Yayz! It's almost the start of the Christmas holidays! I've finished my ballet recital and I only have three more days of school to endure. I decided that there was no better way to celebrate than to put another chapter up, now that I have more time on my hands, so to speak. Anyways, enjoy!

; )

Chapter 7

Kouyo looked at the front door to the water temple. It was beautifully carved, telling the stories of his people all over its surface. It really was a fantastic door.

No point in putting this off, Kouyo told himself, she's leaving whether you say goodbye or not, may as well get the last word in.

He gently pushed at the door and watched as it creaked gently open to reveal the splendour of the temple inside. Polished silver disks and freaky blue candles, this place had always scared him slightly. Kouyo walked further in, testing the ground almost as if he expected it to fall out from beneath his feet.

"Hello?" he called out, voice slightly shaky.

"You must be Kouyo," A large cheerful looking woman had come round the corner; she was wearing the robes of a woman who had devoted herself to the ocean and moon spirits. "Come in dear, my name is Greta; I'm to take you to your sister."

Kouyo stepped further in, looking around.

"Yeah," he said at last "I'm Kouyo."

The woman nodded and turned, Kouyo followed her as they darted in and around the confusing passage ways and through several courtyards. Finally they came to a small room at the back of the temple.

"Kaiya is leaving this afternoon," Greta told him. "You are welcome to stay until she leaves."

Kouyo nodded his acknowledgement and lifted up his hand to knock on the plain wooden door.

Greta winked at him and turned, walking swiftly down the corridor and out of sight.

Kouyo tapped the door gently with his knuckles. The sound echoed around the passage and dissipated into the stone around him, making him wince. It was so quiet here; it made him feel like an intruder.

The door slowly creaked open, a pale face, framed by two braids hanging in loops to the back of the girl's head. It was a mirror of his own face, just with longer hair.

"Kouyo?" His twin whispered. She looked at him in slight disbelief. "I didn't think Ma would let you come."

"Technically, she thinks I'm at extra bending practice" Kouyo smiled wryly "I think I can afford to miss practice, I'm already top of my age group."

Kaiya raised an eyebrow, looking at him evilly.

"I mean, I'm top of the boys my age" Kouyo corrected quickly.

Kaiya burst out laughing at the worried look on her brothers face. "Don't worry Kouyo, girls don't count." Try as he might Kouyo couldn't deny there was a bitter edge in Kaiya's voice, "Come in, Kouyo." She opened the door to her tiny bedroom, standing aside to let him pass.

She offered him a seat on the small bed, he sat down and there was an awkward silence as both of them tried to think of what to say. What do you say to your twin you know you won't see again until you were both 14?

Kouyo looked at his twin. Would he even see her again? There were thousands of stories of people who were banished and never came back, they got lost, or they got killed, or captured, or liked the outside so much they never wanted to come back. Was this going to happen to Kaiya?

"I'll be ok," Kaiya whispered. She had read his thoughts. Again.

"It's not you I'm worried about" Kouyo tried his hand at humour "It's the poor sucker who thinks he can rob you,"

"You think I'm going to get robbed?" Kaiya's voice was amused, once again she knew what he was thinking and was playing along to help him feel better.

"No. Have the poor sucker doing what you like; he's still a poor sucker if he thinks he can take you down" Kouyo laughed "Beware world, here comes Kaiya the invincible"

Kaiya laughed and swatted at the side of his head.

"I'm not quite invincible yet" she murmured

"You're a master in water, how much more skilled do you want to be?" Kouyo joked.

Kaiya mumbled something unintelligible and looked away.

"Huh?" Kouyo looked at his sister, really looked, for the first time since he had arrived. She was hiding her face and looking to the ground. He hadn't noticed before but she had spoken carefully, with a hint of stress evident in her voice. This meant only one thing.

Kaiya was hiding something from him.

"What is it?" Kouyo asked gently "You know you can't keep things from me, so spit it out."

Kaiya sighed, "I... I don't think... I'm not sure I can tell you..."

"What?" Kouyo suddenly realized how big this secret was, it was bigger than all the trouble making she had ever done, it was bigger than her secret water bending lessons. What could be bigger than that?

"I'm sorry" Kaiya whispered.

Kouyo looked down, she didn't trust him enough. If she didn't trust her twin, who did she trust?

Kaiya looked at him thoughtfully. Kouyo wondered what must be going through her head. She looked nervous.

Suddenly she leapt to her feet and bounded to the door. She slowly poked her head out and nervously turned to side to side. Once she was satisfied that no one was listening in she shut the door softly, but firmly and ran back to the bed where Kouyo sat.

Then she turned back to her brother, a fierce light now in her eyes.

"You have to swear you will never tell anyone what I am about to tell you" she whispered urgently. She held out her hand in front of her. "Twin pact" she whispered.

Kouyo held out his hand, mirroring Kaiya. He wondered what this was all about; she looked really worried about something.

"I swear on our lives that I will never repeat what is being said in this room, ever." Kouyo said solemnly. The twin Pact was their own version of an oath. It was never enough just to swear on your own life, you have to swear on the other half of your life too; your twin.

They grabbed each other's hands twisting their fingers together and up. This was the final sealing act; Kouyo was now bound to never repeat what has been said.

He looked at his twin expectantly.

"Kouyo, what do you remember about the Avatar?" Kaiya whispered, forcing the words out as if in pain.

"Just the stuff we learnt in school, avatar cycle, blah, blah, blah. The old one died twelve years ago right? And the next avatar will be water tribe right?" Kouyo tried in vain to recall more about it, but it was Kaiya that was fascinated by history. He always got her to do their history projects.

"Yeah..." Kaiya sighed "The Avatar died ten years ago though."

"Oh... I always get that one wrong anyway" Kouyo sighed

"The Avatar died ten years ago, three days after midwinter..." Kaiya continued

That struck a nerve with Kouyo. "The Avatar died on our birthday?!" he asked incredulous.

Kaiya just nodded.

"But that would mean..." Kouyo pieced the information she had given him together "One of us could be the Avatar!"

"Yeah... ONE of us" said Kaiya gloomily "I'd rather it was you any day, you'd do a far better job at it anyway."

"Rather it was me? What?" Kouyo grasped at the meaning behind Kaiya's words "Kaiya?!"

Kaiya looked away. "It's me Kouyo, they just told me. I'm the Avatar, That's why I knew all that stuff about water bending; I've learnt it all before, hundreds of times."

Kouyo just stared at his sister, mouth wide open with shock. Kaiya is the Avatar? He thought. He examined her face carefully for a hint of a smile that would have betrayed the joke. Kaiya face was quivering, There, I knew it was a joke! Kouyo thought.

He waited for the laughter to start.

"Man, Kouyo, you are just too gullible!" Kaiya shrieked, she burst into hysterical laughter, clutching her sides to restrain her laughter. "You really thought I was the Avatar didn't you?" she doubled over, gasping for breath. "Gotcha! Gotcha good Kouyo!"

She didn't laugh though.

Kouyo watched, horrified as a single tear dripped down her golden brown cheek. She's serious. He thought, my baby sister is the Avatar.

The tears thickened until Kaiya was sobbing uncontrollably, clutching at her sides as if they hurt. Kouyo quickly sidled over to her and placed his arm around her, hugging her tight.

She howled as he hugged her, making shushing noises in comfort.

"I don't wanna leave!" she wailed "I don't want to go off and learn more difficult stuff, I want to stay here and hang out with you and have snow fights and..." she collapsed into sobs which shook her entire frame.

"Kaiya, it's ok." Kouyo attempted to cheer her up.

"How is this ok?"

"The fact that you are the Avatar makes no difference to the course of events now." Kouyo said "Perrou would have still banished you; the difference now is that you can do something useful in the time you are away."

Kaiya sniffed and rubbed her face, blotting away the remainder of tears. She sat up slightly straighter and pulled out of Kouyo's grip.

"I guess you're right" she admitted grudgingly.

"Aren't I always?" Kouyo's mouth twisted upwards into a wry grin.

Kaiya's hand whipped up and smacked him precisely on the centre of his head.

"Ow!" Kouyo jumped back, rubbing his head.

Kaiya muttered something that sounded a lot like, "Shame... Don't mess with the Avatar."

"What was that?" Kouyo asked.

"Nothing"

Kouyo rolled his eyes at his sister.

"How about we don't talk about that right now, you have to go away soon. I want to spend the time without you bursting into tears if you please."

Kaiya laughed at him.

"Come on" she said, nudging him gently. "I'll show you the weird as outfit I have to wear once I get to the earth Kingdom."

Tell me what you think, I hope I'm still pleasing you guys out there! Reviews are always welcome and they only take a minute. (Hint, Hint)

; )