This is the next chapter, called Master the Avatar State. Mmm, I wonder what this chapter will be about.
I want to give a little thanks to Big Fan!, Avatar4ever, avatargirl4eva, and all the other anonymous reviewers. Thanks for all your reviews. And thanks to all my fellow fanfiction authors also (I'm trying to reply all of your reviews now, but my computer is being slow…). Love you all!
Oh!! And before I forget, the girl in chapter 7 was Song. Thank you for all who reviewed and guessed!! (Passes out cookies)
Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar no matter how many times I wish upon a star.
There were several lines of rebels in front of Suki. All the men and women stood side by side, walking toward the next town. Her sword was outstretched toward the group, showing her students the proper technique of how to hold a sword.
That morning, when Suki awoke, Sokka and the Earth King had already left. There was a map next to her cheek that had the directions to the next town. She woke everyone up and helped them with breakfast; starting fires, chopping up vegetables, slicing bread.
Then, at least three hours later, they were walking toward the next town also, Suki calling out to the men how to hold a sword.
She had a system. For half the time that day she would help the men in swordsmanship and then the other half she would teach the women.
For a long time, she yelled out commands, walked over to the men that were having trouble, and stopping every so often to get something to drink and once to eat.
By nightfall, her students were all exhausted. They went to a spot at the clearing that they had found, set camp up at, and fell down, trying to get some sleep. Suki watched them that night, feeling like the head Kyoshi Warrior teaching her pupils again. And that made her feel very good.
……
Not two miles away from Suki's campsite a lone fifteen year old man looked up at the moon.
"What did I do wrong?" he asked the princess in the sky. "She's just so sensitive, all women are." The moon dimmed a bit. He looked up at her, like she could give him some kind of direction, an answer.
"I know that I come out here to talk to you every night, but she was okay with that wasn't she? I don't understand….I hate not understanding."
"You hurt her," a voice came from the distance.
Sokka turned around to see Au coming toward him. She had taken her the hood off her head, so he could see her long hair cascading down her shoulders.
"What?" he asked.
Au smiled and sat down beside him. She rested a hand on his knee and looked up at the moon, studying it. "Let me tell you a story," Au said, quietly.
Sokka nodded, reluctantly listening.
"I was born in a place of hatred," Au began. She had this faraway look in her eye that made Sokka a bit uncomfortable. "It was a place, that I never liked living in. For sixteen years, I lived in a common house working for the higher people in the palace. The way they treated me…with such disgrace, such hatred, it was like we were nothing more than a piece of garbage to be kicked around.
"And then one day, just after I turned seventeen, all the women of the household were called to the throne room. It was so strange that they would need all of us there. And we saw the—King—there. And his beloved sons.
"They told us to line up. We did. The eldest prince went first. He went through us, mumbling to himself. And when he passed me, he studied me hard. He gave a look of desperation, fear. He didn't want to do whatever it was he was doing.
"And then he passed me. He went down the line a little bit more until he pointed to my best friend, Ann. She stepped forward and took the prince's arm. He walked over to his father and my friend gave me a glance. She was so lucky to be holding the arm of the nicest, most handsome prince.
"I understood then what was happening," Au explained. "The princes were choosing two of us to be their wives. The next prince went down the line until he came to me. I became nervous when he looked at me with cold, wanting eyes.
"And he chose me."
Sokka could tell she was becoming warped in her own story. Why else would she feel the need too explain so much? What was the point anyway?
"Um—Au—what does this have to do with me anyway?" Sokka interrupted.
She smiled and patted his knee. "She comes out here to watch you. That girl, Suki. She gets so worried about you. Ever since I met you two, she's been sneaking out of the camp just minutes after you to watch you stare up at this moon."
"Why?" was all that Sokka could spit out.
"Because she cares about you," Au said immediately. "The prince that took me as his wife never loved me. Even after sharing two children with him, a wonderful boy and a wicked little girl. He still always had that same longing look, that same wanting look, like I had to do something for him.
"My daughter had that look. And I'm sure if she was here, she would still have it. She's like her father in everyway. It's a horrible thing that she would grow up to be like that. So cruel and hateful.
"You love someone that died, don't you?" she asked studying Sokka hard.
He looked back up at the moon. "Yes."
"And that girl, Suki, loves you," Au said. "She loves you, but she sees that longing look in your eyes. That look that you try not to show to her or anyone else. But it's there. And she sees it. It hurts her."
Sokka sat, silent. She loves you. She loves you. She loves you.
She loves me.
Just like Yue did.
"You think about it," Au said, and patted his leg once more. "I'll see you when we reach the next town."
She got up and retreated toward the bushes until Sokka's voice stopped her. "What happened?" was his question. "What happened to your family?"
Her eyes went to the ground in shame but a smile appeared on her face. "I protected my wonderful son," she said, "from the person that hated him most, and I lost them all. I had to leave them. To leave him."
"Who hated him?" Sokka asked, the questions just falling out of his mouth before he could even think about her feelings toward it.
She sighed. "His father," was all she said before disappearing in the bushes and away from where the fifteen year old man was sitting, staring up at his beloved princess.
……
Two days later, Sokka and the Earth King reached the town followed by Suki and all her students.
That day they found the leader of the town, explained their mission, and how they would love to be able to talk to his people.
He merely nodded and said tomorrow they would hold a conference at the town square asking people to join their group if they wanted to.
That night, Sokka made sure to not go out and look up at Yue. Suki was right over there after all. He didn't want her sneaking out again. It could be dangerous.
He could see her glance at him couple of times.
The next morning, the warrior, the Kyoshi girl, the woman in the black cape, and the Earth King stood on the balcony of a high building. The people of the city looked up at them, their eyes expecting and cold.
"Um—I am Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe," Sokka called out to the people of the Earth Kingdom city. "And these are my comrades the Kyoshi Warrior Suki and the Earth King of Ba Sing Se."
"What do ya want?" a woman's voice yelled from the crowd. "We have work to do. If you're going to waste our time, I'm leaving."
"Yeah!" several people yelled.
"Okay, okay," Sokka called down to them, raising his hands up, as if he was in defeat to the people.
He explained their situation. He told them about Ba Sing Se and about Princess Azula. He talked about Sozen's comet and how they could defeat the Fire Lord on the day of Black Sun.
When Sokka finished, he looked down at them. The rebels that had already joined their group nodded, the reason they joined the group emerging again as the fifteen year old spoke.
There wasn't any cheering from the crowd when Sokka finished this time. They looked up at him like they were waiting from something.
"What does this have to do with us?" a man spoke up from the crowd. The people around him nodded agreeing.
"This can help us win the war," Sokka said. "We have to do this. It's out part to stop the firebenders from taking over everything."
"So?" a woman's said. "The Avatar, as you say, is here and going to win the Fire Nation over?"
"Yes."
"He's been gone, disappeared from the face of the earth. Why should we help him? What had he done for us?" There was a cheer from the crowd. Agreement.
"He can save us," Suki said walking to the edge of the rail. She glanced over to Sokka, telling him telepathically that she could take care of it.
"I've read about this town," she said. A kind and tenderness took over side took over. That motherly Kyoshi Warrior side that she only showed her fellow Kyoshi Warriors.
"I've read that it was once beautiful and powerful and was full of wealthy people," she told them. The people looked down, ashamed. "Then, seven years ago," she continued, "the Fire Nation came, didn't they? They took everything away from you. Your home, your money, your sons for battle, the children. They took it all away.
"Let's get em' back. Let's stop them from doing that to any other town. I've lost all my friends, my sisters, to the Fire Nation. I was the only one to survive. And I'm not let them do that to any other person.
"Let's stop them," she continued. "I know you want to get them back. I want to get them back. I know you want too. Come on. Come on."
She smiled at them.
The woman that had spoken earlier, about Aang, raised her hand. "I'll do it," she said. "Sign me up."
The man that had asked what their whole situation had to do with them, raised his hand also. "Me too."
And slowly, several more people raised their hands.
"Good," Suki said. She walked by Sokka and said, competitively, "You're not the only one who has a good speaking voice."
He shot a glare at her.
She replied, with an accomplished smile.
………
"So Katara," Haru said over dinner one night. "Did you guys ever make it to the North Pole?"
Katara looked over to him and nodded. "Yeah, Aang has mastered waterbending and now he and his earthbending teacher, Toph, are trying to find the Guru and he'll help Aang master the Avatar State."
Haru nodded like he understood, which he didn't really.
They finished their dinner and Katara helped everyone into their sleeping bags and helped clean up the food and trash. She sat at the fire long past everyone else went to sleep.
Then she decided to go see if the Blue Spirit was here somewhere. He had been following her, hadn't he?
So she got up and walked down a dirt road that they would continue walking on tomorrow. It was so strange the way she was feeling. She had always been the mother of her group, the responsible one. But now, it was like she had someone that she could talk (or write) to that didn't judge, didn't think she was a baby, or that she was complaining…
What am I thinking? She thought to herself. I don't even hardly know this guy! He could be Fire Nation for all I know!
But yet, she didn't believe he was bad.
Her mother had always told her to think the best in people; and if it turned out that they weren't as good as they should have been, Katara would be able to kick their butts with waterbending. Katara's mother had told her this just a few weeks before she died.
And so, Katara decided that she would trust the Blue Spirit. It didn't matter about his past, his present, or even his future, as long as he was there and not hurting the people she loved, he was okay with her.
She looked up toward the sky. The stars were all out that night. They were so bright, and there was so many of them. It was almost like they were dancing to some silent music that was playing.
Katara smiled turning around and heading back toward camp.
And what she didn't know was that there was a man in a blue mask nearby, watching her every move.
……
When the reached the next town, Katara immediately knew that it wasn't going to be as easy to convince these people to help them as it was with Haru's town.
The people looked at them with questions filling up their heads. "We've never any rebels in our town for years!" they would whisper, or "Is that girl, is she from the Water Tribe that just got here yesterday," or even, "Look, earthbenders! I haven't seen an earthbender in over ten years!"
They were all dressed in ragging clothing, with sweat stains, rips, and holes in their shoes. The children were running around in circles chasing after each other. They all looked as if they could draw a knife and mug them.
They scared Katara.
"Where is the leader of your town?" Haru called out. The people looked at each other like Haru was talking in another language.
Suddenly the people moved. They moved out of someone's way. The children stopped playing. Katara cocked her head to the side a little to see the people that were coming down the walkway that the town people had created.
They were all wearing blue. They were wearing shirt that were tied over with sashes and thick pants that were used to protect their legs from the cold weather. They were all men. And they were all tan. Their eyes looked as if they had seen more bloodshed than what they had ever thought of even imagining seeing.
Katara's bright blue eyes locked with their eyes. As she looked at them, she realized those were her people. They were her men from the South Pole.
But when she looked even closer, she saw that there were men than just her own. There were also men from the North Pole. She recognized them; some of the men that she had fought alongside when they had fought the Fire Nation.
Even closer, Katara saw that there was a man walking by another man. One of them was wearing clothes like the rest of the city; the other was wearing Water Tribe clothes.
They looked important. They were smiling and laughing, shaking each other's hands. Katara knew the man in the blue clothing.
As they approached she saw his dark eyes look over to the rebels and lock with hers. She felt tears of joy fill her eyes.
"Dad?" she asked taking a hesitate step forward. He immediately stopped talking and the whole town fell silent.
"Katara?" her father asked.
"Dad!" Tears spilled down Katara's cheeks as she ran to her father.
She wrapped her arms around his back and he kissed the top of her head saying, "Oh, my little waterbender!! I missed you so much!"
She felt so relieved. Her father was okay! After all these years she still had the father that had left her.
"Katara," he said, pulling back. He set two, very reassuring hands on her shoulders. "Where's Sokka? He left because your friend, Aang, said that you were in trouble."
"Sokka's fine," she replied. "They found me in Ba Sing Se. He and Suki"—
"Who's Suki?" Hakoda asked.
Katara giggled. "Sokka's girlfriend." Her father's eyes widened. "Anyway," she went on. "Sokka, Suki, and the Earth King of Ba Sing Se are going to the other side of Ba Sing Se to get rebels from two cities over there while myself and Iroh here"—she looked over to Iroh—"we're going to this side. Ba Sing Se has been taken over by the Fire Nation's Princess and we're planning to get it back."
"Ba Sing Se has been taken over?" he asked, obviously confused.
Katara nodded and explained the rest of the story; how Aang and Toph were on their way to master the Avatar State while Sokka and Suki were heading to Ba Sing Se, where they would all meet in only a few days to take back it from the Fire Nation. And then they would go to the Fire Nation itself, to defeat the Fire Lord and save the world.
When she finished her father looked stunned and proud. "I never thought that my little Katara would grow up to be such a wonderful young woman," he said. "And she's already saving the world at age fourteen."
He paused.
"How do we help?"
"Well," she replied. "We need rebels to help us fight. We were actually wanting to talk to this town about joining…"
That's when the other man, the one Hakoda had been talking to, came forward. "No," he said, waving his back and forth, "not my people. They're staying right here."
Hakoda turned around and said, "Oh come on, Baojia, my daughter is trying to help the world. You just told me that you wished to help the world. This could be your opportunity."
"No," the man replied, crossing his arms.
Iroh had been silent. He hadn't talked since they got here which was unusual. He was staring at that man, Baojia. He recognized him from somewhere…but where was it?
And then, all of sudden, Iroh snapped his fingers. Pai Sho! That was it! A smirk appeared across his face as he stepped out in front of Katara and her father, whispering, "I'll handle this."
He walked over to Baojia. He bowed and asked, "Would you like to play a game of Pai Sho?"
The man seemed confused at first. Then Iroh continued talking while taking out a small Pai Sho piece, "The White Lotus tile."
"The White Lotus tile?" the man repeated. Iroh nodded. "No one uses the legendary White Lotus tile anymore."
And Baojia bowed.
So did Iroh.
"Those who do can always find a friend," the old man merely replied.
Baojia looked up and said, "Then follow me to my home and we shall play." Iroh nodded and followed the leader to his home.
Katara squint her eyes. "What were they talking about?" she asked. "We don't have time to play Pai Sho."
Hakoda looked back and shrugged. "I'm not sure. But Iroh seems like a smart man. He knows what he's doing."
Katara told Haru to keep the rebels busy and help the waterbenders back their things and then she hurried off toward her father.
The town's leader's house wasn't that much of a place to look at. The windows were broken and the roof was falling apart. Iroh, Baojia, Katara, and Hakoda walked inside.
There's was nothing inside his house except for a small table, a Pai Sho set, and two pillows in which he and Iroh sat on.
Katara and Hakoda were told to wait outside while the men played. They were silent until they heard laughter from inside the building. They walked inside to see Iroh shaking Baojia's hand.
"Thank you," Iroh said. "Thank you for all your help. I'm glad that you decided to help us."
The other man nodded, not so worried anymore. He was picking up the pieces when he looked up at Katara and said, "My people will follow me. So, if I go, they go. When do we leave, Miss Waterbender?"
"Katara, please," Katara replied. "And we'll leave tomorrow. We have to reach Ba Sing Se in just a few days, so it's best we leave very early."
Baojia stood up and nodded.
Katara smiled.
………
"Where are these catacombs anyway?" Toph asked her body spread out like an angel of Appa's back.
"Well," Aang said, "according to Sokka's map it's just outside of Ba Sing Se. It's huge. I wonder where we're supposed to find it."
"Do you remember what part you were in?" she asked.
"Well," Aang replied, searching in the deep depths of mind for anything relating to the crystal catacombs. He remembered Iroh giving him advice about something. He just couldn't remember what it was. He remembered finding Katara and hugging her. He remembered glaring at Zuko.
"When we hit the ground do you think you can feel the catacombs?" Aang asked, still looking ahead, making sure that Fire Nation wasn't anywhere to be seen.
"I might be able to," Toph said. "I'm not sure if I'll be able to know where exactly the Guru is."
"That's good enough for me."
……
Around noon, Aang spotted Fire Nation troops just outside of Ba Sing Se. Toph and Aang landed Appa and told him to stay hidden. He snuck around behind a tree with Momo trailing along behind him.
Aang and Toph headed out a short time later. Aang looked at the big trees that surrounded. Berries infested the trees like ants would a picnic. He followed behind Toph closely because she was walking fairly quickly.
For several hours they walked until Aang could see the faintest signs of the wall of Ba Sing Se. Toph put her hand on the ground. Then after four hours of not speaking she said, "It feels like there are Fire Nation troops nearby. A lot of them. So we have to be very quiet."
"Okay," Aang whispered. "Do you feel the catacombs yet?"
Toph shook her head.
They walked a little while longer until she said, "I feel it!"
They were now outside of the forest now and the wall wasn't that far away from them. "Really?" Aang asked. "Where is it?"
"The biggest area of the catacombs is directly under us," she said. "I can faintly feel a small moving object down there. It could be a person. Come one, we'll earthbend ourselves down there."
Toph picked up her right leg and them slammed her foot down. The ground cracked open. She made her hands into fists and then shot her arms downward. The rock separated into narrow path in which Aang and Toph walked down on.
"So Toph," Aang said trying to start a conversation as they walked for the very long time to crystal catacombs. "Is there anything else that I need to know about since I lost my memory? Or is there anything you want to talk about."
"No and not really," Toph replied. She shot the ground in a little more with her earthbending.
"Oh," Aang replied looking away.
Toph rolled her eyes. He was trying to make her guilty, his heart dimming a little from her sight.
"Well," Toph replied, "there is one thing…"
"What is it?"
She shot the rock a down their path a little more.
"Well," she said. "Why would we have four children?" She laughed nervously, looking down, away from his penetrating gaze. "I mean we're just friends. You like Sugar Queen…"
Did she trail off? Aang thought looking down at the master earthbender. "I dunno," he replied, knowing that she wouldn't continue. "Sokka said that we see people that we've lost or people that we love. The time I went to the swamp with Katara and Sokka I saw you as you are now.
"But last time, I saw you in our later years. It's so strange. I remember that the first time I went, Katara saw her mom, someone she had met, loved, and then lost, and Sokka saw Yue, someone that he met, loved, and lost too. I only remember seeing you as someone I've never met before. Maybe…
"Nah it's too crazy…" Aang finished his thought, his cheeks turning just the slightest shade of pink.
"You think that we'll love each other, and then lose each other," Toph finished for him earthbending once more. "You're right that is crazy but not totally out of the picture. I mean, if Katara lost, loved, and met her mom like Sokka did with Yue it wouldn't be insane if that happened to you and me."
It was so odd how she taking all of what they were talking about so calm and serious. Normally, Aang would think he would be dead right about now.
"Do you want it to happen?" Aang asked suddenly.
Toph's hair hid her face from his view. He didn't think that she would be blushing but he did think, like he, she would be embarrassed.
Before she answered she earthbended their path one last time. And she never did answer his question for they had entered the crystal catacombs.
The place had crystals sticking out of the walls and out of the ground, all a light green color. There was a waterfall the right side of them. And in the middle of the cavern that they had discovered was a very old, tan man wearing ragged clothing and was meditating, his eyes shut to the children.
Without moving or opening his eyes the man said, "Congratulations, Aang and Toph. You've past my test."
It was the Guru.
"Guru Pathik?" Aang asked stepping down into the catacombs, Toph right beside him.
"Yes," the man replied. He opened his eyes and stood, walking over to the Avatar and his companion. "So nice of you to get here and not very long after receiving my first message."
"Uh—sure," Aang replied. "The messages weren't that hard. And we didn't spend too much time in one place."
"Good, good," the Guru replied. "Are you ready to once again, attempt to master the Avatar State."
Aang corrected him, "Not "attempt." I'm going to master the Avatar State."
……
The Guru and Aang sat across from one another, both with their legs crossed, both meditating.
"Like I said before, before you lost your memory," the Guru said. "The first chakra point that you are to open is the Earth Chakra, located in the base of the spine. It is deals with survival and is blocked by fear. What are you most afraid of?"
And let his breath release and then opened his eyes. He did not see the Guru or the catacombs in front of them. Instead, he saw a town, several towns actually, on fire. Their houses were burning, people of all ages running from their homes screaming and crying. He saw Fire Nation troops storming the towns using firebending to destroy everything. And he saw a man, covered by the shadows, leading them. The Fire Lord.
Aang's eyes filled up with tears. He cried out in fright. "Now, survive that, let go of that fear and control it," the Guru said over the blaze.
Aang then closed his eyes once more and started to breathe. He calmed himself, and when he opened his eyes, he saw the Guru once more.
"Good, Aang," the Guru said. "You've opened the first chakra."
Both, Aang and Toph sighed in relive.
"The next chakra is the Water Chakra," the Guru said. "It has to do with pleasure and it is blocked by guilt. What are you guilty of?"
Aang closed and then opened his eyes once more. He saw himself sitting up in that bed at Fay's house. He saw himself screaming out Katara's name. He saw himself confused and scared. He could remember. It wasn't fair that he couldn't remember! Not to himself, not to his friends…
"Now feel it, and let it go," the Guru said calmly. Aang felt it and let it go. He opened his eyes to once again face the comfort of the crystallized caves.
The Guru nodded.
"Next," the Guru said, "is the Fire Chakra. It is located in the stomach"—
"Speaking of stomach," Aang interrupted. "I'm starving. Do we get a dinner break or something?"
"I figured you'd say something like that," the Guru said. "That's why I've made you a special dinner." He held out a bowl and Aang took it.
He sniffed the yellow liquid. "Eww, it smells like onion and banana juice," he complained.
"That's because it is," the Guru said. "Now, eat and let's get back to work."
After Aang had finished eating, the continued opening his chakras. "As I was saying," the Guru continued. "The next chakra is the Fire Chakra, which is located in the stomach. It deals with willpower and is blocked by shame. Aang, what are shameful of?"
Aang thought. He was shameful of a lot of things. Firebending, hurting people with that shameful element. He was shameful for that. But, there was something else. Something else that he was more shameful of:
When the young monk opened his eyes he saw a young man on a ship. He was very pale and there was a scar covering his left eye. He had his hair pulled back into a ponytail and the rest of his was bald. He was on a ship yelling out commands to his men.
It was Prince Zuko.
And then the picture shifted into something else. Aang saw a tea shop called the Jasmine Dragon. He saw a boy with pale skin and spiky hair walk outside to a girl with a green robe and her hair up in a ponytail. She grabbed his arm and they walked off.
The picture shifted again to the boy and the girl again. They were running down an alleyway to an unlit fountain. Aang saw the girl drop her head to the ground in disappointment.
Words were exchanged and then the girl closed her eyes and the boy shot fire to each of the candles.
It was Zuko.
His vision took him to the first time he met Katara. It was the ice caps and he saw himself waking up in Katara's arms. He saw himself talking and introducing himself. He saw himself sneeze and then find Appa.
The picture shifted once and he saw himself talking to Toph in the Earth Rumble Six arena. He saw himself talking and then airbending. He saw her storm off and then himself being awarded the championship belt and a sack of money.
He saw himself at the Bei Fong residence. He saw Toph explaining her way of seeing to him. He saw the man from the arena and the man that Toph had beaten take them.
Then he saw her come to Appa and say that it was alright, she could travel the world with them.
And then his vision went back to Zuko and that girl. He saw that she had kissed him and he kissed her back. He saw Zuko back up and then run away leaving the girl with the words, "It's complicated."
And then Aang shut his eyes. He was so lucky to have all those friends. He was so lucky that he had Toph, Katara, Sokka, Suki, Iroh, Kuei, Momo, and Appa. He had all those people who loved him and wanted to be with him. And Zuko had nothing. He used to have Iroh. But now, he had no one.
Who was Aang to complain about losing his memory, being the Avatar, learning firebending, earthbending, waterbending? And Zuko didn't have anybody who wanted him. He didn't have anything to complain about because no one would listen. It was so unfair for him.
"Now let your shame go," the Guru said.
Aang let it go. Something in his stomach opened and he felt the next chakra open.
"The next chakra is located in the heart. It is deals with love and is blocked by grief. What are you mourning for?"
Aang took a very deep breath and then opened his eyes. He saw a woman with long brown hair. He saw that she had gray eyes and was wearing a very sad smile. Then, behind her, he saw the other monks that had lost their lives soon after Aang left the Southern Air Temple.
The woman in front of him, touched his cheek and said, "My son, you are the joy of my life. I'm sorry that I have to send you away to live with monks. I wish that I would be become well and be able to take of you"—tears spilled down her cheeks—"but I know that it'll never happen. I'm very sick and the monks, Monk Gyatso in particular, think that you'll be a great airbender. I love you my son, don't ever lose you wonderful smile, the one that I never saw enough of. Goodbye."
And then the woman disappeared and saw did all the other monks. Aang was crying. That was his mother. He had never seen or even heard of her before. And now he knew that she had given him up.
"Let love overcome your grief," Pathik said calmly. Aang let the last of his tears fall before the next chakra opened.
"The next chakra is located in the throat. It's the Sound Chakra. It deals with truth and is blocked by the lies people tell themselves. What lies have you told?"
Aang remembered that he crumbled up the map that would lead them to Katara and Sokka's father. He remembered how Toph had lied to him and his friends about her father saying that she could go with them.
He let his lies go.
The next chakra opened.
"Good, good," the Guru said. "The sixth chakra is the Light Chakra. It deals with insight and is blocked by illusions. It is that of Separation. Things that appear separate but, in truth, they are connected."
"Like the time Appa and I were separated," Aang said immediately. "He was in Ba Sing Se while I was in the desert. But, if you think about it, we were both still alive and on the Earth. He was just in a different place."
The Light Chakra opened.
"Correct," the Guru said. "Now, the next chakra is the last and the most difficult to overcome. Last time you couldn't do it. This time you have to. If you don't, you'll never be able to go into the Avatar State."
Aang nodded.
"Then the last chakra is the Thought Chakra. It is located in the crown of the head. It deals with cosmetic energy and is blocked by an earthly attachment. Whoever you love, whoever you're fighting for, let them go."
Aang closed his eyes and saw a black sky with bright, white stars. He saw his friends: Katara, Sokka, Suki, Iroh…all disappearing before him.
And then he turned around. He saw a pregnant woman with three children running around in circles around her. She was smiling and laughing. She was looking at him with unseeing eyes.
She was so beautiful. She was such a wonderful mother playing with her two boys and one girl. And she wanted him to join.
It was the Toph that he saw in the swamp. The earthly attachment, it was Toph.
"Now let all those earthly attachments go," the Guru said.
Aang opened his eyes and glanced over to Toph. He couldn't believe that he would see the future Toph again. But then again, it wasn't horrible. He really liked future Toph. She seemed to have…calmed down a bit since she had grown.
He smiled at the earthbender across the catacombs. She was laying on her back staring up at the ceiling. His eyes went to the ground, down casting from the Guru's view.
"You've had different visions from last time," the Guru said. "You've seen things that you didn't see before. It seems that your earthly attachment is not the person it was last time."
"Katara," Aang whispered.
"Yes," the Guru replied. "Last time you saw Katara. And you left to help her using a vision you saw. This time, you saw Toph. And this time you more connected than you were with Katara. When you saw her in the future life, it was a happiness that you want. Kids, a family, peace, her. You want that future life. You don't want to lose it with your fight with the Fire Lord."
Aang broke eye contact. "I—I—yes I want that more than anything."
"Then you have to let it go," Pathik said. "You're still weak from the last time you fought with Azula. You won't be good enough to defeat the Fire Lord no matter how hard you train until you hit the Fire Nation. You need the Avatar State.
"You can't back out now. Do you think Toph would want herself to be reason for not winning the war? You can't do that to her, because then you'll never get you future life. You have to do this."
Aang nodded slowly.
He closed his eyes and once again saw the black-violet sky and saw Toph with their four children. "Do it, Twinkle Toes," she said, smiling at him.
Then he saw a black cloud and he saw the young Toph jump out in front of him. He saw himself screaming and he saw himself go into the Avatar State. He saw her on the ground, blood spilling out of her left arm. He saw Katara crying and trying to heal her.
Toph, Toph, Aang thought. No, what is she doing? Something's going to happen to her. I can't let that happen.
The chakras were closing.
"Aang," the future Toph said. The black cloud disappeared. "Whatever's going to happen to me," Toph said. "You have to do it. You have to let it go. Do it, Aang. Do it for me, our kids."
He couldn't look back, not now.
He had to do it.
And he let her go.
And the final chakra was opened.
His eyes lit up along with the tattoos on his head and arms. The Guru smiled and got up. Toph got up and walked over. "What happened to him?" she asked, knowing that his vibration felt different when he entered the Avatar State.
"He's done it," the Guru replied. "He's entered the Avatar State. It's all up to him now. He has to deal with the rest."
Meanwhile Aang had appeared in the Spirit World. He looked around to see a swamp like area with low trees and branches that leapt like fish out of the water.
Just then four people appeared in front of him. Four Avatars: Avatar Roku, Avatar Kyoshi, Avatar Kuruk, and Avatar Yangchen.
"Avatar Roku," Aang said. "What am I doing here? Did—did get into the Avatar State?" Aang smiled.
"Yes, congratulations," Avatar Roku replied.
The other Avatars agreed. "It's so nice to see you again, Aang," Avatar Kyoshi said. "I'm glad that you finally made it here."
"Who are these other Avatars?" Aang asked.
"That's right, he doesn't remember us," Avatar Yangchen said. "I'm Avatar Yangchen, the Avatar from four life times ago. It's so nice to see you, Aang."
"And I am Avatar Kuruk," the Water Tribe's Avatar said. "I'm the Avatar from three life times ago. Good to see you."
"Nice to meet you guys," Aang said. "And what I don't remember you, I've never met you before."
"You don't a lot of things because of your injury," Avatar Yangchen explained. "You don't remember us, because you've only met and seen us once. You don't remember the Blue Spirit do you?" Aang shook his head.
"That's because," Avatar Kuruk took over. "You've only met and seen him once. You don't remember because it's such a small picture in your mind that it just disappeared."
"That's why," Kyoshi said. "You don't remember those men from the jail cell that you stayed in when you were accused of my crime."
"I was with someone?"
"Yes, other men that were convicted of crimes," Kyoshi replied. "You don't remember them because they didn't impact you life like other people such as Katara or Sokka or Suki or Avatar Roku here."
"But about Toph?" Aang asked his hands clenching together. "She had big impact, why don't I remember her?"
"Because," Avatar Roku said. "You don't remember anything from the time after you first went into the Avatar State at the beginning of spring. You met Toph after that time. It's not that she didn't have an impact on you—she had a huge impact on you as you see in your future—it's just that you can't remember her, because you remember nothing of that time."
"Okay," Aang said.
"Good job again," Avatar Kyoshi said. "Now you go in and out of the Avatar State at will"—
"As long," Avatar Kuruk took over, "as you open all seven chakras at will."
"Then," Avatar Yangchen said. "You'll be able to defeat the Fire Lord by summer's end and end this horrible war."
"Good luck, Aang," Avatar Roku said. "And know that we won't be able to help you like before. It'll be just you and all your friends. But, we believe in you. And we'll help, no matter what."
Aang nodded. "I understand. Now how I do I get out of this?"
They smiled.
"All you do," Avatar Yangchen said, "Is let go of all the chakras. And you'll go back to your body and to the living world."
"It was nice seeing you again Aang," Avatar Kuruk whispered. "Good luck."
Aang smiled at his past lives and then closed his eyes. He felt all the chakras being released and when he opened his eyes again he saw Guru Pathik and Toph looking at him.
"Good job Aang," Toph said helping him to his feet, and then giving him a playful punch on his arm.
"Yes, good," the Guru said.
"We have to go," Toph said. "It's only two days till we have to meet Katara and Sokka at the wall of Ba Sing Se. We gotta go now."
Aang looked over to her and saw the future Toph in her eyes. He nodded. "Yeah, we have to go."
He walked over to Guru Pathik. "Thank you," Aang said to the very old man. "Thank you for everything. And thanks for the second chance."
"No problem, Aang," Pathik replied. "Now go on. Go save the world."
Aang smiled and ran to Toph. Then they started running up the tunnel that they had made only hours before.
Aang smiled.
Now he was only steps away from his destiny at beating the Fire Lord and restoring peace throughout the nations.
………
Azula shot up in her bed. A cold sweat was drowning her face and neck as she awoke from her sleep.
A maid hurried in and bowed by her bed. "Your highness, is something wrong? Can I get you something?"
"Water," was all Azula replied.
The maid nodded and hurried off.
I feel something, Azula thought. It isn't good. Something's going to happen. The Avatar…he's coming. A lot of people are coming.
War is coming.
I'll have to be ready.
And a smirk passed Azula's face as her last thought came to mind before the maid returned.
Let the games begin.
Ugh, this chapter took forever!! It was over 7,000 words! Anyway I hope you like it and I hope the Avatars explaining helped some of the readers who don't know why he can't remember the Blue Spirit.
Review please!!
This is getting good!! ;)