Sorry SORRY! I've kept you guys waiting a while! Here's the first chapter of the second half of this fanfic. The reason it took so long was because I wanted it to be a longer chapter and not a short crappy thing lol! Fengxian-THANK YOU for the suggestions! I actually have those in between stories in an A: TLA graphic novel called "The Lost Adventures" and I'll probably incorporate at least one as I go on with this fic. So thanks! Can't believe I didn't think of that...haha cross dressing xD well anywho, I'll shut up now so enjoy!
~th3rdhal3~
That night had been a blur. My skin burned as I listened to the sounds of utter chaos. The city was being overthrown at that very moment; the Dai Li had already began their work and the riots soon followed. I rant to Appa over on the palace courtyard where the others were ready to escape. I felt my knees weaken as I drew nearer and my knees started to buckle. Everything inside me seemed to shut down. I heard the cries of the water-bender as I hit my head on the stone.
"Is she still out?"
"Yes, last time I checked."
"I'm worried, Katara. They've both been unconscious since we left."
"I know, it's been troubling me too. I'm gonna see if I can wake her at least."
My eyes fluttered open sleepily. I rolled over onto my side. I lay on a blanket of blue, white and purple. I was inside a tent. The flap opened, bringing in light. I felt a familiar touch gently nudge me. I glanced up and Katara's deep blue eyes greeted mine. "Thank spirits you're okay!" She pulled me up into a tight embrace. The girl's warmth transferred into me.
"How long...was out for?" I mumbled only half coherently.
"Since we left Ba Sing Se. You've been knocked out for 72 hours." I had been asleep for three days. My whole body felt drained. It felt like I hadn't even slept a wink. Images of lightning played in my eyes for a brief moment.
"Where's Aang?" I suddenly inquired. Katara hesitated slightly. I began to panic and rise to to my feet but the water-bender put a stop to my movements.
"He's alive." She informed me, setting me back down to rest. I felt a huge relief overcome me. "He's just still...asleep. Like you were."
I had soon learned that we had escaped to Chameleon Bay. It was Sokka's idea; it would be a safe haven for us and we be around Water Tribe warriors. We lived along the shore in tents, trying to decide what our next move would be. We desperately waited for Aang to wake so we could make decisions as a full team. A week had gone by and the avatar had still yet to awaken. I worried gravely for him. I had heard of conditions such as this. The term often used was 'sleeping awake.' A person was alive and breathing, but their body was asleep and dead to the world. The condition could last for days, months or even years. Aang couldn't stay this way. So many counted on him. We couldn't lose him. He had to wake.
I met Katara's father when he and some of his men returned from a small mission. Hakoda was strong-willed and inspiring. The leader provided a visual for how Sokka would look like when he was older; a full head of hair, beard and 'hair loopies' too. The man looked every inch a warrior. I shook his rough hand once Katara introduced us. "Glad you're up and about now." He must have still been at the bay when we first arrived. "Katara's told me a lot about you."
"Ohh? She has?" I replied in a shy voice. No one ever really talked about me when I wasn't present, that I knew about, and I suddenly felt self-conscious. Hakoda seemed to be reading my emotions.
"Don't worry kiddo," He patted my back. "all good things." I smiled weakly at this. The Water Tribe leader then addressed Katara. "Go grab Toph and your brother." I assumed he had already met my cousin. "I want you all to be present when I go over the plan for our next step." Katara obediently retreated and a few minutes later returned with Sokka and Toph. The four of us gathered around the Water Tribe leader, all ears. "Our men have taken control of a Fire Nation ship that was headed in this general direction. The crew was rather small so we took them out and left them on the other side of the bay-about 8 miles West of here." Hakoda told us. "We anchored the ship behind the rocks over there," He pointed behind himself. "That way, it stays hidden until we're ready to use it."
"Dad-that's brilliant!" Sokka exclaimed. "Now we can enter the Fire Nation incognito!" The Water Tribe warrior chuckled at his son's enthusiasm.
"That was what I had in mind. The avatar still needs to learn fire-bending, am I correct?" We nodded.
"Fire is the last element Aang needs to master." Katara further explained. Toph say an issue with this new plan.
"Who's going to teach Twinkle-toes fire-bending in the Fire Nation? They're the ones who started the war-there's no way in heck they'll help end it." My cousin had a point. Finding a teacher for our Air Nomad friend would be a difficult task. Where would we even start? You could teach Aang. My conscience nagged at me. No. I stared at the ground. I'm never going to fire-bend again.
"I can guarantee it won't be easy, Toph." Hakoda provided and answer. "But every nation has those who don't completely support their motherland." I felt as if that statement was directed at me but the siblings' father couldn't possibly know of my secret. And though Hakoda was right, I wondered if there would be anyone in the Fire Nation who would help us.
"But Dad," Sokka suddenly thought of something. "What about the plans for the invasion?" The warrior boy was worried because of the circumstances now.
"I was just about to touch on that." The Water Tribe leader explained. "Now that Ba Sing Se has been overthrown and the king is with us, he has no way of ordering his armies to take action. Right now, their goal is to protect their city for as long as they can. This means we have to adjust your original strategy, Sokka." His son nodded. "The fleet and I have agreed to be part of the attack. It will be a much smaller group, even if we request the help of friends and others." I could tell Sokka was bummed that his plan had been altered, but he was grateful that his father wanted to be a part of it. The four of us agreed to the new idea. "We can depart as soon as you kids are ready." Hakoda went on. Sokka looked at us, trying to gain feedback. After receiving looks of approval, the decision was then made.
"Aang can rest while we're at sea. We're good to go."
For the first time eve, my mind was completely blank. Not one single thought broke through my stream of empty consciousness. So this was what it felt like. The nada, the nothing. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Only the sounds of breathing could be heard. I felt myself slipping, suddenly. Farther and farther down into my subconsciousness. Farther and farther into the unknown. Then, a voice broke the deafening silence.
"Sankari!" It echoed and sounded as if I was underwater. The last syllable of my name lingered in my ears for a moment before I was awakened.
"Karuna!" I sat up fast and my senses were no longer dull. My mind was active again, taking in my surroundings. Katara's deep, blue eyes stared into mine of gray. I took a deep breathe and blinked. We were in the Fire Nation ship. That's right. The Water Tribe men had taken one over. The light in the room was dim but bearable. The walls were of steel and had an industrialized look to them. I had taken a nap in mu cabin but it didn't even feel as if I had been sleeping.
"Kar, what's going on?" The water-bender asked. "I called your name like ten times!" She had? How come I had only head it the one time? I pushed my bangs back and sighed.
"Sorry Katara." I apologized lazily, suddenly feeling exhaustion hit me. The darker skinned girl grasped my hands which I hadn't been expecting.
"I thought you were fading again." Her voice was suddenly overflowing with worry and concern. "Don't do that!" I swore she was on the verge of tears. I was dumbfounded, really. I had barely done anything yet it had triggered this emotion from her.
"Katara! I'm sorry-I...I'm sorry okay?" The water-bender said nothing, then grabbed hold of me and buried her face into my shoulder. Instinctively, my arms rested against her back and I held her tight. Something else must have been bothering her for her to go off on me like that. I had a feeling I knew what might be the cause. "He's not awake yet, is he?" I asked after a few silent moments of embracing. She shook her head against my chest. Fourteen more days later, the young avatar was still a prisoner of sleep. It occurred to me then that Aang might never break out of his trance. What would happen then? The war would rage on and the other nations would be wiped out. What would become of us then? I pushed the negative visualizations out of my mind. No. Don't think like that. As hopeless as it seemed, I couldn't be pessimistic now. We had to keep on fighting, otherwise we'd be defeated for sure. Hope must be kept alive, starting with the water-bender.
"Hey," I gently nudged her. "Look at me." Katara raised her head to gaze upon me. I hated seeing her this way. The sadness displayed on her face was simply heartbreaking. I took my calloused fingers and wiped away the tears on her cheeks. "The night is always darkest before the dawn breaks forth. We're at that point now, Katara," I stared into her Royal Blue eyes. "Where we reach the eye of the storm. It can only get better from here on out." I was not entirely sure whether or not it was true, but I believed that things would eventually get back on track.
The darker skinned girl sniffled a bit but nodded. My words seemed to comfort her. I raised her chin slightly with my index finger. "It's gonna be okay." I reassured Katara. "It's gonna be okay." I had to believe this. For Katara's sake and everyone else as well. She nodded again and inhaled deeply. Somehow, the Water Tribe girl looked even more beautiful in sorrow. But it hurt me to see her in a melancholy state. I brought her face closer to mine and in those few seconds, I don't recall breathing. She studied me with curious eyes. It appeared as if she were waiting for me to make the next move. I leaned forward and kissed her forehead; Li Ann use to do the same for me whenever I had endured pain or sadness of any sort. Her skin was warm and soothing to the touch, which was a little surprising for a water-bender. "I'm going to see him now." I told her, once I sat back in my original position. Katara hesitated for a moment, looking very statuesque. Then, she quickly regained her composure.
"Oh, yeah...sure-of course." She suddenly babbled. I stared at her peculiarly as I got up from my bed. The water-bender seemed a little confused or flustered. But the look on her face almost showed...disappointment? I wasn't sure what to make of it.
"You gonna be alright?" I asked her. Katara slid off my bed and followed me out of my cabin.
"I'll be fine." She replied. "You go check on him. I told Toph and Sokka I'd be back up with them soon." She smiled weakly at me before heading off in the opposite direction in the ship's corridors.
The cabin Aang was resting in was just around the corner from mine. When I entered, the boy was still in his slumber and was laying on his back. I couldn't help but wonder if the position was bad for his injury. Though Katara had healed him with her spirit water, Azula's attack left a huge gash on the avatar's spine. The wound was most likely going to remain as a permanent scar. Aang's hair had started to grow back in the time he had been out cold. It was short, black and spiky. This was the first time any of us had seen with hair, since he always made sure to shave his head when he was conscious.
I knelt down next to his bed and watched his chest rise and fall. There was a certain feeling of tranquility in his room that seemed to outweigh the worry and discord. I had visited him daily those two weeks we had begun our sea voyage, waiting for him to slowly stir and rise. And all the previous times, Aang had remained still and dormant. I wasn't exactly sure why I thought this time would be any different, but when I entered his room, I felt hopeful. "Hey Aang, it's me." I whispered to him. Though he never responded, I talked to him during all my visits. "Come on buddy, you gotta wake up." I pleaded with his unconscious body. "Things are kind of grim right now, and we need you to lead us to victory again." The boy's breathing sounded in response.
I thought about all the funny moments the two of us shared and the constant rough-housing that we partook in. I thought about how sweet and genuine the boy was; his compassion was my admiration. I also thought about how I couldn't stop Azula from hurting him. The princess was crafty, and none of us were ready. I underestimated her that time. It wouldn't happen again.
I held the avatar's arm and prayed to the spirits that he would break from his cursed slumber. "Please Aang, we need you. And not just because you're the avatar...you're our friend too." My eyes closed and a single tear rolled down my left cheek. Aang's skin began to feel warmer than normal. When I opened my eyes, his arrows were glowing! I stepped back in awe. The light from Aang stretched across the room and brightened the dark corners. The glow eventually dimmed then faded. Aang's eyelids began to flutter. Moments later, his gray eyes were finally open. He stared sleepily at the ceiling for a few seconds before slowly sitting up. The avatar rubbed his eyes then looked at me. The blank expression on his face soon turned into a small smile.
"Karuna." He said, sounding relieved. A feeling of joy came over me. My air-bender friend was conscious at last. The others would be absolutely thrilled. Aang's eyes traveled over to the tapestry on the wall behind me. The Fire Nation emblem was boldly displayed in the center. The boy backed up into the headboard, eyes wide open at this point. That was right. He didn't know.
"What's going on? Where are we?" The nervous avatar asked me.
"Aang, it's okay-calm down. Everything's fine." I tried to sedate him. " We've got control of this ship/ Everyone else is up on deck I think." I offered my arm out to him. "C'mon, let's go see." He reluctantly slid off his cot and approached me. I could read the uncertainty in his eyes. "I promise, Aang. Nothing's wrong." The Air Nomad grabbed onto me. The boy was still very weak so he leaned against me in order to keep balance. Aang's torso was all bandaged up and I knew he was still a certain amount of pain. I aided him out of his room and together we inched through the ships corridors. Moving up deck was the hardest because the stairs worsened Aang's soreness. Just how I predicted, almost everyone was on deck.
Katara was the first to spot us, followed by Toph and Sokka. "Aang! We're so glad you're awake!" The water-bender gushed as the five of us partook in a group hug.
"Good to have you back, Twinkles." Toph grinned from ear to ear. Aang was still a little disoriented, but he appreciated our affectionate gestures. Aang started to scratch the back of his head, then froze halfway through his actions.
"I have hair?" The Air Nomad started to freak out. "What else did I miss, guys?" I laughed with the others and Sokka took the liberty of explaining what happened after the fall of Ba Sing Se. Soon after hearing the recap, we introduced Aang to Hakoda and the rest of the Water Tribe warriors. "So what do we do now?" Aang asked.
"We travel through the Fire Nation in disguise." Sokka provided an answer as he threw his red cape behind him. "The invasion will be an even bigger success now because everyone thinks you're dead!" I could tell right off the bat that Aang wasn't liking the idea of being "dead." "That's our secret weapon!" The Water Tribe boy went on. Aang sighed and stared at the deck of the ship. Eventually he gave in and nodded his head.
"Okay, let's do this."
"I think I see a cave below."
"Shh! Keep quiet!"
We landed Appa on rocky terrain on the edge of the Fire Nation homeland. Aang and Katara stopped their bending and our cloud coverage evaporated. It was a great disguise and the best way we could fly around on Appa without being seen.
Sokka hopped off the Sky Bison, in full Fire Nation militia gear, and then backed up against a wall of rock. "Great job with the cloud camo, but next time let's disguise ourselves as the kind of cloud that knows how to keep its mouth shut." The paranoid boy scanned the area at least a dozen times before deeming to safe for us. Aang, Katara, Toph and I slid down Appa's side to join him.
"Yet he's the one who's been flapping his jaws the whole time." I rolled my eyes. The other three giggled while Sokka glared at me. We ushered Appa into the cave we spotted from the air. It wouldn't be as comfortable as being on the ship, but I wasn't one to complain. I'd dealt with both luxury and peasant housing before.
"This is how we'll be living until the invasion begins." Sokka announced. "Hiding in cave, after cave, after cave...after cave..." He trailed off as he hung his head. Toph and I couldn't help but laugh at how pathetic he was being.
"You've gotten soft, Sokka." I teased, elbowing him in the gut. "I use to sleep under the stars every night." My cousin vouched for me; a good portion of my time in Gaoling I was without a home.
"Yeah, that's how we Earth Kingdom girls roll!" Toph chuckled. "You worried about getting a little dirt in your undies, ponytail?" Sokka scowled at the two of us, but I was sure he was laughing on the inside.
"We don't have to become cave people, Sokka." Katara giggled. "We just need some different outfits so we can blend in. It'll give us the freedom to move around as we please while still incognito." Aang chimed in with his two cents.
"I think it'd be much better blending in than hiding out. Let's get some new clothes!"
We left Appa and Momo in the cave and ventured off to find some Fire Nation wear. There was a house not too far from where we had initially landed, and whoever lived there had their laundry hung up outside. The five of us waited until the coast was clear. "I feel bad," Aang admitted, having second thoughts to the idea. "These are somebody else's clothes."
"I call the silk robe!" Katara made a dash for the lines, obviously not feeling the same guilt as Aang. The avatar shrugged and moments later, pulled something off the lines as well. Toph quickly snatched at some articles of clothing while Sokka and I took our sweet time. I wasn't normally picky about outfits, but I wanted to make certain that I looked like I belonged in the nation. I scanned the rows of clothes hanging up for something that would suit me. I found a uniform I liked and called dibs on it. Then, I sped off the property followed by Sokka. It had been ages since I had taken something that wasn't mine and it brought me back to better days of my youth. The things Mai and I use to get ourselves into; the memories would forever stick with me.
We changed outfits behind the cover of the hot springs and waterfall. "We look good." Toph grinned as adjusted her clothing which looked like the Fire Nation equivalent to her old tunic. She then ripped out the bottom of her shoes so that she could still feel the ground.
"Um Toph?" Sokka stared at her skeptically. Instead of a wolf-tail, his hair was pulled up in the fashion of the Fire Nation boys. "How on earth would you know?" My cousin walked a few paces with her new "shoes" to see how they felt.
"Oh, I just feel it." The blind girl smiled. I pulled my boots on snugly and smoothed out the vest attached to my long sleeve shirt.
"I agree with Toph. We look sharp." I looked at Aang who had a very similar pair or pants on as me and even his boots looked similar. Just then, he and I both noticed something. The two of us were wearing the same type of uniform.
"We're identical!" We cheered in sync
"Sweet!"
"I'll say!"
"I'm still taller!" I teased, ruffling up his short hair. Aang laughed at this and slipped out of my grasp. A short while later, Katara came out from behind the rocks.
"How do I look?" She humbly asked. Aang and I paused our rough-housing to gaze upon her, and spirits was it a sight. The water-bender wore a long, red skirt and a maroon top which revealed some skin. The shirt was sleeveless, exposing her arms and her hair was half up and half down. I never realized how long Katara's hair was because it was usually kept in a braid. I don't think I blinked once in all the time I stared at the girl. I wanted to say something; to compliment her-let her know what I thought. My tongue only tripped over words and all that came out was, "Uhh.." Aang was eying the dark skinned beauty as well and I could see a faint tone of blush form on his cheeks.
"You look nice Katara, but you probably shouldn't wear your mother's necklace out here." The water-bender lowered her head and frowned.
"Oh. Right. I guess it's easy to tell it's from the Water Tribe." She agreed, reluctantly taking off the jewelery. I knew how much the necklace meant to her and not being able to wear it must have been disappointing.
"I'll hold onto it for you." I offered. Katara thanked me and handed me the necklace. I stored it in one of my uniform pockets. Toph was starting to get bored and irritable; two things we wanted to steer clear of.
"Let's get movin'!" She proposed.
The gang and I headed into town after finding better apparel. Katara acquired a new necklace to match her outfit and Toph bought a Fire Nation headband to replace her Earth Kingdom one. Sokka obtained a red head piece for his Fire Nation style ponytail. After buying new accessories from the local merchants, the group looked perfect now-like real Fire Nation citizens.
I wasn't certain if I'd be recognized by anyone or not, so I pulled my hair into a ponytail; I almost always wore it down. I had never spent a great deal of time in the areas where the commoners and average subjects lived because I was raised in the nobility class which was right outside of the palace. Still, I was once a well known figure in this land and I didn't want to take any chances. I was nervous about being back in the Fire Nation. In a way, it felt good to be back in the place I had called my home, but I also got the feeling that nothing good would come out of my return.
Aang and I sat outside a restaurant while the other three got some lunch. It was a meat place and since the avatar was a vegetarian, he obviously wasn't going to find anything to eat in there. I decided to wait with him to keep him company. And to everyone's surprise, I was cutting back on my meat intake. A long time ago, Azula had told me she was a vegan and claimed that particular diet was better for the mind and body. I often wondered if it were true and finally decided it might be worth a shot to see what the results would be like. I wouldn't go as far as the princess had, but I could start but not being so dependent on meat as a source of food. When I told the others I wasn't going to partake in all the goodness that is meat, Sokka gave me a look as if I betrayed him. I would have felt guilty too, if I hadn't been laughing so hard.
Plenty of people passed ups in town, but we were able to keep calm and collected. I had been a citizen for so long that I didn't have to pretend. Aang told me he use to visit an old friend out in the Fire Nation, and was convinced he knew all the hip slang and lingo. Some of the townsfolk gave us odd glances and at first I couldn't figure out why. I didn't think we stood out at all. "We've just got to keep our cool." I whispered to Aang.
"You mean, stay flammin'." He corrected. I chuckled at this. I tried to think back to the last time I had heard anyone use that phrase. Things were going fine until a trio approached us. I could tell from their uniforms that they were the town sentry. I felt my stomach lurch and wondered what beef they had with us.
"It's over, we've caught you." The oldest man declared. He placed his hands on his hips and towered over Aang and I. My first thought was that they discovered Aang was the avatar. This was not good. But how? I thought. His headband is completely covering his arrow! "Next time you play hooky, leave the uniforms at home, kids." Huh? What did he mean by that? Play h- oh! Aang and I took someone's school uniforms! The air-bender and I exchanged nervous yet relieved glances before getting dragged off by the guards.
They brought us to a school on the edge of town up on a plateau. I had never been to a traditional school before because my father had self taught me, but Roje and Sameer had once informed me that the education system of the Fire Nation had changed for the worst. The sentry shoved us into a class room where a middle aged woman stood up front with a pointer. She tore her eyes away from her students to gaze upon Aang and me.
"Oh. Are these new minds ready for molding?" The instructor asked the guards. Not even three minutes in the establishment and I was already getting a bad vibe. The woman sentry nodded behind us, but then Aang chimed in with his unnecessary optimism.
"Yep! Let the molding begin!" He knocked on his noggin with his knuckles. The teacher did not seem amused. Dammit, Aang! Can't you tell she's a hard ass? I shot him a look but I wasn't sure if he caught my drift. The instructor's gaze burned into the avatar.
"You're not from the Fire Nation." The woman accused. My palms grew sweaty. Great. We've been busted! She drew closer to study Aang. "Clearly you're from the colonies." Relief flooded through me. Aang played along and the guards left, taking with them the feeling of anxiety. "Your etiquette is terrible. In the homeland, we bow to our elders, like so." The instructor demonstrated the gesture to Aang but I already knew what to do. I placed the heel of my open palm against my fist and bowed without a second thought. It took Aang a couple of tries to get the hand positions right. "Hm, your friend seems to surpass you in terms of protocol." The woman remarked, eying me.
"I'm from the homeland ma'am." I informed her, which wasn't a complete lie. She gave me a nod of approval before going back to ridicule Aang.
"We don't wear head coverings in doors!" Here we go again! If she made him remove his headband, he would get caught this time fore sure. Again, Aang somehow came up with something to get us out of this jam.
"Oh, uh. I have a scar and I don't like people seeing it because it's embarrassing." He even pulled off the sheepish look perfectly. The teacher wasn't thrilled but she allowed him to keep on the covering. Luck was on our side that day. The spirits must have favored us.
"Very well," The woman didn't further badger him about the headband. "What are your names?" Aang thought for a split second.
"I'm Kuzon." He beamed in front of the class, using the name of his friend he had told me about earlier.
"Yumi." I replied, using the first name that came to mind. Just then, my hair tie snapped and my long dark brown locks let down. Shit! I cursed in my head. I looked different when my hair was up an I was afraid someone would figure out who I was now. The woman blinked and then took a step towards me. Her eyes never left mine.
"My pupil, have you ever been told that you are the spitting image of-"
"Avatar Sango?" I guessed, purposely cutting her off. I'd probably pay for it later, but there was no telling what the teacher was going to say next. To my surprise, the woman didn't reprimand me. Instead, she studied me again.
"Why...yes." She seemed to agree, giving me another once over. I could tell that wasn't initially who the woman was going to compare me to based on her response. The instructor gave me a peculiar glance. She most likely wondered about my knowledge on this type of history. I remembered the books in which my father taught me out of. In my head I could clearly visualize the painting of Avatar Sango-clad in green and and russet. She had long, hair which looked a lot like mine, and stone colored eyes. The golden symbol of the Earth Kingdom was proudly shown on her ceremonial tunic.
"Avatar Sango lived 800 years ago in the period of the Old Age." The teacher explained to the class which looked on eagerly. "She was the avatar preceding Avatar Jian Gao of the Fire Nation." The students nodded their heads in comprehension. " Avatar Sango had the shortest life span of any avatar. During her time as avatar, she worked to settle disputes between rivaling kingdoms and nations. After she passed on, Avatar Jian Gao finished what she started by separating the nations into what they are today." The woman turned to me next. "We don't normally discuss Earth Kingdom history seeing as how this is a Fire Nation history class." I bit my lip and stared at the ground for a short moment.
"Sorry ma'am." I apologized. "My father use to teach me all types of history."
"However," The teacher continued. " I see no harm in being exposed to different cultures." I heaved a sigh of relief. "The past has many things to offer, so the same mistakes won't be made in the future...now, take a seat, both of you. I wish to resume my class." Aang and I did as she told us to and found two empty desks. They weren't right next to each other but they were diagonal. As the woman continued on with the lesson for the day, I thanked the spirits over and over for not being caught.
Aang and I were both relieved when the bell rang to dismiss us for the day. School wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but I still didn't like to be stuck in a setting where everyone looks the same. The Air Nomad and I exited the school and walked through the courtyard towards the path leading down the plateau. That's when I noticed something moving underneath his vest. When we were away from the other kids, Aang reached in and told a familiar white creature to be quiet. "You had him the entire time?" I questioned the avatar. " Pretty sneaky Aang." I laughed.
"What about you?" He suddenly asked. "You've been awfully cryptic as you've been the perfect student today: knowing when to bow, answering questions correctly and reciting the Fire Nation oath! How do you even know that?"
I sighed and kicked at some pebbles on our walk down. It was only a matter of time before the gang found more out about me. I should have already told them at this point, but why I hadn't was beyond me. "Truth is, Aang, I use to live here." The air-bender gave me a shocked stare. "It was when I was younger though. Then my dad died...doing his job," I vaguely explained. "And I relocated out to the Earth Kingdom." I was half expecting him to tell me to leave-that I couldn't be a part of their team anymore, but the avatar was not upset. He simply gazed upon me in wonder.
"How come you never told us?" He innocently asked.
"I was afraid of being rejected by you guys." I told him the truth. "I didn't know if you'd be comfortable with me traveling with you if you knew I lived in the Fire Nation at one point." For a few moments Aang said nothing. Then he put his arm over my shoulder in a true friendship spirit. He grinned at me, and then I knew he didn't think of me any differently.
"Karuna, I'd never judge you based on where you're from rather than who you actually are. What counts is that you're my friend, and one of my teachers." This brought a smile to my face as well. "And what you and I should really be worried about is what the others are going to say once we tell them where we've been."
"You did WHAT?" Sokka roared, practically deafening both Aang and myself. The acoustics of the cave didn't help much either. In fact, it made Sokka's voice more amplified.
"Enrolled in a Fire Nation school?" Aang hid behind me and his answer lacked all confidence. Though Sokka was a beanpole, he was kind of scary when he got angry. For one, the volume of his voice went way up. He also made the most menacing looking faces when he was enraged. Katara sighed and put her head in her hands. Toph snickered from her seat on a boulder in front of the campfire the three had made. She was the only one who was almost never phased by his shouting.
"Are you completely insane?" The Water Tribe boy continued on with his riot act. Aang smiled nervously as if to say "yes." Sokka pointed a finger at me. "And you went along with all of this?" I pushed is hand out of my face and glared at him.
"Hey! I had no choice in the matter, ponytail! The guards thought we were skippin' school and hauled us off. I had no say in the matter whatsoever!"
Toph kicked at some embers at the edge of the fire and spat loudly on the ground. "Would you guys quit it? It's giving me a headache. Plus, you're gonna give us away if you don't shut the hell up, Sokka!" My cousin pointed out.
"I wanna go back tomorrow." Aang said, once everyone settled down. Sokka sprung up again to give us an earful but Toph hit the ground with her fist, producing a surface wave which sent the Water Tribe boy flying backwards onto his butt.
"Um why do you guys want to go to school?" The little earth-bender asked us. "We're already in disguise-we can just ask around for information if we need it." My cousin did have a point. But Aang found fault in her argument.
"Don't you think that could be a bit suspicious? If we attend the school we'll learn more and more about the Fire Nation. I bet we could acquire some vital information if we just gave it a second shot." The Air Nomad argued. He then looked to me for support. "You'll go back with me, right Karuna?" I sat in silence. I hated being put on the spot. Aang was right about one thing: we could definitely figure out more about the Fire Nation by going to the school but how much of the information would be valid to our mission? The only thing I thought was necessary to learn was that Firelord Ozai was bad news and if Aang wanted to end his rein, he'd need to become even more powerful.
"I don't know, Aang. I might have to agree with Sokka this time." I nodded towards the tan boy who was still rubbing his sore rear end. "I'm gonna think it over, okay?" I stood up and retreated to the back of the cave. It's what I always did when things got uncomfortable; I walked out.
I bit into an orange pepper I had bought from the market on the walk home with Aang. I hadn't eaten a sweet pepper in a long time. I liked the crunchiness and the flavor. I laid on one of the sleeping bags we had taken out of Appa's saddle and stared up at the cave ceiling. The stalactites all looked like stone daggers about to strike me. It reminded me of Mai a little. I raised the bell pepper up to my mouth but then it was snatched out of my grasp. I turned my head quickly to see the water-bender flop down beside me and proceed to take a bite out of my pepper. "Really?" I laughed dryly at Katara.
"Mhm." The tan girl responded, still chewing. She kept hold of the vegetable. I shook my head and then laid it back down on the sleeping bag.
"Yeah, so when were you going to tell us you were from the Fire Nation?" Katara asked suddenly. She sounded peeved off. I rolled my eyes. Uh, Aang. Baldy must have told her. How else would she know?
" I was getting to it." I fibbed.
"Oh I'm sure you were." Katara's voice was dripping with condescending tones.
"Alright, listen." I fessed up. " I lived on the outskirts of the homeland when I was a little girl." I lied. "I didn't mention it before because I thought you guys would be offended."
"Well, I'm offended that you don't think you can be open with me about stuff." The water-bender shared. "Seriously, Karuna, we've known each other well enough where we can talk to each other about anything." I wished I could be upfront about things, but that just wasn't the type of person I was. There were some things that were better left alone and untouched in my opinion. I wished she could understand that.
" I'm sorry Katara, but I have a hard time trusting. It's not easy for me to just let everything out anymore." The darker skinned girl sympathized and remembered our conversation on the beach shore two months ago.
"I know..." The water-bender acknowledged my struggle. "I just want you to feel like you can rely on me." The two of us sat in silence for a little while. I could hear the boys and Toph near the mouth of the cave. The last time I checked, they were popping corn over the fire. From the ruckus I had just heard, chances were, Momo stole a stalk from Sokka.
"So," Katara broke the silence. "Aang said the teacher at the school said you looked like a past avatar." He must have told her about our whole damn day! I nodded my head at the Water Tribe girl. "enlighten me." She grinned playfully. This resulted in a small smirk from me and I sat up a bit.
"Avatar Sango was an earth-bender. She was around 800 some years ago in the cycle before Kyoshi. People use to tell me all the time I looked like her." I explained.
"Why'd they stop?" Katara asked. I shrugged my shoulders at this.
"I guess most don't remember her anymore. It was a long time ago you know." It was a mystery to me as well. Katara cocked her head to the side and looked at me.
"What was her story?" The water-bender then wondered. I inhaled slowly, trying to recall what my father had taught me and the stories he use to read to me.
"Well," I began, as bits and pieces started returning to memory. "she stood her ground for what she believed in-like us. She was a legendary bender prior to discovering she was the avatar, as the stories say. She fought hard to keep peace between rival cities and kingdoms. And in the end, she died trying to save the one she loved." I looked back at Katara who was absorbing every word I said. Her blue eyes stared into mine of gray. "It makes me wonder..." I went on. "what causes someone to go to such a great length like that." The concept simply eluded me. Then, I felt a familiar warmth on my skin.
"She must have had someone who was worth the fall." Katara concluded. I looked down to find that the water-bender was holding my hand.