Kanya lay awake next to her sleeping sister. It seemed that it was getting more and more difficult for her to sleep through the night. She opened her eyes and looked over at Sokka as he startled awake and began to speak to Momo about 'personal boundaries'. She chuckled a little before she felt the earth beneath her begin to pound. She sat up and woke Katara.
Aang leapt up from Appa's back as a man on a rhino came into their camp. Sokka jumped up as another rhino came from the other side of camp.
"Give up. You're surrounded!" the first gruff looking man announced.
Kanya helped Katara out of her sleeping bag as Sokka's caught on fire. She pulled her sister over to Appa and helped her up as she watched to see where Sokka was. The men moved forward with their weapons at the ready. "My staff!" Aang cried out through gritted teeth. He flew off Appa's head to retrieve his staff.
Katara and Kanya were quickly disarming the man that was in possession of their water scrolls. Katara froze the man's hand to his weapon which he had plunged into the tree stump. Kanya ran over and grabbed the box before returning to Katara's side. Aang was running past all the rhinos and now had procession of his glider. He flew above the fire blasts and landed on Appa.
Sokka was running towards the sky bison. "Just go, I've got Sokka" Kanya yelled as Aang took off. Kanya planted her feet firmly and then bent the air around Sokka to lift them up to him. The men below were firing blast up at them. Kanya quickly sent the fire ball back at them as Sokka landed on Appa's saddle. "Thanks Kanya" Sokka said as he watched the rhinos get smaller and smaller.
Kanya walked beside Sokka as they went into town for supplies. "Stop grumbling Sokka, we can get you a new boomerang" Kanya said as they stopped to get some fruit. "But I've lost part of myself" Sokka whined as Katara paid for the food. "Happy Avatar Day!" the merchant said as he closed up shop. "Avatar day?" Aang asked, 'yeah, you kids going to the festival right?" the merchant smiled and walked away.
The gang went in the direction the merchant had walked and began to hear music and loud voices. "Look! They have a Kyoshi float" Katara pointed out as the float rolled by. "And Roku is right behind her" Sokka said. "Wow, this is a bit weird" Kanya said, hoping she wouldn't see herself as a float. "I think it's just nice to be appreciated" Aang put in. "It's nice to appreciate fried festival food" Sokka interjected before stuffing his mouth.
"Oh no" Kanya said as she buried her face in her hands. A float version of Aang followed by Kanya was rolling into the town square. "That's the biggest me I've ever seen" Aang said with a laugh. "Oooh look a torch, that seems pretty manly and awesome" Sokka said with a full mouth. Kanya uncovered her eyes and the torch carry ran straight for the floats.
"Down with the Avatar! Down with the Avatar!" the crowd began to chant in unison. The torch bearer transferred the flame to a second torch before throwing them at the heads of the Aang and Kanya floats. Kanya cried out as Katara ran forward to water bend the fires out.
"Hey! You're ruining Avatar Day!" a spectator called out. Kanya ran forward to her sister as Aang airbended up to stand on the shoulder of his float. "It's the Avatar himself… and herself!They're going to kill us with their awesome Avatar powers!" the crowd began to panic as Kanya pulled Katara back.
"We are not!" Kanya called out as Sokka walked up behind her.
"I suggest you leave. You're not welcome here, Avatars." The mayor of the town stepped forward. "Why not?" Sokka demanded, "All Aang and Kanya have done is try to help people" he continued. "We're on your side" Aang spoke up as he floated down to land next to Kanya. "I find that hard to swallow considering what you did to us in your past lives. It was Avatar Kyoshi; she murdered our glorious leader, Chin the Great." The mayor announced loudly.
"You think we murdered someone?" Aang asked.
"We were a great society before our leader was killed" An old man interjected from the crowd.
"The avatar would never do that! And you all should not question his honor!" Katara yelled.
Aang stepped back to calm Katara down.
"You have to give us a chance to clear our names" Kanya spoke up.
"If you wish, but you must go through a trial… and pay bail" the mayor responded.
"Alright, no problem" Kanya agreed quickly.
Kanya and Aang were taken away and stood side by side in large cell with an open ceiling, both in shackles. "I'm sorry again Aang" Kanya said as Katara and Sokka walked towards them. "It's not your fault, who knew they wouldn't accept water tribe money" he replied with a shrug.
"Well let's go, you can both airbend out of there and we can get on our way" Sokka said.
"No, we aren't going anywhere" Aang replied.
"I agree, we do need to be on our way. But we can't have non-firebenders against us" Kanya put in.
Katara nodded, "so you're going to need our help to prove your innocence?" she asked.
"I think I'm up to this case, I was the best detective in the southern water tribe" Sokka announced as he grabbed his younger sister and pulled her off to start his investigation.
"Well, while were locked up I guess we can try to practice some bending" Aang suggested after a while. Kanya nodded, "first I wanted to ask you something. Why didn't Bumi come with you to help us learn earthbending?" she asked. "He said I needed to find someone who waits and listens… I'm just hoping to find them soon" Aang answered. "And what about firebending, how are we going to find a master?" Kanya wondered thought she knew the answer. "I'm not sure" Aang answered.
"What if I told you I know who is going to teach us firebending? But you have to swear not to say anything to anyone" Kanya said quietly. "Avatar promise" Aang said with a little smile. "Well you may not believe this but it's going to be Zuko" Kanya said. " Zuko? No way" Aang stepped back a little in disbelief. "It's true, he's already changing we just have to wait until he realized his true destiny" Kanya explained. Aang sat back down to think and ended up falling asleep.
Kanya shook Aang awake as the mayor came to collect them to stand on trial. "We have solid evidence to prove their innocence" Katara told the mayor as she walked behind him with Sokka. The mayor stopped as they entered the arena-like area, "evidence? That's not how our justice system works" he told them. "They will say what happened, then I will say what happened and in the end I decide who was right" the mayor explained before walking away from them. Sokka filled Kanya and Aang in on the evidence before the mayor addressed everyone.
"Everyone loved Chin the Great because he was so great. Then the Avatar showed up and killed him! And that's how it happened." The mayor said before opening up the floor to Aang and Kanya.
Aang stepped up to talk but tripped over his own feet and fell. Katara ran forward, but Aang was alright but knocked out.
"It's up to you Kanya, you can do it!" Katara said as she moved Aang over by her and Sokka.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I can prove that neither I nor Aang killed your leader with facts. First off, Avatar Kyoshi had large feet and her footprints were very large…" Kanya trailed off as she lost her train of thought.
"Also, the temple and statue match which means they were made at the same time… and… um- the painting was at sunset" Kanya finished as she managed a small smile.
"Oh no" Sokka said as the mayor stepped forward again.
"Wait, Mayor, I want to call another witness" Katara interjected. Kanya walked over to Sokka as Katara addressed the crowd. "I would like to call the Avatar that was there the day of the supposed crime… Avatar Kyoshi!" Katara said as Kanya emerged in Kyoshi's clothes.
"This is a mockery!" The Mayor screamed as Kanya stood nervously.
"Please just let me try to explain again" Kanya pleaded.
"No, this is over. For the murder of Chin the Great, this court finds the Avatar…"
"STOP!" Kanya with an overlay of Kyoshi's voice yelled.
In a swirl of blue light Kanya transformed into Kyoshi herself. "I killed Chin the conqueror. Chin was expanding his army to all corners of the continent and when he arrived at the peninsula where I lived her demanded an immediate surrender. I warned him to stop, but he wouldn't back down. So that day we separated from the mainland." Kyoshi stepped forward and leaned down to speak directly to the mayor. "It was Chin's own stubbornness that caused his death" Kyoshi finished before she disappeared.
Kanya pulled off the headpiece as Aang stood and moved to stand next to her. "What happened?" she asked him, "well… you kinda confessed" Aang admitted. "Bring out the wheel of punishment!" the mayor announced as the wheel was rolled out and he gave it a big spin. "BOILED IN OIL!" the mayor announce after the wheel stopped.
From outside the arena a group of men on rhinos came trampling in. "Show us your leader!" the man said gruffly.
"Avatars, do something!" the mayor begged.
"I have a concussion" Aang said with a shrug.
"And I have to be boiled in oil" Kanya replied.
"Alright fine, community service… now serve our community!" the mayor pleaded.
Sokka and Katara jumped up to keep the rhino men out of the arena. Aang and Kanya launched an aerial attack sending the rhinos running in different directions. "My boomerang!" Sokka cried as he took the boomerang off the rhinos pouch and slapped the beast's hide. Kanya ran over to shoved Sokka out of the way before he was trampled by another rhino. "Are they gone?" Katara asked as she looked around. Aang flew up with his glider before floating down and nodding.
"From now on, we'll celebrate a new Avatar Day in honor of the day Avatar Aang and Avatar Kanya saved us from the Rough Rhino Invasion." The mayor announced as he handed out bowls of party food.
"What is this?" Sokka asked as he held up a limp cookie.
"That's our new festival food, unfried dough. May we eat and be reminded of how on this day the Avatars were not boiled in oil!" the mayor answered as the crowd cheered.
Kanya picked up one of the cookies and threw it at Aang, it landed on top of his head and slid down his face.
Katara laughed, "Happy Avatar Day, everyone" she said as she took a cookie for herself.
Sokka pulled the bowl away from his sisters with a frown, "this is by far the worst town we've ever been to" he said.