Note: Well, since Aang's all by his lonesome self in being dead, I've decided to Chronicle his journey this way. With a fanfic. Yeah. It's what I do. Actually, aside from being an excuse to make a story, this will also clear up some information on "The Circle of Fire", who I have been alluding to and briefly discussing in DC. For the record, this is Canonical in the DC RP.

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Snake Way (Serpent’s Road)

Aang the Avatar sat up and groaned. He rubbed his bald head and felt like he'd been hit by something huge and horrible. Then his memories came rushing back and it was all as clear as water. Trigon, Kubo Mountain, the armies of monsters -- Katara!

Aang rubbed his eyes and looked around. He was sitting on a paved road, just outside of a gigantic gate. He looked up and his mouth fell open. This was incredible, but also very confusing. He had died -- or so he believed. So how was it that he stood here now, in some unknown location?

Unless...

"You are in the Spirit World, young Avatar."

Aang spun around upon hearing a voice, and standing behind him was Roku; the man who had been the Avatar of the Fire Nation before him. Roku did not appear as a spirit, as he usually did -- he looked alive. He looked like he was made of flesh and blood; with the one exception that he had a halo above his head. Aang looked up and noticed that he also had a halo.

"Avatar Roku, what's going on?" Aang asked blinking twice.

"You're dead." Roku said simply.

Aang's body suddenly felt very heavy; which was the exact opposite of how he imagined death would be. He shook his head and clutched the temples of his forehead. This didn't make any sense!

"But... I thought... so then, it's over?" Aang's eyes started to quiver. "They'll be a new Avatar... and I'll just be a spirit then..."

Roku ran his fingers through his beard for a moment, and then he smiled and shook his head softly. He floated towards Aang and patted him on the top of his head. "Be calm, young Avatar. Your time is not up yet."

Roku turned around and pointed Aang towards the sky. That is where they were. For miles around them was nothing but the open sky; save only the paved road they stood on and the giant gate that was now behind them. Aang looked out at the open air and he felt calm. He knew that he was dead, that he was seperated from his friends, and that he was probably doomed to never see them again. His memories were fully recovered, and he knew now that he'd sacrificed everything to stop Trigon.

"Young Avatar... you know that Sozin's Comet is on it's way, and when that day comes, the Fire Nation will be invincible. You have been preparing to stop that all this time; but what you did not realize is that Ozai is the least of your worries. The day that Sozin's Comet passes by the planet will be the day that the Circle of Fire can upset the balance of good and evil forever."

Aang tilted his head. "The Circle of Fire? What's that?" To Aang, it sounded like some secret order of Firebenders. Had he known the truth, he would be even more afraid than that idea made him.

"The Circle of Fire is an Organization created for the purpose of shifting the balance of power. You see Aang, there are beings in the spiritual world called Shinigami. You saw some of them on Kubo Volcano when Trigon was freed. It is there job to send the souls of the departed to the afterlife. Ordinary people cannot see them. Being the Avatar -- the bridge between Spirit and Mortal -- you have the power to see them. The Organization seeks to harvest the powers of the Shinigami, so that they can stop souls from moving on." Roku explained.

"Why?" Aang was confused by this as well.

"If a soul cannot find peace and move on, it will become a hollow. A being with no body. Just a tortured, tormented heart and soul. Hollows thrive on chaos and destruction."

Aang remembered Trigon's horrible nature. "Like Trigon?"

"No, Trigon was a demon; and just plain sadistic. A Hollow is much worse... it's main victims are the loved ones of the person it was created from. Hollows cannot be seen by ordinary mortals, and thus they cannot be stopped by them. The Circle of Fire's goal is to destroy Soul Society... without Shinigami, the Hollow population would become so enormous that the entire world would be swallowed by darkness. People could not stand against these beasts, and in the end, millions would die. This would be horrible enough as it is, but their goal is much worse. They don't want mindless destruction... they want to use the hollows to create a new breed of monster. Created with the Soul of a Hollow, the Body of a Homunculus and the Heart of a Heartless. This being would be as complete as a person, but made from the broken parts of others. Such a being could become the ultimate tool of war... and what scares me the most, is that such a being already exists. Currently there are only five, but if the Circle is successful, there will be millions." Roku explained further about this evil plan of the Circle.

"How could they even create millions?" Aang wasn't sure about this whole thing; but he trusted his past life.

"Lord Ozai and Fuhrer Bradley are willing to sacrifice the lives of their entire armies. Everyone in the Amestries Military and every Fire Nation Solider... they will be sent to their deaths, so that their bodies, hearts and souls can be used to create this new race of beings. Currently, a Shinigami's Spirit is needed to create these monsters, but if the Circle can bring down Soul Society, they will have the secrets of the Shinigami and the lives of the Shinigami will no longer be needed."

"Wait, how could they even get a Shinigami's life?" Aang demanded to know.

"They've captured them, one by one. Not long ago, two incredibly powerful Shinigami were taken. Kuchiki Byakuya and Abarai Renji. They were used to create the strongest of these hybrids to date." Roku revealed.

"And, those Shinigami... are dead?" Aang asked.

"No. The process only takes a part of the Shinigami... however, it leaves them powerless and vulnerable. Still, it's not just the Shinigami... Alchemist from Nakajima and Ninja from the Hidden Villages are also being taken for their powers. These Hybrids have powers that are a mix of them all. It makes them dangerous." Roku held his hands in front of himself.

Aang rubbed his chin, and it dawned on him. "Multiple powers in one body? That's... just like the Avatar."

"Yes, and it is also a grave thought... as of now, only five hybrids exist, and only two of them have the mixture of powers I have described. Aang... as Avatar, you must stop the Circle of Fire. The mixing of spirits and human beings is something that cannot happen. Evil could use this to quash the good in the world, and bring about a darkness that would never end." Roku stroked his beard.

"Okay... just one problem with that; Sozin's Comet is coming soon, and I'm dead." Aang reminded Roku.

"Yes. You are dead for a reason. You shall train with the Great King Kai. Before you ask, no, he shall not teach you Firebending; but he will teach you something even more important." Roku informed the young Avatar.

"But... how? Even if I train with this guy, how will I get back?" Aang asked his former self.

“Your friends will have to do that for you.” Roku told him. "If the elements combine, you will go back. However, they will have only one chance to bring you back, so you must complete your training before that happens. If you miss your chance, you won't have another one for one hundred years... and unless they're stopped, the world doesn't have that long."

Aang was starting to feel like this was a very bad thing he'd gotten into.

"I don't have much of a choice. Where's this King?" Aang couldn't stay down for long. He turned back towards the giant gate, since that was the only thing around here, he had a good idea that his path was on the other side of that monestrous structure.

"Behind that gate is Snake Way; a long road in the clouds that will take you to King Kai’s planet. If you can complete the journey, King Kai may train you.”

“MAY?” Aang repeated. “But you said that I have to!”

“Yes, you do have to learn . . . but that doesn’t mean he’ll agree to teach you. That, however, is your problem young Avatar.” Roku informed his next life. The former Avatar ran his fingers through his beard once more. “You have better get going.”

“Wait! I have another question!” Aang began to say, but suddenly the ground he was on was moving. The single paved road in the sky was moving towards the gigantic gate, and that gate was now open. Aang could see the very end of Snake Way on the other end of the gate, and he realized his journey was about to begin. He turned to Roku, pleading with the Avatar who came before him. “How will my friends be able to bring me back?”

“That is their problem; you must concentrate on your own.” Roku replied.

“PLEASE! I have to know!” Aang pleaded.

“It’s in Katara’s hands now.” Roku replied to the young Avatar. Then, before Aang could inquire further, he was past the gate and the gate slammed shut. Roku was gone, and Aang felt a warm pass over him. He knew that Roku’s spirit had returned to Aang’s body.

The young monk stepped onto the edge of Snake Way, and suddenly the gate and the moving paved road were gone; vanished into the clouds. Aang sighed and rubbed his neck. He turned and looked at the long road of Snake Way, and he realized this is where he had to go.

Trying not to think about what his friends would have to do to bring him back (the curiosity was killing him) he started to walk down the road. Then he realized he couldn’t see the end of the road, and there seemed to be nothing but road for miles on end. (It was a multi- million mile road, but luckily Aang did not know this.)

Aang didn’t want to waste time, so he grabbed his glider and took off; flying down the length of Snake Way. Little did he know what he would soon find.

For a long time, Aang flew along the lonely road and he felt as empty as the clouds around him. He knew what he was doing had a important purpose, but he missed his friends. Aang had been with Katara and Sokka since the day he was freed from the ice burg. Sokka had become a wonderful friends, and words could not describe his feelings for Katara. Then Toph had been added to the fold and he’d found another friend.

Now, they were gone. Momo and Appa too. No . . . they weren’t gone at all. He was. He was the one who had gone. He was the one who had died. He was the one who had left them behind.

Aang was so preoccupied with memories of his friends that he didn’t look where he was flying. Not that it mattered; he was on a set path. As long as he flew along Snake Way, he’d eventually arrive at King Kai’s planet – right?

Unfortunately, Aang had just crashed into someone else who had been walking Snake Road. That someone wasn’t the kind of person you wanted to run into.

“Hello Avatar.”



Aang looked up at Slade, and although he did not know who he was, Aang got a bad feeling. Slade held a large sword in his right hand and he wore his usual armor and double-colored mask. Aang saw him, and instantly he believed Slade was evil. He just didn’t realize how evil Slade really was.

“Who are you?” Aang asked.

“My name is Deathstroke. I heard you found out about the Circle of Fire.” Slade replied.

Aang held his staff aloft in his hand and held his other hand into a fist. Slade took a step forward, and when he did, Aang took a step back; holding his stance.

“I’m not usually one for theatrics and I don’t enjoy the idea of the world being destroyed; but I have a job to do and I have my reasons for doing it. I can’t let you interfere in what I’m doing.” Slade held up his sword, the blade aimed at Aang.

“I’m already dead, what are you going to do to me?” Aang raised an eyebrow.

“Haha . . . fool. You don’t understand, do you? I don’t have to kill you – if you fall from Snake Way, you’ll never get back in time. Your friends have only one chance to bring you back; I just have to delay that.”

Aang’s eyes widened. He hated to admit it when the bad guys had great ideas, but Slade’s plan made perfect sense. The Avatar didn’t have time for any further words to be exchanged, because a second later Robin’s arch-rival ran forward, holding his sword tight in his hand. Aang jumped back, and as he did he slammed his staff down onto the road beneath him and unleashed a blast of air that took on the form of a small tsunami. The wave of air was supposed to blow Slade either onto his back or off the road entirely; but that didn’t happen. Slade was much too fast even for Aang’s impressive speed and he jumped into the air and curled into a ball, spinning upward. He dodged the blast completely and landed behind Aang. As he uncurled for his landing, he swiped a kick at Aang’s feet and caused the young airbender to fall forward onto his chest. Luckily Aang managed to hold onto his trusty staff, but Slade was already preparing a slash at Aang’s back. Aang rolled to the side and Slade’s gigantic machete connected with the ground and slashed a hole right through it.

Aang jumped and landed on the other end of the slashed road. “What are you?” Aang could see from his strength and speed that Slade was no mere human.

“What am I? Haha . . . I’m the man whose going to ensure you never escape from death.” Slade replied, and he ran forward and slashed his machete again. Aang back flipped and landed on his feet a few meters away from where he’d stood before. Slade didn’t seem bothered.

“You remember Trigon, who you killed?” Slade asked Aang.

“Yeah . . .” The Avatar didn’t like where this was going.

“I once worked for him. During that time I had incredible powers; similar to what you call ‘firebending’. When I began working for the Circle, those powers were returned.” Slade began to glow with an orange aura around him. On his forehead, however, where Trigon’s mark had once been, was now a glowing circle of flame. The symbol of his new organization.

Aang didn’t understand most of what Slade had just said, but all he really had to catch was the ‘firebending’ part to know he was right in his initial feelings about Slade. This guy really was as horrible as Aang had initially suspected him to be. The Avatar jumped away as Slade hurled a gigantic ball of flames at Aang. The young airbender twirled his staff above his head and slashed it across the air sending a large ball of furiously compacted air right at Slade’s chest.

Slade was hit with the airball and knocked back across the ground. His feet scrapped across Snake Way and dug into the ground. The villainous mercenary almost went right off the edge, but he impaled his sword into the ground and managed to stop himself from going over.

Aang took this chance to attack – he discarded his staff for a moment and swished his arms like the flow of the water, and the moisture from the clouds all around them compacted into a whip of water and slashed at Slade, snapping across his chest and cutting his shirt and his skin.

Slade didn’t seem phased by the blow at all, and instead the aura around his became even brighter and Aang’s water weapon was dissolved away in a flash; evaporated. Aang swallowed and realized that Slade was an enemy worse than any he’d ever fought before. Zuko wasn’t this strong. Aang re-gripped his staff and charged forward, thrusting the end of his staff at Slade’s legs. Slade jumped back and slide down a section of Snake Way that dipped down.

The firebending fiend grinned behind his mask and held up his hands; twin streams of fire exploding from his palms, being curved by his fingertips and sailing through the air right at Aang. The airbender twirled his staff around in front of him and blocked the flames, sending them to either side of himself. As soon as Aang saw a break in the flames he took his chance by jumped right off the edge of Snake Way and unleashing his glider. He flew down beneath Snake Way, and then dipped back up onto the road a fair distance from Slade.

Aang used the incredible speed that came with being an Airbender and took off down the road as fast as his feet would carry him. Slade didn’t seem worried, however, instead he charged after Aang with the flames on his feet boosting his speed in his pursuit of the Avatar.

’The child has considerable skills, but his heart is in the right place, and even I don’t have the power to unhinge it. If I killed his friends he would only focus his anger into defeating Ozai. If I break his spirit, it will just be lifted once more. If King Kai can teach him, then that’s one of Those Warriors who would be ready. I can’t let that happen.’

Slade jumped high into the sky and landed on the other side of Aang. With a quick kick at him, Aang was hit in the chest and knocked down. The Avatar was reeling from the blow, and Slade used his temporary daze as an chance to raise his machete. All was in set for him to decapitate the Avatar’s spirit (which actually wouldn’t do much at all) and send Aang reeling to the inferno below Snake Way.

However, before Slade could attack Aang, a dragon ripped through his chest. Slade roared in pain and stumbled and fell to his knees. Aang sat up in horror, but he noticed that the hole in Slade’s chest was healing. He also noticed that Slade shed no blood when he was attacked, and yet he had no halo. Slade was still alive . . . or at least, he wasn’t dead. Aang couldn’t explain what Slade was, other than knowing Slade was part of something very bad.

“Avatar! This way, to Kai’s planet.”

The dragon floated above Aang, and he realized it was Roku’s spirit animal. Aang nodded and jumped onto the dragon’s back – it took off down Snake Way, and as it went it flew high above Snake Way so that Slade could not follow.

Aang was on his way to King Kai’s Planet for his training, but even after all that had happened on Snake Way, even after everything that Roku had revealed to him, there was only one thing on Aang’s mind . . . what did the old Avatar mean by ‘the choice is in Katara’s hands’?

Aang was worried about his friends.



Slade stood up and looked as if he would follow Aang, but then a voice spoke to him.

“Forget the Avatar, you have another task...”

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See? I did it this way because nine pages is a lot for a RP post. XD

Wowzers! That was quite a read! Well, I know more about this Circle of Fire, now. And... looks like I'm gonna have to do a bit of signing up, as well. ;)

Seriously, though, you're very good at writing fight scenes... that fight between Aang and Slade was awesome! ^_^

^_^

Thanks Spoony! Heh, I wanted to foreshadow a bit with the Circle of Fire. Sign up as whoever you want! :3 We can always use more people. That's why character limits don't exist in this one. Mwahahah!

I've gotten a lot of practice with fight scenes from all the fics and RPs over teh last couple years. Thanks for reading d00d! :w00t:

Awesome! Great job GS!! Wow this is certainly going to be good isnt it? Hmmm I actually ment to ask, how exactly is Katara gonna bring him back? Maybe I should figure it out since i'm her XD

Thank you C_R-chan! :D

Yes, Katara will bring him back.

... What? That isn't what you asked? Hmm, you're right, but it's a surprise! A good surprise, though!

But I'll PM ya if you want, and tell ya.

lol I like suprises! They are fun!! Just as long as I know before I need to ^____^

I shall read this once the Internet at my house begins working! Right now, I shall pop over to the RPs!

EDIT!

I have finally read it...Very good! It provides a lot of illumination into what's going to happen...

These new beings...Made from the Souls of Hollows, Bodies of Homunculi, and Hearts of Heartless...Freaky!