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"Isn't it just so pretty to think

All along there was some

Invisible string

Tying you to me?

-Taylor Swift

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CONSIDERING ITS START, THE REST OF KIDA'S JOURNEY TO BA SING SE IS RELATIVELY UNEVENTFUL. Soon enough, she arrives at Full Moon Bay, the transport hub located at the centre of the Earth Kingdom. All that stands between Kida's goal — finding Yoko's sister, and then finding some semblance of normal life — is a ferry ride.

Well, a ferry ride and a stubborn passeport attendant.

"Well, my house and everything in it was burnt down by the Fire Nation," Kida explains, furrowing her brow in frustration. "So, no, I don't currently have a passport."

"No passport, no ferry!" the ticket lady repeats sternly.

"But, I —"

"Enough!" the woman interrupts. She slams a hand onto her desk to emphasize that their conversation is over. "Do I need to call security? Next!"

Kida exits the line, grumbling to herself as she walks away. She gets lost in the commotion of the station, allowing herself to disappear into the crowd while she considers her next move. Stealing someone's passport? Nope! No more stealing; those days are behind her. Forging a passport? Not impossible, but expensive. Abandoning the plan? No. This is for Yoko. Kida needs to find her sister, explain what happened.

Kida needs to find a way into the city.

Suddenly, a hand latches onto Kida's shoulder and the girl freezes. "Planning another escape?"

That voice. It sounds like...it couldn't be —

"Suki?" Kida turns around and sure enough, there she is. Suki is wearing a uniform, not her usual Kyoshi Warrior outfit, but the one that the other security guards are wearing. Still, her violet gray eyes have that same enchanting twinkle that always makes Kida's heart skip a beat; she wears that same compassionate smile, the one Kida knows can turn into a fierce glare in less than a second if anyone gets on her bad side.

It's definitely, unmistakably Suki. Kida doesn't know whether to curse the Spirits for their strange coincidences — after all, Kida's initial destination was Kyoshi Island before things got derailed, to put things lightly — or thank them for bringing her face to face with someone who Kida probably really needs right now given how shitty things have been lately.

Without thinking much of it, Kida brings Suki into a hug, trying to communicate what her words can't — the brief uncertainty of their chance encounter, the regret of leaving, the joy of reuniting. Suki hugs back tighter, which says all that and more.

"It's been a while," Suki says as she pulls away. "Since you..."

"Left without saying goodbye?" Kida laughs, rubbing the back of her neck. "I tend to do that."

Suki tilts her head. "I sense a story there."

"Yeah, it's not really a good one," Kida says. "So, do you work here now or something?"

"Well, it's good to know that you're still a master of deflection," Suki notes. "But you're not getting away this time. I have my break now, so let's go upstairs and talk."

"Suki, I need to —"

"Oh, come on, Kida! You owe me for that disappearing act you pulled. Give me one hour of your time, for all those months we've lost."

Kida sighs, but the smile on Suki's face makes all of her ambivalence wash away. "Fine. One hour."

Taking her hand, Suki brings Kida up to the employees' break room. The two share an egg custard tart and sit cross-legged on a bench, their knees touching. Below the balcony where they sit, there's the bustle of travellers and merchants; yet, everything seems to disappear, Kida feels like she's back on Kyoshi Island, the smell of sea salt in the air, a warm breeze dancing across her skin. Kida is taken back to a simpler time, when she and Suki would spend the day at training, which didn't seem so tedious when they were together, and then get up to whatever afterwards: swimming, talking, gathering food, doing chores, training some more. Even though everything was ordinary, Suki made everything feel so much more special. Suki made Kida feel safe and understood and (dangerously) comfortable. The feeling of home — that's what Kida gets whenever Suki is around, and today is no exception.

Even so, Kida doesn't want to delve into the details of her experiences with Team Avatar and Sokka or what happened with Yoko. Unfortunately, strange coincidences seem to be a trend in Kida's life.

Case in point:

"You're the Kyoshi Warrior who kissed Sokka?" Kida exclaims, almost choking on a mouthful of custard.

"It was only a kiss on the cheek," Suki defends.

Kida thinks back to one of the first nights she spent with the team and almost laughs at the memory. "Well, it was enough for him to brag about it weeks later."

"Wait." Suki turns to Kida and tilts her head. "You talk like you know him."

"Oh!" Kida's eyes widen once she realizes that she said her thoughts out loud; but there's no point in lying. She clears her throat. "Weird coincidence, actually. I do know Sokka. I know the whole team, actually. Kind of. More than kind of, I guess."

"More than 'kind of'?"

"Well, I, uh, I traveled with them for a bit, up until the North Pole."

"Huh. That is a weird coincidence. Why aren't you with them now, though? Did something happen at the North Pole?"

Kida freezes. Her first instinct: run away. Far away from this place, far from Suki. To run and hide. The thing is though, Kida is tired of running. She's tired, period.

And, this Suki. Kida doesn't want things to be like before, to lie to Suki or to hide anything from her. Suki deserves so much more than that. She deserves the truth, even if everything between them changes. Even if Suki ends up hating Kida because of it; there's probably a club for that by now, and honestly, Kida would probably be a member. "About that. I need to tell you something, Suki."

So much for not going into details.

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ONCE SHE'S DONE EXPLAINING, KIDA HOLDS HER BREATH. Usually, Kida's heart flutters whenever Suki is around, but now her heart stops in anticipation of her reaction.

"Okay," Suki starts slowly. Suddenly, he furrows her eyebrows at Kida. "Should I be mad?"

"I...that's kind of your call, I guess."

Suki pauses again and Kida thinks that it's really over.

Defeated, Kida gets up to leave, but Suki reaches out and pulls her back down. She grasps both of Kida's hands in hers and turns to face her, looking at her sincerely.

"You seriously think I'd be mad at you for, for what? Having a father from the Fire Nation? Being a firebender? Those are all things you can't control."

"Yeah, I guess." Kida looks down at her feet. "I lied, though, which is definitely something I can control."

"Okay, yeah, that part sucks. But, honestly, I'm more mad at you for leaving."

"Right. I think that part of the reason I left Kyoshi — I left you — was because I lied and I got scared of how close we were and I...I was scared to let my guard down. I didn't want you to get mad and hate me, so I left before I gave you the chance to." Kida bites her lip to stop herself from crying. She takes a deep breath before letting a few tears slip out.

Suki removes one of her hands from Kida's and uses it to lift Kida's chin so they're eye to eye. "I can be mad at you without hating you, Kida. Frankly, I don't think I could ever hate you." Suki gently cups Kida's cheek and uses her thumb to wipe away a tear.

"Sorry, I don't know why I'm crying." Kida brushes Suki away to use her own hand instead.

"Is it because you're sad that you finished your half of the custard?" Suki smiles cheekily. "Because no matter how hard you cry, I'm keeping my half for later."

Kida sniffles and lets out a chuckle in spite herself. "I really missed you."

"I really missed you, too," she replies. She runs a hand through Kida's hair. "You look tired."

"I am," Kida sighs. "I'm really, really sorry for leaving, Suki."

"I know," Suki whispers. "And I'm sorry you felt that you had to lie about who you really are your whole life. That couldn't have been easy."

"It really wasn't," Kida admits. "The worst part is how that lie messed everything up and I hurt so many people I love because of it. You. Sokka. Just to name a few."

Suki squeezes Kida's hand. "I got over it. He will, too, with time. You'll be together again."

"Maybe I should just move on." Kida looks out to the busy transport station, picturing Ba Sing Se bustling with so many more people, so many more possibilities. "Maybe what I need is a fresh start. A happy ending, just like Yoko wanted."

"Who's Yoko?"

Before Kida can respond, the door to the break room opens.

"Hey, Suki!" a delicate voice calls. The owner of it is a girl, maybe a year older than Suki and Kida. Her hair is falling out of its bun and there are paint stains all over her clothing, but she looks incredibly excited. Her face falls when she sees Kida. "Oh. Sorry, I didn't think you'd be busy, I can come back later."

Suki shakes her head and walks over to the girl. She kisses her cheek and takes her hand. "Of course not! Stay, we just lost track of time. Actually, you guys should probably meet, anyways." Suki turns back to Kida. "Kida, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Mika."

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author's note!

ah im back! i'll try my best to stick to a schedule; chapters will be posted tuesdays and thursdays!

i hope everyone is doing okay. these times are difficult, but please be kind to yourself (and others!) and find ways to take breaks/allow yourself to rest <3