Spirits Like White Lightning

By Iain R. Lewis

Disclaimer: Avatar belongs to Nickelodeon.

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay on this chapter. Writing this story is a lot more involved than I thought it would be at the start. But I think the chapter turned out well considering.

Chapter 4: Ananya

What happened next could easily be summed up in a single sentence.

I got into more trouble in an hour than I'd ever before in my life and then discovered that pickled sea prunes weren't so bad.

This wouldn't be inaccurate, in fact, it's exactly the opposite. Ananya had an idea that adventure was something that should be savored, taken full-force and never backed away from. The simplest thing could become an adventure to her, and she would do whatever it took to create a narrative that fit in her head. This was the first time that I ever really experienced just what it meant to adventure with Ananya.

So I will recount, in gratuitous detail, the events that transpired when Ananya led me from the Great Hall into the expanses of the South Pole Capital. It wasn't particularly dangerous, though at the time I had little frame of reference in terms of danger, but it was certainly -- well, I suppose I should just tell the story instead of building your expectations only to dash them all.

It wasn't so bad in the chill, actually, and I was quick to acclimate myself to the weather. There was a light sprinkling of snow. The bay was bustling, and the people along the streets were busy, pushing past to get to where they needed to go.

Ananya was a curious sort, who enjoyed the crowds. I couldn't quite figure out why she enjoyed slipping through a narrow opening between two people, and then laughed when I finally emerged behind her, a sparkle in her eye.

"You're so slow, my prince!" she joked, adding the flourish of a deep bow.

"Are you trying to lose me in this crowd?" I wondered, fuming. She just laughed, absolutely carefree, and more than a little careless. "It's not funny," I protested.

"It was just a race," she said, "And I won, so there.":

I wasn't going to dignify this game with a response. I was a man, sixteen years of age, and charged with an important duty. I wasn't sure why I was even following her, and I stood upright and turned around.

"Hey, don't be mad, okay?" she said, "Come on, Kuzon, I was just kidding."

"I shouldn't be traveling around the city with some girl right now. I've got important business to attend to."

"Oh, right, your message to the Avatar. Well, if you want to just wander around blindly," she said, I turned to look at her. She was beginning to walk off. "I mean, it's such a pity, the Avatar just up and left on you, and the only one who knows where he went is little ole me."

I bristled under that reminder. Yes, I was almost definitely going to need Ananya's help to track down the Avatar, but still, this was ridiculous. Sixteen years of age, a man, important duty, I kept repeating that in my head, and Ananya kept strolling off casually.

"Yep, real shame, that," she said. I was starting to notice something creeping into her otherwise casual vocie. It was almost like she was beginning to get nervous. I sighed, heavily, and started after her. "Oh, Kuzon, there you are!" she said, mock surprise written across her forehead.

"Where are we going?" I asked, tiredly.

"Oh, right, this is your first time in the South Pole. Well," she tapped her finger to her cheek rhythmically as she seemed to ponder this. "Well, first, we have to see the old ship. It's part of a whole war memorial. Uncle Sokka's idea," she said, "Surround it with boring stuff and no one's going to want to go see the actual Fire Nation warship."

That couldn't possibly be his reasoning, I protested, but I didn't say anything. She continued, "And after that, we'll see the shopping ward. That's the bit of the city built entirely from ice. It's a popular spot for kids our age."

"I'm not a kid," I muttered.

Ananya didn't hear me, and just continued prattling on, "There we can get some pickled sea prunes, which are a bit weird, but Gran Gran used to make me eat them, so I get some whenever I'm here."

I shrugged.

"Hopefully we'll still have time, and we can go check out the shipyard," she said, "That's where they take the bones and hides for their fishing ships. It's really neat, but it stinks from the junk they use to cure the hides."

"You watch them make the ships?"

"Sure, why not?" she replied, smirking. "Don't you ever watch them make your ships? That's got to be really something."

"No," I said, "I'm too busy with my training."

"Oh, so you're a Firebender, are you?" she asked. "I thought so. You walk like one."

I rolled my eyes. She was so obviously lying that I wasn't going to answer that. She continued to pester me about my style, asking some ridiculous sounding questions about my forms, which I just grunted a non-commital response. I wasn't at all interested in talking about Firebending, and she started to catch on.

"You know, if someone asked me about my bending, I wouldn't shut up about it. I mean, I don't get to talk to many other benders, just the few we visit in the Earth Kingdom, and they don't really care about the particulars of the air scooter and how you can really screw it up and blow yourself sky high if you're not careful."

"You're an Airbender, right?" I muttered, "Are there any others?"

"Just Grandpa," she said, sadly, "Maybe if I ever have kids they'll be benders too."

"Wasn't your mom or your dad an Airbender?" I wondered. I thought bending was one of those things that are just passed down through the family, like an old sword or blue eyes. I didn't get a response, which caused me pause.

In the short time I'd known her, I didn't figure Ananya for the type to be quiet. "Ananya?"

"Oh, sorry," she said, smile on her face, "I was just thinking. No, my mom wasn't an airbender. She was a Waterbender. One of the best. And me? I'm unique."

"Oh."

"It's been a long time since I've been home. I think I prefer the North Pole," she said. "Still, the Southern Water Tribe is nice, and their city is incredible. It's so big! So, why don't you want to talk about your Firebending. I'm sure you must know some pretty awesome tricks."

"No," I said.

"Come on, tell me. Can you shoot lightning from your nose?"

"No!" I shouted, a bit louder than I expected. "What makes you think I could do that?"

"Just what I heard from Grandpa. Or was that fire from the nose and lightning from the fingers -- I can never remember." She smiled at me and giggled. "Are you just bad at firebending, is that it? I don't mind if you can't light a candle."

"I can do much more than that," I protested, my pride wounded. "I'm almost a master!"

"Wow, really?" she seemed so amazed by that. Her eyes sparkled, "Well, you've got to show me. I know just the place, come on!" She took me by the arm and led me through the city. We came upon a small clearing where the snow was heavy and the people were few and far between. "I want to see some real hot firebending, Kuzon!"

"Uh," I hesitated. I wondered inwardly how I got in this position. There were people staring at me as Ananya kept encouraging me. I think they all wanted to see a Firebender in action, no doubt spurred on by tales of their terrible power in scary bed time stories.

"Well?" Ananya asked.

"I really don't think --"

"Come on, if you're almost a master, you've got to have some awesome forms to show me, right?" she said. And I grumbled, submitting to the situation. Forms I could do no trouble, it was just that I wasn't likely to give anything more than a spark.

I slid into a stance, tightened the sinews in my leg and flexed my arm back. Then, I took in a deep breath and moved. Strike once, then move into the next stance, two quick kicks, slide into a low stance, and keep my arms rigid. Punch, slide into the next form, and unwind, with two strikes.

I didn't pay any attention to anyone but the forms, and I could feel the sickly flames shoot out.

When I finished that kata, I stood up and looked at Ananya. Her face was so full to the brim with disappointment that I didn't know what to say. "Well, you get an A for effort," she said. "Your forms were great! But those flames," she shook her head, "Probably just the cold, right?"

"Yeah, sure."

The rest of the audience weren't quite so enthused, and they appeared to already be well involved with everything they were doing beforehand. I slouched a bit. It seemed that this curse that was inflicted upon me would be more of an annoyance than I'd anticipated.

"So," Ananya said, patting me on the back, "Don't let it get you down. It's just a fluke, you'll just practice, get used to the cold, and you'll be --"

"I'll be what?"

"Don't look now."

I looked. I recognized the trio of boys. They were part of the crowd pursuing Ananya earlier that day after she'd apparently been at the scene of a young man being pushed into the bay. They'd changed, and seemed a little warmer than when I'd last seen them, though one still seemed to be a slightly unhealthy shade of blue.

"You looked, didn't you?"

"Yeah," I murmured.

"Oh well," Ananya said. "Just tell me if they've noticed me. Maybe if we're sneaky, we can get away without drawing their attention --"

"Hey!"

"They saw you," I said. I smiled wryly.

"I figured that out, princey," she muttered. She came out from behind me and waved to the boys, "Hi, guys! What's happening?"

"I knew you were covering for her!" the leader said, pointing at me. I swatted it away in annoyance, and he rubbed that hand for a bit, much to my satisfaction. "What's the big deal, Ananya."

"Well, you seemed angry," Ananya said, "And well, I offered to dry you off and then you got wet all over again, and then you were even angier."

"I don't care if the Avatar's your Grandfather or what," the leader said, waving his finger at Ananya. If this guy was a threat, she didn't treat him as such. "I oughta, I oughta--"

"You oughta what?" Ananya asked, "I'll have you know my friend here is a Prince, and he's a Firebender, so you know what that means! He's got a crew of firebenders just waiting to melt this place to a puddle."

"Uh," the leader looked at me. I was about to protest when Ananya went one further.

"And he's no slouch, either. He's like this far from being a master. He'll turn you into a roast penguin if you don't lay off!"

"Guys, do what she says," the blue-tinted one whispered, "I saw the ship in the bay, it's just like the one in the memorial!"

I could hardly contain my outrage. The Western Dragon was a top-of-the-line modern ship, and comparing it to a rotting, ancient Fire Nation wreck was perhaps an even bigger insult than making me and my crew out to be draconic, firebending invaders, flames spurting out of their noses in their rage, and those boys cowering in fear at my feet --

Actually, that wasn't such a bad image. I could get used to people trembling in fear at the name of Prince Kuzon.

"We're sorry, sir, we didn't mean to --"

"Shut up, did you see, he's glaring at you!"

"He's going to boil us alive in the snow --"

"Well, see that it doesn't happen again," I said, as menacingly as I could muster. It was deadpan and a bit half-hearted, but it seemed to have the desired effect.

"It won't, promise," the leader said. "We'll just be going --"

Ananya dragged me along, all the while waving to the boys with a long, and somewhat menacing grin. Then, once we had a good enough lead, she turned to me and said, "Okay, and now we run."

"What? Why?"

"Because it's going to be a couple of minutes until they figure out I'm bluffing, and then it's snow down my back, and yours too, now."

That sounded decidedly unpleasant, so when she broke into a dash, I followed.

A light snowfall fell on the city as the hour slowly ebbed away. Ananya slowed her run and started to walk once we were once more lost in the crowds of the city street. The smell of fish permeated the city, as did the bitter smell of cold.

The warm coat my mother had packed for me did little to take my mind from it. I could see my breath clear in front of my face. Ananya's face was a little rosier, her pale complexion affected by the cold much like I imagined mine to be.

The memorial itself was situated a good distance away from the Great Hall. I was surprised it took us as long as it did to finally reach it. Buildings surrounded the old ship, and it almost seemed like a part of the city, rather than some old derelict.

Perhaps there was more merit to the idea that the Great Chief built the memorial around it to dissuade people from randomly traipsing through it. I could see a lot of people -- guards by the looks -- about it. A lot of the older generation, escorted by their children and grandchildren, seemed to be visiting, weighed down by some emotional burden I couldn't understand.

Ananya however just lit up when we approached. "Finally!" she said, "Finally got here!"

I didn't have long, and I was starting to think turning around and returning to the Great Hall before we were called in would be the best idea. I just knew that Baku guy would come searching for me, dragging me by the legs the whole way back through the snowy city.

Then there was the matter of those boys that Ananya seemed prone to antagonize. I was certain I could beat them off, but getting into a brawl was the last thing I wanted to do. The twisting knot in my stomach reminded me of the embarrassing display from our detour. I was hardly in any shape to bend, and I would try to avoid it in the future.

"What are you waiting for? Come on!" Ananya said, she looked to be in a huff, grabbing my arm and pulling me forcefully towards the memorial building. I shrugged. It couldn't help to get out of the snow, which by now powdered our hair enough that a passing glance at Ananya made her seem much older.

"I'm coming."

She pulled me into the building, and it took me a little bit to adjust to the low light inside. There were no windows, just small oil lamps. I could see more of those guards around, watching the visitors carefully.

There was something of a museum inside. Reminders of the war, mementos of what was lost and what was gained and everything the Southern Water Tribe lived through and persevered despite.

I had nothing to say about it all. I was too young to comprehend, I long ago came to that understanding when Grandfather eyes would gloss over with that faraway look, and then he would speak in a hushed, reverent tone, humbled by the graves of men whose names I never knew, and I would stare feeling nothing.

To say I didn't understand why would be wrong, it was merely that I lacked that first-hand understanding. Stories of the war were no substitute for witnessing it. Still, I respected it, in a very impersonal way.

Ananya never seemed to have been taught how.

"This is boring, Kuzon, let's just skip this junk and get to the ship, okay?"

I could see people turning their heads to look at her. She spoke loudly, she yawned even louder, which I didn't think was possible until that moment, and she broke off into a spring through the halls.

I never felt this mortified in my life. They were looking at me, thinking things, what I could only imagine. What if they thought she was my little sister, and I, the dutiful brother, failing utterly at keeping her in line.

Worse still, what if they thought she was my girlfriend?

I cast such thoughts straight out of my mind. They didn't know anything about me or her, and I would be having some words with the girl before we got into some serious trouble. At least, foolishly, that's what I believed.

Following her, and ducking from the glances of the people in the memorial, I came across the entrance to the ship, and she stood, balancing like a circus performer, on one of the metal railings that led up to the derelict. "Come on, come on!" she urged, petulantly.

"Ananya, we need to talk," I began.

"We can talk when we're inside!" she huffed, jumping off and causing my heart to stop. She was going to hurt herself!

She landed, and proceeded to slip and fall on her rear. "Ow," she muttered. I winced in sympathy.

"You're lucky that wasn't worse," I muttered in response. "Behave, Ananya. This is a memorial, treat it with some respect."

"Why?"

"Because people died in that war," I answered.

"Like?"

"I don't know," I answered, after a hesitant moment. "People who the visitors knew about, probably."

"Oh, that's so sad for them," Ananya said, sympathetically. "But come on, the war's over and done with! We won, you guys lost."

"That's not really accurate," I tried to contest. If anything, the war ended with no one so much winning as everyone just not losing completely. She didn't listen to me. Well, this was probably going to become a recurring theme, I distinctly recall thinking. I was sometimes more observant than I ought to be.

Ananya just gave me a long, empty look. She furrowed her brow quizically, looking for me for some sort of answer, before saying, in a flat voice, "What, so in the Fire Nation you guys won or something?"

"No!" I spat out. "Look, the details don't matter, the important thing is that people here are trying to pay their respects, you should too, okay?"

"Okay, okay, fine," she said, "You never had a day of fun in your entire life, have you?"

I resented that! I wasn't the type to run headlong into danger and call it an adventure, but that didn't mean I didn't know how to have fun. In school, I discovered poetry, and even wrote several haiku of my own, and while I wasn't quite into the wild parties Daisuke would somehow just know about -- even if they'd just started spontaneously a couple of minutes before, I was convinced -- I wasn't a stick in the mud.

So having this girl, with her wide eyed smile, saying I was boring ruffled more than a few of my feathers, or whatever that expression was. I was going to retort, 'What do you mean, of course I've had fun!' or something like that, but Ananya, not waiting for a response, apparently, just said, "Come on, the ship's just over there and then we can really have some fun."

Those words filled me with such indescribeable dread I couldn't even begin to relate. Still, I'd come this far, and I resolved to see it through. The sooner we got in and out of that ship and back to the hall, the better.

The Great Chief's hall sounded more and more welcoming as time went on.

The ship, a massive, twisted metal monstrosity that was taken from the water by the benders of the South Pole years ago, had the look of something straight out of the history books. It was an early model of this construction, from the beginning of the ascendent Fire Empire that my ancestor Sozin started.

Though it seemed like there were people allowed to tour the ship, Ananya crept along its long, clanking corridors with the grace of a lurking jungle cat, in her own mind. Reality, however, was not so kind on her. She hung low, trying to avoid the notice of some person I did not see, and she pulled me down to her level quickly.

She usually walked very lightly, which wasn't exactly something I noticed earlier, but it was definitely noticeable when she started to creep. She made loud noises with every stomping footstep, and the metal corridors just amplified the sound. She didn't notice, or at least, she probably blamed me for the noise, considering she threw me a dirty glance every couple of seconds.

She was also humming some off-tone music.

Why was she humming? That I never found out.

The problem was that the surroundings were empty. This whole charade of sneaking about like spies behind enemy lines was ridiculous, and I was starting to feel like my back was going to give out from the way she forced me to bend it.

Any guards were elsewhere, and we were following the clearly marked touring path, anyway. The story goes that the Fire Lord met the Avatar because of a flare fired off by this very ship, which would make it of interest to anyone who was a student of either of those individuals.

I was one, and I wondered if Ananya was of the other.

"Ananya --"

She silenced me with a harsh shush, and then pulled her face close to mine and whispered, "We can't be noticed, the guards could kick us out for sure."

"I won't argue that point," because we were being incredibly suspicious I wanted to add, but I bit back comment, "But anyway, your grandfather came here after being found by the Water Tribe, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Is that why you came here?"

"What gave you that idea?" she asked, looking at me without a single shred of amusement on her face. Ananya's lack of subtlety put Daisuke to shame. I could tell I'd struck a nerve, and I wasn't about to proceed on asking her something she didn't have any interest in talking about.

I managed to stutter out a quick excuse, "Well, it's just you mentioned he went here on his first date --"

"You think this is a date?" There was that smile. I felt a little better until I realized that she was actually aiming it straight at me. "Oh, Kuzon, you're so cute, thinking this is a date. I bet you've never been on one before, too."

Well, I hadn't, but still! "A date? With you? Sorry, I'm spoken for."

"Oh, I see," she said. She didn't believe me, that much was clear from her tone. "Well, I'm sure she's very pretty."

Much prettier than you, I narrowly avoided snapping. "She is. And -- hey, wait!" Realization dawned, and I turned it right around on her, "Like you've been on a date before, either."

Okay, admitting I'd never been on a date in the process may not have been the smartest thing, it still had the desired effect on Ananya. She suddenly looked a little paler and her smile dimmed until she finally looked away and began creeping down the hall again.

"Never you mind! Come on, this way," she snapped.

She led me past the aforementioned tour path. The ship's awkward position made the following corridors a little more treacherous to go down. Small bits of rusty decay had claimed holes in the hull, and the ship itself had seen much better days.

"Wow!" Ananya shouted, somehow feeling that now they were past the acceptable areas for touring, that we could now, of all times now, speak at the top of our lungs. "Kuzon, check this out! Are these the the quarters?"

"No," I said, "I think this is for briefings. The tables there would hold charts and maps. They'd plan their course or coordinate a ground battle from here. It wasn't a commander's ship, admittedly, just a front-line battleship, so I figure it was more for the first one."

"No kidding," Ananya said. She bounded over a large piece of missing floor and wall, and grabbed hold to the table. "Pretty neat. Do you have one of these on your ships."

"Of course."

"Cool! It hasn't even moved, even though the ship's all wonky and off kilter."

"Well, you wouldn't get much done on the ocean if you didn't bolt it to the floor," i said, pointing at the feet of the table.

She looked at it, and peered, curiously at it. It was kind of cute, I had to admit, the way she threw herself wholy into the task, as frivolous as it may be. "Wow, so, do you have stuff bolted down for sleeping on? Beds or something?"

"Yes," I said. "Or we hang up hammocks if space is tighter, like on a larger ship."

"I wanna see!" she said, bouncing back over. "Which way are the quarters, anyway?"

"That's a good question," I admitted aloud, much to my surprise. Still, it wasn't like I was intimately familiar with an ancient Fire Nation ship, and the modern ones had different lay-outs than this. I wondered if they were back in the regular section, but dismissed it. They were probably further below.

"Let's go see," she said, pulling me along. She led me down a very narrow stairway further below deck. The ship was barely built for people at this level, and I was starting to doubt my assumption. The old models were hard enough to read, but combined with my familiarity with modern vessels, and things were already confusing.

"This doesn't look very comfy," she said, looking at me. "You're sure?"

"No."

"I see," she said, knitting her brow together in frustration, "I guess this is a war ship, they didn't actually want to live comfortably, right? I wonder if there are any booby traps down here! I'd really love to see Uncle Sokka's face when a flare goes flying out or something!"

I really doubt they rigged two traps to do the same thing. Still, she was right, the Great Chief's face when they set off a trap would be something to see, probably around the same time that he declared war on the Fire Nation.

Yes, I would very much have fun explaining that one to Grandfather. Anyway, it wouldn't be my fault, it would be the Great Chief's Great-Niece. Speaking of whom, she peered into the rooms on this floor, with great interest. "Not really what I'd call posh accomodations," she said. "I don't think these are the living quarters at all."

"Yeah," I agreed, "Usually for the crew they're put in one large communal quarter, and sleep in shifts."

"Oh."

"Plus, the piping here makes me think we're near the furnace. It'd be too hot for anyone to really be comfortable down here."

"So what are these rooms for?"

I stared at them. Small, too small for much more than a single person, maybe two if needed. There wasn't much they could store in there that wouldn't be too inconvenient or small enough, so it wasn't for storage.

I frowned.

"The brig."

"What's a brig?"

"A prison," I answered. She walked into one of the cells and looked around. I squeezed my way in as well.

"Comfy," she said. "Do you treat all your prisoners like this?"

"Oh, yes, our prisons are known for both their tiny cells and their overcrowding, you know," I said wryly. She looked at me, cocking her head. "Let's just get out of here."

"Yeah, let's go!" she said, pushing me towards the door. I nearly tripped over something as she pushed me, and I fell face-first into the closing door. Disoriented, I could barely make out Ananya's accusing shouts.

I stumbled, and fell on her. She barely held me up. I noticed she was a lot stronger than she looked as things got a bit fuzzy.

"-- no time for joking around --" I heard her saying as my ears rang.

"What was that?" I muttered, regaining my footing and standing up. "What did you do?"

"I've been asking you that!" Ananya shouted right back. "This was a plan, to get back at me for, for, for --"

"Yes, this was my brilliant plan to lock you in a cell alone with me with barely enough room to move our arms around."

She looked at me, brilliantly crimson, "I'm not liking the idea of being alone with you if you planned this out."

"Of course I didn't! You think I'd want to be trapped in a cell with you?"

"Loneliness makes us do crazy things," she said, matter-of-factly. I didn't know what was weirder, that a girl who'd never been on a date was lecturing me on loneliness, or that she seemed to ignore the fact that I had a girlfriend.

"I'm not lonely!"

"Imaginary girlfriend, going along with a date with a girl you just met, then locking her alone with you in a tiny cell, that sure sounds like the motives of a lonely man." Yes, I would agree with that, but I wouldn't agree with the insinuation that they were my motives.

I pushed at the door, hoping that it would give way and open. I had no luck. "We're stuck here until someone finds us."

"Oh, then you'll be in trouble, Kuzon. I bet you're not even really a prince."

I ignored that and wrote it off as her being upset. She stared at me curiously, and then looked away when she caught my eyes turning towards her. it was dark, but the light coming out from holes in the hull and the small gap in the door let us see each other fine. "What is it?"

"Nothing, what are you talking about?"

"Fine," I shrugged. I made some shouts out of the door, hoping that one of the passing security would notice the sound and come investigate, but after a while, my voice was going hoarse and there was no sign of anyone.

"So," Ananya said, suddenly, "We're going to be stuck here for a while, huh?"

"I don't see you trying anything."

"Oh, I could yell!" she said. She inhaled deeply, and then cried out for help. My eardrums popped, she was louder than I thought someone could be. "I'm trapped here all alone with a strange man! Won't someone come to my rescue!"

"What? Strange man? Hey!"

She giggled. "I could try some airbending to open the door. Maybe that'll work!" She assumed a rather narrow stance -- the brig was probably made to prevent this kind of thing, and I knew I couldn't move enough to even breathe a decent flame if I could. But Ananya was so tiny she just seemed to be able to narrowly form a ball of air.

Well, I assumed it was a ball, seeing as it was air I couldn't exactly see it, but the growing force of wind in the cell seemed to imply that.

It also brought to my attention what an awful idea this really was. The door was on one side of the cell, she was on the other, and unfortunately for me, there I was, stuck in the middle.

"Ananya, this isn't a good idea!"

She wasn't listening -- and I apparently wasn't learning. I braced for impact.

"Hyah!"

With that warcry, the wind in the room blasted me into the door. It made a mighty klunk, and I just tried to make sure I hadn't broken a rib in the process. It could have been worse. Ananya looked at me with wide eyes. "Whoopsie."

"Yeah, whoopsie," I managed to squeeze out of my pain wracked body. "I'm just going to sit down until the dizziness subsides."

"I'm sorry, Kuzon! I really didn't mean to --"

I raised my hand. "Accepted." She seemed so sincere when she looked at me like that. I just wanted to center myself and try and stop the rising headache that was forming. I was going to be late, my grandfather was probably going to banish me forever, and it all seemed oh so insurmountable right now.

"What's your story, anyway?" she asked. She said it a bit roughly, A part of me wondered why she was being so angry. We'd been standing in the relative dark of the cell for some time, and though we called out for help every now and then, we weren't having any luck.

The other part of me responded to her question. "What's yours?"

"I'm an airbender training under the Avatar, isn't that obvious?"

"Yes, but," I looked at her, "You don't look like a normal airbender."

"Is there a normal airbender anymore?" she wondered. "Look, if you didn't want to answer you could have said. I wouldn't have minded. I was just curious. I mean, yeah, you say you're a prince, and that ship you came in on is pretty fancy."

"You saw me come in?"

"Yep," she answered, "That's where I pushed those guys into the water, remember?"

"Oh," I looked at her. She smiled at me, innocently. I was starting to think she did push them in just because it was funny, though. It really seemed to be something she'd do. Was getting in trouble the only way she measured how much she had fun? "Like I said, Grandfather -- the Fire Lord, I mean, he wants me to find the Avatar to deliver a message."

"What kind of message?"

"That's not important," I said, "It's kind of important that I don't tell anyone but the Avatar."

"Oh." She smiled, "Exciting! A secret message! A harrowing mission! A prince, sent by his Fire Lord, to travel the world seeking out the Avatar like he himself had years ago. It's like a story!"

"But it's not," I said. "It's a matter of life and death."

"Oh," she said, "Serious, huh? That's cool too, I guess. So, what's the deal with your blocked chakra, anyway?"

"Huh?"

"Your chakra are all clogged, even I can see that. I saw a lot of those kinda people come to my mom for help.."

"Your mother? How would she know about blocked chakra and stuff?"

"She was a waterbender, remember," she said. "People came from all over. They called her a Miracle-Bender, because even if your life was in the balance, or if your wound was not really so much of the body but the spirit, it didn't matter. Some people even thought she could bring back the dead."

"Saya--"

"Yep," she said, smiling,

"Well, I don't know what's wrong with me," I said. "Kitta said there wasn't anything she could do about it."

"I guess so. Kitta's not as good as my mom. She was the best."

"What happened to her?" I winced, realizing what I'd just asked. Yes, Kuzon, how compassionate of you to ask the poor girl how her mother died.

"Don't worry about it," she said, "I'm surprised you never heard about it, but I guess we were both a little too young to get it, right?" I nodded, slowly. "She was lost at sea. We never found her, but, it was pretty clear the Ocean spirit took her back."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

She looked different. Older, perhaps, than I thought she was. She didn't seem sad, not necessarily, but she seemed distant, like she was lost in her memories. "Kitta took it harder than me, I heard. She was my mother's student, and she was like a part of the family, everyone kept saying."

"Oh."

"Oh?"

"Go on."

"Fine, fine, stop making noises," she said, a little annoyed to be drawn from her reverie. "Kitta was like a big sister I never wanted. Everyone admired her because of how great a healer she was. Even Gran-Gran had to admit she was impressed. She wasn't as good as mom, though! But Mom loved teaching her, still."

I could sense something underneath the surface, unspoken. Ananya wasn't one who could hide her true feelings, though. She was jealous, jealous of Kitta's relationship with her mother and I couldn't blame her. I felt jealous whenever Mom would take the twins off for something mysterious -- 'girl stuff' in her words -- and while now, in retrospect, going to a beauty parlor seems to be the least interesting thing in the world, at age six, they were the bitterest grapes on the vine.

"You know that doesn't mean Kitta was replacing you."

"Who said she was!" Ananya snapped, "I certainly didn't! Nope, nothing about that in the story at all. No way, no how. And what do you know. I bet Kitta told you all about how I was a brat or something."

"She didn't really mention you. I could tell she admired Saya, though," I answered. "And when she saw you, she seemed like she was fond of you."

"Maybe," she said. "Like you know what it's like to have someone stealing your mom from you."

"Yeah, I do." She looked at me, and I sighed. May as well, I thought, share a story or two of the terrible twosome. "Okay, you have to understand, my Uncle's wife died when her children were very young, so they never really had a mother figure. They're twins. Michiko and Kimiko, though don't ask me to tell you which is which."

"Okay," she said. "If I ever meet them, I'll ask."

"They would always be bugging Mom to go take them to do things, treating her like she was their own mother. They'd go to beauty parlors, or come along to Ember Island with us during vacation. It was really annoying."

"Oh?"

"Well, they always talk in unison, or finish each other's sentences, or something like that, and you can never tell what they're plotting, and they're always plotting something. They would conspire to keep me occupied and steal my parents away from me for whatever they wanted. Like, really, they even told me so once."

"Didn't they have their own dad?" she wondered.

"Uncle Lu Ten is, well, he's Uncle Lu Ten. If you get him to remember your name, he's having a good day. If you get him to acknowledge you, there are a few establishments on Ember Island I'd like to take you to."

She giggled, "He sounds fun."

"He can be. He's really smart. Scary smart, actually," I said. "But the twins are more like Grandma. One time, they managed to lock me in the servant's quarters for an hour."

"Your family sounds fun," she said.

"Fun isn't the word I'd use. Crazy may be closer." She laughed at that.

"Maybe I can meet them someday. Grandpa and Gran Gran were friends with your grandparents, right?"

"I guess so," I said. "The Avatar was invited to my birthday party, but he didn't show. I don't know about Gran Gran."

"Probably not, I doubt they'd be invited to the same thing," Ananya commented. "They're not on speaking terms."

"They're not?"

For the briefest moment I got a glimpse of her that would remain in the back of my head forever.

She looked so -- no, sad wasn't the word -- vulnerable. I never saw her let her guard down like that elsewhere, it was just there and then that I finally caught a glimpse under the smile and I would always think of this when I got angry or upset with her.

Vulnerable and alone, a little girl lost.

I didn't pry.

I'll admit, I really wanted to pry,

All right, so I was going to pry, but at about that time, there was a sound coming from the ship outside. "Is there somebody down here?" they asked. A guard, finally!

"Finally," she said, looking relieved and the girl vanishing behind a smile that is simply Ananya. "Hey! Can you break this thing open, we're trapped in here!"

"Kids, always sneaking in," a grizzled voice said. The door rattled and the voice peeked in. He was an older sort, he looked a bit like a badger-mole with his hair and beard, which was starting to gray around the sideburns. "Need to break this thing down, step back, will you, son?"

I moved back, pressing a bit too close to Ananya. She gave me a mischievous look, and wrapped her arms around my waist. What was she thinking? my mind asked. The rest of me apparently didn't complain.

There was a sound of something being thrust at the door. Another loud sound, and Ananya pulled me closer. She was planning something, my mind shouted, but I didn't really have anywhere else I could be in that tiny cell.

"Got it," the man said, pulling it open. "You kids, what are you doing in there?"

"Why, we were just here to get away from our parents, who would not ever approve of such a starcrossed love!" Ananya said, with full and total conviction. Oh, my mind said, I warned you but did you listen?

No. No I did not. And I was regretting that right now. "She's joking. She wanted to explore."

"Kids today," the man said, "Whatever the reason, either of you some Kuzy wotsit guy?"

"Yeah, that's him," Ananya said, grinning at me. She whispered, "That's what you get." I didn't know what she was talking about. I only said the truth.

"Prince Baku was looking for you. Want me to take you to him?"

"Uh, that guy?" I blanched. I looked at Ananya angrily, "You made me late!"

"Whoopsie," she said, sticking out her tongue. "Well, Baku can wait. Pickled Sea Prunes first. Excuse us."

"Hey, I was told it was important," the older guy said. "And you're lucky it was me instead'a some guard. You'd be right back in that place and I'd still have'ta replace that old tripwire to close the door."

I thought the door was a little too strong for an archaic derelict! The groundskeeper apparently redid any tripped traps. This was all one big tourist trap. Literally!

"Let's go talk to Baku, Ananya. Maybe he'll buy you some of your pickled sea prunes," I muttered. I really didn't want to try any of them.

"Fine. He won't pay for it, you know, so I'm counting on you, Kuzon!"

Prince Baku was on the main level of the ship's deck, and his expression could have frozen the ship in place on its own. Ananya seemed to be in agreement, as she whispered to me, conspiratorially, "Forget waterbenders, Baku's glare can keep the entire polar ice caps frozen in place for a fraction of the cost."

I really wish I thought of that one.

"Ananya, I should have expected this," he said. It was closer to a growl. He looked at me, "And I expected better of a Prince."

"Sorry, sir," Ananya said, bowing her head. I wasn't going to bow to this pompous jerk, though. I would not be able to find the nerve to say that aloud, mind you, but the sentiment was always there.

"We were just looking for a little excitement," I said, keeping eye-contact with him the entire time. "Nothing more."

"Your little bit of excitement is keeping the Great Chief waiting."

"Like your dad cares," Ananya giggled. It was cut short when Baku's neck craned to turn that icy glare onto her. She bowed her head again, and I looked back and forth between them. Maybe when he was in a better mood I could get him to show me that trick, I thought.

"The Great Chief is waiting."

"Aw," Ananya moaned, "But I wanted some pickled sea prunes from Jokki's."

"Why?" Baku looked completely befuddled. "I'm sure the Great Chief's will have plenty for your dinner tonight."

"Yeah, but Kuzon's going to be gone by then, and I wanted to see if he'd like some." She not only turned on the charm, she seemed to take it past normal levels. "Pretty please, Baku!"

And to my amazement, the icy grump acquiesced, "All right. Quickly, on the way back. While we return. Understood?"

"Perfectly! I love you, Baku!"

His eye was twitching spasmodically, I noticed. I didn't say anything. I was more than happy to not be on the receiving end of Ananya's negotiations. Baku turned with a grunt, and we followed him out of the memorial building.

I'd heard the South Pole was the gateway to the future. Architecturally, it didn't particularly strike me as such, but there was something very convenient about the city that made traveling to the so-called shopping ward easy. Most of the businesses in the city worked out of here. You knew you were close when you smelled the fish.

I was taken by surprise by the variety of businesses operating out of the shopping ward. "Is that a Fire Flake vendor?" I wondered.

"Yes."

"Baku, you're making Kuzon look like a chatterbox."

Wait, what does that mean?

"Okay, Kuzon, Uncle Sokka's biggest idea for the city was to open it up to all the nations. He believed that trade and commerce was the best deterrent for war."

Baku nodded. "Father's belief is a sound one," he said finally.

"Well, yes, but the Avatar's more important than some stores. I mean, people steal, right?"

"It is based on a mutual respect," Baku said. "A man comes in, he acknowledges that yes, he wants those -- whatever those flakes are made of -- yet also respects that they belong to someone else, so he offers to trade. The same exchange is on the other side."

"Oh." That was the most I'd ever heard him talk. He was actually quite intelligent when he wasn't just glowering at people. "I think I understand."

"Good."

"Jokki's!" Ananya cheered. "Three bowls of sea prunes, please!"

The proprieter, who I assumed was either named Jokki, but I couldn't say for certain, smiled quite happily at his exuberant regular customer. "Ananya, good to see you're still doing okay. And -- the prince?"

He bowed low.

"There's no need for formalities," Baku said. I couldn't tell for certain, but he seemed a bit uncomfortable about that sudden bit of attention. "My father will happily provide the bill, as always."

And he paid the check! I was quite pleased with that since I was only afforded a measely allowance for this trip, and a bowl of prunes -- pickled no less -- didn't sound so appetizing.

Or look it, once I saw the meal itself. I was handed a bowl, and I took it, cautiously. What manner of food was this? I looked longingly at the fire flake vendor down the road. There was a snack I could get behind, and Grandma's supply never seemed to run out.

I suddenly felt a pang of homesickness.

And I looked at the sea prunes, and I saw Ananya staring at me. "Well?"

Ah, the moment of truth.

I took one of the squriming lobs of -- whatever -- and put it gingerly on my tongue. Ananya's eyes lit up as I took a bite of it.

It was wriggly. However, it wasn't unpleasant. In fact, while the flavor was certainly unexpected, it was mostly acceptable. So, I took another bite. "Like it?"

"It's interesting," I said. "Next time, I'll choose what we try."

"Sure!"

"Let's return to the great hall," Baku said. He took a bite of his bowl, and I could tell he was just as big a fan of this vendor's as Ananya was. Maybe that was more the reason for his agreeing to take us than Ananya's puppy impression.

We were already en route when those boys from before came charging through the crowd. I flinched, just imagining the idea of snow being poured down my shirt. It was cold enough without that. "Ananya!" the leader said.

"Hakka? What is it?"

Okay, this was new. The boy looked really serious, and a little frightened. "The Prince, too, oh, thank the spirits."

"Spit it out quickly, boy," Baku said. Something was wrong, something was seriously wrong here. I looked anxiously at the boy to continue. He tried to catch his breath quickly.

"The Great Chief -- one of the guards told me to find you -- there's -- someone appeared at the hall and --"

"A man with a tattoo on his face?"

"Yes!" Hakka shouted, amazed, "That's the one! Oh it's bad. The guards aren't doing so well. I was there trying to find Ananya and -- oh, you got to get there, now!"

"Let's go." Baku charged off, and Ananya was about to follow. She turned to look at me, as I tried to keep my feet steady. There was a fear paralyzing them, weakening them. A fear of that man, the one who had blocked my chakra with whatever strange technique he used.

Hiroshi had come to the South Pole. My stony expression seemed to upset Ananya, the glimmer of excitement faded from her silvery gray eyes.

To be continued.