Legal Notice: I would be taking a serpent's path if I lied, and said I owned this.
Chapter 13: A Serpents Path
"I bet I can make a bigger water bomb than you, Katara." Kana challenged with a teasing lilt to her voice.
"You're not the only master Waterbender anymore," Katara smirked, "you're on!"
"On the count of three, we go. One-"
"Wait!" Katara exclaimed, "I have a better idea. Aang, could you come up here for a moment?"
"Coming!" the two girls heard him shout, before zooming up the cliff using his Airebending. "What is it, Katara?"
"Aang, would you make a water bomb with us?" she asked, excitedly.
"I thought this was a contest?" Kana said, lips spreading up into a grin.
"But can you imagine three Waterbender's diving into the water? It would be the biggest splash in the history of the world!" Aang laughed, catching on.
"Exactly!" Katara beamed, eyes sparkling, "So Kana, what do you think?"
"I think… that we should all link arms before going down!" Both of them let out a whoop, before grabbing onto her arms. "Okay, now on the count of three-"
They didn't even wait until she finished her sentence before pulling her down. Together they hit the calm surface of the lake, making it explode upward into the sky so forcefully it went higher than the cliff they had been standing on. Toph recoiled back with a shocked shout, as Sokka and his precious maps were drenched.
"Sure, five-thousand year old maps from the spirit library, just splash some water on 'em." Sokka groaned, holding out dripping parchment.
"Sorry." Aang laughed, swimming up to him.
"Stop being so serious Sokka, have some fun once in a while." Kana snickered, as she and Katara emerged from the pool, wringing water out of their hair. They glanced at each other before bursting into a fit of giggles. They watched with mild amusement as the two boy's let their jaws drop, and Toph sat up straighter.
"What, what can't I see that's got your numb skull's hearts going haywire?" she asked, making them both shake their heads furiously.
"You've got a little drool, you two," Kana added, pointing at the corner of her mouth, "right about here."
"We do not!" Sokka argued, wiping his entire arm across his face.
"Right." She drawled, shifting into a bending stance, and pulling the water from his scroll as everyone crowded around him.
"So, did you figure out what route we're gonna take?" Aang asked, abruptly changing the subject.
"Okay. We just got out of the desert, so we must be around here, and we need to go to Ba Sing Se, which is here. It looks like the only passage connecting the South to the North is this sliver of land called the Serpent's Pass." Sokka answered, pointing at each figure on the map as he spoke.
"That doesn't sound like the best idea." Kana said, brow furrowing.
"I agree with Water Mama on this one." Toph agreed with crossed arms, nodding.
"It's the only way, I mean it's not like we have Appa to fly us there."
"Shush up about Appa. Can't you at least try to be sensitive?" Katara scolded her brother in a hushed tone, making everyone look up Aang.
"Katara, it's okay. I know I was upset about losing Appa before, but I just want to focus on getting to Ba Sing Se, and telling the Earth King about the solar eclipse." he said calmly, making Kana wince. Liar.
"Oh, well, okay." Katara coughed in surprise. "I'm glad you're doing better."
"Then to Ba Sing Se we go, no more distractions." Sokka declared, right before a trio of Earth kingdom citizens appeared.
"Hello there fellow refugees!" A young man, who seemed to be in his twenties shouted, standing next to a very pregnant young woman and a teen-aged girl, making Sokka's expression turn sour.
"Well hello there." Kana said cheerfully, waving back, before walking over to the small group of refugees.
"Shouldn't you be resting?" Katara asked, looking at the woman with concern.
"Oh no, it should be fine. We should be arriving in Ba Sing Se before our little one decides to come." She laughed, patting her swollen belly.
"So you guys are going to Ba Sing Se too?" Aang asked with a slight smile.
"Yup, my wife Ying, Tahn, and I hope to make a better life behind the walls of the great city."
"Great, we can travel through The Serpent's Pass together." Katara smiled, but the three travels recoiled in horror at her suggestion.
"The Serpent's Pass?" Ying exclaimed, "Only the truly desperate take that deadly route!"
"Deadly route." Toph repeated before punching Sokka in the shoulder painfully. "Nice pick, Meat Head."
"You should come with us to Full Moon Bay. Ferries take refugees across the lake. It's the fastest way to Ba Sing Se. "
"Than's right, and it's hidden, so the Fire Nation can't find it." Ying agreed.
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm all for the deadly pass." Kana said, crossing her arms sarcastically.
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"Tickets and passports please." a young woman said firmly, sticking her hand out under Sokka's nose.
"Is there a problem?" He asked nervously.
"Yeah, I've got a problem with you." she snapped, poking her
finger at his chest, "I've seen your type before, probably sarcastic, think your hilarious, and let me guess, you're traveling with the Avatar."
"Do I know you?" Sokka asked, eyes narrowing.
"You mean you don't remember?" a sweet voices said from behind him, "Maybe you remember this." Sokka started to turn, but a hand grabbed his face and pulled it down gently, yet forceful. There was a flash of white, and he pulled away from the kiss breathlessly.
"Yue!" he shouted, making her jump into his arms.
"Sokka, I'm so happy to see you again!"
"You look so different, what happened to going to the South Pole?" he asked.
"I'll explain everything in a minute, meet me and Suki up that tower." She said pointing, before running off.
"Where is she going?" Sokka pouted, making Suki laugh.
"To tell that crabby lady at the counter that we're taking a break. She's a stickler for the rules. Come on, we'll meet her at the tower." Sokka practically ran in the direction of the stairs, leaving the others to trail at a more leisurely pace behind him. Kana slowed her pace to walk next to Suki, she seemed a little sad.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"What? Oh, yes. You're Kana, right?"
"Yeah, and you're Suki, I would notice the posture of a Kyoshi Warrior anywhere." Kana hesitated before speaking again. "You know, sometimes it's easier to tell a stranger than a friend."
"It's nothing. I'm just disappointed, I thought the next time I saw Sokka…"
"He wouldn't be in love with somebody else?" Kana supplied, making Suki nod.
"I don't blame him though." She sighed, "Yue is so beautiful, and patient, and kind hearted. It'd be strange if he didn't like her!"
"Who likes who?" Yue asked, catching up to the two girls.
"Sokka likes you." Suki said with a forced smile, making Yue blush slightly as they reached the top of the tower.
"You two look so different!" Katara gushed as soon as they were on the landing.
"It's the uniforms, that crabby lady at the counter makes all security guards wear them." Suki supplied, leaning against the wall.
"Are there any other Kyoshi Warriors around?" Aang asked, staring at his now makeup-less friend.
"Yeah, after you left Kyoshi we wanted to find some way to help people. We ended up escorting some refugee's, and around the same time ran into Yue's convoy."
"When I heard that Suki and the girls knew you, and what they were doing, I wanted to help." Yue added with a nod.
"But how, you aren't a fighter, you could get hurt!" Sokka exclaimed, distressed.
"The girls and I have been giving her lessons." Suki jumped in before Sokka could have a heart attack. "She's a natural. Though she had a little trouble with the more solid movements."
"The Kyoshi Warrior fighting style is based on Air and Earthbending so we had to shift it a little so it's more fluid, like Waterbending."
"Worked like a charm, she's advancing through the sets quite fast."
"Suki says I'll be able to move onto the advanced intermediate training soon."
"What I don't get is why you started training in the first place." Kana said, sitting on the windowsill next to Suki.
"It's my duty to help my people, and to help them, I have to be able to protect them. After what happened at the North Pole, after what happened to you, I realized being a symbol of hope isn't nearly enough."
"But what about your father, he almost lost you, I almost lost!" Sokka shouted, making Yue frown.
"My father understands, I was hoping you would too."
"I- I do," he stuttered, "I just-"
"I know, Sokka." She murmured, taking his hands in hers. "I know."
"So why aren't you guys just flying to Ba Sing Se on Appa?" Suki asked, a little to loudly.
"Appa is missing." Katara murmured sadly, looking to Aang, who just ignored her. "We hope to find him in Ba Sing Se."
"I'm so sorry to hear that." she whispered guiltily, glancing at Aang with concern "Are you doing okay?"
"I'm doing fine." he snapped, "Would everybody stop worrying about me!"
"Avatar Aang, you have to help us!" Ying shouted from below the tower, "Someone took all of our belongings. Our passports, our tickets. Everything's gone!"
"I'll talk to the lady for you!" he yelled back, moving to the stairs. Kana waited until everyone left before following, her eyes meeting Aang's for a single second, but he jerked his head away as if burned. The gnawing on her chest was back as she thought one thing; Aang had lied about being all right.
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"I can't believe we gave up our tickets, and now we're going through the Serpent's Pass." Sokka complained.
"Stop being such a baby, Sokka." Kana sighed, rubbing her temples.
"Water Mama's right, you've been complaining since we left." Toph agreed.
"I'm coming too." Yue shouted, rushing to catch up to group, clad in simple blue dress, hair pulled back into a pony tail.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Sokka asked, nervously.
"Sokka, I can take care of myself now, I want to show you that you don't have to protect me anymore."
"I know, it's just..."
"Just what?" she snapped, hands on hips, and he noticed it was a very Kana like gesture.
"Nothing. I'm glad you're coming." Yue walked past him stubbornly, and he looked down before following.
"She'll be fine, Sokka." Kana whispered in his ear, "Look we already arived at the Serpent's Path."
"This is the Serpent's Pass? I thought it would be more windy, you know, like a serpent. Hmm, I guess they misnamed it."
"Look at this writing, how awful." Ying said, approaching the gate post.
"What does it say?" Toph asked.
"It says, 'Abandon hope'." Katara frowned, reading the rickety sign.
"How could we abandon hope? It's all we have." Ying practically wailed, burying her face in her husband's chest.
"I don't know. The monks used to say that hope is just a distraction." Aang muttered. "So maybe we do need to abandon it."
"What are you talking about?" Katara snapped, incredulous.
"Hope isn't going to get us into Ba Sing Se, and it's not gonna find Appa. We need to focus on what we're doing right now, and that's getting across this pass." he responded evenly, stepping onto the pass.
"You know there is a difference between leaving hope behind, and abandoning it, Aang." Kana said, grabbing his shoulder. He froze under her touch, but instead of yanking away, he just shrugged it off looking back at her over his shoulder.
"It's the same thing with different words." he muttered, continuing to walk away. Kana turned her face back to the family they were leading across the pass, and went to help Ying walk, but she could barely focus. She was getting more and more worried about her friend. He had never fit in well with the other monks when it came to letting people, or things like hope, go. Maybe it had just been his age, but now it seemed as if his personality was spiraling away from him, and she didn't know how to help.
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"Hey, Twinkle Toes." Toph said, slugging Aang in the shoulder with a closed fist.
"Hey, Toph." He responded, rubbing the new sore spot on his arm.
"So," she started slowly, "we both know I'm no good with the mushy gushy, I get where you're coming from, comforting thing. So instead of just drawing this out longer than we need too, why don't you just tell me what's up?"
"Why are you here, Toph?" he sighed, "We both know you don't want to be."
"I never said that," she snorted, crossing her arms, "I said I was no good at this kind of thing. Doesn't mean I can't try though."
"Isn't it Katara's job to fix everything?" he asked tiredly.
"Who do you think begged me to come talk to you? She would have done it herself, but she didn't want to remind you of Water Mama."
"It's her fault Appa's gone." He snapped heatedly.
"Hey, if that's what you believe, than there's nothing I can do to convince you otherwise." She shrugged.
"You think it wasn't her fault?" he growled.
"Oh no, it was. But it was your fault too."
"I didn't do anything!" he shouted, but Toph's face remained still.
"Kana didn't do anything." She said, "At first I didn't understand why she sunk the library, but then I actually talked to her. She explained some things to me, and I have to agree with her."
"What, that it's my fault Appa's gone?" he yelled.
"No, that it was the Sandbenders fault." She said evenly, making him stop. "You see, even if she hadn't sunk the library, everything would have played out exactly as they did."
"What are you talking about, you could have-"
"Done absolutely nothing. Aang, I was all but blind out there, I couldn't make sense of what was three feet in front of me, do you really think I would have been able to fight off all those Sandbenders?"
"You could have come and gotten me!" Aang tried, but she just shook her head.
"And they would have already been gone! I would have had to climb the building, sense you with my feet, then go and get you! There could never have been any other outcome!"
"It had to have been her fault, otherwise… otherwise it would have been all my fault!" he shouted, tears pooling in his eyes, "I couldn't protect him!"
"Didn't you listen to anything I just said?" Toph snapped, but before she could slug him in the shoulder again, he wrapped his arms around her, tears soaking her collar. Her entire body stiffened before she patted his head slowly. "I didn't know you were bald, Twinkle Toes." She said softly.
"What, yes you did." He said, pulling away.
"I was trying to be funny, Twinkle Toes." Toph sighed, punching his arm making him laugh.
"So why exactly did you forgive Kana?" he asked.
"She told me what it was like to be in the Avatar state. I could never understand, and from the way she described, I don't want to." She said, shaking her head.
"What are you talking about? The anger is upsetting, but she knows how to control it."
"Aang… have you ever talked to Kana about going into the Avatar State, because being angry isn't how she described it."
"Of course that's what she feels, I've been in the Avatar State plenty of times to know what it's like."
"If that's the why you're upset with Kana, because she couldn't control her anger, than you two really need to talk." She all but ordered, grabbing his wrist and pulling him along behind her. As soon as they had gotten close enough, Kana looked up from across the fire she had built, a confused look on her face.
"Toph, what are you-"
"You and Twinkle Toes need to talk, Water Mama." Toph commanded, letting go of Aang's arm, allowing him to step away from them both.
"Toph, I don't want-"
"Trust me Aang." She said, walking away, and tapping his shoulder. "You'll thank me for this later."
"Aang, I-"
"Save it for later," he muttered tiredly, "I don't want to talk right now."
"But I don't to fight anymore." She whispered, bringing her legs up to her chest, pushing her face into her knee's. There was silence for a moment before he sat down, and she looked back up.
"What is it like when you go into the Avatar State?" he asked, making her face twist down into a scowl.
"You should know, you've gone into it more than me."
"Toph said you don't feel anger… what is it?"
"Nothing." She snapped at him, making his brows rise.
"Tell me, Kana, I can handle it!"
"I don't want you to handle it, because it has nothing to do with you!"
"Tell me!" he shouted, and Kana bit back a scream.
"Fine!" she yelled back, "It's more than just getting angry, Aang! It's like there's this black pit full of hatred, and vile thoughts, and there's only one thing that matters! You try to stay away, scream for help, but the spiteful voices of thousands maybe millions, block everything!" she croaked, rubbing her temples, but nothing helped, she could still feel them!
"Destroy anything, kill anyone, just keep balance, you don't matter!" she blocked the scream from escaping her throat, biting down hard on her lip until she tasted blood, blue flickering across her eyelids.
"Kana I need your help!" Yue wailed, running up to them, before suddenly stopping. "Kana?"
"What?" she asked, head snapping up in surprise.
"Oh, it's nothing, it can wait until tomorrow." She said quietly.
"No," Kana sighed, getting to her feet, "what is it?"
"It's Sokka, something's wrong him. I think it might be because of you, I think he might like you." Yue looked at her with wet eyes, and she suddenly felt tired of this evening.
"No, he doesn't." she muttered, brushing her hair away from her face, "Where is he, I'll go talk to him."
"He's behind that cliff over there." Yue said, nodding in the direction of where she had last seen Sokka. Kana wasted no time walking over to where he was, his face buried in his hands.
"It's a beautiful moon." He muttered, glancing at her between his fingers. "Your sister right."
"Yeah, it is." She murmured, sitting next to him.
"I couldn't kiss her because of you." He said.
"You love her though, you don't like me in that way." Kana blinked in surprise.
"You're right." He chuckled, "I couldn't do it because of what happened at the North Pole. I didn't think twice between saving her, instead of you."
"That's what love is Sokka," she laughed lightly, "sacrificing Yue instead of me, is like sacrificing Katara over Toph. Nobody expects that, and nobody would understand if that's what you did."
"How can you just say it was practically nothing?" she shouted, leaping to his feet, "How can you act as if it was just nothing?"
"I learned that it wasn't my destiny to take Yue's place, or Zuko's destiny to be there after everything that happened. But sometimes you make your own destiny, and happy with it." She said gently, getting up.
"I gave you someone to love for the rest of your life, I saved the last member of the royal family. I'm glad things turned out the way they did Sokka, and I forgave you for leaving the moment I told you too." Kana smiled gently, embracing him in a warm hug. "Don't be unhappy because of me."
"Thank you, Kana. Thank you." He whispered, wrapping his arms around her.
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Aang was leading everyone down a steep slope, but the group stopped as they saw the path abruptly droping off into the lake, disappearing then reemerging several hundred yards away. Everyone stands stunned until Katara walked forward determinedly.
"Everyone single file." she ordered, bending aside the water in her path. She went below the water level, lifting up walls of liquid to form a bubble. Everyone fell in behind her, a capsule of air forming around them.
"Aang, I need help." she said, and smiling, he handed his staff to Toph and began to bend the water with Katara, making Kana smile.
Than and his family stare about amazed as they travel under the waves, Kana holding one of Ying's arms to keep her steady. Momo, leapt into the water until suddenly, a massive black form passes near him, sending him leaping back to Toph. The enormous bulk of the creature passes over the air bubble, blocking out the little light they had.
"What is that thing?" Yue asked, in shock.
Something huge crashed through the walls of the bubble, breaking Katara's concentration and threatening to drown them all. Reacting quickly, Toph bends up a column of rock that rushes everyone to the surface, as Kana reforms the air bubble until they rise above the water.
Toph hands back Aang's staff just as the others noticed a long spinly dorsal fin circling their sanctuary until the head of a colossal monster explodes from the lake. It is a gigantic jade Sea Serpent, whiskered head resembling a seahorse's, long tongue lashing whip like from its maw. The monster roared deafeningly as it rears back, issueing a shrill scream of rage.
"I think I just figured out why they call it the Serpent's Pass." Sokka shouted, making Kana grimace.
"You think?" she shouted at him.
"I'll distract him. Katara, get everyone across. Kana, come with me!" Aang shouted, blasting the serpent away with a gust of wind.
Kana grabbed the glider from her back, following Aang into the air as the serpent recovers and chased after them. As the beast swerves to the left after Aang, Kana closed her glider, slamming her feet into its head. It snapped its head back up, flinging her away, as she let out a blast of fire from her feet. She only has a moment to realize the blue fire before the snout of the serpent slammed into her, flinging her into the water.
A hand latched onto her own, pulling her up to stand on an ice board, glider still gripped firmly in one hand. Linking an arm around Katara's waist, she wiped the water from her face with a sleeve. The other girl freezing the belly of the monster, but with a twist of its body the Serpent burst free, turning back to chase Katara and Kana in the opposite direction.
There was a scream from behind them, and Kana glanced back to see Toph thrashing in the water, yelling that she couldn't swim. "Aang, Toph!" she shouted upwards.
"I've got her!" he shouted back, diving into the lake, and pulling out the blind Earthbender.
"Kana, whirlpool!" Katara yelled, and she let go of her waist, flinging herself onto the water. Together they circled the Serpent at tremendous speed, stirring up a irresistible whirlpool that held it helpless. The spinning monster's neck cracks like a whip against the cliff-side, and it slipped off the earth, back into the water.
Kana snapped the wings of her glider back open, catching Katara with her legs and soaring back on land.
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"There's the wall!" Sokka exclaimed, pointing excitedly, "Now it's nothing but smooth sailing to Ba Sing Se."
"Oh no!" Ying gasped, doubling over, clutching her belly.
"Ying, are you okay?" Kana asked, rubbing her back gently.
"The baby's coming!" she gasped, as everyone helps lean her to the ground.
"What! Now! Can't you hold it in or something?" Sokka shouted in rising panic.
"Sokka, Calm down. I helped Gran-Gran deliver lots of babies back home." Katara said gently.
"So have I." Yue laughed lightly, making Kana smile.
"Me too." she said, patting Ying's hand comfortingly.
"This isn't the same as delivering an arctic seal! This is a real... human... thing!" Sokka completely panicking, began to hyperventilate.
"It's called a baby, and we've all helped to deliver plenty of those too." Katara snapped, before turning to everyone and speaking with authority. "Aang, get some rags. Yue, water. Toph, I need you to make an earth tent. A big one. Kana, come with me."
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"I thought I was trying to be strong, but really I was just running away from my feelings." Aang said thoughtfully, staring at Kana. "Seeing this family together, so full of happiness and love, it reminded me of how I feel about Appa...and how I feel about you. I'm sorry I blamed you for what happened to Appa, I think I understand a few more things now."
Kana smiled slightly as Aang finished speaking, pulling him into a hug , tears welling up in her closed eyes. "You don't have to apologize Aang, I'd love you no matter what."
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"Sokka, It's been really great to see you again."
"You're saying goodbye?" Sokka asked.
"I came along because I wanted to show you that I could take care of myself. But now I need to get back to the Kyoshi warriors, and to my training."
"So you came along just to prove yourself to me?" he asked, stunned.
"I'm really sorry about last night." Yue said blushing, "We were talking, and I had missed you," she whispered closing her eyes, "I know we haven't seen each other in a while, I didn't mean to push-" Sokka cut her off by pulling her into a tender kiss, much like the one she had given him while in the North Pole.
"You might have pushed, but I refused to pull back." he murmured, brushing a strand of white hair from her face."
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"Sorry Momo, Appa's gonna have to wait." Aang said sadly, staring down at the giant drill heading straight for the walls of Ba Sing Se.
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EVERYBODY GUESS WHAT! Egarcia513 has made a trailer for The Two Souls, it's up on YouTube, as well as on my profile with a brand new picture, so check that out as well! Make sure to check out Egarcia513's other trailers for Another One, too, they're just as great, and so is her Fan Fiction.
I also want to apologize for the long wait for this chapter, but it's flu season, and I got sick. But, I worked to get this out as soon as I could, and I hope it was worth the wait.
Character Questions Answered
Kana, how do you feel about traveling with Aang instead of Zuko?
Kana: Despite everything that's happened, I much prefer traveling with Aang than Zuko, it feels right.
Kana, do you miss Zuko?
Kana: It was always a pain to be with him, but I like to think that we were becoming friends, even with his saying otherwise. So yes, I guess I do.
Zuko, do you miss Kana?
Zuko: Yeah.