"Hey, you guys picked a great campsite!" Toph exclaimed as everyone got down off of Appa. "The grass is so soft". Jin and Li exchanged a glance before looking down at the ground. It was covered in patches of white fur that surrounded the large Bison.
"That's not grass" Sokka replied. "Appa's shedding".
"Oh, gross" Katara said, moving away from the fur on the ground.
"That's not gross" Aang countered as a bird landed on his head. "It's just a part of spring. You know, rebirth, flowers blooming, and Appa gets a new coat".
"Ah, the beauty of spring" Katara said sardonically as Appa licked some loose fur off of one of his legs. He then sneezed, creating a cloud of white that rained down upon the group. "Stop! Appa, Stop!"
"It's not that bad, Katara" Sokka soothed as he crouched down and gathered a bunch of the fur. "It makes a great wig". He then stood up, and the twins beheld the self-made clump of fur on his head.
"And a great beard" Aang added as he slid down to the ground. He had formed some fur into a thick beard that looked like it belonged to a wise old Master. Jin and Li exchanged devious grins, concocting their own use for the fur.
"I'm just glad we finally have another girl in the group" Katara said as she wiped the fur off of her clothes. "Because you boys are disgusting".
As the twins went about forming clumps of fur around their bodies, Toph walked in between Sokka and Aang. "Excuse me, does anyone have a razor, because I got some hairy pits!" At that moment, the twins stood up, revealing their masterpieces. Fur was coming out of Jin's ears and nostrils, while thick clumps of fur rested on Li's bare feet. Everyone except Katara was laughing, and Aang proceeded to sneeze, blowing himself onto one of Appa's legs and covering his back with fur.
A short time later, as the sun started to set, the group went about setting up camp. While Aang, Sokka, and Katara went about setting up tents and bedrolls, Toph and the twins were content with merely laying on the ground.
As Jin and Li stared up at the darkening sky, Katara came over and said "So, Toph, usually when setting up camp, we try to divide up the work".
"Hey, don't worry about me" the blind girl replied as she chewed on a piece of wheat. "I'm good to go".
"Well, actually, what I'm trying to say is some of us might fetch water while someone else might set up the fire pit or put up the tent". Momo came to hover next to her, depositing a few nuts into her hands. "Even Momo does his fair share".
"Katara, I'm fine" Toph assured. "I can carry my own weight. I don't need a fire. I've already collected my food. And look, my tent's all set up". She then used her Bending to draw two flat, diagonal slabs of earth over her. Jin and Li exchanged a glance before they did the same, following her example.
Katara didn't look pleased. "Well, that's great for you, but we still need to finish…"
"I don't understand" Toph cut her off. "What's the problem here? Those two are doing exactly the same thing as me, and I don't hear you complaining to them about it". The twins exchanged a nervous glance as Katara turned her gaze over to them. Before she could say anything, they drew up two more slabs of earth that completely sealed them inside their self-made tent.
A short time later, the twins could hear Katara telling their blind companion. "Hey, Toph, I wanted to apologize for earlier. I think we're all just a little tired and getting on each other's nerves".
Jin gently eased the front slab of their earthen tent down enough so that he and his brother could observe the proceedings.
"Yeah. You do seem pretty tired" Toph agreed. The Earthbending boys sensed that Katara took umbrage.
"I meant all of us" she said, sounding a little more frustrated than before.
"Well, good night" Toph said, and the twins let out a silent breath of relief; for tonight, at least, no one would be killing each other. Later, after they had gone to sleep, the twins were awoken by Toph's high-pitched voice. "There's something coming toward us!"
Jin's eyes shot open, and he hastily stood up, knocking his head on the side of their earthen tent. As he felt the throbbing pain from the impact, Li slid the slabs of earth back into the ground as Aang asked "What is it?"
Toph crouched down, putting a hand on the ground. "It feels like an avalanche, but also not an avalanche".
As the twins got up and walked over to where the others were standing, Sokka half-mumbled "Your powers of perception are frightening".
"Should we leave?" Katara asked.
"Better safe than sorry" Aang said. A few minutes later, they were flying through the air, leaving their campsite behind. The twins gazed behind them, and saw great plumes of smoke out in the distance. Jin tapped Katara's shoulder, drawing her attention to them. "What is that thing?"
I entered into a fighting stance, staring down my opponent before striking. I launched myself forward, quickly hitting him with a series of jabs and deliberate strikes. After I made them, I took a few steps back. "Like that?" I asked.
Ty Lee cocked her head as she looked at the wooden mannequin. "Almost" she said. "The key to Chi Blocking is the surprise; if your opponent's not expecting it, then it'll be all the more effective".
I nodded. Ever since we had left Omashu, Ty Lee had been teaching me the art of Chi Blocking, which she had used to take away the Water Tribe girl's and one of the twins' Bending away. It was odd, to think that a few quick jabs could negate someone's Bending. Ty Lee told me that it was all about hitting a person's pressure points so as to block the flow of Chi and rendering their Bending useless.
Off to the side, Mai huffed as the metal floor beneath us rumbled. Our transport was rolling across the land with incredible speed, and I had to admit that the Fire Nation's industrial capacity was incredible at times.
I then heard Azula's measured footsteps behind me. "We'll be reaching our target soon enough" she said, her tone reminding me of a coiled serpent. "I hope you won't have any qualms about capturing the Avatar. I would hate for anything else to mar that face of yours". My expression remained the same, but inside, I shuddered. This teenager was barely human… she was a cold, unfeeling, manipulative monster. Every time I heard her voice, I felt angry and afraid at the same time. Drawing on my feelings for her, I attacked the wooden mannequin once more, envisioning it as the haughty Fire Nation Princess.
The twins practically leaped off of Appa once the Bison touched ground, relishing the feel of bare earth as they lay on the ground. Toph gave voice to their sentiments as she said "Land, sweet land. See you guys in the morning!" She then started to walk over to the edge of the clearing.
"Actually, can you help us unload?" Katara asked.
"Really?" Toph asked incredulously. "You need me to help unload Sokka's funky-smelling sleeping bag?"
The Water Tribe boy sniffed the bag, and instantly recoiled, his face turning green. As he collapsed onto the ground, Katara replied "Well, yeah. That and everything else. You're a part of our team now and…"
Toph suddenly pointed a finger at the older girl as she stared off into space. "Look, I didn't ask you to unload my stuff. I'm carrying my own weight".
"That's not the point" Katara retorted. "Ever since you joined us, you've been nothing but selfish and unhelpful". Jin walked over to her and lightly tugged on her sleeve in an effort to diffuse the situation, but she shook him off.
"What?!" Toph nearly shrieked. "Look here, Sugar Queen, I gave up everything I had so that I could teach Aang Earthbending. So don't you talk to me about being selfish".
She then drew up an earthen tent, and Katara replied "Sugar Queen?!" Toph drew up a slab of earth in front of her, and the Water Tribe girl demanded "D-Did you just slam the door in my face? How can you be so infuriating?" She then launched into an angry tirade as she pounded on Toph's earthen tent. The twins exchanged a glance, hoping that once she vented some of her anger, Katara would be able to calm down and get some sleep.
Unfortunately, that didn't happen.
"Okay, okay" Aang said. "You both need to calm down".
Katara suddenly whirled on him, her face contorted into an expression of pure madness and anger. "Both?! I'M COMPLETELY CALM!"
The twins instinctively recoiled in fear, while Aang said "I can see that" as he bid a hasty retreat; this was one battle he couldn't win.
A short time later, the twins were resting comfortably in their own earthen tent, next to Toph's. "The stars sure are beautiful tonight" Katara called, and the Earthbending boys rolled their eyes; did she really have to go on with all this arguing? "Too bad you can't see them, Toph".
The twins then felt a vibration in the earth just before Katara shrieked in surprise. Li brought the front of their tent down, and he and his brother saw the Water Tribe girl's sleeping bag on top of Sokka's. "Hey, how's a guy supposed to sleep with all this yelling and earthquaking?" he demanded.
Toph suddenly emerged from her tent and said "That thing is back".
Jin and Li exchanged a worried glance as Sokka asked "Well, how far away is it? Maybe we can close our eyes for a few minutes".
Everyone looked behind them, at the ever-encroaching plume of smoke, and Aang replied "I don't think so, Sokka".
Once again, they were back in the air. "Seriously, what is that thing?" Katara asked as she rubbed her eyes.
"And how does it keep finding us?" Toph added.
"I don't know" Aang replied. "But this time, I'm gonna make sure we lose them". After what seemed like an eternity, Appa finally landed on a flat piece of earth in the middle of a mountain range. The Bison collapsed onto his side, evidently as tired as everyone else.
"Okay, forget about setting up camp" Sokka mumbled. "I'm finding the softest pile of dirt and going to sleep".
"That's good, because Toph wasn't going to help anyway" Katara said. Jin and Li covered their faces with their hands as they laid on the ground, wanting so very much for everyone to shut up while they slept.
"Oh, I didn't realize baby still needed someone to tuck her in bed" Toph retorted, and the twins couldn't help but smirk at the comment.
"Come on, guys" Aang said. "There's something after us, and we don't even know what or who it is".
"It could be Zuko" Katara theorized. "We haven't seen him since the North Pole". The twins exchanged a glance; they doubted that the banished Prince would be able to summon the kind of machine that was chasing them. They weren't even sure if he was still alive.
"Who's Zuko?" Toph asked.
"Oh, just some angry freak with a ponytail who's tracked us all over the world" Sokka replied. The twins ran a hand through their scruffy black hair, still finding not having it in ponytails strange.
"What's wrong with ponytails, ponytail?" Katara teased.
"This is a warrior's wolf tail" Sokka replied, not even bothering to get up as he pointed to his hair.
"Well, it certainly tells the other warriors that you're fun and perky" Katara said.
"Anyway, whoever's chasing us, they couldn't have followed us here, so, now, would everyone just shush?" Momo suddenly started chattering away, and Sokka said "No, Momo, shh. Sleepy time". After a moment, he said "Oh, don't tell me" in a despondent voice.
The twins looked up and saw the thing that had been dogging them all night approaching in the distance. "That's impossible" Aang said. "There's no way they could have tracked us".
"I can feel it with my own two feet" Toph assured. The thing chasing them was getting closer, and the twins could see that it was some sort of machine, which could only be from the Fire Nation.
"Let's get out of here" Katara suggested.
"Maybe we should face them and find out who they are" Aang countered. "Who knows? Maybe they're friendly".
"Always the optimist" Sokka dryly commented. The machine came to a stop, and one of the cars opened up, depositing four mongoose lizards upon which rode Princess Azula, the other two girls, and Takara. Jin and Li exchanged a nervous glance; they were ready to fight the other three, but they weren't as enthusiastic about fighting the Kyoshi Warrior.
"It's those four girls from Omashu!" Katara exclaimed.
The twins got into fighting stances, and Toph confidently declared "We can take them; four on five".
"Actually, Toph, there's six of us" Sokka corrected.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't count you. You know, no Bending and all". The twins could see the older boy's face becoming as red as a cherry.
"I can still fight!" he angrily shouted.
"Okay", Toph said, "four on five plus Sokka". The group of girls then rushed towards them with their mounts. Toph made several motions with her hands, while the twins made various punching and thrusting motions. The three Earthbenders created a field of rocks that burst out of the ground in front of the approaching girls, but the nimble mongoose lizards merely climbed over them.
"Well, we wanted to find out who they were, and we found out" Sokka stated. "Now let's get out of here". Everyone else ran back towards Appa, while the twins stayed with Toph at the edge of their campsite.
The blind girl raised a massive rock wall in front of the girls, but a hole was soon blasted through it by what could only have been lightning. The girls then rode their mounts through, and the black-haired one hurled a number of tiny knives at the Earthbenders. The twins and Toph instinctively ripped large chunks of rock from the ground which absorbed the knives. They then pushed off with their feet, jumping over to Appa's saddle whilst firing the boulders at the girls.
"Appa, yip yip!" Aang cried as he took the reins. They then lifted off the ground, barely avoiding a lightning strike as they did so.
"I can't believe those girls followed us all the way from Omashu" Katara said.
"I still think we could have taken them" Toph added indignantly. Jin and Li exchanged a glance; that was one fight that they were hesitant to go through with.
"Are you kidding me?" Katara countered. "The crazy blue Firebending and the flying daggers and hand-to-hand combat are bad enough, but the last time we saw them, one of those girls did something that took my Bending away. That's scary". Jin clenched his hands into fists, vividly remembering the experience; losing his Bending had been like losing his identity, and it was one of the scariest things that had happened to him.
Li put a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder as the sky suddenly became brighter. The twins turned and saw that the sun was rising. "Oh, no" Sokka wailed. "The sun is rising. We've been up all night with no sleep".
"Sokka, we'll be okay" Aang assured him.
"Are you sure?" Sokka asked, sounding a little deranged. "I've never not slept before! What if I fall asleep now and something happens? AND SOMETHING ALWAYS HAPPENS!" Li reached over and slapped him on the back of the head, snapping him out of his hysteria.
"Every time we land", Katara said, "those girls are there. So we'll just have to keep flying".
The twins doubted that.
"We can't keep flying forever" Aang countered. A short time later, Jin and Li found themselves being jarred awake from a short nap as Toph asked "What's going on?" The Earthbending boys looked around them and saw that they were rapidly falling towards the ground.
"Appa fell asleep!" Aang replied, hanging onto the reins. Jin managed to grab hold of Toph's hand as Li took his hand, and they struggled to maintain their grip as they plummeted through the air.
Aang tried desperately to wake the Bison up, and miraculously, the ten-ton animal roared as he just managed to stop before crashing into the canopy of the forest below. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough, and they promptly crashed. Aang slid down Appa's head, and as he shambled away, he said "Appa's exhausted".
Jin and Li tripped over the edge of the Bison's saddle and fell hard onto the grass. Through their sleepy haze, they heard Sokka say "Okay, we've put a lot of distance between us and them. The plan right now is to follow Appa's lead and get some sleep".
"Of course, we could have gotten some sleep earlier if Toph didn't have such issues". Jin and Li's eyes widened to the size of platypus bear eggs as they tightly gripped their heads; was Katara seriously going to press the issue now?
"WHAT?!" Toph shrieked.
"All right, all right!" Aang shouted. "Everyone's exhausted. Let's just get some rest".
"No" Toph said angrily. "I want to hear what Katara has to say. You think I have issues?"
"I'm just saying, maybe if you helped out earlier, we could have set up our camp faster and gotten some sleep. And then maybe we wouldn't be in this situation!"
"You're blaming me for this?" the blind girl asked incredulously. She threw her bag onto the ground and stalked over to where Katara was standing.
Aang stood in between them, holding up his hands. "No, she's not blaming you".
"No, I'm blaming her" Katara said.
"Hey!" Toph exclaimed, tossing Aang aside like a ragdoll. "I never asked you for didly-dooda. I carry my own weight. Besides, if there's anyone to blame, it's sheddy over here".
"What? You're blaming Appa?" Aang asked, suddenly done with being the peacekeeper.
"Yeah. You want to know how they keep finding us?" Toph asked. "He's leaving a trail everywhere we go".
"How dare you blame Appa" Aang replied indignantly. "He saved your life three times today! If there's anyone to blame, it's you! You're always talking about how you carry your own weight, but you're not. He is. Appa's carrying your weight. He never had a problem flying when it was just the five of us!"
The twins had enough. Jin finally allowed all of his anger to boil to the surface as he slammed his foot to the ground. The clearing they all occupied quaked violently, causing everyone but them and Toph to lose their footing. Li followed up by getting on his knees and pounding at the ground with his fists. Each time struck the earth, the clearing quaked once, twice, three times, until his arms were too sore to continue.
He stood up, and the twins breathed heavily as Aang, Sokka, and Katara got on their feet. "I'm outta here" Toph growled, and the twins looked at her with wide-eyed surprise. The blind girl picked up her bag and started walking away. The Earthbending boys ran up to her, but when they placed hands on her shoulders, she roughly shook them off and said "Leave me alone".
They stared despondently after her as she stalked off into the forest.
"Wads of wet fur" Mai noted dryly as Azula picked some up from the river where we had stopped. "How delightful".
Ty Lee held her chin in her hand in thought. "Hmm, they're not wads. They're more like… bundles. Or bunches? It's got an 'uh' sound"
"Or clumps" I muttered under my breath as Azula stood up.
The girl in pink brightened. "Clumps! They're clumps!" She proceeded to wrap her arms around me a tight hug, and I huffed, dutifully patting her shoulder. While Ty Lee's perpetual perkiness was very annoying at times, it was much more hospitable than Mai's constant apathy or Azula's insanity.
Mai pointed to where the clumps of fur were going. "The trail goes this way".
Azula looked around for a few moments before turning to us and saying "The Avatar is trying to give us the slip". Pointing to Mai and Ty Lee, she said "You two head in that direction and keep your eye out for the Bison". Looking over at me, she gave me a chilling grin and said "You'll come with me. We'll follow this trail".
I heard the rumbling coming from back where I had left Iroh. I turned back in the direction I had just come from, my hands clenched into fists; I had been around Earthbenders long enough to know when Earthbending was being used. Dropping the firewood I had collected, I ran back towards Iroh, hoping that I could help him in time. Even without my Firebending, I was still a capable hand-to-hand fighter, and I would be damned if I allowed one of my heroes to be captured or killed.
After a few minutes, I burst through some bushes. Taking in the scene in front of me, I saw Iroh gingerly standing up, rubbing his rear, and I saw a tiny little girl dressed in green standing a few feet away from him.
Her eyes were milky white, and I was caught by surprise. She couldn't be blind, could she? How could she travel the countryside all by herself?
Upon noticing me, she tensed, readying for a fight, before Iroh said "It's all right! Just a little misunderstanding". Keeping my eyes on the girl, I allowed myself to cautiously ease my muscles. "Let's sit down and talk over tea" the older man suggested as he gingerly stood up, and I nodded.
Azula and I brought our mounts to a stop at the edge of the ruined village, seeing the Avatar standing several dozen feet away from us. We dismounted, and I kept my eyes on the Fire Nation Princess the whole time. This was it; when she attacked, I would take the opportunity to apply my Chi Blocking training with Ty Lee. No matter how much I feared and hated Azula, I wouldn't allow her to eliminate the world's only chance for peace.
"All right" he called as we slowly walked towards him. "You've caught up with me. Now, who are you, and what do you want?"
"You mean you haven't guessed?" Azula asked, a hand on her hip. "You don't see the family resemblance? Here's a hint". She then covered up the left side of her face and spoke in a deeper voice "I must find the Avatar to restore my honour. It's okay, you can laugh. It's funny".
"So what now?" The Avatar asked.
"Now? Now it's over. You're tired, and you have no place to go" Azula replied. "You can run, but I'll catch you".
The Avatar stood up, brandishing his staff. "I'm not running". Somehow, I knew that that only made the Fire Nation Princess happier.
Iroh and I brewed the tea in a rudimentary pot made of clay. "Here is your tea" the older man said as he poured it into the three cups.
I took a sip from my cup before saying "You seem a little young to be traveling alone".
"He seems a little old" she replied dryly, referring to Iroh.
The older man laughed heartily. "Perhaps I am".
"I know what you're thinking" the little girl said after a moment, staring down at the ground. "I look like I can't handle being by myself".
"I wasn't thinking that" Iroh replied.
"You wouldn't let me pour my own cup of tea".
I smirked before taking a sip from my cup. "We poured your tea because we wanted to".
"He is a bit of a stickler for brewing the tea himself" Iroh added.
"People see me and think I'm weak. They want to take care of me, but I can take care of myself by myself".
"You sound like my nephew" Iroh noted. I cast a surreptitious glance at him, and saw the slight pain in his eyes. Ever since Zuko had left to be on his own, Iroh had not been the same. "Always thinking you need to do things on your own, without anyone's support".
"Standing on one's own two feet is a fine thing" I said. "But there is also no shame in letting others help you, especially those who love and care for you".
"Not that we love you" Iroh clarified with a smirk. "We just met you".
The little blind girl giggled. "So where is your nephew?"
"We've been tracking him, actually".
"Is he lost?" she asked, taking a sip of tea. I cast another glance at Iroh, taking another sip of my own tea.
The older man looked off in the distance, a sombre expression on his face. "Yes, a little bit. His life has recently changed, and he's going through very difficult times. We all are". I looked down at the ground, thinking about Jin and Li and Takara. "He's trying to figure out who he is, and he went away".
"So now you're following him" the little girl surmised.
"I know he doesn't want us around right now, but if he needs us, we'll be there".
"Your nephew is very lucky, even if he doesn't know it. Thank you".
"Our pleasure" I replied, standing up. "Sharing tea with an… interesting stranger is one of life's greatest delights".
"No, thank you for what you said" she clarified. Somehow, she stared right at me, despite her blindness. "It helped me. Oh, and about your nephew, maybe you should tell him that you need him, too".
I glanced down at Iroh, who took another sip of tea as she walked away.
"Do you really want to fight me?" Azula asked. Suddenly, an ostrich horse appeared out of nowhere, and as it rode off, its rider took off his straw hat.
"Yes, I really do" he said. I didn't recognize him at first, but upon seeing the scar on the left side of his face, I knew that he was Prince Zuko. Somehow, he'd survived the Fire Nation's defeat at the North Pole.
"Zuko!" the Avatar cried in surprise.
"I was wondering when you'd show up, Zuzu" Azula said mockingly as she crossed her arms.
The Avatar chuckled. "Zuzu?"
"Back off, Azula, he's mine" the scarred teenager warned as he entered into a fighting stance.
"I'm not going anywhere" Azula retorted. I then entered into my own fighting stance behind her; I couldn't do anything to the Fire Nation Princess with Zuko here, so I'd have to take him down first. For a long moment, none of us made a move, each of us eyeing the other. Suddenly, Azula blasted Zuko with a blue fire blast before she attacked the Avatar. Pursing my lips, I ran past the teenage girl and charged her brother.
He got back on his feet and shot several streams of fire at me, which I easily dodged. The two of us then engaged in a hand-to-hand fight. "You beat me when we fought at the North Pole" I said as I ducked beneath a spinning kick. "That won't happen this time". As he aimed a punch at my face, I dodged, proceeding to jab along the pressure points Ty Lee had shown me along his arm. The extremity fell limply at his side, and his surprise gave me an opening.
Before I could take advantage of it, however, he created a line of flames directly in front of him, and I had to backflip in order to avoid them.
The four of us proceeded to fight a fierce duel, with no one giving any quarter. I counted myself lucky, surviving against all these Benders. Before long, the Avatar fled into a decrepit-looking structure, and the two Firebenders were in hot pursuit, as it were.
I ran after Zuko as he ran after Azula. The Fire Nation Princess stepped into a room with no floor, and she barely managed to keep her footing before her brother fell down onto the rubble on the first floor. Having seen this, I stopped at the threshold as Azula resumed her chase after the Avatar, who had been floating on thin air.
Leaping down onto the first floor, I followed Azula as she cornered the Avatar inside a building. The teenager created a wall of flames that surrounded the bald boy, and she began her strike. In the moment before I would have interrupted her with Chi Blocking, we both found our hands pulled back by water. Turning behind me, I saw the Water Tribe girl we had fought back at Omashu. The Avatar cried "Katara!"
Azula re-directed her attention to the Waterbender, chasing her out of the building. I followed after her, content with the knowledge that she wasn't attacking the Avatar for the moment. Suddenly, the non-Bending Water Tribe boy appeared from an alley, swinging a club at Azula.
The Fire Nation Princess retreated back out into the centre of town, while I was attacked by the club-wielding boy. Easily avoiding his clumsy and brutish swings, I proceeded to sweep his feet out from under him. Suddenly, a gust of air blew me over to Azula's side, and I quickly stood up as the Avatar and his two companions slowly advanced towards us.
I walked alongside Iroh as we made our way over to Zuko. The scarred teenager was lying down, apparently unconscious. As we came to stand over him, he woke up, groggily saying "Uncle, Shan We".
"Get up" Iroh commanded. As he helped Zuko to stand, I turned and saw the fight raging nearby. Azula was fighting the Avatar and his two Water Tribe companions, but they weren't the only ones. My heart caught in my chest as I felt the wind instantly sucked out of my lungs. Takara was fighting with Azula, and I caught sight of matching sets of four scars along the Kyoshi Warrior's cheeks.
I could only imagine what kinds of torture Azula had put her through.
My eyes then turned to two boys who were fighting with the Avatar. They were dressed in simple Earth Kingdom clothes, several steps up from the rags I was wearing, and they had heads of long, scruffy black hair.
And they had identical faces.
"Jin…Li…" I said to myself, hardly believing my fortunes. After the events of the North Pole, I had lost them all; Jin, Li, and Takara had all been taken from me. Now, the Spirits had given me another chance. Now, my family could be whole again!
Suddenly, Azula and Takara were swept to the side, and I saw the little girl Iroh and I had spoken to earlier standing with a smirk on her face. "I thought you guys could use a little help". Azula and Takara then bid a hasty retreat away from the Avatar and his companions, but she ran into Iroh, Zuko, and myself. We all formed a semi-circle around the two women, and upon noticing me, Takara's mouth fell open in shock.
"Well, look at this" the Fire Lord's daughter said contemptuously. "Enemies and traitors all working together. I'm done. I know when I'm beaten". She raised her arms into the air and said "You got me. A Princess surrenders with honour".
I could see Takara taking her first step towards me as Azula suddenly fired a bolt of blue flames at Iroh, who fell to the ground with a cry of pain. Zuko and I both shouted in fear as the others all attacked Azula and Takara with their Bending. The Princess erected a defensive ball of blue flame before detonating it in a magnificent explosion that rocked the area. Fire rained down on all the buildings, and just like that, Azula and Takara were gone. Zuko growled over Iroh's still form, and I gazed down at him helplessly. The Avatar and his companions hesitantly approached, and the scarred teenager said "Get away from us!"
"Zuko, I can help…" the Water Tribe girl started to say.
"Jin? Li?" I asked, staring at the twin boys who stood near the little blind girl. They looked up at me, and their faces lit up as their mouths fell open in shock.
Before I could make my way towards them, however, Zuko whirled around and cast an arc of crimson flames at them, shouting "Leave!"
They started to turn away, and I felt an ache in my heart. I couldn't lose Jin and Li. I wouldn't! "Jin! Li!" I desperately called, no willing to lose them again.
They all turned to look at me, and the Water Tribe boy cried out in fear as he said "Agh! It's Zhao!"
"Zhao?!" the Avatar cried. He looked over at me and corrected "No, that's his son, Shan We!"
I started to walk towards the twins, but the Water Tribe girl took water from a pouch at her belt and formed it into a whip that cracked against my hand. The appendage flared with pain, and I grunted. Not to be deterred, I kept walking towards the twins, but the Water Tribe girl proceeded to form a stream of water that slammed into me, knocking me to the ground.
Groaning, I sat up… and watched as Jin and Li were led away. I held out a hand towards them, tears running down my cheeks as they rounded a corner and disappeared.
I had lost them again.
Turning to my left, I saw Zuko kneeling over Iroh, growling in aggravation. Feeling the anger of losing my sons yet again boiling inside of me, I stood up, clenching my hands into fists as the tears continued to flow. Walking over to the scarred teenager, I roughly turned him so that he was facing me. "What do you…" he started to say. Before he could finish, I took my right fist and punched him in the face as hard as I could, feeling inner satisfaction as he fell to the ground.
My anger soon gave way to despair, and I fell to my knees as I lifted my head to the sky and shouted in anguish.
I think Shan We needs some alone time right now :(
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