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chapter thirteen
it took about three days for Manami and Haru to make it to the outer walls of Ba Sing Se. or well, what was left of it. most of the wall had been piles of rock on the ground, but Haru informed her that they were working on fixing it.
what he had yet to inform her was why they were there and who they were going to see. all he had said was, "we're going to see someone important"
Haru sat at the head of her shirshu, guiding them both deep into the city. each wall had a large opening where earth benders had taken it down. her bearded earth bending friend said it was from the Dai Li after she had disappeared, that they destroyed the wall and the Fire Nation took control of the capital, but an elite group of benders took it back.
Manami thought it was her friends at first. the Avatar was a powerful being, and her friends were skilled benders as well, but as they made their way through the Upper Ring and white and blue robes covered her vision, she knew exactly who it was. The White Lotus.
the city was much different than it was three years ago. everyone was happy. the city may have been under deep construction, but everyone seemed to have a smile on their face. the sight of peace made her lips curl up slightly into a smile of her own. the war was finally over.
Aala came to an abrupt stop, startling the young woman, and Haru jumped down to the ground and helped her down. Manami tied the reigns to Aala to a nearby post and then turned to face the building they had arrived at. it was a beautiful Upper Ring home, covered too to bottom with gold and green architecture. the sculpture of the home seemed so familiar to her, and then after a few seconds it hit her. this was her house.
"why are we..." her words trailed off her tongue as a figure emerged from the front door. a man dressed in the signature robes of the White Lotus walked towards the two benders with a wide smile, a smile that Manami remembered seeing her first time in this side of the city. her eyes widened and her jaw nearly hit the floor in shock, she had no idea he was apart of the White Lotus... maybe that's why she trusted him so easily.
"first time in the city?" he asked with a playful grin on his face. he found it ironic how her face mirrored the one she wore when they first met.
Manami grinned widely and wrapped her arms around his waist in a hug. it felt good to see a familiar face after so long.
she buried her face in his chest and released a long sigh as her old friend accepted the hug with a chuckle, "you have no idea how glad I am to see you, Akemi"
"it's good to see you too, Yanmei... or should I call you Manami now?"
the girl backed away from the hug and looked at the ground in thought, "either is fine," she spoke as she looked back up at him.
Akemi nodded, "well i'm sure you have a lot of questions, so lets go inside and we can fill you in," he turned around and proceeded to walk back up the steps.
