The Little Dragon

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Monday, August 3rd

Kaida

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    Iroh heads back outside and we follow tightly behind him. Bounded and gagged Dai Li agent is sitting on the porch. Toph lifts him up by earthbending two stone slabs on either side of him. Iroh pulls down the cloth over his face, he was one of the guards I knocked out. I reach out for him and unlike other guards, his fire seemed to be returning.

     "Azula and Long Feng are plotting a coup. They're going to overthrow the Earth King." I crossed my arms, wow what a surprise, never saw that coming.

Sokka didn't have the patience to wait and angrily spoke out, "My sister! Where are they keeping Katara?" He points his machete at the Dai Li agent.

    "In the crystal catacombs of Old Ba Sing Se, deep beneath the palace." I looked back at everyone a smile on my face.

    "Seems like we have a plan." They all nodded and we quickly depart for the palace. Hyo was waiting for us behind the house.

    "Hyo!" I smiled and ran up to him, hugging him again. Gosh, every time I leave him it feels like years pass between meeting even though it's only a few days. "Hey is it okay if I get on?" I pat his now hard scales. He was so big now, almost fully grown.

   Hyo lets out a puff of smoke and so I swing my legs and hop on. Everyone else has boarded Appa. Aang let out a "Yip-Yip" and shot into the air. I rubbed Hyo scales.

     "Let's go!" With that Hyo blasted into the air easily keeping up with the gAang and Iroh. After flying for a short while we made it to the palace. I pointed towards a landing point. "There!" Hyo and Appa shortly landed afterward.

    Everyone hopped off and Toph was the first to talk, "Well whaddya know. There is an ancient city down there, but it's deep." Toph waves her fists outward, earthbending a small crater in the ground.

    "We should split up. Aang, you go with Iroh to look for Katara and the angry jerk...no offense."

    "None taken." I laughed at that.

    "Where do you want me Sokka?" I smiled giving him to go-ahead to order me around this once.

    "Go with them, we need as much power as we can spare getting my sister out and protecting Aang." I nodded my head.

    "Where are you off too?" I walked next to him, looking up at the large palace walls.

    "I'll go with Toph to warn the Earth King about Azula's coup." Momo jumps on Sokka's shoulder. I patted Sokka on the back before running up to Aang and Iroh as we jumped into the deep underground.

     Aang started tunneling down using his earthbending and Iroh is lighting the way with a flame cupped in his hand. There is a moment of uncomfortable silence between us until Aang decides to break the ice. "So, Toph thinks you give pretty good advice. And great tea."

    I kept moving forward I was leading the way, Aang moving the walls from in front of me. If there was something bad in front of us, I would get it first. "The key to both is proper aging. What's on your mind?" I glanced back at the both of them.

    Aang pauses for a second to deepen the tunnel with an earthbending movement before continuing. "Well, I met with this Guru who was supposed to help me master the Avatar State, and control this great power. But to do it, I had to let go of someone I love, and I just couldn't." Woah he met with the Guru, oh, and someone he loves? I wonder who in the world that would be. I chuckled at the thought.

    "Perfection and power are overrated. I think you were very wise to choose happiness and love." We stop again and Aang pushes back the earth with a wave of his arms.

    "What happens if we can't save everyone and beat Azula? Without the Avatar State, what if I am not powerful enough?" Aang asks, worry shaking his voice.

    "I don't know the answer. Sometimes life is like this dark tunnel. You can't always see the light at the end of the tunnel, but if you just keep moving..." We come to one last wall of rocks. Aang pushes both arms forward, earthbending the rocks out of the way. A green light shines through. One of the lights from my dream, I got a chill rush down my spine. I looked back to Iroh who smiles as the flame in his hand extinguishes and the green light washes over him. "You will come to a better place."

    I backed up to Aang and put a hand on his shoulder, "you are not in this alone." I smiled down at him. "I will protect you, everyone will protect you." He gave me a small smile at that.

    Then all of a sudden Katara's heat hit me, "I got their trail!" We started into a run, we rounded a corner and there they were, sitting in a cage together.

    "Aang! Katara!" Katara shouted as she saw us. I smiled and walked over to her. Then I noticed how close Katara and Zuko were. I raised a brow and looked back at Aang who seemed to have the same thought as my own. Katara runs up to him and they embrace in a warm hug. Aang glares at Zuko while still holding Katara. Iroh runs up to Zuko and hugs him around the shoulders.

    I have stuck awkwardly in the middle. "Kaida!" Katara let her arms open a little more. I smiled and embraced her. I looked back at Zuko to see him glare back at the Avatar.

    I had moved over to Zuko and he hugged me in a bone-breaking embrace before tucking me behind him. "I knew you guys would come." Katara looked towards both of us.

    "Uncle, I don't understand. What are you doing with the Avatar!" He points a finger at Aang. He didn't question me, which seemed fair.

     "Saving you, that's what," Aang shouted back, Zuko snarls at Aang and tries to lunge at him, but I grab Zuko, preventing him from causing a fight.

    "He really wanted to save you, don't ruin it." He struggled against my hold, and I couldn't hold back a sigh.

    "Zuko, it's time we talked." Iroh looked at me, "Go help your other friends. We'll catch up with you." I reluctantly let go of Zuko.

    Aang clasps his hands and bows respectfully to Iroh before running back through the hole in the cave. Katara slowly follows after him. "Come help us beat your sister when you are ready!" I cheered with a smile before running after them.

    Though I couldn't get Zuko sullen look out of my mind.

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Should I do an upspree?