Hey guys SORRY I was a few hours behind schedule! I'm trying to manage my time better, I REALLY am. Anywho a few things about this chapter: there isn't a whole lot of action going on because as you can see, this chapter takes place during the time the gang splits up so it heavily has to do with Karuna and Katara and another character who I personally think deserved more screen time in the show. Well I won't give anything away but there will be a bit of a femslash here. Nothing real intense but not subtle at all either. Kudos to you if you can catch the song reference in the first paragraph! I promise next chapter will have more actual action in it! Enjoy!
~th3rdhal3~

The drops of melancholy and infinite sadness rolled off the edges of my cheeks and down onto the lush green below. Longshot laid the two hook swords down on the grass across each other. The silent boy stepped back to look upon the sacred spot alongside Smellerbee and I. A fully bloomed Cherry Blossom Tree provided shade for the curved blades. The red leaves rustled in the slight wind.

I wiped my eyes with the sides of my hand. "Where will you go now?" I asked the remaining Freedom Fighters. The look on Smellerbee's face was one of a lost child, unsure of where to go. Longshot gently reached out to hold her hand.

"Where the spirits see fit." He replied in a calm and steady voice. I nodded, wishing the best for them. "Wherever life takes us, you'll find us, Karuna." I inhaled deeply and tried my best to stay positive. The muscles in my face hurt to fake the expression. It took so much to hold in all the sorrow. I had to be strong now, even during this time. I couldn't dwell on this any longer than any of the other tragedies which had long passed. It was an unemotional tactic, but I convinced myself that I needed to get over it.

My eyes shifted to the sky; orange sunset with small clusters of cirrus clouds high up above. There was something hopeful in the air that out weighed the bad down all around me. I drew in breath, letting the tranquility clear my mind. Off in the distance, I saw something white with many legs soaring towards the outer wall. Appa! For a moment, I was filled with joy; our Sky Bison friend was back. But soon after, my mind began to panic.

Smellerbee must have been sharing the same thoughts as me as she followed my gaze. "Surely they're not leaving..." It was a statement as well as a question. I'd never think the gang would abandon me, but there was no telling what was going on. Things were never exactly clear with our group. "Go after them," the warrior girl encouraged. "they need you." My spirits rose as a smile began to return to my saddened face. Longshot dipped his head and his lips curved upward ever so slightly. His eyes shined with a warm inviting glow.

Farewell, Karuna. Until next time.

My feet plowed through the grass and dirt as the earth rumbled and shifted behind me. I was using a technique Toph had taught me a while back which she called 'earth-running.' The outer wall where the gang had headed was still a ways away, but I was making great time with only my bending to help. It felt as if I had mowed over 100 fields or more before the wall was in full view. Residue from the clouds of dirt I had produced during the running spread over parts of my tunic. This didn't bother me in the least bit. Destination first, wardrobe later.

I stopped at the base of the adobe wall and pushed my arms up above me. An elevator of earth lifted me higher and higher as I concentrated on my location and form. Finally, I hopped over the ramparts and found the gang with King Kuei. The Earth King was glancing down below at the wreckage of the Fire Nation drill that the team and I had took out weeks ago; the poorly informed king was trying to comprehend what had happened there. "Karuna!" Katara noticed me first and left the others to approach me. The water-bender paused, studying my still puffy eyes. "...he's..?" I closed my eyes and bit down on my lower lip to keep from crying out. All it took was a subtle head nod to communicate the message. Instantly, the darker skinned girl held me in a tight embrace. Though it were only mere seconds it felt like centuries had gone by. Once the moment between us ended, Sokka elbowed me.

"You wouldn't believe the hell we went through to get to this guy." He harshly whispered, jabbing a thumb at the Earth King.

"You should have seen it, Karuna," the air nomad chimed in. "We were totally outnumbered but we beat them! And Toph was amazing!" The boy described the events of their battle on the way into the palace and how Toph turned the gargantuan steps into one enormous flat surfaced slide. Thought it was impressive, I wasn't the least bit surprised; my cousin was an incredibly talented earth-bender.

Toph shrugged the praise off modestly. "Eh. You were alright yourself, twinkle-toes." She returned the compliment.

The Earth King still marveled at the remains of the drill. "I can't believe I never knew." The royal hung his head down in shame. I felt sorry for the man. His court had kept most of the current outside world a mystery to him.

All of a sudden, Long Feng and two agents rose up from a stone platform. What? That guy was still around? When he fled through the underground pipes I thought he was gone for good. "I can explain, your majesty." The sneaky man intervened in the same condescending way he said most things. "This is nothing more than a construction site." Bullshit. How did this man expect to pull that out of his ass and make it believable? The king had clearly seen the drill for what it was. Long Feng needed a wake up call.

"Yeah, a construction site with the Fire Nation symbol on it-clear as day. I'm sure his majesty buys that one." I remarked. At this time, King Kuei glared at Long Feng over his spectacles. Long Feng nervously folded his arms into his robes.

"Well, you see-"

"Enough." Kuei stopped the traitorous man. "Dai Li, arrest Long Feng. I want him to stand trial for crimes against the Earth Kingdom." Hell yeah! You go, Kuei! My mind cheered. The gang and I were all speechless and the look on Long Feng's face was priceless. The tricky bastard finally got what was coming to him.

The Dai Li agents took Long Feng away in metal cuff restraints while the man ranted and raved about how we needed him more than we knew and couldn't possibly arrest him. Trial seemed to lenient a punishment in my opinion. I wanted justice for what he had done to my friend; an eye for an eye. But I was not a killer, nor was I one to wish cruel and ill things on others. The trial would have to do.

"Looks like Long Feng is Long Gone!" Sokka cracked up at his own joke. We shook our heads at the Water Tribe boy once he admitted that he had been waiting to use that line.

Back inside the palace, the five of us stood before the king on his thrown. "I am grateful to you all. Without your help I still wouldn't know the truth or who I could trust." Kuei pondered where he sat, his robes of green and yellow shifted as he repositioned himself. "We're at war...with the Fire Nation." The words came out with tones of shock and disbelief. I knew it would take some time for the king to process everything and come to grips on the situation.

Aang stepped forward. "That's not all your majesty. A comet is coming at the end of summer-one that will make the Fire Nation even stronger then they've already become."

"They'd become the ultimate superpower." I added, supporting my air-bender friend's claim. "The power of the comet will make the practically invincible." I remembered Ozai mentioning Sozin's Comet in my presence numerous times when I had lived in the Fire Nation. "By then, it would be too late to take action. The other nations wouldn't stand a chance." The Earth King took in everything we said, hanging onto our every last words.

"But there is a way your majesty." Sokka joined in the debate. "A solar eclipse is going to occur in a handful of weeks." He informed Kuei. "It will leave the fire-benders powerless-this would be the perfect time to strike! We need to invade the Fire Nation on the day of black sun." I had heard Sokka's plan many times before but this particular time in the presence of the Earth King, it seemed so dramatic and exhilarating-the idea. I had to hand it to the Water Tribe boy, his methods of strategy were much better than when I first met him.

King Kuei thought over Sokka's proposition for a few moments. I could tell that he wanted to make the right decision for his Kingdom;especially since he had been completely out of the loop for years beforehand. The plan that Sokka devised would require numerous Earth Kingdom troops. Kuei was hesitant about sacrificing his men; many lives could be lost. More convincing words from Sokka eventually swayed the king over to our side. "Alright, you have my support." The king agreed to go along with the plan and would ally his troops with us.

The conversation was politely interrupted by a man with a rather large, brown beard. He wore an elegant uniform of beige and gold; a green cape dropped down from his shoulders. I knew he had to be a military official. There was no mistaking it. "I'm sorry to intervene, your majesty," the man started. He bowed at the king's throne. Kuei didn't seem bothered at all by the interruption.

"This is General How, the leader of the Council of Five-my highest ranking Generals."

General How raised his head to address the king "We've searched Long Feng's office. There's something that was found that will interest all of you."

We followed the General into the eerie looking library that Long Feng had taken us to nearly a month ago. On a table in the center of the room was a chest of the colors of light brown and gold. "It looks like Long Feng kept a file on just about everyone in the city-even you kids." General How reported. "These are some of the files." The Earth King sat at the table and searched through the trunk.

"Aang" Kuei handed the avatar a scroll and How informed him that it had been attached to Appa's horn when he was captured. Aang unrolled the parchment and scanned the text. Next, his eyes widened in both surprise and glee.

"There's someone living at the Easter Air Temple! They say they can teach me how to control the avatar state!" The boy exclaimed. I gave him a look of encouragement and shared his enthusiasm.

"Toph Bei Fong." My cousin was also handed a scroll, but since she couldn't read Katara had to instead. It was a letter from her mother saying that she was in the city and wanted to see Toph.

"Long Feng intercepted our mail from home?" She asked rhetorically. "Wow. Now that's just sad."

"There wouldn't happen to be anything for my brother and I, would there?" Katara asked hopefully. The king checked the trunk quickly and shook his head. The Water Tribe siblings shrank down in statures with somber expressions.

"However," their ears perked up at How's voice. "there is an intelligence report that might interest you." How handed them the report and Sokka and Katara anxiously took hold of it and began to read it together.

"A small fleet of Water Tribe ships..." Katara began out loud then trailed off to read silently in her head. Sokka looked over her shoulder as she continued. "Protecting the mouth of Chameleon Bay..." Sokka's face lit up; the bay was not too far away from the city. "...led by Hakoda-it is Dad!" Katara squealed while she and Sokka jumped up and down. I was glad for them. Katara had told me it had been a few years since they'd last seen their father. He was their only parent since their mother was deceased.

"Did Karuna get anything?" Aang wondered while I remained quiet. He was such a thoughtful person-thinking of others all the time. The air-bender was a sweet kid, if only Katara noticed his attempts at flirting.

"The only thing we discovered having to do with you, Karuna, was a file Long Feng had written on you." I couldn't even begin to imagine what my file might possibly contain. I was actually pretty curious what was on it. How glanced back at me and realized I was waiting for him to continue. "..would you like me to read it?" I nodded. The General reached into the bottom of the chest and extracted a few sheets of parchment that were not rolled up. He cleared his throat and began to read the file.

"Karuna, ally of the avatar-member of the Bei Fong family. Related to Toph Bei Fong through father's side." What a creeper! How would Long Feng know personal family details such as this? "Age: unknown. Description: meddlesome, impulsive, arrogant, difficult, stubborn." I laughed sheepishly. At least half of the description was right. "Earth-bender: Movement and form very quick and light-footed for the Hung Gar* style." I gulped. Was it possible for the average person to tell that earth was not my primary element? How did Long Feng pay attention to every possible detail? How paused again. "What's stranger is that underneath your file is one of someone's who belonged to the Fire Nation." My stomach lurched. Oh no...I had thought Long Feng was bluffing when he called me out weeks ago. It seemed as though he was barely guessing- trying to pin me with disloyalty that evening at the king's party for his bear. "An official of the military-marked dead."

My heart was in my throat. If that didn't give me away, I don't know what would. The silence was fatal to my well-being; my response would be the deciding factor in the events that would occur next. Part of me wanted to give up and come clean. I was going to be caught in this huge lie and now seemed like the time to confess. I was going to crack I just knew it, though my lungs begged me not to speak. They would hate me for it-I knew that much. Or, at least resent me until the end of time. Jet didn't...my conscience reminded me. And for a moment, wishful thinking led me on a journey of grandeur. I would never know the reaction until it happened. My insides twisted. What to say? This internal debate took place only in a matter of seconds.

"That is weird..." I agreed with the General.

"We're going to have to split up." Katara sighed. The five of us sat in various spots on the floor in the library after the king and his General left. The carpet had a funny texture and I was busy moving my bare feet across it while my friends discussed what to do next.

"What?" Aang cried in disbelief. "We've just gotten everyone back together and now you want us to split up?"

Katara took a deep breath before explaining. "It's the only plausible way to get everything done that needs to be taken care of. You need to see that guru, Aang." The air nomad realized she was indeed right. "We also have to work out the strategies and kinks in the invasion plan." she added.

Sokka stood up and stretched his upper body. "Well I guess that settles it. I'll stay here and plan out the rest of the invasion with the king and his Generals. And you can go and visit Dad." The older boy seemed bummed and a tad disappointed at his decision. Though I was not his sibling, I felt proud at his choice and responsibility that he was willing to take on.

Katara began to ponder for a second then shook her head. "No, you go to Chameleon Bay. I know you've wanted to see Dad for a long time. I can stay here and plan for the invasion." She offered. Her brother's face lit up and he danced around the room excitedly with a cheesy grin plastered to his face.

"You are the nicest sister ever!" Sokka hugged Katara tightly. The water-bender laughed while also trying to escape his grasp. He held her pretty tight.

"Easy big brother, you won't have a sister anymore if you don't let go." Out of all the sibling pairs I had seen in my 14 years, never before had I seen the type of relationship that Sokka and Katara had. The two took care of one another and were able to coexist in harmony a majority of the time. Sure, they argued from time to time, but usually they treated one another with respect and love; in other words, like family. They were nothing like Zuko and Azula.

"From what my letter said, it sounds like my mom finally understands me." Toph declared. "And she really wants to see me." That was it. We all had something we needed to attend to...well almost all of us.

"Okay," Aang began. "Since Sokka and I are both leaving the city, we can go on Appa. Toph can go see her mom and then Katara can help the Council of Five here at the palace."

Sokka stopped him for a second. "Yeah that works but wait a sec," the warrior boy turned to me. "What are you gonna do then, Karuna?" I had been awfully quiet the past 15 or so minutes-they had almost forgotten I was among them.

"I kinda wanted to check out the city more, but I could stay and help Katara too." It was settled. Team Avatar was going to disperse for the time being.

Outside the steps of the palace the next morning, the boys got ready for their short journey. The girls and I helped them pack for their trips. We had acquired a new saddle for Appa and from what I could tell, the Sky Bison approved of it. Aang was about to spill his guts to Katara (unknown to her) but like the few other times I had witnessed, the opportunity quickly vanished. However, she did kiss him on the cheek and the air nomad was in a daze after that. I grabbed Aang in a playfully headlock. "Aww I'm gonna miss you baldy!" The avatar fought against my hold in equal banter and swatted me away. Next, I bid farewell to Sokka.

"You and Katara look out for each other, okay?" He advised as I embraced him. I would definitely miss his sarcasm and lame jokes. "And since Long Feng is out of the picture, go wild! Break some rules! Throw a party! Order a pizza!" I gave the Water Tribe boy a weird look.

"What the heck is pizza, Sokka?" The word was unfamiliar in my vocabulary. Katara laughed and shook her head at her older brother.

"He makes up words when he's excited." She clarified. I laughed with her at her brother's oddness. Then, I remembered something that I couldn't believe took me so long to process.

"Guys!" I exclaimed, an epiphany fresh in my mind. "I just thought of something," they waited eagerly for what I had to say. "Where's Raiden?" There was a slight pause after my question as the rest of the gang began to think.

"He's a bounty hunter," Sokka pointed out. "There was probably another job for him to take care of out there." The warrior boy gestured towards the rest of Ba Sing Se.

"But he went after Long Feng down at the headquarters-after you guys had gone!" I shared with them. "They threw Long Feng in a cell but I don't know what's happened to Raiden since." Worry began to work its way up my spine. Though I hadn't known the bounty hunter for very long, I still felt a connection to him. He had fought with Aang and I to gain back Jet's sanity and free our Sky Bison.

"Long Feng knew he had to cover his tracks once we found the Dai Li's headquarters." My cousin analyzed the situation. "No offense to Raiden, but he probably wasn't fast enough to catch him. If he waited that long before pursuing, there's a slim chance the two would've encountered one another." Sokka was right. Toph's powers of perception were frightening; she paid attention to things more than I did. The more I thought it over, the more sense I came to make of it. Raiden became discouraged after Long Feng disappeared. He must have gave up the search and retreated into the city. If he was angry enough, Raiden might have even left Ba Sing Se altogether.

"Well, we should get going." Aang broke my trance. The air nomad jumped high up and onto Appa. One of the king's messengers ran from the gates all the way over to where we were.

"Your highness," The messenger started, almost completely winded. "Three female warriors have arrived in the city. They come from Kyoshi Island!"

"Suki!" Sokka suddenly shouted as he was climbing up Appa's side and into the saddle.

"Friends of yours?" Kuei asked. The five of us nodded enthusiastically.

"Definitely. The Kyoshi Warriors and us go way back," Sokka answered for us. "They're skilled fighters and great comrades to have on your side." The Earth King smiled warmly.

"Then we'll welcome and treat them as honored guests." Sokka sat down in Appa's saddle with a far off grin on his goofy face. No doubt he was thinking about Suki. I was glad that she had decided to come to Ba Sing Se too; she was a friendly person with a kick-ass attitude. I was also hoping that maybe she could show me some of her numerous take-down methods.

"This is awesome. I get to go visit Dad and when I come Suki will be waiting for me." The Water Tribe boy sighed happily. Soon after, Appa took flight and the boys went with him. The breaking up of Team Avatar had begun.

"I'm going to see my mom now." Toph decided about an hour after the boys' departure. She rose up from her chair where she, Katara and I sat near one another. "If things go well, I might spend a couple of days with her."

"Do you want me to come too?" I asked my younger cousin. The little earth-bender shook her head.

"No, we're due for some mother-daughter bonding time. I don't even think Dad's with her." I felt a little uneasy letting my blind, younger cousin wander the city streets by herself.

"I'll go with you." I told her. "Until we get there. After I see you off, I can go look for Raiden." Toph nodded her head to agree. "I hope you don't mind, Katara." I glanced at the darker skinned girl who lay on the couch besides us. "I won't be gone for more than two hours." Katara stretched her body out on the emerald colored fabric and yawned. She then lay her head back down on one of the comfortable pillows.

"It's fine, I was just thinking about taking a nap anyway." Within a few moments, she was asleep. This was the opportune time for Toph and I to exit the premises.

"You're sure you don't want me to stick around?" I asked my cousin once more. We had left the palace about 20 minutes ago and were following the directions in Toph's letter. Her mother was somewhere in the upper ring; another house the family owned in this part of the Earth Kingdom. It was much less crowded and filled with large houses and mansions rather than cramped apartments and stores.

"I'm sure she'd be happy to see you too, but I don't want to drag you into our debate. I don't want to turn this into a group therapy session." She joked, and I immediately thought of Mai. I chuckled with her. Maybe it was a good idea for just her and her mother to talk things out. I hugged the small earth-bender once we arrived at the estate. It was a smaller plot of land than the one her family owned in Gaoling, but it was elegant nonetheless. "Wish me luck!" I watched from farther back on the stone road as my cousin entered the mansion. Then, I turned on my feet and began to follow the road out of the upper ring and to the center of where the action was at; the bazaar.

Raiden was nowhere to be found. I had searched and searched through crowds at the market place as well as the stores and merchant's posts. I even ventured into some shady back-alleys to see if he was dealing with any thugs at the time. I searched in vain. There was no sign of the bounty hunter at all. Surely there would be a reason for him to be here; the market place must've had a bunch of thieves and knaves lurking around. Fortunately for the people in the bazaar nothing had gone awry.

"Damn it, where is he?" I groaned, hitting my head against a wooden beam. I had seen this boy in dreams and visions for weeks on end. There must have been a reason for it.

"Um...are you looking for someone?" A feminine voice was heard to my right. I opened my eyes and looked up. Standing near me, was a girl about my age with a long, green kimono-like shirt which nearly covered her pants. She was tan like me and her dark brown hair was in two braids that fell down in front of her shoulders. My brain short-circuited for a second before I answered her.

"Yes actually," Doubt she'll be much help. "His name is Raiden." I was surprised at her response.

"The bounty hunter?" I blinked. I had been ready to give up only minutes before. Had the spirits finally taken pity on me? I nodded my head wildly. "I dated him a while back." The girl told me. I tried to picture the two in my head. It wasn't hard to do; they were both attractive and looked like a good couple. "He's a very passionate guy, it's just that he was on the move so much it was hard to keep up with him." she explained. "It got to be too much." well, bounty hunters kind of have to be constantly moving in order to catch their targets, I thought slightly sarcastically in my head. I could see what led to their breakup though. She probably didn't get to see him as much as she wanted to.

"Oh, well he helped me and some of my friends with an issue and he went missing the other day." I replied. The girl with the braids didn't seem phased or even concerned about the situation.

"Well, that's Raiden for ya." She laughed. "Be there one minute, gone the next. The bazaar would be the best place to look for him too- there's always some type of trouble brewing somewhere that he'd be trying to put an end to. I haven't really seen him in two months though." Two months? But he had just been out and about the day before yesterday! I grew more and more worried. The city was huge but I still couldn't believe the boy had the ability to vanish just like that. "Hey! Don't fret about it." She reassured me. "One Raiden makes a new friend he makes it an obligation to run into them again." At this, I suddenly felt at ease. My stomach no longer felt queasy and my head stopped aching. It was stupid of me to think anything was wrong in the first place. A bounty hunter never stayed in any particular spot for very long.

I noticed the girl held in her hand a slip of paper. The edges of it were green and I could barely make out the writing on it. It looked like a coupon. She saw I was eying it and held it up. "It's for the Jasmine Dragon, a new teashop in the upper ring. Good for one free cup of tea." She told me. " I was going to go back, you see-there's this really cute guy who works there, but I don't know...here, you take it." She handed the coupon to me. "I'm Jin by the way." The girl in green introduced herself. I shook her hand; her touch was soft yet firm.

"Karuna." I responded.

"You don't look live you're from around here." Jin observed. I shook my head. She smirked, knowing her assumption had been right. "Come on, I'll show you around!"

Climbing the vast flights of steps on the gigantic staircase leading into the palace, I could see Katara standing all the way at the top. It was after dusk now and I had been out much later than I had said I would be. The cool air of the late evening sent shivers down my spine. When I finally made it to the top of the steps, the water-bender's facial expression gave away her mood. "No more than a few hours, huh?" The Water Tribe girl sarcastically remarked, not even glancing at me. Her blue irises stared out at the darkened horizon.

"...sorry about that." I apologized humbly.

"Where were you?" She demanded. It was a bit harsh and sudden. Katara had a knack for acting motherly and now was one of those moments were she did so subconsciously. I didn't feel like discussing things with her, but I did anyway.

"I met someone-a girl named Jin. We hung out."

"What did you do?" She questioned. I repeated my previous response. Persistent, but not convincing enough apparently.

"We just hung out." There was a glint of something in Katara's eyes-other than frustration. It wasn't...jealousy, was it? I couldn't put my finger on it.

"For six hours?" I didn't see what the issue was here. I didn't have a curfew. Sure, I was pretty late with my timing but I had already apologized for it. Wasn't that enough?

"Yeah...well I hang out with you the whole day, everyday."

"That's different!" She objected. Honestly, I could not spot the difference. I didn't want to put up with this crap. I began to move past her into the palace. I was not in the mood to be mothered or policed and it was getting kind of ridiculous. I was a big girl, I could handle myself. "Did you...do anything?" I stopped twelve feet away from her. I took a deep breath and racked my brain. I slowly turned around to face Katara, mulling it over in my mind whether or not I would describe the events to her

"C'mon, c'mon!" Jin grabbed my hand and ran with me through the alleyways and backstreets. We had stopped to play a game of kickball with some other teenagers in a vacant lot. A few of the teens happened to be earth-benders as well, so the game was wild and out of control for most of the time. There was a friendly yet competitive atmosphere and the ball never stayed in anyone's possession for more than a few seconds. Things were fun until the ball was hurled threw someone's window-that someone happened to be a big, burly man who was not very pleased. Without hesitation, everyone split.

I had no idea where we were going, so I had to rely entirely on Jin to get us out of there fast! We must have been at least six blocks away from the lot, yet we kept sprinting. My feet hurt from the constant stumbling over dips in the road and refuse on the sides of the street. Laughter rang out from the long haired girl as we continued to make our way through the winding streets. The area of the city we were currently in looked nicer and much less run down. Jin pulled me through the threshold of an apartment flat. Once inside, I held my foot and inspected the bottoms to see what I had stepped on; I was still bare foot. "This is where I live." Jin gestured to the entirety of the apartment, the rush of the getaway still in her veins. I took a look around. It was a nice place she had for herself. "I'll be right back." She told me, then disappeared into another room. The furniture in the apartment matched the rooms well and appeared to be of good quality. The floor space was great as well. I wondered were Jin worked in order to have such a nice place. I didn't think she had any roommates because the flat was pretty silent.

There was a wooden desk in the corner of the living room with odds and ends on it that caught my eye. Among a handful of papers, was a sketch of a young man. After a few glances, I recognized the handsome face and messy chestnut colored hair. The drawing captured the side of his face and his chin was lifted upward, looking right to the sky. The young man looked different without the white headband attached to his forehead with the ends draped down his neck. I was amazed at the artwork. If Jin was the artist, she was extremely gifted.

I placed the impressive drawing back in its spot since it was not mine. I felt a bit nosy but the paper had intrigued me. Making my way away from the corner, I sat down in a comfortable, blue armchair and made myself at home. Jin came back out moments later. Her hair was no longer in braids but now pulled back into a ponytail. She wore another green kimono-like top with shorts that could barely be seen because of the length of her shirt; the edges of this one were a dusty-gold color. Jin pulled a stool over from the table and sat near me.

"Did you-did you draw that?" I asked, pointing over to the parchment on the desk. A grin broadened on Jin's face as she followed where I pointed to.

"I sketch in my free time. It's one of my only creative outlets." I wish I possessed the skill that she had. A talent other than bending would be new and exciting.

"It's amazing." I praised her work.

"Thank you." The girl beamed. After a few moments of silence, she rose from her seat. "Do you want something to drink?" I shrugged at the offer and thought, why not? Jin wandered into the front room for a few minutes. My eyes explored the ceiling and my head felt completely empty. Where was my head? Where was I? I asked myself over and over until Jin came back into the room. She held two glasses in her hand, the liquid looked gold-beige. I took the glass, not knowing what the contents were nor even caring to ask. Lifting it up to my mouth, I took in the unknown beverage. The flavor was acquired and there was a bittersweet aftertaste. One second I was staring at a full glass and the next there was merely a sip or two left. My already damaged vision was hazy now. The room seemed to be spinning. My head was gone then. I was gone.

I lifted my head up straight; the movement was much too slow. A simple blink of an eye took a century long to complete. When I opened my heavy eyelids, Jin had moved closer. The tan girl straddled me in the armchair and I was too dazed to give any immediate type of reaction. She took my hands which were at my sides, and placed them inside her robe. I could feel the soft material of her undershirt. Subconsciously, my calloused hands slipped down to rest on her hips. She brushed the hair out of my face, revealing the scar on my right eye. Jin barely acknowledged it, then cupped the sides of my face in her hands. My heart pounded behind my chest for a split second-the only bodily function that appeared to be in working condition. Then there was no space between us at all.

Her lips tasted sweet and were soft and delicate to the touch. Yet, there was this fiery passion within them as well. They were like the forbidden fruit. I could feel her chest tighten as she pulled herself more into me. A breathy groan escaped my lips and I could hear a muffled sound forming in her throat as well. How long had it been? A minute? Ten minutes? Hell if I knew. By now, Jin's robe had been opened, and I could feel her entire top half against mine. Then her body would inch back slightly before pressing back into me. I felt a draft by the top of my chest and neck. My tunic had been adjusted and I hadn't even noticed. Someone's tongue was added into the mix. Whether it was mine or hers was beyond me. The action felt raw and untamed. Butterflies were erupting in my stomach, yet I couldn't exactly feel them during this time. She was running her fingers through my hair now, and the sensation felt wonderful. Spirits! Her lips were like a substance so powerful I had not choice but to succumb to them. My other sense were dulled but my limbic system was somehow in tact-living for every second of whatever this was. Ardor or lust? Both seemed the same at the time.

Finally, we pulled back for air after what had seemed like hours. I inhaled, giving my lungs some long needed oxygen. My head was spinning. On the table behind her, Jin's glass still remained. It appeared to have been barely touched.

The images from earlier flashed in my head for only a few seconds. No. They were for my eyes only. I had made up my mind; Katara couldn't know. I continued to stare at eh water-bender. The gap between us seemed almost hostile. The darker skinned girl gave me a look-one that said she was sick of my stubbornness but didn't want to fight me on it. Katara didn't stop me as I retreated into the palace. I wanted to be alone, just for now.

That night in my guess room, I tossed and turned. There nothing wrong with the bed, it was perfectly comfortable. The room wasn't the problem either; it reminded me a lot of the Fire Nation palace, only much more green. Reoccurring thoughts of Jin clouded my mind. Spirits, that cunning temptress! I couldn't seem to get her out of my head. Katara was in my thoughts as well. I hated seeing the water-bender upset, and something was definitely eating at her when I came back. Had she been worried that I might not return and was she that concerned with who I was in the company of? I guess she cared about me more than I realized. I felt this sudden need for her to never disapprove of my actions. Maybe it was my conscience's way of making it up to Katara. Whatever the case, I promised myself that I would return the selfless affection.

Katara was a bit surprised when she came into my room to wake me up and I was already up and bout. I still rose with the Sun. "Morning Karuna." The Water Tribe girl really only addressed me as 'Karuna' when she was being serious or if we had just had a quarrel. The last thing I wanted was for the girl to be angry with me. I was proactive for once in my life.

"Tara..." I began, calling her by the nickname I had given her. "I'm sorry about last night. It was entirely my fault, I didn't realize how late I'd be getting back." The girl smiled wryly. I knew she couldn't stay mad at me for too long.

"Thank you for apologizing...I shouldn't have gotten all pissy with you though." All conflict between us was settled then and we had gone back to how things were before. Though sometimes it didn't feel like it, our friendship was much stronger than we gave it credit for. "We've got that war meeting today with the Council of Five." She reminded me. I groaned. Ever since the last war meeting I attended, I wasn't too keen on going to any more. "It's a little over an hour till then." She informed me. I really didn't want to go, but I'd feel bad if I bailed on her.

"Katara, I hope you don't think I'm being lazy and irresponsible, but meetings don't exactly do it for me."

"Just like books don't exactly do it for Toph?" We laughed together; the action was long needed. Humor seemed like the only medicine to heal certain situations in those times. "Don't worry about it, Kar. I understand." Katara reassured me. "I'll go and fill you in on the details after wards." That's what I loved about Katara; she was usually relaxed and seldom uptight with me. I was glad she say my side. I owed her one.

While Katara was off at the war meeting, I wandered the city again. I wanted to learn as much about the place and its people because I had plenty of time to kill. The boys wouldn't be back for another four or five days and Toph was still spending time with her mother. I told myself that I was going to the bazaar to observe the daily life and nothing more. I was never good at convincing anyone of anything. Not even myself.

When I stepped through the threshold of the haunting flat, all I could ask myself was, why? There was something drawing me in, that was for sure. The apartment was exactly the same since I saw it last. Not one single detail had changed. The furniture was in the exact position it was the other night. So were the papers on the wooden desk in the living room. Jin stood in the threshold of the living room to the front room, her hands against the sides of the frame. Her hair still remained in a ponytail but her outfit was slightly different. She had a lower cut, dark green shirt on with beige shorts. "Hey fuck-buddy." she snidely remarked. My breath hitched. I knew I had not been in my right mind the night before, but it did not escalate to that level. There was no way that it had.

"Don't call me that." I bit back harshly, denying her claim. The tan girl shrugged off my warning and went to mess with something on her counter.

"Relax," she rolled her eyes. "I was just screwing with you...heh heh." She paused to laugh at her unintended pun. I didn't find it funny at all. Jin cocked her head to the side and gave me a look. I kept my straight face; I wanted her to know how serious I was at the moment. Her little games wouldn't be tolerated by me. She pretended to pout and drew closer. I stood my ground. "Well if you're so pissed, then why'd you come back?" The girl did have a point. I realized this too late. I didn't have a response for her either. Not a good sign.

"I-I don't-" I began to stutter, showing signs of weakness already. "I don't know." I finally admitted. This was the truth. I did not know what compelled me to return here but the force that did had succeeded. The innocent expression on Jin's face instantly morphed into that of a smirk. I knew she had been playing coy. She was a good actress.

"Just. What. I. Thought." Her lips brushed against my ear and the feeling sent chills down my spine. Sensuality was radiating in abundance off this girl and I could feel it. She held my hands in hers all of a sudden and I hadn't even noticed she had touched me. Our mouths connected once more and she had only just begun to utilize her succubus enchantments. She bit. Hard. It almost hurt until I remembered that I was a slave to pain and all its minions. My hands slid up the sides of her torso until I felt bare skin. An alarm went off in my head.

"No. Stop." I tore myself away from her. The command was partly directed at her but mostly to myself. Jin pulled back, looking fairly amused at the situation.

"What?" She grinned smugly at me. The girl was inside my head. I desperately needed to block her out.

"I don't know! I'm confused!" I blurted out a confession, to my surprise. "Don't touch me." She needed to keep her distance. I wanted her to stay away from me. The girl was nothing but trouble; something I definitely didn't need any more of.

Jin scoffed and then laughed in a condescending way at me. "Oh! You think this is something?" Mockery was the key element in her tone. I stood there, embarrassed and unsure of what to do next. "You think this is something, don't you? Ardency? Love?" The tan girl shook her head at me as if I was so naïve to the ways of the world. "No. I'll tell you what this is." Jin reached out to the cutting board on the counter and took in hand a large butcher's knife. My eyes widened and my heart began to race. She held the blade to her own skin and drew a line of blood down her forearm. The hell? What in spirits' name was she doing?

**"This is not a small cut that scabs and dries, and flakes and heals." She went on. "And I am not afraid to die; I'm not afraid to bleed and fuck, and fight. What's left, but a section of pygmy sized cuts much less than a slew of a thousand unwanted fucks."She put so much emphasis on that last word. My eyes never left her's of hazel. The knot in my stomach tightened. "Would you be my little cut? Would you be my thousand fucks? And make mark leaving space for the guilt to be liquid-to fill and spill over and under my thoughts." The red began to run down her arm. It was a low viscosity. "Love is not like anything-especially a fucking knife!"** She threw the blade to the right and it clattered against the counter. I was utterly speechless. The metaphor had not quite sunk in yet. Jin inhaled and in a calmer voice said, "Love is not love, it is obsession. Obsession is compulsion and compulsion leads to insanity. Whatever fantasy dream you've been living in won't help you now. This is the real world, Karuna. It'll screw you over worse than I did." She left me standing in her front room, defeated, severed and broken.

* Hung Gar- the Chinese martial art that earth-bending was based on.

** Parts of the song "I'm a Fake" by The Use. The other parts came from my head xD

I do NOT own the song...I just decided to use it :]

Thanks for reading this chapter, next one should be within this upcoming week!

REVIEWS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED

~th3rdhal3~