Fight 42: Gathering clouds
On the third floor of a beautiful multi-story residential complex of the upper ring, Chenlian was cooking. The pleasant apartment was a vast improvement over the tenement in the lower ring. Zuko, still groggy from sleep, came from another room and approached her. He looked over her shoulder while his fingers started playing with her long mahogany hair. Although he had started doing that when they became a couple, it truly turned into a habit when they had arrived in Ba Sing Se and begun sleeping together. It apparently had a calming effect on him. He inquired about the great smell. She was making hot and sour chicken soup as well as baozi but they weren't ready yet so he'd have to wait. He asked about his uncle. She told him he had gone to the Jasmine Dragon to oversee the last preparations before the grand opening. The young man smiled and hugged his lover from behind and pressed himself against her as she was stirring the soup.
"That really looks and smells delicious... but for now, I think I want to eat something else... something much more tempting..." He lightly bit her ear before nuzzling, licking, kissing, and nibbling her neck.
"Zuko, I'm cooking!" Chenlian squirmed and tried to make him let go. Now was not the time!
"Not anymore." He quenched the fire under the pots and turned her around in the same time as he pulled her away from the stove. He kissed her avidly, his body pressing against hers and pinning her against the counter. She broke it after a time and her hands on his chest, pushed him away a little, before she was swept away by his passion.
"Wait! You were never this... friendly... before your fever..."
"Of course I was!"
"But not so... ingenuously..." The girl argued. His displays of affections used to be permeated with possessiveness and/or uncertainty, like inclusions within a rock, either because he simply needed reassurance or because he felt threatened by other guys. There was some slyness, like he was forcefully drawing her back to him. But now he was just so candid...
"I don't see what you mean. It's a new day. We've got a new apartment, new furniture, today's the grand opening of Uncle's new tea shop, and my sweet, splendid, and wonderful girlfriend is cooking for me. Things are looking up! Why can't I openly show my happiness, and my love for you?"
"That's..." She stuttered. The prince smiled, dissolving all thought of protest Chenlian could have and kissed her again. But just as their embrace was growing intense, the door opened and Iroh entered. The couple pulled away and turned to him (although the young man was still securely holding his lover by the waist). The elderly froze.
"Errr... did I interrupt something?"
"Yes, you did." Zuko replied with a note of blame and disappointment in his voice despite his mischievous smile.
"No, you didn't!" Chenlian retorted firmly as she pulled her boyfriend's ear, forcing him to let go. She had finally recovered, although she was still panting very slightly and her cheeks were still flushed, making her appear irresistibly lovely and alluring. "You actually salvaged the meal." She ignited the fire under the pots and returned to her cooking, glaring (though from the light in her eyes, she didn't seem all too angry) at Zuko who grinned sheepishly (though from the light in his eyes, he didn't seem to feel so sorry...).
Appa landed on a seaside cliff. Four large, blue-sailed Water Tribe ships were moored in a bay where sat an encampment of blue tents. Aang was glad for Sokka who must be so excited since he hadn't seen his dad in two years. However, Sokka was so nervous he felt nauseous. The child reassured him. Hakoda was surely going to be happy to see him too. The young warrior asked the Avatar whether he was nervous to meet this Guru. Aang was really confident though and ready to master the Avatar State whatever it would take. Sokka jumped off. The airbender would come and fetch him in a week. And Appa launched into the air.
The water tribe boy resignedly headed for the camp and anxiously walked in. All the warriors stopped their activities and turned to regard him with a pleasant, surprised look. A tall man intercepted him and suddenly they clasped arms in greeting, broad smiles on their faces. The other men gathered around them, laughing with delight as they greeted him warmly. That kid had grown in two years and was now almost as tall as some of them. Then they stood aside to reveal the command tent. His eyes filled with emotion, Sokka went to it and parted the flaps. A group of senior tribesmen were sitting around a chart of the world. They were obviously in the middle of a war council. Seeing his father sitting at one end, pondering the map, the teen's tentative expression changed to a small smile. Bato nudged Hakoda who remarked Sokka. The chief, after a moment of surprise, returned his son's smile
"Sokka." Hakoda rose and crossed the tent.
"Hi dad." Sokka replied. Father and son embraced with a happy expression.
The Earth King, seated on his golden throne, was talking to the three he believed were Kyoshi Warriors, Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee. He lamented about how his most trusted advisor, Long Feng, and his Dai Li agents had tried to take control of Ba Sing Se from him. The Fire Princess smoothly agreed. It was terrible when you couldn't trust the people closest to you. The sovereign of the Earth Kingdom remarked that there was good news though. The Council of Five was meeting to plan an invasion of The Fire Nation this summer... on the day of a solar eclipse. Azula's eyes widened slightly at these last words.
"Really? Now that sounds like a fascinating and brilliant plan." She feigned enthusiasm. The three girls exchanged glances. Certainly, they had heard something interesting... it was their chance to know more about the enemy...
The top floor of the military headquarters of Ba Sing Se was an enormous open chamber serving as the war room. Its center was dominated by a map of the known world, perhaps sixty feet to a side. Katara kneeling on one side, Momo perched on her shoulder. The Council of Five was seated at a long table overlooking it.
"General Fong's base will serve as the launching point of the attack. In exactly two months, the Army and Navy will invade the Fire Nation on The Day of Black Sun." General How declared, earthbending three markers representing Earth Kingdom military units across the sea to the fire nation capitol, where a red marker stood. Momo suddenly pounced on the red marker, scattering the other pieces. Amused, Katara laughed and suggested sending in Momo to do some damage, but stopped and apologized when she noticed the grim expressions of the Council members. The planning of an invasion that could end a hundred years war was no laughing matter. The General How snapped the pieces upright, startling Momo who shrieked in fear and returned to Katara's shoulder. "All we need is the Earth King's seal in order to execute the plan." He placed a scroll on a section of the map frame, which he bended across to the waterbender Katara.
"I'll get these scrolls to him right away. Thank you, General How." She picked it up, rose to her feet and bowed before departing.
Appa and Aang arrived at the Eastern Air Temple. The Guru was sitting at the same place the bison had left him. Appa landed on path of the stone garden. The boy greeted uncertainly as he hopped down and join the hermit on the stone formation. Pathik confirmed his identity and also informed that he had been a spiritual brother of your people, and a personal friend of Monk Gyatso. Aang sat down, facing the Guru. He wanted to know how he could teach him how to control the Avatar State. The boy had to gain balance within himself before he could bring balance to the world. As the first step, Pathik made him drink a yellow liquid. The child tentatively obeyed... and reacted with utter disgust. It was onion and banana juice! The Guru loved the mixture though, much to Aang's disbelief.
In the rocky, forested lands of the Earth Kingdom, An ostrich-horse was pulling a wagon down a road. At a fork, Xin Fu and Master Yu argued... should they go left or right? Toph, from within the dark metal box behind them, urgently demanded that the 'two old ladies' quit their bickering since she needed to go to the bathroom. Yu hesitantly agreed but Fu stopped him. The earthbending teacher finally realized what he had been about to do.
"Oh very sneaky Toph! Nice try, but you can't trick me!" He sat back down. The girl furiously yelled again to be let out of here so she could kick their butts.
"Quit your banging!" Xin Fu angrily struck the side of box. "You might think you're the greatest earthbender in the world, but even you can't bend metal." He cracked the reins, starting the wagon off again. Inside the cage, the child looked worried.
At night, in a small building in the upper ring, Ty Lee was wiping the last traces of her Kyoshi makeup before a mirror. Nearby, Mai was working on her own face while Azula was pacing behind them. The princess noted they had been presented with an extraordinary opportunity.
"Mai finally gets to wear makeup that's not totally depressing?" Ty Lee teased.
"Ha. Ha." Her friend replied in a deadpan manner, with large, dark splotches of makeup beneath her eyes that made her look twice as gloomy as she usually did.
"I'm talking about conquering the whole Earth Kingdom." Azula corrected them. The two were shocked... such a grand enterprise... "For a hundred years the Fire Nation has hammered away at Ba Sing Se from the outside. But now we are on the inside, and we can take it by ourselves." She asserted, brimming with self-assurance. Ty Lee complimented her. She really admired that confidence of hers. "From the inside we're in the perfect position to organize a coup and overthrow the Earth King. The key is the Dai Li. Whoever controls the Dai Li, controls Ba Sing Se." Azula turned and smiled wickedly at her friends.
In a deep rocky crevasse, Aang and Guru Pathik were standing at a steam that wound through the rocks at the base of the gulch. In order to master the Avatar State, Aang had to open all of the chakras. However, to the Guru's disappointment, he didn't even know what chakras were, so they'd have to start with the basics. The spiritual expert turned to a murky pool where the creek water had gathered.
"The water flows through this creek much like the energy flows through your body." He stirred the pool with a stick. "As you see there are several pools where the water swirls around before flowing on. These pools are like our chakras." The man explained. "If nothing else were around, this creek would flow pure and clear. However, life is messy, and things tend to fall in the creek, and then what happens?" He questioned. The child deduced the creek couldn't flow. "Yes." Pathik nodded. "But if we open the paths between the pools..." He cleared some moss clogging the water. The water poured quickly into the next pool, and soon all of them were running clean and clear.
"The energy flows!" The boy yelled eagerly. His teacher looked at him with a satisfied smile. Then, they went to a dark misty cavern beneath the air temple. Deep inside, they sat in the lotus position, facing one another. The Guru taught him there were seven chakras that went up the body. Each pool of energy had a purpose, and could be blocked by a specific kind of emotional muck. And he warned him... opening the chakras was an intense experience, and once he began the process, he could not stop until all seven were open. "I'll do whatever it takes." Aang replied after a hesitation.
"First we will open the Earth chakra, located at the base of the spine. It deals with survival and is blocked by fear." Pathik told him. The airbender recalled the Blue Spirit holding his swords to his throat. "What are you most afraid of? Let your fears become clear to you." With these words, the boy remembered Katara being swallowed into the ground, Sozin's comet, himself raging in the avatar state, himself and the Ocean spirit smashing the fleet, Chenlian becoming a dragon on a rampage... He also imagined her being killed by Zuko or Azula to protect him... Grimacing with concentration, he opened his eyes to find himself surrounded by flames, the menacing form of Ozai looming before him. The child screamed and recoiled in terror, tightly shutting his eyes. "Aang, your vision is not real. You are concerned for your survival, but you must surrender those fears. Let your fears flow down the creek." He instructed. Aang slowly straightened and relaxed. He faced Ozai and both the flames and Fire Lord vanished, just like the vision. "You have opened your Earth chakra."
Next was the Water chakra as the boy guessed. The Guru praised his intelligence. This chakra dealt with pleasure, and was blocked by guilt. What the Avatar blamed himself for... was the fact that he had fled the Southern Air Temple and his responsibilities a hundred years ago... but also that driven by rage, he had let himself drown in the power of the Avatar State and hurt many people, like in that Earth Kingdom fortress. However, he had to accept that reality, without letting it cloud and poison his energy. If he were to be a positive influence on the world, he needed to forgive himself. Aang drew a deep breath, and exhaled.
At Chameleon Bay, the Water Tribe warriors were assembling and loading spherical devices onto their ships. Hakoda told his son that since this bay led directly to the outskirts of Ba Sing Se, they had been using these tangle mines to stop the Fire Nation ships from getting through. And Bato, pouring liquid into the cap of a mine, added that Hakoda had invented them himself. Sokka smelled it and appraised it... Destructive, buoyant, and... terrible smelling.
"Very perceptive. The mines are filled with skunk-fish and seaweed." The chief of the southern water tribe noted as he affixed the plug onto the cap. "When a ship detonates the mine, the seaweed tangles up the propeller, and the foul smell forces the people to abandon the ship. I call it the stink' n' sink." He explained with a touch of pride. The boy laughed hysterically saying it was a good one.
"You are definitely your father's son." Bato commented, rolling his eyes. A warrior came running and urgently reported that their scouts had spotted four fire nation ships. The other tribesmen gathered round. Hakoda ordered Bato to get these mines loaded up and the rest to prepare for battle. The men rushed off. Uncertain, Sokka asked what he should do.
"Aren't you listening? I said the rest of you men get ready for battle." The tribe leader repeated. Shocked for a moment, his son rose, grinned and ran off to join the others. He had finally been acknowledged as a man, as a fellow warrior, and allowed to participate in battle! As he rushed off, his father watched him with a proud smile.
Past a bubbling fountain, in an opulent tea-shop in the upper ring of Ba Sing Se, Iroh, Zuko and Chenlian stood side by side, overseeing the customers enjoying their drink. They had new staff too. Two waitresses bowed at the entrance as a client walked in.
"Who thought, when we came to this city as refugees, that I'd end up owning my own tea shop. Follow your passion Zuko, Chenlian, and life will reward you." The old man pondered. His nephew sincerely and cheerfully congratulated him. The girl agreed, knowing how long and how much Iroh had dreamed of this day. "I'm very thankful." He said.
"You deserve it. The Jasmine Dragon will be the best tea shop in the city." Zuko smiled kindly and confidently.
"No, I'm thankful because you decided to share this special day with me. It means more than you know." His voice thick with emotions, the elderly placed a hand on both teens' arm. They surprised him by taking him in a hug.
"Now let's make these people some tea." The young man sounded very enthusiastic.
"Yes! Let's make some tea!" His uncle agreed eagerly.
"A tea so good they won't ever go to another shop!" Chenlian concurred. But then someone entered and went straight to her. It didn't look like he came here for tea. He handed her a missive, requesting that she read it now. She broke the wax seal bearing a peacock and read. It was Senya. His brother had died and he requested her presence. Of course, Zuko was against it but she still decided to go. Certainly that man was troublesome but he had still helped them, he had helped her. She knew what it was to have your family dying and the need to be with someone and talk to them during those times. Just because he was always laughing and behaving like a frivolous idiot didn't mean he was actually one. Well, she knew where the line was and definitely wasn't going to let him cross it. So she wanted him to trust her. And despite his intensely strong desire to stop her despite that, he didn't, or couldn't... because she had told him the reason behind her parents' death... and then she had endured it all alone...
Aang and Pathik went on to the third chakra, the Fire chakra located in the stomach that dealt with willpower and was blocked by shame. The airbender's biggest disappointment in himself was when he had accidentally burned Katara after getting ahead of himself with firebending... against Chenlian's better judgement. That was why he had decided to never firebend again. He couldn't. However, he would never find balance if he denied this part of his life. As the Avatar, he was also a firebender. His friend was also a firebender. Denying firebending was also denying who she was, and who he was. He could rely on her to properly teach him. The child breathed deeply again. He had opened the Fire Chakra.
A pair of Dai Li silently slid down the back of the two pillars closest to the top of the palace stairs in order to eavesdrop on the two girls dressed as Kyoshi Warriors. Ty Lee was stretching while Mai was simply sitting down... and complaining that she was tired of wearing this girly disguise. She didn't know how anyone could fight in this. Her friend suggested it was the reason why it had been so easy to beat the Kyoshi Warriors and take their clothes. The knife thrower wanted to know how much longer they'd have to serve the Earth King. She was going to throw up if she was made to clean up one more pile of bear poop. They just had to be patient since Princess Azula had promised they would go back to the Fire Nation as soon as they captured the Avatar.
"Shush up! Do you want the whole palace to know we're Fire Nation?" Mai stood up and anxiously told her off. Walls had ears here. Ty Lee apologized in a low voice. The Dai Li retreated back up the pillars. As they left, Azula, also in disguise, walked up to her comrades.
"Good work girls. I am sure the Dai Li will deliver the message." She praised her friends before glancing at the roof. Of course, those two weren't stupid enough to babble about such dangerous things so loudly and within earshot... unless ordered by their princess for the sake of her plans.
Chenlian arrived at the guarded door of a manor bearing the peacock crest. She looked at it apprehensively. It showed signs of having been remodelled. The old crest had been erased and replaced by the peacock. When she had asked to be directed to the residence of the Qi family, she had been told that family and a number of their servants had been wiped out by an illness. That place was now the castle of the Wang family which had always been at odds with the Qi family. Senya came out and welcomed her. He was smiling as usual but now, she could only see that charming smile as a sinister and terrifying one. She followed him inside. The estate was positively immense, with gorgeous gardens and ponds, and countless buildings and pathways with a complicated layout. It was just like a maze. When Chenlian pointed it out with a hint of suspicion, he replied it was so it was difficult to occupy and discern people in case of emergencies. She also correctly guessed it was rigged with traps and secret passages. She questioned the necessity of such measures.
"Ba Sing Se is known as the safest city in the world, but that peace is only a façade, just like you can't judge from the calm surface of a lake what lies in its darkest depths. You can't be careful enough. Ba Sing Se is actually a city of secrets. Everyone here has secrets they don't want to be known. Isn't it the same for you?" He glanced back at Chenlian who kept quiet, her expression unreadable. He smiled. They heard the cry of a hawk. She noticed it was a particular cry, starting differently from the others. She saw it circling in the sky. It went away. Then they arrived at his room and she saw a hawk on a perch. It had a scar on its neck.
"Why did you make me come? You don't seem to need any comfort."
"So you would have actually comforted me..."
"Of course... only the kind of comfort a FRIEND would offer..." But from her tone, it was clear she meant 'back then', now, she didn't even want to be here. She was on full alert.
"A friend... I see... But before that, will you tell me your real name?"
"If I do that, will you tell me yours?"
"Naturally, I'll tell you everything you want to know... without a single lie..." He smiled mysteriously. The girl curled her fists. She... couldn't read him at all! She couldn't tell if he was lying or speaking the truth or what he could be thinking... not the slightest clue!
"Chenlian."
"As I thought, it suits you much better than 'Meiling'. It's more dignified..."
"What about you?"
"Linshen Wang. Although I like 'Senya'... a thousand nights... don't you think it suits me? We crushed the Qi family because it was in the way, remodelled everything, bought surrounding terrain and buildings... My family's the type to stop at nothing to get what they want, and I am the same."
"What about your brother?"
"I had him killed. I needed the authority, status, and power of the head of the Wang Clan."
"You've known about me from our very first meeting, right? No, maybe that's even the reason why you approached me... and you also know the identity of my travelling companions." The girl inferred.
"That's right. I must say it is quite amusing to see two Crown Princes of the Fire Nation serving tea in the city they had tried to hard to conquer."
"I'm ashamed of my own lack of judgement. How could I be so foolish? I could sense you were not normal, that I should be careful... but I completely underestimated you and your level of danger. I didn't doubt you enough. Why did you come to me? What are you planning?"
"Are you scared of me now? Even though I asked you so many times not to be so cold towards me..." He approached her and gently cupped her left cheek. She WAS scared. She could not deny it. Now she could tell, he was truly a person of power, as a noble, and as a martial artist, and he was a person of knowledge. That man held her life of peace with those she loved in the palm of his hands, and she was incapable of discerning his true self, motives, or plans. And that terrified her. He could completely conceal himself. But even though there had been clues he had let her see, she had never reacted as she should have... because... "Well, I guess it can't be helped. You've been too preoccupied with Prince Zuko to pay proper attention to your surroundings. You know, at first I was only curious to know what kind of person you were. You were walking a dangerous tightrope where a bad decision could have cost you your life, or your freedom. But don't worry. I don't intend to do anything to you or those men. I'll just keep watching over you and the decisions you make. And when you'll be at the end of your rope, all alone with no one to rely on, I'll be there for you."
"Why? Why do you need power? What drives you to go that far?"
"I told you, didn't I? If I found someone special to me, someone I truly want, I wouldn't hesitate. You've become special to me. I think I might be in love with you... right, you're my first love. And what you truly want... more than Zuko... is world peace... isn't it? If he's offered a choice between his father's love and your love, if he had a chance to defeat the Avatar... what do you think he will choose? What about you then? Haven't you already decided on your path? What you truly desire, more than anything, I will give it to you, I will help you achieve world peace. I will do anything for that. That is why I needed the authority and status of the head of the Wang Family, although that's only the first step. That's what I wanted to tell you. You're free go now. I'll tell you more once you're ready to start walking again. "
The Guru and his pupil had again changed location. The fourth chakra was located in the heart. It dealt with love, and was blocked by grief. What caused Aang so much sorrow and pain, was the death of Gyatso, and all his fellow Air Nomads. He loved them, his loved his culture, but they were all gone forever. He had indeed felt a great loss, but love was a form of energy, and it swirled all around them. The Air Nomads' love for him had not left this world. It was still inside of his heart, and reborn in the form of a new love... and as Katara smiled at him in his vision, tears streamed from his closed eyes that he wiped away. He let the pain flow away, opening the Air chakra. The fifth in the chain was the Sound chakra, located in the throat. It dealt with truth, and was blocked by lies. The ones people told themselves. The boy recalled a conversation he had had with Sokka and Katara...
"Why didn't you tell us you were the Avatar?"
"Because I never wanted to be."
But, he couldn't lie about own nature. He had to accept that he was the Avatar. He breathed deeply, and when his eyes opened, they were full of determination. He had opened the chakra of Truth. The sixth pool of energy was the Light chakra, located in the center of the forehead. It dealt with insight and was blocked by illusion. The greatest illusion of this world was the illusion of separation. Things you thought were separate and different were actually one and the same... like the four nations, or the four elements. Humans were all one people but lived as if divided. Everyone was connected. Everything was connected. An open mind would see that all the elements were one. Four parts of the same whole. Even metal was just a part of Earth that had been purified and refined.
Standing inside her metal cage, Toph was calmly, repeatedly striking the walls, sending out ripples of vibrations that revealed impurities within the metal. Toph smiled and breathed deeply. Now to act on those... She stomped her foot and hit the wall again. The next blow put a large dent in it.
"Whoo! Toph, you rule!" She exclaimed, amazed by her own achievement, and did a double fisted strike at the dent.
Katara and Momo noted the many guests inside the Jasmine Dragon Tea House, and those streaming in, and decided to get a cup of tea before going back to the king. They entered and requested a table for two. But then she heard a familiar voice.
"Uncle, I need two jasmine, one green and one lychee!"
It was Zuko! The girl gasped and then she saw his uncle behind the counter.
"I'm brewing as fast as I can!" He replied with a smile. The waterbender stood there in shock as she recognized them both. But where was Chenlian?! She should be with them! But there was no sign of her! Had they betrayed her after all?! Had they managed to silence her?! She had to act quickly! And if she was wrong, then she'd apologise! She turned and fled as fast as she could.
For the opening of the last chakra, the Guru and the Avatar were sitting on a flat top of the tallest spire of the Easter Air Temple. Over the misty mountains, the skies had darkened and filled with stars. Once Aang opened this chakra, he would be able go in and out of the Avatar State at will. And when he was in the Avatar State, he would have complete control and awareness of all his actions. The child was confident. The Thought chakra was located at the crown of the head, dealt with pure cosmic energy and was blocked by earthly attachment. The boy started meditating to see what attached him to this world. He recalled Katara gracefully bending the water in the clouds, and her alluring pose when she had tried on the necklace of woven fishing line he had offered her... and that time when, in the darkness of the maze-like cave, their lips had moved closer, like Oma and Shu...
"Now, let all of those attachments go. Let them flow down the river. Forgotten." The Guru said.
"What?! Why would I let go of Katara? I... I... I love her." Startled, Aang suddenly snapped back to reality.
"Learn to let her go, or you cannot let the pure cosmic energy flow in from the universe." The old man tried to reason with him.
"Why would I choose cosmic energy over Katara? How could it be a bad thing that I feel an attachment to her? Three chakras ago, that was a good thing." The Avatar questioned crossly.
"You must learn to let go." His spiritual teacher firmly insisted. Aang lowered his eyes, with a look of uncertainty clearly written on his face.
Chenlian returned to the Jasmine Dragon, visibly upset. She entered by the back door so the customers wouldn't see her like this. However, her appearance surprised her companions. They tried to ask her what was wrong but she'd just plaster a smile and reply she was fine. They could not be fooled though. She had been so upset that even she could only do such a pathetic and miserable attempt at keeping up appearances... What could have happened?! Still, she tied her apron and took a tray, like she wanted to immerse herself in work in order to forget. But Iroh snatched it from her and pushed her back through the back door, telling his nephew to take care of her... although he didn't need to be told that. But she still insisted it was nothing... even though she was looking away, looking down, holding herself...
"Is that something you can't even tell me? You asked me to trust you yet you can't even trust me?" Zuko tightly embraced her. The girl's eyes widened. "If he's offered a choice between his father's love and your love, if he had a chance to defeat the Avatar... what do you think he will choose? What about you then?" She slowly hugged him back.
"I... just don't want to admit what he said." She claimed with strength. However, now he could recognize that particular strength born from desperation. She clutched the back of his clothes and held him as close and strongly as she could. If she didn't, he'd just go and leave her behind like he had always done. "Zuko... you won't leave me... you'll stay with me, right?" She asked, unusually anxious and timid.
"Of course, isn't it obvious?" He squeezed her trembling body tighter.
"But..."
"Chenlian, I love you." He cupped her chin and tilted her head to gaze straight at her. Then he leant in and kissed her, his love melting and dissolving her doubts and insecurity.
Katara raced down the long halls of the Earth King's palace, the scroll containing the invasion plan in hand. Breathless, she stopped before the throne where the three 'Kyoshi warriors' were kneeling in wait.
"Thank goodness you are here Suki. Something terrible is going on! The Fire Nation has infiltrated the city! I just saw Prince Zuko and his Uncle! Chenlian- Ah, our friend should have been with them to keep them under control... but she wasn't! Something must have happened! We have to do something!"
"Oh, don't worry. I sure will." Azula replied coolly as she rose to her feet. The waterbender was dumbstruck when she realized the true identity of the one she had believed to be Suki. Momo flew off in fright. Ty Lee rushed forth and with a few jabs blocked Katara's chi and paralyzed her. The three gathered around her. "So, Zuzu's in the city too. I think it's time for a family reunion." The princess pondered. Her allies asked about Chenlian. "She'll come. She can't leave my brother alone. When someone important to her is in danger, she'll fly to them. All that is needed to capture her is bait." She smiled in cruel anticipation. Momo, observing all this from a tall pillar, flew away.
"I'm sorry, but I can't let go of Katara." Aang asserted. The Guru reminded him that to master the Avatar State, he had open all the chakras, and told him to surrender himself. The boy reluctantly obeyed. He was going to try. In his mindscape, there were now mountains beneath a starry sky. The stars blurred and disappeared behind the mountains as the skies seemed to spin at high speed. Katara and drifted back toward the horizon where she vanished with a twinkle of light. To think of his attachments and let them go... Let the pure cosmic energy flow... The child looked up at an aurora of light... and was suddenly floating in space above the planet, and the aurora solidified into a radiant bridge beneath his feet. He stared up at a massive entity standing above his snaking path, his own spectral form, the tattoos and eyes shining with the light of the avatar state. The child carefully set off towards it, mouth open in awe. As he neared the feet of the hovering apparition, his own tattoos began to shine and the towering spectral Avatar descended, a sphere of light shimmering between its fingers that enclosed the airbender. But suddenly Aang was distracted by a cry of distress and he saw a vision of Katara chained to a wall, demanding to be freed. He leaped from the hands of the apparition, and the sphere of light vanished. He rushed back down the path and the entity faded and vanished too, just like the track of light, and the monk dropped down, screaming, toward the world. "Katara is in danger! I have to go!" Aang rose to his feet and raced away, sliding down the roof the tower.
"No Aang! By choosing attachment, you have locked the chakra!" Pathik called after him. The young one stopped in his track. "If you leave now you won't be able to go into the Avatar State at all!" The spiritual expert yelled again. Aang paused for a moment at the edge of the roof, then leaped down. If he can't defeat the Fire Lord because he couldn't master the Avatar State, he will have let everyone down again. Because of him, they were all going to suffer. But to him, Katara was more important than everything else, more important than the world. Guru Pathik closed his eyes with a mournful expression as Aang rode Appa away from the temple at great speed.
Master Yu and Xin Fu were driving their cargo through the forest road when they suddenly heard a loud clang from the metal box. They disembarked and went to the rear to find that the back of the prison had been torn open... and was now empty. The professor initially thought it was one of her tricks.
"There's a giant whole in the box. How's that a trick?" The Earth Rumble commentator raged.
"It's not! It's the real deal!" Toph declared, standing in the road behind them. As they turned to her, she quickly sandwiched them between two slabs of rock before propelling them into the prison. Leaping toward them, she grabbed the edges of the bent metal box and closed it. She jumped atop the box and raised her arm high. "I am the greatest earthbender in the world! Don't you two dunderheads ever forget it!" The girl declared triumphantly, stomping angrily on the box. Then she hopped down to the road. The ground beneath her plunged in a wide circle, then raised her up atop a swell of earth. With the running motion of her feet, Toph rode the swell like a wave back up the road at great speed.
"I'm going to be stuck in here forever with you, aren't I?" Xin Fu noted dejectedly. The two grown men were tightly pressed together in their cage.
"I have to go to the bathroom." His accomplice said pathetically. The fighter banged his head against the metal wall in despair.
At Chameleon Bay, Sokka picked his weapons and sheathed them. His father approached as the warriors finished loading the ships and asked him if he was ready to go knock some Fire Nation heads. The boy earnestly replied he didn't know how much this meant to him. He was going to make him proud, and finally prove to him what a great warrior he was. The chief placed a hand on his child's shoulder and reassured him. There was nothing to prove. He was already proud of him and he had always known him to be a great warrior, or he wouldn't have trusted him to look after the tribe when the men had departed for the war. As father and son were about to board their ship, Appa landed at the foot of the gangway and Aang turned to Sokka with a distressed expression that couldn't be good news. And a moment later Appa was soaring again, carrying both Aang and Sokka. Looking back, the young Water Tribe warrior watched his father's ships head out of the bay towards open waters. From the deck of his flagship, Hakoda looked back and smiled toward his son.
Azula was escorted by a pair of Dai Li Agents holding her arms and brought into the cell holding Long Feng.
"What is this about? Your agents show up in the middle of the night and drag me down here? You will not treat a Kyoshi Warrior this way!" She demanded, sounding offended and struggling against her captors.
"But you are not a Kyoshi Warrior, are you?" The former Grand Secretary replied sinisterly as he rose to his feet. "Princess Azula of the Fire Nation!"
"What do you want?" She asked calmly and stopped struggling. Long Feng wanted to make a deal, and she had something he needed in order to regain control of Ba Sing Se... the Earth King's trust. "Why should I help you?" The princess warily inquired.
"Because I can get you the Avatar."
"I'm listening." The girl said, and both smiled wickedly.
Inside the Jasmine Dragon, Zuko was sweeping up for the evening, Chenlian washing the cups and pots, and Iroh clearing a table... and as he did, a man entered and walked up to him carrying a message from the royal palace. He bowed and handed the scroll to the tea maker who read it with a look of worry before his eyes widened with astonishment.
"I...I can't believe it."
"What is it Uncle?" Zuko inquired as he and Chenlian walked to the old man.
"Great news! We've been invited to serve tea to the Earth King!" The former Fire Nation general exclaimed elatedly.
"Congratulation!" The young lady hugged him. He briefly but strongly hugged her back and ran off excitedly to the back of the tea house. The teens watched him go with a smile, and resumed cleaning.
The door of Long Feng's cell closed and Azula was led away by the Dai Li, head low. But when she raised her head and opened her calculating eyes, a smug, cruel smile was playing on her lips.
Author's note: Okay, the next episode, Crossroads of Destiny, will be divided in 2 chapters. And since it's the end of Book 2, and I'm so nice, I'll be posting them simultaneously :) . Look forward to them! Although I can smell your fear and apprehension from here lol. And to commemorate the end of this season, I think I'll be asking you about your impressions, what you think were this season's highlights, what you particularly liked, what you hope for in Book 3... Well, you don't have to answer now, you can wait until I post Book 2's last two chapters ^^ (that will be after I finish writing the next chapter on word).