Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Korra or Avatar the Last Airbender. I only own my own characters and ideas
Chapter Twenty-two: New Friends
Three months had gone by since the accident. Khari was trying her best to accept what happened, but it was hard when everyone was treating her like a broken toy. One day she was training and a few of the soldiers came to watch her. One of the soldiers bumped another one before he pointed at Khari. He kicked the ground a bit, sending a small piece up right next to her foot. She tripped and fell to the ground, making the soldiers laugh. Noatak and Bumi went to help Khari off the ground while Iroh grabbed the soldier who tripped her. Khari didn't even bother to look up. She knew that she was being laughed at. She went from being an amazing bender that beat the crap out of them to someone who got laughed at for not hearing something. When she finally looked up, she saw the White Lotus standing there. She stood and stared at the men before they turned their backs to her. They began to walk away, and Khari followed them. They soon entered a hut where they met her Gran Gran, Uncle Sokka, Lord Zuko, Izumi, Korra, and her parents. Khari stared at everyone before she took a step back. She knew exactly why they wanted her here. They wanted to tell her that she wasn't going to be able to train Korra anymore. Katara reached out towards her, but she pushed her away. She wasn't perfect but she could do it. She could still train Korra.
"No, I know what this is. You don't think I'm capable of training Korra because my hearing isn't what it was before... it's not fair. I'm trying and I thought of all people you would have faith that I could still do it but clearly you don't. Grandpa Aang would have faith in me. You know what, fuck all of you."
She turned around, opening the door. She slammed the door behind her, leaving everyone behind. Everyone exchanged looks but no one knew what to say. Khari had never lashed out like that towards any of them. Tenzin and Lin maybe but never them. Korra stared up at everyone, wondering why no one went after Khari. She didn't understand why they didn't want Khari to train her anymore. She seemed like she would be a great teacher no matter what. The White Lotus masters began to talk amongst each other about Korra's training they needed to make sure she got the training she would have gotten if Khari had trained her.
"I don't understand. I want Master Khari to train me. She's great at what she does, and I want to be great too."
"Chief Sokka will train you with his sword," one of the White Lotus masters told her.
"I don't want him. He can't do everything she can. I want her. You're not even giving her a chance."
"Maybe Korra has a point. My husband was trained by Toph, and she is blind. I understand being blind and hard of hearing is different, but we could give her a chance. Maybe she will surprise us."
Everyone stared at Katara before they looked down at Korra. Korra smiled at everyone, waiting for the answer. She stared at the White Lotus masters, hoping they would agree with her. They all began to talk amongst each other. They took one final look at the door before they looked over at Korra. One of the masters sighed before he finally agreed but informed Korra they would supervise for some time to make sure Khari was capable. In the distance Khari pulled her staff out, extending it as she marched towards the soldiers that laughed at her. She swung, knocking one to the ground before she grabbed another with her cables. She turned around but one of the guards tried to get up and follow her. She smelled something and the hair on the back of her neck stood up, making her pull her staff up as she spun. Everyone stood there as the unconscious soldier laid there. Khari felt someone tap on her soldier, making her look back. She gave Lord Zuko and her Uncle Sokka a small smile as she put her hand behind her head. She huffed as the two men crossed their arms. She knew they were not pleased with her recent actions but what were they going to do tell her she couldn't train Korra. She rolled her eyes before she pushed past the two men. She entered her hut and placed her things down, trying to calm herself. She didn't understand why she wasn't good enough for them. It was like she was dealing with her parents. Khari grabbed her coat and exited her hut again. She bumped into Korra, but she didn't feel like talking so she told Korra she would be back in an hour. She pulled her jacket up a bit as she started to walk away from the tribe. As she got further and further away from the tribe, she knew she became more vulnerable. She raised an eyebrow when she saw smoke up ahead. When she got to the top of the hill it became more difficult to see. When she got close to what would have been a campfire, she saw that there was no longer a fire. It looked like it had recently been put out. She began to look around to see if she could find any hint of who had been around this campfire, but she couldn't see much of anything with the snow. She soon felt something dark behind her and saw something move quickly in front of her. As the movement got closer, she noticed it was smaller and multiple things.
"Great, a pack of wolves in front of me and spirits knows what is behind me. Please, I am begging do not make this the way I die."
When Khari turned around, she froze. No one knew she came out here so how did someone from the White Lotus know where she was. She wondered if he was just following her to make sure nothing happened to her after the incident in Hira'a. She couldn't hear anything so it did help to have someone but why did something feel wrong. She didn't have much time to act there was still the pack of wolves. The wolves jumped over Khari and faced the person dressed in White Lotus attire. She tilted her head for a moment and thought. It really wouldn't be that hard to get your hands on an outfit. To get close to her or Korra. She doesn't even know if this person is from the White Lotus. In one quick movement he trapped the whole pack in ice. Khari took a small step back as she covered her mouth. He was so quick and a waterbender. She knew she didn't stand a chance, not like this. She stood there, waiting to see what he would do. He sent an ice spear at her, but she used her cables to smash it. Khari felt the ice start to incase her feet, but she wasn't about to let that happen. She slammed her fist on the ground and watched the ice start to disappear around her. Khari solidified the lava and smiled a bit as she kicked the earth. He made multiple ice columns, but Khari used her chunks of earth to smash them. As soon as they smashed Khari saw two water wipes come in her direction. She tried to avoid them, but they were already wrapped around her wrist. He froze them before he tossed her in the air and yanked her down. When she hit the ground, he made a column pop up where she landed. She rolled over on her side and sent her cables, scratching his face. He growled before he sent ice bullets in her direction. She managed to pull her cables to protect herself from some of the bullets, but some cut her face. He made another column and smiled at Khari before he sent a high-powered water drill towards her. She smacked the back of her head against the column, knocking her unconscious. He smiled as he walked over to her.
"I thought as the daughter of Councilman Tenzin and Chief Beifong you would have put up a better fight. Your Grandfather was Avatar Aang and you didn't even fight. You were so weak. Pathetic," he sighed as he left her there to freeze.
Khari laid in the snow as more snow continued to quickly fall. The snow soon started to cover Khari. Back at the tribe Korra wondered where Khari was. She told her that she would be back, but Korra didn't see her anywhere. Korra looked at the sky and watched as the sun started to make its way down. She started to get worried, so she rushed over to Katara's hut. She started to knock until Katara opened the door. Inside Katara's hut everyone was having dinner. When they heard the knocking at the door, they all looked up from their meals. They had all wondered where Khari had been this whole time. They knew she was mad but to miss dinner with them was going a bit far. They were doing what they thought was best for both Khari and Korra. When the knocking continued Katara stood and made her way for the door. When she opened it, she found Korra standing there.
"Master Katara, I think something is wrong with Khari. She told me she was going to be back in an hour and that was three hours ago. She didn't even say where she was going. She just said she would be back. I'm scared."
"Sokka, you and the men of the tribe need to go look for Khari. Something is wrong. She told Korra she would be back in an hour, three hours ago and that isn't like her. There is a storm coming and the sun is going down. If we don't find her tonight, she will freeze to death." Katara informed her brother.
The men all looked up from their dinner at Katara before they looked at each other. They dropped their chopsticks and quickly rushed out the door to gather a group of men search for Khari. As more time passed Khari was being covered in more and more snow. Tonraq offered to help gather some men around the tribe, hoping it would quicken the process. They had gotten a decent sized group and some of the men had offered to bring some polar dogs. One of the men left three pups behind and smiled down at them.
"I think you pups are still a bit young to be going on a rescue mission. I'll take you out another time just not when a life depends on it," he smiled as he scratched each one behind the ear.
All the men got on an artic camel and glanced back at Katara and Kya before they took off. Sokka put a piece of Khari's clothes in front polar dogs to let them smell it, but they didn't go far from the men. Sokka looked over at Tonraq, Bumi, and Iroh with a raised eyebrow. There went that idea he told himself. His vision quickly moved to the ground next to him before he had to look back in front of him. He watched as a polar dog pup sprinted as fast as it could. One of the men yelled after the pup but Sokka wondered if it was running towards Khari. When they finally got away from the tribe the men all started to yell Khari's name, hoping she would yell back. The pup continued to sprint as fast as it could leaving the men far behind. It soon stopped and started to sniff the ground a bit before it started to sprint again. It soon found the spot where Khari was now buried under snow. It sniffed around until it got Khari's scent and started to dig. The pup soon uncovered Khari's face and licked her. The pup began to roar and bark to try and get the men's attention as it continued to dig Khari out. In the distance the men continued to shout Khari's name, but Sokka turned his head a bit.
"Shh. Do you guys hear that? It sounds like our little pup found something," he said.
Sokka made his artic camel pick up the pace. The men started to look for the pup, hoping it had found Khari. They began to call Khari's name but there was no response. The pup continued to dig Khari out until it saw her body. It laid down as close to Khari as it could get. The pup started to lick her face again, but Khari didn't move. It placed its head against her neck, trying to keep her warm. The pup looked up when it heard a noise to see the men yelling for Khari but not coming in the right direction. It got up and sprinted towards the men as it barked. The pup jumped around at the artic camel's feet to get the men to pay attention to it before it ran back towards Khari. The men followed as close as possible until they found the pup next to a mound of snow. Sokka, Bumi, Iroh, and Tonraq jumped off their camels and ran towards the pup and the mound of snow. When they got there, they saw that Khari was under the snow but partially dug out. Tonraq used his waterbending to move all the snow off Khari's body while Bumi handed Iroh the blanket. Bumi picked Khari off the ground and handed her to Iroh. Iroh covered her quickly before he jumped on the artic camel. He made the artic camel go as quickly as it could. The pup took off with Iroh, soon running in front of him. Iroh struggled to see very far in front of him due to all the snow, but the pup howled, leading Iroh back towards the tribe. He used his body heat to try and warm her as best as he could. He continued to follow the polar pup's howling. He looked down to see her lips were blue, the ice in her hair, and that she was shivering. He soon saw the tribe and he pulled Khari closer as they got closer to the tribe. When they arrived at Katara's hut Iroh slammed his back against the door until someone opened it. He turned around, revealing a shivering and unconscious Khari. Katara covered her mouth as she stood. The polar dog pup grabbed Iroh's pant leg and started to pull him forward. Iroh took Khari into the back room and switched the blankets out Katara assured him they would get her back to her usual self. Suyin came into the room and made a metal pit while Bumi brought in logs. Izumi walked in briefly to light the logs before the three walked out. Katara saw that there was blood on the blanket and looked at Khari's head to see she had a wound on the back of her head.
Khari started to walk around in the darkness wondering where she was at. She turned around but no matter where she looked, she saw darkness. Suddenly she saw her parents with a small crying child. She walked towards them and realized it was her as a baby. She saw her grandparents walk in with her aunts and uncles. Tenzin turned around, trying to get Khari to stop crying. Aang and Katara chuckled as Aang took Khari from him. Khari stopped crying and smiled up at the avatar. Khari smiled at the image. She missed him but she didn't know why she was here.
"I could always make you stop crying and bring out that beautiful smile. Oh Khari, why are you here at such a young age," she heard a familiar voice say.
"Am... am I de-dead?" she asked her Grandpa Aang.
He shook his head as he led her further into the darkness. She saw a younger version of herself. She couldn't have been older than one or two. She was in her Grandpa Aang's arms, and he had her in front of Appa. She stuck her hand out to touch the Sky Bison and giggled when Appa placed his head against her hand. The next thing she saw she was still young. She ran over to Lin who picked her up and took her to her father's study. Khari pulled Aang closer to the image. She wanted to be closer to this one. It seemed so familiar to her. Lin handed a younger Khari over to Tenzin who told her a story as she clenched to his robes. Khari watched as her younger self laid in her father's lap as he told her a story. She reached out but the image vanished. She saw herself a few years older with the royal siblings. Iroh dared Kimiko to jump off a high ledge into the water. She refused, making Iroh taunt her and tell her she was scared. Kimiko said how she wasn't scared that maybe Khari should do it. Khari had stepped and looked down over the ledge. She had just gotten her bending but her father didn't seem so happy, so they didn't really tell anyone yet. Khari turned and looked at the two before she jumped. When she hit the water, she tried to kick her legs, but she wasn't very good at swimming. She stared to scream as she struggled to stay above the water. She saw movement but she eventually went underwater. Khari grabbed her Grandpa Aang's arm as she watched the memory unfold. Khari was soon pulled out of the water and started to couch water up. Khari watched as Izumi, Zuko, her grandparents, and parents ran towards Iroh and her younger self. Tenzin picked her up and she clung to him as she started to cry a bit. She told them she fell in and couldn't swim. Khari reached out again, to trying to make the image seem more real but when Tenzin hugged her younger self it disappeared. When the next image appeared, Khari took a step back. She thought these would be good moments in her life, but this wasn't one. She watched as her younger self sat in the courtyard all alone. Her mother had gone to work, and her father had spent all day with Mica. The two walked into the courtyard and Khari ran over to her father and asked if she could join them but he told her no and that her mother would be home soon and that she should do something with her. When her mother got home, she asked if they could do something, but she told her she had things to do. Khari watched as her mother walked into the temple without another word. Khari saw the version of her grandfather from when she was young appear at the opening of the temple. He smiled at her, and she returned the smile but walked by him without saying anything.
"Grandpa Aang, what did I ever do to make them not love me? To make him love Mica more than me? Was it something I did wrong? Why am I here anyway?" She asked.
"Oh sweetheart, it was nothing you did. They were just not very good at showing that they loved you. You're here because you must decide if you want to go with me or stay behind with your Gran Gran. You'll look at points in your life and make the choice," he informed her.
She turned to look at him to see the seriousness in his face. She was really fighting for her life this time. She turned around when she saw a bright light flash then disappear, she heard thunder. She wanted to skip this point she already knew what was going to happen. She watched as her younger self opened her parent's bedroom door. She walked over to ask if she could sleep with them that night, but her father told her Mica was already in their bed. Her mother told her it was only a little thunder and lightning. She told Khari that she would be fine and to go back to sleep. Khari followed her younger self until she reached her grandparent's room. She slid the door open and tugged on her Gran Gran's nightgown. When Katara opened her eyes, Khari smiled at her and told her she was scared. Khari smiled when she watched her younger self climb into bed with her grandparents. She heard her Uncle Bumi's voice, making her turn around. She laughed a bit as she watched her Uncle Bumi train her younger self in hand to hand. She laughed when her younger version kicked her Uncle Bumi behind the knee before she took her elbow to his back and smash his head down. She laughed even harder when her Uncle Bumi stuck his arm up with a thumbs up. Khari saw her Aunt Kya standing in front of the sink, but she didn't see herself. Her younger self ran over to her Aunt Kya and stared up at her. Her Aunt Kya wiped tears out of her eyes and bent down to kiss Khari before she walked away. Khari was surrounded by the Fire Nation Royal Palace. Khari followed her younger self and Kimiko until they were at her Grandpa Aang's favorite spot. The two girls dug a small hole and pulled a little box out and put a tiny tree sapling in its place. When they opened the box, they found three pictures. One was of Team Avatar, the next was their children, and the next photo was the grandchildren. Kimiko told Khari maybe planting the tree in honor of her Grandpa Aang it might make being kicked off the island less painful.
"Khari, sweetheart please wake up. I love you and I don't know if you can hear me, but it has already been two days and your condition isn't getting better. Please, wake up. Khari, do it for me," Katara pleaded before she kissed the top of her head.
The next thing Khari heard was a scream. She turned around and saw the Southern Water Tribe. She froze and tripped over her feet. No, she thought to herself. Not this one, anything but this one. She watched the fight unfold until she was grabbed then she sat down and buried her head in her lap. She covered her ears and started to make noise hoping she wouldn't hear it or that it would go away. Aang crouched down next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. Khari hugged him and started to cry.
"It was all my fault. She died because of me. If I would have never gone with, she would still be alive."
"You don't know that Khari. They wanted the avatar and everyone there was in their way. Let's keep going."
Aang helped Khari off the ground and wiped the tears out of her eyes. Khari watched as Goaling appeared and started to look for her younger self. She no longer saw Goaling, making her look back at Aang who shrugged. When she turned around, she saw Zaofu. She held her breath when she saw Yun she blinked and the next think she saw was herself struggling to walk. It was a long recovery after Yun and Zhen poisoned her. She turned around to see her breaking up a fight between all the Beifong children. She laughed a bit as she thought about how it was more difficult than people thought it would be. She turned around to see Shen Tao standing in front of her. He asked if he could make her one last meal before she left for the Southern Water Tribe. She watched her younger self stumble over what to say until she finally said yes.
"Khari? Khari can you hear me? You need to wake up. Katara needs you to wake up. You're killing her. Khari she is getting sick. It has been a week now. You need to show some signs of improvements. Kya is taking care of you and that lady from Zaofu is taking care of Katara. You are literally killing her. If you die Khari, she will too. Stop being so stubborn and WAKE UP!" Iroh started to yell at her before he sighed and left the room.
Khari's next memory she was on the roof of her hut. She and Iroh were laying down and telling each other stories. She blinked and saw him kiss her weeks ago. She watched as she ran out of the meeting with the White Lotus. The memories started to come by so fast. She saw bits and pieces of a fight. She soon felt something fluffy against her. I.K.D. flashed by her and fights and the accident. She fell to the ground. She looked up for a moment before she looked back down.
"Grandpa Aang, I don't know what to do. I-I want to stay here with you but what about Gran Gran and Iroh. I love him Grandpa Aang. I'm not sure if the idiot knows it yet but I love him. I don't get it. Why can't I just wake up? Fuck why can I hear in here?"
"I know you want to stay with me. I think he knows you love him. Khari, I think the only reason you can hear what's being said in here is because it's in your head. Sweetheart you have to make your choice and I can't tell you what to do."
Iroh ran his hand through the polar dog pup's fur before he walked out. The pup laid its head on Khari's legs and looked up at her. The pup looked up when it heard a noise. It started to growl and stood over Khari as a figure appeared. The figure stepped closer, sticking their hand out towards the pup. The figure pulled a letter out and put it on the night table before covering Khari better.
"Don't worry girl, I don't want to harm her. I want to give her that and leave. She needs to rest," the figure told the pup.
The pup watched the figure as she laid next to Khari. She started to rub her nose against Khari's face before she started to lick it. Khari started to groan a bit, making the pup stand and continue to lick her face. Khari stuck her hand up a bit to feel the pup's fur. She slowly started to open her eyes and closed them again. No. She told herself. She had to wake up. She was not going to give up that easy. She opened her eyes again and blinked a bit, but she soon saw movement in the corner of her eye. She turned her head as quickly as she could. Her sight fell on the figure, and she froze. She couldn't believe what was in front of her. She tried to form words, but they seemed stuck.
"No. This is impossible," she gasped.
She stared at the figure as she tried to get the strength to sit up. She saw a brief smile before the figure disappeared out the window. Khari started to reach for her night table when the pup gave her a look. Khari motioned towards the door, making the pup jump down and run towards the door. Khari saw the pup start to scratch and she tried to focus all her energy on trying to get up. She soon gave up when she couldn't push herself up. The pup continued to scratch the door, but it didn't open. Khari coughed a bit as she tried to talk. She cleared her throat a bit and stared at the pup for a moment.
"Gran Gran." Khari coughed. "Gran Gran, I need help. Gran Gran, please I need you. Someone. Is anyone there?"
Khari watched the door, but it still didn't open. She grabbed her night table and tried to push herself up, but she still struggled. She soon decided to try and crawl to the door. She pushed against her bed until she was hanging on the edge of the bed. The pup sat at the door and stared at her with its head tilted a bit. She started to call for her it to come help her. When the pup came towards her, Khari reached out and hoped she would be able to pull herself to the ground. Khari was about to pull herself on the ground when the door finally opened. She looked up to see Iroh and Kimiko standing there. She could see them laughing a bit and she tried not to get angry.
"I need help please. Can someone get Gran Gran? I think I could use her." Khari managed to say.
Kimiko slowly made her way over to Khari and gave her a small sympathetic smile. Khari gave Kimiko a confused look before it turned to worry. Khari looked up at Iroh to see the same look on his face. She finally got the strength to push herself up. She pushed herself off the night table. She placed her feet on the ground and tried to stand. She fell to the ground, making both Iroh and Kimiko rush over to her. Khari started to cry as she thought about what had happened to her. She looked up at Kimiko for a moment before she looked backed down.
"Where is she? Take me to her right now!" Khari shouted.
Kimiko and Iroh looked at each other before they looked at Khari. The two helped Khari stand and steady herself before she took a step. They grabbed her a shawl before they continued to walk. Each step she took she did carefully to make sure she didn't hurt herself. When they got to the door Iroh reached for the doorknob, but Khari stumbled a bit. He supported her more with his body as he reached for the doorknob again. When he opened the door Izumi, Kya, and Suyin turned their attention to them. Kya and Suyin smiled at her as she took another step. She tried to take steps quicker than she should have which made her fall to the ground. The polar pup sprinted towards her, licking her face. She started to laugh as she scratched the pup behind the ear. She felt someone tap her on her shoulder, making her look up. Iroh pointed to the pup then at her.
"Mine? Last I checked I didn't arrive in the Southern Water Tribe with a Polar Dog Pup."
Khari smiled at the pup as she thought about having a friend the way her grandfather did. Everyone gave her a look when she looked under the pup to see it was a girl. She shrugged before she tried to stand but struggled a bit. The pup put her body under Khari's and started to push up, making Khari laugh a bit. Iroh and Kimiko helped her up again. Khari stared at the door before she looked up at Kya. Kya tried to smile as she opened it. Khari took a step towards the door and put her hand against the chair when she started to become unstable. She steadied herself and continued to walk towards the door again. She stumbled at the door again but refused anyone's help. She stepped outside and made her way for Katara's hut, but she fell. She had a flashback of the fight. She saw quick snips of everything. She was fine but it still shook her up a bit. She finally got some help off the ground and reached her Gran Gran's hut. When she opened the door everyone else turned to stare at her. Khari stared at them before she stepped in the hut. She soon turned her attention to her Gran Gran's bedroom door. Khari took slow steps to make sure she didn't fall. When she finally reached Katara's door she hesitated. Once her hand was on the door, she slid the door open and stared at Katara. In the corner of the room Jia was working on getting Katara hydrated. Khari pulled her shawl closer to her as she took another step. She felt the tears start to run down her face. She didn't think she could handle losing her Gran Gran. Jia turned to see her standing there but said nothing. Once she reached the bed Khari placed her hand on Katara's arm before she sat on the bed. She smiled at her for a moment, but the smile soon faded. She pushed her Gran Gran's hair out of her face before she turned to Jia. Jia gave her a slight smile before she left the room. Khari grabbed Katara's hand and squeezed as hard as she could.
"Gran Gran, I need you to wake up. I can't lose you too, not yet. Please, I know you letting go would be easier for you but think about everyone else. I wanted to give up but I didn't so please I'm begging you to fight."
The door opened but Khari never turned around. She started to look around for a chair, but someone already slid a chair next to her. When she turned her head, she saw her Uncle Sokka standing next to her. She felt her knees start to shake a bit before they buckled under her. She continued to hold onto Katara's hand as she sobbed. She placed her head against the bed, trying to calm herself. Sokka placed his hand on her back to comfort her, but he could tell it wasn't helping much. Everyone stared at her from the doorway as she placed her head on the bed. She refused to budge no matter how much anyone tried to move her. She eventually fell asleep, making everyone think they could get her off the floor but when Iroh tried to grab her she tightened her grip on Katara's hand. He crouched down next to her, making her open her eyes a bit. He tried to get Khari to loosen her grip so he could place her somewhere more comfortable. She opened her eyes and tightened her grip. Iroh sighed as he stood. He knew if anything happened to Katara, Khari would not be able to handle it.
A few hours later Khari felt something tug at her hand so once again she tightened her grip. She felt something move around making her lift her head and open her eyes. She noticed her Gran Gran was moving her hand a bit. She glanced up at her face to see her slowly opening her eyes. She started to laugh a bit as the tears rolled down her cheeks. Her Gran Gran smiled at her, making her get off the ground to hug her.
"You're awake. You fought. WE fought. I'll go get everyone."
She smiled at her Gran Gran before she stood. She was about to walk away but her Gran Gran grabbed her hand. She turned around to see the worried look on her face. Khari tilted her head a bit as Katara squeezed her hand. Khari smiled at her Gran Gran but she said nothing.
"Gran Gran, what's wrong? Are you okay?"
"It's not real sweetheart. I'm not awake and neither are you. You need to wake up."
Khari sat up from her spot on the floor and gasped. She started to examine the room to see Iroh asleep on the floor close to her and the polar dog pup sleeping close to where her head had been. When she glanced up at her Gran Gran she was still asleep. She noticed that her Gran Gran was making faces. She pushed Iroh before she stood. Iroh lifted his head and watched Khari step closer to the bed. Khari grabbed her Gran Gran's hand, wondering if she was okay. Katara started to gasp like she couldn't breathe which made Khari jump a bit.
"Aunt Kya, Jia, come quick! Gran Gran needs you. Please, be okay. I need you. Wake up!"
Kya and Jia burst through the door and rushed over to Katara. Khari stood there, only staring at her. Everyone stood in the doorway and watched until Kya shouted at Iroh to take Khari out of the room. He grabbed her arm but when he tried to pull her out, she started to scream and pulled away from him. Everyone watched as Iroh struggled to get her out of the room. He wrapped his arms around her and started to pull her towards the door. She pushed her feet up hoping to get away, but he held on tighter.
"Iroh, let me go! I want to stay. Stop! I said leave me alone! I want to see her!"
"Khari, you already watched Aang die when you were young! If she dies do you really want to see that?! Don't you remember what watching Aang die did to you?! I do, I helped pick that girl up until her parents locked her up. I don't want to stand by as you destroy yourself again!" he shouted at her.
Khari soonfroze, making it easier for Iroh to pull her out. As soon as he got her out the door, he shut it so she couldn't see what happened. He sat her down in the chair, but she only stared at him. Khari could hear Iroh a bit due to the fact he shouted in her ear which made everything seem so unreal. She started to collapse to the ground, making Iroh follow her. The polar dog pup came and started to lick her face a bit before she placed her head on Khari's lap. Everyone watched as Khari ran her hand over the pup's head, with her head rested against Iroh's chest, only staring forward. Suyin crouch down and tried to get her to talk but she stared forward as if Suyin wasn't even there. The door opened to Katara's room, making everyone but Khari look up. Kya gave them a brief smile before she tried to slide the door shut. There was a gust of wind, making Khari's head shoot off Iroh's chest. She jumped from the ground and felt the gust of air at her feet again, making her follow it. Everyone gave her an odd look as she and her pup sprinted for the door. Korra felt a sudden urge to follow, making her sprint after Khari. Tonraq shouted after her, but she continued to sprint after Khari. Iroh, Ling, Noatak, and Shen Tao offered to go search for the two. Khari started to push people out of her way as she made her way out of the tribe. Korra struggled to keep up but had Khari in her sight the whole time. Khari continued until she came to large area that had otter penguins. She saw a slope and an enclosed cave that looked like it sloped down. She slowly made her way towards the cave. She stood at the opening for a bit before she felt like she had been shoved. She stuck her hands out to try and grab something, but it was useless. She started to slide down the slope. Korra watched as Khari fell down the cave slope and jumped in after her and the polar pup. The men got to the area where the otter penguins were but lost the girls after that. When Khari reached the bottom she sat in the snow for a bit, trying to figure out where she was. Korra soon slid down and landed on her, making her groan.
"Sorry, I didn't think you were right there," Korra apologized.
Khari shook her head before she pushed the young avatar in the snow. The two stood and started to look around until they found a Fire Nation ship frozen up into the air. Khari knew about this ship. Her grandparents had told her about this ship. It was what led Lord Zuko to the Southern Water Tribe when her grandfather was there. Her grandparents accidently sent a signal to him when looking around. Khari took a few steps towards the ship before Korra grabbed her arm. Khari turned back and gave Korra a smile before she continued to walk towards the ship. When they got close to the ship Khari heard a crack, making her look down. She saw that the ice started to crack quickly between her and Korra. Before they could do anything, the crack formed through the ice up to the ship. The crack was soon so bad that the girls fell through. They screamed as Khari tried to catch Korra and stop them from falling any further. She was finally able to make the two stop falling but she heard a louder crack. She felt small bits of ice hit her head, making her look up. She slammed her feet and shoulders into the ice, making sure Korra couldn't fall off her stomach. She inched her feet up a bit until she saw the ship heading towards the opening of the crack. She stuck one hand against the ice and another toward the ship. She felt pain of hold the ship up, but she wasn't going to give up. Korra moved a bit, almost knocking the two down. Korra managed to touch the ice, forming ice under the ship to boost it up a bit. Above at the top of slope the men stood there looking around until Noatak looked down to see footprints that slid. He nudged Iroh before he pushed him down the slope. He gestured for Lin and Shen Tao to follow him. When they got to the bottom Iroh stopped for a moment until he heard Khari and Korra scream again. The polar dog pup started to bark at the ship getting the attention of the four men. When they reached the ship they noticed a small crack, but they could tell that the way the ship was positioned was new. Down in between the ice Khari stared at Korra before she looked up.
"Korra, listen to me. It is extremely important that you do as I say. I want you to climb up the ice. Make little ledge for your hands and feet. Make them big enough that when you get to safety, I can use them. I want you to climb through that window of the ship right there. Do not look down. Go, I'll be behind you."
Korra stared at her for a moment before she moved slowly. Khari watched as Korra did as she had told her. Korra soon reached the window. Khari waited Korra climbed through the window before she even thought about grabbing the first ledge. Korra poked her head out the window to check on Khari, but she heard someone call her name. She walked slowly and carefully towards a different part of the ship. She managed to see Iroh and Noatak shouting her name. She ran to a spot where they would see her and started to shout and wave her arms. The men looked up at her before they looked at each other. Iroh used his firebending to propel himself up while Noatak used his waterbending. Ling and Shen Tao used their cables to pull themselves up to where Korra was. Shen Tao used his cables to pull the polar dog pup up. Korra quickly showed them where Khari was trapped. When the men looked down, they saw that Khari had started to climb up the crack with the small ledges that Korra had created. They watched to make sure nothing happened to her, but she seemed to be doing okay by herself. Khari was almost to the top when she heard a crack. She looked at the ice to see it crack near the ledges. She went to reach for the next one but one of the ledges she was standing on broke. She tried to hold on, but she broke another ledge and started to fall. Iroh jumped down while Shen Tao sent his cables down. Iroh reached out and grabbed her arms while Shen Tao wrapped his cables around Iroh's legs. Ling and Noatak held onto Shen Tao as he pulled the two up. When they got to the top the polar dog pup helped the men pull Khari up. She started to lick Khari as Iroh held onto her. She glanced up at Shen Tao for a moment before she thanked the group. They all jumped off the ship and slowly made their way back towards the tribe. Khari kept Korra close to her as she watched their surroundings. She stayed close to Iroh herself but would occasionally glance over at Shen Tao. Shen Tao soon stood in front of the two, making her look up at him. He grabbed her wrist, making her pup growl at him a bit.
"I can't take this anymore! Khari, I love you, but you need to choose me or him! I saved your ass in Zaofu! You know I know you're going to pick him because a Beifong could never pick someone like me!" Shen Tao shouted at her.
She looked at the ground for a moment as everyone stared at her. She heard everything. Not as well as she would have liked but she heard it. When she looked up everyone was still staring at her. She looked at Iroh then Shen Tao. She didn't understand why at this very moment this was what they wanted to think about. She looked down at her wrist, which Shen Tao still had his hand wrapped around. Her pup started to rub her head against Khari's leg, making her smile a bit. She closed her eyes as she sighed.
"I choose..."
(Author's Note: Finally an update lol. Okay so I will let you get play some guessing games with the figure in Khari's room. I also thought it would be a great idea to have Khari show some of her inner Aang. The polar pup is a permanent thing. I hope you guys also like the cliffhanger. Sorry about how the chapter was all over the place. I also thought if Khari was going to be on the verge of hey make up your mind Aang would be the one to help her. I really hope you guys liked this chapter. Sorry for the long wait. Reviews are appreciated. )