One of my longer chapters. But I hope you like it none the less!
Thanks to everyone for all of the reviews! It's been nice! And thanks to Avatar Wolf for the amazing idea which I tried to write to begin with but it didn't work out to well...trust me you'll be glad I didn't post it up haha. So you're stuck with this!
"What if I said I could help you remember your past?" Aang asked as quickly as suddenly.
June's face lit up. "You could really do that!?"
Aang nodded.
"Sure. So let's start with…what happened the day of your accident?"
June looked up, trying to remember. She pondered a moment before responding slowly.
"All I remember is waking up in my room with my parents and a doctor there."
Aang sighed. "You don't remember how you got the injury?"
The girl simply shook her head. This would be harder than Aang thought. He had to think of something to prove to her of who she really was—that is if she was who he thought she was. Iroh seemed to think so too if he asked him to come down and meet with her.
"So how much do you know about me?" Aang spoke again.
"I learned about how you and your friends saved the world from Ozai. It was really amazing, by the way. I'm still in shock over how one kid can have so much power."
Aang beamed a little. "Thanks. But…you know just about everything?"
"Not everything, just probably the basics. I spoke with Toph. She's…interesting. Kind of rude though, if you ask me."
Aang's heart sank. If she had met Toph and she had explained the whole story to her and she still hadn't remembered, how was she supposed to remember by him telling her? Then it hit him. Maybe he could take her somewhere where they went. He knew he shouldn't leave the city so he decided to take her to one special place. The balcony. Aang stood up.
"June," he spoke. "Follow me. I think I can take it from here, Iroh. Thanks."
Iroh nodded and went back to work as the pair went outside to one of Aang's favorite places. He looked out from the balcony and over the city. The sun wasn't setting but he hoped that just being here would help her remember one of the most precious moments in his life.
"So…to help you remember, I'll take you to a few places that you've been before and maybe that'll do the trick. So stand right there."
Aang pointed to the left of him. June took the spot.
"Now look over out to the city." She followed his command. "Does that look familiar to you?"
"Well yeah." Aang became hopeful. "I see it every day. I live here."
"Yeah I know that but just try and remember. Something very important happened here about a year ago. And I mean very important. Can you slightly remember?"
June squinted out to the city and then looked back at Aang and smiled. His heart sped up.
"This is so weird," she laughed. "How is this supposed to bring back my memory? And what was so important about this spot?"
The Avatar blushed a little. "Well…it was just…a spot- when you remember you'll know. But there's somewhere else we should go. Come on."
June followed Aang down the steps of the tea shop and down the streets of Ba Sing Se. They came upon one of the more wealthy districts and finally, Aang stopped in front of a house. He walked up on the porch and knocked on the door. No one answered so he opened the door. It was still empty. He smiled and signaled for June to follow him. She came into the house and gasped.
"It's beautiful."
"W- you used to live here. For a while. Only a few days though."
"Here? Why would my parents live here for only a few days?"
"You weren't with your parents, June."
She looked at him confused. "Why wouldn't I be?"
Aang thought about his options. He didn't have many at this point so he decided he should tell her what he had discovered in the tea shop. Either she'd be really happy or really mad. Either way he had to take a shot at it.
"Because you stayed here with some of your friends. One of them was looking for a pet he lost and so you guys traveled to Ba Sing Se in hopes to find the pet. In the meantime you stayed in this house. Then things got a little out of control."
"How so?"
"Well… you guys wanted to see the Earth King so you snuck into a party for his pet bear."
"You mean platypus bear?"
Aang laughed at her question. "No. Just bear."
"This place is weird."
"So you guys snuck in and got arrested by the Dai Li."
"Whoa there, but did you say arrested? I don't think so. And why would we need to see the Earth King? And how do you know all of this? It's not like you were there."
"But I was!"
Aang quickly regretted his words. He took in a deep breath as June narrowed her stare towards him.
"What?"
"You're not…you're not who you think you are." Aang finally admitted.
June laughed and shook her head. "Look I know I don't remember too much but I'm pretty sure I know who I am…for the most part anyway."
"No you don't! Just listen to me! You're name isn't June and you're not from the Earth Kingdom!"
"Really?" She asked sarcastically. "Well then, Mr. Savior-of-the-World, who am I?"
"Your name is Katara and you're from the Southern Water Tribe and-."
"Wait, wait, wait. No. I'm not Katara. Believe me I'm not. She's in love with you and I…I'm not. I don't even look like her!"
Aang looked over June once again. She was wrong. She did look like Katara. She looked exactly like her. Even her voice was the same. How was she not convinced?
"Your eyes, looks, voice and everything about you is exactly like her, June. Just please believe me! I've traveled this whole entire Earth searching for you and I'm not giving up just because someone brainwashed you into thinking your someone from Ba Sing Se!"
"You have no proof!"
"Really!? Think about it! You don't remember you past, you look like Katara and you're mysteriously attracted to me for no apparent reason! And why couldn't your parents tell you about me?"
Aang thought of the last question as a good point. Why couldn't she have just asked her parents who the next Avatar was? Surely they couldn't have no memory either.
"They did tell me! That's how I knew there was one! It's just my mom didn't tell me much about you and she doesn't even know I'm here. She thinks I'm still at home and I'm wishing I would have stayed there!"
"Why didn't she want you to come?"
"Why do you need to know!?"
"I'm just trying to help you, June!"
"She just doesn't like you, okay?"
June stormed away from the Avatar and towards the direction of her house. This guy was crazy! There was no way she could be the girl he said she was. Though he did have a point, that couldn't be. Why
would these people who say they're her parents lie to her? Why would people do this? They would have no reason.
The slammed the front door open and ran upstairs. She was lucky to escape the wrath of disobeying her mother for the moment. She hoped she was out in town or asleep. Or maybe she just didn't hear her? June went into her room and sat on her bed, placing her bag on the floor beside her. What if Aang was right? What if she was Katara and she just didn't remember? June shut her eyes tight and tried to remember the things Aang and Toph told her about. What was so great about the balcony and what was so great about that house? Had she really lived there?
A knock on the window startled her out of her thoughts. June got up and made her way to beside her desk and opened the window much like she had before. Sitting on the roof were two pieces of parchment wrapped together. She picked up the mysterious letters and closed her window, sitting at her desk. She unwrapped the notes and read the first one. It was a letter from Katara.
Dear Daddy and Sokka,
I have decided to go on a short mission- don't worry I won't be gone long. I have decided to go and find Aang to have a short visit with him. I figured that since he probably has no time to travel, I will go to him. So don't worry, I'll be with him soon. I love you both very much and give Gran-Gran and everyone else best wishes.
-Katara
June put this one aside and looked at the next letter.
Dear June,
I'm sorry I acted the way I did. But if you forgive me and if you think that you might be who I think you are, then meet me by the house I showed to you earlier as soon as you can. Again I'm really sorry for earlier.
Sincerely,
Aang
June sighed and folded both notes and placed them in her pockets. Then she started off to go meet Aang once again.
--
"I'm glad you came," he said gratefully.
June just nodded. "What do you need?"
"I want to just show you one last place."
June sighed.
"Do you have to?"
Aang nodded. "And if you don't remember then I promise I'll leave you alone."
"'K. But this is the last thing I'll see."
June followed the Airbender down through town and to a hillside. The lump of earth had a great indent in it in the side. Aang straightened his arms out, palms towards him, and the earth sank into the hillside. A tunnel appeared in the path of the two teens. June looked down inside. It was completely dark.
"What's in there?"
"I'll show you."
Aang created a small flame in the palm of his hand to give the two light through the already created pathway.
"So, Toph thinks you give pretty good advice…and great tea."
"The key to both is proper aging. What's on your mind?"
"Well, I met with this Guru who was supposed to help me master the avatar state, and control this great power. But to do it, I had to let go of someone I love, and I just couldn't."
"Perfection and power are overrated. I think you were very wise to choose happiness and love."
"What happens if we can't save everyone and beat Azula? Without the Avatar State, what if I am not powerful enough?"
"I don't know the answer. Sometimes life is like this dark tunnel. You can't always see the light at the end of the tunnel, but if you just keep moving… you will come to a better place."
June and Aang came upon a large room filled with bright green crystals. Aang let the flame go out. June just stared in amazement.
"Wow. This place is amazing! But…what is it?"
"The catacombs of Ba Sing Se. It's the old underground city. About a year and a half ago I fought a major battle here with Katara against Zuko, Azula, and the Dai Li."
June scanned the very large room. There were burn marks on the floors and walls, flowing rivers, jagged crystals coming up from random spots on the floor and broken stone pillars.
"Must have been quite a battle."
Aang nodded. "It was."
The two journeyed into the middle of the underground city. Aang remembered the battle. It was painful for him to remember how it ended…tragically.
"So…I'm guessing you didn't win. I mean, Toph said that you guys beat them on the day Sozin's Comet returned and Zuko was on your side."
"Yeah. We lost here. It was a big loss."
Aang walked up to a spot where crystals ran up out of the ground forming an upside-down cone shape. The top was broken off.
"I made this as a shelter during the battle when I tried to go into the Avatar State. But something held me back from its full power and as I rose into the air, Azula struck me with lightning…and I just about died." June's eyes widened. "But Katara saved me. She healed me. And even though I still have the scar, and the pain is gone, the memory still haunts me. It was that day that Ba Sing Se fell and the great city was taken into the hands of the Fire Nation. And it's a day I'll never forget."
Aang laid a hand on the crystal and closed his eyes. A hand made its way to his shoulder.
"Do you mind…I mean this may sound strange…but do you mind showing me the scar?"
Aang turned to the girl and nodded. He reached down and pulled off the top part of his robe revealing the break in the arrow on his back. A dark red and black wound stained his perfect skin. June ran her hand gently down the Avatar's spine causing him to shiver from her caring touch. She placed her hand on his scar and a tear ran down her cheek. She shook her head slightly as she stared at it in disbelief. Then she ran.
"June!" Aang called after her.
She didn't stop. She just cried and ran. She ran home.
A/N: I'm ending this chapter there. Haha cliffhanger. I'm going to TRY MY HARDEST to get as far as I can by tomorrow so I don't totally abandon you guys but starting on Friday I won't be writing for a few weeks. Which kills me but...yeah. In the mean time just ponder what will happen next. But I'll try to get up at least the next chapter by tomorrow. :) God Bless- beyondthesettingsun
