I'm splitting this chapter in two. It was over 11000 words and I'm still writing. I finished the first part and will hopefully have the second soon… I'm Sorry for the wait… things have been a mess. My apartment complex caught on fire (for the SECOND time in six months!) so I was displaced and then had to move… then my fish got sick again and passed away… bad luck all around… But I'm not homeless anymore and I'm back! This chapter takes place during the first half of the Return to Omashu episode. Enjoy!

Chapter 25: Pentapox

(Amara POV)

I was so tired. We had been up since sunrise, walked through an endless tunnel, and from what I was gathering we were about to break into an invaded city. I was not used to going so long without sleep, but I knew it was best not to complain. I especially did not want to say anything at the moment because Aang was heated.

He gripped his staff hard as he stared at the city which was lit by the sun setting slowly behind the mountains.

He turned towards us with frustration. "I can't believe it. I know the war has spread far, but Omashu always seemed...untouchable."

Sokka frowned. "Up until now, it was... Now Ba Sing Se is the only great Earth Kingdom stronghold left."

Katara was heartbroken. "This is horrible, but we have to move on."

Aang scowled. "No. I'm going in to find Bumi." He went to step forward to go towards the city.

Sokka grabbed his arm. "Aang, stop. We don't even know if Bumi's still…"

Aang glared at him when he broke off. "What? If he's still what?"

Sokka released his arm and dropped his gaze. He finished his statement. "...around."

Katara stepped over to Aang to try and offer comfort. "I know you had your heart set on Bumi, but there are other people around who can teach you earthbending."

Aang shook his head. "This isn't about finding a teacher. This is about finding my friend." He looked back towards the city. "He's in there. I can feel it. I'm not just letting him be a prisoner to the Fire Nation."

I flinched. No… no one deserved to be a prisoner…

"Okay… How's about this," Sokka said, trying to be the voice of reason. "We are all exhausted from the day. I say we make camp in a hidden spot, sleep through the night, and reevaluate the situation. If we're breaking into the city with Fire Nation all around then we need a plan."

Aang let out a heavy breath. "Fine… But we won't be able to sneak in during the day… That's almost another twenty-four hours! Bumi could be killed by then."

Katara tried to reassure him. "I don't think they're going to kill King Bumi… they probably plan to use him as a negotiation tool in the future." She took in a deep breath. "We need to sleep, Aang. All of us. And a nice meal is a good idea too."

Aang didn't respond. He walked off with frustration. "I'll scope the area… see if I can find a good place for us to sleep." He took off on his glider then, disappearing back the way we had come.

Katara let out a heavy sigh. "He must be worried sick."

I asked softly, "He and King Bumi must've been really close?"

Katara nodded. "Over a hundred years ago they were best friends. Aang would visit the Earth Kingdom and hang out with Bumi in the city. They were both kids and not worried about the war…"

I realized then what that meant. "Wait! King Bumi's more than a hundred years old?!"

Sokka smirked. "Surprised us too." He then glanced over at Katara. "Definitely was not fun getting encased in that rock crystal though last time we saw him."

She shook her head. "Definitely not… those were crazy times. I can't believe how far we've come since then."

Sokka smirked. "Yeah. Those days you seemed to develop a crush everywhere we went."

Katara blushed. "What?! No I didn't!"

He held up a finger as he counted off. "Number one: Haru. Number two: Jet."

Katara scowled. "Jet was nothing but a lying snake."

I was surprised. I asked her what she meant. She explained to me about a group of Earth Kingdom kids called the Freedom Fighters. They were all orphans or runaways. She told me how Jet lied to the trio about the Fire Nation planning to set fire to the woods so they would help him fill a reservoir. However, they learned later on his actual plan was to blow up the dam with blasting jelly and destroy the town nearby.

I was horrified to hear this. "He was going to kill a whole town?"

Katara nodded. She hung her head. "I couldn't believe it myself. I guess anger can make people do crazy things."

I frowned as flashes of the past shot through me. I shook my head quickly. I didn't want to think about Zhao or my uncle…

A few moments later, Aang was back looking like he had calmed down some. He told us he found a nice cave not too far away we could hide in. We got on Appa and Aang flew us to the location. Once we were inside, Sokka rounded up some sticks around the area and I helped start the fire.

As flames ate at the small kindle, Sokka said, "Sometimes having a firebender with us comes in handy."

I blushed at his comment. "Well… I'm definitely better than I was."

Once everyone was sitting around the fire, eating some rice that Katara prepared, we exchanged tunnel stories. Aang wasn't much for chatter due to being concerned for Bumi, so mainly Katara spoke.

"After separating from you all we found a door to a tomb. It turns out the song about the two lovers that Chong sang is true. They were separated by their people because of war, and when the man named Shu died, his lover Oma brought the people together and formed a new city: Omashu."

I was bewildered. "Wow… sounds like you had a good journey."

Katara glanced over at Aang and blushed slightly. Aang met her gaze and gave a small smile. I had a feeling there was more to the story they weren't telling us.

"So what about you all?" Katara asked. "What happened to you?"

Sokka scoffed. "We got stuck with those annoying singers, no one wanted to listen to me about my map, and giant badger moles almost ate us. Thankfully Amara figured out how to calm them and gain their trust." He glanced over at me. "What was that tune you played?"

I gave a small smile. "A man on Zuko's ship taught it to me. He said it is a Fire Nation lullaby. I like it because it has a soothing sound. It helps calm me if I hum it sometimes."

The group fell quiet for a moment. I noticed their faces fell. Sokka and Katara met one another's gaze and I was confused. I wondered what they were thinking.

Katara finally broke the silence, meeting my gaze. "Amara… can I ask what you were thinking about when we were first trapped in the tunnel? You seemed to be in another place…"

Katara's question made me drop my gaze to my bowl in embarrassment. I moved my rice around with my chopsticks. My heart pounded in my ears from the attention on me. I tried to stay calm though. I wanted to be able to open up.

"Sorry… I panic sometimes. I'm trying not to… but I… I was remembering this horrible room back at my father's estate." I shivered. "Zhao sometimes wanted me out of the attic so there was no risk of me making noise… he'd drag me to this storage area in one of the outer buildings. It was built beneath the earth, and once the door closed there would be no light. I wasn't the best firebender then, so my fear always made it difficult for me to light a flame. The first time Zhao left me down there, Tu Lan didn't know where I was. He couldn't get anyone to tell him because the few staff that knew were told not to say anything. No one came for me until supper the next day. The stable keeper finally told Tu Lan where I was and he raced down to save me… the next time I was forced into the room, Tu Lan knew where to find me and got me out quickly. But that darkness always creeps back on me… it was so quiet… scary…"

Sokka scowled. "Every time I hear about what that man did to you, I wish I could've been the one to kill him."

Katara stayed a little calmer than her brother. "That sounds terrible… I wish you didn't have to relive those horrible things… I know you dream a lot about your past too. I hear you restless most nights."

I sighed. "I'm trying not to think about the past. But sometimes it creeps back up on me when I don't expect it to. I'm hoping now that I'm free, the good memories will start to replace the bad."

Aang spoke up finally. "We'll do what we can to help you make good memories. After we save Bumi…"

That night we slept in our sleeping bags in exhaustion. Aang slept against Appa, facing the city which was still visible in the distance. I could tell he was really concerned for his friend. This saddened me. Aang had lost so much… he was the last of his people… other than Appa, King Bumi was the only tie to his past.

I would do everything I could to help him. I owed him for saving my life twice…

When the next day came, we started to devise a plan to get into the city. Aang and Sokka left to go sneak near the outer wall on Appa and see what the patrol situation was like. While they were gone, Katara and I packed up camp and then waited for them to return. When they came back, they let us know what they discovered.

Aang pointed at a map laid out on the ground that Sokka had drawn of the city. "Okay… Well, we can't just walk through the gate this time. It's highly guarded. We also can't go over because there are guard towers along the perimeter. Our best bet is the storm drains that dump in the canyon below."

We waited until sunset. Sokka and Katara put on some cloaks to hide their Water Tribe wear, and Katara gave me one in case we were spotted. Aang covered his arrow tattoo on his head by wrapping some tan cloth around it to make a hat. Once we were disguised, Appa flew us down into the canyon that the city was settled above. As we got to the bottom of the metal wall, Appa landed on a flat area of earth. We started to head along the perimeter, but Katara grabbed my arm and pulled me slightly back so she could speak to me.

"Hey. Are you sure you want to come? It could get dangerous?"

I met her gaze with a small smile. "I know you're worried about me, but I'm okay. I've survived a lot of things, Katara… I want to help in any way I can to save Aang's friend. You've all done so much for me. If I can assist then I will."

She sighed. "Okay. Just stay close… We worry about you. You've become a sister to us."

I gave a small nod. "I'll be careful."

After only a moment of walking along a manmade path cut on the side of the cliff, we arrived at a metal pipe that stuck out of the mountain side. Appa flew off to go hide again at our original spot until he was needed. Momo was sitting on Katara's shoulder, watching Aang jump on top of the pipe with curiosity.

Sokka crossed his arms as he watched Aang prepare to pull the drain cover off with his staff. "Why didn't we just use this last time?"

Aang jerked his staff and the drain cap was flung off. Then a rush of green water flew out. Katara and I stumbled back quickly to avoid the liquid. Sokka was drenched though and gagged.

Aang asked, "Does that answer your question?"

I glanced inside and grimaced. An awful odor came out. "This is definitely not the fun way in," I muttered. "But if it means we can avoid the guards then I guess it's our only option."

We made our way through the awful pipe. Our shoes and pants were drenched in water I did not want to know the contents of. Aang, Katara, and I used our waterbending to try and keep the rushing water from hitting us. Sokka made noises of disgust behind me, and I apologized multiple times for being terrible at bending the water around him. He muttered at one point, "At least you're nice enough to try. The other two are aiming for me."

Finally, after what felt like a good hour of walking up the inclined sewers, we arrived at a flat area where a metal ladder was leading up to a circle cover above. Aang used his airbending to open the latch and shoot the cap off. Once we saw moonlight above, Aang jumped out while the rest of us climbed the ladder to follow. Once we climbed out, we found ourselves on a dark street inside the city. The street seemed abandoned and quiet; I assumed that meant the citizens were inside their homes asleep.

Katara spoke as she moved the water out of her clothes and shoes. "That wasn't as bad as I thought."

Sokka muttered under his breath again. He was much more drenched than the rest of us, and I did my best to bend the thick water and its contents off of him after removing what was on me. He was grateful for my help. However, I was horrified as I stared at two blobs on his cheeks. I gasped as I saw them sucking at his flesh. "Wha- What is that?!"

Sokka was horrified as well. He yelled out and quickly tried to pull them both off his face. They were what I could make out to be as big as Sokka's hand, and they had small tentacles.

My cousin was in a panic as he tried to get the strange creatures off. I just stood in shock, not sure what to do. Sokka shouted loudly, "Aaahhh! Aaahh! Aahhh! They won't let go! Help! Aaaak!"

Aang rushed over and shoved Sokka back against the building beside us. He made him sit on a crate near the wall and said, "Stop making so much noise. It's just a purple pentapus."

My pounding heart calmed. "Purple Pentapus…? It… It's safe?"

Aang nodded over at me. "They're gentle creatures. They just like to latch on to things. They liked Sokka I guess." Aang moved his hand over one and tickled the top of the creature's head with his index finger. The creature released Sokka and settled into Aang's hand. Aang walked over to me and grabbed my hand to place the creature in it. The creature's tentacles tickled my skin as it settled in my palm, and I saw its innocent eyes look at me with trust. As Aang went to help Sokka get the last off, I continued to stare at the creature with amazement. I hadn't learned about this animal before. It was definitely cute up close.

"Hey!" A deep voice suddenly shouted through the air. I glanced over to see three men coming our way.

Sokka cursed. "Aang. Hide."

We quickly crowded together to block Aang slightly. I had been warned just how eager all Fire Nation soldiers were to capture the Avatar, so I knew why we needed to block him as much as possible. As three guards headed our way in Fire nation armor, I moved my hand behind my back which still had the creature resting.

The guard who originally spoke, asked, "What are you kids doing out past curfew?"

Katara covered for us. "Sorry. We were just on our way home."

I followed the group as we all turned to leave, moving my hand back in front of me to keep my purple pentapus friend safe.

"Wait! What's the matter with him?"

We turned again to face the guards. I kept my animal friend hidden. I could see Aang was doing the same with his own two. Katara quickly stepped over to Sokka who the guard had been speaking about. The creatures had left red circular marks on both sides of his face and neck. I was surprised the guards had seen them in the dim moonlight.

Katara thought quickly. "Uh...he has pentapox, sir."

The guard stepped forward to touch him. I thought quickly, knowing the man would realize it was nothing if he got too close. "It's contagious… I wouldn't do that unless you want it."

The guard stumbled back. Sokka started making groaning sounds and moving his body strangely. "Uuuuuu...It's so awful...I'm dyiiiing…"

Katara added with disbelief at her brother's exaggeration, "...and deadly…"

The guard was fooled. "Wait, I think I've heard of pentapox." He turned to one of his comrades. "Didn't your cousin Chang die of it?"

Sokka started coughing. The guards backed away quickly. "We'd better go wash our hands...and burn our clothes!"

They ran off.

We all let out breaths of relief. I looked back at the creature in my hand with a smile. "Looks like we owe these little ones a thank you."

Sokka scowled. "Next time they can latch on to Katara!"

Aang took the creature from me then and returned all three back to the sewers below. Once he was done, we started to make our way through the city again. Our plan was to get closer to the center of the city where hopefully King Bumi was being held.

We snuck through the streets in the late night, hiding whenever Fire Nation soldiers passed by. The journey was a lot of stairs, running from building to building, and hiding behind columns.

Eventually we reached an area of the city that was higher than the others. I could see from the light of the moon the many different parts of Omashu. I was amazed by the massive city. We moved over to where the Fire Nation had wooden rafters that they were using to build more metal walls around the city. We hid behind some metal panels piled together as more guards passed. Momo sat on my shoulder, probably sensing I was the most anxious out of the group.

Katara spoke softly after the two guards we were hiding from passed. "Let's find Bumi and get out of here."

Sokka asked Aang, who knew the city more than all of us, "Where would they be keeping him?"

Aang answered with contemplation. "Somewhere he can't earthbend. Somewhere made of metal."

I sighed. "So… anywhere in the city…"

Aang spoke with reassurance. "We'll find him, Amara. We just need to figure out where they would keep a king."

I crossed my arms. I thought out loud in a soft voice. "Well… honestly, they probably still have him at the palace here. They would want him somewhere heavily guarded to ensure he can't escape."

Katara agreed. "I think Amara's right. We should head to the palace. That does make the most sense."

Sokka sighed. "It will be tough with Fire Nation guards everywhere, but it is definitely a good start."

"Let's go," Aang urged.

We headed in the direction of the palace then. Since the location was at the highest point of the city, we had to climb our way over the wall that separated the lower parts from the upper. As we headed up the metal stairs and across the walkway that lined the metal wall, we reached another area of construction where material was piled.

As the group continued forward, I grabbed Sokka's arm as I caught something from the corner of my eye. A group was moving below us along the perimeter of the wall. I could see from the lanterns four guards carried that there were two women; a baby was also in the taller woman's arms. Sokka caught my silent thought, and grabbed Katara's arm to stop her too. Aang came to a halt as well. We did not want to be detected.

However, a rumble suddenly sounded from above us. We gasped as we looked up to see boulders rolling down the sloped wall towards the group below. Aang rushed forward in a panic and swung his staff, shooting air at the boulders and knocking them away. He didn't want the women and child to be hurt.

However, the people below did not seem to care that we had saved their lives. The woman with the child cried, "The resistance!"

The other woman jumped into action. She rushed towards us and suddenly flung something up at us which reflected in the moonlight. I knew immediately they were sharp arrows. Aang jumped up on the pile of metal slabs beside us to dodge the sharp pointed objects. They clinked against the metal slabs and dropped.

"Run!" Sokka shouted.

We took his advice. We all started to run back the way we came. As we rushed towards an arch leading to another section of the wall, we heard armor behind us. The guards had caught up to the crazy warrior woman, and they were pursuing us.

"Keep going," Katara ordered. "I'll handle them."

As Katara turned to fight the guards, Sokka grabbed my hand to keep me moving behind him. I heard shouts behind us, and looked back to see Katara had flung the guards off the walkway with her water whip. The woman was there only a second later. She flung something towards Katara again. As I finally saw her in the moonlight, I was stunned. The woman was actually a tall and thin teenager. She couldn't have been older than myself. She had black hair that hung on both sides of her from two separate buns on her head. Her dress was long and almost touched the ground. From the light, I could see she was determined.

I turned back forward to make sure I was watching where I was going. Katara caught back up to us, running behind me after managing to stall the girl somehow. However, we were horrified to find guards blocking our escape. The girl had arrived again behind us, and she prepared to attack us once more. Just as we feared capture, the ground dropped beneath us and we fell below. We were consumed by darkness. I screamed as I landed on a smooth inclined surface. We slid down below for what felt like minutes. A greenish glow showed ahead of us after a few twists and turns. Then we landed roughly onto cold ground.

As we tried to recover from our trip down below the earth, I looked around at our new surroundings and was stunned to see we were in a cavern. The area around us was lit by green glowing crystals. There were about a hundred men in the room, all in dark green clothes. Aang was on his feet before the rest of us, and he stepped in front of us to guard us from the men. He got in a stance, prepared to attack if we were in danger. However, he lowered his staff when he recognized a middle-aged man in Earth Kingdom armor who approached. He wore a low brimmed hat, and had a scruffy beard.

"Hey… You're Captain Yung! You worked for King Bumi at the palace!" Aang relaxed. "I was worried his men were all captured!"

The rest of us got to our feet again, and I was relieved Aang knew one of the strangers around us.

"Hello again, Avatar Aang," Captain Yung spoke, bowing with kindness. "I apologize for the rough treatment. When I realized who you and your friends were, I knew we had to get you away from the Governor's family and their guards."

Sokka spoke up. "They called us the resistance? Is that in reference to you all?"

Captain Yung nodded. "Yes… our citizens are prisoners here. We are doing what we can to win back our city."

His words saddened me. I crossed my arms as my heart ached for these people who I didn't know. I hated the thought of anyone being imprisoned. I never would wish that fate on others…

"Who's this?" I was surprised when the man suddenly pointed at me. "She wasn't with you last time you were here?"

Captain Yung stared at me with suspicion as he took in my mixed features. I backed away slightly, my heart pounding as attention was on me. I always felt uncomfortable when attention fell on me, but the way he was speaking made me feel even less at ease.

Katara quickly answered, putting an arm around my shoulders. "This is Amara. She's our cousin. We met up with her at the North Pole."

Captain Yung was surprised. "Cousin? Interesting. For a second I thought she was a Fire Nation girl… if she didn't have that skin tone I would've pegged her for the enemy. She doesn't look much like you other than a few features. Definitely did not think she was Water Tribe."

His words hit a nerve. "I am Water Tribe," I said, not liking the way he was speaking about me. "I'm part Fire Nation too."

The men in the room started murmuring in disbelief. Their leader was amazed. He looked over at Katara. "How is it possible your cousin holds that of two nations?"

I was starting to get irritated. Just because I was Fire Nation didn't mean he had to ostracize me. He was speaking to my cousin like I had no voice.

Katara went to answer, but I stopped her. That was my story. I didn't like a random stranger who was already treating me like the enemy hearing my personal life. "That isn't important… Can we just focus on finding King Bumi?"

Aang noticed I was starting to get uncomfortable with the attention on me. He agreed. "Yeah. Is he in the city? Is he with you guys somewhere? Is he leading the resistance?"

The distraction worked. Captain Yung scoffed. "Of course not!" I was so relieved he wasn't prying into my background anymore. He started to explain to us what had occurred. "The day of the invasion, we readied ourselves for battle. We were prepared to defend our city...to fight for our lives and for our freedom. But before we even had a chance, King Bumi surrendered."

Aang was horrified. My cousins were shocked. I was puzzled by this. From what Aang had told me about his old friend, Bumi hadn't seemed like the kind of man to give up so easily.

Captain Yung continued, seeing our bewilderment. "The day of the invasion, I asked King Bumi what he wanted to do. He looked me in the eye and said he was going to do nothing."

Aang was astonished. "That can't be! He wouldn't just surrender!"

Captain Yung shook his head. "It doesn't matter now. Fighting the Fire Nation is the only path to freedom. And freedom is worth dying for."

Aang argued. "Actually, there's another path to freedom. You could leave Omashu. You're directing all your energy to fight the Fire Nation, but you're outnumbered. You can't win. Now's the time to retreat, so you can live to fight another day."

Captain Yung shook his head. "You don't understand. They've taken our home, and we have to fight them at ANY cost!" He pumped his fist in the air in determination.

A man spoke from the crowd. "I don't know, Yung... living to fight another day is startin' to sound pretty good to me."

Another man added, "Yeah, I'm with the kid!"

Captain Yung sighed in defeat as more of the Resistance fighters agreed. "Fine... But there's thousands of citizens that need to leave. How're we going to get them all out?"

After a moment of silent thought, Sokka suddenly exclaimed beside me, "Suckers!"

We looked at him with bewilderment.

He smirked. "You're all about to come down with a nasty case of pentapox."

His plan was actually pretty smart. For the next few hours, we all worked with Captain Yung and his men to collect any purple pentapus we could find from the sewers. Then we had the Earth Kingdom citizens gather in a hidden area and started to put the creatures on them. The whole thing took all night into the morning. However, a little past sunrise, we finally had enough people looking infected to have the soldiers open the gate and let us through.

Sokka spoke to the very large crowd with few belongings before we started to head towards the front of the city. "The marks make ya look sick, but you gotta ACT sick, too. Ya gotta sell it!"

An older man in a green robe hobbled by with a cane, groaning loudly as he walked with his wooden leg.

Sokka put an arm around my shoulders, pointing at the man. "Now that's what I'm talkin' about!"

The old man smirked and tapped his wooden leg with his cane. "Years of practice."

Sokka let me go and pointed in the direction we needed to head. "Okay everyone! Into sick formation."

As Sokka and the citizens walked off, I looked back at Aang and Katara. I noticed they weren't coming and stopped in my step to wait for them. Momo chattered on Aang's shoulder.

Katara spoke with concern as Aang started to walk the other way. "Aang, what are you doing? Aren't you coming with us?"

Aang shook his head. "No. I'm not leaving until I find Bumi."

Katara let out a heavy sigh. "Okay… just be careful."

I stepped over with my own concern. "You sure you'll be okay?"

He smiled over at me. "Yeah. I can handle some Fire Nation soldiers. I'll see you all soon." He walked away, Momo still on his shoulder.

Katara sighed and then took my hand. "Come on… there's no use trying to change his mind."

I nodded and followed her as we headed to catch up to the group. The soldiers were all quick to let us pass and avoided our moaning and groaning group as much as possible.

One Fire Nation soldier shouted, "Plague! Plague!"

Then as we got closer to the wall, another guard rang a bell in a tower nearby. As the bell tolled loudly, sounding the alarm, the gate opened allowing our ill group to pass. Once we were out of the city, across the long stone bridge, and onto free land, I could feel a sense of joy hovering over us as the Earth Kingdom citizens of Omashu were free from Fire Nation control at last. They would have to learn how to survive in the wilderness of course, which was a whole new challenge in itself, but they were finally safe.

The rest of the day we spent setting up camp a few miles outside of the city. Appa had rejoined us at this point, and I was so relieved to see he was doing okay from us being away for so long. He seemed concerned that Aang and Momo were nowhere to be seen, and I patted him on his front leg to let him know they would be back soon.

"It's okay Appa… Aang will be fine," I said softly, stroking his fur while looking at the city in the distance. "He's a wise kid… he knows what he's doing."

Appa groaned beside me. He agreed.