Chapter 20: Friends, Actually

Getting back to Shu Jing took the better part of the last day of their vacation. Although they were supposed to return to the capital by tomorrow morning, he guesses they will be lucky to even get there before sundown.

Hopefully, Fire Lord Ozai doesn't think too much about it.

But that didn't matter just yet. They needed to get Ty Lee to Dr. Haneul as soon as they could.

Her vitals seemed stable for now, but who knows how long she'll last like this.

"Are you sure this Dr. Haneul will be able to help her?" Mai's usually monotone voice was laced with worry.

"Yeah, considering it has to do with her chi, she's the only one that may know what's going on."

And she was. If it wasn't for her, he's sure they all would've died that day Aang lost control…

"But what can she find out that you couldn't already with your waterbending?" Azula asked from beside him, as all three were sitting around Ty Lee's slumbering body.

"Using waterbending means using my own chi energy to boost the body's healing ability from the patient. But firebending is different. Being the element that symbolizes life, chi energy is greatly affected by it. This means that you can guide the energy directly within a person's body into the affected areas. It's slower than waterbending, but it requires a deeper understanding of chi paths and chakras."

"So, in other words, she's the only one that can help…" Azula sighed. "Let's just hope we get there in time."

Being back in Shu Jing brought too many memories of his time at the academy. It was odd to think about it, since those were the last two years he would ever have something close to a normal life…

"Hey, Zuko! Check this out!" He heard Aang call from behind him. He was glad that Aang seemed to finally come around him being in their team, although he didn't blame him for remaining hesitant for so long since he was especially terrible to him specifically. But after that whole mess in Jang Hui, he really felt like a true member of the group.

Let's see what Aang wants to show him-

But when he turned around his eyes almost popped out of his face from the shock.

"What do you think? Pretty slick, huh!"

"Um…" He was wearing a massive set of armor filled with spikes and horns, a giant clawed left hand, skull shaped shoulder plates with chains hanging from his right one and a dragon head shaped helmet. And the two horns on top of the helmet shined so brightly he almost thought they somehow were back outdoors.

"Now all I need to complete the outfit is to get a wind sword!"

"…What's that?" He asked but he immediately regretted it.

"Well, I get a sword handle, and then I swing it around and bend some air around it like a blade!" Aang said as he swung the handle while doing swishing noises.

He was honestly rendered speechless. So, he just nodded and said:

"That's nice, buddy."

He was relieved when he saw Toph make her way towards them while laughing heavily.

"I can't even see you and I can still tell how ridiculous you look Twinkletoes!" She kept laughing so hard she actually fell to the ground.

"Hey! I actually think it looks really coo-!" But as he was talking, he started tipping backwards, sending him crashing to the ground helplessly. "O-Ouch… I think I'll just stick to what I got…"

This only prompted Toph to laugh even harder than he thought was possible.

It was so surreal in a way, that he decided to simply turn around and look for Katara and Sokka.

It took a while, but he eventually saw Sokka eyeing what seemed to be a sword. A sword which its craftmanship was clear from where he was standing.

"You like that sword, Sokka?" He approached him.

"Yeah! This is exactly what I need in order to switch up my fighting style!"

He might be right… If it's Master Piandao, then he's sure he will take Sokka as a student if he shows enough determination…

"I can take you to who made that sword." He said, as the rest of the gang joined them.

"Wait, how do you even know who made it?" Katara asked him.

"Because it was made by my old master, Master Piandao."

Everyone gaped at him.

"Wait, so not only are you a master firebender, but you're also a master swordsman?!" Sokka looked more amazed than anything. "How did you never managed to catch us all this time?!"

"Sokka!" Katara slapped him in the arm.

"No, he's right… I was too focused on proving my worth as a firebender that I completely neglected my skill with the sword all that time…"

"Why did you even want to learn the sword then?" Aang looked at him curiously.

He sighed. It was honestly one of his better childhood memories, but it just served as a reminder of how much things have changed since then for him.

"Kaze convinced me. My firebending was so pathetic that he told me that a change of perspective would help me out." He smiled. He hasn't been able to talk to him much ever since their academy days, but he knew he still had a good friend in him. "And it did. My firebending improved, and everything started coming easier to me after I trained under Master Piandao."

He then turned to look at Sokka. "And I think that might just be what you need, Sokka."

"I agree with Zuko." Aang spoke up. "We've all had masters who have helped us learn new things and improve ourselves."

"Yeah! I would have never gotten as good with waterbending if it wasn't for Master Pakku." Said Katara. "I think it's a great idea!" She smiled at him while she grabbed his hand.

"And I learned everything I know from badger moles! They don't talk, but they're still good teachers." Toph added.

"I can take you to the hill where his mansion is, but everything after that is up to you." He put a hand to his shoulder. "Just be yourself, and don't back down. Show him how much you want to learn from him, and you'll be fine."

Sokka thought for a moment before settling for a determined look. "Okay, I'll talk to him." He smiled at everyone, which was nice after how much he was sulking before. "Thanks, guys."

He's seen how surprisingly crafty he was with his club and his boomerang. He was sure he had what it took to master the sword.

The academy itself was just like he remembered and then some. It was weirdly nostalgic considering he was here just less than a year ago.

Too much has happened in between that it's felt like much longer.

Carrying Ty Lee in his arms, Azula made quick work in convincing, or rather terrifying, the guards to give them access.

"So, this is where you spent almost five years at huh…" Mai spoke up as they walked the corridors. "It's dark, gloomy, and rundown… I like it."

"Of course you do." He laughed. "You should see how hot it gets during a heat wave, and you'll change your mind quickly."

"Would you two stop talking and hurry up?! How much further is this Dr. Haneul?" Azula yelled at them from in front of them.

"We're almost there, just around this corner."

And soon enough they reached the infirmary.

"Dr. Haneul?"

He peeked inside and there she was. In the same spot she usually was, sitting right by the window reading a book.

She looked up and looked genuinely surprised by him showing up that she just stared for a while.

"Kaze? What a surprise! What are you doing here?" She stood up to greet them as the three of them entered.

But her face turned serious when she saw the state Ty Lee was in. "Spirits, what happened with her?"

"We don't know. She just passed out last night after she suddenly went out for a walk looking dazed."

"And I'm guessing you couldn't find out what it was with your waterbending." She said as she guided them to one of the beds.

"Yeah, I didn't…"

Wait…

"You knew?!" He was sure he had hidden it perfectly while he was here.

"Oh, come on, Kaze! It was obvious!" She started laughing, which Azula for some reason joined as well. "I mean, your wounds just happened to magically heal after one night, and you were so interested in chi paths despite being a 'non bender'."

"I told you your plans never work without me." Azula said as she laughed herself.

"Okay, okay!" He grumbled. "Can we just focus on Ty Lee, then?"

The room turned serious once again, as Dr. Haneul started running her fire around Ty Lee's unconscious body.

"The only thing I could sense was how her chi paths were running all over the place, and one of them seemed oddly blocked off. I don't know which one though." He could only hope she would find out what was happening to her.

It took a few minutes of concentrating, but Dr. Haneul eventually stood back with a tired huff, before turning to speak with them.

"I figured out what's happening. It seems her seventh major chi path, that spans from the glabella to a small region in the back of the brain, is the culprit." She explained as she touched the point between her eyebrows and the back of her skull. "Something seems to be preventing chi from flowing into it, and the buildup was too much for her body to handle."

What?

The seventh? But how is that possible?

"Did something happen recently that may have set her energies out of balance?"

"What do you mean?" Asked Azula.

"Well, this can happen when someone comes in contact with high amounts of spiritual energy in a very short amount of time. Most of the time the result of an encounter with a spirit, or with a spiritually dense region, like the everstorm down in the south." Her face then turned pensive. "Although there's also been records of Avatars from previous generations that have displayed similar outputs of it when entering the Avatar state… Although it's still rare for someone to face a blockage like this one. Most of the time they just feel tired for a few days and then go back to normal…"

"But will she be okay?" Mai asked as she alternated looks between Ty Lee and Dr. Haneul.

"Yes, easing the flow of chi back into her seventh path should fix the problem, but it'll take a while… You'll have to leave her with me for a day or two."

Everyone in the room let out a breath of relief.

Everyone except Kaze, who seemed to be lost in his thoughts.

"Kaze? Are you okay?" Azula grabbed his arm as if to bring him back to reality, but it didn't work.

No, he wasn't okay. None of this made sense…

"Dr. Haneul?"

"What is it?" She looked at him curiously.

"Are you sure it's the Seventh Path?"

Because if it was, then the implications where nothing short of unbelievable.

"Yes, I'm completely sure about that. Why do you ask?" She became pensive before her eyes lit up with a thought. "Wait, are you concerned that her bending may be affected by this?" She laughed brightly. "There's nothing to worry about! As soon as energy flows back into the area, she'll be back better than ever!" Her voice was warm and soothing, doing absolutely neither of those to the three frozen individuals in front of her.

They stayed quiet for too long, neither too sure what to think of her words.

"Bending?" Azula decided to brave the question. "But she isn't a bender… Is she?"

"No. She's never once firebent from what I know… And if she was, I'm sure she would've taken every opportunity to boast about it if it meant separating herself from her sisters…" Mai answered.

"But why are you saying that she's one anyway?" Azula turned to look at Dr. Haneul, who's confusion was crystal clear on her face.

"I'm sorry but that isn't possible… If she has a seventh path then that means she's a bender, no matter what." She said determinately. "All people have six major chi paths spanning their entire bodies, but benders specifically have an extra one which is the one theorized to give us our connection with our element."

"Are you saying she's never once produced any fire? In her life?" She asked as she noticed their looks of complete shock.

"Is that possible?" Kaze asked. "Is it possible for someone to not develop their bending until they're much older?"

What else could it be?

"Hm… I guess there's a first time for everything but… From my experience, every single bender and non bender have had that distinction without exception. I've never seen a non bender with a Seventh Path, and I work with kids all the time, so it seems really unlikely." She then fixed him with an unamused look. "And that includes you by the way… I sensed your seventh path on one of your visits, but by that point I was already sure you were a waterbender so I didn't say anything."

He groaned internally. He seriously was careless.

"But then… what could this mean?" Mai asked, worry once again in her face. "Does that mean she's been hiding it all this time and didn't tell us?"

"I don't even think that's possible…" Azula answered. "Us firebenders get increasingly restless if we don't bend for more than a day. I mean, the sun itself makes sure we feel its energy as soon as it rises in the morning. And I'm positive that I've never seen Ty Lee wake up before noon unless someone forced her."

His head was a mess, and they were getting nowhere. They had so many questions that they couldn't answer until Ty Lee woke up. He only hopes this doesn't spell trouble for their friend.

"Well, even though I don't really understand what's going on…" Dr. Haneul put a hand on his shoulder, bringing him back out of his thoughts. "I believe it's better for you guys to head to town and get some rest. I'm sure whatever questions we have can wait until your friend feels better." She fixed all three with a kind gaze. "Don't worry. I'll make sure she's fit and perfect as soon as tomorrow afternoon. You have my word."

They looked at each other, concern still palpable, but eventually relented. There was nothing they could do anymore, so they would just have to wait.

"Thank you, Dr. Haneul."

"Don't mention it, Kaze!" She smiled at him before looking at Azula. "And I reckon you must be the dear friend he used to talk about so much while he was here! Although I would have never expected her to be the princess of the Fire Nation!" She laughed, as Azula turned bright red.

He could only smile at the sight.

Of course she noticed.

"I miss Sokka."

"Oh, I got one!" Katara jumped in excitement. "If you miss him so much, why don't you marry him?"

"Katara, please stop." Zuko gave her his best pleading look, to which Katara just huffed in offense.

But he was right. Aang was pretty sure he was going to blow her over a cliff if she didn't stop trying to tell jokes every five minutes.

He didn't realize how much they needed Sokka in order to… function as people… It was weird, in a way, that the second he left they found themselves with absolutely no idea what to do…

He just wished that something or someone interesting would just fall from the sky or something…

And right on cue, a shadow loomed over him as he lay on the ground.

He opened his eyes and saw…

"Azula?!" He jumped so hard he's sure he almost pulled a muscle.

"You guys look busy." She was staring them down with narrowed eyes that fired off every single defense mechanism in his body.

What were they doing here?!

"Oh yeah, I forgot to say." Toph spoke up from where she was sitting. "But Kaze and his gang have been coming our way for like the past… ten minutes or so."

"Wouldn't that be something you should tell us immediately?!" Zuko jumped up angrily.

"Oh, come on, Zuzu." Azula laughed loudly. "Don't act like you're not happy to see your favorite sister."

Kaze and Mai made their way behind her as she laughed.

"No, but seriously… Why are you guys, here?" Katara seemed the only one calm enough to not scream her question. "Did something happen?"

"Well, something like that…" Kaze made his way to sit beside them as if their sudden appearance wasn't the strangest thing they saw today. And they saw a lot today.

"It's Ty Lee. She was hit with some sort of… spirit ailment." Mai was the next one to sit around them, although she seemed to pointedly choose the furthest point from Zuko.

"And Kaze told us we should bring her to a chi energy expert around here." Azula followed after them, sitting by Kaze.

It was weird how nonchalant they were about everything but… guess there was nothing he could do about it.

"Wait, Dr. Haneul?" Zuko sat back down by Katara, ignoring the way Mai rolled her eyes at them. "Does that mean Ty Lee's at the academy?"

"Yes, she's been unconscious since last night, and it had something to do with her chi energy…" Kaze said as he shot a look at him.

"Is she going to be okay?" Katara asked while her faced shifted into worry. "Weren't you able to heal her yourself?" She turned to Kaze.

"No, I could only somewhat sense that something was happening but… that's it. Dr. Haneul is the only one that can help." He said while shaking his head.

"Does that mean that it had to do with her own energy specifically?" Katara's brows furrowed. He wasn't too knowledgeable about chi paths and healing, but he could sense that this was more than just a regular sickness. "How is that possible?"

Kaze sighed. "Well, we have a theory…"

"Dr. Haneul told us that contact with high amounts of spirit energy was the culprit… And apparently that includes Avatars who go into the Avatar State." Azula turned to look at him with her sharp glare, sending a chill down his body.

"Wait, are you saying I caused this?" He couldn't prevent the dread climbing up his chest. Even now, his selfishness still managed to catch up to him.

"No. We're just saying that what happened in Ba Sing Se is the most probable cause. Regardless, she's going to be fine as long as we leave her with Dr. Haneul. So don't worry about it, Avatar."

That didn't make him feel any better, as his gaze dropped to the ground.

"But why was Ty Lee the only one affected? Weren't all of us present when it happened?" Katara gave a pretty good point.

But the three of them just looked at each other awkwardly for a second.

Eventually, Kaze spoke. "Well, we found out something strange… Ty Lee has a Seventh Major Chi Path."

What was that?

Katara looked like the only one that understood. Maybe he should've paid a visit to the healers in the North Pole when they were there… He'll make a mental note of it.

"But I thought she wasn't a bender?"

"Wait, what? What do you mean?" Zuko asked as if Katara just grew a second head.

"Well, the Seventh Major Chi path is connected to a bender's ability to control their element. Only benders have it."

"She's a bender?" Zuko shot a surprised look at his sister.

But she didn't answer.

The three of them just stayed silent. It seems this was way more complicated than it seemed… And it's all because of him.

"Listen, we don't really know what's happening either. We only happened to stumble into you guys because of our fluffy friend over there." Kaze said as he pointed at Appa. "We wanted to see how you guys were holding up."

But they just looked at each other, not really sure what to say.

"We've just been flying from place to place with nothing to do but stare at a map and feel bad about ourselves… and occasionally solve a problem here and there. Besides, the Fire Nation is so annoyingly hot!" Toph groaned as she plopped to the ground.

Kaze's eyes trailed over everybody, until they lit up in realization. "Wait, where's Sokka?"

Ah right. Sokka.

"He's busy training with a swordmaster around here, so he left us here with his humorously challenged sister…" He sighed in despair, earning him a glare from Katara.

"Swordmaster? You mean Piandao?"

"Yeah… He's been bummed out ever since Suki went back to Earth Kingdom with the Kyoshi warriors, and then about the fact that he wasn't as 'amazing' as us or something like that…"

And they only realized how much they relied on him now that he was gone…

"I'm guessing that was your idea, Zuzu." Azula sounded mocking for some reason, which made Zuko groan.

"Of course he told you about what happened." He grumbled, which only drew out a laugh from both Azula and Katara.

Oh, that's right. Apparently, Kaze was the one who gave the idea to Zuko to pick up the sword. Looking at him you wouldn't guess how observant he can be.

But it made sense. It was because of him that he and his friends didn't die that day on Ba Sing Se…

"Hey, Kaze?" He realized he hasn't thanked him yet for it.

"What's up?" His face was bright, probably due to Azula's laughing.

"I never got to say thanks for saving me when I lost control… So, thanks." He said, shame written in his eyes.

"Don't mention it." He said with warmth in his voice. "That's what friends are for, after all!"

He couldn't help but feel shocked at his words.

Friends… He was probably right.

At this point he could truly say that they were friends. They're joking with each other, laughing with each other, and worrying for each other… All this time he's seen each of them as part of a separate group but…

They were all on the same side.

He smiled at the thought. He's glad that even now, people from around the world still manage to surprise him with their kindness.

And it was time he repaid them for it.

"When did you say Ty Lee was going to wake up?" He figured that being the cause for it may shed some light into what actually happened.

"Tomorrow afternoon… Why?" Mai's voice still was as monotone as he remembered.

"Can I come with you guys? I feel like if I'm there we can better find out what happened." And he figured that learning about chi paths and whatnot might prove useful for the future.

Their group looked surprised at his request, but Kaze eventually fixed him with a wide grin. "Sure thing! We could really use your help, after all!"

"If it helps Ty Lee then I agree as well." Azula spoke up. "Thanks, Avatar."

Avatar? That wasn't right.

"Actually, you can call me Aang." He beamed at them.

They were friends, after all.

"So not only are you friends with the Royal Princess, but also the Avatar huh?"

Okay, was this woman some sort of mind reader?!

"W-What?! N-No, I'm not the A-Avatar!" Aang stammered out of balance as Dr. Haneul raised an eyebrow at him.

"Don't bother, Aang. Once she finds out something it's impossible for her to back down…" Kaze said with a sigh while putting a hand to his friend's shoulder.

He was also pretty sure that she must've somehow sensed the amount of spiritual energy in his body when he entered the infirmary.

"Can we get to Ty Lee, already?!" Azula brought them back to the present.

She was right, Ty Lee took priority to everything right now.

All five of them made their way towards where she was now sleeping soundly. Unlike yesterday, her faced wasn't strained in discomfort.

"How is she?" Mai asked.

"Well, her energy is back to normal… Or not, considering you said she wasn't a bender…" Dr. Haneul still looked perplexed by the implications. "But I guess we'll find out once she wakes up how she's actually feeling." She placed a hand to Ty Lee's head. "I reckon it shouldn't take long now…"

And right on cue, Ty Lee started stirring.

She groaned in discomfort as her eyelids struggled to open. It took a few seconds, but she eventually rose back to consciousness.

"Ty Lee?" Azula asked hesitantly.

"Hm…? Azula?" She looked at her, before looking around at her surroundings. "…What? Where am I?"

"You're in the Imperial Academy of Shu Jing. Your friends over here carried you here after you passed out from a particularly nasty imbalance of your energies." Dr. Haneul answered with a steady voice, acting out the part of the doctor.

"Wait, what?" Her eyes still looked groggy, but she was slowly regaining her bearings. "What do you mean? Is something wrong with me?" She said with worry in her voice.

"Not anymore, so don't worry." He tried to reassure her, but she didn't look too convinced.

"Then why are all of you staring at me like that?" She asked.

Like that?

He turned to look at everyone and he realized that everyone still seemed to be fidgeting with concern. Although it made sense, he knew that this would only put more stress on Ty Lee.

Better nip the question in the bud.

"Actually, there's one thing we need to ask you about…" He took a deep breath. "Ty Lee… are you a firebender?"

Her eyes widened before she broke into her cheerful laughter, which would've been a great sign if the question wasn't held in the air. "No, silly! Why would you even think that?" Her voice regained most of her usual energy.

At the very least she did look better.

But they were still worried.

All five of them looked at each other, not knowing how to approach the topic.

"Well, you see-" He tried to say, but Ty Lee suddenly made a face.

Everyone flinched, worried that something may be happening to her.

But it quickly turned into what seemed to be a sneeze.

He let out a breath. False alarm…

And then everyone got blown away.