Still don't own LoK!
Iroh and Kailee went into a large and long cave about a month after they'd left their old home. After getting completely lost and their two ostrich horses nearly throwing an enormous fit, they finally found themselves leading the two steeds on foot.
"You look like Fire Lord Zuko without the scar," Kailee laughed as they settled down to camp for the night.
"What are you talking about? Of course I look like him, he's my grandfather," Iroh shot back in a very Zuko-like manner. "And stop that, it's annoying."
"You look just like him! Haven't you ever wondered what you would look like with your hair up?!" she laughed, and he scowled.
"That's not funny," he retorted, "And no, I haven't."
"Did I miss some sort of joke?" a female voice asked, and the two turned to find a miniature of Chief Toph Bei Fong standing before them at age ten.
"Whoa… she looks just like Chief Toph Bei Fong," Kailee murmured.
"Yeah, thanks for telling me one of the only things I hear about my appearance! And in case the firelight was too dim for you to be able to see, I'm blind!" she yelled, and Kailee giggled. "it's not funny!"
"Hello there, Blind! I'm Kailee, and this is Iroh," the nonbender giggled.
"You'll have to excuse my wife, she's been a little… unorthodox, of late," Iroh sighed, "Please, have a seat."
"So, is your name really Iroh? As in, General Iroh the first who took back Ba Sing Sei with Team Avatar the first?" the blind girl asked.
"Yes, that's who my grandfather named me after," Iroh smiled, "It's also who I've tried to mirror my life after."
"So, you're the missing United Forces General, right? And that's the Kailee that everybody keeps debating about on whose dead or alive?" she asked pointing at Kailee.
"Yes, that's right," Iroh said before frowning. "And who are you? Is there a reason that you're in this cave?"
"Name's Toph, after Chief Toph Bei Fong the first, my mom's aunt. My mom's mom was born after Chief Bei Fong ran away from home to join Team Avatar. I'm trying to follow in Toph's footsteps as best I can, and I even learned earthbending from the badger moles to prove it!" the blind earthbender bragged. "I suppose she's a nonbender, isn't she? But if she is, why would anyone want to marry her? It just doesn't make any sense! She's insane!"
"Well, I married her," Iroh smiled, "And I'm quite glad that I did. She taught me a few chi blocking moves, and we've even been able to manage to stay on the run from the world for about seven months now."
"Whoa! Not as good as Fire Lord Zuko, but still, that's impressive," Toph nodded. "You'll need some help from yours truly to get out of this cave alive. Hey, why don't we go recruit a waterbender and an airbender?! Then we can create our own Team Avatar!"
"The Air nomads would kill me if I did that," Iroh sweat-dropped. "But perhaps if things weren't so hostile right now…"
"What'd you do?" Toph asked somewhat impressed. "I heard it was almost impossible to make an airbender mad."
"You haven't met their leader, Tenzin," Iroh said shaking his head.
"He's the type of person who has to have every little thing just perfect in their world," Kailee chimed in with a snicker. "And it's really funny to make him angry! You should see some of the faces that he makes, they're hilarious!"
"And that's why I'm not allowed on Air Temple Island," Iroh said smirking and pointing at her with his thumb.
"Sounds like my kind of methods for fun," Toph smirked, "I like this. A firebender, an earthbender, and a nonbender all together in harmony and violence against the world, you've got to love it."
"Yay!" Kailee squealed excitedly, "But first things first. How do we get out of this cave?"
"Relax, I'll guide you out in the morning," Toph yawned, "Night."
Iroh and Kailee stared at her before shrugging and curling up next to each other to sleep.
…
"Well, I've got good news and bad news," Lin said gravely as she looked at the house that her mother had once lived in.
"What's that?" Mako asked through a yawn.
"The good news is, my cousins' daughter is alive still. The bad news is, my cousins aren't," Lin said staring at the house in front of her that was leaking blood. "We should find a place to stay for the night far away from here. We'll start looking for Iroh, Toph if we can manage it, in the morning."
"I think we should go to Air Temple Island and regroup," Korra said with her gut clenching anxiously. "I feel like we're being watched."
"What?"
"It's a gut feeling I'm getting, like someone's trying to intervene to keep us away from what we're looking for," she said swinging her arms out. "We'll have to come back in a week. Right now, I don't feel safe here."
"Korra's gut was right about when to fight Amon," Mako said nodding, "If it was right about that, then it's probably right about this as well."
"But that was Amon, why would anyone want to hurt a group of innocent earthbenders?" Korra questioned.
"Maybe it was their way of making some sort of statement? I mean, think about it. if all those benders had their bending taken away back there in that prison, then how are we going to know whether or not it was that bloodbender who did this or someone else? It could be anyone or anything!"
"Mako's right. Let's go, before we're caught," Lin said hurrying onto Appa's back.
The others followed in suit, with Korra bringing up the rear and taking one last look inside the house to read the message that had been written in blood.
Give us Kailee and General Iroh, or Team Avatar will be destroyed. Bring them to Tarala, daughter of Amon and new leader of the Equalists, or you will all have your bending taken away.
Tarala's revealed! Finally! Anyhow, I sort of know what to do with her, but at the same time I don't!
Please review! Ideas are accepted!