Beneath the Oasis
Chapter Seven
Taiyo-Chan
Disclaimer. I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or anything associated with it.
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Aang opened his eyes. The same misty atmosphere and marshy smell; he made it to the Spirit World. He took a deep breath. "Remember, Aang, do not work any emotions. You can do this; talk to Koh and ask him why."
If he had to take anyone, why didn't he take me instead?
His face fell at the memory of the Oasis. She must've snapped out of it at the last minute for that wreck...Toph, I'm going to find you and we'll go home. Wherever you are... hang in there. With another deep breath, he resumed wearing his passive face and proceeded in the direction where he last remembered Koh's hideout to be.
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I'm still....alive?
Toph felt her head lying on the woman's lap, said person stroking her head in a melancholic manner. She felt weird; she wanted to grunt from waking up...but couldn't. She felt her face and froze. Her mouth was gone. Oh no. Her fingers ventured upward; no nose nor eyes. Her heart rate increased at this revelation.
I tried to protect you and I failed. I am so sorry
What?
Toph sat up and broke away from her. I can hear you?
She nodded. The Faceless can only speak telepathically with the Faceless.
Okay then, Toph said. Tell me, who are you and why did you want to help me?
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Aang didn't miss this place. It was dark and eerie like last time. Except when he came to Koh last time, it wasn't for personal reasons. He inhaled and exhaled calmly. "Koh? Are you here?"
He felt shivers go up his spine when the spirit centipede lurked from the darkness before him, wearing the same mask he wore the last time Aang was here. "Hello, Avatar." He grinned at the Airbender. "Long time no see, no?"
"I came to talk to you," Aang replied.
Koh feigned hurt. "My, my; I try to make a conversation with you and you come right out with it. What do you want to talk with me about?"
"Toph," Aang answered. "I know you took her away."
"Toph," Koh hummed slowly. He pretended to ponder. A mischievous smile graced his face. "Would you mind describing her to me? I'm not good at remembering faces, perhaps I've met her before."
Aang swallowed to keep from glaring. "She has pale skin and black hair-"
"Like this one?"
The Face-Stealer presented a face of a woman in her thirties, pale skin and black hair. However, her bangs didn't hang in her face like Toph allowed hers and her eyes were golden, not pale jade green.
Aang inhaled through his nose. "No...Her bangs hang in her face and she has pale green eyes."
"Ohh," Koh said. "She's blind! I believe I only have one of those in my collection."
It took everything Aang had in him not to change in expression. Koh's current faces had closed in and when it opened up....pale skin, ebony hair with hanging bangs, and those pale eyes; it was Toph Bei Fong's face.
He didn't hesitate to steal her face...
Koh's face-no, Toph's face-formed a smile. "You do a great job at keeping a straight face but your eyes tell me I have her." That smile turned into a frown. "She put up a fight, this one. Ripped out a couple of her limbs with her teeth!" He shifted his weight so he could show the Avatar his wounds. The holes showed they were ripped out clean.
"Why did you take her?" Aang inquired. "Are you mad about something?"
"Mad? Oh no, no; I'm not mad, Avatar." Koh shrugged with his stubby arms. "I was bored."
"Bored?"
"Yes," Koh reiterated. "Ever since the end of the war, there hasn't been anything exciting going on. Sure, your Fire Lord has to deal with a few bands of people who are still faithful to the previous one but that one's quite easy to manage. And there are more I can list but, again, nothing exciting."
"....Okay..."
"It's okay for me to steal faces if someone enters the Spirit World and comes into my cavern but me coming to the human world? A big no for the spiritual balance. If I want to steal someone's face from the Spirit World, I have to have a solid reason."
Koh-Toph grinned as he circled around Aang. "I knew about your troubles with your former love, Avatar. I dismissed it with distaste until you brought this girl to the North Pole to avoid your love problems. I thought to myself then, 'I can teach the Avatar a lesson by stealing his friend's face and he'll come here and confront me directly. You see, you learn from your mistake and I have fun having a new addition to my collection. Of course, if you really want her back, I'm willing to play with you."
Aang clenched and unclenched his fist, once again taking deep breaths. "You could've taken me instead, you know?"
"It wouldn't have been as fun," Koh casually retaliated. "Besides, spiritually, she was easy to lure."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Your friend's soul had returned home." Seeing Aang remain blank, Koh chuckled. "Okay, I'll give you a hint. Remember this face?" He closed in and opened up, revealing a woman of light tan skin, blue eyes, and brunette hair. The Avatar Kuruk's wife, Ummi.
Aang felt his heart skip a beat. "Are you trying to tell me-?"
"Yes, she and your friend have the same soul."
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Author's Note. Wow, I didn't think I'd get through a chapter after posting the first six last night. The next chapter is outlined but I don't know when I can post it (I should be working on my paper for writing class). Either way, I should be able to post that soon. And I feel bad that I didn't put "Thanks for reading" on the previous chapters (that's what happens when you rush on posting, ha-ha). Well, thanks for reading and/or reviewing. Constructive criticism is more than welcome. Happy early Halloween!
