"EXPLAIN TO ME AGAIN WHAT HAPPENED,"  Kida states, already coming up with a plan.

After rescuing Appa, Zuko went through some sort of "metamorphosis," as Uncle called it, some sort of internal battle between good and evil that was not only mental, but physical as well. That was how Kida understood it, at least. Needless to say, Zuko was sick for quite some time, so she and Uncle helped him through. Before long, Zuko was better than ever: more optimistic, more excited about life, and, Kida's personal favourite, more patient during training. At the same time, Uncle opened his very own tea shop, and, on opening day, got invited to serve tea to the Earth King. He and Zuko left earlier in the morning, both in high spirits. Things were looking up.

At least, that was the case before Uncle came rushing back to their apartment, out of breath and desperately asking Kida for her help.

"It was an ambush," he explains. Kida hands him a cup of water, which he gulps down quickly before continuing. "Azula, Zuko's sister, is in Ba Sing Se. She cornered us, and we managed to get away, but Zuko —"

"He stayed to fight her," Kida deduces and Uncle nods. She starts pacing back and forth across the living room. Almost subconsciously, she moves to grab her knife, and straps it to her belt. "Okay, so we need to find Zuko, but we also have to figure out why Azula is here. That can't be good. I say we ambush a Dai Li agent to see what he knows and go from there. I'll be back in a bit."

Before she can leave, Uncle places a hand on Kida's shoulder. "I think this might require more than that. You know who might be able to help us...."

Kida furrows her brow before realizing what he means. "No. I mean, how would we even find them? The city is huge."

"That shouldn't be a problem. It is no coincidence that you are in the same city as them right now. I believe destiny brought you together for a reason." Uncle smiles.

»»---------------------►

KIDA IS ABOUT TO KNOCK ON THE DOOR OF A HOUSE IN THE UPPER RING OF BA SING SE. Uncle stands behind her, waiting calmly, and the Dai Li agent she ambushed and tied up is sitting on the ground. She tries to ignore her heart trying to beat out of its ribcage.

Before Kida can actually knock, someone opens the door. It's that earthbender she ran into in the woods a while back. Toph.

"Hothead," Toph greets, smiling. "I've been wondering when you're going to show up." She punches Kida's arm affectionately before stepping aside and letting her in.

"Kida?" Aang says. He rushes to give Kida a hug. At first contact, Kida is hesitant, but that changes within a millisecond.

"Hey, kid," she replies softly once Aang pulls away.

"Why are you here?" Sokka glares at her, his arms crossed.

Kida tries not to let his aggressive tone hurt her. She gestures to Uncle. "We need your help. Azula is in Ba Sing Se."

"She must have Katara," Aang realizes.

Spirits. Things just got worse. Kida has nothing to lose. She really does need their help, and she wants to help them, too. "Azula also has Zuko. Who, by the way, turns out is my cousin. Just to avoid any future surprises."

Sokka's jaw practically drops to the floor. "Oh no. Absolutely not." He walks towards Kida and starts pushing her out the door.

She stands her ground and pushes him away. "He's different now," Kida defends. "Look, and it's not just him who needs our help. Katara does too, and frankly, the whole city is in danger. I need you to trust me."

"I did once, remember?" Sokka snaps. "We don't need anyone's help."

"Katara is in trouble," Aang pleads. He moves to stand in between Kida and Sokka. "All of Ba Sing Se is in trouble. Working together is our best chance. And...it's not just anyone, Sokka. It's Kida."

"Like that makes it better," Sokka scoffs. "Besides, Zuko doesn't deserve our help. Name one time when he did something good."

"When he and Kida freed your sky bison," Uncle interrupts.

Aang stares at Kida in awe. "That was you?" Kida nods slightly before Aang brings her into another hug. At this, Sokka clenches his jaw. He looks to Kida, then to the floor, but says nothing. "Please Sokka," Aang pleads, looking between Sokka and Kida. Eventually, Sokka gives in and nods defeatedly.

Kida smirks a little, feeling a bit more confident that this was the right choice. "You won't regret it, Ponytail. Especially because we brought a present." She leads the group outside to interrogate the Dai Li agent.

»»---------------------►

SOKKA SEEMS LESS THAN THRILLED ABOUT THEIR PLAN. He suggested that Aang, Kida and Uncle Iroh go rescue Zuko and Katara, while he and Toph go to warn the Earth King. Uncle then suggested that Kida go with them to warn the Earth King because that would require more people. Kida isn't certain, but she has a feeling he did that for a different reason. Nonetheless, Uncle convinced Aang and Toph, so it was three against two. Kida and Sokka would just have to work together, despite the hostility between them. If they had done it before, they could do it again.

As they climb the stairs to the king's palace, Sokka notices one of the generals. He drags Kida and Toph behind a pillar to avoid the Dai Li as they capture General How.

"The coup is starting," Sokka whispers. He looks to Kida. "We need to get to the Earth King, now."

Kida nods in agreement and the three start running up the stairs, into the throne room. Once they arrive, the king and his bear sit comfortably at the throne. And there are two Kyoshi warriors standing guard. Weird, Kida thinks. Something seems off about them.

"Thank goodness we're in time," Sokka exclaims.

"In time for what?" the Earth King asks.

"Yeah, what are you in time for?" one of the Kyoshi warriors repeats. She does some sort of acrobatic jumps to stand directly in front of Sokka. "Cutie," the warrior coos.

Kida rolls her eyes and then it hits her. Quickly, she steps in front of Sokka, pointing her knife towards the imposter. "These aren't the real Kyoshi Warriors."

"What?"

"Sorry to disappoint," the other warrior smirks. She throws a dagger at Kida, who pushes Sokka out of the way before dodging it.

Before the trio can defend themselves, Azula appears, holding a flame close to the king's throat.

"The fight is over," she threatens. "Get them all out of my sight."

»»---------------------►

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Sokka shouts, turning away from their prison cell's barred window to point at Kida.

"Oh, really!" Kida scoffs. Frustrated, she stabs her knife into the stone wall next to her. It was almost a joke, the way Azula held one tiny flame to the Earth King's throat and the battle was over before it even began. Hopefully, Aang and Uncle have better luck finding Katara and Zuko before it's too late. With Ba Sing Se now under Fire Nation control, there was no way Kida would stay here. In that sense, it did seem like destiny wanted Kida to travel with Team Avatar. But, obviously, there were things that needed to be discussed and wounds that were still healing. And, what about Iroh and Zuko? Kida might not admit it, but she has grown rather attached to having them around.

"Yes, really," Sokka mocks. "If you hadn't exposed them for being imposters, we could have gotten away."

Kida aggressively removes her knife from the wall. "Do you live in a version of reality where every single thing is my fault?"

"I think that's every reality," Sokka replies smugly.

"Are you knuckle-heads seriously arguing right now?" Toph groans. "Sokka, do you see any Dai Li agents?"

"Nope," he replies. "All clear."

Toph smirks. She cracks her knuckles before placing her hands on the door and bending it. The metal. She throws the crushed metal door away. Kida stares in awe.

"Did you just bend metal?"

"Yep," Toph states proudly.

"That was awesome."

"Okay, okay," Sokka interrupts. "Let's go."

"No! Not without Bosco."

»»---------------------►

AFTER RESCUING THE EARTH KING'S BEAR, the group runs out to the courtyard where they planned to meet after everyone was rescued. There was no sign of Uncle or Zuko; only Katara, clothes and hair drenched. Kida's heart drops when she notices Aang's limp body.

"What...what happened?" she chokes, kneeling down next to them. Suddenly, she feels as though she can't breathe. Uncle is nowhere to be seen. Zuko is nowhere to be seen. Aang is dying. Kida doesn't want to assume the worst, but given prior experience, she has no other option. Maybe this was their plan all along: to manipulate her into trusting them and leading them to the Avatar. She can't picture Iroh doing something that twisted. Maybe the old Zuko. Nothing made sense, but then again, nothing else mattered in this moment than saving Aang. The rest will be sorted out late. "It's going to be okay," Kida assures Katara, although she still isn't sure that she herself believes it. She tries to keep her voice steady, to stay strong for Katara like Katara had for her in the past. Kida lightly brushes a tear off of Katara's cheek. "It's going to be okay," she repeats.

Kida squeezes Aang's hand softly before reaching into his pocket for his bison whistle. She calls Appa, who arrives in no time.

Kida helps Katara, who is still holding Aang, onto Appa. She lifts Toph up, too, then the Earth King and his bear. Finally, she reaches down to help Sokka up. He takes her hand reluctantly.

As they fly away, Katara stops crying. She gently lays Aang down, taking a deep breath before trying to heal him. His arrows glow and he groans. Aang opens his eyes.

The group lets out a collective sigh of relief. Kida holds back tears. She looks back to Ba Sing Se sadly.

"Kida, you're staying," Katara states all of the sudden.

Sokka sighs. "Katara, you can't just make a decision for the whole team. We need to talk about this."

"I'm staying," Kida declares. "The Earth Kingdom has fallen. I'm done running. I'll fight with you guys." She looks to the team. "Whatever it takes."

END OF BOOK TWO

»»---------------------►

author's note! i can't believe it's already the end of book two! what did you guys think? 

thank you so much for reading and commenting, it means the world! i hope that everyone is staying safe and doing well during this time <3 

~ blue