Chapter 6:
Painful Partings Part 2
Sokka returned to Master Piando's house outside the city. When he walked inside, Suki, who was holding a scroll in her hand, greeted him. Her face was beaming.
"We found it Sokka! Master Piando and Iroh are starting to make the weapons now! We should be done and ready to go to the spirit world by dusk!"
Sokka smiled widely and brought Suki into his arms. He then kissed her on the lips for a moment. He wanted to make sure that Suki still knew he loved her, and he figured that by kissing her after she found the scroll, she'd still think that he loved her. He knew he was right when she put his arms around his neck. They kissed for a moment, and then they heard footsteps walking down the hall. They stopped kissing and let go from their embrace. Master Piando and Iroh walked into the room.
"Hello Sokka." Said Piando.
Sokka bowed to him and Iroh.
"I assume Suki told you that the scroll was found." Said Iroh.
The couple nodded, and Master Piando smiled.
"Did you make peace with your sister, Sokka?" Asked Piando.
Sokka nodded. The smile slowly left his face, and turned to mellowness.
"What happened Sokka?" Asked Suki.
Sokka sighed. "Katara broke up with Aang."
"What? Why?" Asked Suki.
"Long story…" Said Sokka.
"Well, follow us to the weapons room, and tell us what's going on." Said Piando.
The four then proceeded to walking to the weapons room, as Sokka explained the situation.
Meanwhile, Katara and Toph were sitting down in the cottage. Toph decided to stay with Katara while she waited for her father to arrive. Katara was excited to see her father, but nervous at the same time.
"What if he doesn't approve of me and Aang?" Asked Katara.
"Oh come on, Sugar Queen. He knows Aang well enough by now. Your father knows he's a good guy. Plus, he's the avatar! Its every father's dream to have their daughter marry the avatar… err… I mean… date the… err…"
Katara blushed in embarrassment. She wasn't sure if she was ready for that.
"Ummm… well, you know what I mean…" Said Toph, who nervously chuckled after she said that.
"Y-Yeah…" Replied Katara, who also nervously chuckled.
Suddenly, Katara heard the door open slowly. The two girls were silent.
"Katara?"
"Dad!" Said Katara.
She ran towards the door and hugged her father, Chief Hakota. Toph walked up to him and said hello as well.
"It's so good to see you again Dad."
Hakota smiled. When Katara was done hugging her father, he spoke.
"Where's Sokka?" Asked Hakota.
Katara walked over to the counter and got the letter. She brought it over to her father.
"He wanted you to read this."
Hakota opened the letter and read the note slowly…
Meanwhile, Aang walked down a street in Ba Sing Se slowly. The mysterious figure he met had cheered him up, but he now was trying to figure out how he was going to balance his life as the avatar, and a life with Katara. If what the man said was true, there had to be some way to balance his two lives.
'Lives…' Aang thought.
A few minutes later, Aang was back in his home at Ba Sing Se. He knew a few people that might be able to help him with his problem. He got into a meditating stance, and soon, his arrow tattoos were glowing. He was now in the spirit world… or what looked like the spirit world.
'What… on earth happened here…?'
Mai and Zuko were speeding towards the Fire Nation in their fast boat. They knew they only had so much time left before Azula would flee the nation. And even if they did make it in time, how would they be able to get her back to psych ward. Beating her is hard enough, transferring her without some kind of chain is almost impossible. Eventually, they came up with a plan, which they hoped would work. After they finished making their plan, they were quiet for a few minutes. Zuko yawned for a moment, and then spoke.
"We should probably get some sleep. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."
Zuko put the ship on autopilot. He then laid down in the boat and closed his eyes. Mai laid down for a moment, and then looked over at Zuko.
"Hey… Zuko?"
"Yeah Mai?"
"It looks a little… chilly over there… maybe you want to lay over here, with me… where it's warmer."
Zuko looked over at Mai, who was weakly smiling. Zuko smiled and went over to where Mai was. He laid down next to her and put his arm around her. They then both slowly went to sleep, have the last peaceful dream they would have in a long time…
After a few hours of building the weapons, Piando had created for Sokka a new sword, which was now pure white. Suki received special lightweight, steel fans. After the weapons were complete, they knew it was time to journey towards the spirit world. Sokka bowed to his master.
"Thank you Master Piando for your help."
"Your Welcome Sokka."
Sokka, Suki and Iroh then said goodbye to Master Piando, and began to travel towards a cave located in-between the inner and outer walls of Ba Sing Se. As they walked, Sokka and Suki talked with each other.
"Are you sure you want to come Suki?" Asked Sokka.
"What, and let my boyfriend have all the fun of kicking an evil spirit's butt?" Suki teased.
Suki wanted to stay close to Sokka. She had no doubt they could beat the spirit, but she was afraid of what would happen after they beat it. Would Yue try to win over Sokka? She couldn't take that chance. Plus, if she fought by him again, she figured she'd have more chances to impress Sokka with her fighting skills.
At last, they reached the small cave, which had some small, green crystals sticking out of the ground in the cave.
"Why do they look so familiar?" Asked Sokka.
Iroh smiled. "You'll see soon enough…"
The trio walked into the cave, which would soon begin their epic quest into the spirit world.
Hakota finished reading the letter. He sighed and sat down.
"Just when I thought the conflict was over…" Said Hakota.
Katara sat down next to her father, and was silent for a moment. Toph sat down on a near by chair and tried to give a signal to Katara to start talking to her father about Aang. Katara saw the signal and nodded.
"Ummm… Dad?"
"Yes Katara?"
"I need to talk about something…"
"What is it Katara?"
Katara sighed. "Umm… I wanted to talk to you about Aang…"
"Is he ok?"
"Oh yeah, he's fine."
"That's good. I'm glad to hear that. You two are such good friends with each other, and he's been very kind to you and Sokka during your journey together. He's a good kid."
"Yeah…"
Katara looked down, then up and the ceiling. Toph groaned under her breath, and tapped her foot lightly, causing Katara's chair to slightly jump up. It wasn't big enough for Hakota to see, but Katara felt it.
"Well, I want to talk to you about Aang… see, he and I… he and I… ummm…"
She felt the words get caught in her throat. She just had no idea how to tell her father.
"Aang and I… want to… ummm… d…d…"
"Just spit it out Katara!" Toph said loudly.
"Aang and I want to date each other and we wanted your permission first, but now I've found out that he cares for me so much he may risk his avatar duties, so I broke up with him, and I wanted to wait for your permission to date him, and you're the only guy I know who will be able to figure out if he'd risk his duties for me." Katara said really fast.
Somehow, Hakota was able to hear every word of what she said, and smiled.
"Of course I'm ok with you and Aang going out. What, did you think I wouldn't?"
"Told you!" Toph said out loud.
"But Aang almost gave up his avatar duties for me during the war. What if another conflict happens? I can't let Aang risk everything for me…" Katara said.
"Katara, I think your overlooking something very important. Aang does care for you a lot, I know that. But he also cares for other as well. Hasn't Aang always tried to help out everyone he meets?"
"Yes, but he told me I was his only reason for fighting in the war."
"I don't think that's true. Was he not fighting for all the other people who he's befriended over his journey? I know he fought for Sokka, and Toph, and Zuko. He fought for everyone whoever helped him and cared for him. See, I don't think you were his reason for fighting, I think you were his fuel to keep fighting on. You, of all people, gave him the hope and support he needed to keep on fighting. As long as you were by his side, he'd always have the strength to fight for all the people that believed in him. And that's why, if Aang ever heads into conflict again, he'll be able to have the courage and strength to do his duty. Because he knows that the person he cares for more than anything in world believes in him, and supports him."
Katara blushed. She hadn't thought of that.
"How do you know this?" Asked Katara.
"Because all these years I fought against the Fire Nation, I kept fighting because I knew your mother believed in me, as well as you and Sokka."
"B-But Mom died…"
"But our love was so strong, that it didn't matter how far apart we were. The love we had kept going, and still goes on. I know that your mother is watching over us, and believes in us. And that's why, through all the fighting that I did with the Fire Nation, I always had the courage to fight. Your mother's love kept my spirit, and my heart, from breaking down. When you have a strong enough love for someone, it will always survive, even in death."
Katara smiled and hugged her father. She knew now more than ever that Aang would be able to keep his duty, and still love her to the fullest.
Aang walked around the deserted Spirit World. None of the spirits were there, not one. Aang searched for any of his past lives, but couldn't find any of them. After walking for a little while, he found a bunch of spirits that seemed to be held hostage… and their faces were missing.
'KOH!' Aang thought.
He quickly put on a neutral face and looked around. He heard Koh's voice, along with two other voices near by. He hid behind a spirit world rock and spied on them. Koh was talking to two men in cloaks. One was a man in a dark blue cloak with an earring. One was a man in a dark red cloak with two burned off eyebrows.
"There Koh, we've helped you take over the spirit world and steal the faces of all the spirits, including the past avatar's." Said the Blue Cloaked Man.
"Now hold up your end of the bargain now. You know our master is not a patient person, and with the power he possesses, you don't want to get on his bad side." Said the Red Cloaked Man.
Aang was confused. Who were these guys? Were they trying to hunt for him?
"Wouldn't you'd rather go after Avatar Aang? I mean, he is powerful…"
"Silence. He is not a threat to us, and our plans to take over the world." Said the guy with the earring.
Aang was even more confused. He wasn't a threat? They were trying to take over the world? What the heck was going on?
"The one you seek is headed for the Fire Nation, preparing to duel your master. He is riding an ostrich-horse right now." Said Koh.
Aang realized whom they were talking about. It was the man who gave Aang the necklace.
"Good. Once he's dead, the last person to stop our reign of terror will be gone. And we will rule the lands with an Iron Fist!" Said the guy with the earring.
Aang knew what he had to do. He had to find that man, and help him fight off whomever he was facing. Then they could both go back and re-take the spirit world. Aang ran back to where he entered the spirit world, and got out of the area. He warped back into his body and sighed.
"I have to save that guy!" Aang said. He ran to his glider and was about to run out of his house, when it hit him.
"Katara…"
He suddenly was conflicted. He couldn't leave Katara, not when their whole relationship was on the line. But he couldn't let this guy die, and risk the world's safety. He had to choose now… Would he stay with Katara, or leave her to search for the mysterious man…
Zuko and Mai woke up. They were approaching the royal island, where Azula may still be located on. The boat reached the dock, where they snuck off the boat, and started to search the island.
"Where do you think Azula is?" Asked Mai.
"I don't know… But I have a feeling she's not too far away." Said Zuko.
"Your right brother…"
Zuko and Mai turned around. Azula was facing them, and looked as crazy as ever.
"Hello Mai…" Said Azula sinisterly.
"Azula…" Mai growled.
"I see the assassin didn't complete his mission…"
Zuko glared at Azula angry. "So you were the one that sent the assassin to kill Mai."
Azula laughed psychotically. "You're a fool, Zu-Zu. That assassin wasn't assigned to kill Mai…"
Zuko and Mai's eyes widened.
"What?" Said Zuko.
Azula laughed again. "We figured targeting Mai would get you enraged. And since you've always been a much easier target when you're angry…"
Mai and Zuko stared at her, furiously.
"How dare you use me to kill Zuko!" Said Mai.
"Your plan failed. I'm going to beat you, and spot your plot to take over the world." Said Zuko.
Azula smiled evilly. "I'm not the one pulling the strings this time Zu-Zu… someone else is… someone more powerful than father was when he was Fire Lord…"
Zuko and Mai were confused.
"He's currently targeting someone very important…"
"Who, Aang?"
Azula laughed manically. "The Avatar? Ha! He's not even considered a threat to this man…"
Zuko's eyes widened. "Then who…?"
"I'm not even sure who it is, but this man has a very special importance… if he dies, then the man who freed me has the ability to finish his ultimate plan."
"Which is…?"
"That's all I'm going to tell you brother. Now is the time for us to duel, while my master waits for his rival. I'm going to take back everything you stole from me, Zu-Zu. Starting with Mai…"
Zuko was furious. Mai prepared her weapons and looked at Zuko. He looked back at her and nodded. The two then charged at Azula, and their epic battle began…
"Why are we in the crystal catacombs?"
Sokka, Suki, and Iroh were deep under Ba Sing Se. They had walked past the waterfall that was underground.
"Remember how I told you each nation had one secret entrance to the spirit world?" Said Iroh.
"Yeah, you said back before the times of bending, the spirits had four gates in four ancient cities." Said Suki.
"Yes, well this underground city happened to be one of the four. And somewhere here is the portal to the spirit world." Said Iroh.
"But it's so big down here, how are we going to find?" Asked Sokka.
They looked around, finding the portal would not be an easy job in this underground cavern…
Hakota smiled at his daughter, who was excited that she finally had permission to go out with Aang, and that her father had confidence in their relationship. She wanted to run and find Aang, and tell him how sorry she was for doing what she did. She loved him, and she just wanted to be in his arms, and hear him say his feelings for her. Hakota knew Katara wanted to talk to Aang and smiled.
"Go to him, I'll be right here when you get back."
Katara was beaming. She ran out of the cottage, which Toph running behind her. Katara ran through the streets of Ba Sing Se, wanting desperately to see the love of her life. She wanted to run into his arms, and kiss him on the lips once more. She ran so fast, that Toph couldn't see Katara anymore, and decided she would just meet Katara back at her cottage.
Katara eventually made it to Aang's home. She walked inside, and looked around for her lover.
"Aang! My dad approved of us, and he made me realize that you really are responsible enough for us to have a relationship!"
She looked all around the cottage, but she couldn't find Aang. At last, she found a scroll with her name on it. She picked it up and slowly read it:
Katara,
I've found out that there is a crisis going on right now that may affect the fate of the world. I don't have enough time to write down what's going on, but I just want to say that you were right. I don't know yet how to balance my responsibilities, so I can be with you. You were right to break up with me. But I'm going to fix this crisis, and prove to you I can be with you and still be the avatar. I love you Katara, and I'll fight this battle for you.
-Love,
Aang
Katara sat down and sighed. She was worried for a long time that he wouldn't be responsible. Now, he was doing exactly what she had wanted him to do before… but now this time… she was left with the broken lonely heart, which longed to be re-united with her lover.
Here's the low down guys. You might get a new chapter in 2 days. If not, you may have to wait, because I'll be on the move for about 2 weeks for vacation. Hopefully, I'll get a working internet all set up, and a new chapter will be next week. Thanks to my readers and reviews, along with those who are getting alerts. Sorry for the long delay, this chapter was actually harder to write than Part 1.