Author's Note: Besides the obvious episode this is based off of, I pretty much mixed this with another one. See if you can figure out what it is.

So yeah. I don't have any excuses this time, except for lots of distractions and a horrible work ethic. I actually started this chapter very early, but it just took me a long time to finish.

Inner Azula

Characters' Thoughts

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender and I am in no way associated with the creators of the show.

Book 2: Earth

Chapter 11: The Serpent's Pass

As she did every day, the warrior of Kyoshi applied her makeup carefully, covering the entirety of her face, almost like a mask. As the last of the Kyoshi Warriors, Suki did all she could to uphold the ancient tradition. She owed her people that much.

Perhaps she was no better than Princess Katara, who hid behind masks of all kinds. She hid her identity and her gender to fool her opponents, to keep from being underestimated. Suki, on the other hand, wore the face paint to intimidate, to conquer her foes. She didn't have any bending skill whatsoever, so she had to do all she could to win.

As she applied her lipstick, she thought of her goals to impress Sokka, and grinned at the mirror.

There was a gentle knock on her silver door, which coincided directly with a swaying of the ship, causing her hand to jerk erratically and making red paint streak across her white face. Frustrated, Suki nearly growled. "What?"

"Princess Katara wants us out on deck," Yue said demurely, stepping into the room. Upon seeing her friend, she brought her hand to her mouth to hide a giggle. "Oh, Suki…"

"Yes, I know the face paint is messed up," she said irritably. "Tell Katara she can wait."

"Suki, you shouldn't treat a princess that way!" Yue admonished. "Not only that, but she's our friend!"

"So stop worshipping the ground she walks on. You're a princess too, aren't you?" Suki pointed out, wiping a wet cloth on her face. She saw Yue's frown in the mirror.

"Yes, but you know how that works."

"What I mean is, stop being so obedient and taking her orders all the time." As Suki fixed the makeup on her face, she watched Yue in the mirror. The streak of black in her hair contrasted sharply with the silvers and blues of the room and the Water Tribe furs and leathers.

"But aren't you loyal to her?" Yue asked in horror. Suki rolled her eyes.

"Of course I am. She's practically my sister." Suki turned, finished with her morning routine. She was about to say more, but Sokka appeared in the doorway.

"Katara sent me down to get you two," he said, clearly disgruntled by the fact. For some reason, he was wearing green and yellow – the same clothes the Avatar forced him to wear, according to his story.

"Right. Coming!" Suki said, sheathing her fans and katana on her belt while fastening her foldable shield on her forearm. She practically ran to the door as Sokka turned around to go above deck. Yue sighed, following after the two.

Emerging into the sunlight, both Suki and Yue blinked in surprise upon noticing Katara herself in the clothes of an Earth Kingdom citizen, her hands on her hips with a smirk on her face.

"Why aren't you two in the clothes you were supposed to wear today? Don't you remember the plan?" Upon her harsh reprimand, Yue winced and Suki groaned.

"So I put on all this makeup today for nothing?"

Katara was garbed in a light green dress, long sleeved, with a brown leather belt tight around her waist. The dress was cut on both sides to allow ease of movement, revealing white slacks underneath, and brown boots. Her hair, however, stayed the same.

"I can't believe both of you forgot!" Katara exclaimed, scolding them like children. The pair of girls immediately turned around and went below deck again, to change into the set of clothing Katara had prepared for them personally.

As they walked back to their rooms, Yue glanced at Suki. "What happened to disobeying her orders?"

Suki scowled. "Be quiet."

Katara's scheme, while not exactly clever and perfect, was simple and effective. It involved dressing as Earth Kingdom refugees and going into the city just like any other, working their way up to the Palace and forcefully taking the throne from the Generals currently in power. Since there was currently no king (he was missing, along with the kings from the different city-states) transferring power would be painfully easy. All the while, they'd be using a distraction in the form of a siege on the Outer Walls.

Personally, Suki couldn't wait for the fighting.

Her disguise was pilfered from the female guard of a caravan, and was thus suited for combat. Her upper body consisted of a green leather vest, with long white sleeves and a tunic on top, reaching nearly to her knees. Matching white pants, brown boots, and a strange military hat completed her uniform. Her short, auburn hair was pulled up into a ponytail in the back of her head. Regarding herself in the mirror, she regretfully washed off all her face paint. Again, she equipped herself with her weapons – she didn't care if they didn't fit the required weapons of a guard, she wasn't going anywhere without her fans, sword, or shield.

Going back out into the hallway, she met Yue, who was wearing the thin, brown, and tattered robe of a peasant, with long, wide sleeves and a slightly trailing hem around her feet. Her heavy katana looked strangely in place on her hip. A brown shawl was draped around her shoulders, probably for use once they got into the city, to hide her white hair.

"This isn't too bad," Yue remarked as they walked back outside to Katara.

"I guess not," Suki agreed. "Now let's go before we keep Katara waiting any longer."

Outside, Katara was tapping her foot impatiently, but grinned when she saw them. "Perfect. Two ordinary Earth Kingdom girls." Suki rolled her eyes. She was born an Earth Kingdom girl.

"So what's the plan? Are we just gonna march up to the walls, knock on the gate, and ask to be let in?" Suki asked, adjusting the armlet for her folding shield.

"Most peasants get into the city by a ferry that comes from a place called Full Moon Bay. They think we know nothing about it, but it's on the water, and we know everything about hidden bays and every single coastline in the Earth Kingdom. The ferry goes into a cave right beneath the Outer Wall, and emerges in Ba Sing Se's only port, where customs and such are." Katara paused for dramatic effect. "That's where a naval fleet will be attacking right as we arrive."

"Are we going to go on the ferry, or will we be riding with the invasion force?" Yue questioned politely.

"Neither," Katara said. Now, Sokka was listening intently to the plan, curious. "We'll be spotted if we go with the fleet, and the ferries would obviously stop their journey the moment they hear news of an attack."

"So what will we do instead?" Sokka asked, regarding her coolly with his single eye.

"We'll be going on foot, through the Serpent's Pass, a narrow land bridge that leads right up to Ba Sing Se's front door. We'll have nothing to do with the attack," Katara said proudly.

Sokka gaped in shock, while the three girls seemed as if they didn't realize the dangerous plan Katara had just proposed. "The Serpent's Pass?!" Sokka erupted. "No one in their right minds would ever go through there. The locals avoid it at all costs. It's the deadliest pass in the Earth Kingdom!"

"What, do they think some giant, scary serpent lives there?" Suki scoffed, as both Katara and Yue laughed at him, the latter behind her sleeve.

"Yes! That's exactly what they say!" Sokka yelled at them.

"Brother," Katara said, shaking her head as if explaining something to a young child, "It probably just got its name from the narrow, winding path I saw on the map. Stop being ridiculous."

"Oh, please. I used to live by the Unagi. Nothing can be worse than that," Suki told him.

"There are so many holes in this plan," Sokka moaned.


"Your stance is wrong and that fire was pathetic," Azula shot at her brother, her hands calmly folded behind her back as she walked all around him. "You're letting your legs become too wide and your breathing is erratic. You'll lose control that way. You must be diligent and precise!"

"I'm trying!" he protested, trying to calm his breathing.

"Don't talk back to me. Fifty hotsquats, now."

"What?!"

"Now!"

"I'm not –"

"One hundred!"

Zuko sighed. "One hotsquat, two hotsquat…"

Several feet away, Aang looked over at Azula nervously. "Maybe I should help Zuko…" he said to Toph.

"No, because you're busy with me," she said. "If you've got enough energy to worry about Sparky over there then you clearly aren't carrying enough weight on your back." She stomped her foot against the ground, shooting a rock into the air to land on the growing pile that was on Aang's back. He strained under the weight and used his earthbending to keep as few as he could from falling. To make things even more difficult, Toph periodically shook the ground, much to Azula's annoyance as she tried to train Zuko.

"Maybe we should get moving," Zuko suggested after a while, clearly tired with training. "It's a long, long way to Ba Sing Se, after all." He paused. "Ha, get it? Like the song?" he joked tiredly.

No one was amused.

"Why isn't anyone in this little group funny?" Toph mumbled. "I got more laughs out of Longshot's antics, for crying out loud."


"This is fairly ominous," Yue noted, staring at the words carved into the wooden entrance at the entrance to the pass. "'Abandon Hope.' How dreadful."

"I hope Sokka won't bumble his way through here and make this potentially dangerous for us," said Katara, glancing at her brother with his arms crossed.

"Why would I do that?" he asked, mildly insulted.

"Oh, remember the time when you got two fishhooks stuck inside your thumb? Or how about when you tripped and fell into the canal, got run over by a gondola, overturned it and soaked everyone nearby with your waterbending, panicked a whale-wolf into attacking nearby pedestrians, which finally cultivated in several collapsed houses as a bunch of soldiers tried to calm the thing down?" Katara reminded him. "Not to mention the time when–"

"Alright, I get it!" he shouted over her, much to Yue's amusement. Meanwhile, Suki already walked ahead.

"Are you guys coming or not?" she asked, fanning herself. Katara looked up at her and nodded.

"Yeah. Let's go."

Katara walked past Suki, insistent on taking the lead. Suki followed right behind her, followed by Sokka while Yue brought up the rear, her hand resting gently on her katana. Her gaze fell on the horizon. Nighttime was coming. Being waterbenders, both Katara and Sokka preferred the night, traveling and training while they were at their strongest. But something about this pass made Yue anxious – a light, nagging feeling. And she knew to trust her senses at night.

"Maybe we should have listened to Sokka," she said to herself. She quickened her pace to get to Sokka's side, having lagged behind.

"You feel how dangerous this place is, don't you?" he asked her without being prompted.

"I do," she said.

He grinned. "You're almost like a waterbender yourself. I've never heard of someone getting weird powers at night."

"I guess I'm unique." She smiled warmly at him. Her black bangs fell over her startlingly blue eyes. If only you knew the extent…

"You haven't changed at all," Sokka went on. "I guess Katara and Suki need your level-headedness."

Yue giggled, tugging on her long brown sleeves. "Yeah. But you're the idea guy. We need you, too!"

Several feet in front of them, Suki rolled her eyes. Then she spotted something. "Hey, look. A Water Tribe ship," she pointed out, drawing Sokka and Yue's attention away from each other. The sleek silver ship was burning gold as the sun's rays hit it as it set.

"How pretty!" Yue chimed.

"Is that the fleet already? The one that's moving to attack Ba Sing Se?" Suki asked.

"Yeah. We have to hurry," Sokka answered. "We don't want them invading before we even get there."

"Well then," Yue smiled, "Let's get going!" Only Sokka caught the false step she made, towards the edge of the cliff, and grabbed her just in time for the rock under her feet to crumble as she cried out in surprise. He pulled her back toward him. The rocks crashed into the ocean. Yue stuttered.

"Nice save, brother," Katara complimented, grinning. "You surprised me."

Suki averted her eyes. "Nothing special. I could've done it."

"Wow…" Yue breathed. "Thank you," she said to him sincerely, her face flushed. Sokka continued walking, finding himself unusually annoyed by his sister's comment. Yue frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Jeez, his mood swings more than Katara's," Suki muttered under her breath to Yue.


Night had fallen fully, and Katara had surprisingly called for them to rest. They made camp in an alcove of rock that was protected on all sides by outcroppings of stone. Katara chose this spot strategically, it seemed, and she chose it well. But then, Sokka thought, who would attack them in this abandoned pass anyway?

Sokka rounded a corner with his bundle of sleeping things, only to walk in on Suki, who was changing her clothing in relative seclusion. He yelled out in surprise and dropped everything to the ground. Suki, pulling off her guard uniform, turned to him in only her undergarments.

"Wh-what are you doing?!" Sokka bumbled, scrambling for his things in order to hurry away as fast as he could.

"Just getting ready for bed. What's the big deal?" If anything, Suki seemed amused, her hands on her hips and regarding him without a care in the world. She came closer, only for Sokka to back up against the rock wall, slumping lower and lower.

"Don't you have any modesty, woman?" he asked, his voice cracking. "You're only wearing a-a few pieces of cloth!"

She grinned, almost with a feral enthusiasm. "You're blushing." She bent down to look him straight in the eye, and Sokka fearfully found his eyes wandering. "Does this make you uncomfortable?" He gulped, trying to find air to breathe. Suki pulled back up to her full height, laughing. "Looks like you're all talk when it comes to girls!"

Before Sokka could respond, the two of them heard a soft pattering of another pair of feet. It was Yue, rounding the corner, fully clothed, her white hair gleaming in the moonlight. "Katara's got the fire started – oh!" Upon seeing an almost-naked Suki standing over the prince, Yue froze and her face turned an even deeper shade of red than Sokka's. "Um… Er… Well… If you two want to eat something… I mean, food… Um… Oh! Oh dear…" And she hurried away as quickly as she came.

"Well, that was strange and awkward," Suki blurted out. She had the grace to help Sokka stand, who felt strengthened by his height advantage over her.

"Uh… Put some clothes on!" he ordered clumsily, and scurried away even faster than Yue did. Once he was gone, Suki rolled her eyes.


Aang observed Azula's bending closely, watching as she sent numerous, uncontrolled punches into the air, releasing torrid amounts of flame with each blast, each one a chilling blue. He remembered the training of Jeong Jeong and the Sun Warriors – blue fire was fueled by killing intent.

And if Azula was using it during training, alone, what did that mean?

There was finally a lull in the amount of fire she was giving off as she was forced to rest, slumping over and panting heavily. Aang wondered if this malevolent spirit – whatever it was – was tiring her. As he was about to open his mouth, she unleashed another furious explosion of blue, a wide, consuming torrent, capable of destroying rock.

Before it hit the edge of the rock quarry, the fire was dissipated into the air, and she saw Aang, lit by the moon, taking its place.

"How long have you been here?" she asked him, breathing deeply, her tight bun becoming undone. The green ribbon was lank and hanging from her hair.

"When did you notice me?" he asked back. She turned.

"I didn't."

"A few weeks ago, you would have."

"I know."

"Azula, I'm concerned for you."

She shot him a dark look. "I told you already, you shouldn't be. I can handle it myself."

"You need your friends to help you shoulder your burdens. An important person to me told me that," he said.

"Who? Katara?" she spat. "Why don't you get out of here and go back to your girlfriend?" Her fingers twitched. She found a deep, deep part of herself yearning, moving, uncoiling like a dragon.

You want to kill him.

I do not! She protested against the voice, the pressuring influence, the burning against her mind.

"No," Aang said, somehow getting in front of her without her noticing. "I want to help you. You're important to me, Azula." He laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, causing her to shiver and recoil. "You have been ever since I met you."

"I killed all your friends. I helped destroy your world." She tried to turn away, but he grabbed her wrists.

"Azula, please, listen to me. That wasn't you. It never was, and I didn't blame you once." Azula watched him closely, warily. It was strange to see him as emotionally evocative as this, to see his gray eyes swirling and storming instead of being an impenetrable slate. It was as if something was changing him, too. "I'm going to tell you something that I never even told my friends from my world." Aang was staring into her eyes with so much force, so much feeling, as if he were trying to peer down into her soul. Azula drank it all in, imprinting it in her mind forever. "Deep down," he continued, "I never even blamed Princess Azula for everything she did."

At these words, the princess spirit inside of her flared. "What?" she asked him breathlessly.

"She was being controlled, pressured to be the best, so much that it really seemed to be tearing her apart. I… felt bad for her," he admitted, finally averting his eyes. "A part of me really wanted to help her, too."

He's lying.

"I pieced it together after learning everything I could about her from Zuko," Aang went on. "Er, Prince Zuko, I mean." He spoke low. "Both of them grew up in the worst way possible, but Zuko at least had his mother and uncle to support him. Azula didn't."

Mother hated me. She hates you, too!

"I wanted to save her."

"So you think you'd be helping her, through me?" Azula's eyes were wide, almost disbelieving.

"Kind of," Aang said. "But… You've been straying down a dark path."

Don't listen to him, he's lying to you.

But to Azula, the Princess' argument sounded weaker and weaker.

"I want to save you, Azula. I need you. I need all of you."

Her heart was beating rapidly.

You're mine!

He hugged her.

She heard glass breaking – a mirror.

This was… the first time Aang had ever reserved this kind of contact just for her.

"Aang," she whispered. And she cried.


"I didn't see you as the outdoors-y type to be able to start a fire." Katara looked up from her work, rolling her eyes at her brother as he strolled into the camp, little more than an alcove of rocks with the campfire in the center and their sleeping mats all around it. Upon seeing the faces of Suki, who looked strangely triumphant, and Yue, who looked horrified, the princess couldn't help but wonder what had happened between the three.

Sokka himself seemed to have a significant amount of discomfort, glancing periodically at Suki as he sat down.

"Don't insult me, brother," she responded, offended. The boy grinned. Point one for Sokka! "At least I can dodge icebergs," she retorted cruelly. She smirked as he rose in anger, but then he seemed to decide against it, turning away from her with furrowed brows and crossed arms.

Suki and Yue looked at the battle between the two siblings. "You mean you're still bummed about the iceberg test?" Suki asked bluntly. "That was nothing. You were just a kid."

"I don't care," he said obstinately, fixing his eye on the campfire. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Oh, come on. It's obviously bothering you," Suki pressed. "Confront it or it'll bother you forever. Seriously, what's the big deal?" Katara's eyebrow rose.

"It's an important trial that every male in the Water Tribe faces to show that they've entered manhood. I don't expect you to understand. You weren't there," he said coldly. She slapped him on the head, causing him to glare at her.

"Um, hello? I was there. It was just a few days after your mom found me, remember?" she reminded him.

"Well, you wouldn't understand how important it is, then. You're Earth Kingdom. So you have no say in this," he shot at her. She stood up now, towering over him.

"Yeah, yeah. So what? It doesn't mean I'm as dumb as a rock! I've lived with you guys almost my entire life, I've obviously picked up some Water Tribe customs by now!" Suki stalked around the campfire, ranting. "And you know what? I'm tired of your superiority complex, too! Just because we're girls – and that I'm Kingdom-born, yeah – we're weaker than you and we don't matter? You get to order all of us around? Well, here's news for you, Sokka! Not only can all three of us kick your butt, since you're apparently not a real man yet, you don't have the right to make us do what you want!"

Katara burst out laughing at Sokka's abrupt silence. "That was a low blow, Suki!"

Yue glanced sadly at Sokka, but spoke softly to Suki. "Um… You never told me how you met Katara and Sokka. How did you become Water Tribe?" she intervened, trying to peacefully diffuse the situation. Suki looked at her as if she forgot the northerner was there.

"That's right, you wouldn't know," Suki said. Sokka leaned back against the rock, thoroughly beaten and humiliated by the Kyoshian. He was glad the conversation steered into a totally different direction.

"Not a lot of people do," said Katara. "Most people think she's just Chief Hakoda's adopted daughter."

"I was born in a place called Kyoshi Island," Suki began, turning her back on Sokka. "I don't remember much about it, or who my parents are… I think they both died in the war. Both of them were warriors."

"Kyoshi Warriors, like your fighting style? That's what it's from?" Yue questioned, surprise entering her voice. "And they allowed women to fight?"

"Yep," Suki confirmed, nodding. "A long time ago, it used to be only for women until the war started." She unfurled fan, which reflected the light of the fire and cast her face in gold. "It's an old fighting tradition that even some people in the Water Tribe picked up, since the island is so close to the South Pole. Anyway, I don't remember much, but after a tentative peace with the South Pole, Kyoshi Island was taken over and, according to Katara, most of my people were killed."

"You… You're not upset?" Yue asked, astounded and horrified. "But that's… just monstrous!"

"What? Our nation does it all the time," Katara said with a shrug.

"You're too naïve, Yue," Sokka said, deciding to reenter the conversation. The white-haired girl frowned and focused her eyes on her clasped hands.

"I told you, I don't really remember anyone, so…" Suki stared into her reflection in the fan. "…I guess I'm not really bothered too much. I haven't really thought about it." The northern princess looked unconvinced. "Really, Yue. It's nothing."

"Anyway," Katara continued for her. "Our mom was one of the healers in that battle, found Suki, and took her in. That's all there is to it, really. I got a sibling cooler than Sokka and we both got another playmate."

Sokka wasn't amused.

"Dad didn't care too much. Back then, he was willing to do almost anything Mother wanted," Katara said.

"And that was a long time ago," Sokka put in.

"Yes… It was, wasn't it?" Katara gazed into the fire, which was dying from a lack of care. "Well, let's get to sleep. We have a long way ahead of us in the morning."


Far away, a four-legged creature was pounding against the ground, sending light seismic waves in every direction. It was noticeable enough to wake a sleeping girl.

Toph's eyes opened.

"Guys, something's coming. And it's coming fast."

Aang answered immediately, surprising her. She didn't know he was awake. "What is it?"

"It's some animal, but it's headed right towards us," Toph answered.

"How can you tell it's coming to us specifically?" Azula mumbled. "It's just some animal."

"Because as it gets closer, it picks up speed. We need to move!" the earthbender urged them.

As it got closer, Aang could feel it, too. "Guys, load everything on Appa. We should get out of here." He locked his eyes on the rock quarries where the beast would probably be appearing – now, Aang was doubting his choice for camp. He decided to rest in a lower, enclosed area instead of a higher one where they would have a possible advantage in a fight. And since the beast was intent on them, as Toph said, then it probably had a rider.

Zuko rose to action, waking up the bison and throwing things haphazardly into the saddle. Azula joined him as Toph laid her hand against the ground. "It's here!"

A Shirshu leapt over the rocks that were surrounding their camp, lithely coming to a stop in a crouched stance, facing them. The Shirshu's owner snapped her whip.

"Didn't expect you to be awake at this hour," June said with a dark smirk. "That'll make things a little more challenging."

"Get going, guys! I'll distract her!" Aang spun, gathering momentum for a swing of his staff, and unleashed concussed air that hurtled toward the bounty hunter that he knew personally, which she managed to dodge by maneuvering her mount around it. Not only was he grabbing her attention, he was simultaneously showing her that he was the Avatar, and her probable target. He leapt to the higher ground, drawing her away from his friends.

In his world, Aang was almost positive that she managed to survive in the two years after Sozin's Comet. They ran into her on a number of occasions, and after some convincing, she was willing to help them without any price. They met her through Zuko, but she didn't have a problem remembering Aang, Sokka, or Katara. She was a valuable ally with a treasure trove of reliable information and fighting skills – but Aang wasn't sure if he wanted to call her his friend.

Nonetheless, he didn't want to hurt her, which was another reason why he wanted to keep his friends out of the battle.

"Are you a bounty hunter?" Aang asked her innocently, crouched in a position in which he was ready to spring – she was fast, and he needed to stay on his toes. Not only was the Shirshu's paralysis dangerous, but her whip was as well.

"What gave it away?" she questioned, amused. The Shirshu – was its name Nyla? – launched itself at him, barbed tongue flicking out of its mouth. Aang threw up a barrier of wind just in time to deflect it, but was forced to leap out of the way of June's whip, which was strong enough to make a small gouge in the stone where he was standing just before.

Landing lightly on a higher rock, Aang pressed his questions. "Who hired you?"

"I'm afraid that'd be a breach of contract," she told him, urging her beast into a chase. Aang was forced to keep moving – the Shirshu was no match for him in speed, but it was still fast enough that he was unable to stay in one spot. "They wanted you alive, so if you came quietly, you'd be able to see!"

"Thanks for the offer, but I'll have to pass," he responded, running against the rock wall and riding on his Air Scooter to gain speed and quickly outreach both Shirshu and rider. While he was safe and with the high ground, he tried to think of a way to get rid of her – but the ground underneath the massive creature erupted. Aang grit his teeth. That was earthbending, and he didn't want Toph to get involved. She didn't know how June fought, and that was one of the only advantages someone could have against her.

Predictably, Nyla managed to jump away from Toph's attack, sustaining minimal damage, but Toph emerged from the hole in the ground and launched a number of sliding pillars at the bounty hunter. "An earthbender?" June mused. "You're no match for me. I've fought tons of you." The Shirshu barreled over Toph's attacks, speeding right at her. Aang jumped down again in an effort to divert its attention.

"Good luck with that attitude," Toph called. "I'm better than all the rest!" She lifted her arms to slide away on a slab of stone, but she didn't count on the monster's long, thin tongue being used as a weapon – she couldn't see it, anyway. It scored a direct hit on her shoulder, sending the small girl tumbling into the rocks.

Aang gripped his staff, but was slightly thankful for Toph's diversion, which allowed him to hit June with a ball of compressed air squarely from the side, launching her off of her saddle. As she was sent flying, Aang landed on the Shirshu's back, gripping its reins as it bucked wildly. "C'mon, Nyla! Calm down!" This was child's play for him. "I once wrestled the Unagi into submission," he boasted to the Shirshu proudly.

Lying on the ground, June looked up at the Avatar as he rode her steed, her hair mussed up and her forehead bruised. "He knows Nyla's name…?" She rubbed her head. "That kid's got more punch than I thought."

Nyla was nearing the levels of a rampage, refusing to yield to Aang. Just as he was about to get off and retrieve Toph, he spotted Appa flying over the rocks, Azula and Zuko on his back. Appa turned his back to the Shirshu, lifting his tail for a single, powerful blow. Aang wisely chose this moment to jump off of Nyla's back as a powerful gust swept the Shirshu off its feet, slamming it into a rock wall. Aang ran to Toph's side, spotting Sabishi who was feebly trying to lift the little earthbender into the air herself. Aang shooed her away and carried Toph in his arms.

"What the heck, Twinkletoes?!" she yelled in his ear as he jumped to Appa. "Why can't I hit you?"

"That thing was called a Shirshu. It has a tongue covered in paralyzing venom. It'll wear off soon," he informed her, landing safely on the saddle. Sabishi fluttered to his head.

"What a shame. I was hoping Toph wouldn't be able to cause a ruckus with her earthbending anymore," Azula sighed. "Too bad it's not permanent."

"Hey!"

Before Appa rose higher into the air and further away, Aang turned and shouted back at the bounty hunter. "See you later, June!"

"Another friend of yours?" Zuko asked.

"You can say that," Aang replied. "I wonder how she found us? Someone hired her and had to give her something that belonged to us, so she could track us by scent. She's kinda scary that way."

"You used to know some crazy people," Zuko said, shaking his head with amusement.

"Trust me, we haven't even met half of them."

"Seriously, Aang. When's this stuff gonna wear off? I need to hit something!"


Katara had them up bright and early with the intent to get them through the pass and ready to enter Ba Sing Se just as the siege was happening – hopefully, everyone would be preoccupied with the attack more than examining the histories of four new refugees.

But, Sokka reminded himself, that was something he needed to worry about later.

The group was mostly silent as they walked, as Sokka was still unwilling to speak to Suki after last night, while Yue trailed behind him, trying to avoid looking in his direction as much as she could. She felt guilty for not speaking up for him in defense against Suki and Katara.

In a short time, the four came across a part of the path that was sloping downward until it was totally submerged beneath the water. Katara kept walking as if it were nothing, stepping lightly against the surface of the water without a care for her companions. Shrugging, Sokka followed her, creating stepping stones of ice beneath his feet. Suki and Yue halted before the water.

"Uh, what are we supposed to do?" Suki asked.

Katara turned, as if surprised by the question. "You'll have to swim, I guess."

"That's so not fair," Suki protested. Sokka glanced at his sister. She rolled her eyes.

"Oh, fine," Katara acquiesced. She gestured in Suki's direction, freezing the surface of the water and allowing her to walk on it. Yue was about to follow, but Sokka stopped her.

"C'mon, Yue. We'll go a different way," he said. Her eyes widened as he pressed his hand into the water, drawing up the sea around her in the shape of a bowl and freezing it.

"It's… a boat?" she asked unsurely.

Forgoing an answer, Sokka slid on the surface of the water behind her, and braced himself against the rock where the path ended. "Ready?" he asked.

She nodded.

With a strong kick, Sokka and Yue shot from the path, causing the water to fan on both sides of them. He held on tightly to the icy boat as they sped past Katara and Suki. He enjoyed Yue's exclamations of both fear and glee.

On their ice bridge, Suki crossed her arms jealously. "Showoff."

Katara looked between her brother's surprising antics and Suki, amused, but then spotted a dark shape in the water, and Sokka was heading right for it.

"We've got trouble!" Katara announced. Sokka noticed whatever it was in the water just as his sister shouted in warning. The sea rippled as the huge body swam through directly beneath Sokka and Yue. The surface of the water swelled as part of the long, dark shape rose up and out of the water, a tower of green, blue, and even golden scales – the tail of a fearsome monster.

"It's coming down!" Sokka yelled, drawing up his arms in an effort to make some kind of watery defense for himself and Yue. The tail plummeted down with tremendous force, slamming against the surface of the water and throwing the two backward, tumbling through the tempestuous sea.

"Suki, watch for them!" Katara told her friend, leaping into the water herself, intent on confronting the serpent as it coiled through the water again. Standing on the surface, Katara raised her hands as if lifting a great weight, pulling the serpent out of the depths and closer to the surface. As the scales became visible again, she thrust her hands forward, pushing the serpent. Now, she had the center of its body in her hold. She felt the tail and the head writhing, but clenched her fingers, freezing the serpent in place. For the first time, the head broke the surface of the water, letting out a screeching cry.

Sokka opened his eye, and almost his mouth, too, upon the surprise that he was totally underwater. Forcing himself not to panic, he tried to orient himself, and looked for the surface. Above him, he spotted Yue, her eyes closed, her near-perfect white hair fanning out all around her. She looked as if she were sleeping serenely. Grabbing her around the waist, he formed ice directly beneath them and let it push him and Yue to open air. The first moment that he could, the prince opened his mouth and sucked in as much air as he could, and then braced himself against his self-made iceberg and coughed. He put Yue into a sitting position, pushing her silky white and drenched hair out of her face. She, too, began coughing. As soon as he was assured that she would be alright, he leapt from the iceberg to join his sister in battle.

By the time he reached her on an icy surfboard, it was apparent that she was in complete control of the serpent, dancing and cutting it with ribbons and tendrils of water, expertly maneuvering herself around its dangerous lunges, and holding it in place. When Sokka approached, he slid his surfboard, accompanied by at least a dozen ice spikes, right into the creature's side, causing it to shriek in pain a second time.

"Must you ruin my fun, brother?" she complained to him. Katara rolled her eyes and sighed, holding her right hand in front of her, sternly in place, while her left began lifting a great amount of water from beneath, clenching her fingers as she did so. An enormous spike erupted from the water, directly beneath the serpent, impaling it on the ice. With one last, earsplitting cry, the serpent fell against the spear that lifted it halfway out of the water.

"You killed it," Sokka said, in awe and a little bit of fear. Now, the people of the Earth Kingdom might as well name it "The Katara's Pass," for now an even greater monster had conquered it.

"I did, didn't I?" she said, clearly proud of herself. "Well, let's get going."


After the two waterbenders managed to get Suki and Yue across the gap in the pass, it was only a short journey to Ba Sing Se.

"Well, I guess Sokka was right about the serpent," Suki pointed out amusedly.

"I told you so," he muttered to all three of them.

"C'mon, we're almost there," Katara said. "I can't believe it. Ba Sing Se is going to be letting in the Water Nation right through its front gates. There's the wall right now!"

"Don't celebrate yet," Sokka advised. "Too many things can go wrong."

"Oh, please. The stone is always eventually eroded by the water. We can do this," she said confidently.

"Yeah, stop being a pessimist," Suki scolded him.

"This is so exciting!" Yue exclaimed. "Look at how big the wall is!"

Sokka regarded the impenetrable city with a cynical eye. Whether or not they succeeded with their mission, things were about to change for all of them.

He wondered if he would see the Avatar there.


Author's Note: For reference, Suki's new Earth Kingdom outfit is exactly what she wore in this episode of the show, when she was working as a guard in Full Moon Bay.

Please review! I hope my writing hasn't suffered!