AN: Chapter 46 takes place during Season 3 Episode 4: Sokka's Master. Various POVs and some non-canon parts, so enjoy my lovelies!
Xiaodan folded her hands behind her head and watched contentedly with Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph as a meteor shower began to light up the night sky. The five teens were lounging on their backs on the wooden roof of the shelter they had created for Appa in the small valley.
"Wow, this is amazing to watch." Katara murmured in awe as she stared at the meteors.
"Kinda makes you realize how insignificant we are." Sokka said in reply, his hands folded under his head.
"I'm impressed, Sokka." Xiaodan quipped with a snicker from her spot beside Toph, "That was actually really insightful."
Sokka flapped a hand dismissively in her direction, too busy watching the meteor shower to retort to the white-haired girl's teasing.
"Eh, you've seen nothing once, you've seen it a thousand times." Toph commented casually, shrugging one shoulder lazily.
Xiaodan, Katara, Aang, and Sokka let out gasps of amazement as a large meteor suddenly headed straight for the ground.
"Oh man," Sokka exclaimed as he stood up and stared at the approaching meteorite with wide eyes, "You've never not seen anything like this."
Xiaodan, Aang, and Katara got to their feet and moved to stand beside Sokka, all of them watching as the meteorite, surrounded by blue flames, shot towards them.
"Whoa!" Xiaodan squeaked in shock, ducking along with her brother and two friends as the meteorite shot only a few feet their heads.
Beside her, Sokka twisted around and stared in amazement as the meteor crashed nearby in an explosion of blue fire. Xiaodan helped Toph to her feet and the two moved to stand on the small hill that made up another wall of Appa's shelter beside Aang, Katara, and Sokka. The four teens stared at the bright orange glow of a fire and shared concerned looks.
"Let's go." Xiaodan said and she leapt off the shelter roof, landing on Appa's head lightly, her brother and friends following her a moment later.
"The fire is going to destroy that town!" Katara cried out from the saddle when the group reached the crash site.
"Not if we can stop it!" Aang replied determinedly and he nodded towards Xiaodan, who steered Appa closer to the crash site.
The white-haired girl landed Appa several yards away from the flaming crater then she leapt off his head, followed by Sokka, Toph, and Aang while Katara took Xiaodan's place on Appa's head.
"There's a creek over here. I'll bend the water onto the fire." Katara said urgently and she snapped Appa's reins, guiding him towards the creek.
"I'll start clearing the smoke." Xiaodan stated and she ran towards the other end of the crater.
"Toph, let's make a trench to stop the fire from coming any closer." Aang suggested then he and Toph raced forward.
Sokka hesitated and looked down then up at Aang, "What should I do?"
Aang and Toph stopped to respond just as Momo flew past him.
Aang paused for a moment then pointed at Momo, "Keep an eye on Momo."
The lemur landed on Sokka's shoulders and chittered quietly.
"So what, I'm just a lemur sitter?" Sokka demanded then he patted Momo's head and said sarcastically, "There, there, feel better?"
Several feet away, Xiaodan stood lightly poised at one end of the crater. Inhaling deeply, Xiaodan twisted her arms around her body, Airbending a spout of air around her body and lifting herself off the ground then she began to bend the smoke from the fire into the funnel.
Below Xiaodan, Toph and Aang began to Earthbend a large trench into the ground, pushing the fire back. Small flames landed on the ground near Sokka and he hurriedly began to stamp one out with his club, while Momo leapt off his shoulder and patting out the five other embers that had landed on the ground. Sokka turned around to put the other small fires out, only to slump when he saw that Momo had already finished.
Appa flew over the creek that was near the crash site and, standing in the saddle, Katara began to bend a large globule of water from the creek, before direction Appa back to the crash site. Katara Waterbending some of the globule towards the fire, putting out some of the flames.
Xiaodan quickly dispelled her air spout and landed nimbly on the ground facing the creek that was near the crash site. She quickly bended another air funnel, but this time she sucked the fire from the crash site, putting out some of the flames.
Across the crater from her, Toph Earthbended a large slab of rock and began moving it across the fire to stifle the flames. Sokka and Momo sat on the ground and watched as the slab of rock rolled past them, Sokka's expression irritated.
Appa flew past Aang and Katara bended the rest of the water globule to him, and he quickly Waterbended it around him.
"Sokka, stand clear!" Aang called out.
Sokka looked towards Aang and sighed, "Right." He grabbed Mom and began to move away, "Staying clear, got it."
Aang twisted the water around him and took a deep breath before thrusting the water towards the rest of the flames and exhaling. The water rushed towards Sokka, drenching him and Momo just before Aang used Airbending and Waterbending to expand the water into a dome that filled up the whole crater and put out the rest of the fire. A moment later the dome exploded into snow.
Xiaodan grinned and sauntered towards Aang, reaching him at the same time as Toph while Appa, along with Katara, landed behind him.
"Good work, everybody." Aang praised the other three benders and Appa.
Xiaodan looked around curiously when she noticed they were one person short, "Where's Sokka?"
The four turn towards a large pile of snow just as Sokka emerged from it, a sour look on his face, which only darkened when Momo slid past him on the icy surface.
In the Fire Nation Capital City Prison, Warden Poon stalked through the stone halls, carrying a bowl of food in one hand. He stopped before a specific metal door and opened it, the light of the torches in the hall illuminating the prisoner's slack and drooling face. Poon sneered disdainfully and sauntered into the room, dropping the food onto the floor and kicking it into the cell.
"Look at you," Poon drawled spitefully as he watched Iroh crawl hurriedly towards the food and begin to eat it like an animal, "You're just a fat, disgusting old man. You do nothing, you say nothing, you just eat and roll around in your own filth. You're a disgrace."
Poon spat on the floor and turned away, slamming the heavy metal door behind him as he left. As soon as the warden's footsteps faded, Iroh stopped eating and pushed his scraggly hair from his face. He sat up and leaned against the wall of the cell, picking up the bowl and beginning to eat like a normal person out of the bowl, leaving the food that was on the floor alone.
"These people have no idea how close they were to getting toasted last night." Aang commented as he took a seat at the table where Katara, Toph, and Xiaodan were sitting, placing his tray of food in front of him.
After putting out the fire created by the meteorite's crash landing, the five had headed towards the town to get something to eat, stopping at an outdoor restaurant.
"Yeah, it's good thing we were there to stop that fire." Xiaodan replied, popping a dumpling in her mouth and eating it with happiness.
"Yeah," Toph agreed with a slight sigh as she took a bite out of her roll of bread, "The worst thing about being in disguise is that we don't get the hero worship anymore." The blind girl slumped forward and rested her cheek on her hand, "I miss the love."
Xiaodan snickered and gestured with her chopsticks, "That was pretty nice."
"Boo-hoo." Sokka snarked sarcastically from his stop sitting on the ledge of the restaurant and he glanced over his shoulder at the four benders, "Poor heroes."
"What's your problem?" Katara asked in concern, her brow furrowing slightly as she regarded her brother's back, "You haven't even touched your smoked sea slug."
"It's just, all you guys can do this awesome bending stuff like putting out forest fires, and flying around, and making other stuff fly around, and sometimes catching things on fire." Sokka muttered then he glanced over at Xiaodan with a slight frown.
"Hey, I already apologized for lighting your sleeping bag on fire." The white-haired girl mumbled around a mouthful of noodles.
Sokka waved his hand dismissively, "I can't do that, I can't fly around, okay? I can doanything."
"That's not true." Katara protested then she smiled, "No one can read a map like you."
"I can't read at all!" Toph added cheerfully.
"And I don't even like looking at the map." Xiaodan piped in with a grin, waving her chopsticks around slightly, "It gives me a headache."
"Yeah, and who keeps us laughing with sarcastic comments all the time?"Aang chimed in then he reached over and grabbed one of Katara's braids, "I mean, look at Katara's hair, right? What's up with that?"
"What?" Katara asked and she grabbed her braid, looking around and blushing self-consciously, "What's wrong with my hair?"
Aang winced and reached out slightly when he realized his mistake, "Nothing, I was just trying to..."
Beside Toph, Xiaodan rolled her eyes skyward before covering them with her hand, shaking her head in mild exasperation.
"Look, I appreciate the effort, but the fact is each of you is so amazing and so special and I'm...not." Sokka stated flatly with a depressed shrug, "I'm just the guy in the group who's regular."
"I'm sorry you're feeling so down but I hope you know, none of us see you that way." Katara said comfortingly as she stood and walked over to him, taking a seat beside him then she put her hand on his shoulder after a moment of thought, "I know something that's going to make you feel better."
Sokka peered at her curiously, "You do?"
Katara grinned and nodded.
"Shopping!" Sokka squealed and clapped his hands excitedly as the group came to a stop in front of a weapons and armor store.
Xiaodan chuckled quietly as the Water Tribe boy rushed into the store, Aang, Katara, Toph, and herself following behind him at a more sedate pace.
"Maybe a little something to reinvigorate my battling." Sokka said as he eagerly approached some weapons on a rack, a pair of nun-chucks catching his eye, "Hey, how about these?"
He began twirling them around his body, making attacking noises as he went before he himself on the head and stumbled, falling against another weapons rack. Xiaodan giggled and shook her head before turning to a row of staves hanging on the wall. To her left, Katara tried on a pair of gloves with her brow furrowed critically.
"What do you think?"
The two girls turned simultaneously and they're eyes widening at what they saw.
"Pretty slick, huh?" Aang asked with a grin as the two girls approached him, eyeing the strange, intimidating suit of armor he was wearing, "All I need to complete the outfit is a wind sword?"
"What's a wind sword?" Katara asked in confusion, her hand held up to her eyes to shield them from the glare coming off the horned helmet.
Xiaodan shook her head in amazement as she walked around her brother, taking in the skulls, spikes, and chains that were scattered throughout the armor. Her gaze rested on the right gauntlet, which was a three-clawed monstrosity with several spikes and a dark red gem shaped like an eye.
Aang held up a sword handle, "It's where I get a sword handle and then I just swing this around and bend air out like a blade." He swished the sword handle around like it was a sword, "Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh."
"Awesome..." Xiaodan muttered with a shake of her head as she stood beside Katara in front of Aang again, her arms crossed over her chest and a skeptical look on her face.
"Yeah..." Katara agreed drily, "Nice."
Aang grinned before he suddenly began to tip backwards, his left arm flailing slightly. Katara and Xiaodan reached forward to try and stop his fall, but Aang and his armor hit the floor with a loud crash, prompting the two girls to wince and cover their ears.
"I'll just still to what I got."
Xiaodan peered down at her brother in amusement, "Good idea..."
On the other side of the store, Sokka picked up a Guan Dao and swung it to one side, before swinging it over his head and spinning it in a circle with an expression of concentration on his face. He lost his grip on the weapon and the bladed-polearm flew towards the ceiling. Sokka quickly straightened and clasped his hands behind his back with an innocent expression on his face before he shuffled back towards the weapon racks.
He grabbed a large, studded mace that weighed more than he did and began to drag it forward. He tried to lift it up, groaning under the strain, but his hands slipped and he fell backwards, landing on the ground beside a rack with swords. Sokka quickly rolled to his feet and grabbed a pair of Dao blades, marching forward and chopping downward with them.
Sokka quickly grew bored with the swords and put them away then he grabbed bolo he had spotted while marching with the swords. He spun the chain over his head with a triumphant grin that soon disappeared when the chain wrapped around him and he fell over.
Xiaodan quirked a brow at him as she walked by his prone form, stopping in front of a row of spears. Sokka quickly untangled himself from the chain and sauntered over to the white-haired girl, grabbing a spear from the it. Xiaodan watched in bemusement as he jogged forward, the spear wobbling with each step. She shook her head and went back to examining the spears curiously.
Sokka leaned the spear against a random weapons rack and wondered over to a shelf full of knives. He plucked a sai from shelf and stared at it critically for a moment before using the thin middle blade to pick his teeth, turning his head slightly to the left. His eyes widened and he spun on his heel, staring in awe at the sword rack on the wall and more specifically the sword that was framed and positioned above the other ones.
"Ooh!" Sokka murmured excitedly as he walked towards the display, examining the elegantly decorated hilt and scabbard, running his hands adoringly along the weapon, "That's what Sokka's talking about."
"You have a good eye." The shop owner spoke up with a friendly smile as he approached the young man, having watched the five teens antics with patient amusement as he swept his shop.
Xiaodan nudged Aang slightly and nodded towards Sokka then she, Aang, Toph, and Katara walked closer, each with curious expressions.
"That's an original from Piandao, the greatest swordsmaster and sword maker in Fire Nation history." The shop owner explained kindly, smiling briefly at the four other teens as Sokka continued to examine the sword, "He lives in the big castle up the road from here."
The shop owner walked away to continue sweeping the shop, leaving the five teens to continue looking at the elegant weapon.
"That's it!" Aang suddenly exclaimed as an idea came to him and he turned towards Sokka with a grin, "That's what you needed all along, Sokka."
Sokka gave him a confused look, "A sword?"
"Not the sword, a master." Aang explained as Sokka took the sword from the rack, "We've all had masters to help us get better. You should see if you can study with Piandao."
"That's a great idea!" Katara said excitedly from beside her brother, "I could've never gotten to where I am without Master Pakku. Everyone needs a teacher."
"I learned from badgermoles." Toph commented with a small smile, "They don't talk, but they're still good teachers."
Xiaodan nodded her head in agreement, smiling at Sokka encouragingly as he unsheathed the sword and looked it over.
"It would be nice to be a master swordfighter." The Water Tribe boy mused then he looked at his sister and friends with a grin, "All right, I'll talk to him."
"Atta boy!" Xiaodan quipped with a laugh, clapping her friend on the shoulder with a grin.
Iroh laid on the thin straw mat in cell, his hands clasped behind his head and his eyes closed. The sunlight shone through a small window in the stone wall above the metal bars of his cell. Suddenly, Iroh snapped his eyes opened wide and began to do a series of sit-ups, grunting quietly as he did so.
Sokka took a deep breath has he walked down the road that led to the Fire Nation swordsmaster's castle, located on top of a large bluff just outside the small village. His sister and his three friends had gone back to their camp after he had decided to talk to Piandao, and he had declined their offer to accompany him to the castle.
When he reached the massive front gates, Sokka stared at them for a moment before reaching out and grabbing one of the lion-turtle shaped knockers, tapping it against the large door a few times. He waited a moment then looked around, knocking again when no answered. When no one answered again, Sokka glared slightly at the large doors in frustration then grabbed both knockers banging them against the doors loudly and frantically.
The right door suddenly opened, revealing an older man dressed as a butler with an impassive expression on his bearded face. Sokka flinched backwards, startled at the butler's suddenly appearance.
"Can I help you?" The butler asked in a vaguely annoyed tone.
Sokka quickly straightened from his frightened position, clasping his hands behind his back and assuming a more mannered persona.
"I've come to train with the master."
"You should know The Master turned almost everyone away." The butler intoned then he held his hand out towards Sokka, "What did you bring him to prove your worth?"
"Well, uhh..." Sokka faltered and began to pat his clothes for something to offer.
"Right..."The butler sighed and lowered his hand, shaking his head slightly, "Let's get this over with."
The butler stepped slightly to the side and gestured for Sokka to enter. He stepped through the gates and the butler closed the door behind him, then he began leading Sokka into the elegant castle.
Back at the camp, Xiaodan sat cross legged on a flat rock, her eyes closed and her hands resting lightly on her knees. Once the four had returned to their camp after parting ways with Sokka in front of the weapons shop and she had jumped onto the tall boulder, trusting the three younger teens to entertain themselves while she meditated. Or at least tried to meditate. She had been having trouble clearing her mind late, her thoughts often drifting towards Iroh and his wellbeing, and inadvertently, her thoughts would then shift to Zuko.
Her heart clenched painfully in her chest and Xiaodan gritted her teeth, shaking her head to chase thoughts of the scarred prince from her mind. What's done is done and she had to let it go. He wasn't worth her continued heartache, she silently told herself, decidedly ignoring the quiet voice in her head that told her otherwise.
Sokka followed the butler, who's name he learned was Fat, through the grand castle until they reached room at the top of the tallest tower. The room was large and spacious with red carpets covering the floor and numerous tall windows that gave a magnificent view of the valley below. In front of the largest window that was directly across from the door, a man in a black cheongshan sat at a small table with his back the door, carefully holding one sleeve as he dipped a calligraphy brush into a tray of ink. His sword rested on the floor beside the table, well within the man's reach.
Sokka took a deep breath and entered the room, passing Fat who was standing beside the door.
"Master, my name is Sokka, and I wish to be instructed in the way of the sword."
"Sokka." Piandao mused idly with his back still towards Sokka, "That's an unusual name."
"Oh, uh, really, uh, where I come from, the Fire Nation colonies, it's a pretty normal name..." Sokka replied nervously as he rubbed the back of his head, "For Fire Nation colonials."
"Let me guess." Piandao drawled impassively as he wrote calligraphy on the piece of parchment in front of him, "You've come hundreds of miles from your little village where you're the best swordsman in town. And you think you deserve to learn from the master."
"Well, actually, I've been all over the world." Sokka said matter-of-factly with a shrug.
"Yep," Piandao murmured knowingly, "Here we go."
"And I know one thing for sure," Sokka said as he got down on his knees and humbly bowed his head, "I have a lot to learn."
Piandao paused and glanced over his shoulder at the young man, "You're not doing a very good job of selling yourself."
"I know. Your butler told me that when I met you, I would have to prove my worth." Sokka replied humbly with his head still bowed, "But the truth is...I don't know if I am worthy."
"Hm...I see." Piandao commented quietly then he smiled and turned his head, picking up his sword as he stood, "Well, then, let's find out together how worthy you are."
Sokka lifted his head when he saw Piandao's shadow pass over him. The swordsmaster stared down and him and struck the red carpet with the bottom of his sword's scabbard, planting himself firmly before Sokka.
"I will train you."
A huge smile split Sokka's face and his blue eyes widened with happiness and excitement.
"The first thing you must learn is that your weapon is an extension of yourself." Piandao instructed as he stood across from Sokka, now dressed in a brown cheongshan, in the middle of a sword fighting ring and unsheathed his sword, beginning to perform a sword form, "You must think of it as another part of your own body."
Sokka pondered his words for a moment then his expression brightened, "Like a second head."
"Well, more like an extra-long, really sharp arm." Piandao replied before continuing his set, the sword moving gracefully through the air, "The sword is a simple too, but in the hands of a master it becomes the most versatile of weapons," He finished his set and sheathed his sword, assuming a relaxed stance, "And just as the imagination is limitless, so too are the possibilities of the sword."
Sokka stared at his teacher with an amazed smile on his face and he nodded in understanding.
At the camp, Aang, Toph, and Katara sprawled out on their backs in the dirt in a loose circle while Appa rested under the makeshift shelter they had made. In the middle of the circle, Xiaodan stood perfectly straight on her hands, her toes pointed towards the clear blue sky while her long white-hair pooled in the dirt beneath her head, some if it even caught under Aang's head. She had decided to practice her balance this way when it became apparent that her mind would not allow her to meditate for the time being.
"What should we do today?" Aang asked in a bored tone, his arms spread out to either side of him as the sun beat down on his bare chest.
"I'm tapped out." Toph commented tiredly just as Momo ran up to the four and flopped down beside Katara, "I already picked my toes. Twice."
Aang turned his head slightly towards the blind girl curiously, "Twice?"
"The first time was for cleaning," Toph explained as she tucked her arms under her head and wiggled her bare toes happily, "But the second's just for the sweet picking sensation."
Xiaodan giggled at the younger girl's blissful tone, wobbling slightly in her handstand before she quickly regained her balance, a silly grin on her reddening face.
"Sokka's been in charge of the schedule." Katara pointed out, "I'm not sure what we should be doing."
"Plus, it's so hot today." Toph sighed as she began to pick her nose idly.
"How hot is it?" Aang attempted to joke, tilting his head to grin at Toph.
"I dunno." Toph replied flatly, her finger still up her nose, "Real hot?"
Xiaodan snorted and shook her head slightly, squeaking quietly when she almost fell again.
"I-it's so hot, it's so hot...Momo is shedding like Appa!" Katara said with a grin as she sat up onto her elbow and petted the lemur, flicking tufts of fur from her fingers a moment later, "Huh, huh?"
Katara's hopeful expression fell with disappointment when the others didn't laugh while Aang closed his eyes and scratched his head.
"I guess the jokes don't run in the family." He commented blandly.
"Oh, everyone's a critic." Katara huffed and laid back down, crossing her arms over her chest with a pout.
In the shade of the shelter, Appa grunted in response, causing Xiaodan to laugh loudly just before she finally lost her balance and fell onto her back between Toph and Katara with a grunt of pain.
"Ow!"
In his prison cell, Iroh hung upside down from the overhead bars of his metal cell by his feet, doing crunches in rapid succession. He panted from the effort and sweat dripped down his face to the stone floor.
Back in the spacious tower room, Piandao stood beside Sokka in front of the small table with his calligraphy stationary.
"The warrior practices a variety of arts to keep his mind sharp and fluid." Piandao explained calmly as he flattened out a piece of parchment on the table, "The first you will learn is calligraphy." He picked up a brush and delicately held it out to Sokka, "Write your name."
Sokka took the brush and messed up the bristles with his thumb as he stared at it skeptically, "Writing my name will make me a better swordsman?"
"When you write your name, you stamp the paper with your identity." Piandao stated sternly as he took the brush and repositioned it correctly in Sokka's hand then he grabbed the younger man's other hand and moved it so it was holding his sleeve back, "You must learn to use your sword to stamp your identity on a battlefield."
Sokka nodded and turned towards the table, dipping the brush into the ink tray and bringing the brush to hover over the spotless parchment.
"Remember, you cannot take back a stroke of the brush, or a stroke of the sword." Piandao stated sagely as he took a step back and observed Sokka quietly.
Sokka blanched and the hand holding the brush began to quiver with nervousness, sweat beading on his forehead. He straightened slightly and scratched his head with his free hand, placing the tip of the brush against his chin as he thought hard about what to do.
Piandao took a step forward, "You're getting ink on your face."
"I am?" Sokka asked in surprise and he pulled the brush away from his face and looked at it, expression brightening as an idea came to him, "I am!" He turned to look at his teacher questioning, "So this is about putting my identity on the page, right?"
Piandao nodded in the affirmative and watched in quiet bemusement as Sokka smiled before proceeding to brush the ink-stained brush over his face. Still grinning, Sokka pressed his face against the blank parchment and rolled his head around for several moments. Once he was satisfied, he straightened and picked up the parchment, showing it to the swordsmaster with a cheerful smile on his face. Piandao stared at the large inkblot that vaguely resembled a face and closed his eyes in response.
Back in the sword fighting ring, Sokka stood across from Fat. Both of them were dressed in leather practice armor and equipped with wooden training swords. Piandao sat calmly at the top of the stairs leading into the building in front of the courtyard where the sword fighting ring was, his hands folded in front of him.
Fat wiped his nose with the back of his hand, calmly waiting for Sokka to make the first move and a moment later, Sokka lunged forward and thrust his sword at the older man. Effortlessly, Fat parried the attack and knocked Sokka's sword from his hands. Sokka's eyes went wide and he quickly ran away with a yelp as Fat chased after him, whacking his rear with his wooden sword.
Xiaodan yawned slightly as she stood on the tall, flat boulder she had been trying to meditate on early, holding her left straight up in the air while balance nimbly on her right foot. Below her, Aang and Katara played with Momo quietly while Toph picked her toes for the third time that day.
Shifting slightly, the orange-eyed girl lowered her left leg slowly to the ground, taking a few moments to stretch before taking a firm stance. She slowly lifted her right leg in the air, grasping her ankle to hold the position. Xiaodan closed her eyes and let her thoughts drift, listening to her brother and young friends with one ear just in case.
"Landscape painting teaches a warrior to hold the lay of the land in his mind." Piandao explained as he guided a blindfolded Sokka through the countryside that surrounded his castle.
He stopped the younger man and turned him to the left then took off his blindfold.
"In battle, you only have an instant to take everything in."
Sokka took a moment to rub his eyes then he let his hands drop to his sides, his eyes widening in awe. He smiled in excitement and amazement as he continued to stare at the majestic view of a mighty river flowing into a series of majestic waterfalls that dropped into a beautiful canyon. Suddenly, Piandao grabbed his head and turned him around, forcing him to sit in front of a small table with a piece of parchment, paint, and brushes on it.
"Now paint it."
Sokka stared first at the supplies in front of him then at his teacher in disbelief. He turned his head to look at the waterfall, but Piandao turned his head back towards the paint supplies.
"And no peeking." The swordsmaster ordered before walking a few feet away and taking a seat on the grass, his legs crossed and his sword resting in his lap.
Sokka pursed his lips as he picked up one of the brushes and began to paint on the blank piece of parchment, a look of intense concentration on his Sokka painted, Piandao stood facing the majestic sight, his eyes closed in silent meditation.
"I'm finished!" Sokka called out excitedly after some time had passed.
The swordsmaster opened his eyes and turned towards Sokka, his brow furrowing slightly. Sokka smiled proudly as he held up the parchment with a very childish and colorful drawing of the landscape, which bore little resemblance to what he was supposed to paint.
"You added a rainbow." Piandao commented impassively with a quirked as he stared at the rainbow and the sun with a smiling face.
Sokka peered at the painting worriedly, "Is that okay?"
Piandao sighed and rolled his eyes skyward, shaking his head slightly in response.
In the sword fighting ring, Sokka and Fat once again faced off against each other, back in the leather practice armor and equipped with their wooden training swords. Piandao sat in his seat from before at the top of the steps, his sword resting across his lap as he observed the two.
Once again, Sokka struck first and Fat parried the attack, faring much better this time. He grunted quietly as he parried a strike then he attempted to swing his wooden sword a downward strike.
"Sokka."
Sokka froze with his sword still held above his head, which he turned so he could look at Piandao inquisitively. While he was distracted, Fat ducked and twisted around the younger man, kicking him in the back. Sokka yelped quietly as he fell painfully to hard ground and he looked up at his teacher in confusion.
"Concentrate on what you're doing." Piandao stated.
Sokka frowned and dropped his head onto the ground, giving the swordsmaster a halfhearted thumbs-up in reply.
"Rock gardening teaches the warrior to manipulate his surroundings and use them to his advantage." Piandao explained as he led Sokka a different part of the courtyard, coming to a stop at to the top of another stairway that led to a mostly empty, tiled area filled with rocks and a small statue of a turtle-lion.
Sokka put his hand on his chin thoughtfully and looked at the area critically, "Hm...manipulate them to my advantage...Oh!"
Piandao observed quietly as his student ran down the steps, worry briefly flashing across his face as he watched Sokka roll a huge stone across the ground, groaning at the strain from moving it.
After moving the large rock where he wanted he ran across the small area, stopping beside another rock with a sheet of moss lying on it. The Water Tribe boy examined the moss's texture for a moment before sliding his hands underneath it and taking it off the rock. He ran off it with, Piandao watching him from the top of the staircase in bemusement. Sokka stopped before the large rock he had rolled towards another upright rock and tossed the sheet of moss on them.
Sprawling out on the large rocks, Sokka tucked his hands behind his head and crossed his ankles, sighing in relaxation. At the staircase, Fat walked up behind Piandao and gasped when he saw the mess of stones scattered all over the tiled floor.
Sokka waved at Fat from the easy chair he'd created, "Hey, would you mind grabbing a cold drink for me?"
Fat gasped and looked at Piandao imploringly, his eyes still wide and his jaw slack in disbelief.
"I'll take a slice of lemon in mine, please." The swordsmaster stated simply.
The butler groaned in resignation, hanging his head as he walked back to the castle to fetch the drinks.
In the sword fighting ring, Sokka and Fat faced off once more with Piandao watching calmly from the top of the staircase. The two began to duel, Sokka easily holding his own against the butler. They thrust and parried several strikes before Sokka swung his practice sword in circle, attempting to strike Fat's leg, but the butler pulled his leg back and avoid the attack. In retaliation, Fat swung his own wooden sword, but Sokka parried the strike and returned with one of his own which was quickly parried by the older man.
Undeterred, Sokka continued his offense with four quick thrusts of his wooden blade, which Fat blocked skillful before attacking Sokka with his own thrust. Fat's attack missed and Sokka used the opportunity to slip the blade of his wooden sword under Fat's hand and fling his wooden sword from his grasp. Sokka quickly thrust his sword forward and placed the wooden blade on the side of Fat's neck. Shocked, the butler raised his arms in defeat, ending the duel.
Sokka smirked smugly and stepped away from Fat, turning towards Piandao. He placed his hands together, the sword pommel between them, and bowed towards his teacher while Fat scowled angrily at his back. Piandao calmly sipped from the small cup with a lemon slice on the side, inclining his head ever so slightly in acknowledgement.
Inside his cell, Iroh continued his strict regimen by doing push-ups on his knuckles in the middle of his cell, clapping his hands together at the apex of each push.
Outside the cell in the stone hallway, Warden Poon sat on a stool and leaned against the wall, eating a roll of bread. His brow furrowed in annoyance when the sound of clapping reached his ears and he stood, sauntering down the hallway to investigate the noise. He stopped outside Iroh's cell door, peering through the small, barred window in the metal door.
"What's going on in there?" He demanded sharply, his eyes narrowing in on Iroh, who was leaning against the wall and lazily clapping his hands side-to-side with a delirious expression on his face, "Crazy old man."
In his cell, Iroh continued to clap for a few minutes after the warden had walked away from the door, waiting until he was sure the other man was gone before he stopped. Smiling slightly to himself, he pushed back the stray hair hanging over his face.
"So where are we going next?" Katara wondered aloud as she, Aang, and Xiaodan sat down beside Appa's makeshift shelter with Sokka's map spread out in front of him and she pointed at one of the islands, "We're starting from here..."
Aang pointed at a different spot on the map, "No, we're over on this island."
"Really?" Xiaodan questioned with a small frown as she tilted her head slightly to the right and pointed to a spot on the opposite side of the map, "I thought we were on this one."
"You noodle-brains don't know what you're doing." Toph snorted drily as she laid down beside them and tucked her hands under her head, "I miss Sokka."
"Oooh, I got one!" Katara suddenly exclaimed excitedly, "If you miss him so much, why don't you marry him?"
The dark-haired Waterbender grinned at her own joke, looking at the others expectantly. Toph sighed and rolled over onto her side, so her back was to Katara while Xiaodan covered her eyes with a hand and shook her head. A winged insect buzzed in front of Aang and he simply blew it away with a quick blast of air from his breath, Katara giving him a perplexed look.
"Choosing the correct material is the most important step in crafting a sword." Piandao said as he with Sokka in his personal armor in front of a table with several bricks of steel on it, "You must trust your steel with your life. Choose carefully."
Sokka pursed his lips thoughtfully and picked up two of the steel bricks, weighing them in each hand. After a moment, he sat them both down and picked up another. He sniffed the new brick then bit it, testing its quality. Sokka put the brick back down on the table with the others and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Master," Sokka addressed the swordsmaster suddenly as an idea came to him, "Would it be possible for me to leave and bring a special material for my sword?"
Piandao looked down at Sokka, "I wouldn't have it any other way."
In camp, Xiaodan napped lightly on the ground beside the map, her hands tucked under her cheek and her legs stretched out. To her right, Aang napped in a sitting position with his arms wrapped loosely around his legs and his face resting on his knees while across from his, Toph slept on her back with her hands behind her head and her feet resting on the back of Xiaodan's legs. On the opposite side of the map from Xiaodan, Katara snoozed peacefully, her legs curled under her while her face rested on her folded arms, which were on top of the map.
Toph suddenly sat upright, pulling her feet off Xiaodan's legs, "Sokka's back!"
The other three sat up with gasps of excitement and gleeful smiles as they looked around eagerly.
"Hey, guys." Sokka greeted his sister and three friends as he walked to the top of the hill the had made their camp on, "What are you doing?"
Aang, Katara, and Toph leapt to their feet and jumped at Sokka, giving him a group hug while Xiaodan followed at a more sedate pace, a happy smile on her face.
"Sokka!" Aang exclaimed happily into the hug.
"You're back!" Toph added, stepping out of the hug.
"We missed you so much!" Katara muttered as she hugged her brother.
"Glad you're back, Sokka." Xiaodan commented with a grin, wrapping an arm around his shoulder in a quick one-armed hug.
Aang stepped back slightly and looked at the older boy with an eager expression, "Say something funny!"
Sokka made a confused face, "Funny how?"
Xiaodan snickered while Aang and Katara laughed heartily and Toph smiled, crossing her arms over chest.
"What's their deal?" Sokka asked Toph and Xiaodan as he gestured towards Aang and Katara.
"I don't know." Toph said with feigned nonchalance as she turned away from him, her cheeks turning a light pink, "They missed you or something. I didn't care."
Xiaodan snorted quickly in amusement and Toph elbowed her in side, causing the white-haired girl to squeak before giggling again.
"Thanks." Sokka replied sarcastically, "That warms my heart. Anyway, I need some help."
Xiaodan threw her hands in the air excitedly, "Finally, something to do!"
Sokka grinned at her and began leading the way towards the crater. When the group arrived at the crater the meteorite created the night before, they peered down at the black space rock curiously from the rim of the crater.
Iroh sat in the middle of his cell with his eyes closed. He opened his eyes slowly and leaned forward, putting his head on the floor. He pushed his legs into the air and stands on his hands. Sweat began to bead on his forehead, dripping heavily down his face as he held the handstand for several moments before beginning to perform handstand push-ups.
Xiaodan helped Aang, Sokka, and Katara push the meteorite up the slope to Piandao's castle while Toph walked behind them and the meteorite, pushing it forward with her Earthbending. When the five finally reached the castle's front gates, Sokka rushed forward and grabbed the turtle-lion shaped knockers, banging them frantically against the door.
The right door opened, startling Sokka, and Piandao with his sheathed sword resting on his shoulder.
"Who's this? The swordsmaster asked curiously as he regarded the other four teens standing around the black rock beside his pupil.
"Oh, these are my friends. Just other good Fire Nation folks." Sokka replied lightly, the four bowing quickly in respect, and he gestured towards the meteorite, "Do you think we can make a sword out of a meteorite?"
Piandao took a step forward and placed a hand on the meteorite, examining it carefully for a few moments.
"We'll make a sword unlike any other in the world." He finally said with a nod.
In Piandao's personal forge, a shirtless Sokka, shoveled coal into the forge then he turned to Piandao and Fat, who was holding a large sledgehammer next to the meteorite. Piandao handed Sokka a large chisel and stepped back, observing as the young man held the chisel against the meteorite while Fat began to hammer it with the sledgehammer.
When they'd broken a large chunk off the meteorite, Sokka grabbed a smaller hammer and began to chisel smaller fragments from the chunk, wiping the sweat beading on his brow ever few minutes when he paused to put the fragments in a wooden bucket. When the bucket was full, Sokka walked over to the forge to diligently work the bellows while Fat brought the full bucket over to him.
Around the corner, Katara, Aang, and Xiaodan peered at him with curiosity and concern before moving.
Sokka continued to work throughout the day, filling more buckets with meteorite fragments while the first one he filled sat in the fires of the forge, smelting down the fragments in the bucket. Night approached and Sokka sat on the floor, pulling his legs up to his chest and wrapping his arms around. He rested his head against his knees and closed his eyes, dozing lightly as he waited. Outside the forge, Xiaodan peered around the corner before stepping inside, a blanket held in her hands. Carefully, she draped the blanket over Sokka's shoulders then gently touched the top of his head in a gesture of sisterly affection before she slipped back out of the forge.
Sometime later, Sokka woke and he looked behind him at the forge. He stood, the blanket pooling around his feet, and he took a moment to fold it and move it out of the way, mentally reminding himself to thank his friends when he was done with his sword. After moving the folded blanket out of the way, Sokka shoveled more coal into the forge to keep the fire going nice and hot. Outside, Piandao observed him unobtrusively with his hands clasped behind his back and a small smile on his face.
When morning came, Sokka used a pair of iron tongs to remove the bucket from the forge then he carefully positioned the bucket of liquid space metal over a mold of a blade, pouring it into the mold slowly. When the blade was done in the mold, Piandao removed the red hot blade with Sokka's help and rested it against an anvil, hammering it with precision strikes. After he was gone, Piandao held the blade up and examined it critically with Sokka standing behind him, an excited expression on his face. Satisfied, the swordsmaster dipped the hot blade into a trough of water to cool, causing it to bubble and hiss, and the blade turned a deep black when it cooled.
In the main room of Piandao's castle, Sokka sat on his knees on the floor in front of the two large, opened double doors while Xiaodan, Aang, Katara, and Toph sat behind him. In front of Sokka, Piandao stood with his hands clasped behind his back, Fat standing behind and holding Sokka's meteorite sword.
"Sokka, when you first arrived, you were so unsure." Piandao stated as he stood before the young man, "You seen seemed down on yourself. But I saw something in your right away. I saw a heart as strong as a lion-turtle, and twice as big."
Sokka bowed his head as his teacher spoke, shame and guilt showing on his face.
"And as we trained, it wasn't your skills that impressed me." Piandao continued as Fat kneeled in front of him and presented Sokka's sword to him, "No, it certainly wasn't your skills. You showed something beyond that." The swordsmaster took the sword from Fat and unsheathed it, revealing the black blade, and he struck out to the side with it, "Creativity, versatility, intelligence..."
Sokka winced slightly and looked down again, closing his eyes slightly.
"These are traits that define a great swordsman." Piandao praised as he sheathed the sword, "And these are traits that define you." He kneeled before Sokka and presented the sword to Sokka, who took it after a moment of hesitation, "You told me you didn't know if you were worthy," Piandao continued quietly as he stood up, "But I believe that you are more worth than any man I have ever trained."
Sokka stared at the sword in hands then lowered his head further in shame.
"I'm sorry, Master. You're wrong." Sokka stated quietly without looking at Piandao, "I am not worthy. I'm not who you think I am. I'm not from the Fire Nation. I'm from the Southern Water Tribe."
Behind him, Xiaodan sucked in a deep breath sharply, gawking in shock and disbelief at Sokka's back along with Aang, Katara, and Toph.
"I lied so that I could learn swordsmanship from you." Sokka continued ashamedly and he offered the sword back to Piandao, "I'm sorry."
Piandao scowled and turned away, "I'm sorry too."
Suddenly, he whirled around and swung his unsheathed sword at Sokka, who stood and avoided the attack. Sokka quickly brought up his sword, still in its scabbard, just in time to block a thrust from Piandao. Behind him, Xiaodan, Aang, Katara, and Toph leapt to their feet and start forward in order to help their friend, but Sokka stopped them with a raised hand.
"No," He said calmly as he stared at Piandao, "This is my fight. Alone."
Piandao smirked slightly.
Warden Poon entered Iroh's cell, a tray of food in his hands and a his familiar sneer of disdain twisting his features.
"You used to be the pride of the Fire Nation. Our top general, the Dragon of the West. Now, look at you." Poon sneered and he dropped the tray on the floor, scattering the food on it.
Iroh reached through the bars and grabbed at the little green fruit, moving it to his mouth eagerly.
"Look what you've become." Poon scoffed in disgust, turning to leave.
Behind him, Iroh watched the warden leave then he stood up. He put the fruit to his mouth and held it there with his teeth before untying his belt. His robe pooled around his feet and the thick, folded sheet that hat been covering his belly fell to the floor, leaving his muscular chest and torso bare. Iroh took the fruit from his mouth and bit into it before jumping up and grabbing one of the overhead cell bars with one hand. Still eating the fruit, he began doing one-handed pull-ups.
Xiaodan crossed her arms tightly over her stomach and stared worriedly at Sokka as he stood in the sword fighting ring with his sword held up and at the ready. Across from him, Piandao stood with his own sword pointed towards the ground while his other hand was raised and pointed upward.
The two stared at each other for a moment, then Piandao lunged forward and thrust his sword at Sokka. The younger man quickly brought his own sword up and parried the strike. Piandao continued his attack, forcing Sokka onto the defensive as he backed away while parrying each of his former teacher's strikes.
After parrying a fourth strike, Sokka thrust his sword at Piandao, who moved his head out of the way then stabbed his sword at Sokka. The Water Tribe boy swayed out of the way of the blade quickly with a quiet grunt. Piandao swept his sword at Sokka's feet, but Sokka leapt over the blade and lunged forward, thrusting his sword at his teacher with a determined expression on his face.
Piandao deflected Sokka's strike, allowing the younger man's blade to slide along his own, then he slammed both hands against Sokka's chest, knocking him to the ground. Sokka slid a few feet back across the ground and quickly flipped himself backwards onto his feet, stumbling slightly. He grabbed one of the posts from a small bridge to regain his balance and he quickly climbed onto the post, jumping to the opposite one just as Piandao thrust his sword at him. The swordsmaster spun around and tried to slice Sokka's foot, but the younger man leapt to the bridge's other rail.
Piandao stabbed at Sokka again, but the Water Tribe teen somersaulted off the bridge railing, pressing his back against the opposite rail. He rolled under Piandao's blade when he swung his sword at him, blocking the swordsmaster's next strike with his own black blade. Sokka twisted away from the older man, blocking another strike that would have hit his back with his sword, then he leapt onto the railing again. He quickly leapt to the end of bridge, landing in a quick crouch before turning to face Piandao again.
"Excellent!" Piandao praised with a small smirk as he lifted his sword, "Using your superior agility against an older opponent...smart."
The swordsmaster charged the rest of the away across the bridge with his sword raised. He struck repeatedly at Sokka and pushed him a large stone stairway. Sokka parried and blocked the strikes, but the force of the blows pushed him against the wall of the stone stairway. His eyes widened and he quickly deflected a thrust from Piandao upward then he ducked as the swordsmaster's swung his blade back again, cutting the through the part of the wall above Sokka's shoulder. Piandao swung his sword around his head, cutting into the wall when Sokka dodged the blow, then he swung the sword around his body. The blade cut into the wall again when Sokka cartwheeled to the right.
Sokka quickly spun back around and jumped about a foot in the air, pushing off the wall with his legs and propelling himself forward with his sword extended. Piandao quickly deflected the attack and Sokka rolled across the stair to the other wall, where he rapidly climbed to the top of the wall.
"Good use of terrain." Piandao stated proudly as he spun around and continued his assault, forcing Sokka to rush across the top of the wall as he parried the strikes, "Fighting from the high ground."
Sokka remained silent as he swung his sword at the older man, who quickly parried and thrust his sword. Sokka dodged and pinned Piandao's sword to the top of the wall with his own blade, weighing it down with his feet. Piandao frowned and tried to wrench his sword then he took a step forward and jerked his sword upward, throwing Sokka off. Sokka grunted as he stumbled back into a tall stalk of bamboo.
Standing at the upper part of the main building, Katara, Aang, Xiaodan, and Toph winced. Xiaodan reached out and grasped one of Katara's hands, holding it tightly in her own as they continued to watch.
With his back still pressed against the bamboo stalks, Sokka looked up fearfully as Piandao reached him with his sword raised. He charged at Sokka, who quickly ducked away from the attack, which sliced through the bamboo just above his head. Sokka straightened quickly and darted away from the swordsmaster, rushing into the thicket of bamboo.
As he ran through the bamboo thicket, Sokka twisted and spun around as he swung his sword, slicing through as many of the surrounding bamboo stalks that he could. Piandao chased after Sokka, skillfully cutting through the falling bamboo stalks. In front of him, Sokka turned suddenly, grabbing a stalk and pulling it as he ran. He let the stalk go just as Piandao caught up to him, the stalk whipping towards the swordsmaster.
"Yes, use your surroundings!" Piandao encouraged fiercely as he sliced through the stalk with ease before spinning around and parrying Sokka's surprise attack.
Sokka quickly disengaged and ran away again, grabbing two more stalks and pulling them back before releasing them.
"Make them fight for you!" Piandao called out as he sliced through the two stalks when they whipped towards him.
"Ahhhhh!" Sokka screamed as he ran out of the bamboo thicket and back toward the sword fighting ring.
He glanced back fearfully, but didn't see as Piandao ran off to the side and out of his peripheral vision. He turned to look ahead again and his eyes widened when he saw Piandao thrust his sword out in front of him in an attempt to make him run into it. Sokka quickly leaned back and slid under the blade on his knees then he quickly stood back up. He stumbled forward and jabbed his sword into the ground to stop his fall, before an idea hit him and he used his momentum to swing his sword back around, flinging dirt and dust at Piandao.
The dust and dirt hit Piandao in the face, getting into his eyes and blinding him. The swordsmaster quickly spun around and positioned his sword behind his back to defend any sneak attacks while holding his free hand in front of his chest.
"Very resourcefully." Piandao praised after spitting dirt from his mouth then he turned his head slightly, his eyes closed to keep anymore dirt out of them as he listened for any sounds.
Sokka watched the older man in trepidation as he nervously raised his sword defensively. His gaze remained riveted to Piandao as he slowly backed away, careful not to make any noises that would give away his position. His foot suddenly landed on a twig, snapping it in half and creating a loud cracking sound.
Piandao turned his head in Sokka's direction and twirled his sword around in front of him into an offensive position then he charged forward. Sokka sucked in a sharp breath and took a step back as the swordsmaster closed in, raising his sword just in time to parry Piandao's strike. Undeterred, Piandao caught Sokka's blade with his own, pushing it around in two circles and flinging it out of the younger man's hands.
Sokka stared in shock and dismay as his sword flew into the air and stabbed into the ground several feet away. He jerked his head around and stared worriedly as Piandao moved to attack, swinging his sword in a large, horizontal arc. Sokka waited for the sword to hit him, but the blade never touched him and instead he was in hit in the chest by Piandao's arms, knocking him onto his back.
He hit the ground hard and he stared up fearfully at the swordsmaster. His eyes still closed, Piandao, turned and pointed his sword at Water Tribe teen's head and Sokka leaned back in fear.
Behind Piandao, Xiaodan leapt from the building and landed on the ground at a dead run, Aang, Katara, and Toph racing after her. The four froze in mid-step when Piandao swung his sword away from Sokka's head.
"Excellent work, Sokka." Piandao praised proudly as he straightened.
Sokka squinted at the swordsmaster in confusion, watching as Piandao raised his hand and signal to Fat, who had remained on the main building's balcony. The butler flung the scabbard of Piandao's sword towards the swordsmaster. Still blinded, Piandao turned nimbly on the ball of his foot and pointed his sword upward, the scabbard sliding easily onto the blade.
"I think I'm a little to old to be fighting the Avatar." Piandao commented mildly as he lowered his sheathed sword and turned his head towards the four other teens, each in a bending position.
"Say what?" Xiaodan squeaked in surprise as she straightened from her bending stance, along with the other three.
"How did you know?" Aang asked in confused shock, sharing a surprised look with Katara and Xiaodan.
Behind Piandao, Sokka got to his feet just as Fat walked up to the swordsmaster with drink and a white cloth in his hands.
"Oh, I've been around a while. You pick things up." Piandao replied dismissively as he wiped the dirt from his face and eyes with the cloth, "Of course, I knew from the beginning that Sokka was Water Tribe." He handed Fat the cloth and picked up the drink, "You might want to think of a better Fire Nation cover name. Try 'Lee'. There are a million 'Lees.'"
Xiaodan flinched slightly, her expression becoming pained for a moment when she remembered that 'Lee' was the name Zuko used as a cover while he and Iroh had been in the Earth Kingdom. The white-haired girl quickly pushed the memories that welled up in her mind and focused on the present.
"But why would you agree to train someone from the Water Tribe?" Katara asked in confusion as Piandao sipped from his cup.
"The way of the sword doesn't belong to any one nation." Piandao stated sagely as Sokka came to stand slightly beside him and Fat facing the four teens, "Knowledge of the arts belong to us all." The swordsmaster handed the butler his sword and walked over to Sokka's sword, pulling it from the ground before turning and handing it to the Water Tribe boy, "Sokka, you must continue your training on your own. If you stay on this path, I know one day you will become and even greater master than I am."
Sokka smiled warmly at the older man and they bowed to each other. Xiaodan smiled happily as she watched with Aang, Katara, and Toph, each of them proud of Sokka's accomplishment.
"Well that was interesting." Xiaodan quipped as she folded her hands behind her head, walking out of the front gates of Piandao's castle with the other four.
"Wait!"
The five teens turned and watched in surprise as Fat ran up to them, stopping in front of Sokka and holding out a small pouch, "The Master wanted you to have this."
The butler placed the small, brown patch in Sokka's and the six bowed in farewell then Fat headed back towards the castle. Sokka opened the pouch and reached inside, pulling out a small circle of wood.
"It's a Pai Sho tile." He stated, staring at the tile in his hands in befuddlement.
"The White Lotus." Aang said when he saw the white flower painted delicately on the flat side, "Huh."
Xiaodan stiffened slightly, her arms falling to her sides as she stared at the Pai Sho piece intently before a slow smile appeared on her face and she put her hands back behind her head.
"What does it mean?" Katara wondered curiously, her head tilted to the side.
Behind them Fat closed the front gates and the group turned to stare at them, just noticing the lotus design on the doors surrounding the Fire Nation symbol. Sokka shrugged and moved to put the Pai Sho piece in his pocket.
"Ooh, that reminds me!" Sokka muttered as he took something else out of his pocket and offered it to Toph, "Toph, I thought you might like this since you've probably never had a chance to bend space earth before."
"Sweet! Check this out!" Toph cheered happily as she took the small chunk of meteorite and quickly bended it into a swirl then a star then a splatter.
"You know," Katara mused idly as the group walked down the path leading away from the castle, "I don't think there's such a thing as 'space earth'. If it's from space, then it's not really 'earth.'"
"Must you ruin everything?" Sokka asked in exasperation and Xiaodan chuckled at him.
"I can't believe I missed you." Katara retorted fondly with a shake of her head.
Author's Note: Argh! This chapter was such a pain in the butt to write! I have to give myself a pat on the back for managing to even incorporate Xia into the episode, even if I didn't do the best of job. Seriously, I felt like I was beating my head against a rock when I was writing the non-canon parts and the canon parts that featured just Aang, Katara, and Toph. Ugh! Anyhooties, I hope this chapter was okay, even though it was a Sokka-centric chapter and there wasn't that much Xiaodan in it.
On a side note, I've managed to come up with what I think is an appropriate updating schedule. Originally I was gonna try and update ever Wednesday, but then updated a few days early since it was my brother's birthday and it made things all wonky in my head, so now I will be updating every FRIDAY, because I'm usually working and stuff during the rest of the week, so I'll only be writing at night or when I have downtime. Anyhooties, next chapter takes place during Season 3 Episode 5: The Beach and it's gonna be very interesting trying to write since it's not really a GAang-centric episode, but on the upside I finally get to introduce Sparky Sparky Boom Man (otherwise known as Combustion Man)! Now onto the SPECIAL THANKS and MENTIONS!
Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted! You guys are awesome-sauce!
SPECIAL MENTIONS!
Gift of WingWeaver: I haven't really decided yet, but that's what I was thinking of doing. I wasn't really planning on having her go with Zuko and Aang to the Sun Warriors place since that part of the episode is supposed to be on Aang and Zuko establishing their friendship with each other. I might just have Zuko take Xia back to there afterwards though. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!
TheDivines: Haha, thanks, I'm glad you thought the chapter was at least good. It definitely wasn't one of my favorites either, but I'm glad I didn't completely fail at writing it. This chapter isn't super Xia-centric, but there are some Xia-based non-canon parts in it that I hope you like.
MidnightWolf191: Thank you, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Oh my God, I know right, that little boy sounded so creepy when he said that! Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!
Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape: They will see each other again in Episode 12: The Western Air Temple, which I think is chapter 54 of this story. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!
Molly Grace 16: Thank you, I'm glad you liked the last two chapters! To answer your question, Xia won't be using the dye to color her hair regularly, she'll probably only use it whenever the GAang really needs to go incognito since it fades really slowly. I keep referring to her as the white-haired girl because she's technically is still the 'white-haired girl' and I couldn't really think of anything else to refer to her as. About the Yu Yu Hakusho story, I have managed to complete the first chapter, but haven't managed to get any further than that, sadly. Writing that story the way I want to write it is a lot harder than writing this story. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!
Hestia28: Thanks, I missed everyone too! I hope you like this chapter!
FallenAshe: Thanks for not abandoning the story when I took so long to update, it is much appreciated! Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!
Jillyjillyfairfax: Haha, you know, I think I only have one ginger character currently in a story on this site, though I do also have two auburn haired characters. But all of my other characters either have dark hair or some variation of blonde, one of my Harry Potter characters even has the ability to change her hair color, so I think I've got pretty much every natural/unnatural hair color covered. As for Zuko and Mai's future breakup, I was planning on keeping it in line with the story where he just left her a note when he ran off to go help the GAang, but with some obvious changes since he's technically still in-not-quite-love-but-something-very-close-to-that with Xia. Honestly, I think I'm just gonna wing it. XD Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!
Cookie Mafia Boss: Thank you, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Inspiration is hard to come by and it's so fickle too. It'll be there one minute and gone the next, but I am so grateful for it. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!
XxBlindXxAngelXx: Thanks, I hope you like this chapter!
FoShizzleMySizzle: Aw thanks, I'm glad you liked the way I wrote the last chapter. I wouldn't really say I've been getting harsh comments, I mean I completely understand some of my readers being exasperated with me for being away for so long, since I can get that way sometimes too, so I'm not bothered by it. My hiatus was very fulfilling and at the same time extremely annoying since I had all these ideas, but they refused to be typed up or written down. Haha, Xia is definitely gonna be putting Zuko through some hell when he joins up with the GAang, especially since the way she finds out about him and Mai is gonna be pretty terrible. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!
The Purple Rainbow: Haha, me neither! I hope you like this chapter!
Becky: Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last two chapters! I think Mai is pretty cool for such an emotionally constipated character, her fighting style is badass that's for sure. I never really planned on demonizing her, since it's not her fault that Zuko is sort of using her and their relationship to forget about Xia. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!
PaganMommyofOne: Thanks, I'm glad you like the story and Xiaodan so far! And can I just say that I absolutely love your penname, it's awesome. The Painted Lady, while the concept and moral aspect of it is cool, it's really not my favorite episode either. It reminds me too much of the episode Imprisoned in season 1. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!
SinistrousDelirious: Thanks, I'm glad you like the story and Xia so far! Haha, not many chapters for Xia to kick ass yet, but there will be some. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!