Legal necessities: I own these thoughts, but am bitter about not owning the last airbender.
Chapter 9: Bitter Thoughts
Two people ran up a hill, laughing. The older one - a man - seemed familiar, but the little boy chasing him was a complete stranger. Black tendrils seemed to twist and coil at the edge of the scene, black snakes swarming around, but neither of the two people seemed to notice. "I got you dad!" The boy yelled, posing in a mock Firebending pose for a moment.
The man twirled around, letting out a laughing grunt as he fell to the ground 'dying'. His son wasted no time flinging his small body over his fathers stomach, and they just lay there under the sun, laughing without a care in the world.
"Kana, get up! Today's the day!" Kana's eyes snapped open, her chest constricting tightly until her gaze fell on her friends face, just inches away. She swatted him away with a hiss, sitting up. He knew she didn't like being woken up that way!
"Aang, what have I told you?" She scolded, rubbing her eyes with a hand.
"You're not a Firebender, you rise with the moon, not the sun, and no you will not play glider chicken Cow with me." He listed off, counting on each finger impatiently. "But today's a special day, we get to Earthbend today!"
"I've been Earthbending for a month now Aang, the thrill wears off with Toph pretty quickly. I'm going back to bed now."
"But Kana, if you practice Earthbending with me today, I might have a surprise for you." Aang grinned, making her glare at him suspiciously.
"What kind of surprise?"
"A surprise that might just be half as awesome as these." He said, shoving his yang bracelet underneath her nose.
"Fine, I'll help with your training, but Toph gets you first." Kana said, raising a hand to stop him from cheering. Aang didn't have time to ignore the gesture and cheer anyways, as the earth tent Toph put up, exploded.
"Good morning Earthbending students!" She yelled, walking forward. "Kana, why are you still in your sleeping bag?" She asked darkly, making the Waterbender grin. Without warning, she ripped the earth out from under her masters feet, sending Aang into the air with a shout. Toph leapt back, and by the time her feet touched the ground, Kana was standing.
"Nice one," the Earthbender commented, punching her in the shoulder, "you can practice with Sweetness while I deal with Twinkle Toes over here."
"I'd love to work with you, Kana." Katara smiled, getting up from her own makeshift bed. "You said you had a special technique to show me before we left the North Pole."
"Can a person never sleep with you people around?" Sokka shouted, jumping up with his sleeping bag still around him. He began to hop away, obviously going to find a place to sleep, but Kana kicked the ground causing a block of dirt to rise up, and ram right into Sokka's butt, tipping him over. He glared over his shoulder, only to be met with a group of laughter. Grumbling, he didn't even bother to get back up, and began to worm away, leaving the benders to themselves.
"I've taught you well, my student." Toph snickered, putting an arm around Kana's shoulder, before turning to Aang. "Now onto you Twinkle Toes, you better not disappoint me!"
"Yes!" Aang shouted, jumping into the air. "What are you going to teach me first? The Rock-alanch? The Grave Digger? The-" Toph slapped her hand over his mouth, shutting him up.
"Let's just start with, move a rock." She said, dragging him away by the hand.
"I'm going to start on breakfast," Katara said, "you can try to get a little more sleep if you want."
"Thanks, Katara, I'll do that." Kana murmured, getting back in her sleeping bag.
"Afterwards you have to show me that technique though!"
"I promise."
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He had been given command of a small town on the outskirts of Ba Sing Se. He had been waiting to go to war for a long time. Though he did not agree with the Fire Nation, it was his country and he'd fight to protect it. Besides, it was expected of him. Just as it was expected that he would not fall in love with an Earth Kingdom peasant.
He barely knew her name, he had only heard it on accident, when a passer by commented on her kindness. Tian, it meant sky, which her gray eyes so reminded him of. They were always filled with love, whether she was patting a stray dog, or playing with a Fire Nation child. She was amazing, but they never said a single word to each other, even though he saw her stare sometimes.
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Kana woke with a stiff neck, and a pounding heart. She knew who that man was, it was the same one she had talked to in the swamp. When she saw Katara filling a bowl with soup, relief flooded through her, a distraction, thank the spirits. Kana took the bowl that was offered to her, and placed it to her lips. It was good, considering Katara only had a limited amount of ingredients to work with.
"When do you want to work on our bending?" she asked.
"I want to go check up on Aang and Toph first, if that's okay." Katara replied with a smile.
"Of course it is, I have a feeling Aang's not going to get it right away." she said, getting up, and stretching.
"Why do you say that?" Katara asked, standing as well. A boulder soared past them into a cannon wall, making the Waterbender jump as Kana laughed.
"It'll be easier to just show you." She replied, jogging forward to find Aang and Toph standing in Earthbending stances.
"I'm ready." Aang's eyes narrowed and he punched forward, but a blast of air sent him shooting backward, and slamming into Appa's side only to fall on his face.
"Rock beats Airbender!" Sokka snickered, still in his sleeping bag, sitting on a nearby rock. Kana quickly sent him flying with a pillar of earth before walking over to her friend.
"I don't understand, I did it just like you." Aang complained, starting walking in a circle around the rock. "Maybe I could go at it from another angle."
"No, that's the problem. You've got to stop thinking like an Airbender." Toph snapped, knocking her fist lightly against the side of Aang's head, making him wince slightly. "There's no different angle, no clever solution, no trickity trick that's going to move that rock." She shoves Aang, causing him to cry out and stumble away.
"Kana! Come show Twinkle Toes how a real Earthbender does it!" She ordered, pointing at the boulder. "And remember to use your head!"
"Right." Kana nodded. As she moved forward, she slipped seamlessly into a bending stance, leapt into the air, and slammed her forehead into the rock. Her skull vibrated as the earth blew apart, eliciting a shout of shock from Aang. Placing a hand on her ringing head, she glanced up at everyone with a smirk. "Done and done."
"When did you learn how to do that?" Aang yelped.
"She didn't!" Toph growled back. "She did what she was told without hesitation, and without question! Understand, Master Arrow Head? Breezing around isn't going to do anything to the rock, only sheer will power can move it!"
Aang looked down, unsure of himself, making Toph snort and stomp away, Katara hot on her heels.
"It's okay Master Arrow Head," Kana teased lightly, taking his hand and squeezing gently, "you'll get this, just like I got Firebending."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, fire and water are opposites, just like air and earth. It's hard to try and learn how to be something you're not. It isn't just learning a new bending form; it's a new way of thinking as well."
"How did you get past the block?" Aang asked, starring.
"I had to find something that ignited my inner flame, something that could push past the fact that I was a Waterbender, because I was desperate enough too."
"What was it?" he asked, wide eyed.
"It was keeping you safe."
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He had talked to her today. They had spoken to each other, and he could have sworn that the sun had shone brighter for the rest of the day. It was a random twist of fate that they had been able to talk to each other, and he thanked the spirits that he hadn't stayed home that day. If he had, he wouldn't have been buying apples at the market when those children pulled their little prank.
They had removed on of the planks from the stand, sending all the fresh apples sprawling on the ground. The fruit vendor had leapt after his produce, asking people for help, but everyone just ignored him, going so far as to literally step on his livelihood! The Fire Nation soldier watched as the scene played out, sighed, the got on his hands and knees to help.
As he gathered the fruit into his arms, there was a bump on his shoulder. Expecting it to be the shopkeeper, he glanced up to apologize, but froze when his eyes met the sky. His throat tightened in surprise, all thoughts fleeing his mind when she gave him a tiny smile. "I expected more people to help this poor man, didn't you?" she asked
His mouth went dry so he nodded, swallowing. "It's the right thing to do."
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"Waterbending is the most powerful form in the world." Kana said, knocking Katara out of her meditative trance.
"What?" She asked, bewildered. "Aang said that all of the elements are equal."
"Being equal is different from being powerful." Kana stated, shaking her head. "Have you ever wondered that the Avatar cycle - excluding the second Avatars of course - always restarts with Water? Then Earth, Fire, and Air. And if you look at each natural disaster, that is the order in destruction?"
"No." Katara murmured thoughtfully, "I guess I just never thought about it before."
"But you have made the connection that of all the elements, only Waterbending's original master was a spirit. The others were all animals."
"I've always wondered about that, it doesn't make much sense that animals wouldn't be able to learn Waterbending."
"Is it, Katara? Animals are not like spirits and people, they simply live their lives, they don't seek power like we do."
"But power always brings about destruction, whether intentional or not." Katara argued, "Waterbending is about healing."
"That is only half of what water is. People see it as soft and gentle, but keep in mind that Waterbending is built on the foundations of Yin and Yang. To heal, and to destroy."
"Then how come Master Pakku never told me these things?"
"Despite what you might believe, Katara, the Northern Water Tribe hasn't found balance. They lean to much towards healing, unable to embrace the more violent side of their element."
"I can understand why, it sounds dangerous." Katara mumbled, holding her arms.
"You are remembering the beginning of your training, aren't you?" Kana asked gently, and the other girl nodded.
"The strange thing about it, wasn't that it was so brutal, it was that in the end, I felt more whole. It was frightening."
"Never be afraid of your element, Katara." Kana chastised sternly, taking hold of the other girl by the shoulders. "Waterbender's don't crave destruction, or even healing. They need balance. And as a girl, you had been held away from a vital part of that balance, and when you finally had it, it made you more complete."
"How do you reach that balance when bending?" Katara asked suddenly, resolve hardening. "I want to make the moon and ocean spirits proud."
"That's what I wanted to show you, I'm going to teach you Southern style Waterbending." Kana said with a grin.
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He sat on a bridge overlooking a fast flowing river, feet dangling precariously over the ledge. He wondered what it would be like if he jumped into the rapids below. He wouldn't resurface, but for a moment, it'd be worth it. It would be an epic end, to an ordinary life.
"You seem a little to serious to be sitting up there." A voice said from behind him.
"What?" He asked, turning around. His heartbeat quickened when he met Tian's gray gaze.
"The ledge," she laughed, walking over to where he was sitting. "It's too pretty a sight to be sad when looking at." He agreed, though he was staring at her instead of the water.
"I've noticed you around town," she said suddenly, "you're nicer than the other soldiers. Kinder. You don't take your frustrations out on the towns people."
"They don't mean to act the way they do," he replied quietly, "they've been away from the Fire Nation for a long time, they miss their homes."
"And they blame us for not being able to go back." Tian whispered, staring down at her hands.
"I don't." He said, gazing at the horizon, where the sun met the earth.
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"Fire is the element of power. The people of the Fire Nation have desire and will, and the energy and drive to achieve what they want. The people of the Water Tribe are capable of adapting to many things. They have a deep sense of community and love that holds them together through anything. " Iroh said, drawing the two elemental symbols next to each other with a stick.
"What does this have to do with the sickness I told you about?" Zuko asked, a little annoyed. "The woman who cared for me said it wasn't one of the body, but of the mind. I thought you would know about this!"
"To understand what happened within you, you must understand what's happened beyond you, as you've been informed of, the fever you endured wasn't caused by the earth around us."
"This isn't time for your complex sayings, Uncle!" Zuko snapped, glaring.
"This is no saying, Nephew." Iroh said cutting him off, and silencing him with a look. "The reason you fell ill in such a manner is because one of your chakras has been forcibly opened. When a chakra truly opens, it is a life changing event, not something you walk away from wondering if something's happened or not. A shift that will be clearly seen and felt."
"But how was it opened if I made no effort to do so?" Zuko asked, frustrated.
"The answer to your question is easily found, but you refuse to find it. It should be no surprise that the chakra opened was the Sacral. Otherwise known as the Water Chakra. Perhaps that is also why your illness was so great."
"The Water Chakra..." Zuko croaked, realization beginning to sink in.
"This chakra often offers us the opportunity to lessen our control issues and find a balance in our lives, teaching us to recognize that acceptance and rejection are not the only options in our relationships." Iroh explained, pushing on with a bitter taste on his tongue.
"You're saying Kana is the reason it was ripped open, aren't you?" Zuko whispered, and his uncle nodded.
"It is also why she played such a large roll in your dream. You have come to identify her as someone who radiates warmth, and sincere friendliness without coming on too strongly. She is open to the world around her; she has energy, compassion, grounded intuition, and emotional stability. Kana is the picture of a balanced Sacral chakra."
"That explains the dream and the fever, but not what happened when I was facing Azula! I avoided fighting her, even though if I had, the Avatar would have been exposed!" Zuko shouted, and Iroh couldn't help but feel sorry for his nephew as he said his next words.
"Prince Zuko, the Sacral chakra is the frailest of them all, and the easiest to corrupt. To keep from re-closing it, your mind will refuse any actions that will hurt her. You will never be able to capture the Avatar if Kana is with him."
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His grandfather, his father, his uncle, his cousins. None of them would understand, or forgive him.
Her grandmother, her mother, her aunt, her cousins. None of them would understand, or forgive her.
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"I can't believe it! I never thought I'd be able to split a rock in half!" Katara exclaimed as the two Waterbenders made their way back to camp. Kana just laughed, linking her arm with Katara's.
"Don't get to excited, I still have a bit to teach you until you're a Southern master."
"I don't think I've ever been this excited to start training, not even at the North Pole! I knew you would teach me no matter what, but now I have the chance to learn about my heritage, thank you so much, Kana!"
"Anything for you, my eager student." She laughed. Just then they heard Toph and Aang speaking, and Katara pulled Kana to where they were.
"This time we're going to try something a little different. Instead of moving a rock, you're going to stop a rock." Toph said walking a few steps away, then quickly lunging at Aang, who recoiled slightly. "Get in your horse stance!"
He widened the position of his legs, Toph standing in front of him with a trail leading up an angled cliff behind her. "I'm going to roll that boulder down at you." She pointed up the hill at a large rock sitting at the top of the trail menacingly. "If you have the attitude of an Earthbender, you'll stay in your stance and stop the rock." Aangs mouth dropped open in surprise, obviously scared.
"Like this." Toph said, lunging forward with her arms outstretched to demonstrate what she meant.
"Sorry, Toph, but are you really sure this is the best way to teach Aang Earthbending?" Katara asked, moving forward towards them.
"I'm glad you said something." Toph smirked, reaching down and hooking a finger in Aang's belt. "Actually, there is a better way." She jerked off the belt and blindfolds him with it. "This way he'll really have to sense the vibrations of the boulder to stop it. Thank you, Katara!" She grinned, giving the stunned Waterbender two thumbs up.
"Ya, thank you Katara." Aang snapped sarcastically, as Toph began to move up the hill.
"Wait!" Kana yelled at the last moment.
"Water Mama, you best not be trying tell me how to teach Twinkle Toes like Sugar Queen over here!" the blind Earthbender snapped, pointing a finger at her.
"Actually, I have a better idea." She said calmly. "The only reason I learned Firebending, is because I was put in a situation where I had to." Slowly she made her way behind Aang, placing a hand on his shoulder. He jumped nervously, and lifted his blindfold before blanching.
"Kana what are you doing?" he whispered.
"I'm not doing anything, you're Earthbending."
"But what if I can't stop the rock!?" he shouted
"You will, Aang," Kana ordered firmly, a pillar of rock encasing her legs all the way up to the hip, "because you won't be the one getting hit by it."
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CLIFFHANGER NEAHAHAHAHA. I debated on whether or not I should do it, and then I thought: which one would make you guys hate me more? And I think we all know the answer to that! Soooo here you go, a cliffy just to be mean, and a secret man that you have no incling of a clue about XD
Character Questions Answered
Did you honestly have no idea who you were talking to during that scene when you ran away, Toph? I thought you could see people with your Earthbending, and I am sure the group would have talked about Iroh some right?
Toph: Well I'm soooo sorry that I don't think every fat guy with a nephew is evil, Dunder Head.
Seriously Zuko, when are you going to learn that Kana is just there to help you? *whacks you on the head*
Zuko: -.=