What happened the night the Agni Kai was held spread quickly around the world, perhaps one of the consequences of all the nations today being a little more open with each other was that this kind of news spread.
Some interested people took it into account for different reasons, but no one could deny one thing: everything around Shisui, the Sage, the Enlightened One, was always strange or unbelievable.
Many people found hidden information about the spirits that appeared, giving this news much more weight and relevance. Old stories were recalled about the abilities of the Mother of Faces, the one who gives faces to all the people born and yet to be born in this world.
The Fire Nation now had a better and clearer picture of what Agni, the spirit of the sun they so revered, looked like. Even children's songs based on the spirit were transformed into more serious songs to explain the people's admiration for such a being.
The appearance of the legendary Kung Peng, a spiritual being that seemed to be closely related to the cultures of the Water Tribes or the Air Nomads, brought a strong interest in explaining the secrets of the stars.
What human would not want to see what was out there? Although astronomy as such could only be limited to theories, calculations, and observations, the fervent search for knowledge did not end, it only began.
What caused a stir was Kirin, a spirit that in ancient times was said to bring good fortune to those who could somehow catch a glimpse of it. People who could see it up close could now boast that they were 'luckier' than the rest.
Although this whole situation attracted the attention of people who liked Shisui, it also attracted the attention of people who had animosity or even hostility towards him.
Such was the case of a certain group that had been formed centuries ago with a noble idea, but which had been taken to extremes, and its principles and ideas were now distorted by extremism, at least those who kept everything in its best state could choose to separate, not without conflict.
Out of this organization came two organizations that were completely opposed to each other and that had been involved in many conflicts over the years, now... the more radical side was ready to act again.
...
The sound of the door woke Shisui who was sleeping on a small bed. His body was clad only in a pair of body shorts, and the entire sheet was wrapped around the figure of the person lying next to him.
"Why do you always take the sheet for yourself?" muttered Shisui before he got up and approached the door.
It was Zuko who was holding a parchment scroll in his hand, and noticing the situation in the small room, he quickly looked to the side before handing the scroll to Shisui.
"A letter from Uncle Iroh, it was sent urgently along with others, but this one was crossed out with the urgent stamp," Zuko said before rushing out of there, just now complaining about why the rooms on the ships were so small.
"Okay?" Shisui said, a little groggy from sleep, but since there was no one else to talk to, he closed the door and went over to the bed, sitting on the edge.
The parchment contained a long letter from Iroh, and although Shisui had expected the usual, the news presented in the scroll wiped all traces of sleep from his mind.
It had already been a week since they had started their journey to the South Pole, and because of that, some things in the scroll pointed to certain abnormal things going on among some nobles.
Unusual meetings with some important figures years ago, that group that had been ostracized, no, that Shisui had ostracized because they seemed stupid and short-sighted to him.
Also, an introduction to a certain organization called the Red Lotus, and while not much was said about their origins, Iroh briefly told where they came from, their history, and the crazy things they used to do or try to do.
"Ah... nobles and alchemists plotting, plus the Red Lotus seems to be mobilizing for some purpose," Shisui's mouth sneered, but his eyes were completely serious.
He didn't care what the first group did, but the Red Lotus was different. While he had some idea of what that organization was, he associated it more with the fact that they were causing Korra, the one who was supposed to be the Avatar after Aang if things hadn't 'changed', a lot of trouble.
Shisui hardly used his "knowledge" of this world to plan his stuff or have information about anything, even the things he knew about this world because of the TV show, he didn't take them very seriously unless he had studied and confirmed them.
So the idea that the Red Lotus would only be active in Korra's future never occurred to him, and knowing the huge differences between this world from the original show, both before and after his birth, Shisui took the fact that this group was back in action very seriously.
For the same reason, when he sees Iroh again, he will ask him for more information about this group and will do everything possible to be prepared for them, because if they are even 10% similar to what he saw in Korra, he is already expecting an extremely organized and powerful group.
'I always wondered where Zaheer's knowledge came from about the possibility of breaking the Avatar's cycle if the Avatar died while using Raava's power, by the way, neither Wan nor the others told me about Raava, only Vaatu, though I understand why.
I just hope no one is foolish enough to believe Vaatu and be influenced by him just to gain the power to defeat me...What do I think? People can become so foolish and desperate, so I have to be vigilant, I have to train more,' Shisui thought before thinking of something else.
'I have to warn Aang about these people if I could be a possible target, he is target number 1 for the Red Lotus' Shisui controlled the dried ink on the parchment, first, he absorbed some of the water vapor to return it to a liquid state.
Then he checked the ink to write a letter and quickly dried the letters, then rolled up the scroll. He was about to get out of bed to give it to Musu to mail, but a soft hand came from behind him and lay on his chest, gently scratching his skin.
"Where are you going, we have to start the day properly..." Azula's face, covered by her long black hair, rested on Shisui's shoulder as the princess' hands pulled her fiancé to her naked body.
The skin-to-skin contact eased Shisui's small worry at that moment. He let the parchment scroll fall to the floor and let himself go because since the atmosphere was getting colder and colder, it was only fair to give his fiancée some warmth, right?
...
Zuko walked through the corridors of the ship he was on, each person he encountered stepping aside for a small nod of respect, which he returned with a brief salute.
A week of travel and previous experience before the voyage taught the sailors that members of the royal family, as well as their companions, were not as pompous as nobles were often portrayed in some novels.
The acclimation was slow, but at least they no longer made unnecessary bows, and almost everyone could just say 'Prince or Princess' instead of flowery titles or overly formal words.
But what was Zuko doing so early in the morning? Simple, he wanted to deliver the letters that had been sent to the group, although the situation with Shisui's room was still on his mind, he didn't think too much about it.
"Lucky Ty Lee doesn't have a boyfriend, I don't want to see a guy's bare bottom," Zuko joked softly, amusing himself with this little joke to pass the time.
Soon he knocked on the door leading to his friend Ty Lee's room, but after two knocks he could hear something heavy fall to the floor and some things seemed to have been moved in a hurry.
"Just a minute," Ty Lee's voice was heard, and Zuko just shook his head, thinking that his knocking must have woken his restless friend, who must have fallen out of bed.
Ty Lee opened the door, though only slightly, and held her body in the open space so that no one could see the rest of the room. Although strange, Zuko just thought that maybe Ty Lee didn't want him to see the typical mess she usually had in her room.
"They sent letters and I wanted to pass them out, your family sent this," Zuko handed a roll of parchment to Ty Lee, who used only one hand to snatch the object from Zuko, then asked with a strange expression on her face and an unusual blush on her cheeks.
"Th-that's it?" Ty Lee's voice faltered a bit, and Zuko nodded before showing Ty Lee the last scroll of parchment in his hand.
"This letter is for Petra, I'm going..." Then another hand, very different from Ty Lee's, came from the door, accompanied by another voice.
"Oh, then give it to me," that was Petra's unmistakable voice, and then Zuko looked more closely at Ty Lee's blushing face, her strange expression... everything clicked in his mind and finally connected in a strange conclusion.
"Petra and you... " Zuko made a small gesture, but without waiting for an answer, he placed the parchment scroll in Petra's outstretched hand before rushing down the corridor, he had to tell Mai the gossip, that was the only thing on his mind right now.
"I told you to wait! He found out! Now Mai will know, so Azula will find out, so Shisui will end up knowing it, he won't stop making jokes!" complained Ty Lee before closing the door, then turning around and looking at the girl in front of her with a bad face.
"We just have to explain things, you know, it's not that complicated," said Petra, who was only wearing shorts, leaving her entire upper body naked, but didn't care too much if Ty Lee saw her so exposed.
"I know we made some good friends, some Turtleduck-hearted guys, but Shisui is sure to give us 'tips' and even though I know he says it in jest, the fucker does give good ideas sometimes!" Ty Lee resigned herself, lying on her back on the bed, but letting gravity slowly slide her body to the floor.
"Ah, like the weird joking advice he gave Zuko and Mai, but we never thought Mai would follow through? Are ropes really that interesting?" muttered Petra the last question, ignoring how Ty Lee was staring at the ceiling of the room with a lifeless expression on her face.
"But... what if it turns out that their ideas are right for us in the end?" asked Ty Lee suddenly, causing the room to fall silent for a few long seconds before Petra answered.
"Let's think about it later, there's something I haven't finished yet," Petra licked the corner of her lips gently, and all of Ty Lee's bad mood disappeared before her cheeks turned completely red.
"Right! Why did you continue while I was talking to Zuko!" shouted Ty Lee, but there was no complaint in her tone and expression, in fact... she pulled down the shorts she was wearing, all to let her partner finish what Zuko had interrupted.
...
"No Yangchen, I'm not going to kill this guy, Zhao," Aang said for the tenth time as he sighed in discomfort in the Spirit World.
"I don't understand why so many people cling to the concept of not killing," the female Avatar spirit complained, causing Aang to roll his eyes.
"It's what I learned as an Air Nomad, you wouldn't understand... no, why wouldn't you understand me?" Aang finally asked the key question.
Yangchen was like him, an Air Nomad, so why was she such a killer? Aang could even feel the evil wind around Yangchen, a wind that carried the woman's murderous intent.
"We Air Nomads are pacifists, we have never stopped being pacifists, but it is how we interpret what we are taught by those who define us beyond our culture. From what I see, you hold to your understanding...you have passed my test," Yangchen said with a small smile on her face before looking back.
The other Avatars seemed to be complaining about the situation, some even seemed to be giving items to others, this strange situation made Aang conclude: that the Avatars were bored out of their minds and had even placed bets on him.
"Raava, how can you put up with them all the time?" asked Aang in a low voice, and Raava's female voice came from inside him.
"You get used to it after the third millennium, I saw Avatars grow up and die of old age with their relatives around them, others were single or died young, In rare cases like Kyoshi, they had a partner of the same sex and lived much longer than the rest.
I learned that Avatars are also human, even if they are merged with me, a spirit, their human essence can never be diluted, but that is what makes them so valuable in their diversity.
Aang, I am glad that Shisui's teachings did not cause you to drastically change your mind, but that you absorbed them to create your framework of thought and action.
Aside from the inexperience in acting and the lack of the other three elements to bend, you are a mature Avatar, they celebrate it in their way... even if it is with gambling," Raava said at the end, making Aang see the actions of the other Avatars a little differently.
But Aang's mind quickly drifted back to the original topic of his arrival in the spirit world, he wanted romantic advice! He didn't know how it ended with him and Shisui's plan against Vice Admiral Zhao.
"Yes... well, can you help me a little? How am I supposed to get close to a girl?" the question caught the attention of certain male Avatars and Kyoshi, who looked at Aang.
"Is that girl from the Southern Water Tribe? Kuruk is from there, maybe he has some special advice for you," pointed out an Avatar in tribal clothing, but with clear Fire Nation style, it was an Avatar born among the Sun Warriors.
"Hunt something big and dangerous, like a Polar Bear Dog, and give it its fur or something symbolic," Kuruk said, touching the fur on his head with deep sadness and longing in his eyes.
"Uh... You know I'm a vegetarian and I wouldn't hurt animals just for their fur? Unless someone and I were in danger, I wouldn't take action against those creatures," Aang said, causing Kuruk to glare at him before waving his hand in disdain.
"Then look for whale vomit and make perfume out of it, I did that with my wife and it's super easy to do," Kuruk said, making Aang sick at the thought of something so disgusting.
"What? It's a cultural, brat. If the girl likes you, she'll probably give you a perfume made with whale vomit, that or a penguin meatball, too bad you're a vegetarian," Kuruk's words made Aang freeze.
'What am I going to do if Katara gives me vomit or meat perfume, I don't want those two things!' Aang shouted in his mind, but on the outside, he only had a slightly nervous smile.
"Or you could give her a simpler gift, a wood carving... wait, isn't the South Pole dry?" asked a male Air Nomad avatar, causing many South Pole avatars to give him a dirty look.
"Boy, you'd better think for yourself, but usually these things happen on their own, you don't have to think of anything super complicated to initiate a deeper rapprochement with a girl," Kyoshi said, making Aang hesitate a bit.
"What, I'm a woman and my partner was a woman too, I know more about that than you do," Kyoshi's words embarrassed Aang, who ended up nodding with a flushed face before saying goodbye to the others and disappearing into the spirit world.
"Something simple... not too complicated..." Aang debated quietly, sitting on the floor of his tent when he felt cold and as he tucked himself in, an idea came to him.
"That's it!" Aang shouted before covering his mouth and falling silent, but since no one claimed he went back to sleep with excitement on his face.
The next day, he would give Katara a nice surprise!
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AN: Sorry xD I'm sick again and yesterday was a hard day in my college, but I'm ok! cof cof, tomorrow you will have a new chapter of this fanfic, woooo! Enjoy!
Yes, there are LBGT people in Avatar, Avatar Kyoshi's couple was a girl, Rangi! And she was a firebender, a noble one.
And... read my original novel or will cough in your new chapter, mwahahahaha!