Chapter 10

Book 1: Water: Chapter 19-20

I put a hand on my chest, remembering how it felt.

"After that, I just gave my life to the Fire Nation. I didn't want to protect it because I liked it. I had to protect it because I was afraid of it. So I was isolated from the world for 5 years. Only going out to learn how to bend the other elements so I would be more useful in attacking other nations. And I also learned how to use my Avatar State more wisely."

Iroh stopped putting the lotion on me and returned to my side, looking sad.

"I'm very sorry. I guess that was why you wanted to turn yourself in for Zuko."

I bit my lip. But before I could say anymore, a guard came in.

"Zuko!" Iroh hissed. "I told you not to come here!"

The guard took off his mask and I saw a few cuts and burns on his face, even a purple spot under his eye.

"Zuko!" I cried. "Are you okay?"

"Am I okay? Are you okay?" He asked, coming to my side.

"I'm fine. But what are you doing here?"

"I had to see you. I had to see that you were alright."

I blushed and saw Iroh slip out, but not before he gave me a knowing smile.

I looked back at Zuko and he hugged me tightly.

"Zuko?"

Zuko sighed in relief on my shoulder, making me shiver slightly.

"I never felt like this before, but when I saw you get burned like that and was passed out, I thought my whole world had shattered. I thought everything was now totally taken away from me. But when uncle said that you were still breathing, I felt slightly embarrassed when I had thought that way. But I was relieved as well."

I felt like crying. Zuko was being mushy! I put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay. I'm fine now."

Suddenly Iroh came back in.

"The boats have stopped until daybreak because the Waterbenders will be more powerful at night. You have to leave now."

Zuko looked back at me.

"Are you strong enough to walk?"

I sat up, happy that I could do it without feeling pain. Then I swung my feet over the edge of the bed and stood up.

"I feel fine now. Let's go."

Once we got to a small boat, I looked over at Zuko and Iroh.

"I have to swim to the gate and climb up there. You will have to find another way inside. Be careful."

I turned to leave, but Zuko grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

"Wait."

I looked at him.

"You be careful, I don't want to lose you again."

I smiled.

"You wont. I'll be back by your side before you know it."

Then I jumped into the water and made my way for the gate.

I climbed the ice walls using the little grooves that were in them and made my way up to the towers. One guard saw me and recognized me immediately.

"Miss Naomei! We're so glad you're here!"

I nodded.

"Do you know where Aang is?"

"The arrow kid? Sure, he's with Princess Yue. I think they went to the pond where the coy fish are."

I thanked him and went on my way. I noticed my brother going into a small door and jumped down to land behind him.

"Hey, lil' bro, what's up?"

"Naomei! You're here!"

I nodded.

"I'm here to help you guys."

"We're going to contact the Moon and Ocean Spirits to see if they can help us." A girl with white hair said.

I turned and bowed to her.

"It is nice to see you again, Princess Yue."

She bowed to me.

"It is nice to see you as well, Naomei."

"Let's go already!" Aang complained.

Once we got through the door, we saw a huge pond with a waterfall. And grass!

Me and Aang laughed and ran towards the middle of the place where the grass was.

"I'd never thought I'd miss grass this much!" Aang cheered as he laid on it.

I nodded and laid down with him.

"It's so warm here." Katara said, taking off her over coat. "How is that possible?"

"It's the center of all spiritual energy in our world." Yue answered.

"You're right, Yue." Aang agreed, going to a spot which was in front of a bush of flowers.

"I can feel... something. It's so... tranquil."

I nodded and we sat down into meditating positions, putting our fists together where our arrow tattoos on our hands were showing and closed our eyes.

"Why are they sitting like that?" Yue asked after a while. "They're meditating, trying to cross over into the Spirit World." Katara explained. "It takes all their concentration."

"Is there any way we can help?"

"How about some quiet?" My brother snapped. "Come on guys, I can hear every word you're saying!"

I opened my eyes and put a hand on Aang's shoulder.

"Look at the fish, Aang, it might help."

We both did and as I watched them swim around in a circle together, they molded into the Yin-Yang symbol. That's when I felt myself get pulled into the Spirit World along with Aang. Once we were there, we were in what looked like a swamp. We heard someone 'um'ing and went to the person, who looked like a monkey.

"Excuse me." Aang called. "We're looking for the Ocean and Moon Spirits."

"Go away." He snapped.

Then he opened his eyes.

"You're still here?"

Then he looked a little afraid and a little blue light floated by.

"Maybe that will help you, go chase it."

We did and when Aang caught it, the branch that we were standing on shriveled and we dropped into the water where the little light floated away.

"Hey, wait! Come back!"

Suddenly, Roku's appearance appeared on the water.

"Hello, Aang and Naomei." He greeted.

"Roku, the Water Tribe is under attack." Aang informed.

"We need to find the Ocean and the Moon spirits." I added.

Roku then appeared in front of us.

"The Ocean and the Moon are ancient spirits. They crossed over from the Spirit World to the Mortal World very near the beginning. There is only one spirit I know of who is old enough to remember."

"Who?" We asked.

"The spirit's name is Ko. But he is very dangerous. They call him the Face Stealer. When you speak with him, you must be very careful and show no emotion at all. Not the slightest expression, or he will steal your face."

We both nodded. I was actually scared, but I followed Aang to the place where Roku told us Ko was living at. Once we got there, we were really scared. Suddenly we heard the chittering of a monkey and jumped a bit.

"Whew. You're just a curly-tailed Blue Nose."

The monkey turned and we saw that it had no face. I nearly grabbed Aang to tell him for us to just leave, but then I realized that there were other things that were more important than being scared. We looked at each other and repeated the words that Roku told us.

"Show no fear. Show no emotion."

Then we walked into the cave. As we walked down the long stairway, we kept calling for Ko. Then I felt like someone was watching us. We stopped and suddenly a weird creature was in front of us.

"Welcome." He greeted.

We both looked at him boredly, showing no emotion.

"Thank you." We bowed.

"My, my. My old friend, the Avatar. Now as two people. It's been a long time."

"You know us?" Aang asked.

"How could I forget you? One of your previous incarnations tried to slay me 900 years ago."

"We didn't know that." I said, still not using any emotion.

"Why did he- or we- try to kill you?" Aang asked.

Ko switched faces to a girl. "Oh, something about stealing the face of someone you loved." Then he changed his face to a baboon and laughed.

"Of course that's all behind us. Why should I hold a grudge against you for a previous life? After all you're a different person now. Or should I say, persons? You've come to me with new faces."

Then he changed his face to an owl's.

"It's been a long time since I've added a child's face to my collection. So, how may I help you?"

"We need to find the moon and the ocean." Aang explained. "Their spirit names are twee and ah, pushed and pulled. That has been the relationship for all time." Ko replied poetically.

"Please, help us find them." I begged. "An entire culture can be destroyed if we don't get their help."

"Oh, you think you need their help. Actually it's quite the other way around."

Ko was then suddenly in our face with a new one.

"Someone is trying to kill them!"

Aang and I were still calm.

"What do you mean?" Aang asked. "How can I find them and protect them?"

Ko switched his face again.

"You've already met them, actually. Twee and ah, the moon and ocean have always circled each other in an eternal dance. They balance each other. Push and pull. Life and death. Good and evil. Ying and Yang."

Aang's face lit up.

"The coy fish!"

Ko suddenly turned back, but Aang was back in his unemotional state.

"We must be going now."

Ko changed his face again.

"We'll meet again."

We ran out of the tree and went towards water, where Roku's reflection stared back at us.

"The spirits are in trouble!" Aang told him. "We need to get back to the physical world!"

"A friend is here, to guide you back." He told us.

Then his reflection turned into a panda and we turned around.

"Hayba!"

We jumped on and the giant panda ran all the way back to where we first arrived in the spirit world.

"This is where we came in." Aang said, jumping down straight after me.

"But how do we get back?"

Hayba stood on his hind legs and blew on us where a strange light covered us and we were transported back to the physical world.

I opened my eyes and gasped at Aang. He was still a spirit!

"Aw, geez!"

"What?! What happened to my body?"

"Zuko must have gotten here and taken your body somewhere else!"

"How do I get to it?"

Suddenly a light covered us and we zoomed out of the place where we first transported to the spirit world. When I opened my eyes again, I saw that we were in a cave, and that Aang was tied up.

"Welcome back." Zuko greeted coldly.

"Good to be back." Aang said just as coldly.

Then he sucked in a breath and pushed Zuko up against a wall and shot himself out of the cave and started to crawl. But Zuko caught him.

"That won't be enough to escape."

Then I saw Appa in the sky.

"Appa!"

The giant bison landed and Katara jumped down. Zuko got in a fighting stance.

"Here for a rematch?"

"Trust me, Zuko, it won't be much of a match."

She put him high in the air in ice and threw him back down where he passed out. Sokka cut Aang out of his bonds.

"Hey! This is some quality rope!"

"We need to get back to the oasis!" Aang said. "The spirits are in trouble!"

He ran to Appa and I quickly followed behind him. Katara stopped me.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Uh, I'm going to help my brother?" I answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

Then I grabbed Zuko.

"And he's coming with us."

I jumped onto Appa and held Zuko's head in my lap. Suddenly everything went red and I felt faint. Princess Yue held her head.

"Are you ok?" Sokka asked.

"I feel faint." She answered.

"I feel it too." Aang said.

"So do I." I added.

"The Moon Spirit is in trouble."

"I owe the Moon Spirit my life." Yue explained.

"What do you mean?" Sokka asked.

"When I was born, I was very sick. Most babies cry when they're born, but I was born as if I was asleep. My eyes were closed. Our healers did everything they could. They told my mother and father that I was going to die. My father pleaded with the spirits to save me. That night, under the full moon, he brought me to the oasis in the pond. My dark hair turned white and I began to cry. They knew I would live. That's why my mother named me Yue, for the moon."

Once we landed at the oasis, I saw who had captured the moon spirit.

"Zhao." I said icily.

He smirked at me.

"Naomei."

I heard my brother and his friends pull up behind me in a battle stance.

"No." I said. "This is between me and my father."

Aang blinked at me.

"Father?"

"Zhao was the one that saved me from the temple and taught me Firebending. Now I guess now's the time to pay him back." "Don't even bother."

He held up a bag and a fist.

"Don't!" Aang said.

"It's my destiny." Zhao shot back. "To destroy the moon and the Water Tribe."

"Destroying the moon won't just hurt the Water Tribe." Aang reminded.

"It will hurt everyone, including you." I finished. "Without the moon everything will fall out of balance. You have no idea what kind of chaos that would unleash on the world!"

"She is right, Zhao." A familiar voice agreed.

Zhao turned to the man.

"General Iroh. Why am I not surprised to discover your treachery?"

"I am no traitor, Zhao." Iroh said. "The Fire Nation needs the moon too. We all depend on the balance."

Then he got in a fighting stance.

"Whatever you do to that spirit, I will unleash on you ten fold! Let it go, now!"

Zhao seemed to obey and knelt to the pond and set the fish back. But no sooner did he do that, he killed it with Firebending. Then the moon disappeared and Iroh attacked Zhao and his men. Zhao had seemed to disappear once Iroh was done with his men. We all went to the pond and Iroh picked up the dead fish.

"It's over." Yue said sadly.

"No." Aang and I said, both of us were in the Avatar State. "It's not over."

We went into the pond and started to communicate with the ocean fish. Then the water started to glow and both of us were in a bubble in the middle of a giant fish monster. Washing away all the fire nation soldiers, we made out way to the ocean itself. Once we reached it, we started to destroy the Fire Nation ships.

Once the rest were out of sight, we saw that the moon was back, and wax put back onto the wall of the Water Tribe. I helped Aang stay on his feet and saw Zuko fighting with Zhao. Then I saw the power of the Ocean Spirit cover Zhao and pull him towards the water.

Zuko tried to reach him, but Zhao seemed to refuse and was pulled under. I looked at Aang. "I need to go. I'll see you later." He nodded. When I saw Iroh on a little ship, I jumped down and Zuko jumped down with me. Once we reached the ocean, Iroh was the one who broke the ice.

"I am surprised that you are not chasing the Avatar."

"I'm tired." Zuko said, laying down on the floor.

"Then you should rest. A man needs his rest."

I just sat at the edge looking up at the sky. Iroh stood beside me.

"How are you, Naomei?"

"I am actually a little sad." I admitted. "Zhao died because he wanted to. I guess he saw that he couldn't defeat the spirits after all." "No man is immortal." Iroh said.

"Neither are spirits, Iroh." I added sadly. "Neither are spirits."