Hello everyone!
I'm sorry about the delay getting this chapter out! My computer is giving me some issues and I promise I'm not abandoning the fic by any means, but it might be a few more days before I can get the next chapters out and such than normal.
Love you guys!
Light from the Shadows Chapter 10
Sakura
When they stopped that afternoon the sun had begun to set. The group had chosen a small flat area in the middle of a group of tall rock outcroppings. The sky that evening was cloudy, with the light from the dying sun reflecting off of them. It created a soft yellowness on the horizon with pretty oranges and pinks on the clouds. Sakura was gathering firewood with Katara. She had larger wood pieces; Katara had been gathering the kindling.
Upon their return to the camp, the two saw Sokka setting up the tent. Or at least what passed for setting up a tent in Sokka's world. He didn't even put the tarp on top of it.
"Um... aren't you forgetting the tarp?" Katara asked him.
Sokka held up a finger, "right... got it."
He picked up the still-rolled-up tarp and threw it through the open flap and into the tent. Tension had started between the siblings for the last few days and it seemed it was growing to a head. His antics had started to grate Sakura as well. I swear Sokka, do you really want to piss both of us off?
"Sokka, you're supposed to put the tarp on top of the tent. You know, so we don't get rained on?"
Sokka gestured widely in his reply, clearly overreacting
"Ordinarily you'd be right, but seeing how it's the dry season, you're not. Besides, that tarp makes a pretty warm blanket."
Sakura sighed, the firewood was growing heavy in her arms. She left the two to argue as she turned to the open area in the middle of the camp. This will probably be good for the fire, I'll just leave them here.
Katara and Sokka bickered in the background.
"But what if it does rain?"
"But what if it doesn't? Then I would have put the tarp up for nothing."
"Ur...arg! You're infuriating!"
"Katara, why don't you worry about gathering the firewood, because that kindling's looking PRETTY sorry."
"Well if you don't like my firewood...have it!"
A huge crash resounded in the background. Sakura turned toward them and Sokka had his hands up as a shield from the small sticks. He had a shocked expression on his face, which quickly changed to anger after the tirade of sticks subsided.
"Fine by me! If you're not going to do your job," Sokka yanked the rope securing the tent to one of its supports, causing it to fall down in a heap, "..urg!"
Aang and Kakashi walked up behind them, the falling tent revealing the two. Their hands were full of food and Appa rested beyond them. Katara and Sokka stood on opposite sides of the tent, facing away from each other with their arms crossed. the fallen tent lay between them. They glowered at each other from over their shoulders.
"Okay, I got the grub if you guys got the..." Aang noticed the tent and the sticks that were scattered on the ground around them, "Hey, where's the campfire? And what happened to the tent?"
Sokka pouted, "Why don't you ask Miss Know it All? Queen of the TWIGS!"
Katara whipped around to yell at Sokka, "Oh yeah? Well you're Mister Lazy Bum, King of the crappy... TENTS!"
She threw a twig at the back of his head. He turned to face her. Aang stepped in to stop the fighting.
"Okay, listen guys. Harsh words won't solve problems, action will. Why don't you just switch jobs?"
"Sounds good."
"Whatever."
Sakura left her firewood work with Kakashi and Sokka, then went to help Katara with the tent. Sokka passed her to help Kakashi with the fire, picking up Katara's twigs as he went.
Aang seemed to be pretty self-satisfied, speaking with Momo while the rest of them finished their jobs.
"You see that? Settling feuds and making peace. All in a day's work for the Avatar."
Appa and Momo fought over a melon in the distance. Sakura tied the last support for the tent and watched Aang settle their little fight. He took the melon from Appa, sliced off a small chunk for Momo then gave the rest to Appa. Momo protested.
"Come on Momo, that's fair. Appa's got FIVE stomachs."
They ate well that night, Kakashi had even found them some meat to eat. It was lucky he was on the expedition as Aang was a pacifist and didn't believe in killing animals. He was strictly a vegetarian.
Sakura and Kakashi slept outside the tent by the fire that night. Their tent was small and they didn't mind. Being able to see the stars at night was a huge plus as well. The warmth of the fire and the peaceful serene sounds of the landscape lulled her to sleep.
...
"Here it is guys, the Great Divide." Aang was leading their expedition the next morning as they reached a large canyon. Sakura was impressed by the vastness of the valley and stood for a few minutes just looking at it.
"Wow, I could just stare at it forever..." Katara was of the same attitude as she, impressed by the vastness of nature.
Sokka walked up behind them, unimpressed.
"Okay. I've seen enough."
Pfft. Just like Sokka to not appreciate the fascinating world around him. I wonder how long this valley has taken to form? How much of it was caused by a glacier? How much has been wind and rock? Fire? Mudslides? How interesting it would be to study the rock layers and see what kind of animals were around at that time!
"How can you not be fascinated, Sokka? This is the largest canyon in the entire world."
"Then I'm sure we'll be able to see it quite clearly from the air while we fly away."
Kakashi chuckled. Sakura shot him a glare. He shrugged back.
"What? I understand that it's this big fascinating canyon but I'm just not that into it today."
Sokka stood next to Appa and held his reigns, ready to leave. Before they could say another word, a man in an ornate white robe rushed out of the bushes in the clearing and rudely shoved Sokka out of his way.
"Hey! If you're looking for the Canyon Guide, I was here first!"
Katara clasped her hands together and approached the man, "oooo.. canyon guide. Sounds informative."
The man replied with a pompous voice, though Sakura thought his voice might be naturally that annoying. How unfortunate for any woman that decides to marry that poor sap.
"Believe me, he's more than a tour guide, he's an earthbender. And the only way in and out of the canyon is with his help. And he's takin' MY tribe across next!"
While he spoke, Sokka turned to them and started mocking the man by flapping his hand. Sakura giggled. When he was finished talking the man glared at Sokka, but he feigned innocence and walked off to stand with Katara and Aang.
"Calm down. We know you're next."
The man was just getting fired up, "you wouldn't be calm if the Fire Nation destroyed your home and forced you to flee." He gestured at the canyon stretching out in front of them. "My whole tribe has to walk thousands of miles to the capital city of Ba Sing Se!"
"You're a refugee." Katara seemed to be slightly awed.
The scout crossed his arms with an air of importance.
"Humph! Tell me somethin' I don't know."
Sakura looked down the road and saw a mass of people coming down the trail and some out of the forest.
"Is that your tribe?" She pointed at them.
He practically spat, "it most certainly is not."
Now that the people were growing closer, Sakura could see that they were definitely not from the same tribe. The man in front of them was generally cleanish, his hair was neat and pulled into a tight topknot. The robes he wore were a creamy white with yellow designs embroidered on them. His pack was neatly rolled and strapped in. Generally a well put together guy. The group coming down the road however were nothing of the sort, they were, for lack of a better word, brutes. Their leader had two puffy pigtails that probably hadn't been out of their hair ties in months. They were clothed in animal skins and had messy disorganized packs if anything at all. They were dirty and didn't seem to mind the sloppiness of it all.
"That's the Zhang tribe. A bunch of low-life thieves. They've been the enemies of my tribe for 100 years." He whistled rudely at the upcoming group.
"Hey Zhangs! I'm savin' a spot for my tribe so don't even think of stealing it!"
Their leader walked up and into the face of the man. He leaned back, slightly intimidated by her size.
"Where are the rest of the Gan Jin? Still tidying up their campsite?"
He leaned forward to push the woman back, "Yes! But they sent me ahead of them to hold a spot."
"I didn' t know the Canyon Guide took reservations."
"Heh! Of course you didn't. That's the ignorance I'd expect from a messy Zhang! So unorganized and ill prepared for a journey."
The entire group, the Zhangs, began to grumble loudly at the comment. Sakura figured they were about to form an angry mob. Aang and Katara looked concerned. Momo was behind them sitting on a pile of rocks on the edge of the canyon. A quivering of the earth startled him and he hopped off the rocks. Earthbending.
Just as Momo hopped off the rocks, the canyon guide strode onto the scene, his movements strong and powerful with his bending. He was an older man, wearing a straw hat and green clothing.
"Sorry about the wait, youngsters. Who's ready to cross this here canyon?"
Katara pointed to her right, "One of them I think."
The options were the one man or the Zhang tribe in their entirety. It was beginning to look like the scales were weighing in the Zhangs favor.
"I was here first! My party's on their way!"
"I can't guide people who aren't here..." The man shrugged.
The Zhang tribe started filing past the Gan Jin man. He was fuming. Their leader stopped and mocked him with fake sadness, "guess you guys'll have to make the trip tomorrow."
Sakura swore she saw the man's eyebrow twitch with anger. He saw something in the distance and hopped around, pointing.
"Wait! Here they come!"
The Gan Jin filed in, all walking in a stately order. They were dressed similarly elegant to the scout that had been sent in front of them. All wore formal expressions on their faces. If Sakura had to choose a theme song, it would be a flowery, dainty type ballad. It wasn't flattering. They were too hoity toity for Sakura's liking. I'd rather travel with the Zhangs any day than with those pompous assholes. A little dirt under my fingernails isn't going to kill me. Plus… aren't they all refugees? When you're running from someone who wants to kill you, how important is refinery? I'd rather be a little dirty than dead if you ask me.
The woman leading the Zhang tribe turned to look at the newcomers. The Gan Jin continued walking up the valley and eventually they were facing the Zhangs with their group and Appa in between them.
The Zhang woman pointed a finger at the Canyon Guide.
"You're not seriously going to cave into these spoiled Gan Jins! I mean, we're refugees too! And we've got sick people that need shelter!"
The canyon guide held out his hands in front of him in a gesture of placation, "Now.. I... uh.. Well..."
The Gan Jin scout spoke up, "We've got old people who are weary from traveling."
"Sick people get priority over old people."
"Maybe you Zhangs wouldn't have so many sick people if you weren't such slobs." The Gan Jin Leader egged on, his voice filled with an arrogant attitude.
Sakura wanted to punch him, but with the man's entire tribe right behind him she knew that wouldn't be a good idea.
"If you Gan Jins weren't so clean, maybe you wouldn't live to be so old!"
She turned to Kakashi and the rest of their group. She rolled her eyes and punched one fist into the palm of the other. Kakashi smiled and scratched the back of his neck, he felt the same way.
"I could smell your stink a mile away."
Katara spoke to Aang in the middle of the two clans' fighting.
"Well Aang, ready to put your peacemaking skills to the test?"
He looked uncomfortable, staring at the ground in doubt, "I... don't know. A fight over chores is one thing. These people have been feuding for 100 years."
Katara walked forward and raised her voice to be heard by everyone. Great she's just going to make a fool of herself. Or worse, us.
"Everyone, listen up!" She pointed at Aang, "This is the Avatar! And if you give him a chance, I'm sure he can come up with a compromise that will make everyone happy!"
Everyone looked at Aang and Sakura smacked her face with her hand. Oh my God, Katara. For every stupid thing you've ever said... you and Sokka are definitely related. Dear. Lord.
The two tribes looked at Aang in a moment of tense silence. He thought for a moment.
"Uh... you could share the earthbender and travel together?"
The Gan Jin Leader was having none of it.
"Absolutely not! We'd rather be taken by the Fire Nation than travel with those stinking thieves." If the man hadn't been so pompous he would have spat the words at the Zhang.
"We wouldn't travel with you pompous fools anyway!"
He responded with an air of pompousity, "I am not pompous!"
General bickering broke out and the tribes couldn't stop fighting. Sakura was itching to get in the middle of a brawl. I'd take out some arrogant Gan Jin assholes any day... but that makes me a Zhang doesn't it? Well, so be it.
Aang angrily broke them up.
"Alright! Here's the deal! We're all going down together and Appa here along with Kakashi and Sakura will fly your sick and elderly across! Does that seem fair?"
Sakura was slightly disappointed at not getting to fight, their trip had been sadly lacking in violence and she had grown hungry for the adrenaline of actual battle outside of sparring with Kakashi and her warriors. It just wasn't the same. Not that they had too much time to do it anymore now that they weren't on Kyoshi Island. The disappointment left her quickly at the thought that she would finally have a chance to administer her healing knowledge to people that were not from Kyoshi, on different bumps, bruises and illnesses. The idea was just as exhilarating as the thought of violence had been.
The rest of their group also looked happy with the decision.
Sakura and Kakashi helped the sick and elderly of the two tribes into Appa's saddle. Sakura did what she could to make everyone comfortable. The saddle held something like 8 sick and elderly Gan Jin and Zhang. They insisted on sitting at opposite sides of the saddle. Just goes to show, they're still idiots even when they are sick or old.
One of the elderly ladies of the Gan Jins took a liking to Kakashi, no doubt confused and thought he was her husband. She insisted that he sit next to her. Kakashi was obviously uncomfortable, as he tried to scoot a little further away several times, only to have the older woman scoot closer each time in response. Sakura gave Kakashi a sympathetic glance as she took Appa's reigns. Aang came up to Appa's head.
"Sorry, Appa. You'll have to do this without me, but Sakura and Kakashi will be good to you." This he said while looking at Sakura. She gave him a subtle nod, communicating that she would do her best.
Sokka and Katara came up behind him.
"This feuding tribe stuff is serious business. Are you sure it's a good idea getting involved like this?" Sokka sounded mildly concerned.
"To tell you the truth, I'm not sure. But when have I ever been?" He gave them a wide fake smile.
Katara put her hand on one of Aang's shoulders, "he's the Avatar, Sokka. Making peace between people is his job."
Sokka slumped in despair.
"His job's gonna make us cross this whole thing on foot, isn't it?" He looked longingly at the packed saddle.
"Can't I go with them?"
"Appa's saddle is full, Sokka... he can't hold anymore."
"Yeah..."
Sakura and Kakashi got settled in on Appa while the Canyon Guide started talking.
"Okay, now comes the bad news. No food allowed in the canyon. It attracts dangerous predators." He made creepy crawly motions with his hands as he said it. Sakura shuddered at the thought of spider like monsters that may reside in the canyon and was grateful she wouldn't have to be involved.
The tribes griped and groaned.
"No food! This is ridiculous." The Gan Jin leader complained on behalf of his people.
"Aww, you babies can go a day without food. Would you rather be hungry... or dead?"
At that note, the Guide rose a pillar of stone up underneath him. He now towered at least ten feet over the rest of the group. He cupped his hands over his mouth to amplify his voice.
"Now we're headin' down in 10 minutes. All food better be in your gut, or in the garbage!"
Aang approached Sakura and tossed her his food.
"Hold onto that for me, yeah?"
"No problem." Sokka and Katara did the same, leaving their food with Kakashi and Sakura while they went down into the canyon. Sakura placed all the items in a canvas bag and set it amongst the rest of their gear.
The tribes began to eat, the Zhangs eating large pieces of meat, mostly sloppy, and the Gan Jins pulling out small portions and eating with chopsticks. It was a huge contrast. Sakura was sure the Zhangs would be less hungry as they would be able to eat more before they went down.
Aang walked up to the group on the saddle.
"My good friends Kakashi and Sakura are going to take good care of you with Appa until we get there."
He dropped to the ground and addressed Appa, "See ya on the other side, buddy. Yip yip!"
Appa grunted and flew off, the reigns almost flying out of Sakura's hands. They were off. This was the first time Sakura had flown Appa and the feeling was crazy. Being in control of such a large beast flying across a huge canyon was an immensely powerful feeling.
A little yelp coming from behind her made her look over her shoulder. The noise had come from Kakashi. He was rubbing his arse and the woman next to him was grinning. Sakura could tell she was mostly blind and had to have at least some level of forgetfulness in her old age. She gave Kakashi a pitying look and turned to face forward, her giggles barely contained at the situation. It would take them a while to cross the canyon.
Appa knew where he was going, so Sakura just laid back and took a book out of her pack to read. This one went into detail on the uses of coconut. It had been one of the few tomes from the Kyoshi Island Library that she had rescued. And hopefully the rest of the library is still safe, now that we've left.
Every now and then as she read, a yelp would distract her from the page. What on earth is she doing to him? Poor Kakashi. Although it is quite hilarious, I should probably check on him when we reach the other side.
They arrived on the other side of the canyon by mid-afternoon and unpacked the people and everyone's items from Appa. The giant bison took a giant breath and slumped down. Ten people was a lot to carry even if he was a ten-ton bison.
Sakura patted him before finding Kakashi.
"So... what was I hearing back there?"
He blushed.
"Well... it seems that Gan Jin woman, uh… the one next to me. Her name was Redonda. She thought I was her husband and couldn't keep her hands off of me. I swear I have a permanent bruise on my ass and I do not want to think about anything else that happened. I'm blocking it from my mind."
"Oooohhh, did she make the moves on you?"
"I'm not going to talk about it."
"C'mooonnnn, Kakassshhhiii... At least let me see the bruises."
He blushed and rubbed a sore spot on his rump.
"No thanks. I'll just let them be. No need for any more embarrassment today. I might die."
"Suit yourself. Coconut oil is an amazing thing by the way!" She shook her book at him as he limped way.
It became clear to them that Aang and the rest of the tribes' members would not be finishing their journey until the following day, so they decided to set up camp. Of course they had to have two separate campsites, because oh my goodness eight people could not share a couple of tents! Sakura and Kakashi pitched the tents and started the fires. After all it was the sick and the elderly that they were taking care of for now.
Once the campsite had been built Sakura made sure she saw each and every one of the sick people from the Zhang tribe. They were in need of medical attention and she was in the position to offer it. While she was administering her medicine she learned of the legend of what had happened between the tribes.
"Long ago... our ancestor Wei Jin was leaving our village and saw Jin Wei on the ground, his tribe's sacred orb lying on the dirt in front of him. Wei Jin stopped to help Jin Wei, saying that his health was the most important thing but Jin Wei, refused the man's help and told him to take the orb to the gate to finish the ritual. Wei Jin took the orb and started booking it to the gate, it was a very important ritual and he was trying to help them out. However, when he crossed the line into the village, the Gan Jins arrested him! They accused him of attacking Jin Wei and stealing the sacred orb. The Gan Jins falsely imprisoned Wei Jin for 20 long years."
It was a horrible story, and Sakura was hardened even more against the Gan Jins. While they may have had a chance to redeem themselves before if they had shown her good behavior, now they were beyond redemption. What kind of people falsely imprisoned someone for doing them a favor? It was an injustice and Sakura was fiercely on the side of the Zhangs.
By the time she had finished a small fire was growing in the pit of her stomach for these people, they had been wrongly labeled as thieves and dirty people, but in truth they were really good people that just didn't care as much about the same things the Gan Jins did.
Sakura sat in front of the fire that night with Kakashi.
"So. What do the Gan Jins say happened 100 years ago?"
"Well it's not good. They say that Wei Jin stole their sacred orb and stole it for his own ulterior motives, killing their clan's sacred ritual."
"Yeah just the opposite on my end, but hey seem to believe it so much, that I have to admit that it got to me. They believe that Wei Jin was trying to help Jin Wei get the orb to the other gate, as he was injured on the road and Wei Jin knew of their ritual so he was just trying to help them out and was falsely imprisoned for 20 years for it."
"How horrible."
"Are either one of them correct, though?"
"That's the question, isn't it?"
Kakashi took a drink from a waterskin and bit into a hunk of dried meat one of the Zhangs had been kind enough to share. He gave her a good sized chuck of the bread they had sent with him as well.
"At least they're generous if they like you."
"Did you get these from that old woman?" Sakura teased.
He blushed.
"Please. Please just don't say anything else. I do not need any more reminders of 'what a hot piece of meat you are!' I swear, I'll never do or say another inappropriate thing to a woman. I feel positively violated."
She laughed.
"I'm… glad? You weren't making a habit of molesting women, right?"
"Of course not! The line is double deep now is all."
"I see. Don't hold it against her too much, after all she's old enough to be showing signs of forgetfulness and she looked to be practically blind. Just be glad she didn't grab anything else."
Kakashi didn't respond, which was probably for the best. The conversation was going in a weird direction and Sakura wasn't sure she wanted to go there.
They shared a few more laughs around the fire before Sakura unpacked her sleeping roll and lay down by the fire. Kakashi set up his own roll a couple feet away. The landscape was so open the stars in the sky were bright and out in multitudes that night.
I hope they're safe out there.
…
The next day was fairly boring. Sakura and Kakashi spent it caring for the sick and elderly folks in their care. At first she had been excited about all the new opportunities to help people with her medical knowledge, but during the first day she found it was all rather common. A case of food poisoning here, a bad berry here, an ingrown toenail, a cold, etc. She had given everyone tea with ginger, cut the toenail, and called it a day. So the second day? Everyone that had been 'sick' except for the cold patient, was just fine.
Sakura spent her time hunting for food with Kakashi instead. It was better than sitting around the camp listening to the various stupid arguments between the two groups.
They managed to find a couple of rabbits and a melon vine. Their group would just have to deal with it. She was reminded of the pack of food on Appa's back, but decided against using it, as the three kids would be starving once they got across.
…
It had to be late afternoon and Aang along with the rest of the group had still not crossed the canyon. What is taking them so long? I'm sick of all these old biddies! Sakura glanced around the campsite. Kakashi was nowhere to be found. After they had returned with food, and ate, the crazy lady from yesterday started up her antics again. Kakashi had hid and Sakura didn't blame him. She took out her notebook and started writing down what she had learned from the two clans on their pasts. Maybe she could figure something out on what really happened that day 100 years ago.
…
A shout from over the edge of the cliff broke her concentration. It sounded like fighting was going on. She crawled to the edge of the cliff and glanced over. The tribes had finally arrived! But with them at the edge of the canyon was a giant pack of disgusting creatures with large triangle jaws. They seemed resilient to whatever the people down below were doing. Come on Aang, think outside the box!
Several minutes later Aang grabbed a bag of food and waved it around at the crowd, "Everybody! Watch me! Do what I do!"
He threw a piece of food at the creature and it took the bait. As it ran after Aang, he roped the bag around its snout. He then used the rope to launch himself onto the back of the creature. Very smart. What an intelligent way to get out of the canyon. But what about the earthbender? Sakura scanned the scene for him and picked him out off toward the side with a Gan Jin man roping up a creature. Within minutes the tribes had worked together and roped the creatures into a herd. Impressive Aang, whatever you did got these people to work together.
"Now follow me! We're riding out of this hole!"
Aang tied a bag of food onto the end of a rod and hung it in front of the beast mount. They turned around and started climbing up the wall. He was soon followed by the rest of the pack. Momo flew up on his own and Sakura backed away from the edge of the cliff.
As they broke the edge of the cliff, Aang dismounted.
"Everyone! Get off!"
Sakura saw Katara, Sokka and the tribe leaders dismount. Followed by the rest of the tribe as their creatures reached the edge of the cliff.
"We made it!" The Zhang leader exclaimed to her Gan Jin counterpart.
Toward the edge of the group the Canyon Guide fell off his mount. Sakura noticed that his arms were splinted. So that's why he wasn't able to get them out like normal. She walked up to approach the man.
Aang threw his bag of food over the edge of the cliff and the creatures followed it.
As Sakura examined the man, she deemed him to be in shock, as he was hallucinating horribly. In the background she heard the Zhang and Gan Jin exchange words.
"I never thought a Gan Jin could get his hands dirty like that."
"And I never knew you Zhang's were so reliable in a pinch."
"Perhaps we're not so different after all."
Sakura sighed. Oh thank God.
"Too bad we can't rewrite history."
She turned and saw the man unsheathe his sword. There was nothing more she could do for the Canyon Guide just now so she gave him a cup of soothing tea and let him go.
"You thieves stole our sacred orb from Jin Wei!"
"You tyrants unjustly imprisoned Wei Jin for twenty long years!"
Sakura walked to her group while they argued in the background. Kakashi had reappeared and was now standing with Sokka and Katara behind him. Presumably to protect his ass from grabby grandma hands. That whole situation struck Sakura as hilarious. Aang's frustrated expression turned to one of enlightenment as she approached.
"Wait a second! Jin Wei? Wei Jin! I know those guys!"
The Gan Jin leader looked at Aang as if here speaking nonsense.
"Yes, yes, we're all aware of the story."
"No!" the two lowered their weapons and turned to Aang.
"I mean I really knew them. I may not look it, but I'm 112 years old. I was there a hundred years ago on the day you're talking about… There seems to be a lot of confusion about what happened. First of all, Jin Wei and Wei Jin weren't enemies, they were brothers. Twins in fact. They were also only eight. And most importantly, they were just playing a game! The sacred orb from the legend, that was the ball. And the eastern and western gates were the goal posts. Jin Wei had the ball and was running toward the goal when he fell and fumbled it. Wei Jin didn't steal the ball, he picked it up and started running it back toward the goal. But he stepped out of bounds. So the official put him in the penalty box, not for twenty long years, but for two short minutes. There was no stealing and no putting anyone in prison. Just a game."
This sounds too convenient… But the tribes were eating it up so Sakura held her tongue.
"You're saying the sacred orb was actually a sacred ball?" The Zhang chiefwoman questioned.
"Nope, just a regular ball."
The rude scout reared his ugly head. Damn it why couldn't he have been eaten?
"What about our tribe's redemption ritual?"
"That's what the game was called, Redemption. As soon as someone got the ball from one goal to the other everyone would yell, 'redemption!' Don't get me wrong, Wei Jin was kind of a slob and Jin was a little stuffy, that much is true, but they respected each other's differences enough to share the same playing field."
In front of him, any animosity had leeched out of the situation. The Zhang leader looked at the Gan Jin leader, "I suppose it's time we forgot the past..."
"...and look to the future." The Gan Jin leader smiled back.
…
Aang walked up to Appa next to her. Sakura had since returned to the Canyon Guide to see what she could do for him. Now he was distrustful and didn't want to let her do what she could for him, earlier she had only been able to glance over his injuries. In the end it had been relatively little anyway. Katara had set his arms while in the canyon and had done a good job for what she limited supplies she'd had.
"Good to see ya, boy! Did you miss me?"
Appa licked Aang as the Gan Jin leader approached them.
"I cannot thank you enough, Avatar."
Sakura looked up to see Aang turn to the man, covered in Appa's saliva.
"Well, you know, I try."
The man shrunk back in horror at the slimy coating on Aang's body.
The Zhang leader approached, leading her tribe.
"Let us travel to the Earth Kingdom capital as one tribe!"
The crowd of people following cheered and they walked down the path together. The Canyon Guide scrambled down the path with them.
"I'm goin' too! I'm sick of this place!"
…
Kakashi stood next to Aang as they all watched the tribes leaving.
"That was some luck you knew wei jin and jin wei…"
"You could call it luck. Or… you could call it lying."
Sakura stopped her packing for a moment.
"You put that much faith in complete and utter bullshit?"
"What!?" Sokka was angry at this information.
Katara had just frozen with Momo in her arms.
"You did not!," she thought it over for a second before amending her position, "That is so wrong."
Aang's stomach growled. "Now where is that custard tart? I'm starving!"
Sakura got on Appa with the rest of the group while Aang searched the area for some food item he had seen.
"Aang, did you forget you guys left your food with us?"
Kakashi strapped his bedroll down and leaned against it.
"I fucking knew it. I knew he pulled the whole thing out of his ass."
"At least it worked."
"Yeah, I guess there's that."
And they were off, Aang grumbling about the crawlers eating his custard tart, while munching on some sort of root.
