Light from the Shadows

Chapter 23

Kakashi

The day was sunny and their journey had stopped next to a river for a rest in its cool depths. Kakashi and Sakura were lying on the shore sunbathing while Katara and Aang practiced their waterbending. Sakura had stripped down to her underwear while Kakashi had... rolled up his sleeves. Sakura teased him about it.

"Are you actually getting anywhere, sunbathing like that?"

"Sure. I prefer the farmer's tan anyway."

She rolled her eyes and lied back down.

"Say, do you have an extra..."

"Nope." No way was he gunna lend her an Icha Icha book, not when they were this close to the river. He was risking it having one out for himself.

"But Kashiiii."

He flipped the page in his book, "Shouldn't you be taking notes in that book of yours? Bout time to break it in."

"But there's nothing going on..."

"Sounds like a personal problem."

She huffed and tried to nap with an arm over her eyes. Kakashi went back to his book, the sounds of splashing becoming white noise in the background.

...

From the river a few minutes later...

"You guys are gonna be done soon, right?"

Kakashi glanced up from his book to see Sokka floating around on a giant leaf. He had stripped down to a loincloth and looked the very picture of indifference.

"We've got a lot of ground to cover if we wanna make it to Omashu today."

Katara dropped her arms and slumped at Sokka's badgering, then gave him a glare,

"What, like you're ready to go right now, naked guy?"

Sokka lifted up his bangs to look at her, "I can be ready in two minutes. Seriously," He dropped his arm back into the water. "Whenever."

"So, you were showing me the octopus form..."

Kakashi watched them practice, ready to help out if necessary.

"Right. Let me see your stance," she walked around Aang, correcting his form, "Your arms are too far apart. See, if you move them closer together you protect your center a little better. You got it?"

Aang blushed, "Oh... yeah... Thanks."

Kakashi chuckled to himself, this reminds me of a scene from Icha Icha... where the girl kept slipping up on purpose to get her instructor's attention... Things worked out... interestingly for her.

"Okay, let's see what you got."

Kakashi went back to his book. Katara would be more help than he, in any case.

...

A few minutes later, distant singing and music could be heard approaching their group. Sakura sat up next to him, curious. A group of travelers dressed in colorful (and slightly garish) styles, were striding up the road, playing instruments and singing. The one in front was carrying a lute of sorts and wearing a wreath of flowers. The words he sang became clearer as they grew close,

"Don't fall in love with a traveling girl. She'll leave you broke and broken hearted..."

A woman on his left wore black and pink, had big hair adorned with a single flower and played the flute. Behind them was a larger man wearing a white and pink robe, a coolie hat and beating a drum.

Still on the river, Sokka fell off his leaf. He floundered in the water for a second, making a rather noisy commotion and causing the travelers to stop. The main man with the guitar stopped and pointed at them briefly,

"Heh-hey! River people!"

"We're not river people." Katara responded, her voice slightly acidic.

"You're not? Well then, what kind of people are ya?"

"Just... people." Aang answered.

The traveling music guy smiled, "Aren't we all, brother? Whoo."

Sokka walked up on the shore, pulling on his clothing, "Who're you?"

"I'm Chong, and this is my wife Lily." He gestured to the flutist. She made a little curtsy to them.

"We're nomads, happy to go wherever the wind takes us!"

He struck a chord on the lute, though what chord could ever sound that bad... Kakashi didn't know. A brief horrible flashback of himself and Gai playing Tsungi horns flashed in his mind. He shook his head and focused again on their conversation.

"You guys are nomads? That's great! I'm a nomad."

"Hey, me too." Chong responded.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

Aang was obviously confused, "I know... you just said that."

"Oh."

The man's attention wandered. For a brief moment Kakashi wondered if this man had come into contact with cactus juice extracts. They were said to cause enlightening hallucinations, but had wicked side effects on the mind.

...

Lily decided that Appa would like a makeover, so she recruited Sakura to help her braid the sky bison's hair. Several of the heavy braids now flopped in Appa's face, decorated with a multitude of small pink flowers. Everyone but Sokka lied on or close to the sky bison, listening to Chong and his little troupe. (Sokka was 'packing', even though nothing had been 'unpacked' during their stop.)

While the music wasn't very good, it was a type of relaxing. Kakashi read his book and hummed lightly along with the off-kilter beats.

"Hey, Sokka," Aang peeked around Appa, "you should hear some of these stories. These guys have been everywhere!"

Chong stopped playing, halting Kakashi's humming, "Well, not everywhere, Little Arrowhead. But where he haven't been we've heard about through stories and songs."

Aang continued, "They said they'll take us to see a giant night crawler." As if that wouldn't be an entirely unnecessary diversion.

Moku, the rather large man, chimed in, "On the way there's a waterfall that creates a never-ending rainbow."

Sokka decided he had had enough, "Look, I hate to be the wet blanket here, but since Katara is busy, I guess it's up to me." Kakashi saw Katara bristle at the comment but didn't move to interrupt, "We need to get to Omashu. No sidetracks, no worms and definitely no rainbows."

Chong replied to Sokka's downer attitude, "Whoa... sounds like someone's got a case of 'destination fever,' he. You're worried too much about where you're going."

His wife looked up from Katara's hair, "You've gotta focus less on the 'where' and more on the 'going.'" Kakashi knew she was trying to soothe the boy, but it came off as patronizing and only angered him further. He clapped his book shut, deciding he would be making no further progress anyway.

Sokka wasn't to be shaken, "O. Ma. Shu."

Lily finished Katara's braid and the girl moved to help her brother.

"I don't normally agree with Sokka," Kakashi started, sitting up on Appa's back, "but we are on a pretty strict time schedule right now, and as much fun as a giant worm and rainbows sound, they aren't going to help him learn earthbending.

"Exactly. Not to mention that, once we get there, King Bumi can keep us safe and teach him bending."

In his aloof obliviousness Chong said, "Well, sounds like you're headed to Omashu."

Kakashi couldn't help rolling his eyes as he heard Sokka slap his forehead in exasperation.

"There's an old story about a secret pass... right through the mountains."

Chong's voice had gained an ominous quality.

Sakura spoke up skeptically, "Uh huh… is this real or just another 'legend'?"

"Oh, it's a real legend. And it's as old as earthbending itself," Chong started strumming a new tune,

"Two lovers, forbidden from one another... a war divides their people, and a mountain divides them apart. Built a path to be together..." He stopped for a moment, "Yeah I forget the next couple of lines, but then it goes...Secret tunnel! Secret tunnel!" The music had gone up in volume and excitement, "Through the mountain! Secret, secret, secret, secret tunnel! YEAH!" The ditty was horrible, and Kakashi slid off Appa. Sokka was in a less than stellar mood as well. After the last ridiculously out of tune strum, Kakashi was sincerely glad for the end of the song. The rest of the group but he and Sokka clapped enthusiastically.

He watched as the boy walked around Appa, determination coming across in each step.

"I think we'll just stick with flying. We've dealt with the Fire Nation before. We'll be fine." Aang smiled in agreement, "Yeah. Thanks for your help, but Appa really hates going underground and we need to do whatever we can to make him most comfortable."

...

This was the incorrect choice.

Almost immediately after they had taken off, Fire Nation catapults could be seen on the ground aiming toward them. In the distance, even more troops were lined up to take them down. They didn't even make it half a mile before the first round of catapults fired simultaneously upon them. Appa barely came out uninjured, and Kakashi was sure the edge of one may have singed his hair. When he fretted about it, Katara just laughed and asked why he, such an old man, was worried about losing a little hair.

Not even an hour later they had returned to the waterside Chong and his troupe still occupied. Covered in various levels of ashy dust, a mood of depression had fallen upon the group. Kakashi wished he had some form of plug for his ears, he didn't know how much more of Chong's singing he could take.

Completely unenthused, Sokka gestured down the road in front of the singing group, "Secret love cave. Let's go."

...

The road to the 'secret love tunnel' turned out to be just as convoluted as one would expect for such a legend. The path had many twists and random turns, some more obvious, others extremely obscure. At some point, Kakashi wondered if Chong's group even knew where they were going.

"How far are we from this 'tunnel', exactly?" Kakashi asked as he stepped up to a buried piece of ruin.

Chong responded while he continued walking, "Actually, it's not just one tunnel. The lovers didn't want anyone to find out about their love, so they built a whole labyrinth." His tone was so nonchalant that Kakashi almost didn't catch it. Sokka, however, most definitely did; he turned back to their party with a wide-eyed look, "Labyrinth!"

Their guides didn't seem to be worried in the slightest, "I'm sure we'll figure it out," Chong said just as relaxed as before.

He hated to admit it, but Kakashi thought that perhaps Chong's aloofness in this situation might actually be helpful. If something was supposed to be frightening, and you treated it as if it were nothing, the fear begins to lose its stature, eventually reduced to nothing but a slight aversion.

Chong's wife looked over her shoulder at them with a kind smile, "All you need to do is trust in love! Well, according to the curse."

Sokka stopped completely, standing rooted to his spot as if the words physically hit him.

"Curse!?" he exclaimed as the rest of their group passed him.

...

Eventually they came to a hidden canyon of sorts. The actual entrance to this 'secret tunnel' was rather large, easily enough to accommodate Appa and surrounded by moss and large ivy plants.

"Hey-hey, we're here!" Chong sang out as he gestured to the cave. To Kakashi's right, Sokka stood near a plaque of writing on the wall outside the cave entrance, "What exactly is this curse?"

The hippie lute-player approached him with a smile, his hand just hovering over the instrument's strings, "The curse says that only those who trust in love can make it through the caves. Otherwise you'll be trapped in them forever." His wife chimed in, "And die."

"Oh, yeah, and die. HEY, I just remembered the rest of that song!" He strummed a grating chord on his lute and sang out two single words, "And dieeeee!"

The whole situation was rather laughable. Sokka looked like he wanted to punch the man right off the side of the mountain, whereas the rest of their party was taking the relative stupidity of their guides in a more humorous light.

"That's it! There's no way we're going through some cursed hole!"

"Hey, someone's making a big campfire!" Moku pointed out a pillar of smoke in the distance behind them.

Again. Seriously. AGAIN.

Katara sighed, "That's no campfire, Moku."

Sokka recognized the smoke as well and his anger was forgotten for the moment, "That's the Fire Nation... They're tracking us."

"So... all you need is to trust in love to get through these caves?" Aang asked, his tone curious.

"That is correct, Master Arrowhead."

If their situation had been a little less 'fleeing-the-fire-nation', Kakashi would have laughed. But at this point in time, he decided escaping their enemies had to come with some risks, why not let it be some cursed tunnel this week?

"We can make it." He and Aang told their guides at once. The kid smiled at their shared statement.

"All right, everyone into the hole." Kakashi ushered them from the back, glancing over his shoulder to check on the approaching smoke.

Though it's been a long time since I've loved someone... His eyes flicked to Sakura and he felt his heart tighten; If we get stuck, it's going to be my fault. He followed them into the cave, accepting the possibility that he may be trapped there forever. Should something happen, I hope she's with me.... Wait. No. You shouldn't think that... you should be hoping that she'll make it through to Omashu. The woman isn't as hopeless as you, Kakashi. I'm sure you're the last person she would want to be trapped under a mountain with. Plus she's an earthbender, she could just make her own path in the event of something like that happening.

Just behind him, Appa slowly followed them into the cave, a groan of protest escaping his large maw.

You and me both, Appa...

…

It seemed the Fire Nation wasn't going to follow them into the cave. Instead, they tore down the entrance, effectively eradicating their only known exit. Their group was immediately pitched into blackness. Appa panicked, whining as he tried to push the rocks down blocking the exit.

Katara approached to soothe him, but Kakashi couldn't hear what she said. Chong lit a torch and bathed the small area in its flickering yellow light.

"We will all be fine. All we need is a plan." Sokka started, "Chong, how long do those torches last?"

"Eh, about two hours each."

His wife pulled out the rest from their bag, "And we have five torches so that's..." she struck them on the ground, instantly lighting them, "TEN HOURS."

Sokka immediately took the torches from her and stomped them out, "It doesn't work like that if they're all lit at once!"

"Oh, riiighhtt." Yep. Definitely cactus juice extracts.

Sokka sighed and pulled a piece of paper out of his pack, "I'm gonnna make a map to keep track of exactly where we've been. Then we should be able to solve it like a maze and get through."

...

Three hours later

...

They turned yet another corner directly into a wall, and at this point, no one knew where they were, let alone the one who had made a map. It was quite discouraging.

"Sokka, this is the tenth dead end you've led us to." Kakashi stated, "Can I see your map? Maybe I can help..?"

Said boy was fiddling with the edges of his map, just as confused as everyone else. From what Kakashi could see it was all intersecting scribbles, it didn't look comforting. Sokka waved him over and they peered at he map together, "This doesn't make any sense; we already came through this way."

This statement caught the older man's interest, "What do you mean we have?"

"See this line? I've been following it along since we turned back this way. And I'm telling you, when we passed through before, there wasn't a wall here."

"Are you suggesting there is someone else in the tunnels?"

"I don't know, something is definitely going on in here though."

"We don't need a map. We just need love. The little guy knows it."

They both looked up at Chong's voice, pulled out of their brainstorming.

"What do you think it is, Kakashi?" Sakura approached him as Sokka walked up to Aang and Katara, probably to discuss their ideas on his map.

"To be honest, it's crazy, but I think that Sokka's right—"

"-The tunnels are changing." Sokka finished.

It sounded incredulous, but it was the only thing they could think of. Kakashi felt around the edges of the cave wall, but found nothing, no seams, no handles, no buttons. Just smooth earth.

Chong sang in the background, "The tunnels... they're a-changing. Ah. It must be the curse. I knew we shouldn't have come down here."

Sokka frowned at the man, "Right. If ONLY we listened to you."

"I wonder if there are other-" Kakashi started.

"Everyone be quiet!" Katara stared out into space, her head tilted just slightly, "Listen."

The earth rumbled around them, shaking the cave and dust falling loose from the walls. A screech rang out from the darkness of the tunnel ahead of them. Kakashi watched Momo fly into the depths, only to return promptly, a creature directly behind him.

"What's that?" He asked.

"A wolf-bat." Sakura provided, already pulling her notebook out to take a quick sketch. "From the books I've read, they're non-hostile, but they do claim territory. Momo probably just scared it. I've never seen one this close before Wan only had preserved specimens…" She trailed off while she scribbled.

Wan?

Chong waved his lute at it, "It's a giant flying thing with teeth!"

Sokka also tried to hit it, screaming, "Kill it!" While waving the torch.

At Sakura's suggestion, Kakashi wasn't afraid of the animal. It hadn't actively attacked any of them, after all.

"Can we all just-" But it was too late, the wolf-bat had already taken off again, and in his latest attempt to burn it with his torch, Sokka accidentally struck Appa. The sky bison, already nervous from the close quarters, reared up and cried out in pain. In his panic, the giant animal ran into the cave walls and caused the loose rock to fall in on top of them. Kakashi and Sakura had been across the room from the group already, and with the falling roof, it was just the two of them on one side of the rocks. They couldn't see anyone else, and without a torch, not even each other.

"Shit."

"Kakashi?" Small hands groped over his body, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, you?" He felt her nod before she laughed and responded, "Ha, I'm good, just some scratches. Nothing I can't handle."

"Is anyone else there?" Kakashi cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled into the wall of rocks.

No response.

"I hope Appa's okay." Sakura whispered. He heard her opening her pack, probably to stash her notebook.

"What should we do now?" Kakashi asked as he slid down the wall to sit, "I didn't think to ask for any of the torches, and we've been trapped on the side with the dead-end."

"I don't have any torches either, but maybe one rolled our direction in the cave-in?"

"Let's see if we can find anything." He quickly started to feel out the ground around him, trying to focus on the task at hand. So many thoughts flicked across his mind, making it hard to think straight. What if this wall really is fake? Can Sakura earthbend through it? Should I reveal myself here and use my bending for light? What if... what if it IS my fault we are trapped in here? His hands faltered for a moment, still finding nothing. I knew this would happen.

"Any luck?" He asked, just a hint of sadness tainting his voice.

"No."

They ran into each other in the middle of their tiny pocket of cave, laughed and fell back against the rocks wearily.

"Any ideas?" Sakura asked him, "cuz I'm fresh out."

"Well... just the one."

"Hit me."

"You know how Sokka said something about the tunnels changing? Well... I wondered if maybe he wasn't correct? Do you think you can try bending through it?"

"At this point, I'll try anything. Even crazy ideas that you and Sokka think up." She laughed and pushed herself up off the floor. Just moments later he felt her movements on the ground, followed by the sound of earth crumbling and the smell of damp rock. A far off echo of water dripping echoed into the tiny space.

"Well, I think it's opened up into a bigger space, but we should be careful, just in case. Take my hand, and we'll stay close to the wall."

Kakashi felt around in the empty space, his hand waving uselessly in the black until he hit something. He felt around it before moving up and trying to figure out what part of her he had come in contact with. A moment later, his hand was on something soft, and then her hand wrenched his away from her body.

"Kakashi..." Her tone did not reflect pleasure. Oops.

His cheeks heated as he realized just what he had done, "S-sorry."

She squeezed his hand almost hard enough to break the bones, "Course that would be the first thing you find. Pervert." "I didn't mean to-" She stuck a finger to his lips, incidentally halfway up his nose as well, "Save it. Just hold onto my hand and we'll get through this."

Great. Now I'm stuck in a cave with a strong, beautiful woman that I've just unintentionally pissed off. Guess we know who's body will be used as kindling first ...

They slowly made their way through the tunnel, sticking to the side to be sure they didn't get lost again.

At one point his foot struck something and he tripped, pulling Sakura down with him. She fell directly onto him, and the air left his lungs in a whoosh.

"You okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, just slipped on something. Can you feel anything on the ground by our feet?" She pushed herself off of him, using his abdomen as leverage. I wouldn't mind if you pushed a little lower... Kakashi shook his head, reminding himself their first goal was escaping. Not to mention she's already pissed off. More likely to harm with her little hands than…

"Hey there really was something!" Sakura was quiet for a moment as she determined what it was.

"Oh my god. Kakashi. Kakashi! You'll never guess what it is."

"Tell me."

"It's a torch."

"Oh thank the elements." He flopped to the floor in a relieved sigh, "I've got some matches in my pack. Do you have any cloth we can use for fuel?"

A few minutes passed as they each dug through their supplies. His matches were more-or-less where he had tossed them in his bag last time they had stopped to make a fire, so he plucked them out and closed the backpack, slinging it over his shoulders.

"I've got the matches, did you find anything cloth to use?"

"E-eh... sure... hand me the matches?" She asked. He held out the small box in what he assumed was her direction. Eventually their hands met and he relinquished his grip on the box, "Thank you."

Shht, shhht.

Soon they were surrounded by the soft glow of flame as it ate into the fuel wrapped around the end of the torch. Kakashi couldn't help but stare for a moment at her choice of garments to use. Were those... he quickly looked away, there was no need for him to die today. Not when Sakura had lit her very underwear on fire to light their path.

I wonder if they were the ones she was wearing.

He stood and offered to hold the torch while she put her supplies back together and over her back. Their journey would be so much easier now that there was a little light. Kakashi missed the security of her hand, even if her grasp was punishing.

They still stuck to the left side of the cave, hoping that using it as a guide would keep them from making the same mistakes as the group had before. Occasionally the earth shook and rumbled around them, but luck sided with them and no more fell upon their path.

...

An hour or so later, the torch had burnt through at least half of its precious fuel, and Kakashi was getting worried. It felt like they weren't any closer to finding an exit. He peered down the current path and blinked a few times, wanting to be sure he wasn't seeing things. In front of them was a large ornately carved door, hanging open in broken pieces. Sakura picked up the large stone shards, reconstructing the object as much as possible to get a clearer view of what it said.

"Here lies... Shu Mo...meng... and may he... a piece is missing here... soul... Oma Shivi? I think that's what it says... Guess we better find out."

Sakura wrote down notes on the door and a small doodle before she stepped over the gap left in it and into the chamber.

"What are you thinking...?" Kakashi asked.

They slowly walked inside, taking in the massive room before them. The air was stale and acrid, the door must have been opened just recently, no one had been in this room for a very long time. "Well, that door certainly wasn't an exit." Kakashi mumbled, if a bit darkly.

"No... it's a tomb."

In the center of the chamber were two huge sarcophagi, each carved deeply with an ancient script that even Sakura didn't know. On the wall behind them was a huge mural depicting some sort of story.

"Sakura... can you read these symbols?" Kakashi asked, not entirely sure what to make of most of them. Damn Fire Nation and their lack of education on other nations. He handed her the torch as she approached.

"This first one... a mountain... the script says something like 'they met on top of the mountain that divided the villages'," she moved to the next, "Appears to be about a couple here, the character in between them means love, but separate. The next line says 'enemy villages could not marry'. Ah, so the couple couldn't be together because their villages hated each other. These next two show them pining for each other, I think the words say they still found a way to be together."

Sakura smiled as they continued with the story, discovering that this mystery couple had learned earthbending from badger moles, and that they were the very first earthbenders. A maze was depicted in the next painting, and they figured it was most likely the maze they were at the center of at this very moment. Kakashi swore he saw Sakura blush as the next picture focused on the couple in a passionate embrace. She quickly moved to the next one, the woman by herself overlooking the same hill from before. "This says, one day the man didn't come," the picture had a deep red background and was the most emotional of the story, "He died in the war between their villages."

The next few pictures explained themselves, black arrows arcing through the skies and across this broken woman's form, the same figure kneeling over her lover's grave, holding her face in grief, and then she got her revenge, displaying a godly power of the earth.

"No, wait, she didn't take out her anger on them, sorry that actually says she ended the war, like diplomatically? And then in these last ones she's building a new city with both villages. The woman was named Oma and the man Shu. The great city Omashu was named as a monument to their love."

She stepped away from the wall, "Wow, I'm from Omashu and I didn't know this."

They stood in the center of the room, taking in the entirety of the mural. The painting of the two lovers kissing stood out directly in the middle, with a large plaque erected before it. "What does this one say, Sakura?"

His pink-haired translator leaned in, holding the torch close to the words.

"Love is brightest in the dark." She turned to him, a giddy smile on her face, "Will you hold this? I want to write everything down."

Kakashi smiled and took the torch willingly. Kinda cute how she's always jumping on learning something new. Thirsty for knowledge. I'm glad I got her that notebook, now she can take all the space she wants to write out her thoughts.

"Don't you think it's so romantic? These two loved each other even though they were practically sworn enemies," she sighed, her pen pausing over her notebook, "How inspiring."

"Yeah." He responded, just above a whisper.

Sakura continued writing in her notebook, scribbling fast as she took down all of the information laid out before them. He was sure she hadn't heard him, and that was fine. What a goal... hopefully with a less tragic ending, but to burn that strongly... anyone would hope to find someone like that. His cheeks burned as he pictured Sakura, how much he truly valued her companionship, how just being around her would bring a smile to his face. She had somehow wiggled herself into the soft-spot in his heart, his closest friend. Some days, he wished they were more than that.

"So! How should we go about finding an exit to these tunnels?" Kakashi asked.

She slipped her notebook back in her bag, brow furrowed as she tried to think of a solution. The woman kept glancing between her book and the mural, as if they would give her a hint. After a particularly long look at the lovers together she turned to him, a blush dusting the tops of her cheeks

"I-I have an idea."

"Well, what is it?"

Her cheeks blazed as pink as her hair, "Um... never mind! It's dumb."

"Don't be silly, you're smart, Sakura, I trust your ideas. What are you thinking?"

"Okay... I was thinking... that curse Lily mentioned said we'd be trapped forever unless we trusted love, right?"

"Mhm."

"And here," she gestured to the incribed tablet, "it says 'love is brightest in the dark', and..." she refused to meet his gaze, her cheeks burning bright red.

"So we should put out the torch?"

"Eh...?" It was obviously not what she had been hinting at, but he put the flames out just the same. The tomb was plunged into darkness.

"Kakashi! That is not what I meant."

"Well, what did you mean?" From the sound of her voice, she was still directly in front of him. "I-W-well... I meant, what if we kissed?"

"I fail to see how this may help, but..." Kakashi reached forward and tugged her close, tilted her chin up and gently placed his lips against hers. For a moment he thought she might hit him, but instead her hands wound themselves in his hair, pulling him closer, deepening the kiss. He willingly obliged, but only a moment later she was untangling herself from his grasp.

It was easy to see why. The tomb was now glowing in a dreamy blue light, cast from the multitude of crystals embedded in the ceiling and walls.

"Well, I'll be damned..." He muttered to himself as they took in the stunning room around them.

"I wonder what kind of stones these are. What they're made out of, maybe I should collect a sample… but I don't have the proper tools," she whined lightly and he laughed lightly at her predicament. While she was turned away, he pocketed a small fragment. Just for her to study of course. He told himself.

She sighed, "Let's follow them, it looks like they continue that way," Sakura pointed into the back left corner where the crystals disappeared through a doorway.

Kakashi gestured for her to take the lead, "After you."

She just rolled her eyes and took his hand, "Let's go!"

...

Not even an hour later, they emerged from the labyrinth. Aang, Appa and Katara were already there. Sakura let go of his hand and ran to them.

"Are you guys okay..?"

"Where's Sokka and the rest of the hippies?" Kakashi asked.

Not even a moment later, a rumble shook the plateau they stood on, and two giant holes were blown in the side of the mountain. Giant badger moles appeared, carrying Sokka, Momo and the hippies.

"Found him."

"Sokka!"

The siblings embraced, "How did you guys get out?" He asked them.

Aang smiled, "Just like the legend says: we let love lead the way."

Kakashi briefly wondered if they had been the ones to enter the tomb before he and Sakura, but decided it wasn't really important. And he definitely didn't need to know what the kids were getting up to in dark burial chambers. He grimaced at the thought.

"Really? We let huge ferocious beasts lead our way."

Sokka turned and waved goodbye to the badger moles.

...

The group began packing their belongings onto Appa's back, ready to be flying again and off onto the next leg of their journey. Sokka tied his bedroll against the edge of the bison's saddle and Kakashi noticed his forehead was red.

"You okay?" he asked, gesturing to the kid's forehead.

Chong peeked between them and whispered to them behind a hand, "Nobody react to what I'm about to tell you. I think that arrow kid might the Avatar."

Sokka slapped his forehead in exasperation, effectively answering the question.

Kakashi laughed and they continued packing. Aang asked the troupe if they would be accompanying their group to Omashu, and while he would have dealt with it, Kakashi was relieved when they responded in the negative.

The singing nomads started walking away, a new song on their lips.

"Even if you're lost you can't lose the love because it's in your heart. Ohhhhhhhh..."

...

Just a short flight away, they reached Omashu.

On their short journey, Sakura and Katara had been discussing all the different foods they wanted to eat in the capital, King Bumi had been nothing short of generous on their last visit, and while they hadn't exactly starved the last few weeks, Kakashi had been a bit stingier with their monies. He wanted to be sure they'd have funds when they really needed it, so when the kids asked for frivolous things, he usually turned them down. He laughed a bit to himself when she started on the topic of street food, and wondering whether or not there was a crab cake stand in the city.

As they breached the hilltop to Omashu, Sokka stood, anxious to see the beautiful city. It was not the welcoming sight they hoped to see.

"Oh-Oh no.." he whispered.

Kakashi looked over the side of Appa's harness at the city below them and his spirits fell. Why can't they just stop? Why can't I ever get away? Why couldn't they leave just one great city alone… He sighed at the devastating scene, I hope no one recognizes me here.

"What's the matter, Sokka?" Sakura asked.

"Look," he pointed to the smoking turrets jutting out of the once beautiful Earth Kingdom city, now adorned with banners in red and black.

"Fire Nation."

When Kakashi looked to his companion, he wasn't quite sure what to make of her expression. Was she sad? Angry? Before their brief visit with King Bumi, she hadn't returned to the city in something like ten years. He could only imagine how hopeless a peaceful return to her home city seemed now. Her eyes filled with tears and she slumped against Appa's saddle. Kakashi wasn't sure what would help her at the moment, he wanted to hold her against his chest and make all the pain go away. He settled for holding her hand between his.

"We won't let them get away with this Sakura. I promise."