Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or The Last Airbender.
Bodyguard of Azula
Chapter 15: Struggles and Reunions
"Talking"
"Thinking"
"Bijū/spirit talking"
"Bijū/spirit thinking"
(Location: Ba Sing Se)
It had been a month since Team Avatar and Team Asuma arrived in Ba Sing Se and met up with the Sand Siblings. Ever since they discovered that Long Feng held the power and that they were being watched all the time, they couldn't really do anything. Therefore, they tried to make the best of it. Sokka, Shikamaru and Kankurō had managed to land themselves in a poetry class and proceeded to have a three-on-one haiku duel with the teacher. They were doing pretty well until Kankurō flubbed it and added an extra syllable. At that point, they were tossed out of the building.
At one point, Katara had managed to convince the other girls (including Shù Yè) that they needed a "girls' day out" at a spa. It had been going well, until they ran into another group of girls. The other girls took one look at Shù Yè's bust and let loose the mocking and the insults. She tried to ignore them but they then started to poke her bust, wondering aloud if they were actually real or fake. It was then Shù Yè broke down and began to cry, causing the girls to leave the spa. Unfortunately, the other girls followed them onto a bridge, continuing with the mocking insults. At this point Toph had enough, she bent a hole in the stone bridge beneath the rude girls, making them fall into the river. Katara helped by bending the river into sending the girls faster down river. They cheered Shù Yè up afterwards, each telling her that they were a little jealous of her bust. She smiled at that and went back to her normal self.
Aang, Gaara, Asuma and Chōji also got into a little adventure of themselves. As they walked around the city, they came across a zoo that had seen better days. After listening to the zookeeper, Aang had the brilliant idea to let all the animals out and did so even when Asuma and Chōji said it was a bad idea, Gaara just stayed silent. The result was rampant chaos throughout the city. The animals caused trouble everywhere and caused people to panic (especially a certain cabbage merchant who was about to scream his trademark complaint and then just gave up). After some initial confusion, Aang managed to herd the animals outside the city and into the farmlands. Once out there, he quickly bent stone walls up from the ground and made a new, spacious zoo. Although some house pets were caught in the zoo, they were quickly brought out and people enjoyed the new zoo. Aang still got smacked upside the head three times in a row for the boneheaded move he made. For the day and a half, he had a bright red handprint on the back of his head.
However, it wasn't all just fun and games. Sokka and Shikamaru had almost literally torn the library of Ba Sing Se apart, trying to find something that could help them get around Long Feng's power. While covering different sections of the library, Sokka had an encounter with Naruto.
(Flashback)
"Spirits take it!" Sokka swore as he slammed a book down on a table. He was glad there was no one nearby to hear his outburst. "There has to be a way to get around Long Feng's control." He had been pouring through books on the laws of Ba Sing Se, yet he couldn't come up with anything that he could actually use.
"Perhaps you've been thinking about it the wrong way," Naruto's voice came from behind him. He whipped his head around to see the Fire Nation Paragon leaning against a wall, reading a book. He looked completely at ease, like nothing was wrong.
"How did you get in?" He hadn't heard the guy walk up behind him.
"Same way as you, through the front door," the blonde answered. He walked over to the table where Sokka was sitting and sat down, closing the book.
"What's stopping me from calling Shikamaru?" Sokka asked, his eyes drifting to his boomerang lying on the table, off to the side.
"Eyes up here, Sokka," Naruto told him, getting his attention. "What's stopping you from calling for Shikamaru is the fact he's on the other side of the library and if he's called, the only thing he'll find is you on the ground unconscious. Besides, I just want to talk."
"We have nothing to talk about." They were on opposite sides of the war. By rights, they should be at each other's throats
"As a matter of fact, we do," the blonde replied just as firmly. "We've both seen the level of corruption in this city and we both know who's responsible for that."
"Well, we can't exactly create a revolution in the streets," Sokka replied with dry sarcasm. "We'd be arrested by the Dai Li, companions of the Avatar or not." And he was sure the man would enjoy locking them up and throwing away the key.
"And therein lays your problem," Naruto told him. "Long Feng controls the Dai Li and as such, holds the power of the city. But your problem can also be your solution."
"What?" What in the name of Yue did the blonde mean by that?
"Look at it like this: what would happen to Long Feng if his control of the Dai Li were taken away? It's food for thought." He stood up from the table and began to walk away.
"Why are you doing this?" Sokka asked him. "Why are you helping me?" It didn't make any sense.
He stopped and turned back to face him. "The corruption in Ba Sing Se needs to be destroyed. How it's destroyed is up to you." He walked away from the table, whether to go deeper into the library or to leave, Sokka didn't know.
Turning his attention to the books in front of him, the Tribesman noticed that the book Naruto had been reading was still on the table. Picking it up, he noticed that there was a piece of paper sticking out of the book. Turning to the page that had the paper, he read the page and his eyes widened.
(End Flashback)
Ever since then, Sokka had an ace in the hole against Long Feng and the Dai Li. However due to his paranoia (which was justified) that the Dai Li would find out, he kept the ace secret. Only he knew what it was.
But he did tell the others about his encounter with Naruto. This led to Team Asuma trying to track down Naruto in the city. They finally found him and spent the next few days trailing him (Shù Yè called it stalking)
(Flashback)
They looked at the restaurant. It was almost as old as the city and was quite expensive to eat in (the former they knew from asking around and the latter from just looking at the place). "How can Naruto afford to eat in a place like this?" Ino asked as they stood at the entrance, off to the side like they were waiting for a table (which they weren't).
"I don't know," Chōji answered. "I am sure that Naruto would have been paid if he was with the army that is at war with this kingdom. Anyways, I looked at the menu and despite some of the ingredients, what they're serving is top grade and well worth the price." He could smell what was cooking in the kitchen from where he stood. It made his mouth water and his stomach rumble.
"From what I understood, the Old Badgermole has been among the top five restaurants in Ba Sing Se since they started ranking restaurants," Asuma told them. He could see all the people sitting down at tables, eating food that looked (and probably tasted) delicious.
"Excuse me sirs, madam," a waiter said, coming up to and bowing to them. "If you will follow me, please, I'll escort to your table."
"We didn't have a reservation," Asuma told the waiter. They had just been looking (for someone)
"Yes, we noticed," he sneered at them. He could tell that they weren't really looking for food. They weren't dressed properly. "However, we've been told that should you come in at lunchtime, we were to escort you to his table." He turned and walked away, leaving them with no choice but to follow.
"His table?" asked Ino. "Who are we talking about?"
She got her answer when they were shown to a corner booth where Naruto sat eating. "They are here, sir."
"Thank you." Naruto gave the waiter four gold pieces. The waiter took the tip, bowed and walked away. Team Asuma just stared at him as he ate. "…I took the liberty of ordering food for you four," he finally told them, looking up at them. "Please sit."
They did so. "What are you doing here, Naruto?" Asuma asked, sitting across from the blonde.
"Eating."
"You know what Asuma-sensei meant, Naruto," Shikamaru told him. "What are you doing in Ba Sing Se?"
"What do you think I'm doing?" he asked back with a smirk on his face.
"I…don't know." The other members of Team Asuma were surprised. Shikamaru admitting that he didn't know was not something they didn't want to hear. It made them feel like they didn't have an advantage.
Before anyone could say anything else, the food for Team Asuma had arrived. Ino was the first to try what was in front of her, lifting a piece of the meal up and placing it in her mouth. "This is good!" she declared.
Chōji took a bite. "She's right!" he agreed. He had never tasted anything like this before in his life.
"The Old Badgermole has been around for quite some time," Naruto told them, sounding like he was amused by it all. "I think that they wouldn't keep bad recipes around."
"Naruto, why would you help us out?" Asuma asked, having not touched by his food. "You and your princess have been trying to take Aang for a while now. Why would you just turn around and help us?"
He looked at the Jōnin with a neutral expression. "I didn't help you. I helped Sokka."
Ino scoffed. "Right, you 'helped' Sokka. He won't even tell us what he discovered." That had severely annoyed both her and her team. Why wouldn't tell them that information?
"That was smart of him," the blonde said, praising the Tribesman. "If he had told you guys, odds are the Avatar would've either said that they go straight for the Earth King right away or would've blabbed the secret where Dai Li could hear him."
"Aang's not that bad," Chōji defended the Air Nomad.
"Really?" asked Naruto. "From what I saw in the ballroom, he decided to fly right up to the Earth King, despite being undercover, on that little air ball for the whole world to see. If he was a Konoha shinobi and he pulled something like that, he would have been severely punished. Or have standards changed since I left?" He eyed the team from Konoha.
"Don't get so high and mighty, Naruto. You would've done the same thing," Ino accused him. He had been quite the loudmouth when they had been younger (which had surprised her, and the rest of them, to discover that he wasn't like that anymore).
"You have a point, Ino, but I knew when I need to keep my mouth shut. In case all of you have forgotten, I had to change my behavior and habits when I joined this war." He threw a look at her. "I also knew what the word 'undercover' meant, something he doesn't."
"Why do you hate Aang?" Shikamaru asked him. "What did he do that earned your distaste?"
Naruto looked away from them and focused his eyes on the nearby wall. "It's not so much what he did as it's what he is. I don't hate Aang. I may dislike him, but I don't hate him. I hate the Avatar."
"Aren't they the same thing?" Chōji asked.
"No, Aang's just a little brat. The Avatar is a title. Look at the people in this restaurant." He turned his gaze on the rest of the Old Badgermole and they did the same. "For Kami only knows how long, the people on this side of the planet have regarded the Avatar as a savior, someone who could fix all the problems they could fix themselves if they tried. The reason the Fire Nation is winning this war is because people are still waiting for the Avatar to win this war for them, it disgusts me. They don't need the Avatar. They can solve their problems on their own." His face scrunched up in disgust as he spoke, looking at all the people present.
"That may be true," Asuma conceded as he looked back at Naruto. "But you're lying to us, Naruto. That's not all there is to it. There is something else about Aang that makes you dislike him."
"No, there isn't," the blonde stated, turning back to look at them.
Shikamaru narrowed his eyes at Naruto, but then widened them in realization. "Yes, there is. You dislike Aang because he reminds you of yourself when you were younger." How could he have missed it? It was so obvious now that he thought about it. "Even when you were younger, you had a special ability to change other people's perceptions about life in general. Don't tell us you've become the very same person whose perceptions you wanted to change. How else that you were able to change our views of you?"
The blonde winced at those words, but it was enough for the other people at the table to see it. It was silent for a few minutes, and then he stood up from the table. "Where are you going?" Asuma asked him.
"I'm leaving and I'm making you get the bill," he told them, walking away from them.
"You leave and we'll come after you," Chōji told him. "This time, we'll get you. We're the kind of team that was made for capture, and confinement."
He stopped, looked back, and smirked. "Is that right…fatso?"
Asuma, Shikamaru and Ino went pale while Chōji went red. "What did you just call me?" he growled.
Naruto's smirk grew wider. "You still denying that and saying you're just big boned. Face it, Akimichi…you're a fat ass," he taunted the shinobi.
Chōji let out a roar of rage and leapt for him. The blonde just stepped to the side and let him crash into another table. This went for a few more minutes as Naruto caused Chōji to destroy more of the restaurant while the rest of Team Asuma tried to calm him down. When that finally happened, they were surrounded by the staff of the Old Badgermole and Naruto was nowhere to be seen.
(End Flashback)
To help repay for the damages, Team Asuma had to work as dishwashers in the kitchen for three days. After they had finished that, they tried to look for Naruto but only to fail. They were sure that they would find him again. All they had to do was keep looking.
During all this action, Aang decided to start the search once again for Appa. Sokka had decided to help by trying to paint pictures of Appa to for the missing posters, frowning as he worked. He sat on the floor next to Akela while Toph lounged nearby, Momo licking her foot. Kankurō had borrowed two tables and placed them together and against the wall. He sat there, working on something that nobody (aside from his brother and sister) really knew was. Shikamaru and Temari were playing Shogi with Gaara keeping an eye on them, a combination of watching both of their strategies and making sure Shikamaru stayed on his side of the board (due to an incident in Suna that involved a game of strip Shogi, both Gaara and Kankurō agreed that one of them should always keep an eye on the two whenever they were near a Shogi board).
The front door opened, letting Aang, Katara, Asuma, Ino, Chōji and Shù Yè in. "We found a printer to make our posters," Katara announced, holding a poster of Appa. It was professionally done and gave a good image of what Appa looked like.
Sokka looked up at the poster. "Good to know, because I don't think this is going to work." He held up a painting to emphasize his point.
"Sokka, the arrow is on his head," Aang told him. Katara tried to hold in her laughter at her brother's attempts at drawing the sky bison. It was horrible to say the least.
"See what I mean?" he asked the wolf beside him. Akela nodded in agreement.
"It's not that bad," Kankurō said without even looking up from what he was working on.
"Yeah, it looks just like him to me," Toph said.
"Okay, you're not even looking in this direction," Sokka told the Suna shinobi, who was indeed still looking at his workbench. "And why do you feel the need to do that?" he asked the blind Earthbender.
"Let's stick with the professional version," Katara suggested.
"No complaints here," he told her, ripping up the poster he held on his hands.
"Come on, let's get busy!" Aang told them, holding stacks of posters in his hands.
"Well, he's certainly upbeat," Temari noted, looking up from her game.
"It's troublesome," Shikamaru told her, moving a piece. "Checkmate."
She looked at the board. "Damnit, you always do that!" She reached for the sash around her waist with a small smirk on her face. "I guess I should reward you…"
Gaara's gaze hardened and Kankurō whipped his head around to look at them. "I don't want to run down the street to avoid becoming a eunuch because of you, troublesome woman," Shikamaru told her, avoiding the gazes of her brothers. "That already happened once."
"Oh, you're no fun," she said, putting her hands down. She was smiling more fully now, happy to see the Konoha shinobi squirm.
"Hey, can you and the lazy ass save the honeymoon for later?" Shù Yè asked the two of them. "Look at the arrowhead. He's practically vibrating where he's standing." She pointed at Aang, who was indeed practically vibrating with barely contained energy.
"Perhaps it is best if we went to work," Gaara told them. That was all Aang needed to hear, he was out of the door with Momo before anyone could blink. The two of them flew over the city, dropping posters as they went.
It was another day in the teashop. Both Iroh and Zuko were serving tea and judging by how many people were in the shop, they liked the tea. But things soon became different. "So, you're the genus behind this incredible brew," a richly dressed customer told Iroh after drinking some of the tea, standing up from the seat he was in. "The whole city is buzzing about you! I hope Pao pays you well."
"Good tea is its own reward," Iroh told him. It was something he believed in.
"But it doesn't have to be the only reward," the customer replied. "How would you like to have your own teashop?"
He was stunned by the offer. "My own teashop? This is a dream come true!"
Having overheard the last part of the conversation, Pao decided to join in. "What's going here? Are you trying to poach my tea-maker?" he demanded.
"Sorry Pao, but that's business for you. Am I right?" the customer asked, laughing a little.
"Mushi, if you stay, I'll…make you assistant manager," Pao told Iroh. "Wait, senior assistant manager!"
"I'll provide you with a new apartment in the Upper Ring. The teashop is yours to do whatever you want, complete creative freedom," the customer told him.
"I even get to name the shop?" Iroh asked. Creative freedom was not something he was expecting. He would've thought the man would insist on a particular name for the shop.
"Of course!"
"Uh…senior executive assistant?" tried Pao. Iroh simply handed him the tea pot in his hands and bowed to the customer. Pao groaned and walked away.
"Did you hear, nephew?" Iroh asked to a passing Zuko. "This man wants to give us our own teashop in the Upper Ring of the city!"
"That's right, young man," the customer agreed. "Your life is about to change for the better."
"I'll try to contain my joy," Zuko told him with heavy sarcasm. He slammed the tray of tea he held onto a table and went outside the teashop, leaning against the wall. "What in the name of Agni are we doing?" They had been in Ba Sing Se long enough for his hair to grow slightly shaggy and yet, all they've done was serve tea. "Is this my destiny now?" Was he to serve tea to people until he died? That was when he saw something floating down through the air. He grabbed it to see that it was a poster of the Avatar's bison. He quickly looked up but saw nothing. He climbed to the roof of a nearby building to get a better look but saw no one.
"I swear this moron has no understanding of the words 'discreet' and 'subtlety,'" Naruto's voice spoke from behind Zuko. He turned around and sure enough, Naruto was there on the roof. Naruto noticed him as well. "Hey, Zuko," he said in greeting. "Love what you did with your hair."
"What are you doing here, Naruto?" Zuko asked him carefully. How the blonde get into Ba Sing Se (and more importantly, what was he doing in Ba Sing Se)?
"Well, I'm currently wondering just how idiotic the Avatar is. Doesn't he know that this will just get the attention of the Dai Li?" He looked at Zuko thoughtfully. "So, what are you going to do about it?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Zuko, you've been going after the Avatar for three years now and you're just going to let an opportunity like this slip by?"
His eyes widened slightly in realization. This was indeed a golden opportunity. If there were posters that were giving information about the Avatar's bison, it must mean that the Avatar was here, in Ba Sing Se. But he knew he could say that to Naruto, certain that he would somehow report it to Azula. "What I do is none of your concern," he finally said.
"Hey, it's your choice. It just seems like you've been given an easy chance to capture the Avatar. All you have to do is get the sky bison," The blonde shrugged. "Well, do what you want to do." He walked over to the edge of the roof and stepped off, falling to the ground. Zuko quickly made his way over to the edge to see if Naruto was alive, only to see no one on the street below.
Everyone was doing their own thing. Kankurō was still working on something. Toph was throwing a ball against the wall. Shikamaru was teaching Shù Yè how to play Shogi. Ino was doing some flower arranging. Chōji was checking the supplies they had recently bought. Asuma was sharpening his Chakra Blades. Temari was checking her equipment. Gaara just sat in a corner, waiting. Sokka and Katara were playing a game involving tiles.
Aang walked through the front door with Momo. "I just finished dropping all the leaflets. Has anyone come in with news about Appa?" he asked as he ran to where Katara and Sokka were sitting.
"It's only been a day," Katara told him, focusing on the tiles in her hand. "Just be patient."
He did sit down, but when they heard knocking on the door, he stood right back up. "Wow, you're right!" he said. "Patience really pays off!" He ran back to the door. He opened it, revealing a visitor that they were not expecting. "Joo Dee?" he asked, staring at their "guide." Her creepy grin was plastered on her face.
Joo Dee (the one they actually knew) walked into the house. "Hello, Aang, and Katara, and Sokka, and Toph, and Shikamaru, and Ino, and Asuma, and Chōji, and Gaara, and Temari, and Kankurō, and Shù Yè," she greeted them as they gathered up in front of her.
"Mouthful," Shù Yè commented. No one paid attention to her.
"What happen to you?" Sokka asked as he placed a restraining hand on a snarling Akela. The wolf still did not like the woman in front of them. "Did the Dai Li throw you in jail?"
"What? Jail?" repeated Joo Dee. "Of course not, the Dai Li are the protectors of our cultural heritage."
"But you disappeared at the Earth King's party," Toph said. They didn't see her when they left and hadn't see her since (until now, that is).
"Oh, I simply took a short vacation to Lake Laogai, out in the country," she told them. "It was quite relaxing."
"But then they replaced you with some other woman who also said her name was Joo Dee." Katara told her. It had been a little more than creepy to see a different woman with the same name, clothes, and creepy smile.
"I'm Joo Dee," she replied like it was the most obvious thing there was.
"Why are you here?" Aang asked.
She pulled out a poster of Appa. "Dropping flyers and putting up posters isn't permitted within the city. Not without proper clearance."
"We can't wait to get permission for everything," Sokka told her. They wouldn't be able to do anything if they did, they just be sitting on their rears all day, waiting for permission to move.
"You are absolutely forbidden by the rules of the city to continue putting up posters," she told them, that creepy smile still on her face.
Aang got into Joo Dee's face, his head literally getting bigger and turning red. "WE DON"T CARE ABOUT THE RULES AND WE'RE NOT ASKING PERMISSION!" he bellowed, steam coming out of the back of his head. "WE'RE FINDING APPA ON OUR OWN AND YOU SHOULD JUST STAY OUT OF OUR WAY!" He slammed the door in her face.
"That's going to come back and bite us in the rear," Chōji noted. He just knew that it would do that.
"Aang, you shouldn't have lost your temper like that," Asuma told the Air Nomad. It was never a good thing when someone exploded in that manner. It would always reveal something to the other person, who might try to use it to their advantage.
"I don't care!" he snapped, his head going back to normal size and turning less red He was sick and tired of the runaround they were going through. "From now on, we do whatever it takes to find Appa!"
"Yeah, let's break some rules!" Toph cheered before destroying a side of the house via Earthbending.
The rest of the group was silent. "…I don't think that was what he meant," Gaara finally said.
"Let's just get going," Aang said. They could worry about the damages later.
"One question though," Kankurō said. "Did anyone else see his head go big and red or was it just a Genjutsu?" He pointed to Aang.
"I saw it and I don't even know what a Genjutsu is," Shù Yè told him. That had been a weird thing to see.
"We can save it for later," Katara told them. "Let's go." They exited the house, unaware that they were being watched by Dai Li from a nearby roof.
"I'm extremely disappointed in your work with the Avatar and his friends, Joo Dee. I had hoped that you would be able to control this situation," Long Feng said as he sat in front of the fire. Joo Dee had just recently come to him and told him about what the Avatar was trying to do.
"I'm so sorry, but they don't trust me anymore," Joo Dee told him, starting to get upset. "I don't think I can keep working like this."
"Joo Dee, the Earth King has invited you to Lake Laogai," He said to her.
Her eyes dilated at those words. "I am honored to accept his invitation," She said without emotion.
"Good, now go await further orders." She left the room. He stood up and stared into the fire. "If the Avatar keeps searching for his bison, it could upset the delicate balance we've worked so hard to achieve in this city," he said, half to himself and half to the agents in the room. "It could even cost us control of the Earth King."
"Should we take care of him?" one of the Dai Li agents standing at the door asked.
"No. It's much too dangerous for us to confront him directly. Let's see if we can handle this quietly."
"Sir, might I suggest we use the boy we took care of?" the other agent suggested. "Apparently, he and the Avatar have had a history." Long Feng said nothing, he just nodded his agreement.
Iroh was packing away clothes when the door to the apartment opened and Zuko walked in. "So,I was thinking about names for my new teashop," Iroh told him. "How about the Jasmine Dragon? It's dramatic, poetic, has a nice ring to it."
Zuko didn't comment, he simply showed his uncle the poster. "The Avatar is here in Ba Sing Se, and he's lost his bison," he stated. The silent meaning behind those words filled the air.
Iroh took the poster and looked at it. "We have a chance for a new life here," he told his nephew, who walked away once the poster was out of his hands. "If you start stirring up trouble, we could lose all the good things that are happening for us."
Zuko was staring out the window when he heard those words. "Good things that are happening for you!" he snapped at Iroh, turning back to face him. "Have you ever thought that I want more from life than a nice apartment and a job serving tea?"
"There is nothing wrong with a life of peace and prosperity," his uncle replied. "I suggest you think about what it is that you want from your life and why."
"I want my destiny," he said, walking away.
"What that means is up to you." Iroh then had another idea for the teashop. "The Tea Weevil! …No, that's stupid."
They put up posters of Appa along the walls. "We'll split up to cover more area," Sokka decided. "Toph, you should come with me." He told the blind Earthbender.
"Why?" she demanded. "Because you think I can't posters on my own?!" She yanked the paintbrush out of Sokka's hand, swiped a streak of glue on the wall and slammed a poster onto the glue. However, she put had put the poster up backwards. "…It's upside-down, isn't it?" No one said a word. "I'll just go with Sokka." She handed him back the paintbrush. They split up and went different ways.
Katara and Shù Yè were putting up posters near a river when they heard a voice, one Katara knew. "Katara?" said the voice. She turned her head and gasped, confusing Shù Yè. Standing behind the two girls was Jet. "I think I can help you," he told them. Katara's reaction was to blush in anger, bend the river behind her up into the air, and hurl it at him. "Katara, I've changed!" he protested before the water sent him flying into an alley.
Katara went after him. "Tell it to some other girl, Jet!" she told him before bending some of the leftover water into ice spikes and throwing it at Jet.
"I think I'm missing something here!" Shù Yè called out. Neither of them paid attention to her. One was trying to make he didn't die and the other was trying to kill him.
Jet drew his hook swords to shatter the spikes but was forced back to the end of the alley, which was a dead end. "I don't want to fight you. I'm here to help." To prove his point, he dropped his swords, sending them to the ground. Katara looked baffled. Jet then reached for something behind his back, making Katara pin him to the alley wall via more ice spikes.
By now, the rest of the group had shown up. "Katara, what is it?" Sokka asked. He had heard a fight beginning and raced over.
"Jet's back," she growled, staring at the Freedom Fighter with hatred in her eyes. He just stared dispassionately back.
"Oh boy," Aang replied. That wasn't good, especially when Katara was this mad about seeing him.
"Hey!" Shù Yè shouted, getting everyone's attention. "I'm pretty sure the rest of us are lost here, could you please explain who exactly this guy is?!"
"I'm with her," Kankurō said.
"Same," Ino agreed. To her, it was just a stranger pinned to the wall before them.
"We met Jet a while back," Sokka told them. "We didn't leave on good terms." That might've been putting it mildly, as they had left him frozen to a tree after stopping his attempt to destroy a dam.
"So, we can't trust anything he says!" Katara said, glaring at the man in question.
"We don't even know why he's here," her brother told her.
"I don't care why he's here. Whatever the reason is, it can't be good!" She was prepared to crush the Freedom Fighter right where he was pinned.
"I'm here to help you find Appa!" Jet finally said. He revealed what he had been reaching for, one of the Appa posters.
"Open mouth, insert foot," Shù Yè said.
"No kidding," Ino said.
"Shut up, you two," Katara told them, throwing a glare at the two of them. She didn't need that at the moment.
"Katara, we have to give him a chance," Aang said. This just might be the break they needed.
"I swear I've changed!" Jet told them. "I was a troubled person and I let my anger get out of control. But I don't even have the gang now! I've put all that behind me."
"You're lying!" Katara said. She could not and would not believe anything that came out of his mouth.
Toph walked up to the wall and placed her hand on it, next to him. "He's not lying."
"How can you tell?" Chōji asked, curious about how she could do that.
"I can feel his breathing and heartbeat. When people lie, there's a physical reaction," she explained. "He's telling the truth."
"Katara, we don't have any leads," Aang told her. "If Jet says he can take us to Appa, we have to check it out."
"All right," Katara agreed, before pointing a finger at Jet. "But we're not letting you out of our sight." She pointed again to emphasize her point.
"Can you say tension?" Kankurō asked with a smirk on his face.
"I believe you can." Gaara answered, smiling a little.
They unhooked Jet from the wall, and he led them to a warehouse. "This is the place I heard about." He told them as they entered the building.
They looked around, but the place was empty. "If this is a trap…" Katara warned him, her hand going for her pouch.
"I told you, I work nearby!" he replied, stopping her. "Two guys were talking about some giant furry creature they had. I figured it must be Appa."
"He was here!" Toph called out. She was holding a clump of white fur.
They all gather around her. She gave the clump to Aang, who felt it. "We missed him." He could tell just by how the fur felt in his hand.
"We're going to call in Team Kurenai," Asuma stated. "They're the tracking team."
"But it might be too late," Ino pointed out to her sensei. "The trail could already be stale."
"They took that big thing yesterday," an old man with a broom said as he walked past them. "Shipped him out to some island. About time, I've been cleaning up fur and various, uhh…'leavings' all day."
"What island? Where's Appa?" Aang demanded, rushing over to the old man.
"Foreman said some rich royal type on Whale Tail brought him up. Guess for a zoo or such. Though, could be the meat be good."
"We've got to get to Whale Tail Island!" the Air Nomad declared. "…Where's Whale Tail Island?"
Both Sokka and Asuma checked their maps (Asuma's map also had the current locations of the other teams). "Far, very far," Sokka said, lowering his map.
"Neither Team Kurenai or Team Guy are close to it," Asuma said. From what he could tell, they were either in the eastern part or the northwest part of the Earth Kingdom.
"Here it is." Sokka pointed to Whale Tail Island on his map, laying it on the floor. "It's near the South Pole, almost all the way home."
"Aang, it'll take us weeks just to get to the tip of the Earth Kingdom," Katara told the Air Nomad. "And then we'll need to find a boat to get to the island."
"I don't care. We have a chance to find Appa. We have to try!"
"Must be nice to visit an island," the old man said aloud. "I haven't had a vacation in years."
"Don't you have some more hair to clean up?" Katara asked him, irritated that he was interrupting them.
"There's no need to be rude," Chōji told her. She ignored him.
"Shuffle on, I get ya," the old man replied as he kept walking. "No more need for Old Sweepy."
"You're right, Aang," Katara said to the Airbender. "Right now our first concern has to be finding Appa. We can come back when we have him."
"Alright, let's get moving," Sokka told them, both he and Akela taking the lead.
"I'll come with you," Jet told them as they started to leave the warehouse.
"We don't need your help!" Katara vehemently replied.
"Why won't you trust me?" he asked before following the rest of the group, leaving Katara, Toph and Shù Yè alone in the warehouse.
"Gee, I wonder." Like she was ever going to forget what had happened the first time they had met.
"Was this guy your boyfriend or something?" Toph asked her.
"What…no!" she protested. Why would she even think that?
"I can tell you're lying!" the Earthbender said in a singsong voice.
"Even I can see that," Shù Yè said, a big smirk forming on her face. "You know what this means, Princess? We're going to have to fish for details later."
Katara just walked out of the warehouse. They made their way down the street, not really paying attention to the few people who were passing them. "We can take the train to the wall but then we'll have to walk," Sokka said.
"Don't worry. On the way back, we'll be flying!" Aang told him.
"We still have to figure out a way to get the three of us out without Long Feng finding out," Temari said, gesturing to herself and her brothers.
"We'll worry about that when we get there," he replied. He was simply happy to be a trail that would lead them to Appa.
"We're finally leaving Ba Sing Se. Worst city ever!" declared Toph.
However, things did not go as they had planned. "Jet!" cried Smellerbee as she and Longshot came out of a nearby side street. That single word made everyone stop in their tracks.
"I thought you said you didn't have your gang anymore!" Katara told Jet when she heard Smellerbee.
"I don't," he replied as he turned around, only to be hug by Smellerbee.
"We were so worried!" she said. "How did you get away from the Dai Li?"
"The Dai Li!?" repeated Katara, a shocked expression appearing on her face.
"I don't know what she's talking about," Jet said in protest.
"He got arrested by the Dai Li a couple of weeks ago. We saw them drag him away!" Smellerbee explained as the others gathered around.
"Why would I be arrested? I've been living peacefully in the city!" He vividly remembered coming into the city, finding a job, and not causing a fuss about anything. He knew that was what happened!
Toph knelt to the ground between them, placing her hand on it. "This doesn't make any sense," she announced. "They're both telling the truth."
"That's impossible!" Katara said. One of them had to be lying.
"Nothing is impossible," Gaara told her. He knew that from experience.
"Gaara's right," Sokka agreed, figuring out the truth. "Toph can't tell whose lying because they both think they're telling the truth. Jet's been brainwashed!"
"That's crazy! It can't be!" Jet denied. He then noticed that everyone was beginning to enclose upon him. "Stay away from me!" They didn't listen.
It was dark outside, and everyone was in their own home. A Dai Li agent walked down the street, patrolling the city. "Out of my way, skinny," a voice declared behind him. The Blue Spirit ran by, shoving the agent out of the way.
Watching him turn into an alley, the agent gave chase. When he came to the front of the alley, he saw the Blue Spirit standing in the middle of the alley, swords drawn and obviously expecting a fair fight.
The agent launched one of his rock gloves at the Blue Spirit's chest, making a hole and launched the other at the Spirit's head, knocking clean off. As the head landed, it was revealed that it was only a dummy. "Huh?" the agent asked before feeling a sword at his neck.
"If you don't want to end up like him, you'll do what I'll say," the Blue Spirit threatened the agent as he stood behind him.
They took Jet to a building where the Dai Li would not go looking for them. To ensure that they didn't get sneaked up on, Momo and Akela stood outside and kept watch. "The Dai Li must have sent Jet to mislead us. And that janitor was a part of their plot too," Katara said.
"This is becoming a drag," Shikamaru said to himself.
"Just pay attention, little boy," Temari told him.
"I bet they have Appa here in the city," Aang said, thinking it over. "Maybe he's in the same place they took Jet! Where did they take you?" he asked Jet, who was sitting in a chair.
"Nowhere!" answered Jet. "I-I don't know what you're talking about!" He knew that he had been in the city and living peacefully. He didn't know anything about the Dai Li.
"We need to find a way to jog his real memories," The Air Nomad muttered. That was probably the only way they were going to get anywhere.
"Ino, get to work," Asuma ordered his student.
"Understood. Everyone, give me some room." They did as they were told. "Shintenshin no jutsu (Mind Body Switch Technique)!" she said, her hands flashing through the handseals. The first thing she saw in his mind as she tried to work the memory block out was the memory of his home burning to the ground. He was a child and could do nothing as he watched his family burn to death, their screams still reaching his ears.
"NO!" he screamed, lurching forward and sending Ino back into her own body. "It's too painful, don't ever do that again!" he all but yelled at her.
"Ino, are you okay?" Chōji asked, concerned for his teammate.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, getting up from where she fell. "I'm just surprised that a guy who doesn't know anything about chakra was able to push me out." It must've been quite the powerful memory for him to do such a thing.
"Were you able to get into his memories?" Shikamaru asked.
She shook her head. "Not fully, I only managed to loosen the grip of the memory block,but I don't think he'll let me in again."
"Maybe this will help." Katara walked behind Jet, bent water out of her pouch and held it to his ears, trying to heal his mind. Ino walked up to him and repeated her jutsu, going into his mind again.
He sat there, looking at the floor. His vision began to get blurry, so he tried to look up. When he did, he saw the floor give way to water and saw a man standing on the water. Before he could get a good look at the man, he disappeared under the water. What he saw next were only flashes. He saw an underground tunnel and a Dai Li agent with a light circling around him.
"They took me to a headquarters under the water," he said as he opened his eyes. "Like a lake."
"Wait!" Sokka said as he remembered the last conversation with Joo Dee. "Remember what Joo Dee said? She said she went on vacation to Lake Laogai."
"That's it! Lake Laogai!" said Jet as he stood up.
"Now we know where to go!" Aang said.
"We should head for the monorail and make our way to the lake," Asuma told them. That was going to be the fastest way to get there.
"It'll take us some time to get there," Gaara said. "We should rest once we get to the lake area and we begin our search in the morning." It was a sound idea, one they all agreed with.
As they made their way to the monorail station and took it out to the closest station to the lake. They found a nearby inn and went to sleep (they practically had to knock out Aang because he couldn't go to sleep and kept everyone else up). They had a quick breakfast and then made their way to the lake.
"So, where's this secret headquarters?" Sokka asked. All he saw was a lake.
"Under the water, I think," Jet answered, scratching his head. The memory he had now was a bit fuzzy.
"So how will we get in?" Shù Yè asked. "I'm hoping you're not thinking about having us swim out into the middle of the lake and then dive."
"Why? Are you afraid of water?" Temari asked her.
"It's not exactly easy to swim with these." She pointed to her breasts.
"There's a tunnel right there near the shore," Toph told them, pointing to the spot. She walked to the shore, whistling as she went. When she reached the edge of the shore, she brought up a slab of rock with Earthbending. At the end of the slab was a stone that looked like it was covering something. Toph moved the stone to reveal a hole with a long ladder leading down.
Momo flew away, not wanting to go underground. "Akela," Sokka told the wolf, "stay out of sight." Akela nodded in agreement and headed back to the shore.
They made their way down the ladder and into the headquarters, Jet led the way. "It's all starting to come back to me," he whispered. His memories were becoming clearer and clearer as they walked through the eerily lit tunnels.
They passed by a slightly open door and took a quick look inside. What they saw scared them. "I'm Joo Dee. Welcome to Ba Sing Se," a Dai Li agent said as he stood in front of several women.
"I'm Joo Dee. Welcome to Ba Sing Se," they repeated with a monotone voice.
"We're so lucky to have our walls to create order."
"We're so lucky to have our walls to create order," they repeated with the same voice.
"By the Spirits, that's terrifying," Shù Yè whispered as she looked through the door. "How could they do this?" They were taking women and turning them into…dolls.
"The rat only wishes to have power and control," Gaara told her. "He does not care about the methods to get them." He was disgusted by what he was seeing. Even he had been treated better as a child then those women were now (and that was saying something!).
"That's why we have to stop him," Sokka said. They needed to bring Long Feng down so the Earth King could learn about the war and to prevent anything like this ever happening again.
Shù Yè was silent for a minute. "Sokka, can you promise me something?" she finally asked.
The Tribesman turned to face her. It was the first time she used his name. "What?"
"Promise me that I won't become a Joo Dee." She looked back to the door and quickly whipped her eyes away. She sounded scared at the idea of becoming something like that.
"Don't worry, you won't."
"I think there might be a cell big enough to hold Appa up ahead," Jet told them. They soon came across the door he mentioned. "I think it's through here!" He opened the door.
The sky bison was chained to the floor. After finally escaping the Sandbenders and having bad experiences (which ranged from hunger to a Fire Nation circus). Appa had made it to Ba Sing Se, only to be captured by Long Feng. The only one who had gotten closest before now was Momo, who found the location where Appa was taken. But that was it.
Now, he was in a dark room, lighted by the palest light, and chained to the floor so that he could not fly. The door to the cell opened and he opened his eyes, hoping that it was Aang. But what he got was a person wearing a blue mask. He stood up into a defensive position and growled at the person. He knew who it was just by his scent.
"Expecting someone else?" the Blue Spirit asked, walking into the room and drawing his swords.
They all walked through the door and into the room. It was big, empty, and dark. Despite all that, they couldn't shake the feeling that they weren't alone in the room. Their fear became true when the door behind them closed and the room lit up, revealing Dai Li agents hanging from the ceiling and walls.
"Now that's something different," Sokka commented as his boomerang was quickly drawn.
"Next thing you know, it'll be raining men," Ino said, agreeing with the Tribesman.
"Of which I think you'll love every minute," Temari told her.
"You have made yourselves enemies of the state," Long Feng announced, standing before them with Dai Li agents standing behind him. "Take them into custody," he ordered the Dai Li. They dropped down from the ceiling and encircled the group.
Two of the Dai Li acted first by bending their rock gloves at the group, which then turned into fists. Toph shattered the gloves by Earthbending them, which allowed Temari and Kankurō to get in close and take them down, Kankurō knocked the legs from underneath the one he was fighting while Temari used her folded up fan as a club, knocking two more Dai Li agents unlucky enough to get closer to her.
Jet and Shù Yè charged two other Dai Li agents, who also launched their rock gloves at them. Jet shattered them with his sword and slid past one of them, using his hook sword to trip up one of the agents. Shù Yè punched the other agent hard in the stomach, sending him flying into the wall.
Aang dealt with agents with both Airbending and Earthbending. Sokka and Katara also destroy a pair of rock gloves but got caught by the second pair. They started to get dragged towards the Dai Li agents who had fired the gloves but were saved when Toph bent a rock wall between them and the agents. They tried sending a rock-line at her, but she bent the earth beneath her upwards into a column. The two agents went after her using columns, along with two other agents running up opposite sides of the walls. They bent columns out of the walls and sent straight at Toph. She took down the first pair easily, jumped over the columns coming from the walls and took out the other two.
However, a rock glove caught from behind, making her fall back to the ground and towards the agent bending the glove. She was saved by Jet, who was using a steel chain to swing past her. The agent fired off a rock shoe after the two, but Longshot destroyed the shoe with an arrow.
Two other agents joined the first and bent more rocks at them. Jet leapt over Longshot's back and destroyed the rocks with his hook swords. The agents were about to bend another round of rocks at them but were grabbed by their legs and thrown at the wall by sand. Toph, Jet and Longshot turned and saw the sand coming out of Gaara's gourd. Gaara wasn't moving himself but whenever a rock glove (or shoe) was sent at him, the sand would protect him from the attack. He gave them a nod and then went to help Team Asuma.
Long Feng just watched all this happen. When he realized that the odds were not going to be in his favor, he left through the door, closing it behind him. Aang saw him leaving. "Long Feng is escaping!" he yelled out.
He went after him with Jet and Shù Yè behind him, blowing the door apart with Earthbending. They chased after Long Feng, entering a room that pipes in the walls and water coming out of them. They looked around for Long Feng, only to hear and see the door seal them in. Long Feng dropped down in front of the sealed door. "Alright, Avatar, you've caused me enough problems," he said, completely annoyed. 'This is your last chance…if you want your bison back."
"You do have Appa! Tell me where he is!" Aang demanded.
"Agree to exit the city now, and I'll waive all charges you and allow you to leave with your lost pet." he practically ordered the Air Nomad.
"How about you give us the bison and I don't smash your face in as well as making you unable to have children!" Shù Yè threatened, holding up her fists to emphasize her point.
"You're in no position to bargain," Jet told Long Feng, readying his hook swords.
"Am I not?" he asked with a calm and confident smirk on his face.
"You're definitely not!" Aang told him, readying his staff. He was outnumbered and outmatched.
"Jet, the Earth King has invited you to Lake Laogai."
Jet went still as his eyes dilated. "I am honored to accept his invitation," he intoned with an emotionless voice. He turned on the others.
They dodged his swings but were still surprised. "What's the matter with you, Jet?!" Shù Yè demanded. Jet's only reply was to charge them.
Appa growled at the Blue Spirit, stomping his front feet to warn him off. "You're mine now," the Blue Spirit said. Hearing the door behind him open, he turned and readied his swords for a fight. But who he saw next, was not someone he was expecting. "Uncle?"
Iroh stood at the door, closing it behind him. "So, the Blue Spirit," he said. "I wonder who could be behind that mask…"
The Blue Spirit sighed, lowered his swords and took off his mask, revealing Zuko's face. "What are you doing here?"
"I was just about to ask you the same thing," his uncle replied. "What do you plan to do now that you've found the Avatar's bison? Keep it locked in our new apartment? Should I go put on a pot of tea for him?"
"Uncle's using sarcasm. He's never done that." Zuko thought. But while surprising, that wasn't important. He turned his attention back to the bison. "First I have to get it out of here."
"And then what!?" Iroh shouted. "You never think these things through! This is exactly what happened when you captured the Avatar at the North Pole. You had him and then you had nowhere to go!"
"I would have figured something out!" he protested.
"NO!" the Dragon of the West yelled at him. "If his friends hadn't found you, you would've frozen to death!"
He growled slightly in frustration and looked away. "I know my own destiny, Uncle." He had to bring the Avatar to the Fire Nation. He had to go home!
"Is it your own destiny? Or is it a destiny someone else has tried to force on you?"
"Stop it, Uncle! I have to do this." He faced the bison. That was what he had to focus on. With it, he was even closer to taking the Avatar captive.
"I'm begging you, Prince Zuko!" Iroh said, using his title, something he hasn't done since they had first traveled to Ba Sing Se. "It's for you to look inward and begin asking yourself the big questions: who are you and what do you want?"
Zuko's emotions ran rampant. He tried to calm them, but he just couldn't. Not being able to take it anymore, he gave a frustrated yell and threw the swords and the mask to the ground. His yell echoed all around them, bouncing off the walls. It almost seemed mocking.
Jet kept coming at both Aang and Shù Yè, swinging wildly. "Jet, it's me, Aang!" Aang told him as they dodged. "You don't have to do this!"
"I'm afraid he no longer has a choice," Long Feng said smugly.
"You can it!" Shù Yè shouted. She tried to charge him, but Jet attacked them again. Aang and Shù Yè moved out of his swings. They didn't want to get hit by them
Aang sent him skidding back with a blast of air. "Jet, I'm your friend," he said. "Look inside your heart."
Jet shook his head, like he was trying to clear it. "Do your duty, Jet!" Long Feng commanded him.
He walked towards the two and stopped, breathing heavily. "He can't make you do this!" Aang told him. "You're a Freedom Fighter."
Those words caused Jet to remember everything those words meant, the thought of his friends, what they did and why they chose to do it. The memories started to blur together, and he kept seeing Long Feng's face interspaced between the memories. Finally, the haze of memories cleared, and Jet returned to normal.
Long Feng did not see this. "Do it! Do it now!" he commanded.
Jet responded by throwing one of his hook swords at him like a spear. Long Feng sidestepped and responded by bending a rock-line at Jet. It struck him hard in the chest, sending him to the ground. Both Aang and Shù Yè saw this when the dust cloud finally cleared. They over to Jet as Long Feng bent a rock column upwards and leapt into a pipe.
"Foolish boy," he said. "You've chosen your own demise."
"Don't run away, you coward!" Shù Yè shouted, going after him. But the column had dropped back into the ground and Long Feng had disappeared into the pipe.
"I'm sorry…Aang," Jet croaked out as both Aang and Shù Yè knelt beside him. They could tell just how he was breathing that he was in pain.
"Don't be," Aang told him.
"It wasn't your fault," Shù Yè agreed. The door to the room opened, letting the rest of the group in. They were all shocked to see Jet lying on the floor. They rushed over to him, gathering around his body.
Katara bent the water out of her pouch and covered her hands with it. She placed them over Jet's chest. "This isn't good," she declared after a few minutes. She knew that the injuries were extensive.
Ino knelt and did her own diagnostic, her hands glowing with green chakra. "She's right," she finally said, letting her chakra dissipate. "Not even Lady Tsunade or Sakura could save him, there's too much damage. I'm sorry," she told Smellerbee and Longshot.
"Don't be," Smellerbee replied. "You guys go and find Appa. We'll take care of Jet."
"We're not going to leave you," Katara told them.
"There's no time. Just go. We'll take care of him. He's our leader," Longshot replied, speaking for the first time, surprising everyone.
"Don't worry, Katara," Jet said to her. "I'll be fine." He gave a small smile.
She closed her eyes, stopping herself from seeing her, and stood up from where she knelt. Ino did the same thing. They walk away from him and his Freedom Fighters. "He's lying…" Toph whispered to Sokka. He didn't say anything in response.
They walked away through another door, not looking back to see Smellerbee crying or Longshot standing guard with an arrow ready.
They finally found the cell that held Appa. They opened it only to find an empty room. "Appa's gone," Aang said. "Long Feng beat us here."
"If we keep moving, maybe we can catch up with him!" Sokka stated. They all ran out of the room and found a nearby exit. Toph bent it up to the surface and broke through the stone serving as a blocker. They jumped out of the hole and saw Akela running towards them.
"We have to keep moving!" Asuma ordered. They all started running down the path when both Aang and Shikamaru noticed that there were Dai Li coming out of the exit and chasing them.
"We've got Dai Li agents on our six!" Shikamaru told them, quickly looking back at them to count how many there were.
"You think we can outrun them?" Shù Yè asked. She had also looked back to see how many were behind them.
"I don't think it's going to matter!" Chōji answered. In front of them stood a line of Dai Li along with Long Feng, there were also Dai Li along the cliff on their right. The agents in front of them bent a large wall to rise so that they were blocked. They hung to the wall while Long Feng stood on top of it. When they stopped, the Dai Li behind them did the same thing. They had been blocked in (except for the shinobi, who could walk on the water).
"Spirits take it!" Sokka swore aloud as he looked around, seeing all the agents and Long Feng. "Do we have any options?"
Momo flew down onto Aang's shoulder, making noises at them. "What is it, Momo?" Aang asked. Momo took off from his shoulder and flew into the sun.
Akela raised his nose up and sniffed the wind. His lips curled back into a wolfish grin. He threw his head and howled to the sky. The Dai Li agents shivered at the howl. It almost sounded like a battle-cry. After Akela was done, silence reigned supreme.
Then, from above they heard a roar that seemed to answer Akela's howl. From the direction of the sun, a certain sky bison flew down to them. "Appa!" cried Aang with joy.
Appa smashed through both walls, sending Dai Li everywhere. Aang and Toph took care of the ones on the wall by bending the area of the cliff they were on to jut out, sending them flying into the drink.
After Appa had smashed through both walls, he turned around and landed on the ground. As Long Feng stood back up, he saw that the Dai Li had gotten away. He then turned around and came face to face with a very, very, very, pissed-off sky bison. "I can handle you by myself," he declared. He charged at Appa, bending the earth to form a ramp beneath him. He threw a kick at the sky bison but all Appa had to do to stop him was bite down on his leg. He tossed Long Feng out into the water, making him skip like a stone before finally sinking into the water.
Appa stood there for a few seconds and then spat out Long Feng's shoe. Then he turned his head towards the group, causing them (except for the Sand Siblings and Shù Yè, who had never met him) to run forward and circle around him. He sat down and let them get close. Sokka hugged his arm while Akela and Momo jumped onto his head. Aang leapt onto his forehead, trying to hug him for all he's worth. "I missed you, buddy," he said, tears of joy flowing freely down his face. Appa closed his eyes in contentment.
"So that's a sky bison," Shù Yè said as she looked at Appa.
"Truly, an impressive creature," Gaara commented. There were a very few creatures he had seen in his life who could match the one in front of him.
Sokka lifted his head from Appa's leg, seeing that they hadn't moved from where they stood. "Come on guys, get over and meet Appa," he told them. They walked over and placed a hand on Appa. When he didn't growl at them, things went more smoothly. A few minutes later, Appa was flying over the water with passengers on board.
Katara looked down at the water, remembering Jet. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around to see Aang, Toph and Sokka. The four of them on Appa's head gave a group hug while the others stayed on Appa's back. Appa himself just lowed in contentment;Akela woofed in agreement.
They climbed out of the hole that served as an entrance. "You did the right thing, nephew," Iroh told him. Zuko didn't reply, he just took out the mask of the Blue Spirit and looked at it. "Leave it behind," Iroh told him.
He walked to the edge and tossed the mask into the water. After he watched sink into the water, he and Iroh left.
Naruto stood on the cliff, watching as the sky bison flew away. "Hook, line, and sinker," he said with a smirk.
End
Author's note: Thanks for all the reviews you've sent me.
Okay, I kinda wrote about the Tales of Ba Sing Se but did not add new tales. I simply put other characters into them. Think of it as a compromise.
If you truly think about it, Naruto was just like Aang when he was twelve. Now that he's grown up a little, you can see why he doesn't think very highly of Aang.
Also, I gave Naruto a little more screen time then intended so the people who are complaining that I've been focusing too much on Aang can shut up. The reason I haven't done a lot of Naruto lately is because right now I want him to be the Man in the Shadows, you can't see him but you can feel his presence.
For those of you are wondering about what Sokka's ace against the Dai Li is, just wait. The end game of Ba Sing Se is beginning.
I'll see you all next chapter!