Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. Otherwise, I would have created a spin-off series called Detective Sokka.

Summary: Koh the Face Stealer threatens to return and finish what he started centuries ago. New alliances will be formed, friendships will be tested, and characters will be challenged like never before.

Providence

Chapter Thirteen: Sacrifices

- - - - -

When Lei had suggested that they look into Koh's past Aang wasn't quite sure what she meant. He assumed she was going to show them the mural of Koh battling Tang or simply recite the story of how Koh was born. What the Avatar had forgotten is that the strange pendant in Lei's possession was no ordinary pendant. It was created from the wood of Nu-gua and contained some special qualities of its own.

It was almost the same as the first time he touched the necklace, but he knew what he was seeing was not simply a vision. It was a memory. He could see Nu-gua in all its magnificence, no longer buried under the earth, but standing tall and proud on the surface. Aang could see a village in the valley nearby. A young couple was sitting near the tree and gazing down at the village. They laughed and affectionately teased each other, oblivious to the world around them.

Another sound caught the Avatar's ear. Iroh gestured towards Nu-gua and in its branches he saw a beautiful sight. A phoenix, a real phoenix, even lovelier than in the pictures of the story books he read as a young child. Fenghuang was singing, a gorgeous song in Aang's opinion, while perched on a branch looking as though she ruled over all that she saw. Her red and gold plumage practically glowed in the light.

"Why are we here?" The Avatar asked Lei.

"This is where Koh lived before he became the Face Stealer."

Iroh, as opposed to Aang, didn't seem too surprised. It was a wonder Aang's jaw didn't hit the ground. "Here? As in Nu-gua?"

She nodded. "Koh lived at the roots of the tree. The only thing that could bring him out into the sunlight was Fenghuang."

A large centipede-like creature emerged from beneath the large roots of Nu-gua. There was no mask, or any face at all. He looked even more like a centipede than when Aang had visited him in the spirit world.

Fenghuang finished her song and sighed. "Isn't it a lovely sight?"

"The humans?" Koh asked.

"Yes," she answered. "The young man is so handsome. You can tell he's in love with that girl, it's written all over his face."

Koh didn't respond to this, but looked at the couple. Aang thought it might be a look of curiosity, or maybe loathing, he couldn't tell.

"I don't see it," he finally said.

The phoenix looked exasperated. "Don't see it? How can you not? Humans are always so good at showing their emotions. You can see it in their eyes and the way their lips move into a smile or frown. Such fascinating creatures," she paused for a moment.

"There's nothing special about them," Koh argued. "They're horribly mistrustful creatures. Destructive, predictable…"

"Ha!" Fenghuang interrupted. "I don't see how you can be so well versed with humans when you bury yourself in the roots of the tree all day long."

Koh looked straight into the eyes of the phoenix without saying a word.

"It's strange," she spoke. "Even when you're looking at me I can't tell if you're angry or not." With these final words Fenghuang soared off into the sky. Koh returned to the roots of Nu-gua.

"Okay," Aang looked unsure. "Why are you showing us this?"

"I see," Iroh stroked his beard, as was his habit when he was thinking. "The phoenix is as close to immortal as any creature can be. She is a perfect guard for the fruit of immortality. Koh's relationship with her explains his motivation."

"Relationship?" Aang repeated. What had Iroh meant by that? Surely he couldn't have meant Koh was in love with Fenghuang? Then again, it was hard to read what was going on in the spirit's mind.

Lei led them down into the small village as the sun was setting in the memory. It was dark by the time she stopped them in front of one of the houses.

"Why did we stop here?"

The temple keeper nodded towards the street. The young woman from earlier was walking towards them, unaware of their presence, and came to the door of the home. She knocked politely. She waited, but no one answered her call. "Hello?" The girl pushed the door open, surprised to find that it was unlocked. "Is anyone home?"

They watched her step inside and were about to follow when the girl let out a blood-curdling scream. She quickly ran out of the house in tears, yelling for help.

Aang and Iroh stepped cautiously through the doorway. The Avatar felt nauseous at the sight before his eyes. A body lay on the ground; the monk assumed it was the girl's companion from earlier, but it was hard to tell without his face. It looked as though a creature had mercilessly ripped it from his head. The floor was stained with blood.

"This was Koh's first victim," Lei stated.

"Why?" That was the only word Aang could form. Why would anyone do such a monstrous thing?

"I think," started the ex-general. "That Koh was jealous of humans, particularly this human, and their ability to do what he could not."

He remembered the conversation from earlier. "Emotion. He wanted this man's face so he could show emotion too?"

"Most likely."

Aang took a breath and tried to think. Okay, so presumably Koh was in love with the phoenix. Fenghuang liked humans and the fact that they can show emotion just by the look on their faces. Koh was jealous so he killed a man for his face.

Now if only he could figure out how this was supposed to help him win.

- - - - -

Katara would be lying if she said she wasn't enjoying the moment. The looks on their faces were priceless. She allowed a smug grin to show.

"How?" Yori demanded. The girl couldn't possibly have survived and yet here she stood, defying all conceivable limits of common sense.

"I purified the poison in the air with water," Katara stated matter-of-factly.

"That's impossible. Your canteen is empty. I'm holding it!" She raised the container to prove her point.

The smug grin was growing. "There's water all around us. As a wise king once said, you have to open your brain to the possibilities."

Yori paled slightly at the realization. "The fog…"

"The fog, the water left from the rainstorm, the ice from the leaves I froze, the water from inside the trees and plants. Do you want me to go on?" She didn't wait for an answer. "I have a full arsenal all around me. Now it's time for round two." Katara took her stance.

Surprisingly, Shing looked relieved. Yori, however, held no such feeling.

She charged the waterbender. Katara motioned with her hands, transforming some of the fog into liquid, and then sent it flying towards Yori just as she was closing in. The bodyguard leapt gracefully in the air, twisted, and landed directly behind Katara. It only took a second to bring out more of her kunai, but before she could stab her opponent the water had circled back as though it anticipated what she was going to do. It knocked her back, the knives landing harmlessly on the ground.

"There's something else I realized." Katara said as Yori got angrily back to her feet. "It's something that's been bothering me ever since we started this fight. The way you move, it was so strange and yet in the back of my mind it seemed familiar too. That's when I remembered your gray eyes and I understood."

Aang was, by all accounts, the very last airbender. This was a sad fact, but a fact none-the-less. However, some traces of the Air Nomads blood still lingered. Somewhere in Yori's family tree an earthbender had married a member of the Air Nomads and that blood was what gave her the ability to move as she did. The agility and grace was familiar because it reminded her of Aang. Now that she knew this it made predicting Yori's movements easier. It also explained why Shing had kept her on as his yojimbo even though she was not a bender. Such rare talent was a valuable asset.

"Don't get cocky," she spat. "You're only delaying your defeat."

A jet of fire brought Shing's attention back to Zuko; apparently his shock had passed. A boulder went flying in response.

"Your friend won't be able to save you," the earth prince taunted. "Neither of you are strong enough to beat me."

Zuko would never admit it, but Shing had a point. The Water Tribe girl might have had more skill than he first gave her credit for, but if he couldn't beat Shing then she didn't stand much of a chance. His last strategy had failed and he was running out of ideas. Perhaps his opponent's armor was impenetrable.

But that didn't mean he was giving up.

The ground beneath him started to move again; spikes of earth shot up around the fire prince and trapped him in place. They curled, blocking out the sunlight, and were about to bury him alive when a pillar of fire destroyed his would-be prison. Once free, Zuko directed the flames toward Shing, but no matter how large or hot the flame, it wasn't enough to break through his opponent's defense.

Katara couldn't fail to notice the fight between them. Zuko was obviously having a hard time with Shing and that strange armor of his. Fire alone apparently wasn't enough to defeat it and Katara suspected water wouldn't fare much better.

Yori threw more kunai at the waterbender. They closed the distance between them in a blink of an eye and Katara barely avoided being stabbed. A few of the knives managed to catch her sleeve and pin her arm to a tree. She was quickly immobilized and before Katara could free herself, more kunai were thrust to pin her other arm as well.

"You escaped me once," Yori approached with an exceptionally sharp knife. "But this time I'll cut off your arms to make sure you won't be able to bend."

The bodyguard increased her pace to a run and was about to attack when her foot tripped over a root. The pause gave Katara just enough time to rip her sleeves off to escape. The root moved again to firmly grasp Yori's foot and keep her on the ground. "What the hell?"

"You should really learn to pay attention. I told you there is water everywhere. Even in the trees," Katara directed more roots to enslave her opponent.

Yori struggled to move, trying to slash her way to freedom, but the tree and the waterbender were relentless.

The Water Tribe girl turned back to watch Zuko and Shing. The battleground was littered with dark burns and sharp spikes of earth. Katara wondered briefly if the battle would go on into eternity, they both seemed so stubborn. Shing's earthen armor caught her attention once more. The earth prince was faring the better between the two. She needed to do something and fast, but what? She couldn't think of an attack strong enough, certainly without more water, to defeat Shing. Fire wasn't working and water wouldn't be enough. Fire and water. That's when the idea came to her.

The fog swirled once more. She would need all the water she could get if this was going to work. Now if only she could find a way of telling the fire prince her plan. The fog was slowly transforming into its liquid form as Katara's arms moved gracefully back and forth. Once she summoned enough she took careful aim of her target. Shing was open. Katara called out, "Zuko!" Then she let the water fly.

It hit the earth prince straight on the chest, then froze quickly into ice. As she suspected it wasn't enough to break through the armor, but now it was Zuko's turn.

Luckily he sensed her plan and let loose a powerful fire attack. Alone neither bender was powerful enough to win, but together their attacks were triumphant. The armor was gone and Shing was left vulnerable. Zuko quickly recovered and prepared to unleash another final attack. He could practically smell victory.

The sound of Yori's struggling tore the waterbender's gaze from the boys. The bodyguard had managed to slash enough roots to free herself and was back on her feet in an instant. Katara took her stance, prepared to fight the girl again, but to her surprise Yori ran right past her. Katara's eyes widened in horror as she realized what her opponent was going to do.

"Zuko stop!" But her cry came too late.

The fire attack aimed at Shing would have met its intended target had another body not interceded.

For several moments no one breathed or moved. Time stood still as a young woman lay helpless on the cold earth. Her body was covered in burns; it seemed only her meager armor was enough to keep the attack from killing her.

The look on Shing's face was a mixture of shock, horror, and guilt. He knelt next to his bodyguard, his hands reaching for her face. His mouth moved, but Zuko and Katara couldn't hear the words. The earth prince's face changed to pure rage that alone was enough to make the ground begin to tremble. There was a roar and the ground spilt open beneath them, sending the reluctant duo falling deep into the earth.

- - - - -

Sokka's heart was pounding in his ears. He was fast, but even injured Chen was just as fast. The pirate was upon him and just as he brought his sword down in a killing blow, Sokka turned and ran in the opposite direction. Chen swiftly twisted around and went after the boy.

"You can't run from me forever!"

No, thought Sokka, but just long enough to win. Just as Chen caught up with the warrior again, Sokka quickly turned and changed direction again. He did this over and over again. His legs felt like they were about to give out and he was seriously beginning to doubt his plan.

Just as he was about to give up hope, he made one last turn and a sharp crack and a howl of pain signaled his victory. Sokka could see Chen clearly in the moonlight. He was on the ground, his leg broken and twisted unnaturally.

"It's about time," Sokka panted out.

"What the hell happened?" Chen's voice was harsh and filled with pain. His sword had been abandoned and lay next to Sokka's feet.

The warrior couldn't help but look pleased with himself. "Since we began this fight I couldn't understand how you were capable of such unnatural speed. Then I realized that was the answer. It is unnatural. All through this chase you kept running without ever losing speed. It had to happen. When you made a quick turn the force was too much and your leg broke."

"Impossible! Why would it be too much for me but not for you? We were both running at the same speed!"

"Yes, we were both moving at the same speed, but your body is much larger than mine. So it was subject to more force with every turn. Yours wasn't able to take the pressure."

"Ridiculous! This has never happened before! I'll kill you, you little bastard!" Amazingly, Chen rose with this one good leg and launched himself at Sokka.

Acting only on instinct, Sokka picked up the weapon and prepared to defend himself. The pirate reached out as if to steal the sword back. A hard kick from the warrior was all it took to fend off his weakened opponent. He lifted the blade above his head and brought it down in a killing blow.

A beam of moonlight hit the blade and the face in the reflection was enough to stop the attack. It was a face he had never seen before; bloody and merciless. His hesitation was enough to allow Chen an opportunity to counter. His fist connected with Sokka's face and sent him stumbling back. Chen went for the sword, intent on ripping it from his opponent's grasp, only to feel its hilt slam into the side of his head. The pirate slumped unconscious to the ground.

The blade quickly followed, having fallen from Sokka's grasp. The sword no longer felt like tool for defense, but a monstrous weapon that turned his stomach. But Sokka would be lying to say that the sword alone was what disgusted him. With the adrenaline of the battle gone the warrior felt the pain and exhaustion of the fight and it brought him to his knees.

A shiver up his spine told Sokka that someone was nearby. He turned towards the presence and blanched at the sight. "Yue…"

- - - - -

Aang wasn't sure how much more of this he could take. He had been taken through several memories, all detailing the Face Stealer's past. It wasn't long after he had killed the young man from the village that Fenghuang had found out and banished him from Nu-gua. Koh hadn't exactly been thrilled at the punishment, but the spirit wasn't foolish enough to try and defy the phoenix. She was much stronger than Koh. It was because of this that Koh ventured out and perfected his technique. He was surprisingly creative.

"Enough," Aang said. When he opened his eyes they were back inside the temple. "I think we've seen enough."

Iroh placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I think you're right," he agreed. "We know enough to guess at Koh's weakness."

"What weakness?" Aang couldn't believe Iroh's confidence. "The only person we saw that was stronger than Koh was Fenghuang. Even Tang couldn't defeat him and he was a fully realized Avatar."

"Unfortunately Fenghuang isn't an option," Lei said. "Every hundred years a phoenix dies in a burst of flames and from the ashes a new phoenix is born. The Fenghuang of today is not the same one of Koh's time. We don't know where she is or even if she would help us."

"Thanks. That was very helpful." Aang said dryly.

"What we do know," Iroh sensed the Avatar's irritation. "Is that Koh's motivation for every action he has taken has been purely selfish. He stole faces out of jealousy and greed. He feels only hate and acts only for his own interests. Perhaps what he is not capable of is his weakness."

Aang wasn't sure where he was going with this. "Not capable? You mean like with showing emotion?"

"Certain emotions. Think about it, in all those memories do you remember seeing him show mercy or compassion? In fact the only thing that was able defeat him was Tang's strength. The very last of his strength."

"What are you saying?"

"I think that Tang could have claimed victory if only he had sacrificed his life to kill Koh, not bury Nu-gua. It would have been the one thing the Face Stealer could not comprehend or counter. The way to defeat Koh is not by power alone, but by a selfless sacrifice."

- - - - -

Author's Notes: I know I said Nu-gua was inspired by Chinese mythology and that was true, but it was also inspired by Yggdrasill in Norse mythology. On the website Distant Horizon I was reading Koh's character description and it mentioned that he resembled Nidhogg, a dragon who eats the roots of the World Tree, Yggdrasil. In my own little mind I made the tree Koh was living in when Aang visited him in the spirit world a replication of his former home, Nu-gua.

We're coming dangerously close to the end, my friends. Only a few more chapters left.