Departure
Iroh shot another blast of fire into the furnace, keeping the small hot air balloon afloat. He now flew over a forest on the western coast of the Earth kingdom. Before him, the vast expanse of the ocean. And at the other side of that ocean, the Fire Nation. Iroh wasn't exactly excited about going back after all this time, but he knew that Zuko would need his help.
As his balloon came closer to the shoreline, a short stream of fire erupted from the forest. It ended after only a second, only to be followed by three shorter bursts. Iroh caught sight of this, and recognized it immediately. It was a signal used only by the royal family when they were in distress. Pulling the cord to his left, the lid at the top of the balloon opened and slowly he began to descend.
At first, he figured that this must be Zuko signaling him. But once he touched down, he was greeted only by a woman dressed entirely in black. "General Iroh, it's been a long time."
"You'll have to excuse me, I'm having difficulty remembering you." Iroh replied. He studied her features for a few seconds before coming to a realization. "Don't tell me…"
/
Zuko and Toph rode into the Wulong forest. The trees still mostly bare from the battle between Aang and the Fire Lord. "Toph, could you locate anyone around us?" Zuko asked.
Toph slid down the side of the Ostrich-horse to the ground. Once her feet touched the ground, she reached out with her Earth Bending. "I see about five people just to the south of us, along with a Fire Nation Airship docked by the shore."
"Alright, hop back on." Zuko said. He reached out his hand to Toph and pulled her back up on the Ostrich-horse. As the continued south, they eventually reached the location. The Airship, roughly a hundred feet in length sat tethered to the ground. Five Kyoshi warriors stood around the ship.
Zuko and Toph leapt off the Ostrich-horse. "Hey." Zuko called out. He waved.
"Fire Lord Zuko. Greetings." One of the Kyoshi warriors walked up to him. "I am Ami."
Zuko nodded. "Where's Sokka, Suki, and Ty Lee?" He asked.
"They left yesterday with Aang and Katara on Appa. This Airship just arrived earlier today. They were just getting ready to take off back for the Fire Nation when you rode up." Ami replied.
"Good, cause we haven't got a lot of time." He grabbed the reins of the Ostrich-horse and led it aboard the Airship.
/
Aang and company looked up at the large gnarled tree that was the home of Koh the face stealer. Aang took a deep breath in preparation. One of the last things he ever wanted was to face Koh again. Katara stepped up beside him. "What do you want to do, Aang?" She asked.
"I'm going to go talk to him, and see if he can get us back to the physical world." Aang said. "Everyone else, stay out here." With those parting words, Aang stepped cautiously into the cavern beneath the tree. Each step echoing off the walls, darkness enveloping him. His heart pounded fiercely in his chest. With no Earthbending in the spirit world, Aang could not sense is surroundings. He was totally blind.
Eventually, he came to a small room with a pillar of light shining down from a hole in the ceiling. Aang walked to the center of the light and waited. The silence was broken when the rhythmic tapping of large insect legs reached his ears. A centipede like creature crawled along the walls behind him, blocking any possible escape.
"Ah, young Avatar. I knew that one day you would come scurrying back to me." A deep suave voice said.
Aang hardened his face before turning to face the spirit. "Koh, I need your help again."
"I know you do. Why else would you ever come to visit me? Seriously, it almost seems like you don't care." Koh wore the face of a young beautiful woman. The face of Kuruk's beloved. "It's so lonely here."
"My friends and I have been trapped in the spirit world. I need to know of another way out." Aang said.
Koh slinked around Aang, coiling like a giant snake. "So, the Avatar, the great bridge between physical and spiritual worlds can't seem to move freely between them? It seems to me that you have more problems than just being trapped. What makes you think I can move between the worlds?"
"You reached into the physical world and took Kuruk's wife, doesn't that mean you can put things back?"
"How astute." Two of Koh's legs hooked over Aang's shoulders in a gesture of mock frienship. "I could probably help you, but what makes you think I should?"
Aang looked over his shoulder, now staring into the fanged face of a lemur-monkey. "I'm the Avatar. If I can't get back to the physical world, then I can't stop Ozai or the Children of Fire, and the world will be thrown out of balance again."
"Very well. I'll help you out, but I want something in return." Koh released his hold on Aang. "I want…" in and instant, Koh twisted in front of Aang and snapped his teeth an inch from the Airbender's nose. "Your face!"
It took all of Aang's mental discipline not to jump at that moment. His heart hammered away in his chest. "What do you mean?"
"It was plain and simple, give me your face, and I'll tell you how to escape back to the physical world." Koh shifted his face to that of an old man.
"That sounds a little unfair."
"Oh, does it now?" Koh crawled away, his feet clinking against the ground. "Is your one face worth the lives of your friends also stranded here? Or that of the unborn child in the Fire Nation girl's belly? Or even the fate of the world? Your priorities seem to be a little eschewed if you value yourself so highly over everything else."
"You make a point, Koh. But I have another. Without my face, I wouldn't be able to stop Ozai or Azula. Which would mean even if I got back to the material world, I would just be defeated and probably sent back here. Doesn't sound like losing my face to you would help any then, does it."
"Hmmm," A sly grin slithered over Koh's face. "Very well. I'll tell you were to go. Do you remember when you came here to ask about the Moon and Ocean spirits? Remember where you first arrived at?"
Aang nodded.
"That small shrine is the only way for you to return to your material world. Step into that shrine and you will be sent back."
Aang nodded. "Thank you."
"And now that I've told you this, I expect my payment." Koh licked his lips.
"I already told you, I'm not giving you my face." Aang protested.
"I know. That would only cause more problems. So, instead," Koh swung his tail, as thick as a tree branch, and sent Aang crashing into the wall of the cave, "I'll just take the faces of your friends." Koh rushed out, leaving Aang temporarily stunned.
Aang crawled back to his feet just in time to watch the tip of Koh's tail slither out the cave. "No!" He shouted, running after him. He came back out into the light, he saw Koh's massive form looking down over Sokka's body.
Sokka lay on the ground, his hands grabbing at his face. Except it was gone. It looked like his skin had melted over his eyes, nose and mouth, forming a simple blank appearance. Suki and Katara knelt at his side, both horrified. Koh watched with glee, now wearing Sokka's face.
Both of them glared up at Koh. "What did you do-" Suki began, but couldn't finish. Koh's face retracted and reappeared as Suki's, as if her face had just been peeled off. She, too, clutched at her face. Katara watched in horror.
"Katara, Mai, freeze your face! Show no emotion! That's how he's doing this!" Aang shouted. It was too late for Katara. In an instant, she too was on the ground with her hands held over her non-face.
When Koh moved to steal Mai's however, she did not flinch. She held the usual blank expression she normally had. Her arms folded over her chest. "Show no emotion? That's pretty easy."
Koh, wearing Katara's face, smiled. "You'll be a difficult one. But it doesn't matter." He coiled away from her and turned to Aang. "I have taken my reward. You may leave now."
"No." Aang said. "I'm not leaving until you give my friends back their faces."
"Then get comfortable, because in that case you won't be leaving for a long time." Koh started to slither away, when he heard Aang again.
"If I give you my face, will you return my friends?" Aang asked.
Koh stopped and turned to face the young Avatar. Still with Katara's face, he replied, "Are you making a proposition?" Aang gave a swift nod. "Very well then. Simply show an emotion, let me have your face, and I'll give your friends back theirs." Aang closed his eyes, and slowly opened them again showing a simple emotion of anger. And as such, his face disappeared just as Sokka's, Suki's, and Katara's did only to reappear on Koh.
With Aang face, Koh grinned and let out a small chuckle. That is until he started to feel his body twitch and convulse. He looked down at himself and saw how his legs were twisting and moving on their own. Suddenly, he cried out in pain and reared back, grinning his teeth. Veins appeared on his body and began to pulse. His legs began to bulge until one by one they started to explode. He watched in horror as his own body began falling apart.
Cracks formed in his exoskeleton, and pillars of light shown through. He grunted and jerked violently from side to side, until finally a major fissure appeared on his underside and worked it way along his entire body. He tried to scream, but even as he did his body finally burst open in an explosion of light. Various beams and shots of light flew through the air, going in all different directions. Like hundreds of shooting stars.
Three of the light beams hit Sokka, Suki, and Katara, while another hits Aang. They all stand up, their faces returned. Katara rushed over to Aang, throwing her arms around him. "You did it!"
"Yeah, thanks for saving us, but how?" Sokka asked, Suki helping him back on his feet.
Aang shrugged. "I'm not sure, really. I guess maybe in trying to take the Avatar, Koh cause some kind of imbalance that needed to be corrected."
Sokka looked blankly at him before shrugging as well. "Eh, make as much sense as anything. Did you at least learn how to get out of here?"
Aang nodded. "Yeah. Follow me."