Avatar: Mysteries

[Tera253]

just thought I'd try my hand at a fanfic...
I wrote this ages ago...
it works as a standalone, but also fits in with a mysterious series I'm writing...

CHAPTER 1: A REASON TO FIGHT
It was far beyond me now. I knew he hadn’t changed, and now, if I came out of this alive like I planned to, I would be able to rub it in all their faces and say: “I told you so”, particularly to Aang. Right now however, I had my thoughts elsewhere. I was not only angry at him, but also at myself for actually buying it like they did. Not only did it hurt my pride, but it also hurt me, and it was now a threat towards my friends.
“This could mean trouble for Aang,” I shouted at him, “and now, I plan to put an end to your destiny here and now.”
He just laughed.
“Katara,” he said coolly, “I had been hunting the Avatar for several months now. What made you think anything was going to change. I betrayed my own uncle. My feelings of remorse are gone. I may want to help defeat the Fire lord, but do you know why that is?”
I paused, stood up and looked at him. Thankfully, Toph, Sokka and Aang weren’t here to see this. I looked at his sneering, emotionless face again. Here in front of me stood Zuko, Fire Nation Prince. Not only had he betrayed his uncle and his father, but now he was betraying us too? His list of allies had just vanished.

“Foolish Waterbender,” I thought to myself, thinking of my newfound powers and the endless possibilities. “I am Zuko.” I said to myself, and looked across the field of battle towards her: Katara, a master waterbender with a very high danger level, especially when angry. Of course, right at this moment, I could have cared less. I didn’t need her, and I didn’t even need the Avatar. It was time again to start playing on other people. After all, look how it served Azula: she has friends coming from diverse places. Surely such a method of living must be better than this.
“I’m ready when you are,” I shouted to her, and I could tell that this was stirring her up. I basked in the moment, and then hyped my defenses. Indeed it was true that I didn’t use wrath to fuel my firebending, but with the power of the Firebending Masters, I just needed to be lively—and it was proving effective. I watched as Katara get angrier by the second. Yet, for some strange reason which I dared not try and investigate further, she was not striking. Why was this?

I looked at him again, my anger heating up as I saw him leer and grin at me, yet, I couldn’t attack him. “If only I were a firebender,” I thought, “the anger fueled from this moment here and now could give me enough energy to annihilate the whole Earth Kingdom. If He was a one-man army, then I had to be too. I couldn’t ask for help. I knew that not only was I a better waterbender than he was a firebender, but also that water naturally beats fire. Yet, I feared him. It was unexplainable.
Then it happened. His first move entered into reality, striking me across the face. “This was it” I thought, “We fight now and end it.”
As I watched however, Zuko, was not charging at me like a mad animal, but was casually sliding towards me with his stupid dance moves.
“Do you want to dance?” he asked, getting within 6 feet of me, the flames of his right hand, licking mine for a brief second, and I was stunned. It was about time that I put this… boy… back in his place.

I laughed as she came at me with a forceful wrath. I laughed because waterbending was not made to be fueled by anger like firebending could. Sure it was true that firebending could be anger-powered, but it could also be powered from a different source, which I had recently found. Naturally, it took a little training, but that was easy enough. I did it in the evening when the sun was gone. If I could do it while the sun was far away, I could effortlessly master it when the sun was out. I succeeded. Not only did I manage to land another blow upon her dark-skinned face, but also another one to her body, and another, and another. The graceful moves of The Dancing Dragon linked together like the metallic links of a chain. Of course, I would probably end up killing her, unless she did the same to me first. That would then leave me to explain what happened to the others. “It was self-defense,” was my first thought. After all, she was the one who started everything. I had truly wanted to join them, despite how brief that moment was before I saw what I could gain. So, all in all, it was her fault. However, since I had the upper hand, I figured I could gloat a little to provoke little Katara further. After all, an angry opponent performs worse than a calm one.

I knew that he was playing my emotions, but I couldn’t do anything about it. He knew me too well. Thankfully, some Water Tribe techniques I had learned were in the method of defense, for I would have been overwhelmed. It was after a few minutes of fighting though, that I realized that I had stumbled into his trap. Not only was it the peak of the day, but also, he was heating the place up. He was dragging me into his type of fight, and I could not back down. One of us had to die here, and I wanted to make sure, that for my sake, as well as that of Aang and Sokka, that I wasn’t the one who did die. Oh, and of course Toph, but she was still a bit c0cky and independent, so I was less worried about her. It was mostly Sokka that I would miss should I fall, for he would be crushed shortly afterwards. Therefore, I had to fight. I managed to lash him several times across his chest and face, cutting open the sensitive area where his scar was. I grinned menacingly at my triumph to see that I had hit him in a weak point. He began walking over to me with a look of defeat. Maybe he would come and try to apologize to me. That would be the end of him. I don’t care who they are or how much they say they’ve repented. Some people just deserve to die.

I walked closer to her. I saw the waterbender’s body, beaten and bruised from where I had attacked it, but that was not on my mind at the moment. With both my hands clutched against my left eye: the brand given to me by my own father, I realized that this was the final move.

“Surely it was to end here,” I thought as the Fire Nation Prince walked towards me, and suddenly, my world became exceedingly heated, and I lost all feeling in my chest. He had surprise attacked me. I had once again fallen into his trap. This time, however, there would be no payback; no revenge. It was over. I was falling. What seemed like hours later, I was no longer on my feet, but lying face-up, looking at the sun. It gave life, but had helped in the ending of mine. Why was I the one dying? What were Sokka, Aang, and Toph going to do? Why should they suffer for something I did?
I loomed over Katara’s failing body, grinning slightly. “I guess that’s how it goes,” I said, “you put up a spectacular fight. I congratulate you on your bravery. Now, however, I must go and inform the others of how you turned against me and tried to kill me. Farewell, Katara.”
I screamed louder than I ever had in my life. My eyesight was dimming, and my life force diminishing. Zuko, Fire Nation Prince, just laughed at my expense and then calmly walked away. As I laid there dying, I wondered why there wasn’t someone to fix my wounds. Why couldn’t there have been a Katara for me? Aang’s back, Toph’s feet, and even the prospect of Zuko’s scar at one time or another. All my memories were coming back to me. My eyes no longer functioned. I now knew what Toph felt like to an extent. Now I was feeling my waterbending forces depart from my body as I lay there in my own blood, ready for my corpse to rot while Zuko insults me, saying that I, the one who defended them for so long, was the villain. I’m not sure I’ll be able to take all of this, but alas, now, I have no choice. It is over. I am finished.

“Katara is no more.” I said laughing, as I saw Aang, Toph, and Sokka come into view. They hadn’t heard me, but they’d learn the story soon enough—my story of how it went, that is…

~Mai~

[Tera253]

I'm just gonna post all 15 chapters of this and see where it ends up...

CHAPTER 2: DESTINY AWAITS

I calmly strode back towards camp, with Aang, Sokka, and Toph coming into view. Needless to say I couldn’t tell them that I had killed Katara. What a lovely welcoming that’d be. The only one I could see not trying to kill me on the spot was Toph, but that was for a different reason. I slowed to a walk, but then something happened that I didn’t expect.
“Zuko,” one of them shouted. It had to be either Aang or Toph. I was looking at the ground so I didn’t see them. I pretended not to hear them.
“I know you can hear me,” said the voice, and this time, it was clear that this was Toph. I had to think of something fast.
“Where were you?” Toph asked me, it was a good thing that she was blind; otherwise she’d notice some of the features of our little scuffle. She seemed to be the one most likely to doubt any tale I could come up with, but I couldn’t explain why I thought that.
“What happened to your face?” Sokka asked me. He was looking at my scar, which was not only a brand, but now a potential route to my downfall. I had to some up with something. Luckily, I inherited a little of the brains from the gene pool that my sister had so much of. I was able to fool them—or so I thought.
“We’ve gotta get out of here,” I said with a sound of true fear. “There are Fire Nation soldiers out there. I’m not sure if Katara got away, but they’re coming.”
“Is she alive?” Aang asked, showing deep concern. Of course, it didn’t surprise me that the Avatar was concerned for his girlfriend, but I had to answer him.
“You all probably heard that scream,” I told them, referring to Katara’s last scream of life when I told her what I would do, “That was the last I saw or heard of her.”
“Do you know anything else?” said Toph inquisitively. This blind girl was really starting to bug me. It was as if she couldn’t see physically, but could peer straight into your emotions and pick out whatever she pleased.
“Never mind that,” she said suddenly, “I’m gonna find out myself.” Before I could make a move, she had disappeared underground. If she found Katara’s body, I was surely in for some serious trouble unless my story saved me. Of course, it was decently thought-out considering the time frame I was given by life to create it. She would obviously be scarred with marks from a firebender, but that would only support my theory that Fire Nation Soldiers were coming.
“Come on Sokka,” I heard Aang say, “we’ve got to get out of here!”
Suddenly, Toph reappeared from underground a little too close to me for my comfort. How had she found Katara’s body so fast?
“Hold it,” said Sokka, gaining suspicions, “Toph, did you see Katara?”
“No,” Toph lied, but I wasn’t aware of her lack of truth, and this lie gave me comfort, “but Zuko’s right. There are Fire Nation soldiers coming. You two go. Zuko and I will take them on.”
After Aang and Sokka departed, I turned to Toph, who gave me a look so ominous that it actually struck me with fear. There was more to this girl than first met the eye.
“You are so finished,” she told me indignantly. I can’t believe that for ANY reason that you would kill Katara!”
I didn’t even try to explain, because Toph was on a roll, and didn’t look like she’d be shutting up any time soon.
“Those marks on Katara’s body are from you.” She snapped, “I felt you lying from the start. I sent Sokka and Aang away so they wouldn’t have to see me kill you. They’ll get the news soon after of your treachery, and I’ll hand deliver it to them.”
I realized that she was trying to stir me up. However, I decided to use the same game I used on Katara. This was going to be too easy.
“If you really wish to fight me,” I said, “then so be it. What I’m telling you is true though.”

What if it was true? What if there was Fire Nation soldiers coming for them? Zuko’s last statement was hard for me to discern. I couldn’t really tell if he was being truthful or lying. However, I pulled him into this, and I was not by any means going to turn down a fight.”
“You got it scar-face,” I told him, thinking of the nickname on the spot. It seemed overused, but I didn’t know anyone with the name, so I just let it fly. “One fight coming up”

To my misfortune, this area was a little less grassy than the other one, so there was much more pure earth for Toph now. Moreover, the sun was no longer at its peak, so this fight would be a little more difficult. I calmly strode towards her, provoking her further by taunting her about Katara.

Zuko’s words about how Katara died were hurtful, but being a 42-0 master at Earth Rumble had taught me many things, one of them being how to properly insult and avoid being insulted. I kept my cool. “So scar-face,” I leered, “Are you just going to rant on to me about how you lied, or are you going to eat some rocks?” I answered my own question. A few quick rocks to the face were aimed right at him and found their mark. The fight had broken out.

I laughed that this silly little blind girl would dare challenge me. I was doing a lot to keep my cool, and thankfully, my training had paid off. Fortunately, I knew her weakness, and had accidentally exploited it before. In one swift, fell move, Toph was sitting down, massaging her now burnt feet.
“Bit off a little more than you could chew now, didn’t you?” I taunted, and I could see the tears of rage accumulate in her eyes.

“You really haven’t changed,” I shouted at him, appearing very upset, “but neither have I!” I gave him an immediate comeback by pinning his feet down, followed by a large jab in the chest from solid rock. A grunt and a gasp told me that my earthbending skills had done their job. I was on my hands and knees now, using my hands to locate the traitor. I could tell though, that he was not through. I walled myself with earth, but what happened next was unexpected. The heat from his attack was so intense that I was now standing in front of a small wall of lava. I quickly jumped back, and began launching rocks at him mindlessly, as quickly as I could. He was wearing me out. I knew that I couldn’t hold out much longer. But for some reason, he seemed to have some remorse. I could feel a change in his emotions. Naturally, I decided to play them, like he had played Katara’s. “Zuko,” I whimpered, “I surrender. You are the greater bender. Katara’s death was not by your hands.”

“Good,” I said in return, “it’s good to see that you finally accepted—“
But I was cut off. I had not noticed that she had earthbended a wall behind me, and now had crushed my gut with another rock. She had lied to me, and now was standing in front of me as I faltered to my knees.
“Great fighters never won by telling the truth,” she said bluntly, and limped off. I had no energy left. I didn’t even yell. I didn’t even try to throw one last vengeful ball of fire at her. I could feel the powers of the firebending masters leaving my worn and ragged soul. I had obviously vastly abused them. Unlike Katara, I was aware of why I was dying. This was my destiny now. What the Avatar did was out of my hands. I still have hopes that he’ll defeat my father, but that’s for another time. My story is through.

I ended up meeting with Aang and Sokka about an hour later, as the sun finally set upon the day—and Zuko’s life. I didn’t dare tell them what happened, so I continued Zuko’s legacy of the Fire Nation soldiers. They bought it for the time. I however, was so tired, that they figured I was probably making things up. I would tell them, but that would have to wait until tomorrow. I DO have priorities, you know…”

~Mai~

[Tera253]

CHAPTER 3: TRUTH RESPECTS NO ONE
I was constantly tossing and turning on the cold, hard ground. Of course, this was not because the ground was uncomfortable; I slept on the ground nearly every day. I was uneasy. Aang and Sokka not knowing of Katara’s death was a constant annoyance. Aang had lost a good friend and teacher, and Sokka had lost a mother figure and sister. We all had lost a great middle-person though. Katara, although incredibly fun to disagree with, was gone.
Additionally, how could I possibly tell them, Aang in particular, that I had killed Zuko? They were slightly suspicious that I had done something, but they didn’t know what. I tossed and turned some more, but the thought refused to leave. Then, to my misfortune, things went from bad to worse.
“Hey Toph,” Sokka shouted, “What’s the matter? Are you okay?”
I was speechless. I didn’t want to tell them, but I knew it had to be done. However, I needed to stall as long as possible. If I, the indifferent and secluded one, was having this much trouble accepting the deaths of Zuko and Katara, then they would be crushed.
“I... I’m fine,” I said shakily, but Sokka was apparently now aware that something was wrong.
“Are you worried about Katara?” he asked, and this set me loose. I got up and approached him on my hands and knees. This was it. I thought it couldn’t get worse, but it did. “Don’t worry, Toph, Katara will be fine. I just know it.” Were his remarks, and then I could no longer restrain myself. I broke down crying in front of him, into his shoulder.
“Wake up Aang,” I said unsteadily, “he has to know the truth.”
Sokka said nothing at first. “I presume you know exactly what’s going on,” he said,
“Yes,” I confessed, “I know everything.”
Sokka woke up Aang. I couldn’t tell, but he was cool and calm about everything, as if everything was cool and calm.
“There were never any Fire Nation soldiers after us,” I told him,
“WHAT,” Aang exclaimed, suddenly snapping back to his senses, “what do you mean?”
“Katara is dead.” I said flatly, “and I know who killed him. Here’s, I’ll be right back.” I left Sokka’s arms and delved underground. Within a few minutes, I came back with Zuko’s lifeless body. I knew whose it was, but this was all to demonstrate a different objective.
“Toph,” said Sokka, looking confused, “this is Zuko.”
“Is he going to be alright?” Aang asked,
“No,” I replied, feeling the area in his chest where I had slugged him with a rock, “he has suffered internal damage. My rock did its job.”
I looked at Toph with a look of disgust and unbelief on my face. “YOU killed Zuko?” I exclaimed, “what, how… why?”
“It’s so obvious by now,” said Toph calmly, “HE killed Katara!”
“No,” I said, “NO! YOU LIE!!” Toph did not say a word, but disappeared underground right as I grabbed at her. Aang was speechless as well.

“Toph, a traitor,” I exclaimed,
“But what if she’s right?” Aang asked me, “what if Zuko did kill Katara?”
“No,” I replied flatly, “that could never happen. Zuko wouldn’t... would he?”
I was in a state of unknown shock and slight denial. I never really imagined a world without Katara. Such a thing just did not seem possible. Katara was everything to me. I lost my mother one time, and I could not live to see myself lose her again.
Toph returned within minutes. “I only lie when it gives me a benefit,” she said bluntly.
“What is that you’ve got?” I asked, but I already knew what it was. Even in the moonlight, I could see it all too clearly.
“This, Sokka,” said Toph angrily, “is Katara! ZUKO killed her!”
I said nothing. I felt Katara, hoping, praying to any sort of supernatural power, that she was not dead. It seemed like an eternity between the time that I stretched forth my hand to the time it came in contact with her body. She was cold by now. She had been dead for several hours at least. I was frantic. I was in a state of denial. My sister—my mother—dead; There was nothing left for me now.

I felt Sokka frantically dashing around the remains of his sister. As was the norm when my feet were burned, I was on my hands and knees again. It hurt me more, however, to have to witness Sokka slowly falling apart right in front of me. I felt someone approaching, and knew it had to be Aang.
“Zuko’s cold,” he said, “is he really dead?”
“Yes.” I said bluntly, about to cry once again, “I killed him. I had no choice. I told you two to leave the scene so you wouldn’t see us duel. He got me a few times and burned my feet in particular. That’s why I’m on all fours like this.”
“Why would Zuko kill Katara though,” Aang asked me, as if I would know, but then he bent down and felt Zuko’s corpse. From the outside, you couldn’t tell he was dead. Similarly, with the exception of a few burns in places that would not kill a person, Katara looked perfectly okay as well. The damage was internal, I just knew it.

After several long minutes of trying to disprove reality, I gave in. My sister was really and truly gone—gone forever. I suddenly swung my head in the direction of Zuko’s body, and pulled out my sword. I don’t care if he’s already dead, such a horrendous act by such a body could not go without punishment. I lunged forward, but for some reason I could only dream about, Aang stopped me with a wall of rock.

“There’s something wrong,” he said to both of us, and, like Sokka, I was as confused as I would be if I were trying to read a book.
“Zuko had a different objective when he joined us,” Aang told us, “he was on our side very briefly, and then he cracked.” He stopped, and felt Katara as if to verify a thought. His eyes and his arrow were glowing, “Katara went against him, thinking he had betrayed us. He had though, but not for the reason you’d think. He was serving a higher authority than even the Firelord. Zuko was actually fighting in defense.”

“Oh no,” I told him straight up, “I am not going to believe that my sister was the one at fault. I’ll kill both of you if either of you believe that.”
“Sokka,” Aang told me, “neither of them was at fault. Zuko didn’t know what he was doing, and neither did Katara. They were in some sort of trance. Your sister was unnaturally angry right before she died. It was as if some firebending spirit had taken her over as well.”
“How do you know all of this?” I asked, only getting more and more confused by all of this,
“it’s an Avatar thing,” he replied, “so, long story short: Zuko had no idea what he was doing, and he turned on Katara in a surprisingly playful manner. Katara took it playfully until Zuko made a remark that disclosed the truth of the situation. They fought almost unknowingly, and Katara died. Zuko then got into another fight, this time with Toph. Toph, can you recall any events during your fight?”

I paused. I tried recalling anything, but alas, I could not. “All I remember,” I told them, “is that I finished him off with a huge rock to the chest. I can remember nothing. I felt my feet. I didn’t even recall how they had gotten burnt.
“My theory has been proved,” said Aang, “they both were the victims of a higher power of some sort. How though, is still beyond me.”

I stopped. Aang knew a deadly amount of information on the subject, even though he had not been there. How was this? I had so many questions, and was so uneasy. For some reason, something drove me to sleep next to my sister’s corpse, so I did. To my utmost surprise, it felt so... inviting. I watched as Toph retreated to her spot of ground, and Aang went his own way. Any further thoughts on the subject would have to wait until tomorrow. I was asleep in seconds.

As I retired, I couldn’t help but think that there was a little more to Aang’s knowledge than just an avatar thing. However, the fact that I suddenly forgot how I killed Zuko disturbed me. It actually disturbed me so much that I fell asleep, awaiting tomorrow’s mysteries…

~Mai~

[Tera253]

CHAPTER 4: MYSTERIES UNSOLVED
I woke up the next morning before either of the other two. Katara’s body was warm since I had been against it, and since it was the middle of summer, everything was warm anyways. Aang was still sleeping peacefully nestled in the warm fur of his bison, and Toph was a little farther off like she usually liked to be. A few feet from Katara’s remains were those of Zuko, who I still could not accept as a friend, dead or alive. It was only the will of Aang that kept me from cutting him up right now. I said there, not looking at the body of Zuko or my sister, but up at the pale red sunrise. It was a remarkable sight, and I only wished that Katara could see it. Oh, and Toph as well, since she had never seen a sunrise—or anything for that matter—in her entire life. It was roughly another half an hour before either of the other two woke up. Aang got up as if it were another day, with a seeming disregard for the bodies of Zuko and Katara, both of which were still motionless, despite everything. Somehow though, when I examined them in daylight, they looked different. They both had a serene expression on their faces and looked as if they were asleep. Of course, evidence around them could prove them wrong, but it gave me a hint of relief to view them as merely sleeping. I turned to Aang and asked him why he was so calm,
“Oh,” he said, his eyes still showing slight evidence that they had been recently glowing, “last night I was taken again to the spirit world. It was cool. I saw a mysterious fire Nation girl that said she could bring people back to life. She asked if I needed her services, and I said no. She then chanted a few words and suddenly, the bodies of Zuko and Katara were in front of her. Then she began ‘body-bending’ them, to use the term. She would move her arms, and they would repeat her movements. I took the hint, and then confessed that I needed her service. She told me to meet her in a city on the edge of the Fire Nation. Sokka, there my yet still be a way to revive your sister.”
“And,” I said, “Do you plan to bring along what’s left of Zuko too?”
Aang nodded. One thing I didn’t understand was that the three of us all referred to Zuko and Katara as “remains” or “what’s left”. However, externally, they were perfectly intact.
“Let’s wake up Toph,” said Aang, but I backed up.
“Waking up Toph,” I told him, “is like waking up a swarm of starving winged lemurs. She’ll go crazy on us.”
“Suit yourself,” said Aang in a tone that was not like him, “the longer we wait, the less of a chance they have of being saved.
These words seemed to hit me. I looked over at my sister, and then even over at Zuko. I began to feel sympathy for Zuko, as if something impressed me that he really was innocent. Nonetheless, I had to wake up Toph is what Aang was saying was true.

I had been having the most remarkable dream. I was in a world of color and light, and of exquisite detail. I didn’t know how to describe it. There was so much to locate, except that I didn’t need to locate things, because they were right in front of me. Perhaps this is what everyone else calls “seeing”. Whatever it was, it’s alright, but certainly not as exciting as everyone makes it out to be. Perhaps the most interesting part though was that I turned and ‘saw’ (as they cal it) an extremely bright light coming from an eclipse. Once I did, my eyes grew dark again and my world returned to normal. However, I was suddenly rudely interrupted by Sokka. The only reason I didn’t go spastic on him was because I had a little sympathy for him because he had lost his sister.
“What is it?” I asked, and he gave me the entire rundown of what Aang had said. Something about twinkle toes recently was making me wonder, but that was for another time.
“Does this mean we’re flying again?” I asked, and he nodded.
I was surprised at Toph’s response, “Good,” she said, “because truth be told, “my feet are killing me.” She paused, and massaged the burns on her feet. “Oh, and by the way, being blind isn’t too bad. You guys totally overrate eyesight.”
“What do you mean?” Sokka asked as he loaded their things and the remains of Zuko and Katara onto Appa’s back, “never mind,” I told him casually, and hoisted myself onto the beast’s back. Appa’s soft fur felt good against my ailing feet. I was next to Katara, and I knew that she still had her vessel of spirit water. I knew that with a little of that, it’d all be over, but for some reason, Katara’s body seemed like some sort of relic that I was forbidden to touch. Of course, I didn’t give squat about rules, but it was as if some supernatural force was preventing me from touching it. Oh well, I’m not a waterbender anyways.

Aang was unusually quiet, but we all were as of recently. There was no Zuko for us to talk to, nor was there a Katara for Toph to argue with. It was oddly quiet, with the exceptional grunts every so often from Appa. Aang was especially quiet. The last thing I had heard from him was his traditional “yip, yip!” directed towards Appa.
It was a while before we finally landed. We were outside of what looked like a huge Fire Nation city.
“Follow me,” said Aang mysteriously, his eyes flashing slightly, and we did. Toph was holding us back, so I volunteered to carry him. I didn’t tell her, but she blushed at my offer. I had other things on my mind though, so I kept quiet.
Aang led us to the town square, where I could see a vast crowd of people watching and applauding something.
“Do you want to see what’s going on up there?” Toph asked, and Aang and I said we did.

I jumped out of Sokka’s arms and then stomped the ground. It bended to my will, and a large number of people stumbled. I grinned, jumped suddenly back into Sokka’s arms as he carried me to the front of the crowd. I wasn’t sure exactly what they were seeing, but they seemed to be impressed by a young firebending prodigy who seemed to have a name other than Azula.
It was amazing. There was a Firebender, no older than 14, in front of us, performing incredible feats of firebending. She was like a cross between Ty Lee, Mai, and Azula. She had the ninja skills of Mai, the acrobatics of Ty Lee, and the firebending prowess of Azula.
“And now,” an announcer boomed from who-knows-where, “our hero, Lady Sanaki, will prove to her audience, that she is indeed blind, as she claims to be.
I gawked and dropped Toph. Ignoring her complaints, I looked at the girl in front of us. She had been performing intricate firebending moves with her hands, and then she had suddenly flipped over and began doing the same moves with her feet, which, like Toph’s, were bare. It wasn’t often that you saw a barefoot firebender, and prodigies were even rarer.
“Hmm,” the girl, obviously named Sanaki muttered, scanning the crowds. Her eyes passed over me, and they were a milky white, even more so than Toph’s were. She had her hand out, as if she was trying to firebend something, which she obviously wasn’t. I knew what firebending looked like—to an extent.

“You,” she said, pointing at me, “I challenge you to a duel.” I didn’t know that she was pointing at me until someone pushed me forward.
“Aren’t you the deluded one,” she snapped coolly at me, but I had a comeback for such a remark.
“I can tell you’re blind,” I replied, “since you can’t even tell that I too am blind!” I laughed, but obediently followed Sanaki into the square. I heard the announcer say that we would each be granted 10 minutes of preparation time before the duel. This was Sanaki’s request, and I was about to make fun of her for it. However, I stopped.
“You’re with the avatar, right?” she asked, and I didn’t respond.
“I take it as a yes.” She told me, “so anyways, here’s the plan: we duel. If you beat me, I’ll heal your friends—the firebender and the waterbender. If you lose, I get to keep whatever’s left of them.”
I had little regard for this, so I accepted. I don’t care who this ‘Sanaki’ is, but if she thinks she’s all that, she needs to be put into her place—below me at best. I laughed 10 minutes later as I stepped onto the battlefield.

~Mai

[Tera253]

CHAPTER 5: THE DUEL UNSEEN
“Will the contenders please face each other?” I heard the announcer shout, but we couldn’t, since both of us were blind. I heard him come up from behind me and ask for my name and title.
“Fighting against our champion today,” he shouted, irritatingly close to my ear, “we have Toph Bei Fong, also known from the mighty Earth Kingdom as “The Blind Bandit”!!
Surprisingly, there were people as far as here that knew who I was. I was more famous than I thought.
“Are you ready to die, Blind bandit?” Sanaki leered,
“What do you call yourself?” I retorted, “The delusional blaze?”
This seemed to set her off, as she tried to pull a fast one on me. I heard the crowd gasp. Apparently, they were accustomed to seeing Sanaki pull these types of moves off. I shrugged it off and got into defensive stance. She fought much differently than Zuko. I did not want to give out any more information about myself than I had to. I hadn’t even told her that during the 10 minutes before the battle, I had run into a friendly waterbender who had healed my feet. It felt almost unnatural, but I thanked her for doing what she did as I had scampered into the field.
Sanaki came at me with swift slashes of flame. I was walling her off with masses of earth, which proved very effective. I sensed a weakness in her right arm, as if it had been broken recently, and wanted to exploit it.

I did not know what Toph and Sanaki had talked about behind the scenes, but I presumed it had something to do with Zuko and Katara, because their bodies were missing. I was standing next to Aang, and we both were watching the battle. Judging from the reactions of the crowd, this must have been one of them most impressive battles they had ever seen. Sanaki was attacking at a frantic speed, but was so calm you would think she did this everyday—which she probably did. Toph was casually blocking, pulling up defenses as fast as Sanaki attempted an offense.

I was doing well until Sanaki pulled a fast one that hit me near the hip. I faltered a little, and this was a huge mistake. She was literally whipping me with her flames now, and I was losing track of where she was. I was dying. There comes a time in every person’s life, no matter who they are, where they forget about themselves and think of others. This, to my surprise, was my time. I thought of Sokka and Katara. I even thought of Zuko. I had to win this for their sake. Even Aang came to mind. I came back to my senses and realized that I was lying on my side. I put my hand to the ground and felt that Sanaki was in front of me, only facing a little to the right. I pinpointed the weakness in her right forearm, and from nowhere, back flipped back into standing position, gaining about 9 feet of air from what the announcer said, and launched a rock I had grabbed with my foot directly at her. Sanaki was too busy laughing to notice until after the fact.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the announcer exclaimed, “the battle is not over! The Blind Bandit recovered, and took our champion Sanaki down!”
“No,” I heard Sanaki spit fiercely, “I will not lose!” she was mad, but, unlike Katara, this only fueled her ambition. She exploited my earth moves, turning them into lava.

“Toph, whatever you do,” I thought, “don’t die! You can’t.” I thought. I had confidence in Toph’s abilities, but this little 13-year-old firebender just seemed to be the ultimate prodigy that could bring Azula to shame. Toph was launching attacks at the rate of about 220 per minute—they both were that fast. Sanaki had shorter and weaker attacks, but she was doing about 253 pre minute according to my calculations. It was the fastest-paced battle I had ever seen. Then, things turned from bad to worse and Sanaki utilized some newly found lava. She formed a tidal wave that jumped her and was headed straight for Toph. Toph however, had something in mind I hadn’t thought of. Lava was simply melted earth, so Toph should be able to control it. Maybe it was like metalbending though, so maybe she couldn’t do it. To my gratitude and surprise, Toph proved me wrong. She counteracted it, and there was a massive wall of lava in front of them.

I used my earthbending skills to reduce the lava back to earth, and Sanaki seemed to catch what I was doing. Surprisingly, she did the same thing. She swooped by me in slow-motion, and whispered something to me.
“Fall down,” she told me, “trust me. I know what to do.”
As she swooped by me, she stuck out her foot, and I took the hint. I did a rolling flip over it, and purposely did not land it. I was down. Sanaki lorded over me a bit, which made me want to jump up and give her a backwards kick, but she had something else in mind. She bent over me and whispered something in my ear. Apparently, the crowd had no idea what she was doing, nor did they question it.
“You strike me after I stand back up. If you retaliate quickly, it’ll be called a draw. I don’t want to kill you. You’re, well... cool. We have a lot in common. So hit me and we’ll call this a draw. If you don’t, you my end up like my last 37 competitors: in the medic’s room for at least 3 weeks.”
I nodded in the slightest. She apparently got my drift somehow (I wouldn’t know; I can’t see either) and stood up.
“Sanaki is once again victorious!” the announcer shouted, “and it looks like the Blind Bandit is—back!?!” To my surprise, Toph flipped back up and knocked Sanaki down. The announcer paused.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” he shouted, “it’s a tie! Sanaki keeps her 38-0 streak. As for the blind bandit, I wouldn’t—k” he paused. Aang had stepped up to tell of Toph’s record.

“Folks,” he said, “The Blind Bandit is notorious for having a record similar to our Sanaki’s: 42-0. Therefore, these two undefeated champions will uphold their titles!” to my surprise, the crowd, Fire nation or not, was roaring in applause. Toph’s fame had just increased once again. I suddenly found myself stepping up to the arena, as if to give some kind of speech. Goodness knows what my subconscious mind was thinking.
“So,” I shouted, and surprisingly, the crowd faced me, “Who else thinks Toph and Sanaki should form a team?”
Surprisingly, the crowds all roared in applause and agreement.
“Folks,” said the announcer, “judging from the reactions of Toph Bei Fong and Sanaki Li Chang, they have decided to form an alliance. They now call themselves: “The Blind Warriors!”
“Seeing is overrated,” they chorused, laughing, and it was about an hour before the entire hubbub died down. Once it did, I had no clue where Toph had gone. She said she would be back though.

I was in an inner chamber with Sanaki, the waterbender, and the remains of Zuko and Katara. Sanaki told me that this might be painful, but that she’d see what she could do. She waved her arms over their remains, and then suddenly jabbed them both in the gut. A huge flash of light and an explosion sound told Sanaki that she had done her job. Seconds later, to my delight, were Zuko and Katara, revitalized.
“Be warned,” said Sanaki, “they have lost part of their minds. They will not remember how they died, and they may have forgotten their names. They will know a lot about their bending abilities though—more than they used to, and they will still remember you guys, but may have trouble with your names for a while too.”
“okay,” I muttered, curious to see if these effects would be negative. I had a bad feeling they would be, but hey, at least they were alive, right?”

As I was leaving, Toph caught up with me, followed by Zuko, Katara, Sanaki, and a strange waterbender.
“Do you mind if these 2 tag along?” Toph asked me, but I was speechless. From my understanding, everything was back to normal, and that was all that mattered. Any downsides to this matter could wait. Katara was back. Within a few minutes, we were flying again, this time with a few newcomers. What happened next though, was quite unexpected…

~Mai~

[Tera253]

CHAPTER 6: SHE IS WANTED ALIVE
We landed in a nearby village again, and I was unsure of the reason. Of course, I never thought of too much when we were flying. The company of Sanaki and her waterbending friend was a little odd. I wanted to know the girl’s name, but neither she nor Sanaki would say anything. She was just known as “The Waterbender”. I turned to Sokka.

“Why did we land here?” she asked me, and I shrugged, I don’t know about you,” I whispered after I had taken Toph a few feet away from the others, “But Aang’s been acting real off, haven’t you noticed?”
“A little,” she replied, but I’m suddenly gaining awareness that there is something else behind all of this that knows all about it.”
“So,” said a voice behind me that made me jump, “You feel it too, Toph?” I turned around and saw that it was Sanaki. How she had gotten right behind me without me noticing was still on my mind.
“Yeah,” I heard Toph said to Sanaki, “I can feel it. Have you noticed how weird Aang has been acting?”
“Maybe I would,” Sanaki replied, “but I just barely met him. From his aura though, I can tell that he’s a bright, cheery person. He did seem acting a little mysterious, but maybe it was just his humorous side kicking in.”
Suddenly though, we were all interrupted. Coming towards us were a large group of fire nation soldiers. Of course, we were in the fire nation, so this was no surprise, but still, did they know us? They were actually calling out for someone named “the swindler”. Aang and the waterbender were too far away to hear us, so we had to fight.

“You’ll never take me!” Sanaki shouted, flaring up her arms. I was mad that we had brought her with us, for she had just gotten us all in trouble. I brought up my defenses, but I soon regretted this. A fire nation soldier blasted through it, stunning me. I assumed that they had taken Sokka already.
“Hey you guys,” one of the soldiers said, “it looks like we also found “the runaway”. We just got 2 for the price of 1!”
I heard some of the others laugh, and I could sense that there would be trouble. I wondered if Sokka would help us.

It pained me to see them take Toph, but they were threatening to kill me if I didn’t share what info I knew about them. I had to lie to spare my neck. After all, Toph and Sanaki weren’t going to be killed—or, that’s what I heard them say to themselves.
“How long have you been hiding these two?” they asked me,
“Actually, we picked one of them up from a town a few miles east of here.” I replied, “As for the other one, we found that she was a stowaway. “Toph was the stowaway, and Sanaki conned us into taking her with us.” I suddenly gasped. I had just divulged their names.
“So,” said a soldier, “Bei Fong and Li Chan, eh? That’s all we need to know. The Fire Nation is proud of you, son.”
“Hey!” I heard Sanaki shout, “I’m from the fire nation too, you idiots!”
“Shut up!” I heard a soldier shout, and heard the sound of a fist knocking the wind out of a young girl. I noticed it had been Sanaki. I had no choice but to watch them take Toph and Sanaki away. Suddenly, though, my thoughts changed. I heard a pair of strange voices—one male, and the other female—coming closer.
“Must... obey... orders...” they said, and suddenly, I saw Zuko and Katara appear. They attacked the fire nation soldiers with bending skills that made my jaw drop. They were really good. Sanaki had been right about their bending skills increasing. However, since I was still bound, I couldn’t help them. My hand started inching towards my boomerang, for it was only a few feet in front of me. I was in sitting position, and if I could get my boomerang, I could use it to slice my ropes and get at them. However, the fight ended before I could get it. Zuko and Katara were unconscious, but there were many enemies on the ground in front of them, dead. I broke free and dashed after the soldiers. I was spying on them from rooftops and other such things, being surprisingly quiet. I saw them stop near a harbor, where they unloaded two small crates. One was made of thick, airtight wood, and the other was made of watertight metal. I saw them pick up Toph, who was struggling violently.

They lifted me over some wooden crate, and then jammed me down into it. These crates were no more than 3 feet long, wide, or tall, so I was obviously cramped in there. They sealed the lid, but I still continued banging on the crate.

After I sensed that Toph had been jammed into a crate, I fought with more vigor than I ever had, and began firebending as much as possible. However, they were able to divert each and every attack I launched, and my attempts failed. They all took a shot at me with their fists before jamming me into the crate. Inside it was pitch-dark. There was no access to the sun from here, so firebending became impossible. I screamed, and was thrown a little inside my crate. I guess they deemed it fun to rattle me around a little bit before leaving. I really hoped that Sokka would be able to find us and free us.

Now, I would have gone over and fought them, but I knew better. I was going to follow them and bust them out once I got there. I knew that although I was skilled, I didn’t stand a chance when there were 30 fire nation soldiers against 1 of me. I returned to where Aang and Appa were, but only found the waterbender. She said nothing. I tried to get her to speak, but she said nothing. Aang finally returned with Zuko and Katara, who were conscious again. He looked battered, but I told him the whole story anyways of what had happened.
“Well,” said Aang, “I would help you, but I have to keep these two under control. They nearly killed me back there. I had to go into the avatar state to keep myself alive.”
“No Aang,” I said, “that waterbender can take care of them. Trust me. I need you for this.” My look apparently was serious enough that Aang smiled and followed me. I was able to catch the trail of the fire nation soldiers that had taken Toph and Sanaki, and found that they led towards a beach. The ocean was now in view. I saw the two small crates on a small boat about 303 feet off the coast according to my calculations. There, I realized that we would need to follow them.
“Aang,” I said, “can you swim fast—as in waterbend us to follow them?”
Aang simply nodded and grinned. “Let’s go, Sokka,” he said, and as the boat sped off, we were right behind it in full pursuit.

The conditions inside the crate were terrible. It was very hard to breathe in here, and I felt like I was going to suffocate. However, it seemed that they would open the crate just enough to let some oxygen in before locking it again. They wanted us alive for some reason.

I knew that Toph had it bad, but my conditions were even worse. A firebender needs more oxygen than an earthbender, and I knew that I was going to suffocate in here. I actually almost hoped I would. However, they seemed to know just the right moment to let in some new air before slamming it shut. I was so exhausted and beaten that I never had enough time to launch any attacks at them.
Suddenly, there was a rumble from what felt like miles below. Something was in the water.

Aang and I stopped. In front of us, floating on an iceberg was a girl dressed like an earthbender. She had hair like Sanaki’s only more bushy, and her eyes weren’t faded. She was not blind. She wore a mysterious grin on her face and started at us.
“So,” she said, “you want to rescue Toph Bei Fong and Sanaki Li Chan?”
I nodded instinctively, and then asked her name.
“Trust me,” she said mysteriously, “you’ll remember my name. It’s Tera. So, if you want to follow your friends then take my hand and follow me...”
I paused. Who was this ‘Tera’ figure and what was an earthbender like her doing floating in the water like that? I would soon find out...

~Mai~

[Tera253]

CHAPTER 7: WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS

Tera grabbed mine and Aang’s hands. Suddenly, we were whisked away in a vortex of who-knows what. We found ourselves in a very dark prison. “They are taking them here for the time,” Tera warned, “stay here and out of sight. I’m going to have a look around.”
“What if they catch you?” I asked,
“They won’t catch me, Sokka,” Tera replied, “for I am too powerful.”
“Are you an earthbender?” Aang asked,
“More like an anything bender,” Tera replied. I can bend anything to my will—literally. I would show you, but now is not the time or place.”
“Okay,” I replied, not fully believing her, but at the moment, I had no choice. We waited, and a few minutes later, we saw Fire Nation soldiers with two crates. I noticed in the darkness that they had dropped the metal one and were rolling it to where they wanted it. I guess they felt like beating up on Sanaki a little more.

I had been so close to getting out of the crate. I waited for the next time they opened up the crate, mustering up all my energy in the meantime. I had tried to attack, but I guess they had been expecting it. They punched me in the chest, knocking the wind out of me, and then jammed me back into the crate as hard as they could. I was surprised that my small, weak frame had survived all of this. I wondered how Toph was doing. Even though we were in the same position, I felt somewhat guilty that I had dragged her into my mess. I didn’t care about the others—Aang and Sokka were alright, and Zuko and Katara were obviously now just mindless benders. The technique that my waterbending friend had learned from the Supernatural worked, but had a price.

I was okay, but I heard a lot of scuffles that I assumed were from Sanaki. I felt sorry for that crazy kid—she didn’t know what kind of trouble she was getting into. I heard them say something about dumping us, and I knew that it couldn’t be good. I felt them pick up my box, and heard the sound of them strapping my crate atop Sanaki’s crate.

“Tera,” I whispered, “they’re going to dump them into the ocean!”
“SHH,” Tera whispered, “they’ll hear you. We don’t want to be heard yet.”
We waited until the soldiers left. I wondered why we couldn’t just grab the crates and vanish back to camp, but Tera had something else in mind.
“There are more coming,” she warned, “These are the ones that will dump Bei Fong and Li Chan into the ocean.”
We followed them on their way out of the prison. This place was huge. I kept hearing scuttling noises above me, as if we were being followed,
“It’s just a beaver-rat or something,” Tera said reassuringly, but I thought otherwise. In the little light, I actually thought there were two of them. I told this to Aang.
“It looked like Zuko and Katara to me,” he told me, and I was shocked. However, if it had been them, they must have heard me, for I heard no more sounds of ceiling movement. We followed the fire nation onto the ship, where Tera used metalbending to get us into the smuggler’s hold.
“How did you do that?” I asked,
“It’s a gift.” she replied, “So is this!” I saw Tera turn to Aang, and I watched as she made Aang dance. She was using bloodbending on him! There was no full moon for another 13 days, and it was mid-day. How did she do that? Tera released Aang and smiled at me. Having done no damage, Aang was not too concerned. “That was fun,” he said, “I can’t believe you can bloodbend whenever you want.”
“Yeah,” I added, how did you do that?”
“I am called a Supernatural,” Tera replied, “They are sort of like Avatars, except they can bend anything, anywhere, and they’re much, much rarer. There can be more than 1 on the planet at a time, but they usually don’t appear for hundreds of years at a time.”
“So,” I asked, “why are you dressed like an earthbender?”
“Why not,” Tera replied, “They have comfortable clothing, they don’t wear shoes, and I love these bracelets.” She showed off bracelets on her wrists and ankles. They were not much different from those that Toph wore normally.
“Sokka,” I heard Aang shout, “They’re dropping Toph and Sanaki!”
Aang had been peering through a porthole, and sure enough, I saw the crates, both attached, plunge to the depths.
“Leave this to me,” said Tera, and Aang and I watched. Tera plunged through the ceiling, and dropped straight into the water. We suddenly vanished and appeared on shore. The ship exploded immediately after. This was Tera’s work I presumed.

I could feel the water surrounding my crate. It was getting very hard to breathe in here. Suddenly, I noticed the wood bend like I would bend metal. The only reason I noticed this was because my hand had just been there. Water poured in, removing all air from my vicinity. I felt an arm grab me around the chest and I was dragged upwards. I fell unconscious when we surfaced. Aang and Sokka meanwhile, were watching me. I didn’t know they were, but Tera did. She suddenly slipped up, froze a platform of ice, and then stomped it. It had the effect of earthbending. I was launched towards the beach, still unconscious.

I had already passed out from the lack of wind and air, so I never noticed that someone had just jammed their fist through my crate. I was wrenched out of there as I shot for the surface. When I came to, I was drifting in the water. Now, when I get wet, I am completely blind, so as far as I knew, I was in the middle of the ocean.
Tera was standing back on the beach with me, looking out at Sanaki struggling.

“Why didn’t you get her?” I asked,
“I will,” Tera said, “but this is quite amusing. Let’s enjoy the moment.”
“What’s there to enjoy?” I asked, “I don’t like to see people suffer.”
“Fine then, ruin the fun.” Said Tera playfully, and snapped her fingers. Suddenly, right as she snapped, Zuko and Katara appeared. I noticed Tera giving orders, and Zuko and Katara following them. Katara lifted Sanaki’s body out of the water via bending, and Zuko surrounded her with fire to rejuvenate her. I looked down and noticed that the waterbender that Sanaki had been with had appeared, and was nursing Toph back to health. Sanaki was brought back to shore, coughing and gasping for breath, as Zuko spun fire around her to rejuvenate the little firebender.

“Tera,” I said, “why did you delay rescuing Sanaki?” I paused. Sanaki’s waterbender was stroking my neck with some healing water, and it felt really good. I turned to her. “What’s your name?” I asked, but, like Sokka, I got nothing out of her. She did not speak.
“Gosh,” said Tera, “if I knew it would offend you so much to see Sanaki struggle for life like that, then maybe I’ll leave right now. I already told you why I did it: I did it for my own enjoyment.”
I scowled. I would have tried to beat her up if I was in better condition, but I wasn’t so I just succumbed to my weakness.

I never wanted to touch any water ever again. I felt so sick and exhausted. However, ‘Tera’ as she called herself, seemed to find it great fun to pick on me some more once we got back to camp.
“I’ll help heal you,” she said, since my friend was busy with Toph. However, instead of using healing water, she just used regular water—a whole wave of it over me, drenching me again. I was frustrated that she was attacking me for no reason.

I did notice that Tera was unusually cruel to Sanaki, but there was nothing I could do about it. We were still trying to recover from the shocking incident of Toph and Tera getting captured. Zuko and Katara sat lazily in a corner, looking around blackly, occasionally staring at each other. They were quieter than a tree on a day without wind. This Tera figure seemed to know what was going on with them, but wasn’t speaking. There were a lot of things I wondered about that girl, but that would just have to wait until later…

~Mai~

[Tera253]

CHAPTER 8: TORMENTING THE BLIND (I)
We were finally able to regroup, where Sanaki and I were being rejuvenated. Sanaki’s waterbender really knew how to work it. The only thing about her the annoyed me was that she never spoke, and no one knew her name. I never even heard Sanaki speak to her. Instead, she seemed to use weird gestures, according to my senses. I was lying there as the waterbender finishing massaging my shoulders with healing water. She then went back to Sanaki. I was in a state of ignorant bliss at the time, oblivious to everything, including Tera, Sokka, and everyone. Well actually, Sokka was on my mind, and I was reminded of his efforts to save us, despite the failure to do so. I also thought of Sanaki, and how she suffered at the hand of this Tera figure. This annoyed me too, since Sanaki, although rude, vulgar and uninviting, was my good friend.

My waterbender friend returned to me and began massaging my back. It felt really good. I heard Sokka ask if she could do that to him, and to my surprise, I sensed that she actually nodded. I heard Sokka snap his fingers. He had obviously expected her to answer by saying something. I smiled, but that was about it. I was greatly disturbed because of this Tera figure. What did she have against me that inclined her to pick on me like she did? I was glad Sokka was watching on me, because Tera didn’t let up until he had stepped in and said something.

“You all seriously have no sense of fun,” Tera replied at me grumpily,
“Tera,” I said, “you’re nice and all for saving Toph and Sanaki, “but I don’t understand why you think hurting Sanaki is so fun.”
“What don’t you see fun about entertaining yourself at someone else’s expense?” she asked bluntly, “what’s a person have to do in your group to have a little fun around here?”
“Wait,” I said, “You’re not in our group yet. You haven’t passed the ‘initiation’ test.” I of course was just making this up, but Tera took it more seriously than I thought.
“You want some bending tactics?” she said, “I’ve got them all. I can bend stone... earth... water... fire... air... ice... lightning... plants... light... sand... metal... darkness... blood... and even sound.”
I was amazed. Every time Tera had named an element and paused, she had bent that particular element. She could even metalbend from a distance. When she had said bloodbending, she just twitched her head in Katara’s direction and made her do a back flip. Tera’s deeds had even made Toph spring up, and Aang and Zuko looked in our direction. Aang then disappeared again, and Zuko ambled off with Katara.
“So, am I in?” Tera asked, sounding insulted,
“Sure,” I replied, “but could you please lay off hurting Sanaki?”
“I can’t guarantee that,” Tera replied, “she’s fun to pester because she’s so passive and... annoy-able”
“Sanaki,” I exclaimed, gagging on what I was eating, “passive?” I laughed.
“Actually,” said Tera coolly, “she only gets aggressive if you provoke her enough. I know where to draw the line usually. Anyways, I’m not sure about you Sokka, but I’m starved. Let’s go find some food.”

I heard Sokka call out to me if I wanted to go hunting with him. Having nothing else to do, I consented. As we left, I noticed that Tera was following us. “She’s coming with us,” Sokka told me, but suddenly, I felt Tera stop. “You two go ahead,” she said, “I’ll just hang back with Sanaki’s waterbender. I’ll get her name out of her yet.”
“Yeah,” I said, “do that; the fact that she won’t speak really bugs me.” With that, I felt Tera walk back to camp. I thought she was a dodgy character, but with powers like hers, she could be our key to winning the war. I also thought her style of clothing was totally awesome, because it was like mine.

I was exhausted. It may have been because Tera tortured me every moment she got, and I didn’t know why. Suddenly, I was interrupted. Someone had come into my tent. My senses told me it was Zuko. I wondered what he could possibly be doing here. He and Katara usually only appeared when it was time to eat or sleep. Other than that they were gone off somewhere.
“S-S-Sanaki,” he stammered, as if he was just learning to speak,
“Yeah, that’s me,” I replied bluntly, “what do you want?”
“I-I’m sorry about Tera,” he said, “and... I’m sorry for what you got dragged into because of us.”
“Hey,” I said, “don’t blame your self for that. I dragged myself into your guys’ group. Beating people up in Agni Kai battles at my village got old, especially after a 38-0 streak. I wanted something new. Even if Tera is a jerk, I’m still fine with being with you all.”
“Do you want to play with fire?” he asked me, and I was startled. He wanted to practice firebending with me.
“Are you aware of what you’re saying?” I asked him, for I had thought that he had lost his entire mind,
“Of course I am,” Zuko replied, “I haven’t remembered everything, but I know a lot about recent events. I killed Katara, and then Toph killed me. When I was dying, I saw you in a vision. I’m not sure what it meant, but I also saw Tera. You two were fighting.”
“Wow,” I said, not really too concerned. From what Toph told me, Zuko always had some sort of sob story, so I figured this was no different. Zuko took me by the hand to an open field, where he threw fire all over the place. I might have been tired, but the fire made me feel lively. I could sense things vividly now because of the heat. Zuko came at me in a playful attack form that he called “The Dancing Dragon”. I seemed to know the dance, despite being blind, and so I joined him in the dance. Zuko may not have returned to normal, but this Zuko was pretty cool in my opinion. He was really nice to me. We danced for what seemed forever, and I was having the time of my life. However, that was short-lived. When he returned me to camp, he left, and not long afterwards, Tera appeared. I sighed.
“What do you want with me?” I asked as kindly as I could. I didn’t want to give her any reason to hurt me, but using self-control was difficult.
“Well,” said Tera, “considering how c0cky you are, I just thought I’d put it to the test. Let’s see if you can swim...”
My heart stopped. Not only had I just had an issue with water this morning, but I was also terrified of it on a regular basis anyways. Water is Fire’s bane, and I was fire.
“Come on, Sanaki,” said Tera, “what’s wrong with a little fun? Besides, it will make you stronger if you overcome your weaknesses.”
“Tera,” I pleaded, desperate to defend myself, “it’s like trying to change an element. It’s like trying to get fire to burn inside of an ocean. Things like that just shouldn’t be!”
Tera didn’t seem to care. I suddenly found my senses completely blocked off, and I was struggling in the water again.
“Tera,” I screamed, “stop it please!”
Tera just stood there, smiling. The water I was in was only about 6 feet deep, but when you’re struggling just to keep your head above the water, you can’t tell. Additionally, Tera used waterbending to push my head under periodically. I knew that she was going to kill me eventually. Suddenly, I heard something I have never heard before. I heard a mysterious voice. I knew I had never heard it before, but it had a familiar nature to it.
“Tera,” it said softly, but commandingly, “let Sanaki go.”
“Fine,” Tera shrugged, and pulled me back in, where I landed at the feet of whoever was talking. Being out of the water, my senses returned, and I noticed that the owner of the voice had been the waterbender. Being in better condition than I was last time, I was able to stand up. I embraced her, and was crying into her chest. One thing I remembered about this waterbender was that she was unnaturally tall—around 6 feet or so.
“It’s going to be al right, Sanaki,” I heard her say. I did not respond. I was still crying. Interestingly enough, I could sense that Tera felt guilty about something too, but that was a different story. I was more grateful for my waterbender friend than ever. She was someone to lean on, and right now, for some reason, I needed her more than ever, because I was sobbing uncontrollably into her clothes. It was only a matter of time before the others returned...

~Mai~

[Tera253]

CHAPTER 9: TORMENTING THE BLIND (II)
Sokka led me away from the others. I wondered if this was some sort of set-up. I sort of hoped it was, but I guess he just wanted company while he hunted. It only took a few minutes for him to get what he wanted. I had been some sort of distraction thanks to my earthbending skills. Sokka had thanked me for that. As we began our return, I heard something nearby. It sounded like a person.
“Hold it, Sokka,” I said, “something’s out there. It feels familiar.”

I paused and waited for Toph’s response. I listened for the noise and heard it too. It sounded like Tera, but it also sounded like she was crying. This was hard to believe, as I had assumed Tera was heartless. So far, she simply seemed harsh, overly critical, rude, and just plain mean, particularly to Sanaki. I listened, and then noticed a figure off in the distance. I might have thought it was Toph because of the green clothes, but since Toph was right beside me, I figured it was Tera. “Come on, Toph,” I said, “I see who it is.” Toph and I approached Tera at a quick pace, but kept our guard up. For some reason, I didn’t feel too easy around Tera, and I could tell that Toph didn’t either. Maybe it was just Tera’s negative personality and altogether cruelty and indifference, but maybe not. Anyways, we stopped in front of her, where to my surprise; it seemed that she was crying.
“Sokka, Toph,” she exclaimed, looking up, “what are you two doing here?”
“We went hunting,” I replied, holding up what I had caught, “Remember?”
“Oh yeah,” Tera replied, “Sorry. I’m just so confused right now.”
Maybe Tera did have feelings after all. I asked her what the matter was.

“It’s Sanaki,” she replied, and my jaw dropped in disbelief. Tera was mad at Sanaki even though Sanaki hadn’t done anything here? I didn’t care if Sanaki had just tried to kill Tera. Sanaki was more of a friend to me than Tera was, so I knew who I would side with.
“Hold it,” I said, “YOU’RE mad at Sanaki? What has she ever done to you besides ask you to leave her alone?”
“She knows my worst fear,” Tera replied, “and is mocking me for it. She has some influence over that which I fear.”
“I see,” I heard Sokka reply, “but don’t you think you took it a little harsh on her? She’s a kid. She might be good at firebending, but you’re a supernatural. You have more power probably than all of us combined.”
“Yeah,” I added, figuring I knew what Sanaki would have been thinking, “She probably did that because she knew that there was no way she could stand up to you in a match of raw power. Sanaki’s not stupid. She knows when there is no hope of her winning a fight.”
“Okay then,” I heard Tera reply as she sniffled a little, “fine. I’ll be back at camp in a few minutes. In case you two were lost, it was that way.”

I nodded, and thanked Tera for the directions, for, although I didn’t want to admit it, we had kind of gotten lost. We soon found ourselves back at camp. There, to my surprise, we saw Katara. Also there was the waterbender. Sanaki was nowhere to be seen.
“Where’d Sanaki go?” I asked, and it was Katara that responded,
“Hey Sokka,” she said, “You got some food. Here, hand it to me and I’ll see if Zuko can get a fire going.”
I handed it to her, and asked if she was alright.
“Yeah,” she replied, “we’re recovering a little bit. Both of us are aware of what happened. Zuko killed me, and Toph killed him. We are also aware that we lost most of our mind, and, although stupid this may sound, we are still trying to recover it.”
I heard Toph laugh. “Oh,” said Katara, “Sanaki went into the forest after you guys. She looked pretty upset. It was that Tera figure again.”
I could see Katara’s face change into the one she usually had when she was mad at someone. I smiled, because this was a sign that Zuko and Katara really were recovering. I decided to help Zuko with the fire and wait for Sanaki and Tera to return.

I was wandering through the forest, occasionally hitting into things or tripping over tree roots, but I didn’t care. I didn’t feel like using my heat sense right now, for I didn’t want to “see” anything. I was upset. Naturally, it was because of Tera. I kept walking, and suddenly I heard something. “Conveniently”, I had tripped over a tree root yet again and fell into a hollow area beneath another tree. I decided to sense the area around me to check for any sign of life. I sensed Tera, and heard her voice. She was muttering to herself. I hid myself as well as I could, and waited. She was saying things that, if divulged, not make her name look any better. I would repeat them, but I felt like I was being watched. It sounded like she was talking to herself.
“Sanaki thinks I’m a traitor,” Tera said to herself,
“So, just pick on her some more.” She said to herself again “Get it through her head that you’re not going to let the word get out.”
“Am I really a traitor though?” “It’s up to you. This is Tera we’re talking about.” “I must obey the higher authority.” “That’s what Zuko and Katara are for.” “But they’re recovering. It won’t be long before the Master’s Curse breaks.” “You were simply showing off your supernatural prowess. Zuko and Katara have nothing to do with your unusual ability.”
This was the last I heard, because I was worn out. I soon fell asleep. However, I’m not sure how long I was asleep, but I was woken up by Tera.
“Hello, Sanaki Li Chan,” she said, “what are you doing wandering around in these woods?”
“I was just mad,” I replied, “I didn’t feel like using firebending to see where I was going, so I just wandered around in here, and apparently fell asleep here. I just want to be alone.”
“Sanaki,” said Tera, “you know better. This forest is a dangerous place. I guess I will have to teach you what it means.”
“Why though?” I asked, “What do you find in tormenting me that’s so enjoyable?”
“Multitudes of things,” She replied, “Sanaki, you know my relationship with Kai. You mocked me for it; just recently in fact. It is also a way for me to punish you for such acts.”
“Tera,” I replied, “I’ve told you countless times: I’m not going to say a word to anyone about Kai. I have not spilled anything for all these years. Why don’t you just trust me already?”
“The Fire Nation cannot be trusted,” Tera replied, “Look what they’re doing now. As for the little activity that you call ‘torment’, I think it’s a little too strong of a word. It’s called discipline.” Tera swung her arm, and because of some telekinetic force she had, she slammed my back into a tree. I slumped to my knees.
“Tera,” I pleaded, “Just leave me alone, please.” But Tera, as cruel as she was powerful, did not let up. Today’s method of torture was indeed throwing me from tree to tree—more like slamming I should say. I was again at her mercy, being now too weakened to even try fighting back.
Suddenly, I heard a boom of a voice. It sounded like the voice of the waterbender. However, we were so far away I would be surprised if it actually was her. However, unlike my eyes, my ears were useful. I recognized that voice from the last time I heard it. “Tera” it boomed. It was loud and commanding, yet sweet and calm.
“Tera,” it said again, “you have been warned.”
I heard the splashing of water, and I heard Tera gasp. She seemed to be reading something, since she was saying a few words slowly aloud. Apparently, the water was forming the words which she read.
“Leave Sanaki alone, or Kai will be after you...” I heard Tera say, “I will be sure of it?” I heard Tera curse and grumble.
“Fine,” she said to no one in particular, “I’ll leave her alone.”
In a few minutes, we both came out of the forest. The others were waiting for us, including Zuko and Katara.

I noticed that Sanaki looked battered, and that Tera looked angry. She threw a dark look at everyone, particularly Sanaki’s waterbender, but none of us reacted. The waterbender simply smiled and served us some stew, which she had made from the meat I had. I had a feeling that Tera and this waterbender had met before, but I was not sure where or how...

~Mai~

[Tera253]

CHAPTER 10: AS SWIFT AS FIRE
I was tossing and turning uncomfortably in my sleep. Even my supernatural powers could not help me here. I heard that voice again, as if it were a warning.
“Tera,” it commanded, “This is the last time I will warn you: leave Sanaki alone. Failure to comply will result in undesirable action against you. You have been warned. I do not wish to have to do this.”
“If you didn’t,” I muttered, waking up, “THEN WHY DO YOU!?!”
The voice did not answer. I did hear another voice though.
“Hey Tera,” it said, “it’s nice to interact with your dreams, but could you stay silent at least until morning?”
“Shut up,” I replied darkly and lay back down. That voice had sounded like Sanaki’s. Either way, I was probably going to knock her around anyways, so I didn’t think too much of it.

I woke up later than the others did, seeing the usual nothingness that was in front of me. I sat down and massaged my feet, and then stood up again. That was better. Now I could locate everyone. Sanaki’s waterbender was cooking something over a fire like she usually was, Zuko and Katara were nowhere to be seen, Sokka was sitting by the fire, and Sanaki was still asleep I presumed. Aang was sitting on top of a rock, thinking about something.
“Morning,” I said, smacking my lips and sitting down,
“Good morning,” someone replied. I froze. Sanaki’s waterbender had just spoken. I knew it was her because I recognized everyone else’s voice.
“What are you cooking?” I asked, but she did not respond. I snapped my fingers and disappointment.
“Hey, Toph,” said Sokka, “sleep well?”
“Yeah,” I replied, “until a couple of idiots started yelling last night.” I was talking about Tera and Sanaki. Of course, Sanaki was my friend, but this did not stop her—or any of us for that matter—from being an idiot sometimes. Tera was just mean, so I didn’t care.

Last night had been awful. After I had told Tera to shut up (she didn’t say anything about it being me who said it though, so maybe she did not know) Tera had taken me into the forest, froze me, and left me there. The freezing was not so bad, except for the fact that I was completely blind when such a thing happened. I stumbled back to camp within a few hours; time, and fell asleep then and there.
I woke up after everyone else, but I still got some food. Sokka and Toph said they were going to search for Zuko and Katara, while I sat back and ate. As I was eating, Aang approached me.
“You need something?” I asked him without turning my head—it would not have done much good anyways, since I was blind.
“Yeah,” Aang replied, “I notice you have some awesome firebending abilities, and you carry some defensive moves with you as well. And, well… since Zuko’s still a little awkward, I was wondering if you could teach me firebending.”
“Hmm,” I muttered, “I suppose I could teach you some of my basics,” I said, “since you are the Avatar, and since firebending generally lacks the defensive ability that mine has, sure, I suppose I can teach you.”
“Thanks,” Aang replied, “I don’t mean to sound annoying, but can we start right now?”
“No,” I replied, “let me eat first. After that, I’ll be glad to.” I heard him consent, and the sat back down to finish my meal.

Toph and I had been walking for quite some time now. Suddenly, however, we came across an open field, where two benders were practicing firebending. I looked closer and saw that it was Aang and Sanaki. Sanaki was teaching Aang some her notorious firebending skills.
“you’re a fast learner,” I heard Sanaki say, but now it’s time to put your defensive firebending skills to the test. Fire will block fire—along with many other things. However, if you want to fully grasp the pure speed that firebending is capable of, then try to keep up with me. Sanaki began rapidly jabbing the air, and fireballs cam blasting out of her hands. She flipped over and shot some from her feet as well. Aang blocked a few of them, but was no match for Sanaki’s pure, raw speed.
“Holy crap,” I heard Toph say, “I always knew Sanaki had swift moves, but never like this before. She is FAST.”
We decided to make our appearances known to Aang and Sanaki.
“Nice job, Aang,” I said, “Sanaki’s a good firebending teacher.”

“Yeah,” I added, “I guess when you’re blind you have less to distract you, and you can feel your native element better. This may explain why we both are able to detect our surroundings, Sanaki.”
“I never thought of it that way,” Sanaki replied, but I just gave her a pat on the back. “You and I both know that blind benders are the best, right?” I told her
“I was the one who told you that,” Sanaki replied, and I just laughed. Suddenly, Sanaki was knocked off her feet by a burst of fire. Knowing the perpetrator, (Aang) Sanaki shot back up onto her feet and retaliated. Aang however, blocked it.

I would have been mad, but this was my student showing me my skills. I had told him never to let his guard down. I had just done that, and I was simply paying the price. I still had plans to get him back though.
“Nice one, Aang,” I told him, “You remembered my lessons, and you remembered to defend yourself. I think you’ve done well for today. We’ll continue later.
“Already,” Aang exclaimed, but Sokka told him that they had been at it for a good 6 hours.
We all returned to camp and went our won ways, and not to my surprise, I was attacked yet again by Tera, this time with a blast of fire similar to the one Aang had launched at me. I was on the ground again. Suddenly, I felt something underneath me smash me upwards high into the air. I began screaming as I started freefalling whatever distance it was between me and the ground. Once again, Tera had caught me alone and out of range of anyone else—or so I thought. Being up there and falling though, was very scary for me, since the surprise attack had distorted my senses a little. As I plummeted, my fall was broken by a smooth wave of water. I was able to stand on my feet.
“Tera,” said a voice that I recognized as my waterbender’s, “This has gone far enough. Kai warned you that she was going to take undesirable action if you did it again, and it looks like you have now requested Kai’s services—MY services. You and Sanaki will settle your disputes here and now.”
“But,” I exclaimed to Kai, (since Kai was my waterbender’s seldom-mentioned name) “she’ll destroy me!”
Kai just smiled and put a hand on my back. I felt soothed and relaxed, but did not feel any more powerful. “You’ll do fine,” she assured me.

Tera and Sanaki were going to fight. This was going to be terrible for Sanaki. I watched the fight, with Toph on one side of me and Aang on the other. Tera had fast, powerful moves, but even Tera’s high speed could not compare with the mach-speed defenses that Sanaki could bring up. Suddenly, Tera did something weird and stopped. In this split-second, Sanaki had dashed up to her. She seemed literally stunned.
“This is for you, Tera” I heard Sanaki whisper, and suddenly, she went ballistic on Tera. Sanaki was trashing madly at every square inch of Tera she could reach, sending massive blazes of fire all over. Sanaki had incredible fast moves. After a few seconds of this madness, Sanaki was finally thrown off, and Tera backed away. She shot a look at Sanaki’s waterbender.
“You’ll pay for this, Kai,” she grumbled, “it’s a good thing we share a common purpose, otherwise it’d be now.”

So Sanaki’s waterbender was named Kai. I was finally glad I knew that, fir it had been bugging this earthbender for a while. I was surprised that Sanaki had actually done what she did to Tera. I heard Tera say that she was going to leave Sanaki alone now, but she shot a nasty look at Kai. “Kai,” I thought, “Where have I heard that name before?”
However, I was hungry, and dinner was waiting courtesy of Kai, so I thought of nothing more than the lust for food…

So yeah. that's the story as of now. Make of it what you will...

~Mai~

[Tera253]

CHAPTER 11: MYSTERIES ABOUND (I)
“So,” I said as we ate dinner around the fire that evening, “Aang has learned more firebending from Sanaki, huh?” the meat was normally good, but Kai had done something to it that made it taste so... unusual. It was one of the best samples of meat I had ever eaten.
“Yeah, Sanaki replied, “that kid is pretty good. He’s a swift learner.”
Aang said nothing at first. “Well,” he then said, facing us, “I have had some the best teachers an avatar could ask for!”
Now Sanaki was blushing. In the light of the fire, I noticed the color of her face was almost matching the color of her clothes. I could tell that she was going to change the subject. I was right.
“So,” she said, “being relatively new to your group and all, here’s a question: do you all really plan on taking out the fire lord?”
“Well,” I stammered, “yeah we are.” I then explained to Sanaki everything about the fire lord, the avatar, and Sozin’s Comet.
“Okay,” she said, “in that case, we are here on common purpose—or at least Kai is—I think.”

“Hold it,” I exclaimed before Sokka could answer, “Kai is trying to defeat the fire lord too? Why hasn’t she said anything about this?”
“Well,” said Sanaki, “I’m not sure if it’s that. She hasn’t even told me anything. Kai likes to keep her personal concerns to herself. She said she doesn’t want to be a bother to anyone.”
“She’s way too goody-goody,” I commented, “or just plain selfless.”
“I’d say selflessness,” Sanaki responded, “I don’t take insults directed at Kai very well; sorry, Toph.”
“Whatever,” I responded. Maybe Kai really was like that. Well, I had nothing against her, so I figured I’d save degrading people for someone else—like Tera, perhaps. On that note, where was Tera?
“Hey,” I said at no one in particular, but I was sort of directing it at Kai or Sanaki, “Where’s Tera?”

I looked around. I didn’t see anyone. When I turned around though, I noticed that Zuko and Katara were both sitting by the fire. I guess it surprised everyone else too, because they asked the same question:
“Zuko, Katara, when did you two get here?”
“We’ve been here the whole time,” Zuko replied indignantly, “whether or not you noticed was not under our control.
“Oh,” I said, “sorry. But hey, do you two know where Tera went?”
“I saw her sulking by herself a few yards back,” Katara replied, “and Zuko’s lying—we just got here.”
“Where do you two go all the time?” I asked,
“Well,” Zuko stammered, “it’s complicated really. It seems that the more we are alone—even away from each other, the more Katara and I seem to be able to recall. This place is beautiful and full of life. I feel an inner flame within me burning brightly when I’m alone in these vast fields. I assume Katara feels the same way. She’s told me about it”
“Yeah,” Katara added, “maybe you were right, Aang. “Maybe Zuko’s not evil after all.”
“Again, Katara,” said Zuko, “I’m sorry for what happened. Something came over me. I felt like I was serving a higher authority.”
Katara said nothing, but in the firelight, I noticed my sister was turning red. I watched Zuko closely for any change of facial expressions. I asked Toph if Zuko was lying.
“Actually,” Toph whispered, “I can’t feel a change. I think he’s being completely honest. He doesn’t seem too talented at lying.”
“Sokka,” he said, turning to me, “I’m sorry for the pain I caused your sister, and subsequently, you. Is there any way I can make it up to you?”
I thought long and hard. I looked at Zuko’s face, where the details of it were thrown into relief with the crackling fire. I noticed two swords on his back. I did want to be useful to the group, and since I couldn’t bend, I suddenly had an idea.
“Well,” I said, “I assume you’re good with those swords, right?” I paused, but was not expecting an answer, “could you teach me your ways?”
“Uh, sure, I guess,” Zuko replied, “I’m not sure my techniques are what you’d be used to though.”
“That’s okay,” said Aang, “Sanaki’s firebending tricks are incredibly bizarre, but they’re dead useful. She uses lots of unique defensive maneuvers.”
“I think what Aang’s saying is” I said, “is that unorthodox fighting styles are not a bad thing. So, could you teach me? I really want to be able to contribute to this group.”

Before Zuko could answer, I butted in. “well Sokka,” I said, “you all let Tera into your group, and what has she done besides save me once? Nothing good that’s for sure.”
“I’m sorry about that, Sanaki,” Sokka replied, “but if she’s willing to help defeat the fire lord, a little extra help wouldn’t hurt.”

“Actually,” I said, “it’s hurt me a lot. But don’t worry. I think after what happened earlier she’ll know to keep away from me. Speaking of the devil, where did she go?”
No one knew. However, I suddenly heard footsteps. Someone was running towards us. I used my firebending sense to detect who it was afar off. The darkness didn’t impair my sense too much. I noticed it was Tera. I wasn’t afraid like I usually was, because I knew that she wouldn’t dare attack me in front of everyone.
“Hey you guys,” she said, looking excited, “sorry about my absence. I went all the way to the Fire Nation Palace. I know what the Fire Lord is up to. Do you want to hear about it, or are you all going to hold a lifelong grudge against me for what I did to Sanaki?”
“No, no,” I said, “tell us. It’d be an easy way to end this war.”
If Tera was telling the truth, then even I didn’t care what she had done. She may really be my ticket out of this two-bit dump ruled by the Fire Lord. I could forgive and forget, but that didn’t mean that I didn’t think that Tera was still mean.

“Okay, y’all,” she said, “gather ‘round. Get a load of this...”
Tera unrolled a complex diagram of what had to be the Fire Nation Palace. I could see that she had planned this out very well.
“I know the Fire lord’s routine too,” said Tera, “this is a map of the palace. We can strike at any time within the next 3 weeks. If you read this diagram, you can see how my plan to take out the Fire Lord will work. I hope you guys don’t mind killing a few people should they get in our way, though.”
“Are they innocent villagers?” I asked,
“Only if ‘innocent villagers’ are going to try and turn us in;” Tera replied, “most of them would just be guards or soldiers, and that IF we run into them. Is that too much for you, Sokka?”
“Um,” I stammered, “no please continue.”
“That’s actually pretty much it.” Tera replied, and suddenly I noticed something suspicious. The Earth Kingdom bracelets and anklets Tera usually wore were not on her today, except for the one on her right hand. I asked her about this.
“Oh,” Tera said, as if she had just made a stupid mistake, “well, to get into the Palace I had to disguise myself as a guard. Obviously I had to take those off. After I got the info I wanted, I sprinted back here fast enough that I had only slipped one of them on.” Tera stopped and pulled out the one for her other hand. “So yeah,” she said, now putting her anklets back on, “it was a brilliant scheme. Are you all in for it?”

“Hold it,” I said, worried about the relationship between Tera and Sanaki, “does this involve risking anyone’s life?”
“Well,” Tera stammered, as if she had been caught, “it does involve a small risk to Sanaki, but it’s nothing that will kill her even if an accident does happen.”

“Okay,” I said, accepting my fate, “I’m in. hey, where’d Kai go?”

Kai meanwhile, had snuck off after Tera had come back. She had run into a huge man who was a foot and half taller than she was (which meant this man was about 7’ 7”, since Kai was 6’ 0”). She flashed a tile at him, and he nodded.
“Kai am I correct?” he asked,
“Indeed,” Kai replied, “Dre Yu. Tell Iroh that everything is going as planned. However, I think we might need your assistance with part of the plan. Can you do it?”
“Of course I can.” Dre Yu replied, pulling out an arrow, and then returning it to the quiver, “it’ll be easy.”
How Kai had known about Tera’s plan before Tera had revealed it was unknown. What Kai, Dre Yu, and Iroh had in common was along those very same lines...

~Mai~

[Tera253]

CHAPTER 12: MYSTERIES ABOUND (II)
“So,” I thought to myself, “we’re finally going to sneak into the Fire Nation Palace. This should be interesting.” However, like Toph, I had uneasy thoughts as to what Tera was getting at when he said Sanaki might have to take a risk to her life. Nonetheless, I didn’t hear her complaining about it, so I assumed it was alright.
“Where’d Kai go?” Aang asked, and Tera had an immediate response.
“She’s coming by a different road,” Tera replied, “She said that she had business to attend to first.”

“Does she know where to go?” I asked, worried about my friend—my mother figure—my protection from Tera should she try to attack me again. However, once again, Tera had an answer.
“Sanaki,” she said, “remember that this is Kai. She knows everything. She’s part of the master plan.”
“Wait,” said Sokka, “the master plan? What is this master plan?”
“I can’t tell you,” Tera replied, “but if you all feel uneasy about trusting me, I will say this much: Kai and I are on the same side.”

This was enough for me, but I decided to stay closer to Sanaki just in case Tera did turn on her. Without Kai, I felt that Sanaki was open for getting attacked. I knew that I was no match for Tera either, but two fight better than one no matter what the circumstances, so that was my reasoning and justification.
It wasn’t long before Tera said we were stopping.
“What’s the matter?” Sanaki asked, but it was Zuko, not Tera, that responded to my question.
“We’re here.” Said Zuko, “Below us are the walls of the Fire Nation Palace; we’ll have to sneak in.”

“Oh,” said Tera, as if she had forgotten another crucial part of the plan, “There are actually two places that involve risks. In fact, this first one is right here. We’re going to sabotage part of the walls.”
“How does this involve me?” I asked, wondering how Tera would try to kill me. I didn’t want the others to know that thought, because I didn’t want to look like a pansy.
“Well,” said Tera, “there’s a hoard of bombs right outside a certain part of the wall. You can detect them, correct?”
“I stopped and concentrated my firebending senses hard onto the wall, and then I detected them. They looked pretty huge. However, from my calculations, the resistance from the wall should hold back the explosion from hitting me enough to kill me. However, I knew that I was small and weak, and that it might not kill a normal person, but it could smash me because of my small size. Nonetheless, I didn’t want to let the others down.
“How do we get there without being seen?” I asked,

“Here’s the brilliant part,” said Tera, “and this is why I chose you, Sanaki. You’re the smallest and the fastest. It’s not because I’m trying to kill you. Kai taught me better. Anyways, Toph, you are going to delve underground, take Sanaki to the base of the walls and wait there. You will then hit Sanaki upwards (just boost her; you don’t actually have to hit her) so that she is in the air level with the wall. In that split-second, Sanaki, you will shoot a thin wave of fire through a niche in the stones, hitting the bombs. If done right, the wall should be blown apart. If you’re quick enough, Sanaki, you should land back in Toph’s hole and be safe. If not, you might get slightly injured, but it’s not life-threatening or anything. If you miss, we might get seen. You must take your best shot.”
I shrugged. I guess if she really wanted to kill me I might as well get it over with sooner than later. Later would mean more torture.

“I don’t know about this,” I said to Tera, “this plan seems like Sanaki is simply a pawn in the operation. You don’t care if she dies,”
“Look,” said Tera stiffly, “either we do it, or you can try the ‘nicer’ way, by finding a flame and some quick reflexes that even Sanaki doesn’t have. If you wanted to detonate the bombs from the inside there’s be no wall to stop them from blowing you to bits. It’s your pick, Bei Fong.”
I scowled. Tera had backed me into a corner. I nodded in consent.
“Li Chan,” said Tera, “I wish you luck.” I took Sanaki and shot underground. About halfway there, I stopped.
“Sanaki,” I told her, “do you not see that Tera is setting you up—well, realize that Tera is setting you up. Neither of us can ever see anything.”

I chuckled at Toph’s blind joke, which also applied to me, “I see it sort of as a setup,” I replied, “but I also see it for the greater good. I reckon if Tera wants me dead along with the fire lord, then so be it.”
“Are you sure?” Toph asked me, “Because I could probably get Sokka to devise a new plan...”
“Its fine,” I said, “I just need fast reflexes and an accurate shot.”
“If you insist,” Toph replied as she stopped. We were at the walls.
“Shoot me up,” I said. Our tunnel had been large enough to stand in, so with a stomp from Toph’s foot, I was launched above the ground and into the air. There, I used some extremely swift firebending, and awaited by descent back to the ground.
It came, but not quick enough. The wall was immediately blown apart. I was hit in the gut by a flying chunk of stone and slammed luckily, down into Toph’s open hole. I was fading, and could feel Toph immediately tunneling back to the others. It was not as far as I thought it had been.

“What did I tell you?” I shot indignantly at Tera, “you killed her!”
“I did no such thing,” Tera replied, feeling Sanaki’s pulse. “For one thing, she is alive. Additionally, she chose to do it. I may have ‘persuasive reasoning’, but I cannot force people to do anything.”
I was about to get mad at Tera, but I felt Sanaki coming back around. Katara sprung in and used the healing remedy she had. Sanaki was revitalized. “Let’s go,” she said, “it was just a bruise. It might hurt, but I didn’t do all that to let the guards come back and heavily populate the place.” We were about to run towards the hole in the wall, but Tera stopped us.

“We’re not going that way,” she said, “we’re taking the front.” She paused, “yes, I can see it from here. I guess they’re stupid enough that ALL the guards went to investigate the damage. We’re taking the front entry.”
I thought Tera was crazy, but after she led us not only through the front gate, but also actually into the palace, I changed my mind.
“Not bad, not bad,” I said, “so now what?”
“We rendezvous with Kai here,” Tera replied, “we hide over here and wait for her to come. She knows the drill, Sokka. It’s all good.”
As we went into hiding, I wondered how Kai knew, but there was an inside feeling that told me Tera was not lying...”

“So,” said Dre Yu to Kai, “They detonated the wall... your little friend Sanaki has seem serious guts. She could have been killed like that.” He snapped his fingers,
“So,” said Kai, “I believe that they are now waiting for us. Shall we go and meet them?”
“Iroh knows about the plan, right?” Dre Yu asked, and Kai nodded. “Then let’s go,” he said, “besides, I want to do a little favor for Sanaki.”
“Ah,” said Kai, “so you too are aware of Tera’s plan?”
“Very much so,” Dre Yu replied, still running. He looked like a tough warrior, so he was able to slip past the guards without difficulty. Kai meanwhile, had used her waterbending skills on herself. She melted away into a puddle of water, and flowed across the field behind Dre Yu, following him. Once they were in the palace, she ‘materialized’ again.
“So,” said Dre Yu, “there are more bombs. Sanaki will have to do it again, you know...” Kai nodded.
“However,” said Dre Yu, “that’s why I do this!” Dre Yu pulled out a fire arrow and shot it at a small ring. Using his bending skills, he bent the fire on the arrow to change its trajectory.
“You see?” Dre Yu said, “I’m gonna simply shoot the bombs with an arrow. Sanaki will not be harmed.”
Kai just smiled. Suddenly, they met up with the others, who were hidden.
“Kai,” Sanaki screamed jubilantly, and thankfully, there was no one in the palace that could hear them besides their group.
“Well Tera,” said Kai, “I did not think you would follow through. I guess I was wrong to make that assumption.”
“It’s fine,” said Tera, “remember: we share a common purpose...”

~Mai~

[Tera253]

CHAPTER 13: THE GREAT MAZE
The Fire Nation Palace had changed since we last were there. Now it seemed like a huge maze. Someone was aware that Aang had been coming. The whole place was now like an underground maze.
“You want me to try metalbending some of this place out?” I asked, feeling the walls;
“That’s a good idea, Toph,” said Tera, “but I would not recommend it. Do you know who did this?”
“No,” I replied, for I seriously had no idea. Then it suddenly hit me.
“Was it the Dai Li agents there were here with Azula?” I paused, “wait, you weren’t there.”
“Oh, but I was,” said Tera mysteriously, “but that’s not the point; Toph, you are exactly right. The Dai Li Agents remodeled the place. I guess they were aware of us coming. The last thing we want to do is run into them. If we do, they’ll be reporting us faster than Sanaki’s reflexes.
“So,” I said, “we’re just following the maze then?”
“That is correct.” said Tera, “any questions?”
“Not really,” said Dre Yu, “But I’m just going to drop by with Iroh really quick. He said for me to meet with him. I’ll be going through this passage.”
“okay.” Said Tera, “and you, Kai?”
“I will follow you.” Kai said bluntly, “I want to make sure that Sanaki is safe and okay.”
“Well,” I said, let’s go down into the maze.”

We descended into the maze. Zuko and Katara went first, then Sanaki and Toph, and Aang, then Tera, and then me, and then Kai.
“Sokka,” said Kai from behind me; “is Sanaki alright?”
“She’s at the front behind Zuko and Katara,” I replied, “why?”
“No reason,” Kai replied softly, “I was just wondering.”
“So,” I asked Tera, “how do we find our way through this mess? Its pitch dark in here; I can’t see a thing”
“Oh no, what a nightmare,” said Sanaki sarcastically,
“Hey,” said Toph, and I heard her elbow Sanaki, “that’s my line!”
“Well,” said Tera, “I can see it all. It’s a brilliant scheme. Toph and Sanaki are invaluable. I put Zuko and Katara at the front so they could warn us of an attack. I sort of had to risk them, but I’m pretty sure a few Dai Li agents of Fire Nation soldiers couldn’t kill them you agree?”
“Well,” I said, “she IS my sister... but you’ve got a point. Continue.”
“Toph and Sanaki would have been in the front, but I wanted them a little more protected. Toph is going to sense which way to go, and Sanaki will locate any signs of heat from people other than us. Aang is in the middle because he is the Avatar and should be protected the most; I’m here so I can access either side and talk to all of you without having to yell, and Kai is at the end so if we get attacked from behind, she can stop it. Kai is dangerous. She’s not one you’d want to pick a fight with.”
“So,” I said, “what about me?”
“You,” said Tera, “well, to tell the truth, I just chose a random spot for you. There’s not much you can do here without bending.”
“Oh,” I muttered, “great.”
We continued for a while until Sanaki stopped us.
“We’re being followed,” she said; she seemed to have no regard for what Tera had done to her, for it was her that she was talking to.
“Fire Nation or Earth Kingdom,” I asked,
“It’s a Dai Li,” Sanaki replied, “but there’s only one of them.”
“You all stay here,” Said Tera, “I’ll make quick work of him;”

“Don’t kill him!” I protested. I didn’t want to be the one who gave away this man’s position, and subsequently, his life. He had done nothing to me.
“Sanaki,” said Tera, “he’ll rat us out if we don’t get rid of him.”
“Let me go first. I’ll check who it is.” I knew Tera liked putting me in danger, so I was not surprised when she consented. I left the group a few yards away and waited for him to come. When he came into my sensing range, I recognized him.
“Sanaki,” I heard him call out, and I recognized the voice;
“Teroh,” I exclaimed, “is that you?”
“Indeed it is,” the Dai Li replied, “are you trying to get to the Fire Nation throne room?”
“Yes we are,” I replied, “do you know a better way?”
“No,” Teroh replied, “but I do know how to help you. You all are on the right track. However, the entrance to the throne room is being guarded by a huge squad of the best Fire Nation soldiers and Dai Li. They’ll do you in easily in a second, because there are so many of them. Leave it to me. I’ll tell them to scatter—I’ll raise a false alarm somewhere else. Are you in for it?”
I nodded. “Good luck Teroh,” I said, and embraced him. He embraced me back quickly before disappearing. I turned back to the others and told them what had just happened (except for the hugging part).
“Sanaki,” said Tera, “that was excellent. That makes our job so much easier, and so much less violent. Now all we need to do is complete the maze. Toph, tell Katara and Zuko to lead the way!”

I could tell that we were almost out, but then Sanaki said something again. “We’re being followed again,” she warned, “this time it’s huge. Teroh must have warned them too early.”
“How far are they behind us?” I asked, “Because I can sense the throne room right above us. If they’re far enough away, we’ll bust through and then repair the damage.”
“They’re far off,” Sanaki replied, “hurry!”
I abandoned all precepts and busted through the ground. I sealed it up once we were all out. We weren’t actually in the throne room—I had lied. We were just outside of it though. I sealed up the tunnel and then sensed the people around me. There were only 6 of them, 7 if I counted myself. Someone—Tera—was missing.

“We’ll probably run into her again,” I reassured Toph, “my boomerang senses tell me that.” I got Toph to laugh with my lame remark, and soon we all chuckled a little.
“So,” said Katara, “this is it, Aang. You’re going to face the Fire Lord when we pass through those doors.”
“Unless he’s not there,” said Zuko darkly, but Sanaki thought otherwise. She ran up to the doors, her bare feet making no noise against the stone floor. She stood on her hands and put her feet against the door.
“He’s in there, alright,” she said, “I believe Azula is around as well. She’s not actually in there, but I can feel her too.”
“Anyways,” said Katara to Aang again, “we’re here for you. I’m pretty sure that we can take this guy.”
Aang said nothing. It looked like it was time for “The Sokka” to step in.
“Aang,” I said, “if someone here dies, it’ll be me; I can’t bend. You’re the Avatar. You can bend all four elements. You’ll be fine. Sure if you fail then we’ll have to await Sozin’s comet to come and enhance the abilities of the Fire Nation and let them take over the world and we’ll all die, but no pressure.”
Katara gave me a dry, withering look. I said nothing except “sorry”
“Besides,” Zuko added, “we’ll be helping you. Oh, and we’ve got Kai, and maybe Tera. I still don’t know about Tera. She seems... Controlling...”
“Yeah,” Katara added, “as if she drove us to bloodlust or what-not.”
“Well,” said Sanaki, “I guess we’ll just have to accept her despite what she’s done and just go in there. After all, I doubt that the Dai Li in the basement will be there for very long if we don’t.”
“So,” I said, pulling out my club, “who’s going in first?”
“I will go if you wish,” said Kai, but Toph and Sanaki both opposed,
“No Kai, there might be a trap, and you’re the last person we want dead.” “I’ll go.” Said Aang, and he was already pushing the door open. The rest of us quietly followed. We peered into the throne room. What we saw though, was one of the last things we would have expected. In fact, when some of us first saw it, we thought that something had gone wrong—that our eyes were playing tricks on us...

~Mai~

[Tera253]

CHAPTER 14: TWO-SIDED TRUTH
“Tera,” I exclaimed, “What are you doing?”
We had just come in and I had just seen Tera shaking hands with the Fire Lord. Tera was double-sided after all.
“Greetings Avatar,” said Ozai, “I see you’ve brought company.
He turned to me. “Sokka, the oh-so-great warrior;” he turned to Katara, “ah, the young waterbending master;” he turned to the rest of the group in succession, naming them off as he went.
“The ‘greatest earthbender in the world’; the Runaway, the metalbender—the Blind Bandit; and who is this? Ah, Sanaki Li Chan—you’ve grown. Oh, but you wouldn’t know. You’re just The Swindler; Oh, and of course the Avatar. This should indeed be interesting.”
He paused when he got to Zuko. He said nothing about Kai.
“I wonder about you,” He said, “I guess giving you one scar wasn’t good enough. Now you dare turn against me? I don’t think so. Avatar Aang, we shall commence battle—where I shall destroy you.”
Naturally, we weren’t going to let Aang take him on by himself. We all charged. However, Ozai snapped his fingers, and we were surrounded by Fire Nation guards and soldiers. There were 7 of us against the Fire Lord, a supernatural, and a large group of soldiers. This was going to be intense.
“You fight them off,” said Kai, running in Tera’s direction, “Aang takes the Fire Lord, and I’ll take Tera.”

As I was fighting, I watched Aang and my father locked in combat. Aang was fast, but Ozai had raw power. No one else but me seemed to notice that he was not going to hold. Something Ozai was doing was overwhelming him, but I could not tell what. I raced towards him in attempt to save him, but then something else happened: Aang entered the Avatar state. I heard a gasp, looked to my right, and saw Katara, who had been momentarily shocked by Aang’s sudden move, get impaled. She crumpled, and looked dead. Right before I turned away, I saw her wink at me. I said nothing, and continued fighting.

I looked around as I clubbed my enemies or took them out from afar with my boomerang. I yelled something at Zuko about Katara, but he motioned that she was alright. I kind of found that hard to believe, as she was lying on the ground impaled with a javelin. Oh well. I guess Kai could handle it. Speaking of Kai, where had she gone? I looked around, luck being on my side. This had kept me from getting killed while I turned, for I had accidentally knocked someone out with my club. I noticed an open door, but suddenly my thoughts turned back to Aang. I literally dropped my club when I saw what he was doing. Right when I did, I felt like I had just gotten clubbed—everything went black and I fell to the floor.

I took a quick glance at Toph and Sanaki. They were both holding off the enemies really well. I didn’t blame them for not directing their attention at Aang—they were blind. Nonetheless, they were some of our best fighters. Suddenly, everyone turned. Aang had just launched a devastating attack on my father, which sent him smashing against the wall. He didn’t look like he was going to ever move again. When the soldiers saw that their leader was dead, they began fleeing, lest Aang’s Avatar state aimed for them next.
“So, Zuzu, you came after all.” Said a voice; I knew who it was.
“Azula,” I exclaimed, “you’re too late. Aang has won.”
“oh really?” she exclaimed casually, and then suddenly, she conjured up a huge bolt of lightning in her hand.”
“You can try and kill me,” I said, “but it doesn’t take back what happened”
“Oh, but why would I kill my own brother,” said Azula coolly, “when I can end the avatar cycle—FOREVER”
There was no one here but Toph and Sanaki, both of which were standing there, confused, with no one to fight, Sokka and Katara, who were lying injured on the ground, and me. Where were Tera and Kai?
Azula turned her lightning from me to Aang. He was not leaving the Avatar State fast enough. Azula’s lightning bolt hit him full force. There was no way anyone could have survived that, let alone someone weak against lightning. I watched in horror as Aang stopped moving. His eyes were closed though, and his tattoos were no longer glowing. Had I missed something? I thought they would fade away if he died. I looked around and saw Katara actually spring up. Sokka was just in front of her. I was about to follow them when I heard a voice.
“Very well-done, Azula,” it said, “It looks like my threat is gone.”
I stopped. I recognized that voice.

“Tera,” I exclaimed; I would have pulled out my club, but I was too weak and disoriented at the moment.
“Sokka,” she said coolly, “it was all part of the plan. It looks like we’ll also need a new Fire Lord though.”
Azula grinned, but then Tera did something that none of us expected—not even Azula. She turned around, conjured up a metal blade out of thin air, and then plunged it straight into Azula. We all stopped.
“Of course,” said Tera calmly, as if nothing had happened, “I had intentions of someone besides you taking over. I believe myself was in mind.” She paused, and then turned to Zuko as Azula crumpled, lifeless.
“Unless Ex-Prince Zuko wishes to say something about it,”

I didn’t want Tera to turn on me like that. It was not worth the risk. I said nothing.
“I take your lack of response as your answer,” Said Tera, “good job. I wouldn’t want to have to kill you too.” She paused, and turned to the others. Kai was now with us. “Now,” she said, “I recommend you all leave my palace so you don’t have to be one of the victims I... clean up...”
Before any of us could act, Tera had snapped her finger, and the moment we did, we found ourselves far away from there.

What had I just done? I had just killed Azula; and had assisted the destruction of the Avatar cycle. I had few regrets, but something did not feel right. It seemed that my line of duty was interfering with my code of ethics that I had created myself. I had felt like I had no choice. Oh well. One thing was certain: I wasn’t going to be the one that ruled the Fire Nation. That would be someone else’s job. For now, I just wanted to leave—disappear. I had been living for 8716 years now—8716 years too long. At once I vanished from the scene. I knew who they would put on the throne of the Fire Nation. It wasn’t who I wanted, but I kept quiet. There were 3 people I had targeted for different duties: these three would rule the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation, and the Water Tribes if all went well. Until then, time would tell...
Where did I end up going? That was another secret—another mystery. Clazdian, the higher authority which I served, did not even know. He would soon find out, and it would be from him that I learned my next line of duty. However, I had spared Sokka, Katara, Toph, Kai, and Sanaki for a reason. Zuko was a slightly different story, which had not yet been revealed. I bet about now, anyone trying to follow up on the story is really angry with me. If I cared, maybe I’d do something. However, just adding mysteries on top of other mysteries is far too much fun...

Tera had betrayed us, and had done so much. She was a brilliant tactician, and that’s what made her so dangerous. Her powers added to that made her nearly unstoppable. Either she was playing a very well thought out two-sided role, or we were just doomed. It was then that I remembered my unborn child. The last time I had seen my husband was a few days before Sanaki and I had gone with the Avatar. I had heard strange prophecies about Kai the Younger, as she was to be called, but that was still very far, far, away...

~Mai~

[Tera253]

and now I finally get to the last chapter...
This chapter also serves a a prologue to my sequel series, named after this chapter.

CHAPTER 15: THE CYCLE SURVIVED
The next 18 years passed by quickly. By then my child had been born. She had dark skin and brown hair just like mine. She grew up to be a strapping young woman. I had been told that she looked tough. I just said she looked like me. I was not one to brag. One very peculiar thing about Kai Serenes II, as she was named (I was now Kai Serenes I) was that unlike me, she had been born with the N-shaped tattoo on her arm. It was blue. Now, by age 18, I had not told her that her marking had a meaning.

Kai II was not normal. She had certain aspects in her life that made her incredibly different. I did not dare tell her who she really was, because that would cause mass confusion. However, since usually the information I was withholding was revealed when the person was 16, I figured Kai’s time was coming fast. In the meantime, there was new leadership over the Fire Nation, the Water Tribes, and the Earth Kingdom. The world had seemingly returned to peace, but there was an international uneasiness. The new leader of the Fire Nation was having trouble keeping things in order, because some people wanted a different person on the throne. Whoever was in charge was doing a good job at keeping them subdued. Ironically, all three leaders were seldom where they should have been. They were often abroad.

My friends Sokka, Katara, Toph, and Sanaki were all okay. Zuko however, had been killed by Tera 3 years previously. I had only learned this recently; otherwise I would have revived him. I was so distraught by this. He and Katara had been married only a few years before. Toph and Sokka had married as well. From what I understood, Sanaki had supposedly married a man named Saza, but to this day, their relationship is still unclear. As far as anyone knows, she is still not married. Kai II and I would visit them often.

My mother, Kai I, was so sweet to me. I could see why Sanaki loved her so much. She had apparently made a good mother figure to her. She was now 55. I was only 18. My other friends, Sokka, Toph, Sanaki, and Katara, were between 31 and 34. I looked exactly like my mother by this time. I even wore my hair the same way she did. The differences were that I was still a few inches shorter than her height of 6’0”, and her hair was beginning to turn grey. She was getting old.

I had recently begun hearing talk about the last Avatar, a person who could master all four elements. There were rumors that the Avatar was still alive—that the last Avatar, Avatar Aang, had not been killed while in the Avatar state like people thought. The supernatural, Tera, was supposed to be taken down by an Avatar, but how could that happen when such a being no longer existed? For some reason, this talk about Avatars made always took my fancy, and I wanted to learn as much about them as I could. However, every time I asked my mother about them, she would get really sad and change the subject. I never pressed her too hard—I grew up just like her. She taught me to be selfless—to always put others first.
However, my mother constantly diverting the subject from Avatars was about to change. It did one day, midway through my 19th year—5 months before my 19th birthday.

“Kai,” she said, “come here for a moment. I need to tell you something that will change your life forever.”

“What is it, mother?” I asked, and Kai led me to a small, secluded room and made sure no one could possibly hear us.

“Do you know about how Avatar Aang died?” she asked me,
“Aye,” I replied, “it ended the avatar cycle forever.”
“Actually,” said Kai I, “it did not. The Avatar Cycle survived.”
“WHAT,” I exclaimed,

“SHH,” my mother whispered, and I calmed down. I had not been expecting that. “What do you mean?” I asked her,

“Avatar Aang had left the Avatar State right when he was killed. It was an act. He knew that he was going to die as he saw the lightning coming. His reflexes were only quick enough to take him out of the avatar state before he died. You do know the cycle, right? The order in which the Avatars come from; if so, that means that the next element after air would be…”

“Water,” I said, “right?”
“Precisely,” my mother replied, “and you know about Tera the supernatural, correct?” I nodded.

“Tera thinks that the avatar cycle ended. I have just told you that it didn’t. I know who the next avatar is, and they are indeed a waterbender. Kai, there is a reason you are so interested in avatars. Have you had weird dreams about meeting people you’ve never seen, but that know you and recognize you by name?”

“Yes,” I replied, “yes I have. There was this huge woman with a pair of fans, an old man with a long, swaying beard, and a young bald boy with arrows on his head and arms. They would often talk to me. I recognized them as the avatars. Why though, are they talking to me?”

“Kai,” I said, “they are talking to you because you are a reincarnation of them. You are the next avatar.”

My jaw dropped, and everything suddenly went black.
I woke up to find myself on the floor.

“What happened, mother?” I asked,
“You fainted after I told you that you are the avatar,” my mother replied, “Kai, I did not push you so hard to learn my skills for no reason. I knew it from the day you were born.”

“So,” I said, “what about the Avatar state? How come I’ve never gone into it? Weren’t you supposed to tell me this when I was 16?”

“I would have,” said Kai, “but I was deeply concerned for your safety. I know that young people that age will somehow accidentally leak news as big as that out. It was not that I didn’t trust you; it was that I worry for your safety. If people find out that the Avatar still does exist, it would mean your demise, and likely mine as well.”

“I’d sacrifice myself for you, mother,” I said, tears forming in my eyes, “I would never let them get you. So, why have I never entered the avatar state if I’m really the avatar?”

“Usually,” my mother replied, “at this young of an age, an avatar will only go into the Avatar state when they are very frightened, or when they are very angry. You have adopted my personality very well, and you almost never get angry as a result. You are just like me.”

“Oh,” I said, still trying to take in the fact that I, Kai Serenes II, was the next Avatar—that the cycle had survived.
“I do hope you will forgive me for delaying it two years,” my mother said humbly, closing her eyes and lowering her head,
“I do, mother,” I replied, “I could never get angry at you of all people. You are far too calm and collected.”

“You are just young and slightly unstable, like all youth are.” My mother replied, “By the time you are 21, you should be completely grown up as well.” I nodded.

“Anyways,” she continued, “Kai, since you are the Avatar, you must go and find teachers for the other three elements that can teach you the ways. You have obviously mastered water—for I have taught you everything; and you might even be able to outperform me. I will take you to the other lands to help you learn to bend earth, fire, and air.”
“So, how am I going to find my teachers?”

“I already know who two of them are,” Kai replied, “I will take you to the Northern Water Tribe first though, because there is something else you must learn.”

My mother went into a back room and brought back a pair of katana. “These blades belonged to your father,” she said, “he was a master warrior, since he could not bend. You must also learn to master these.”

“Okay,” I replied, “I suppose you know of a teacher for these as well?”
“Indeed I do,” my mother replied, “there is a master in the Northern Water Tribe. That is another reason we are going there. The first reason is so we can meet the head of the Water Tribes. They might be able to give you some pointers that I cannot.”

“So,” I asked, “Am I going to have to learn waterbending again?”
“No,” my mother replied, chuckling slightly, “but I do want you to master the art of blade-wielding as well. There are times when bending will be of no use. These are the times you will need these weapons. You wear them on your back like this.”

I showed my daughter how to properly wear the sheaths of the blades. I then put the katana in them, and looked her over.
“They make you look tough.” I said, “That is a good thing. Avatar Kai, there are some things though, that I must warn you about before we depart.” Kai nodded and looked me straight in the eye.

“What are they, mother?” she asked me,
“You must not let anyone—not even your friends—know that you are the avatar.” I replied, “Again, there is always a possibility that word would leak out. If Tera ever found out that the avatar was still alive, she would destroy this entire world.”

“Okay,” she nodded in response, “so, I suppose I’ll just change my clothes with each place I go to then?”

“Indeed,” I replied, “one thing though that I am going to request for your benefit, is to always go barefoot. It has been proven by various people that those who go barefoot will perform better. There are various reasons, but the main one is because I can testify form experience. This is the reason I have never let you wear shoes either.”

“I understand,” the young avatar replied, “so, who are my teachers?”
“Well, the blade master is in the Northern Water Tribe, as is the head of the water tribes.” I replied, “They will teach you some things. Your earthbending teacher is also the leader of the Earth Kingdom. That will be next. Once we complete our tasks there, we will go to the Fire Nation. There, we will meet the ruler of the Fire Nation, and that will be your firebending teacher. As for Airbending, that will be difficult. I have heard rumors of an airbender that has been seen around the western air temple. If this person really exists, she will teach you airbending. I believe you may have crossed paths with her at one time or another.”

“So,” I said, “it sounds like my teachers are all pretty important people, huh?” my mother nodded.
“In that case,” I said, “let us be off. My lips are sealed. I will say nothing about being the Avatar.”
“You are the one hope for removing Tera’s authority,” my mother warned as we headed out the door, “Avatar Kai,”

~Mai~