Chapter 4

"We didn't forget about you," Zuko was saying as he sat across from her in the large library of the building. The walls were nothing but shelves of books that went all the way up to the third floor, the only means of getting to them being large ladders on wheels. "We've just been busy."

Again with the "busy" excuse. "I see nothing for you to be busy with," Kichi said, more sad now than angry. Her initial fury had exhausted her and now she just felt empty inside. "And no reason for you guys not trying to find me or contact me."

"We couldn't," he said. "We were told not to."

"What? By who? And since when would that stop any of you? If Aang were told not to talk to Katara, he'd do it anyways. And Katara to Sokka. And you to Aang. Do you guys just not care about me as much? Am I not really part of the family?"

Zuko leaned forward, obvious anger written all over his face. "How can you say that?" he asked. But instead of going further in his disgruntlement, he instead leaned back and rubbed his face in exasperation. "We were told by Aang that we weren't to try and contact you for a while. That to do so could mean endangering your life."

She blinked. "Why would Aang say that?"

"I don't know. He wouldn't go into exact detail. But he emphasized the importance of it. Said that you'd come to us when you were ready."

"Ready for what? What did he mean it would endanger my life? I haven't been in any danger!" She was angry again, and hurt. Why would Aang try and keep her family away from her? That didn't sound like him at all.

"I've told you as much as I know," Zuko said, shrugging and looking tired. "Though I admit it was hard at times. Katara almost went against it on more than one occasion. We haven't been here at this building a lot, and usually never at the same time, but when she was here she said she could see you sitting outside the grounds, looking sad. Sokka tried sending you a secret message on his boomerang, but he said for some reason when he threw it toward you, it would just drop to the ground like a rock."

That was strange. Boomerangs didn't work like that.

"Why didn't you ever try coming to see us?" Zuko asked.

Kichi sighed sadly. It was a question she knew would come up eventually. Here she was complaining that they never came to see HER and yet she never tried to go see them or make any sort of contact. "After the war, everyone went their own separate ways for a long time, myself included. But I started missing you guys after a year and came to visit sometimes when I saw one of you here. For some reason, I couldn't bring myself to coming in, though. I was afraid. It had been a whole year and none of you had ever bothered trying to contact me… I thought I'd offended you guys in some way."

Zuko shook his head. "That's ridiculous."

"Yeah." She laughed feebly. "Now that I think about it, it really is. But.."

At that moment, the library doors burst open with a bang. Before Kichi had any time to react or to see who had come in, something was hugging her so tight she couldn't breathe. The hug moved from a death grip to a loving embrace moments later, but the person still wouldn't pull away.

"Hey, Katara," Kichi said, realizing who it was. She felt an overwhelming sense of happiness at seeing her close friend again. It had been a whole year or more since she had spoken to her, and yet it felt like an eternity.

When Katara pulled away, Kichi saw there were tears in her eyes. "I've missed you so much," she said.

There was no way she could be angry at her friend after seeing such a touching stroke of love. "I've missed you, too. All of you guys. Zuko was just telling me why none of you ever tried to come see me or send me a letter."

Katara face fell a little, and she looked slightly irked, which surprised Kichi. "Aang told us we shouldn't," was all she said. "And whenever one us tried to, something would happen to prevent it, or Aang would step in."

"I still don't understand," Kichi said, this news confusing her even more. "Why would Aang do that? And give no reason for it?"

"I don't know," Katara admitted, looking a little guilty. "And I'm not saying that I don't trust him… If I believed you were ever in any danger, I wouldn't have tried to come see you as many times as I did. But it's not like Aang to not give a reason for something like that, and…" She stopped, just now noticing Zuko.

"But he hasn't exactly been acting himself the last year," Zuko offered, at which Katara nodded guiltily. "Yeah. I've noticed it, too."

Kichi looked at the both of them. "What do you mean 'he hasn't exactly been acting himself'?"

Katara and Zuko exchanged a private look. "Well, just like this whole thing with not coming to see you. He's been mostly secluded, and comes to us out of the blue telling us strange things that Roku has supposedly told him in a dream. But when we ask about it, he shoves it aside."

"Strange things? Like what?" She felt overwhelmed with questions.

"Like how the Spirits are going to take away the World's bending," Zuko stepped in. "I didn't believe it at first. It sounded so ridiculous. But then you came in today after a year saying that everyone can't bend anymore.."

"What?" Katara looked surprised as she shot a glance at Kichi.

"Yeah. But I don't know if it's the whole world that can't. Just those within the proximity of this place. Even I can't bend anymore." It hurt to admit, but she had to be honest.

"That's terrible, Kichi," Katara said, looking shocked.

"And that's not all he's told us," Zuko broke in. "He just recently told us, after gathering us all here, that something huge and wonderful was about to happen."

"But he wouldn't give any more detail about it," Katara said.

"He didn't seem to be acting secluded when Zuko took me to him," Kichi said. "And he acted like I remember him always acting. Maybe just a bit more mature."

"Yeah," Zuko said, looking at Katara now. "He was practicing his earthbending with Toph."

"I know." Katara nodded. "Toph told me. Said she was surprised when he asked her to train with him today. None of us have really seen him at all this last week. Not since he told us something "wonderful" was about to happen."

"Did she mention him acting strange in any way?" Zuko asked.

Katara shook her head. "Not really. Just said that he was acting nervous. That he wasn't as great as he used to be and that he wasn't really paying as much attention to her as he was just waiting for something."

"Waiting for what?" Kichi asked.

Katara sighed and shrugged. "I'm really worried about him."

It was then that Kichi remembered the conversation she had heard Katara having with Suki earlier. Could Aang's behavior have anything to do with this? Did he somehow know her secret?

Just then, a huge booming sound was heard from outside the room, shaking the walls of the entire library and causing a few books to fall from their high perches. Zuko was out of his chair in an instant. "What was that?" he asked.

All three of them rushed out of the library. From several halls down there was the sound of some great animal roaring. Toph and Suki were running straight for them, looking alarmed.

"It's Appa!" Suki said when she reached them, panting from her fast run and pointing down the hall. "He's attacking Aang!"

No one waited for anything more to be said as they all rushed down the hall. As they ran, Toph was saying, "I was in the room next to Aang's field. He was meditating, just as Kichi and Zuko had left him, and suddenly Appa came out of nowhere!"

"We haven't seen Appa in weeks," Katara panted. "Was Momo with him?"

"We don't know," Suki admitted. As soon as I heard Appa roar, I rushed in to see what was going on and ran into Toph. She said to come get you guys.

As they approached Aang's field once again, there was a terrible banging sound and the wall nearest them gave way. There was Appa, in all his horrible fury. He had rammed the wall in a charge. Kichi had never seen him so angry. There was a horrible gash on his head from when he had rammed into the wall. His fur was horribly matted and there were cakes of dirt buried in it.

As Appa pulled away, the group dashed for the now opened wall and peeked inside. What they saw was so shocking and bewildering that all they could do was stare. Aang was in the far corner, looking worriedly at Appa, though Kichi could have sworn that right before he'd noticed their arrival, Aang's face had been distorted with rage. Momo was there, diving down at Aang's face every few moments, clawing at his face and then retreating back into the air.

What on earth was going on?

Appa now face Aang, his head bowed for another charge, his large front feet scuffing the ground in preparation. Just as he charged, the group of friends jumped in to the rescue. Toph bent the ground around Appa's feet so that he couldn't move and the great animal practically tripped from the unexpected halting. It didn't last very long, however. Appa's fury made him all the more powerful, and he ripped his six feet from the earth. But instead of turning on Toph, he still focused on Aang.

"What's wrong, buddy?" Aang was shouting, looking horribly hurt by the assault from his most trusted pal. He almost looked like he was going to cry. "Who did this to you? Where have you been?"

But Appa wasn't listening. As Suki tried to dive toward him and calm him down, he brushed her aside with his massive head and stomped toward Aang. At Aang's words, he gave another horrible roar, one that made the entire ground beneath Kichi's feet shake. Momo had retreated to the high wall of the place, but was hissing and spitting down at his previously loved owned.

Her first day where she had actually decided to come see her friends and already she was confused beyond all reason. All Kichi could do was stare helplessly at her friends moved in to comfort the raging beast. It was frightening to see how angry Appa was. His eyes were practically red with livid rage. If she could only bend she could be of some help…