Avatar: The Parallels

Chapter 26: All is Fair in Love and War

Tikaani's POV:

"Okay, so this symbol means..." I bit my lip as I studied the picture below the symbol that I was trying to memorize. I hadn't had much time to look at the scrolls I'd taken from the library, what with our being stuck in the desert and all, so now was the perfect opportunity. Of course, I'd miss out on swimming, one of my favorite hobbies, but I really wanted to learn japanese. The process was slow and monotonous. "Uh..." It was a picture of a spirit standing alone against a human army. "Bravery? Courage?"

"Loneliness." Sokka corrected, sneaking up behind me. I jumped.

"Oh, uh... Hey." I was glad that he'd been the one to catch me. No one else knew that I couldn't read yet, miraculously. "Thanks."

"I haven't forgotten about the promise I made you." He continued.

"What promise?" I pretended that I didn't know what he was talking about, but the promise was always lingering in the back of my mind. As of now, Sokka was the only one who could teach me what I wanted to know. I didn't want to be alone with him, though. I hadn't been alone with Sokka since our time in the Cave of Two Lovers. Sure, we weren't technically alone now, with everyone splashing in the lake water right beside us, but we hadn't had a 'just us' kind of conversation since we'd been in the cave together. I wasn't too keen on having one now.

"I know that you haven't forgotten it, Tikaani." Sokka's voice sounded almost sad.

I sighed and let a long silence pass by before continuing. "I know. And I'm sorry..."

"Are things always going to be this awkward between us?" Sokka asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know, Sokka."

"I hope not. I want us to be friends again." He admitted.

I smiled and nodded slowly. "I want that too."

"So will you let me help you?" He pressed.

I laughed just a little, which was strange because I don't remember him saying anything funny. "I suppose so."

"Alright, then." He scooched to sit next to me so we could look at the book together. It didn't seem as awkward as I thought it would have been. "I'm not sure how good of a teacher I'll-"

"Waterbending bomb!" Katara cried. She leaped down from the outcropping high above us and splashed down into the lake water, sending up a giant wave that soaked my book and Sokka's nearby pile of maps.

Sokka left my side and started frantically complaining about his now thoroughly soaked maps. "Sure. 5,000-year-old maps from the spirit library. Just splash some water on'em." I bended the water out of my book and his maps.

"Oh, stop being so uptight! Jump in the water and relax a little!" Red advised as she ducked under water and swam towards the shore. She kicked her feet to send puny waves of water towards Sokka and I. "You two have been reading all morning!"

"Which means you must have had plenty of time to figure out what move we're going to take!" Aang cheered as he made his way over as well. Red and Toph joined the discussion circle and so did Katara. Once we had all assembled, Sokka explained the plan.

"We just got out of the desert so we must be around here." He pointed to a spot on the map right next to a gray blob that must be the lake we were lounging next to. "And we need to go to Ba Sing Se, which is here." He pointed to a part of the map that was sectioned off by two tan rings, which were probably the walls. "It looks like the only passage connecting the south to the north is this sliver of land called the Serpent's Pass."

"You sure that's the best way to go?" Toph criticized, raising an eyebrow at Sokka.

"It's the only way."