the Avatar. I heard that you're not from around here, so you can't understand what that means. He's the only one that has a chance to restore balance to the world. For a hundred years, people have been trying to end the war one way or the other. The reason why we couldn't -- why my father and ancestors couldn't -- was because we couldn't unite the world like the Avatar always has."

The Fire Nation's navy killed any thought of an invasion into their territory. More than once, the Fire Nation exhausted themselves punching out the rest of the world, but the other nations or tribes couldn't capitalize on it. The North and South Water Tribes couldn't link up with each other because of distance and the oceans. The Earth Kingdom was stuck taking back its own territory and didn't have a navy to speak of anymore. Even if they somehow managed to coordinate an attack, the Fire Nation navy was huge and crushed any staging points into dust years before our arrival.

There was a reason why they were winning the war. It was hard to hit back against an enemy you couldn't reach.

"Not improving my opinion of your people. One person shouldn't ever be responsible for keeping the peace of the world. All of you should be doing that," I pointed out. I wasn't really a war god, but it was something I had been exposed to rather frequently. War, throughout history, had been the playground for evil deeds. Rape, murder, torture, mutilation and so on. While the tactics of every war were a bit beyond me, I did have thousands of years of experiencing both ends and whispering malicious thoughts into the ears of generals.

That was enough to give me a leg up so I had a solid idea of what I was doing.

"Do you think you'll be any different?" Katara pressed, increasingly irritated with my blatant dismissals of her opinions. I couldn't be held accountable for that. She had stupid opinions. "Why do you think you can succeed when everyone else has failed?!" She pressed, slapping a hand on my maps, glaring hard at me.

"Because you want to slap my right cheek," I told her, meeting her eyes to see them widen a fraction. "I'm the Source of All Evil, Katara. To do harm? That's an evil desire, thus a result of my influence. I just need to pay attention to how I'm influencing them and I'll always know their next move," I told her, making her retreat a step. I think it pissed her off that I had a valid point.

Her lips thinned, "Why would the Source of All Evil want to save the world?" She asked a question that had been on a lot of people's minds since I decided my course.

"So I can finally get some peace. Children shouldn't ever be held responsible for saving the world. That kind of pressure will destroy you at best and at worst turn you into something like me. Let Aang be a kid. You too. Because that's what you are -- kids." I told her, brushing her hand away from my maps to continue my planning.

Katara struggled to argue that, even if I could tell that she really wanted to. So, instead, she left with a huff and all but stomped out of my room, which was more of a shed on the outskirts of town. People didn't feel comfortable sleeping with the Source of All Evil within the borders of their village. She left to go back to her group -- Aang, Sokka, her brother, and the sky bison. And a lemur named Momo.

Almost as soon as she left, Rin came by to visit. "You shouldn't be so dismissive of her concerns. The Avatar is a major cultural figure," Rin remarked as she entered my shack. Her gaze ran the length of me, making sure I was fine. It had been a few days since they arrived, and since then, I didn't get much sleep. I needed as much information as I could get my hands on.

Logistics was the god of war, and I needed to pay homage to it if I wanted a chance of winning.

"Aang is twelve. He should be figuring out his dick works, not saving the world from itself," I said, my tone sharper than I intended. The circumstances were very different. Very different. But, all too similar. Aang was just a kid being offered up to the world as a sacrifice for peace and that rubbed me in all the wrong ways. "They said they're going to the Northern Water Tribe for a waterbending teacher. I'm just going to give him a bullshit mission to keep him occupied there."

Rin nodded, not really expecting anything else from me. She stood next to me, looking down at the maps as she gently leaned against my shoulder. "This isn't why you came here, Majima. This won't lift your curse."

"It's a nice distraction until I figure out my next move," I deflected. Aang was supposed to be the key to that. He was supposed to pull some great wisdom out of his ass that would lift my curse. Instead, I got… a kid. It was disappointing. Bitterly so. But, I guess that's what I got for relying on someone else to lift my curse for me. "Are you alright with this? I can't imagine fighting a war is what you'd imagine we'd be doing when you agreed to come with us."

"It's not," Rin remarked, her voice dry as a desert. "But it's worth doing. So long as you have an actual plan?"

I nodded, pulling one map closer, "The Fire Nation doesn't execute its bender prisoners for the most part -- they keep them for what sounds like slave labor and as leverage for prisoner exchanges," I said, pointing at the ocean not too far off from Kyoshi Island where a known prison fleet was known to patrol. All earthbenders because keeping them on land would make for an easily broken out of prison. "Break them out, and you have a small army of pissed off Bender's that will want payback. Most will return home, though."

People fought for their families. Them, I didn't really need. What I needed were those that thought that they had nothing left to lose.

"Commandeering a ship would be ideal for mobility, but not necessary. From there, the big hurdle is getting our hands on enough provisions and money. Armies do their best work when they're full and they've been paid." Rin saw the same problem that I did with the plan.

"Where are you going to get enough money or food to feed an army?" She questioned, and I pointed to the city of Omashu.

"It's as good of a base of operations as we can hope for on this side of the continent. A strong city not under Fire Nation control. It's the predictable choice, but for enough good reasons that it's worth it." I decided, earning a small nod from Rin. The city of Omashu was technically independent from the Earth Kingdom, and so far, it has stood alone against the Fire Nation. For a hundred years. Most of which it was ignored, even with its strategic value, simply because every attempt to take the city ended in absolute disaster.

The reasons why were never made clear according to Suki, and were subject to so many rumors that it was pointless to speculate.

"As for resources… I was figuring that we would take them from the Fire Nation," I admitted, earning a startled laugh from Rin.

"So, pirates?" She remarked lightly, earning a sharp smirk from me. "Your plan is to become a pirate. Just so long as you don't start wearing eye patches. You can't pull the look off like your Yakuza father could."

That got a huff of amusement from me, "I'm not making any promises. But I think this will work. We just need to hit hard and go for the throat every time." Something to put the Fire Nation on the back foot. Something that would convince them that it would be best to slow the roll, regroup, and start another cold phase. Meaning they would reposition their navy. Then that's when we would strike. Simple. Effective. And I knew it would work because it was the same strategy that Jeanne D'arc used.

"If you're sure, then I'll believe you. Your plans have worked so far. For the most part-" Rin started, only to cut herself off when my head snapped to the door. A deep frown tugged at the edges of my lips -- I kept a close ear on the influence I had on those in the island. Like normal hearing, the closer a sound was, the easier it was to hear. A sound that had been jumbled in the distance was slowly nearing, getting louder and louder by the second. "What's wrong?" She asked, a hand going for my wrist.

"We're about to get attacked," I answered, listening to the evil desires of those that were coming. There weren't many  of them. A few dozen at most. Some were influenced more than others, but it was undeniable that they were coming this way. Stepping away from my table, I strode out of the shack with Rin in tow. Katara wasn't that far ahead, just down the path, her shoulders hunched and she seemed determined to kick every rock on her way back to the village proper. "Katara! Where's Aang? We need to sound the alarm!"

She whipped around, intending to tell me to get stuffed, only to swallow the words when she realized why I was calling out. Her eyes widened and I could see the brief expression of fear before it settled on resolute determination. At that moment, I knew it was absolutely pointless to convince her to abandon the fight. All of it. She made up her mind that she was going to fight and there was absolutely nothing that anyone could say or do to stop her.

"I'll go find him! You tell Suki!" Katara shouted, sprinting down the path while I decided on a far more leisurely pace. The attack was incoming, but we still had time.

"Are we going to be here when they arrive?" Rin asked me as we headed for the Kyoshi Warrior compound. The door was left open as we approached after a short walk, revealing Sokka fighting dressed up as a Kyoshi Warrior, make up and fan and all. Not really sure what was going on there, but that really wasn't my concern.

"I intend to be. Everyone else should hit the road," I answered, approaching the sparring room. I banged my hand against the elevated porch, causing Suki to sweep Sokka's legs out from underneath him when he looked over. He landed hard with a grunt and a sigh. "We'll be under attack in thirty minutes. Some guy really wants the Avatar," I remarked lightly. A lot of anger and hate coming from him. The anger was personal and my influence over him was strong.

Sokka dragged a hand down his face, "Gotta be that Zuko guy. How'd he even find us?" He questioned, but Suki was already gathering her things.

"That doesn't matter. What kind of force are we looking at here, Majima?" She asked me, and I half expected some resistance. Disbelief maybe. Instead, she just believed me. Weird.

It was Sokka that answered for me. "Last time we encountered this guy, he had a single ship and a dozen firebenders. Suki, I know the Kyoshi Warriors are strong, but I don't like those odds." Sokka said, getting up and even as he spoke, he got ready to fight.

I sighed, "Sound the alarm. Get everyone out of the village and get Aang out of here. Best case scenario, they move on when they learn their prize is gone." I saw Suki digging her heels in at that. I knew why. It was painfully obvious. "It's a place, Suki. An island. A kinda shitty one according to your books. Wood, cloth, and dirt that can easily be replaced. Not so much with the people."

The fight left her, even if it did seem to leave a bitter aftertaste behind. "We'll evacuate, but the Kyoshi Warriors will fight with you."

I didn't want that.

"Ambush them on the way up, if they get through me," I told her, splitting hairs.

Sokka sputtered, "You think you can take on a dozen firebenders?" He said, looking at me like I’d grown a second head. I offered a shrug in response. "They'll kill you!"

"Sounds like a me problem," I dismissed with a wave of my hand. "Just go on to the North Pole already. Suki? Ambush," I repeated, giving her a pointed look.

"I'll help with the evacuation and… Majima is strong. This isn't even the craziest thing he's done," Rin reassured as I made my way to the beach. I really wouldn't do much good with evacuation efforts with a face like mine. It was an island, so that was a problem, but I didn't think they would be getting through me. It might be undeserved arrogance, but Rin was right. I was strong.

So, bender or not, I was confident that I would win the fight that was coming our way.

When I arrived at one of the beaches on the island, I spotted the ship that was coming. I hadn't really believed it on account of how lowtech the village seemed. It really wasn't much better than how my old village was in terms of tech. I'd say colonial era tech at best. Which is why it was so surprising to see an iron clad ship coming straight for the beach that I stood on, a thick black pillar of smoke drifting up ahead as the coal fueled engines churned at full speed. Ironclad ships belonged in the industrial era because only it could handle the amount of metal smelting needed to make them.

However, much to my annoyance, I wasn't alone on the beach.

I heard Appa, the flying bison, land lightly behind me. "I'm fighting too," Aang declared in a time that booked no arguments, landing lightly next to me. He puffed out his chest, gazing out at the ship that was incoming.

I suppose it wasn't all bad that he was here. Now the ship could watch him leave.

"You feel bad for leading them here?" I questioned, cutting to the heart of the matter.

Aang shuffled, "I don't want this place to suffer because of me." He answered, his tone smaller than he was trying to present himself as.

"That's not up to you, Aang. Everyone decided that you're what the world needs to unfuck itself. No matter what, people will suffer because of you. If not because of your actions, then the actions that you inspire. People will suffer. They'll die. That's just how it is," I told him in no uncertain terms, making his grip tighten on his staff. "Accept it. Deny it. That's the only thing you can decide and how you choose to move forward."

"You say that like it's easy! I never wanted to be the Avatar! I just wanted to stay at the Air Temple with Gyatso!" Aang snapped, angry at himself as much as he was at me. "I didn't ask for this, but I have to make it right! It's my fault! If I hadn't run away… if I hadn't been asleep for a hundred years, then none of this would have happened!" Aang shouted, turning towards me.

"Yup," I said, agreeing with him, catching him off guard. He really expected me to argue that point. "It's all your fault. For being a child that wanted to run from the mountain of shit coming your way. Kid, take it from me -- if I had known what awaited me when I became Angra Mainyu? I'd have fucking run for the hills."

"Being a kid doesn't make it okay," Aang dug in, certain of his guilt for how the world turned out.

"Maybe not. But you were a kid. Are a kid. You made a mistake," I said, crossing my arms as the ship drew closer.

"A mistake that cost the world a hundred years of peace," Aang muttered.

"Hm. Pretty arrogant of you to take credit for a hundred years of war. Me? I'd blame the idiots that had been fighting it for a hundred years. It's not like they couldn't just stop killing each other over stupid shit," I said, taking a glance at Aang to see that his head was held low and he gripped his staff with white knuckles. "Maybe you aren't blameless, Aang. But you aren't solely responsible for the world. You want to make up for your part in this shit show? Go to the Northern Water Tribe. Learn water bending. And get it through your head that you aren't responsible for other people's actions."

I pointed to the ship, "Those assholes chose to follow you. I'm choosing to fight them. That's on us."

"I…" Aang didn't want to leave. I could see that he didn't. He was on the fence, though. Seeing my point even if he couldn’t bring himself to accept it. He was stubborn. I would give him that. Even if I did think that most of that stubbornness came from his belief that everyone that had died or suffered for the last hundred years had done so because he chose to run away. He was a good kid. Maybe not the veritable font of wisdom that I would have liked, but he was a good kid. He didn’t deserve to feel that guilt or the pressure he was under.

Surprisingly, it was Katara that pushed him over the fence, “Aang, we should go. To the Northern Water Tribe -- I don’t think he’s right about everything, but… he’s right about enough. Let’s go. Maybe we can get them to follow us,” she offered.

Aang didn’t respond right away. He lifted his head to gaze out at the rapidly approaching ship. He waited to answer, to make his decision as the ship entered the bay. Sokka and Katara, the two siblings repeatedly called out to Aang with increasing desperation to get him to hop onto Appa. However, Aang stubbornly remained silent, even as the source of the rage against him revealed himself.

The ship was moored in the center of the bay, but the ship fired a long harpoon at the beach that was connected to a long thick piece of cable. A young man with a shaven head except for the ponytail -- a rather unfortunate hairstyle -- and a burn scar over one eyes sprinted down the makeshift bridge towards us. He wore a snarl on his face, his eyes affixed to Aang, completely ignoring me. That was quite a feat.

“Avatar!” The burned teen shouted, leaping from the cable and landing on the beach in a stance. His hands were clenched into tight firsts, his body taut as anger radiated from him. His soldiers were running  to join him, sprinting down the cable rope. They all wore matching armor and masks, all except for an elderly man with a round gut. He, I noticed, only had eyes for me. “Have you decided to face me instead of running like a coward?!”

I glanced at Aang, who took in a deep breath and let it out. “No. I was just waiting for you all to get off the ship so you’d have to get back on it to chase me,” he said, jumping back a good ten feet up and twenty back to land squarely on Appa’s head. “Bye, Majima!” He called out before saying ‘yip-yip’ to get Appa to fly. The burned teen made a sound that barely sounded human before he started to run forward, only to stop himself when the old man reached out and grabbed him by the shoulder.

Wearing a lazy smile, I met his gaze while Aang flew off into the sky, leaving the beach behind. The teen rounded on the old man, brushing his hand off. “After him! He’s getting away!”

“No, Prince Zuko,” the old man said, his tone firm but gentle as he met my gaze. “I believe that it would be best to face the danger that we find ourselves standing before rather than chasing down other enemies.” Oh? The old man’s eyes were wandering a bit. Almost as if he was looking at something around me, not just at me.

Zuko, predictably, didn’t care to hear it. “He’s one man, uncle. The Avatar was here. He’s close- we can’t lose him!”

“A single man that is unafraid of a dozen firebenders and a dozen more soldiers,” the old man continued, his tone even but firm.

“Then he is a fool,” Zuko spat, turning his glare to me. My smile widened in response.

“Or we will be fools to dismiss him because he’s only one man,” the old man rebuked.

In response, I held out the palm of my hand, summoning an ethereal white bat to the shock of the soldiers before me. Taking a long confident step forward, I strode towards the group, resting my bat on my shoulder.

“Let’s find out, shall we?”