Hey there guys! So you're all probably wondering just why I didn't update last week and why it's taken me so long to update this week, and believe me, I wanted to. I really wanted to. Buuuuuuut I was suffering from some technical difficulties on my part plus a sinus infection, so it was impossible for me to get this up last week. I wanted to, I tried to, but alas, it just was not meant to be. I did work on this story, though. Just because I couldn't update doesn't mean I couldn't work on the story. So what I have for you guys here is last week's and this week's chapters combined. Originally, this chapter was about half as long as it is now, and I was gonna just post it as it was, and then in a couple of days post the next chapter, which would have been about the same length, but then I did some thinking and decided that since you guys have had to wait so long for this update, I should just combine the two so you wouldn't have to wait longer for this week's chapter. And since I combined the chapters themselves, I feel like I should warn you that I also kind of combined the A/Ns from both this chapter and the next, so expect a bit of a read at the end. There's only one riddle though; I didn't wanna over-whelm you guys or anything...

Before we get to it, though, I'm sure you've all heard by now about the "Movie Massacre" that took place in Aurora, Colorado at the mid-night premiere of the new Batman movie yesterday at around twelve-thirty AM-ish. Wow. I just... wow. I didn't find out about it until a little after three in the afternoon yesterday, because I didn't even get out of bed until almost two, and then I didn't get on my computer until almost three, and I didn't go to read the news until after three, so I found out about it kind of late in the game, but when I did find out about it... Just wow. I couldn't believe that shit. As the day progressed and then as today has progressed, I've been reading every article that I can find and I've been watching everything that I can on TV that is covering this to find out as much as I can about this. I don't know anyone who was there, but Christ, 12 dead so far, and 58 or 59 injured―this guy, the sick bastard, was calling himself the "Joker", and I just... I dunno, I just want to find out why, you know? Why he did it. From what I read, he was smart, doing well in school, had a good life growing up―what on earth would make him do something like this? I dunno, what do you guys think of this whole thing? I'm so sorry for everyone who lost someone to that, everyone who died, everyone who was injured. I can't imagine what they went through, what all of that was like, and I know everyone says this, but my thoughts and prayers truly are with those people. Ah, anyway enough of that; we've all―here in America, anyway; not so sure about everywhere else in the world―probably heard plenty about this on the news and everything lately, and there will probably be even more to come, so why depress everyone now? I'm sure you read this to take your mind off everything, not think about it more; sorry about that, I just... felt like I had to say something, you know?

Anyway, enjoy this chapter!

7/21/12 Disclaimer: I do not own LOK or TLA. The letters themselves or what they stand for in this particular situation. How does one own a letter, anyway? Hmm, curiousier and curiousier…

"You're awfully quiet, Zuko―is everything okay?" Aang asked the next morning as they all sat down to eat breakfast. The rest of the night had passed uneventfully. There had been no problems, no Fire Nation soldiers, no reasons to worry, no nothing. So watch had been particularly boring that night, with nothing to do but talk to entertain themselves. For the most part, they kept the conversations quiet and light-hearted, not talking about anything too important, as they didn't want to accidentally wake the others up or find out too much all at one time so as to keep the others in the dark, as it was. Mako and Aang had gotten on pretty well, finding it easy to converse about things that didn't really matter while still talking about them like they did. Sokka and Lin had had some difficulty getting started, the conversation being more or less forced on Sokka's part, but eventually she, Lin, relented and became more active in the conversation as well, finding it was, in fact, possible to enjoy a conversation with the boy from the Southern Water Tribe. And Korra and Zuko had gotten on… Well, pretty damn great, if you asked Zuko. Sure, they had both been silent for the majority of their watch together, but near the end there, the conversation had really picked up and he had enjoyed it. He actually fucking enjoyed it. He couldn't even fathom how that was possible, but somehow, it was. And he knew it was. And it didn't bother him. Not like he thought it would.

"Yeah. Fine." He mumbled, shoving another spoonful of their heated up dinner from last night into his mouth, not because he was hungry, just to give himself something to do. After Sokka and Lin had woken everyone up, they had heated up the left over dinner from last night, Aang and Katara had gone to a nearby stream and washed up the dishes while it was doing so, and when they got back they passed out the food to everyone, who had taken their exact same spots from the night before. They had all been making casual conversation about how they'd slept, how the food was, and trivial things of the such, with everyone saying something at least once except for Zuko, who remained silent and staring at the fire he had created to heat up the food. Something was going on inside that head of his, his friends could tell. They just weren't sure what.

"He's lying." Toph informed them all nonchalantly, causing Zuko to glare in her general direction.

"You know she can't see the dirty look you're giving her, right?" Sokka asked with a smirk, causing Zuko to turn his glare on him. Just once he'd like to have a moment alone with his thoughts without everyone demanding to know what they were!He realized, of course, how damn near impossible that was, but that didn't stop him from wishing it, nonetheless.

"But I can still tell that he was giving it to me," She told them matter-o-factly, shoveling more food into her mouth.

"Whatever." Zuko grumbled, turning his attention back to the bowl of food in his hands, his appetite was non-existent this morning, but that didn't stop him from bringing spoonful after spoonful up to his mouth. Like a type of meditation, the action alone soothed his frayed nerves and he soon found it a lot more bearable to listen to the idle chit-chat that had resumed once the topic of his thoughts had been dropped for the time being. Soon though, he found his attention wandering, focusing on the sounds of the forest around them instead of the people themselves. The chirping of far-off birds letting them know everything was peaceful and still for the time being, the flowing and bubbling of the nearby stream, the lone cricket that was still going, ―albeit reluctantly and almost too quietly to hear if you weren't really listening―from last night, the croaking of frogs probably down by the stream, the sound of the wind brushing through the trees, making the leaves rustle against one another as it went by, all of it relaxed him so in a way he wasn't quite used to. Never before had something so simple as this―the sounds of nature, of the world, of life―never before had it affected him so. He had a nagging feeling that perhaps it had less to do with nature and more to do with a certain conversation he'd had with a certain someone, but he would not allow himself to further explore the nagging feeling; for now, he was at peace. And wasn't that enough?

Somehow or another, his eyes drooped shut, his almost empty bowl and spoon slipped from his grasp and he sat perfectly still on the bench like nothing was wrong, like nothing had happened, like he dropped things for no reason all the time. Everyone glanced at him as the sound of the bowl hitting the ground echoed in their ears, but when they asked him what was the matter, if he was okay, they received no answer. He was still breathing, he was still alive, he was just… Out of it, for lack of a better phrase. Aang suggested that maybe he was meditating, but they all knew that if he wanted to meditate he would have said something and gone off to do it somewhere away from everyone, where he could have silence as he did it. His breathing had slowed though, giving the impression he was either meditating or sleeping, and since he'd just woken up not too long ago, they figured the odds of him sleeping were slim to none, at best.

"Maybe he's sick."

"Or just thinking. Maybe the guy just wants to be left alone with his thoughts for once," Toph interjected, trying to save him the trouble of everyone fawning over him and prodding into what could possibly be wrong with poor Prince Zuko? It would certainly save her the trouble of having to hear it, at least.

"Are you... defending him?" Katara asked slyly, glancing at her brother and Aang with a smirk and a glimmer in her eye that clued them in to where she was going with this.

"You know, I think she is, Katara." Aang replied with an exaggerated sense of wonder and knowing.

"Why ever could that possibly be?"

"Ooh ooh, I know, I know!" Sokka exclaimed, arm shooting in the air as he bounced around as best he could while balancing his food in one hand.

"Yes… Sokka?"

"I think that, maybe, The Blind Bandit herself might have a tiny little… crush on Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation―what do you think, Aang? Katara?"

Katara and Aang both let out exaggerated and obviously fake gasps simultaneously and looked at Toph, acting as though they couldn't believe their ears, while Toph sat fuming, ready to start throwing rocks at them at a moment's notice. They were just having a bit of fun, teasing her and everything, but she didn't much care for it when it wasn't her who was doling it out.

"No!"

"Is it true?"

"It can't be!"

"But it must be! Why else would she defend his highness, the Prince, so adamantly?"

"You like him!"

"You love him!"

"You want to be with him!"

"You want to have his children!"

"You want to live in the fire palace with him and live happily ever after until―"

"Grrr… Would you dunder-heads knock it off?" Toph sat her food down and rose to her feet, brought her fists up in unison then spread them apart quite quickly, pieces of the ground coming up and floating in the air before her. Without another word, she threw her fists forward and sent the rocks flying at the three of them, which Aang quickly intercepted and smashed with his own earth bending before any damage could be done. He stood after the not-so-dangerous danger was gone with a goofy grin on his face, obviously play time was over, but it didn't matter; they'd had their fun.

"Okay, okay, sorry!" He apologized, holding his hands up in mock surrender as he stood there, still smiling.

"Good." Toph sat back down, clearly satisfied with herself. Aang followed suit and returned to his seat beside Katara. In the commotion of trying to not let Toph's rocks smash them, he'd dropped his food to the ground, spilling it everywhere. He pursed his lips and bent down to pick his bowl and spoon up, fully intending to get himself a refill, but once he was sitting up straight again with the bowl and spoon in his hand, a gust of wind shot around the circle, followed by another and then another, leaving everyone staring at the three children who had been the cause of the gusts with wide eyes. They, Ikki, Meelo, and Jinora, were now standing in front of him and Katara, staring between the two excitedly. The two exchanged a quick look before looking back at the kids, taking them in in the daylight for the first time. Now that Katara got a good look at them, Meelo kind of looked like Aang, minus the tattoos, of course. They were all cute, in the way that all little kids were, and they were air benders, which was definitely awesome, but beyond that she didn't know much about them, and that saddened her deep within a part of herself that she didn't even know existed. Seeing these kids, hearing that she and Aang get married, meeting her… son, it was all stirring up something within her, something she couldn't quite place a name to…

"Uh… hi?" Aang said, cocking his head at the children. And that was all the invitation they needed. Once they knew they had his attention, they all started in at once, asking questions and making statements that they didn't know would shock him, all vying for his undivided attention. He looked back and forth between all three of them, not sure who to look at and when, who he should start with or what to do about all this, really. He looked to Katara for help, but she just shrugged and let out a giggle, finding the bewildered look on his face cute. Aang, finding Katara less than helpful, looked over to Tenzin finally, hoping he'd be able to help him. Tenzin was smiling widely at the spectacle, his eyes shining with laughter. He just shook his head and ate another bite of his food―it really was delicious, just as Sokka and everyone else had promised them it would be―before clearing his throat and looking over at his children and still bewildered father. Might as well help him out; the sooner the children calmed down, the sooner they'd be able to get down to business.

"Children, one at a time."

Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo all stopped mid-sentence and looked at one another; a single thought passed through all of their minds at once, and suddenly they knew the first thing they wanted to do with him, their grandfather, the Avatar, that ended the hundred-year-long war that they never got to meet…

Turning back to Aang, they all looked at his curious expression a second longer before they all opened their mouths and said in unison,

"Will you air-bend with us?"

Aang smiled at them all, of course he would air bend with them! He loved air bending! He hadn't had someone to air bend with in a long, long time. Too long, he thought. It felt like he'd never had anyone to air bend with, that he'd always been alone, but he knew that wasn't true. Once upon a time, he'd had a lot of people to air bend with, he hadn't been alone, but a hundred years had passed, and a hundred years was a long time; it certainly felt like he'd never had anyone to air bend with. He knew he wasn't technically alone, but, when it came to air nomads, he was. Still smiling, he nodded at them and practically threw his dishes down before jumping to his feet and grabbing his glider from where it rested behind him. He didn't know where they were going to air bend or what these kids were capable of, all he knew was that he felt like he needed to do this, air bend with them. His soul itself seemed to be smiling at the concept of air bending with his own kind once again and he was not going to pass this up.

"Wait!" Sokka called, catching the four before they could even move. Aang turned to face him, slightly irritated that he had interrupted his bliss.

"What is it, Sokka?" He asked evenly, shushing the children with his hands as they started to protest the delay.

Sokka stood up and walked over to them, careful to not step on the children. He could tell his friend wanted this badly, but they were still in hiding and they were still in enemy territory; they had to be careful and not let their guard down, especially with kids around.

"I know you want to do this, Aang―when was the last time you got to air bend with someone, after all? ―but you have to be careful; we're still in the Fire Nation, we're still on the run, so we can't take too many risks, otherwise we're all screwed."

"I'll be careful, Sokka." He assured him, nodding solemnly. He knew all that, really he did, but in the heat of things, it had all sort of… slipped his mind.

"I know you will, or at least you'll try to be, but what about them? They're just kids; they're not used to all this, having to hide who they are and what they can do, being chased and hunted, and having to deal with it on their own―how well are you going to be able to protect all four of you if something happens?"

"We're in to middle of the forest, Sokka; what's going to happen?"

"It's not just any forest, Aang; it's a forest in the Fire Nation; there are Fire Nation soldiers everywhere. I was talking with Zuko about it the other night, and he said normally there are just soldiers patrolling the borders and entrances of forests like these, but since Azula knows we're out here and possibly in a forest like this one, the odds of there being more soldiers patrolling and on the lookout for us is great, that's why we're constantly moving, to decrease the chances of them finding us. If you draw any attention to yourself with a stray gust of wind or something, we're gonna be in serious trouble; Appa's barely been able to fly with just us five lately, do you really think he'd do any better with all these extra people?

"Just be careful out there and don't draw any attention to yourselves; make sure those kids know what's on the line and don't let them draw any attention to you guys either. Got it?" Sokka asked, leaning toward Aang and ignoring the kids as though they weren't even there, even though they could hear everything that was being said. Ikki found it particularly insulting and annoying, never one to enjoy being ignored, but she said nothing on the subject and did nothing other than make a face at Sokka's back, hoping that he'd be able to at least feel that she had done it.

"Alright, I will." Aang assured him, willing to agree to just about anything right now if it meant being able to escape Sokka and his lectures. He was just itching to get out there and do some air bending. Well controlled, non-attention grabbing, fun, calm air bending. It was better than nothing.

Sokka scratched his chin for a moment, thinking it all over. He had warned him; made it clear to keep to themselves and not draw any unwanted attention or anything… Everything seemed to be in order and he was just about to release them, but something was nagging at him, some feeling that told him he shouldn't let them go off too far or at all, really, but he had no reason to justify that feeling, and Aang really wanted to air bend…

"I'd feel better if someone went with you guys," he finally declared, ignoring the looks of impatience from Ikki and Meelo and Aang's look of nearly veiled frustration.

"Do you want to go with us, Sokka?" He asked, flashing him a smile. He knew, they all knew, that Sokka wasn't going to go with them, there was too much of a chance of getting blasted with wind and it was too early in the morning for that shit. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to make someone else go with them. Just in case.

"I was thinking more like either Toph or Katara." Sokka gestured vaguely over his shoulders at the girls in questions. Everyone, sans Zuko who was still dead to the world, looked at the two girls in question. Katara mustered up a smile whereas Toph just spit on the ground, she could feel their eyes on her and the water bender, she just didn't care. And anyway, she was still pretty peeved about them teasing her about sticking up for Zuko earlier and wasn't about to go any damn where with any of them at the moment, not even Twinkle Toes and those weird air kids.

"They're not my grandkids; send Sugar Queen with 'em." Toph shrugged, tipping her bowl back and swallowing the remainder of her food. She threw the empty bowl and spoon down on the ground where they'd stacked their dishes up the previous night and cracked her neck, the matter already being resolved in her mind. Katara rolled her eyes but put her bowl with Toph's anyway and stood up, grabbing her water skin instinctively.

"I'll go with you guys," She told Aang, walking over to where he stood with her brother and the kids.

"Of course you will." Sokka smirked, he was ready to do some serious teasing on the subject of the two as a couple, but the look on her face told him if he said anything more he'd regret it almost instantly, so he kept his mouth shut instead. "Just don't go too far and don't be too long; we've still got a schedule to keep. And you two," he gestured between Aang and Katara with his pointer finger quickly. "No funny business." He finished with a wink, not being able to help himself, to which both Aang and Katara blushed bright red as the children giggled along with everyone else; even they knew what that meant.

Katara opened her mouth and was clearly about to say something in retaliation to her brother, but Aang grabbed her hand and pulled her forward, shepherding the kids forward with his staff as he did so. "Let's just go before he changes his mind." He hastily whispered under his breath once he pulled her close enough to hear. She simply nodded and let the reply die on her tongue, allowing Aang to pull her forward as she casually called back at everyone over her shoulder that they'd be back soon and for them not to get into too much while they were gone; she still wanted to be a part of any important conversations and find out all the details about everything, after all. At the last second, before they got too far away, Katara called back to her brother,

"And Sokka? Since I'm gonna be with them, you're gonna have to do the dishes after everyone's done eating."

Sokka's mouth dropped open―him? Do the dishes? But―But he hated doing the dishes!

"Katara, wait! I changed my mind! I'll go with the air benders and watch them do their magic air bending thingy and even let them mess up my hair! You stay here and do the dishes!" He called, almost as though he really expected her to take him up on his "offer."

"Too little, too late." She called back with a laugh, turning around and quickening her pace with Aang and the kids. With a sigh, Sokka resigned himself to his fate; he supposed she had won this round… Next time, he assured himself, he would win. There really was no other option. They were all so busy with this exchange, either partaking in it or watching it, that no one realized until they were out of sight that Aang hadn't even asked Tenzin and Pema if it was okay for him to take the kids air bending. Katara hadn't asked to see if it was alright either, once they all thought of it almost simultaneously, but it was nothing more than a moot point now; it wasn't like Tenzin was going to run after them to make them ask if they could take the kids out air bending, since he would have let them anyway, it would just be a waste of time and energy. Though it would be quite a sight to see him running after them, everyone was pretty sure he wouldn't do it just to entertain them, so no one said anything on the subject aloud, letting it drop quietly without ever letting it make a sound in the first place.

After the forms of Aang, Katara, Ikki, Jinora, and Meelo were out of sight, Sokka shook his head with a smile before sitting back down and finishing his food. With a full mouth, he nodded at Tenzin to gain his attention and swallowed once he was sure he had it.

"So when do those two get together again?" He asked.

"Oh," Tenzin shook himself out of his thoughts and turned his attention away from the spot where his adolescent parents had just stood with his children, he was usually so good at staying focused, but ever since first seeing them last night, he'd had a hard time focusing on any one thing for any length of time. He attributed his lack of concentration to not meditating lately, but he was sure there was more to it than that. He just wasn't entirely sure what.

At Sokka's question, however, he forced himself to concentrate and think, form full and coherent sentences without letting his mind wander, which seemed a lot harder at the moment than it should have been. For a moment, he couldn't help but think if this was what it was like for his pupil, Korra, when she seemed to be focusing on everything but the subject at hand, but he quickly forced the thought out of his head; his Uncle Sokka had asked him a question, he needed to answer it. It was about his parents, when they had gotten together. He assumed he meant "officially," because it was pretty obvious the two were practically together now, as it was.

"After the war." He answered slowly, so much more slowly than usual. Pema, Korra, Lin, Mako, Bolin, and even Asami glanced at him curiously, not used to such a pause between the time someone asked him a question and the time he answered it. No one else seemed to notice the slight lull, but no one else really knew him, so why would they think anything of it? Pema almost reached a hand out to him, wondering what was the matter with him, but quickly caught herself, she was nursing the baby now; she needed both hands for this, so instead she settled for casting him a question look, mirroring the looks of everyone else present that knew him. He ignored them, however, pretending he didn't see them and focused instead on his Uncle Sokka, Uncle Zuko, and Aunt Toph. Zuko was still just sitting there, eyes closed, breathing steady, he thought for a second he really was meditating, but then his eyes fluttered and opened for a fraction of a second before sliding shut again and he knew he wasn't.

Zuko sat up straight for a beat before slowly craning his neck around in a circle, trying to work the kinks out of it and his back. For a second, he wished he was an earth bender so he could get rid of the bench he was sitting on so he could just lay out flat on the ground and relax, but the feeling passed and he decided he liked being a fire bender too much to really wish for something like that, he would just have to either get comfortable sitting, or move his ass and lay on the ground himself, which really did seem like it would take too much effort at this point. He could have asked one of the earth benders among them to get rid of the bench for him, but opening his eyes for just one second had seriously drained him, so he could only imagine what talking would do to him, even though he knew Toph, Lin, Bolin, or even Korra would―

Fuck.

Korra.

He had to get that chick out of his head, seriously. She was from the future, plus, he was pretty sure she had a thing for that Mako dude, though he couldn't be sure yet since he hadn't spent much time observing them. Still, it was obvious. Almost as obvious as Aang and Katara, he laughed quietly to himself, the feeling of his chuckle rumbling in his chest bringing him a burst of energy. Why was he acting so weird? He knew it had to have something to do with Korra and him kind of liking her more than he should, but beyond that he hadn't a clue, so he slouched a bit and let his eyes droop even further down, listening intently to the sounds of the forest around them, which had quieted a bit since Aang, Katara, and the kids had gone off to do some bending, but not enough to be noticeable unless you were listening for it, and the sounds of swirling conversation as the rest of them slowly finished eating their food one by one. Whatever it is that this was, he was sure he'd get over it eventually. All he had to do was wait it out.

"How long after the war?" Sokka asked, still not done with his interrogation of Tenzin. He was referring to, of course, the question Tenzin just answered, but apparently he hadn't answered it exactly to Sokka's liking, so the boy was forced to probe more on the subject.

"Right after the war."

"Really now? And how do they get together? I mean, is there a kiss, a big, passionate confessional love scene or what? And, more importantly, I don't have to see it, do I?"

Tenzin looked at him skeptically over the fire, raising one of his bushy eyebrows at the boy. Really now? This daft boy grew up to be the Uncle Sokka that he knew, loved, and admired as a boy? Really?

"Is that all you care about? When my mom and dad get together? Isn't there anything else you'd like to know? Like whom Lin's father is?" He suggested with a sigh. Lucky for him, Sokka was very easily distracted when you waved something shiny in front of his face, and it didn't get much shinier than that. Instantly, Sokka's ears perked up and he nodded enthusiastically, brushing past the weirdness of this grown man calling his baby sister and one of his best friends "Mom and Dad" immediately, the prospect of knowing who would "get with" Toph much more interesting in his book than when those two would get together, because everyone had known it was only a matter of time, anyway, whereas with Toph… Well, no one was quite sure, so finding out… It would be a too perfect start to the day, as far as he was concerned.

Korra, Mako, Bolin, and Asami all snickered, they couldn't believe he'd just done that! Lin glared at Tenzin over Pema, astonished as well, but quickly getting over it as she wondered if she should just knock the man out or simply hope her gaze alone would set him ablaze or something of the sort, weirder things had been known to happen, after all. Of all the things there was to talk about, she just didn't know why that subject had to be on the table at all, because surely there were more interesting things to discuss, right? With a sigh, she realized that that was probably just as interesting to them as anything else there was to talk about. Still, it made her uncomfortable, though she couldn't be sure why. She was just a personal person; she didn't like others to be "all up in her business" as she'd heard someone say about her mother once when she was very young. The rock didn't fall very far from the mountain, so it seemed, because Lin was exactly the same way…

"Come on, spill it, Tintin!" Sokka demanded, his hands empty now that he was finished with his food. Tenzin flinched as Sokka spoke his childhood nickname, he wasn't even born yet and already the name had stuck. Great. Just… great. "We're all dying to know who Toph winds up with!"

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Getting away from everyone and the stress and wondering and probing questions that came with everything from the last twelve hours was… Freeing, in a way, as far as Katara was concerned. Her hand was still connected to Aang's and she allowed herself to forget about everything else besides the warmth of his hand, the strength of his grip, the beating of his pulse beneath her own, the quickening of his heart to match her own, the swirl of the air around them, the rhythmic yet almost silent chorus of feet around her, everything was so… perfect right now. As perfect as it was going to be, anyway.

She didn't know how long they'd been walking in silence―Aang had shushed the children once and told them not to breathe a word until he told them it was okay, and they had listened to him, instantly quieting the low buzz of conversation that they had been creating ever since getting out of ear-shot of Sokka. Katara supposed that even though they'd never met him, they still respected him enough to listen to what he said and told them to do, which was just fine with her; the silence was welcomed after everything they'd been going through as of late―or how far away from everyone else they were, but the next thing she knew, Aang had stopped walking and pulled her to a stop as well. He glanced around where they were standing and nodded, deciding it was as good a spot as any for any air bending that was to be done at the moment. Katara glanced around as well, it wasn't exactly a clearing like the one they'd made camp at, but there were a couple less trees here than there were in the rest of the forest. There were still plenty of trees that stretched far above their heads, but they were so spread out in some places that the leaves did nothing to block out any of the sunshine that was glaring down at them, sweat collecting on Katara's brow already. If she didn't think she'd need to use her water, she would have used it to cool herself off a bit, but she knew better; if she had to sweat a little to save her water for "just in case" then so be it. That was just the way it was going to have to be.

"This seems like a good spot." Aang verbalized, squeezing Katara's hand one last time before letting it drop and walking away from her a bit, all three of the children following him anxiously. He held his staff in his hand excitedly, Katara could tell he was just itching to do some air bending with them, but he seemed to reign himself in at the last second and compose himself long enough to speak to the kids. They thought maybe he was going to give them some boring lecture like Tenzin had been known to do before they started training that was supposed to help them but would really just annoy them until they were old enough to actually understand it, but, instead, he just offered up what was wrapped up like friendly advice when, in reality, it was stern words and a warning.

"You better be careful with where you aim and what you do. You shouldn't use too much power or anything like that. You guys really have to be careful out here, because if you're not…" he glanced over at Katara for a second, the words stuck in his throat. They had heard him talking to Sokka not too long ago, but did they really understand what it meant? Would they really get what was on the line here and why―truly why―they couldn't just go nuts with their bending like they probably wanted to? He wasn't sure, so he looked to Katara for an answer, but she didn't seem to know any more than he did, so he turned back to the kids, their faces expectant and curious. He took in a deep breath and swallowed before continuing. "If you're not, something bad will happen. Okay?"
But they couldn't care less what he said and nodded enthusiastically just to get him to say they could start. To add to the illusion, they all said something that told him they understood him, which was good enough for him; as soon as their words were past his ears, he was giving them the green light for bending, and all four of them were taking off, sprinting in every which direction, blowing air at each other, riding on balls of air, making the leaves on the trees dance violently… They were having a blast, plain and simple.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

"No, we're not." Toph insisted, clenching her teeth. There were just some things, after all, that could remain unknown until it came time to discover them for yourself. This, evidentially, was one of those things. At least to her. Fuck Snoozles and his curiosity, she really didn't want to know who her, er, daughter's father was. Man, that was still so weird. It was just really hard for her to believe that she had a daughter. No matter how many times she thought it, said it, or heard it, it still didn't really… make sense. She knew the science behind it all, of course, but she had always swore off having kids. What could have possibly changed her mind? She didn't know. And she didn't want to know. Not until it was time, anyway.

"Yes we are." Sokka confirmed, only to be met with a sickeningly deadly glare.

"No, we're not."

"Aw, come on, Toph! I wanna know who you wind up with!"

"Well I don't! And since it's my life, my husband, and my daughter I think it should be my decision, and I've decided that we don't want to know!" She declared, daring him to say anything, daring him to disagree with her. He pouted and sunk down into his earth bench. Yue help him, he actually thought what she said made… sense, which was not a good sign at all.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Watching from the side lines, Katara divided her attention between the air benders and the forest around them, the reason Sokka had wanted someone to go with them, after all, was so someone could keep an eye out for Fire Nation soldiers and make sure nothing fishy was going on around them. So she listened and she watched as best she could, but she didn't see or hear or notice anything out of the ordinary, and eventually she found her attention always wandering back to the air benders. They were having a lot of fun out there, she could tell, and Aang was smiling wider than she'd seen smile in a long time; he was happier than she'd seen him in a long time. She adverted her gaze from the air nomad and turned her attention to her water skin, the patterns and scars in the leather were suddenly very interesting to her. She turned it over in her hands, and then took it in one and twirled it around, passed it back and forth between her hands, trying to distract herself from what was at the forethought of her mind. Which was always easier said than done…

"Katara, relax." Aang's voice suddenly called out to her, cutting through the sounds of whooshing air all around them. Her head snapped up and she saw Aang floating towards her on a ball of air, slowly disappearing beneath him as he neared her until, with one final movement, he released the borrowed air and stood tall next to her. "There's no need to be so on edge. Relax." He repeated, and then turned to Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo then and told them he was just going to watch them for a few and see what they could really do; maybe he would see something they were having trouble with or needed work on or could just improve altogether and could help them, not that that was very likely with Tenzin teaching them air bending, but they didn't know that. And anyway, it was a chance for them to show off for their dead Grandpa Aang―like they were going to pass that up!

Once they all started going off on their own again, trying to impress Aang and maybe even Katara, Aang turned to Katara and shook his head with a smile. "They're good kids. Hyper, but still good kids. They're air benders, alright."

"I think what you mean," Katara started with a smile, "Is that they're your grand-kids, alright."

"Yeah, that, too." He laughed, shaking his head once again. Katara smiled at him and swallowed, turning her eyes to a patch of emptiness between a couple of nearby trees. Somewhere out there, there were Fire Nation soldiers. Looking for them. Hunting them. She knew it, she could feel it. And something told her they weren't too far away…

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

"I'd let you find out who I end up with…" Sokka mumbled, a last ditch attempt to get Toph to give in, because he knew, with her sensitive hearing, that she would hear him. Instead of sighing in defeat and giving in, allowing him to beg Tenzin to tell him who Lin's father was, she scoffed at him, not believing what she'd just heard.

"Everyone already knows who you end up with. Most of us would be willing to bet money on it―just ask Twinkles and your sister when they get back. I'd tell you to ask Sifu Hotman over there, but he's pretty much useless right now." She shrugged, nodding vaguely in Zuko's direction.

Sokka's face fell as he asked, "Still playing around with his nickname?" His eyes half-lidded in an unimpressed manner, because really, Sifu Hotman? She could do better than that. That was something Aang might call him jokingly during training or something, but not something he could see Toph calling him on a daily basis.

"Yeah. Aang calls him that sometimes; I wanted to see if it fit him. It doesn't."

"I didn't think it would." He shook his head nonchalantly, it was neither here nor there but still something that―Wait a second! What had she said about already knowing who he ends up with? Did everyone else know something that he didn't? "Who do you guys think I end up with? Is there something I missed?" He demanded suddenly, narrowing his eyes at Toph and then Zuko, neither of whom saw the look he was giving them. He was almost tempted to glare at those from the future as well,―for a moment, he had forgotten the people from the future, minus Tenzin, were there at all, but once he did, he remembered that they knew for sure who he ended up with, and it kind of ticked him off that they knew something he didn't. Especially since it was about him,―but caught himself just before he did, realizing that that wouldn't exactly help his chances of getting his answers.

Toph looked at him like he was an idiot of some impossible degree, but otherwise ignored his comment; he would figure it out soon enough. And if he didn't… Well, more entertainment for them in the long-run, then. She plastered on an obviously fake smile and flashed it at him and spoke in her most condescending, you're-an-idiot tone, something that wasn't that hard to do―especially when you were trying to cover up a crush you had on someone, but that wasn't the point of what she was hoping to accomplish, just an added perk.

"Never mind; no need to worry and over-load that tiny little brain of yours. Wouldn't want you to pull a muscle or break something…"

"Yeah, well you're―" his retort, however, was cut short as they all heard a loud crash in the distance, and quieted instantly. Zuko's eyes ripped open and he snapped into an at-alert position. The whole forest around them had grown quiet.

Too quiet.

No birds, no bugs, no crickets, no animals, even the wind itself was still. Something was wrong, terribly, terribly wrong. He could feel it in his heart; he just knew something was wrong. He threw his gaze around the circle and saw the looks of surprise and bewilderment on the faces of everyone and he knew they could sense it, too. He was sure of it. He looked to Toph, wondering if she could pick up on something he could not, but she made no indication other than gritting her teeth and leaning down into the ground harder with her feet, trying to see what was happening, if their friends were okay, but she made no indication of whether she was picking something up, which Zuko interpreted as meaning they were too far out of her range for her to see anything.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

"Hey," Aang reached a hand out and pushed Katara's chin up so the two made eye contact. "What's the matter?" As though he really had to ask. What wasn't the matter, she wanted to yell, but didn't, because it would draw too much attention to themselves, and probably frighten the children, neither of which Katara wanted to happen. So instead, she just shook her head at him and sighed, knowing he wasn't bound to buy it and would push matters forward until she broke down and just told him. And once she did, he would go on about something the monks once told him or something the air nomads had believed or that he, as the Avatar, knew or thought, and he would try and make things better for her. Really, he would, and she would appreciate it but―

Suddenly, Aang's hands weren't at his sides anymore. His staff was on the ground, having landed quite unceremoniously with a sharp thud, a small cloud of dirt rising as it did so; One of Aang's hands was wrapping itself around Katara's waist, and the other was cupping her cheek gently, acting of their own accord as he leaned in and slowly melted his lips against her own, closing his eyes in the same instant that she did. Her own hands snaked up and wrapped themselves around his neck, leaning into the kiss just as he did. Time was lost to them in that instant, it didn't matter and it seemed as though it never did before and never would again, they were just so wrapped up in each other. The feel of their lips, the pounding of their hearts, the racing of their pulse, the jittery feeling in their stomachs; the crescendo of everything, all the stolen glances and secret staring, all the longing and pining, all the blushing and denying of feelings, all of it led and added up to this one moment. One moment that wouldn't just be one moment one day. A moment that would be repeated hundreds, thousands, hell, maybe millions of times in the future if Aang had his way, Tenzin had said they got married and had three kids, after all, so there was definitely kissing plus more in their future, but saying that out loud might kill the moment, or at least make him blush ten times redder than he'd ever been before, unbeknownst to him that Katara's thoughts weren't very far off from his own...
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Korra stood up, her eyes shining with worry and wonder. Aang, Katara, Ikki, Meelo, and Jinora. They were all out there, wherever the danger―because she, and everyone else, were sure there was some sort of danger out there now,―was, and she knew Aang and Katara were powerful and great masters, but Sokka had been right when he asked Aang if he'd be able to protect all of them if something happened. She believed in her former life, really she did, and she had no doubts in his or Master Katara's abilities, but she just wasn't willing to risk the lives of those kids. Not only because they were Tenzin's children, but also because they were her friends, her air-bending peers, as it was, plus, she really didn't want the world and spirit world to be thrown out of balance or something if one of them died. Because, somehow or another, she would be blamed, and she did not want to be blamed for the end of the world, thank you very much.

Mako glanced up at Korra, he could tell what she was thinking and he wasn't going to let her do it. Not alone, anyway. If she planned on running off to face whatever danger was out there, he would be right behind her. Whether she wanted him to be or not didn't matter; he would do it, he would be there, he would always be there…

Asami and Bolin exchanged a look over Mako and Korra, and then glanced at Tenzin, Pema, Sokka, Zuko, and finally Toph, Pema was still busy nursing the baby, but everyone else looked determined and ready to face whatever was out there. Too bad for those from the future looking for a fight, this one belonged to the Original Team Avatar; they would not get to see any action in this battle on this day.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Eventually, Aang and Katara popped apart, lungs screaming for air in a way that even an air bender couldn't ignore. As they stood there, catching their breaths, they stared at one another, cheeks rosy despite the heat, chests heaving in sync with one another; they felt connected in a way they hadn't before. They'd kissed before, no doubt about it, but neither times had ever felt like this afterwards. They both looked like they wanted to say something, but neither got the chance, because just as they both opened their mouths to say something, they heard a squeak from the center of the clearing and noticed for the first time that the air was… Still.

Like, still still.

No wind, no air bending. Last they checked, the kids had been air bending, probably this close to making their own personal tornado. Panic crept up on both Aang and Katara as they realized they had stopped and their minds immediately jumped to the worst possible scenario. They turned their heads in the same second and saw Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo standing huddled together in the center of the clearing, fear written on all of their faces, eyes wide and scared, almost on the verge of tears. Aang scrunched his eyebrows together and picked up his staff, sensing the danger before he saw it. Together with Katara and her water skin, he ran immediately over to the children, asking no questions until he got to them, and even then it wasn't necessary, as they both followed their line of vision and saw just what was frightening the children. And they had to admit, it was a damn good reason to be afraid.

Standing there, just a few feet from where Katara and Aang had just been, was a whole fleet of Fire Nation soldiers.

Led by none other than Azula herself.

So how's zat for a chapter ending? What did you guys think of the Kataang in this chapter? Usually, stuff like that is saved for the end of shows/mangas/animes/books/movies and even some fics I've read on here before, and it just pisses me off to no end. Like seriously, it's like, we know certain characters are going to end up together, and we want to see them together, want to see a kiss or something to confirm our favorite shippings; if the couple is going to wind up together anyway, why the hell not just get them together before the end so we can see what that relationship would be like canon? You know? Anyway, I thought it'd be a nice touch. I mean, they know for certain that they wind up together now, so I would think that maybe Aang would be a little bit… braver when it comes to this sort of thing, you know? Oh, you know what I liked? You know that episode "The Headband" at the beginning of Book Three? The one with the secret dance party and Aang going to a fire nation school and Sokka's got the fake beard and mustache on from when he was pretending to be Aang's father and he's all, "Go to your room!"? Yeah, I loved that episode! Anyway, the part where Aang gets Katara to dance with him and she's all, "Aang, everyone's watching." And he's just all, "Don't worry about them. It's just you and me right now, Katara." And he gives her that look. I love it! It's like, damn, Aang, you got mad skill, brah. That was totally weak, what I just said, I mean... Anyway, he's got a lot more confidence in this area when he's dancing, so it seems. Such a charmer. Seriously. I would love to meet a guy like that. I can't dance worth shit, but I'd definitely be willing to learn for a guy like that. All suave and charming and a nice guy... That was oddly personal, now that I think about it, but oh well.

So. Azula. That crazy bitch again. At first, it was just going to be a bunch of random Fire Nation soldiers surrounding them, but then I figured including Azula would make you guys want the next chapter more, make you more anxious to read it and wait in bittersweet anticipation to find the alert in your inbox informing you I've delivered the sweet, glorious gift of the next chapter… Tell me I'm wrong. Tell me you guys don't want the next chapter even more than you wanted to previous ones. Go ahead. I dare you. If you're anything like me, you'll tell me that just because I dared you to, and if that's the case then I won't hold it against you. Pinky swear.

The part with Zuko just sitting there in a trance, just listening to the forest? I wrote that part whilst listening to something on YouTube. "Sounds of The Forest" is what I looked up―I had a sinus infection at the time, so I needed to relax and somehow or another I wound up listening to that. And I just started typing to help take my mind off the pain―because I cannot swallow pills―and that's just what wound up coming out. Actually, I've still got the sinus infection, and laughing kind of makes the pain worse, but other than that I'm fine.

So question: what kinds of nicknames have you come across in your fanfic travels that pertain to Zuko? Just wondering. And I can't really remember if Toph had a nickname for him in the show that she called him all the time. Like, you know how she calls Aang Twinkle Toes even when he's forty? Does she have a nickname like that for Zuko? I can't quite recall, but I don't think she does. Personally, I rather like "Prince Emo" but that's just because I like writing Zuko all brooding and sarcastic and emo-esque. I just like to think of him in that way; makes him seem hotter, you know? And Sifu Hotman… I dunno, it made me laugh. "Flame-io, hotman!" You know? That still makes me laugh. Got any nicknames for Zuko? I'd love to hear them.

Have I ever told you guys how much I hate summer? Seriously, I've only had one good summer in my lifetime, as far as I can remember, and all the others have pretty much sucked. Summer of '08 was the best summer of my life. Every summer before and after have all sucked big time, and this one is no exception. I try to make my summers awesome. I plan for fun summers, I try and make them fun and meaningful and worth it, but somehow or another something always gets fucked up and my summers wind up sucking. They get pushed back into the recesses of my mind to rot and die slow, painful deaths, but they refuse to cooperate and sometimes sneak up on me, reminding me of how sucky summer is. And the heat really doesn't do much to tip the scales in its favor. I'll take fall and winter any day of the week, thank you very much. I hate the heat. Hate. It. I can't wait for October, just because that's when it really starts to feel like fall. It's such a small window, though, because once November comes around it feels like winter, but nevertheless, it never fails to deliver. I can't wait for the day I wake up in a month or two and the air in my room smells like Autumn for the first time and I notice that somehow or another summer has zoomed past for another year and soon the leaves will be changing color, which I always love, and then it'll be Halloween before I know it and even though I'm too old to Trick-or-Treat, I'll still dress up and just steal my little brother's candy when he's not looking. And then November will come and I'll turn 18, my dad will turn 50 the following day, and then before we know it, it'll be Thanksgiving and then Christmas and then New Year, and it'll be winter and I'll spend the majority of my down-time curled up under my blankets or in my favorite, over-sized hoodie reading books and sipping hot chocolate… I can't wait for winter. My dad hates it, he hates how stupid drivers on the road seem to get in our town when there's even a light dusting of snow on the ground, and he hates how high the gas bill gets because my mom always turns the heat up past his designated 65 degrees once he leaves for work and turns it back down just before he gets home. He always knows, of course, that she turns it up once he leaves, and he acts like it bothers him, but it's all just part of the winter dance by now…

So far, the best part of my Summer has been writing this fic and getting reviews from you guys. Before summer officially started, I decided that this summer would be all about reading and writing, nothing else. Everything else would just have to wait. Reading and writing were going to be the most important things in my life this summer. That's it. My world would revolve around it until the end of September, the official end of summer. Oh, you want to play a video game, Caitlin? Too bad; that book has to go back to the library tomorrow and you're not even half-way done! Get to it! You want to watch the new episode of Pretty Little Liars? Tough shit; you need to go back and rewrite that last chapter of CM that you wrote last night! You need to watch the new episode of Baby Daddy because the guy who plays Ben is just so fine? Yeah, okay; that seems reasonable. Hm, that last one's not such a good example, but you get what I'm saying. My reading and writing are the only two things that are supposed to matter this summer, and, so far, I'm proud to say, I've stuck to it. I can be a bit mean to myself sometimes, I'll admit, but it helps get shit done, so I'm not complaining. I've talked about it with myself and we're cool. Yes, I know how crazy that makes me sound so just shut up about it.

So, anyway, the riddle. The one from last chapter, to refresh your memory, was:

I can be red or green or yellow. I'll help you stay a healthy fellow. Inside, I am white; I do not emit light. But if you look just right, I hold a star. What am I?

And the answer, of course, is an apple. That one, admittedly, was a bit easy, as nearly everyone got that one right, but still, congratulations are in order for those of you who got it right, and those people are: Lupin and Tonks Forever, Bubbly131, TigerDiva10, Forever . and . Always . a . Cullen―sorry about the spaces; the name wouldn't show up if I didn't have them there―, SpiritMusician, wvfj afjt, X-Chick303, Linzerj, Alpha-Omega-Paradox, Alice, Guest, animefreak728, Guest, Washingtonian, Amber Annabeth Blue, XIce-and-SnowX, peanutbuttergurl6, Artemis, Guest, Rex185, and, last but not least, Bwahahaha. Congrats, once again, to everyone who got it right. And, for the record, I didn't mention the same person, Guest, a few times, it's just that not everyone leaves signed reviews, obviously, or even a name of any kind when they review, obviously, so I'm assuming it's a few different people otherwise someone has way too much time on their hands. Just saying. And if I forgot to mention anyone who got it right, you must know how sorry I am about that and that I would never ever leave you out on purpose, so you'll have to forgive me. Anyhow, I made brownies earlier, so have a few virtual ones for getting it right; you guys earned 'em. So here's this chapter's riddle:

A man was found dead in his study. He was slumped over his desk and a gun was in his hand. There was a cassette recorder on his desk. When the police entered the room and pressed the play button on the tape recorder they heard: "I can't go on. I have nothing to live for." Then there was the sound of a gunshot. How did the detective immediately know that the man had been murdered and it wasn't a suicide?

Hmm, I dunno, this one seems a tad easy, as well. I'll have to dig up a really challenging one for the next chapter...

With this chapter, I didn't actually go back and reread it a million times like I usually do―I already mentioned my sinus infection―so if there are any inconsistencies or mistakes or anything, be sure to let me know and I'll be sure to go back and fix it, okay?

Anyway, be sure to let me know what you think!

Always,
~Hisa-Ai~