I have passed from the realm of TV friendly Avatar with the cannibalism topic brought up last chapter. If you think I'm introducing too many characters try this point of view; they're not characters at all, but opportunities for growth on the part of actual characters. If you'll think of it that way the story may change a great deal for you. If any of you are wondering, I usually spell names like they would sound in Japanese. Tai-Li (Tah-ee-lee) or Pol (Pole) for example. Also, can anyone please tell me when in the entire series or other official information centers they have given the correct way to spell Tai-Li?
Disclaimer: Ancient Chinese secret, I don't own Avatar.
Chapter 3 Strange Decisions and Meetings
Suki and the other Warriors of Kyoshi stored in horror at the old man who sat calmly a few paces away. "You, you ate him?" Suyeh asked in a stammer.
"Yes," he said, "without any supplies, it was either that or death. And I have much more to do before I die." He saw the look of terror on their faces, "Please, I'm not some kind of ogre, I learned several things from that experience. I found out that the taste of blood lingers in water skins and bone marrow is more trouble than it's worth." He looked away, "I also realized that no one should be forced into a choice like that, and meat would never be able to sate my appetite again."
The girls looked to Suki for guidance on whether or not to trust him. She didn't know. Before she could figure it out, he turned back to them and said, "Now I live a life of peace. Until the day I can take another human's life away, animal meat won't be the same. All I smell when it's cooked is death, and sand."
He sat in silence a moment then left them. "You're free to go where your heart leads," he said over his shoulder, "I can't stop you."
As he left earshot, Suyeh asked, "Suki, does that mean he's letting us go?"
"I think so," she answered, "but don't leave yet. I need to talk to him." She got up and followed where the old man had gone. As she walked along, the sound of a river grew. She came upon a clearing next to a large stream. The man was sitting facing the river.
As she approached he said, "what do you want Suki?"
She was taken back that he it was her without looking, and that he knew her name, but walked closer. "Why are you letting us go?" she asked, "Isn't your nation all about prisoners of war?"
He drew in a long breath, and then let it out with a sigh, "I've already told you that I'm not Fire Nation. The fire bending is not a hereditary trait; I was born a nomad in the Earth Kingdom. If you haven't noticed, my eyes are also jade green and not fiery yellow. Even if I was Fire Nation, they put a bounty on my head for destroying an army of theirs, so a few prisoners wouldn't exonerate me. Now will you please leave me alone, I'm meditating." He drew in a deep breath and hummed.
Suki stare a moment then said, "How can you be so calm all of the time? Aren't you at all a little afraid I'll sneak attack you?"
He stopped humming, "Believe it or not, I can sense the jings that make up the world. All I can sense from you right now is 'negative' jing. I have nothing to fear until you shift into 'positive' jing, except your incessant questions." He began humming again.
She walked up beside him slowly and sat down. Staring into the river for a while, she thought of what she should do. "We can't let you go," she said quietly, "you're too dangerous to just be allowed to roam around."
He chuckled softly, "It's not like you can stop me, and it's not your decision how I live my life." He turned to her, "You need to understand that there are things in this life you can't control. Just think of the sun," he gestured upwards, "it is more powerful than all the benders in the world put together, but it's allowed to 'roam around'. You can't control it, but you can still live with it." He looked away from her again, "You'll just have to learn to live with my existence."
Suki thought a moment, "Maybe you're right."
"Of course I'm right," he said humbly, "I've had far more years to think of such things than you."
"How old are you anyway?" she asked.
"Sixty-five this summer," he replied, "and you shouldn't ask elders their ages. For some reason it's considered rude."
"Okay," she said, "then it's decided. My warriors and I will accompany you while you're in the Earth Kingdom."
"What?" he said shocked.
"Since you're too strong for us to capture, we'll just go around with you trying to relieve any destruction you cause." She started smiling, "Besides, we can't let such an old man go unescorted. You could hurt yourself."
He said puzzledly, "There's something wrong with that logic."
"Maybe," she stopped smiling, "but you're still not getting away from us."
He stood up, "Well, I don't know what I can say to change your mind, so I hope you like Omashu. I was on my way there when you showed up."
She stood up also and said, "If we're gonna be following you around, I'll need to know your name."
He bowed to her and stated, "I am the honorable nomad Wo-Pen, don't forget it."
"I won't. You say we're headed to Omashu?"
"That's right," he grinned, "I hear it's under occupation by the Fire Nation. There's nothing Id like more than to trash an army of fire benders and meet up with my old friend Bumi."
Toph stalked angrily through the city streets. She'd been walking for a while and most of the people were inside, it was probably night. She still wasn't over her fight with Pol.
She was lost in thought. So much so she wasn't paying attention to her surroundings.
"Ouch," she said as she fell over. She had walked right into someone. "Watch where you're going!" Toph yelled reflexively.
"What?" he said, it was a boy, "I wasn't even moving. Are you blind or something?"
A secret smile flashed quickly across Toph's face. "But I am blind," she said with an emotional tone, "and it's just so hard sometimes."
"Oh, I'm sorry," he said while picking her up bodily.
"Typical," she thought, "he finds out I'm blind and suddenly I raise a notch in his mind."
As he set her down he said, "If it's so hard you should really have someone walk with you." She detected annoyance in his voice, "People need to understand their limitations."
She retorted quickly, "It's not very nice to say that to a blind person."
"Blindness is no excuse for stupidity."
"That's it!" she said and backed off a pace, "If you don't apologize for calling me stupid I'll beat you up."
He closed the gap between them and looked down at her. "If you attack me, you'll only prove it."
For some reason this really shook Toph. His voice sounded more than true, it sounded like he had an unshakable conviction in every word he said. "S-sorry," she stammered while shaking her head, "I'm just angry about something."
"Heh," he said, "What could you be angry about? You're only blind."
She laughed. "It has nothing to with my eyes. I just lost a fight to a muscle-bound weirdo."
"Call me crazy, but I don't think you're just helpless blind girl. You move like you can tell where everything is."
"I might tell you why that is later, but I should really get to know you better first." She grabbed his hand. "You seem like a nice person though. Would you be willing to guide a helpless little girl in the big city?" she said in an innocently flirtish voice.
She felt him blush as his voice stumbled, "Um, I, I really should stay here. My fiancé is going to be along any moment."
Toph smiled and said, "I think I hear someone now."
Katara sat on her knees in the temporary house they had been provided by the Dai-Li. She was concentrating on a bowl of water she was bending. Her new pouch lay on the floor. The vendor had given her a good deal on it. She streamed the water into the pouch and closed it.
As she strapped it on, Aang walked into the room. "Have you seen Toph?" he asked, "She's been gone all day, and night's falling."
"I'll go search for her," she said, "you stay here and look after Sokka. He's not feeling too well."
A groan issued from the next room.
"Why is he feeling bad?' Aang asked.
"He ate too much Possum Chicken."
"I mean why didn't your healing work on him."
Katara leaned near him and whispered, "I haven't tried to heal him. I told him not to eat so much and he wouldn't listen." She left, smiling.
Wandering through the streets, she looked up and saw the moon. Absentmindedly she touched her amulet of water from the Spirit Oasis. Coming out of her trance, she saw Toph in the distance. There was someone with her.
"Where?" he said, "I can't see anyone."
"She's still out of your sight," Toph said, "but I think it's a friend of mine."
"So you'll be going?" he said. "Well it was... interesting. What's your name anyways?"
"Toph," she said, "so what's yours?"
"It's Jet," he answered.
"That's a strange name," she commented, "You must be a weirdo."
His smile was lost on her. A moment later he was knocked off his feet by a surge of water. "Stay away from her!" a voice cried.
"Katara," Toph yelled, "is that you?"
"Katara?" Jet said while getting up.
She pulled Toph behind her, "Toph, are you alright?"
"Of course I am," she said, "why wouldn't I be?"
"Because," Jet said, "Katara knew me a while ago. We didn't part on the best terms."
"Best terms?" Katara said, "You almost killed an entire village! I don't want you anywhere near my friends!"
Toph turned to Jet, "Is this true?"
"Yes," he said, "but I'm different now. I've moved here to start a new life. I've changed a lot."
"Yeah right!" Katara yelled. "You've lied to me before, why should I believe you now?"
"Because he's telling the truth," Toph interrupted, "I can tell from his heartbeat. It's too calm for him too be lying."
Jet looked to her, "So that's how you can sense the world around you. You have unnaturally good hearing."
"Something like that," she agreed.
"I don't care if he's not lying," Katara interrupted, "he's an unstable person."
"Not anymore," he said, "I gained a measure of peace a few weeks ago. I met someone who could calm my rage."
"Jet!" someone called. Everyone turned to see a colorfully clad woman running up. "I've finally found you!"
Katara's eyes widened in fear. Reacting instantly, she threw her arm forward and sent a slicing scythe of ice towards the approaching figure.
It was swept from the air by a curved sword. Jet stood in front of her, swords drawn. "Don't you dare," he said with burning eyes.
"She's Fire Nation, Jet!" Katara yelled. "She's fought with me before."
"I'm aware of who she is," he said, "You shouldn't say it too loud. We could be arrested."
"What?" she said while taking a step back.
"What's happening here?" the girl said when she was closer, "I hope you're not hurting more girls."
"It's nothing," he said, "just an old friend who's confused." He sheathed his blades, "Now Katara, please let me explain. This is Tai-Li," he said, "we met a couple weeks ago and she helped me through a rough part of my life." He hugged Tai-Li, "We're together now."
"Oh," Katara said while blushing, "I'm sorry."
"Hm," Tai-Li said, "I think I know you from somewhere. Oh yeah! The bender form Omashu, I hope you don't have any hard feelings."
Recovering from her embarrassment, Katara said, "Aren't you Fire Nation?"
Tai-Li looked away, "I was, but now I'm a deserter. Besides." she kissed Jet, "I only need one person now, not a whole nation."
Katara blushed even more deeply and fell silent.
"Okay," Toph interjected, "I think it's time to go." She grabbed her friend and pulled her along, "You're gonna have to tell me the whole history of this later Katara."
Her only reply was a nod as she went over the kiss again and again in her mind.
Jet watched them leave, the turned to his love. "You didn't need to be so possessive in front of them, they're only friends."
"Are you kidding?" Tai-Li said, "That little blind girl may have been innocent, but the water bender is obviously crushing on you."
"Her name is Katara," he said, "and she just has some unresolved feelings. Besides," he hugged her close, "she doesn't have a chance at me now."
"When you say it like that," she pressed their lips together, "I guess I can't help but believe you. By the way," she started pulling him along, "I've found us some jobs."
"Really?" he said, "What are they?"
She furrowed her brow in concentration. "It's bodyguard work for some hot-shot in the upper ring. I think he was part of a clan called the Dai-Li." She giggled mischievously, "All I had to tell them was that you were a master swordsman, and I was your assistant."
"What's the name of our new boss?" Jet asked.
"It was Long-Feng. We'll also have some friends to help. One was an old blue-robed man, and the other looked like a giant."
"A giant, huh?" I wonder if he'll be bigger than Pipsqueak. What were their names?"
Tai-Li concentrated again, "I think they were... Kaish and Pol."
Sokka awoke in a cold sweat. He breathed heavily as he recalled his dream.
He stood on a lovely and peaceful field. Snow fell gently down from a beautifully white heaven. Yue was there. He reached out to her, and touched a snow drift. She was gone.
He whimpered and hugged his knees. "Why did you have to leave," he said softly to himself, "I was there to protect you. Why couldn't I have been stronger?"
He sobbed quietly for several minutes as he recalled the brief time he'd shared with her. As footsteps approached, he looked around. Toph stood in his doorway with her sleeping clothes on.
"What do you want?" he said, halting his emotions.
"Who's Yue?" she asked.
He was caught off-guard, "What?"
She said, "I hear you when you sleep. Some nights you talk in your dreams. You've mentioned the name Yue a lot, and you always looking at the moon when no one's watching."
He responded, "Yue was a very... important person to me. She still is." He sighed, "Even now all I can think about in my spare time is how much I miss her."
Toph sat down next to Sokka and hugged her knees also. "She must have been a pretty wonderful person if you think about her so much. I wish I had someone like that."
He looked at her, "Yeah, even with the pain, I'm still glad I knew her." He stared past her and out a window, "I know she's watching over me, even now." His eyes gleamed with moonlight, "Just as I'm watching her."
He turned away, "But still, sometimes it's hard. I wish she was back." He began sobbing again.
"Hey snoozles," she punched him softly, "you have to tell me about this girl, and what happened to her. I wasn't with you guys a while ago."
He related to her the events of the North Pole. Even the private moments he had shared with the water princess. "I can't understand why I'm telling you all this," he said, "I've never even told Katara the full extent of my relationship with Yue. You have the same look in your eyes though. Like you live a life of kindness, and determination."
"That's strange," she said, "my father used to say my eyes were like closed gates. No one could see my feelings, but I couldn't see anything at all."
"Your father was wrong." he said, "I can almost see your soul through those gates. They aren't closed at all, at least not now." He squeezed her hand, "Goodnight Toph, I'll see you in the morning." He rolled into his bed.
"Goodnight Sokka," she said as she left. Pausing outside the door, she felt him looking at the moon again. A tear rolled down her cheek. "Why am I called blind when you can't see my feelings," she thought.
She walked back to her room, trying to hold back the gates.
End Chapter
Yes, this is Tokka.