Chapter seven
The sun was just rising on the horizon of Omashu, showing off the majestic city as people began to awake to get to their errands. Shops were beginning to open, children were just starting to wake up, and the guards stationed at the front gates were still bored out of their minds. They would be stationed there for another two hours, and they couldn't wait until their shift was passed to the next unfortunate duo to take the boring task.
However, that morning, their boring task suddenly became a lot more interesting when the road leading to the city began to be filled with hundreds of people. At first they thought it was just a coincidence that so many people were traveling together on the same day, but it soon became apparent that they were all of the same group, their ragged clothing and appearance easily gave it away. Both of the guards looked in shock at each other, never seeing a group of refugees this large come to their city before.
Soon enough though, the one leading the group came in the forefront. A little bald kid with an arrow tattoo on his forehead and an equally noticeable smile as he waved at the two of them, "Hey, it's you two again, how are you guys doing?"
Aang couldn't help be laugh as he watched their dumbfound expressions widen in disbelief. It soon became apparent however that nothing was going to be said any time soon, so Aang took the initiative.
"My friends and I liberated a concentration camp a few days away from here. These people are sick, and a lot of them need medical attention. The ones worst off are on my flying bison. Can you guys please arrange some doctors to come check these people out?"
"O- Of course!" One of them finally sputtered, and he ran full speed into the city to do just that. The other one nodded his head towards Aang.
"I will go alert the King about them as well, I'm sure he'd want to know, please wait here, we will have someone to escort these people to the hospital as soon as possible." He bowed once more to Aang before rushing into the city too.
"They're finally showing you some respect." Toph said walking up next to Aang, "It took them long enough!"
"It was all of us who did it Toph; I don't want to take all the credit for myself."
"Whatever Twinkle Toes," Toph said in disgust, "You always have to be so modest! Why? You deserve to bask in your glory every once in a while - as long as you don't force me to acknowledge it!" She said laughing.
Aang grinned as he turned towards Toph as he waited for the guards to return to allow them access into the city. He couldn't say he wasn't proud of his group, because that would be an outright lie. A few nights ago they had gone against impossible odds, and came out on top, saving hundreds of people from a horrible fate.
Everyone played their essential role in the victory, and even now they kept up their roles. Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors would go through the refugees, providing them with food and water, and also acting as the security force. Katara meanwhile was healing as many people as she could with her Waterbending, Toph would be at the front of the group making sure the pathway didn't have anything people could harm themselves over, smoothing out the road if she had to.
Sokka made sure they made it to the city in a timely manner, while Zuko assisted the Kyoshi Warriors with their job. Iroh had stayed behind to destroy the camp, and help the Fire Nation soldiers there get out all right, and Aang was at the front, leading the entire group of people numbering over a hundred, maybe even two hundred.
In other words, they were very organized, and a very powerful force to be reckoned with.
The front gates of the city began to open wide, and Aang walked along side Toph as the two children began to lead the large group behind them into the great city.
"Avatar, we will take them off your hands for you." A guard said, stepping forth from his formation, "We shall lead these people to the hospital in a timely manner."
"Thank you," Aang said bowing down to the man, who politely returned it as well. They stepped aside as the guards began to lead the people to their salvation. Aang had a light smile on his face, and even Toph was in a good mood, as evident when she punched him with a 'good job' thrown in. Aang knew that when Toph complimented his performance, he did exceptionally well.
Aang and Toph began to walk down the path of refugees, watching as the Kyoshi Warriors began to regroup at a different area. They spotted Suki among them, who waved at them. Aang waved back, and walked over to the group.
"Good job." Aang said bowing down to the Kyoshi Warriors, "I know Avatar Kyoshi would be proud of you girls."
"Thank you Avatar Aang," Suki bowed back to him, "That means a lot coming from you." The other Warriors did not miss a step, and bowed at the same time Suki did. Even though Suki and Aang were on first name basis, and were the best of friends, she had to keep up the act in front of the other Kyoshi Warriors; otherwise they would wonder why she would show blatant disrespect to the Avatar.
It didn't take long for Sokka and Zuko to meet up with them, and of the two of them, Sokka was unable to hide his incredibly good mood. He had his arm wrapped around Zuko's shoulder, and he was laughing hysterically, probably telling a really lame joke then, if Zuko's face was any indication to go by.
"Hey, how are you guys doing?" Sokka asked, "I'm just in a great mood." He didn't even attempt to hide his loving smile towards Suki from the other Warriors, making them cast their leader with suspicious glances.
Suki however didn't care either. Any restraints she was holding collapsed when he came near, and the two embraced each other like they hadn't seen each other in years. The two didn't break the embrace any time soon; they began to eye one another lovingly.
Zuko coughed into his hand, ruining the moment however, "You two can do that later. We have more important things to do now."
"Ah, yeah, you're right." Suki said, regaining her bearings. She felt herself blush a little when the Kyoshi Warriors started to giggle behind her.
Sokka didn't look happy about being taken apart from Suki, but decided it was better to just let it slide, considering all the good that was happening to them right now. "Ok, we can talk later." He said, winking at Suki, causing the girls to start laughing, Zuko to groan in annoyance, and Suki to blush even more than she was before, but she still had a sly smile on her face.
"Wow, I'm not one for this mushy crap." Toph said, "Where can I go fight again?"
"There's always time for mushy crap, Toph," Aang said, "You seem to enjoy doing it every once in a while."
Though the Kyoshi Warriors didn't know what he was referring to, Sokka and Suki both began to laugh, while Toph huffed with her face a red tint, but Zuko coughed into his hands upon hearing that, trying to pay attention to anything else at the moment.
"Where do you think Katara is?" Toph said, desperately changing the subject.
"She was on Appa with the sick." Aang said, looking to the sky, "I don't see her though. She did make it to the city before us I thought." Aang wondered aloud.
"I did." They all turned to see Katara walked towards them, "I landed Appa near the hospital, and allowed the doctors to take the patients in. I helped for a little while, but they said they could handle it once the people seem to be improving, so I left to come find you guys."
"Just in time too." Aang laughed, "We just got here."
"We should celebrate our first victory." Sokka said, "Is there a bar anywhere here we can go to? I could really use a drink after all of that."
Suki's eye twitched, but she didn't say anything, not wanting her Warriors to think she had been in a relationship with Sokka for more than fifteen years. Thankfully, she didn't have to say any, allowing Katara to do it for her.
Katara smacked her brother's head, "Drinking again Sokka?" She sighed, "I can't believe that is all you can think about right now."
"Hey, hey, it's a time to celebrate. What better way than to get smashed?" Sokka asked.
"I can think of a few hundred." Aang muttered, he shuddered at the last time he had to deal with a drunk Sokka, and nearly let out a yelp of terror when he remembered dealing with a drunken Toph, Now that's a scary thought.
"We're not going to do that." Katara insisted stubbornly, "We're underage if you don't remember Sokka." She said.
"We have the Avatar with us." Toph said, "I'm sure they would make an exception for us!"
"No." Zuko stated, "I think we better try to stay sober for a while."
"You're such a killjoy Zuko." Toph sighed, crossing her arms.
"Dealing with you when you're drunk is one of my worst fears now." He said in a small voice, "I will never forget that time when Ty Lee thought the wine was water and gave it to you..." He shook, "I don't ever want to be with you when you're drunk."
"You guys are such Sour Pusses." She sighed, "Fine. We won't drink; I guess my body couldn't handle it anyway."
"Good." Katara said, "Let's just rest for today, and tomorrow we'll see the King of Omashu first thing in the morning."
"We should see him today." Zuko disagreed, "We can't afford to waste time."
"Don't worry about it," Sokka said waving it off, "We have more than enough time to relax every once in a while."
"That is what you guys said when you wanted to wait for the comet," He whispered so the Kyoshi Warriors wouldn't hear, "We can't afford to wait."
"This is totally different." Aang persisted, "We have time Zuko, I know every element by heart now. I am practically a fully realized Avatar. Our goal is still the same, but the time limit to achieve it is over half a year, you just need to relax."
"Relax?" Zuko whispered, but stopped himself, "Fine. You're right. I'm just getting worked up over nothing." He decided.
"That's good." Aang nodded, "You really need to lighten up."
Zuko didn't trust himself to not snap out at Aang for that, so he just kept his mouth shut.
Sokka though looked like he was deciding something, his eyes traveling to the lower corner of his eye, and he was biting his lip. It wasn't entirely noticeable, but for his sister who had known him for decades, she saw it instantly, "Sokka, what's on your mind?"
He sighed, "I want to apologize."
"For what?" Aang asked.
"For being such an idiot after Kyoshi Island." At this point, Aang, Toph, and Katara were all listening, "I was wrong to do that. I was sad, but I let it completely consume me, and I wasn't being myself. Katara, I said I didn't need your love and nearly fought you-"
"That was my fault-" Katara tried to intervene.
"No. You hit me, but it was my words that made you do it. I am in the wrong here. I should never have thrown your words of comfort back in your face like that. I'm sorry Katara."
"It's ok Sokka." Katara said, patting him on the back.
"Aang, the same goes for you. I wasn't helping you at all, and I became a liability to your journey. I promise that it will not happen to me again."
"Don't worry about it; sometimes it's best to let your emotions all out." Aang shrugged, "I knew you'd eventually come around. I didn't know it was such extreme measures to do it," he laughed a little, "But you're normal again, and that is all I can ask for."
"Toph." Sokka turned to her, "Sorry for making the trip no fun for you up until now."
"Hey, I only regret not being there for the drama unfolding in the first place." Toph said, "But I forgive you anyway."
Suki chose that point to hug Sokka, which eventually lead into all five of them hugging each other. They looked expectantly over at Zuko.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me. I wasn't even a part of that at all."
"Being part of the group means being part of the group hugs." Aang recited the words that they always used when he refused.
He tried to be annoyed at that, but only felt glad that he was with such good friends. At one point in his life he would have never wanted this, but that time had passed. Zuko knew what his inner strength came from, and he knew that with his friends, he would be able to restore honor to the Fire Nation. He walked forth and wrapped his arms around his friends, and closed his eyes, and for the first time since coming back he felt content.
He would help Aang and his friends restore balance to the world, no matter who opposed him.
The city was understandably in an uproar over all the people arriving at once, but as news of the situation began to filter through the gossip that it was the Avatar who saved these people from a dire situation, their attitude began to change towards assisting these new people. Some of them were former residents of Omashu, and on more than one occasion a family was fully restored.
Throughout the night though, Aang refused to take part in the nearly city-wide celebration of the Avatar's return, as well as the return of their friends and family. When asked why by his friends, he would say that he didn't like parties, and that they deserved it as much as he did. So that is why he sat alone in the inn room Zuko had gotten, while everyone else was out having a good time. Probably dragged Zuko along. Aang thought, laughing a little.
He sat on the bed, looking out the window down at all the people walking through the streets chatting loudly over the news of the day, walking to where the celebration was to be held. His gaze looked up towards all the buildings that were yet to be destroyed, won't be destroyed. He corrected himself, before looking away. What kind of Avatar fails as much as I have? His thoughts began to spiral into his depressing state; I failed all these people once before, so many happy people. He let out a soft sigh before he turned his head away towards the doorway, shaking his head violently as if to erase the thoughts.
When he turned his head towards the door, he was surprised to see Katara leaning against it, just watching him quietly. She had cleaned up a great deal, since the past week they had been unable to bathe or do anything hygienic before the mission began, but now her hair was not covered in dirt and was dripping wet still, her skin was much cleaner than if she'd have done it with Waterbending, and she wore an Earth Kingdom robe.
"Have a fun bath?" Aang asked, knowing the answer.
"Yeah," She answered, "It feels really nice to be clean again." She attempted to dry her hair with her towel again, before giving it up and bending the water out.
"Sounds nice," Aang agreed, "Has Sokka and Suki taken theirs yet?" He knew Zuko did it the moment he came here, and Toph would never agree to such a thing.
"They took one together a while ago." She watched as Aang showed visible shock, "Yeah, I know, they're still young, blah blah, but I just let it slide this one time. You wouldn't believe it either, but Toph took one too, saying something about not wanting to look too dirty." She leaned forward a little bit and whispered, "I think she just didn't want Zuko to avoid her due to smell." She giggled at that, and walked towards him, "So it's just you now."
Aang nodded, "Yeah, I suppose I'll go now. Thank you Katara."
She paused and sighed, "What's wrong Aang?"
"What?"
"No, don't act like something's not wrong. I've been with you long enough to know when something is bothering you." She crossed her arm, narrowing her eyes at him.
"I don't think you'd like to hear it." He said honestly.
"It's about you feeling inadequate as the Avatar then?" He didn't even open his mouth before she raised her hand, "I have told you hundreds, maybe thousands of times already, that you're doing the best you can. I also see my words haven't gotten through to you though." She looked hurt.
"N- No!" He shouted, "I know I'm doing my best, but it's just that my best never really is any good, no wait." He cursed, that came out wrong.
She sighed, "Just go take a bath Aang."
He nodded, not wanting their conversation to deteriorate so fast after she finally started speaking to him again. He walked out of the room, shutting the door softly, and looked around the hallway, where the one bathroom of the inn was.
Bathrooms in the Earth Kingdom were quite a novelty, only shared mostly among the rich. For an inn such as this to even afford one showed that the owner was quite wealthy. Why he sold his rooms at such cheap prices baffled Aang though. The rest of the city's population, those not of the high class, went to the bathhouses located sparsely around the city to clean themselves. They were almost always crowded, but it provided a way for everyone to stay clean.
Aang's thoughts wandered away as he entered the bathroom, and began to take his bath.
The warm water soothed him, and his negative thoughts melted away as he just relaxed there. The comfortable heat making his eyes begin to get heavy. It must have been an hour later when he opened his eyes, and he shot up, realizing that he had dozed off. He sighed and got out, using Airbending to dry his body off. He then took one of the robes provided for people, and picked up his decidedly dirty clothes, knowing he would have to clean them later.
For now though, he wandered back to the room, and upon seeing no one there, he sat down on the bed and closed his eyes again.
"Why am I here?" Zuko asked himself for the hundredth time as he was being dragged across the city's hastily set up festivals by a very over active Toph. The two of them had bought new clothing with Zuko's remaining Earth Kingdom money, and he deeply regret it, the new clothes he got were a far cry from the rags he got at the port, and he looked like some sort of rich Earth Kingdom resident, and for some reason, that didn't sit well with Zuko.
His thoughts wandered to his boat and how his crew must be handling things, they must not be minding the extended vacation, since it was the very first time they had ever gotten more than two days to themselves in any such port in recent memory. Sure, it wasn't the nicest place to have a vacation at, but when they have been at sea for most of their year, the quality does matter quite as much.
Thinking of his crew inevitably led to thoughts about his uncle, and he knew he shouldn't feel worried, but thoughts of his uncle had plagued him since he left him at the camp. He knew he shouldn't be worried, yet it still wouldn't leave his mind. He decided to ignore the angst that was beginning to build up within himself and enjoy his time here. If he could anyway.
Toph made him spend all his money, but she promised him that she could pay for everything else, so he had allowed himself to buy these clothes. He did admit she looked cute in her kimono, even if she was barefoot, and he did feel good about doing it for her, which brought another wave of uncomfortable thoughts to his head about the young girl pulling him along the streets. Unlike Sokka and Suki, and Aang and Katara, he and Toph were a little further apart. It wasn't unheard of for married people to have such an age difference, in fact, it was quite common.
Zuko shook his head again, why in the world would I be thinking of marriage? He looked at Toph, and immediately imagined her laughing at him for having such sissy thoughts, as she would call them.
He had to examine deeply inside of himself though, did he care for Toph in that way? He mused over it, remembering Mai, and how he and she were in a relationship. Mai and Ty Lee even travelled with them over the world with them for quite a long time, until they died. He grimaced at the last thought, they had been caught in the Fire Nation, going under the stupid idea of the enemy would never expect them right under their noses. Of course, it seemed to prove incorrect. They had been attacked at night, and if it hadn't been for Aang staying awake, he doubted any of them would have escaped.
There were so many assassins there to try and kill them that in the end Mai and Ty Lee stayed behind to hold them off while they escaped. Zuko felt his heart beat heavily in his chest at the memory. Those two girls betrayed his sister to assist them, and even taught them a lot of their abilities. Losing them was like losing a part of himself, and he didn't have any doubt that the rest of his friends felt the same way.
He returned to his original analysis of his relationship with Toph, trying to figure out how he felt for her. She was always blunt, rude, obnoxious, arrogant, and the list could go on. He then tried to think of her good qualities, she was honest, confident, powerful, and she truly cared for her friends.
He sighed, maybe he could decide this another time, his head was beginning to hurt with all these thoughts running rampart through his mind.
"Hey, your heartbeat is going wild," Toph said, turning to him, "What's on your mind?"
"A lot of things," He answered truthfully, easily evading the real question, and not lying at the same time.
"A lot of things are always on your mind." She said laughing, "Let's go get something to eat; you have to be hungry right?"
He thought for a bit, "I guess so."
"Good!" She turned towards a stand selling a weird doughy substance that was round and sugary. He looked down at Toph, and held in his sigh, he should have known she would go for the sweets instead of real food.
"Here Zuko!" She said, handing him one, "I said I would buy everything else for the evening. I meant it."
Zuko looked wide eyed at her, surprised at her genuine gesture.
Maybe there's more to her than I first imagined. He thought, taking the sticky dough and taking a bite out of it, and his eyes lit up, "Wow, this is good."
"That's good." Toph said, "I could only smell it, but from the smell alone it seemed worth buying."
Zuko chuckled at that, "All right, where do you want to go now?" He asked, nibbling on his treat.
Toph grabbed his hand again and began to pull him around some more. This time though, Zuko ran with her, instead of letting her drag him. She had a weird way of showing her affection, but he knew that she truly cared for him, so the least he could do was have a good time with her and push all the thoughts out of his head for now.
Sokka and Suki fidgeted as they wandered around the city, not really paying attention to the stands or any other attraction that the festival had to offer. Instead, they just basked in the knowledge of knowing that they were safe for the moment, and that they were with each other. They looked up at the darkening sky, watching at the stars began to appear as well. Unfortunately, night time in the city, especially during the winter season was pretty cold, and soon the stalls began to close up as the cold began to get to be a little too much.
Fortunately, Sokka had thought ahead, and he was wearing his winter coat, and he secretly got Katara's for Suki.
They wandered around until they were in a square with a large fountain in the middle, a few people were left wandering around, but otherwise, it was clear. The two sat at the edge of the fountain, looking into each other's eyes. Nothing would ruin the moment for either of them, and as they leaned in to kiss, Suki's almost closed eyes widened, and she looked pass Sokka.
"Is that your sister?"
"Not now." Sokka muttered, lowering the arm Suki had raised, but when the words got through his head, he blinked a few times, "What?"
"It is." She pointed towards Katara, who looked to be in a depressed, angry, annoyed stage sitting on a bench alone. Her legs were brought up to her chest, and she wrapped her arms around them. Her gaze was glossed over, and she was lost in thought. Suki and Sokka parted, and began to walk over to her, well, Suki was, but Sokka hesitated, before going with his future wife to see what was up with his little sister.
"Katara?" Suki said, reaching down and touching the girl on the shoulder.
She reacted instantly, her head snapping up towards them, and she quickly broke out of the position she was sitting, "Sokka? Suki?" She said in surprise, "What are you doing?"
"We were about to make out and then we saw you." Sokka answered truthfully, Katara sent a half-hearted glare at her brother, "Hey, you asked."
"What are you doing here?" Suki asked.
"I came out here to think." She admitted, not seeing any reason to lie, "It's Aang, he-"
"Aang did this?" Sokka said, reaching the wrong conclusion, "Did he try to hurt you or something? No wait, he tried to go too far and you just managed to escape, or-"
"Sokka!" Katara shouted, "Shut up!"
"So it was none of those?"
"No, it was nothing like that." She stressed, "I can't believe you'd even accuse him of those things. I doubt he could even do it even if he wanted to."
"So what's the problem?" Suki said, sitting next to the other girl.
"He hasn't told anyone but me, but I think it's time to get someone else's opinion on this. He constantly berates himself, he doesn't think he deserves to be the Avatar, and even though we've been doing so well, he constantly remembers his past failures, and never allows himself to enjoy anything that has to do with his success. Instead, he wants to brood about it all day. I have been trying to get him to break out of this for years now, he always nods his head like he understands, but it just comes in one ear and out the other." She let out an annoyed growl, "I can't stand it when he does that to himself."
"And he was doing it today?" Sokka asked.
"Yeah, and this time I snapped." She admitted, "We just did our first big success in this life, and all he can think about is how he failed before! It doesn't matter now, but he doesn't understand that! What can I do to make him understand that?"
She looked up to her brother, her eyes beginning to water, "Wow, this means a lot to you doesn't it." Sokka wondered aloud.
"It does. He is almost never happy anymore. Whenever he is happy, something comes along to remind him of how he somehow failed, and then he gets depressed again. I can't stand it; he has to put it all behind him."
Sokka looked down, "He did really screw up though," He admitted, "The Avatar state is gone, and our biggest advantage doesn't exist anymore."
Katara forced herself not to slap her brother, "But it doesn't matter anymore! I can't believe you'd say something like that!"
"Hey, I'm not blaming the guy, he has done a lot of things I could never do. I think he is just really stressed, because he wants to defeat the Fire Lord this time, and not mess up again. It's probably never leaving his mind, looming over him no matter what he does. At least, I know it would be for me." He sighed, "It's a big responsibility, and I completely understand where he's coming from."
"Then why does he constantly berate himself for his past failures?" Katara yelled, "I can understand he's stressed about fighting the Fire Lord, I know I'm stressed when I think of those things, but right now we don't have to worry about it! He worries about his past, not the future." She explained, "How can I knock it out of him?"
Sokka sighed, "Katara, sometimes things like that just stay with a person their whole life. I think it's something he'll have to get over by himself."
"Come on Sokka, isn't there something you can do to help her out?" Suki asked.
Sokka thought for a bit and sighed, "You said that you snapped at him right?"
"I didn't mean to."
"I know, you wouldn't mean to hurt a fly," Sokka laughed, "but right now he probably feels a hundred times worse. He likes to think things are worse than they are too, so he probably feels that you're never going to be by him anymore, or something stupid like that."
"That's ridiculous." Katara muttered.
"It's Aang." Sokka countered, "His imagination always makes things a hundred times worse for him than they actually are. Look, I'm not one to come to for advice, I'm not sure why you're asking me and not someone else, but if I were you, I would go back to him and assure him that you're willing to help him through his guilt. He might not accept your help, but at least he'll know you care."
Katara nodded, and stood up, "You're right."
"It's also killing you to be apart from him." Sokka noted, "You look like hell."
She wiped her tear stained face, "Shut up." She said, but he could see a smile on her face. She then leaned in and hugged her brother, "Thank you Sokka." She whispered into his ear, before she ran off to the inn, "Oh, and I will forgive you just this once for letting Suki use my coat without asking!" She shouted back to them before running out of their vision.
Sokka sat down where Katara previously was, "Just because I come up with the plans she expects me to know how to handle her relationship problems." Sokka sighed, "I will never understand her."
"I think you did a great job." Suki said, leaning towards him.
"I love you." Sokka said, leaning forward two, connecting his lips with hers.
It didn't take long for Katara to make it back from where she came, by then it was dark, the moon was just a sliver in the sky now, but it was helpful enough as it was. She was able to pass by a few people still out on that chilly night, and entered the inn. The ground floor was packed, and rightfully so, since the ground floor was a bar, with their rooms were upstairs. Katara pushed pass the people, and headed upstairs.
She opened the door to their room, and disappointment filled her when she saw that it was empty. She crossed her arms, as she walked in, and sat on a bed. Where could he have gone? She tried to think, but nothing came to mind.
"The staff here is excellent!" Someone said in the hall, but from the voice Katara knew it was Toph, "They cleaned our clothes, and wow, they feel so soft! I wonder what they used."
The bored voice of Zuko came through next, "We're companions of the Avatar. I would be surprised if they didn't do a good job."
The door opened, and Toph came in holding her green clothes, while Zuko came in carrying everyone else's clothes. Immediately Katara's attention was brought to the clothing that they were currently wearing, "Where did you buy those?"
"I got them because she forced me to." Zuko sighed, "Now I have no money. We're lucky the owner of this place is letting us use this room for free. Thank the spirits for Avatar insurance."
"Hey, stop complaining." Toph said, smacking his arm, almost making him drop the pile of clothes in his arm, "I paid for everything else."
"Did you use our money?" Katara asked, feeling a little alarmed, "We don't have that much to be sp-"
"No, I did not use your money Sugar Queen," Toph said, "I'm part of the Bei Fong family. People see this," She showed them the official sign of the Bei Fong family, "And they give me anything I want."
"That's underhanded of you." Katara said, but she was smiling anyway, "So those are our clothes?"
"Yes." Zuko said, gently putting them on the bed, "They're clean."
"That's good." Katara sighed, "I can't wait to get back into them so I can begin to train again. I've really slacked off in that regard..."
"Sure did." Toph said sitting on the opposite bed of her, "I figured you'd be with Aang. Where is he anyway?"
"I don't know." Katara admitted, "I'm looking for him."
"Did you guys have a fight again?" Toph asked, not waiting for an answer she continued on, "Jeez, you guys seem to never have a normal relationship."
"We didn't fight." Katara growled, "I just needed to be away from him for a little bit to reorganize my thoughts."
"After a fight."
"No!" Katara shouted.
"I can feel if you're lying Katara." Toph chided, "I know that you fought with him again."
"We had a minor disagreement." She said crossing her arms, hoping Toph would drop it.
"Whatever." Toph sighed, "You want to make up with him again, right? He's on the roof from what I can tell."
Katara looked up, "How did he get up there?"
"Beats me." Toph said, "It's pretty cold out now though, so if I were you I would-"
Katara ran out of the room before Toph could finish.
"Now that's just rude." Toph said crossing her arms.
Zuko sat on the other bed and stretched. He closed his eyes, and muttered, "I'm going to sleep now. Please, don't wake me up." Toph let out a sigh.
He leaned down, and closed his eyes, leaving Toph sitting on her bed. She could hear Zuko breathing in and out, and could vaguely feel his heart beating through the soft fabrics of the bed he was on. Knowing that it was late, she shrugged too, and began to lie down on the bed she was on. She intended to just relax for a little bit, but the actions from the last few days took its toll on her young body, and soon she was sound asleep as well.
Katara was getting mad, due to her inability to find out how to get up there. The thought occurred to her that Aang might have just Airbendered up there, and she was beginning to regret not asking Toph to Earthbend her up there. She groaned, and looked out a window at the end of the hall, and seeing a ledge she could use to climb up there. Seeing no other options, she remembered back to the lessons Ty Lee had taught her, and reached forth to begin climbing up.
The building was only two stories high, but exiting the second floor window still made the height seem significantly higher. Swallowing down the lump in her throat, she focused on climbing up the roof. She grunted as she pulled herself up over the window, and stood on the small ledge that the top of the window had protruding from it.
The rest of the way was fairly easy, and soon she rolled onto the top of the roof and let out a breath.
"Katara?" Aang asked, turned to her in surprise, "What are you doing here?"
She stood and dusted off the robe she was wearing. It was already getting dirty, and she just cleaned earlier! Letting the troublesome thoughts go aside, she looked back to Aang, "I came to apologize."
"What for?" Aang asked with genuine confusion in his eyes.
"I snapped at you earlier when you were talking to me, and forced you to go away."
"You didn't force me to do anything." Aang said, "I went out because you didn't seem to want to talk to me then."
"What?"
"Yeah, I thought you just wanted space. I didn't want you to stop talking to me so soon after we began to talk again."
"I thought you left because you were angry with me."
"You asked me to leave, so I left." Aang said, now he was really confused, "Was I not supposed to leave?"
"I felt bad! I thought you were hurt or hated me or something." She confessed, beginning to feel foolish for her earlier reaction.
Aang let out a low chuckle, which turned to a full blown laugh shortly after, "You've been reading too many romance stories." He said, as the laughter subsided, "Katara, I would never hate you. We have our occasional disagreements, and in fact, I should be the one apologizing to you."
"Why?" She was bewildered, not sure where this conversation was heading anymore.
"I do let my past catch up to me too much." He openly admitted for the first time, "It's something I think I'm going to have to deal with for a long time."
Katara remembered what Sokka said, "It's something you need to deal with yourself."
Aang blinked, "You understand?"
"No, but I told Sokka about it." Aang winced at that, "Don't worry, he won't tell anyone else. I needed his advice. I'm sorry."
Aang sighed, "I'm sorry for giving you the impression that I would hate you. I'll admit that I was a little hurt by you telling me to go, but I thought by listening to you it would show you I still cared or something." He rubbed the back of his head, "I'm not so good at this whole romance thing."
"Nah," Katara said waving that off, "You're just right for it."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Aang said smiling at her, but it fell, "To be honest, I thought it would be you who left me."
"I wouldn't do that." She said, "I may not understand why you need to face this by yourself, but I will always be by your side to help you through anything."
Aang nodded at that oddly silent, "I wouldn't mind." he whispered, "I wouldn't mind if you did help me through it. I just want you to understand that it's not going away until I get over it. I understand that what we did was good; it was a success, our first real one here. I know that, I just have to learn how to live the rest of my life with the knowledge I failed once."
The two sat side by side, watching the night sky together on top of the roof, before Katara sighed, "It's pretty cold out here."
Aang reached his hand out and created a small flame, "Better?"
Katara smiled and leaned into his side, "Yeah, much better."
"I love you Katara." He said, turning to face her.
"I love you too," She said, leaning in and kissing Aang.
The two stayed out for quite a time, just enjoying each other's company just like at the Southern Air Temple once again.
The next morning arrived, and the town was recovering from a night of parties. People were sluggish from the night, others were hung-over, and the guards walked to the gates of the Palace where their King lived. Behind them followed the Avatar, Katara to his right, and Sokka was on Aang's other side. Toph and Zuko followed closely behind them, and further behind followed Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors.
The guards were far enough ahead to open the gates and allow Aang and his friends to walk on without stopping at all. Soon they were followed by another group of men, the King's royal guards; They looked down at the children in visible signs of disbelief, awe, and respect. They didn't say anything, the air of professionalism was evident, and soon they were walking in the throne room.
At the end the King looked up, and his eyes widened in recognition before they set back into their previous state, a mischievous smile crossing his face. The children were brought forth, and the guards took stance around the room. It was unnecessary for these children, but at the same time it was required of their job. Only their King could call them off.
"Oh," The King said, "Who is this child?"
"Oh, I'm hurt," Aang said, deciding to take this once in a life time chance to prank his old friend, "I thought for sure you'd recognize me."
"I have been alive for quite a while," The King said, "I don't remember things as well as I usually do. However, I do recognize you Avatar." He smiled, amusing the boy.
"Oh? You still don't recognize me?" The King's smile dropped, and his eyes widened, "Yeah, I can recognize you if given two life times to do so Bumi, it's nice to be back."
Bumi's shock was mild, as if he found out his milk was expired a few days early, "Oh, well, it's nice to see you again Aang. Especially since this is the only time I will ever meet someone who has seen me a hundred and twelve years old twice." He didn't hide his skull splitting smile as Aang's mouth dropped open, along with the other five children.
To the rest of the people in the room, the guards just chalked it up to some nonsense the King was saying, and the Kyoshi Warriors were also beginning to get that impression as well.
"There is much we need to discuss Aang, how about only among us one hundred and twelve old folk, hm?" Bumi said, standing up, "I could use a little walk anyway. Guards, see to it that our special guests are treated to anything they want while we are gone. Come Aang!" Aang was still in a state of shock as he began to walk by King Bumi out of the room.
Once they left the room, Aang turned to Bumi, "How did you know?"
"An old friend told me, you should know, since you've heard of the White Lotus." Bumi replied, his laughter filling the air, "Ah, poor you, tried to surprise me by knowing me already, before telling me what was going on!" He laughed hysterically, and then stopped; he turned to Aang very seriously, "That isn't very nice."
Aang sputtered, "Ah, eh, well, you…" He was at a loss of words.
"Don't worry Aang," Bumi said patting the boy on the shoulder, "Why don't you start with what happened to my city?"
"You know?"
"I told you, I know everything."
"Iroh told you." Aang sighed, "I wish he didn't, I really wanted to surprise you."
"I don't think my mind or body could take the shock of that," Bumi laughed.
They were walking along the perimeter of the palace now, the heat from the sun creating a nice contrast to the coolness of the air. It was during this walk, that Aang told Bumi everything that he knew happened in the last timeline up until his defeat at Ozai's hands, mentioning what the lion turtle told him and all. Bumi's expression during the entire thing never changed, he just gave Aang a critical look, his hand on his chin, as if he were thinking very hard about what he was told.
When the tale ended he nodded, "You've had quite an adventure then." He decided to say, making Aang's jaw fall once more.
"That's all you have to say?"
"Um, tough luck?" Bumi said shrugging.
Aang slapped his forehead, "What do you think I should do now?"
"Well, I will be sure not to allow my city to fall this time." Bumi said, "It seems that my men and I are required elsewhere during the eclipse." He smiled seeing Aang's shocked face, "I think this time we should try to end it then, instead of on the day the comet comes, don't you agree?"
"Yeah!" Aang said, happy about Bumi's plan, "We plan on saving everyone else so they could help if we have the invasion on that day too. I think the next place we're going is to convince a future friend of ours to use Earthbending. Hopefully this time by saving his dad instead of having him be captured."
"Sounds like fun, I wish I could go with you." Bumi sighed, "Politics are not very fun Aang. When you become a fully realized Avatar and defeat Ozai, I hope you're ready to deal with all the conflict that will surely arise."
"I can't become a fully realized Avatar." He whispered to Bumi.
"Oh? Why is that?"
"Because I died when I was in the Avatar state, effectively ending the line of Avatars. I shouldn't be alive right now; Katara healed me with her spirit water."
"So you're the last Airbender and Avatar?" Bumi asked looking towards Aang for confirmation, "Are you certain that you can't restart the chain?"
"I'm positive. My connection to the spirit world is weakened too; I can only go through when I'm within an area of high spiritual presence." He slapped his head, "I'm such a failure."
"You are." Bumi nodded.
"Thanks." Aang said flatly.
"You're welcome!" Turning serious again though, he looked out across the city, "Aang, your connection to the spirits, weak as it is, proves to me that everything you think is wrong, may not be so. Have you ever thought the powers of the Avatar are just locked within you?"
"Then how do I unlock it?" Aang asked, intrigued by the direction of the conversation.
"Beats me, you're the Avatar, you're the one who's going to have to figure it out."
Aang sighed, "I figured as much."
"Now, we've been out here long enough. Let's go see how your friends are doing. Oh, right." He laughed, "That Fire Nation kid, I have been watching him very closely." He turned to Aang, "He came with you from the future, right?"
"Zuko?" Aang asked, "Yeah, he's a trustworthy friend."
"I have been wondering if I should have detained him last night," Bumi admitted, "But if you say he's trustworthy, I suppose I will trust your word."
"It was great to see you again Bumi." Aang said, hugging the older guy.
Bumi hugged his friend back, "It's always nice to see an old friend after a century. It fills an old man's heart with joy to see you again."
Aang smiled as he and Bumi had finally wandered back into the throne room.
Everyone was sitting around bored out of their mind. Aang and Bumi had been gone for over two hours, so they had plenty of time to do nothing. Sokka was the only one having anywhere near a decent time, and that was because he was sitting on the throne ordering the guards to get him something to eat. The guards shrugged, because Bumi had said to give them royal treatment, so they left and did as they were requested.
"I see you've all had a good time," Bumi said.
"Yeah, a great time." Toph said sarcastically.
"That's nice to hear."
Toph frowned, but then decided to shrug it off, knowing King Bumi's antics.
"King Bumi knows everything," Aang said, stepping forward, "Now what do we need to do?"
Sokka grinned at that, "Time to begin to recruit people for the eclipse."
"When is it going to be?" A Kyoshi Warrior asked.
"In summer," He answered, when it looked like she wanted to know more he said, "I read it in a book."
The girl sighed, knowing it would be useless to try and pry more information out of him. Instead, she looked to Suki, "Are we going to assist them then?"
"Yeah," Suki said, "He'll have our support."
"Great!" Sokka cheered, "So now we have the Kyoshi Warriors helping us, we need to go around and save people to help us out."
"We also have Omashu's support." Aang said, "Bumi said he'd come with us during the eclipse."
"We have an army?" Sokka asked, "So we won't have to deal with Ba Sing Se!"
"Well, I think we should also see if we can get Ba Sing Se to help us." Aang said, "There's a lot of good we could do there."
Sokka didn't hide his disappointment, "Right."
"So, where to?" Aang asked.
Chapter seven - End