Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z or Avatar: The Last Airbender. Please support the official releases.

Chapter 7 - Hidden Intentions

"I'm going with you." Mai's words hooked onto Zuko and stopped him in his tracks.

Zuko took a deep breath. "I don't want to take you away from your family."

"Zuko, I'm old enough to make my own decisions." She walked up to him and lifted his chin up as they stared in each other's eyes. "Tell me you don't want me to come with you."

"... I have to tell you something..."

"You want to help me?" Azula asked, "how about you start by taking me back to the palace so I can tear that little friend of yours limb from limb?"

"I wouldn't-"

"No one can do that to my father and get away with it. Who does he think he is?"

"Well, he's the king of the Fire Nation for now..."

Azula's eyes were in danger of popping out of their sockets. "..."

"Are you OK, Azula?"

... ... ... ...

"Azula? You wanna talk now?..."

"... Yes. I... I think I'm better now..." Azula stood up and dusted herself off.

"That's the spirit, now, do you have any friends around here?"

"There's..." She was still in a daze; just blankly staring into the horizon, watching the sun wave goodbye. "Mai and..."

"You need to be with your friends right now."

Goku and Azula walked into the dressing room of a circus where they saw a girl with brown hair, wearing a loose pink outfit and-

"Azula!" She ran over and hugged the life out of the Fire princess. "It's so good to see you!" Then turned and noticed the really big man next to them. "... and um..."

"Hey there." Goku smiled and waved awkwardly. "I'm Goku."

"Wow," Ty Lee poked at Goku's biceps, "are you a bodyguard?"

Azula rolled her eyes. "What makes you think I would need a bodyguard?"

"Well I dunno. I've never seen him befoooo-Oh my goodness your hair!" She reached up and poked the ends of Goku's hair... poke, poke, poke.

"Ty Lee," Azula said, "stop poking him and listen."

Ty Lee did as she was told. "What is it?"

"It's my father... our reign... it's over."

Gasp. Ty Lee's hand met her mouth.

"Exactly," Azula said, "Goku here says..." she looked at him as he showed her a wide smile. Sigh. "He says I should be with my friends during this difficult time." The words struggled to get out, like a little kid being dragged to their first day of school.

Ty Lee's puppy dog eyes. "Awww..."

"Can you give us a moment in private?" Azula asked Goku.

"Ummm, sure. I'll just wait outside."

The curtain opened as Goku stepped outside. Azula took peek and faced Ty Lee again.

"Don't worry Azula, everything's gonna be fi-"

"Oh don't give me that." Azula spoke quietly. "You have no idea how I feel right now... All my life, if I wanted something, I could take it by force. No one would dare look at me the wrong way... but now... now our nation has been taken over by an outsider; and I can't do ANYTHING about it."

"What do you mean?"

She peeked again. Goku was busy trying to choose an item from the concession stand.

"His name is Vegeta. My brother said he came from the sky. He has a level of power I didn't think was possible. My father couldn't even touch him."

"From the sky?"

"Yes... but there was one other..." Azula took Ty Lee's arm and looked outside again with her. Goku was laughing with a few children and their parents as they looked at his hair. "Goku. He came as well, but he's much more kind-hearted. He saved my father' life. He says he wants to help me... and by the looks of it, he might even be stronger than the other one."

Excited gasp. "So you're saying he's like... an angel?"

Poker face. "... Yes. So I want you to be nice to him. Don't do anything stupid to make him angry, with that kind of power on our side, there's no limit to what we could do."

Azula closed the curtains as Ty Lee's mood dipped a little.

"Well, I wish I could join you guys, but my heart belongs here." She did a cartwheel for no reason and sat back down across her mirror. "I mean, my aura has never been pinker! I don't think I could abandon it."

"Ty Lee, surely you don't think our parents sent us to the Royal Fire Academy for Girls to end up in places like this?"

"No, but I-"

"Our nation will not be under rule by the likes of Vegeta. I don't know how or when, but I will avenge my father's defeat and reclaim our family's place on the throne... and I would be honored if you joined me on my mission."

"I don't know Azula... this place is my home now, the people are like family and it's so-"

Azula put a hand up. "No, no. No need for an explanation, I guess I shouldn't make you give up on family to please me."

"Thanks Azula."

"Of course, I was looking forward to seeing you fly with us to-"

"Fly?!"

Azula smirked. "There's many others powers Goku possesses, but I guess you'll never get to experience them first-hand. What a pity."

Serious doubts were swirling in Ty Lee's head as she played with her fingers, searching for something to say.

Azula began walking outside. "I think the show's almost starting, I'll leave you alone to finish getting ready..." She looked outside again. "I think Goku will want to stay and watch your performance."

"Really? You too?" Ty Lee seemed slightly excited and worried at the notion.

"Of course..." She stepped outside and gave some last words before closing the curtains. "Don't break a leg."

And with that, Ty Lee was left alone with her twin on the other side of the mirror. She could hear Goku's voice and all the commotion outside as she wondered what kinds of wonderful things Goku could do.

"Five minutes, Ty Lee."

Zuko, Iroh (both wearing hoods), and Mai walked down the streets of the fearful capital. They headed towards the city exit to the east...

Goku (stuffing his face with popcorn) and Azula sat together as the crowd looked up at Ty Lee tight-roping a wire on her hands.

"Hey Azula, you want some?" Goku offered Azula one of his many snacks, to which she declined. She obviously wanted Ty Lee to join her and Goku, but she didn't want to do anything to change Goku's perception of her as big bad daddy's victim. He was the priority.

"Woo!" The crowd applauded as Ty Lee finished her act and stood proudly on a tall platform. Azula clapped slowly.

... ... ... ...

"Wow, that was great!" Goku swallowed some cherries as Ty Lee giggled.

"Yes, very impressive," Azula said, "although, it would have been better if without a safety net."

"Haha, oh Azula." Ty Lee hugged her childhood friend once again. "I'm so glad you came to visit me..." She let go of the hug, now appearing a little more concerned. "And don't worry, I'm sure everything will be fine."

"... we'll be leaving tomorrow," Azula said.

"You wanna come?" Goku chewed on some more snacks. "This seems like a pretty lonely place."

She rubbed her arm and looked back at the circus animals. "I don't know, I..." Then back to Azula and Goku. "OK. I'll go with you." She let out a smile as wide as she could stretch her legs.

Azula grinned as Goku wiped fruit juice off his mouth.

"Wake up!" Sokka screamed exclaimed, sprinting over to where Aang, Katara, and Appa were lying down. Appa opened one eye before going back to sleep.

The airbender yawned loudly and rubbed his eyes, sitting up. "What is it, Sokka?"

"It's Goku! He defeated the Fire Lord!"

"REALLY?!" Katara snapped out of her slumber as she and Aang stood up, losing all laziness.

"Come on!" Sokka pointed back towards the town. "Everyone's talking about it right now."

... ... ... ...

The gang (plus Momo) ran into the town where a crowd of people gathered around a fit old man who was holding a scroll in his hand.

"Why should we believe you?!" Someone shouted.

"Yeah!"

"Who are you?!"

"Please, let me explain," the man said, "my niece attended a duel called an Agni Kai yesterday. He said it was between the Fire Lord and another warrior with unbelievable power." He held up the scroll. "It's all in here."

Everyone's faces lit up. Especially-

"Read it!" Aang exclaimed.

"Yeah, read it!"

"Read it! Read it! Read i-"

"Alright, alright..." he said, "I will in fact... read it."

Hands clutched in hope and anticipation as the scroll unrolled.

"It says... 'Dear uncle, I am writing to you on a glorious occasion. The Fire Lord's rule is no more. He was defeated by a man... from the... sky'-"

The gang's smiles's grew wider, as they already knew who that someone was-

"Named Vegeta."

"What?" Aang thought out loud.

"SHHHHHH!"

Sokka and Katara were left scratching their heads as he continued.

"Unfortunately, the Fire Lord is still alive, but Vegeta now has control of the Fire Nation. With any hope, he will bring an end to this war.

"Also... there was another man who appeared at the duel. One who also came from the sky. His name is Kakarot... and he appeared to be much stronger, but also, much more forgiving... I also believe he is friends with... the Avatar. He is the reason Ozai remains alive."

Whispers spread through the crowd.

"Avatar?"

"Two that came from the sky?"

"I didn't think it was real."

"I look forward to giving you more good news, uncle. I love you."

He rolled up the scroll and smiled. "I'm sure we will get an announcement shortly, but I was too excited to stay quiet. I may not understand what's happening, but I'm sure you all can see the world is going to change quickly."

"Does this mean my husband's getting out of jail?" A woman asked.

"Or my brother?"

"Or my daughter?"

He looked down at the scroll and took a deep breath. "Well, I guess we will have to wait for the new king's orders."

"What's a Kakarot?" Sokka asked Aang.

Aang whispered, "That's Goku's... other name, I guess. "I've only heard Vegeta call him that."

"You have to go to the Fire Nation to talk with that guy," Katara added, "who knows if he's worse?"

"Him and Goku are friends," Aang assured, "I don't think Goku would let him take over the Fire Nation unless he trusted him."

As people slowly began to disperse in excitement, Aang walked up to this man as he was putting the scroll away in his shirt. Katara caught a glimpse of what looked to be a scar of some sort on his chest. A burn?

"Excuse me..." Aang started.

"Yes?"

"I was just wondering... what exactly is your niece doing in the Fire Nation?"

"Oh, hege. I ask myself that everyday. She was captured at a young age and has been there ever since. She was a very talented firebender..." A thought of the past brought a smile to his face. "I don't think they would have left her alive without it."

Katara added, "I can see the Fire Nation has affected your family like me and my brother... our mother was taken away from us when we were kids."

"I'm so sorry," he said, "I can tell you kids have been traveling... why don't you come over to my house and I fix you up some tea? I can tell you more there, if you like."

"Sounds good." Aang said.

"Sounds bad," Ty Lee said as Goku retold his battle on Namek. Azula was (fake) asleep and Ty Lee had woken up Goku wanting to hear more about his story like the joyful little kid she was. They had spent the night in a small town where Ty Lee's circus performed.

"Well that wasn't the worst part... Frieza had an a team of warriors called the Ginyu Force."

"Oooohh..."

"There was an orange one with white hair named Jeice."

"Hehehe was he an old man?"

"Uhhh... no, I don't think so."

"Well how could he have white hair and not be old?"

"Well I-"

"Are you making this up?"

"No, no, I promise. It really happened"

"Okay..." She rested her chin on her hands and smiled. "Go on please. What other colors were there?"

"Well, there was also a short green one named Guldo, the fastest one in the group was Burter... he was blue. There was big strong one named Reccoome... he had normal skin. Their leader was Captain Ginyu..."

Azula laid there smiling, enjoying this unbelievable story.

"Who are your friends?"

"You guys call him the Avatar."

... ... ... ...

"Perfect." Ty Lee finished combing Azula's hair after a few minutes of snipping. She got rid of her crown and let her hair fall down to her shoulders.

"Good job Ty Lee." Azula ran her hand through her hair a few times before being content with it. Then she placed her crown in a bag. "It should make traveling the Earth Kingdom much easier." She stood up. "Now... I want no mention of my past in public, is that clear?"

"Mhm."

"Good. Now all I need is some new clothes. For Goku as well. Do you know a place?"

Katara looked down at the steaming hot tea the man named Rui prepared, at the same time looking her necklace. Was it finally going to be over? These people coming down from the sky had to be a sign...

"So you're friends with the Kakarot fellow..."

"Yup, all three of us," Aang answered, "he's the one who found me."

"Isn't it weird?" Katara asked. "I mean, he just comes down from the sky and happens to find the Avatar after one hundred years?"

"It is weird isn't it?" Aang asked, "I wonder how long I would have been there if he didn't find me... I probably wouldn't have never met you guys."

"We do have to thank him for a lot," Katara said, "I wonder what happ-"

"Aaaahhh!" Sokka spit out his tea and left his tongue out hanging as his taste buds ached. Steam exited his mouth.

Rui chuckled at the sight. "I'm sorry for not warning you. My family liked it's tea extra hot."

"I'm OK." Sokka's words were barely understandable as his tongue was still sticking out. "I shoulda known... firebending family, extra hot tea."

"Are you a bender?" Katara blew on hers.

"Oh, no. It's weird really, my father was an firebender, and my mother was an earthbender. I had two brothers, both one an earthbender and of course the other a firebender hehe... I was the unlucky one born without the gift..."

Sokka stuck his tongue back in his mouth. "I bet your brothers rubbed it in your face every single day didn't they?" Obvious raise in voice directed at Katara. "I would know, I was born without bending, my sister here is a waterbender."

"Yes, I could tell from your clothing both of you are from the Water Tribe. How far along are you in your artform?"

"Well I-"

"She stinks."

Katara shot her brother a death stare. "Sokka!"

He shrugged it off. "What? I was just being honest. You're not very goo-"

"Well trained." Aang interrupted, he hated seeing her like this. "But she will be soon, we're traveling to the north pole to find a waterbending master."

"I see..." Rui stroked his goatee. "Although there might be something in the antique shop that could help you out."

"Antique shop?" That brought life to Katara's face.

"Hehe, yes. They bring in many valuable things from all over the world. I always like going in there to see what I'll find."

"Wait a minute," Aang said, "we went around the town yesterday. I don't remember seeing anything like that."

"That's because it's only open two days a week. Today and tomorrow."

"How convenient," Sokka joked.

"What do you think can be there to help me waterbend?"

"Oh, I've seen lots of things... books, scrolls... I can't remember everything I've seen, but I'm sure you'll have a good chance of finding something."

Katara smiled and silently sipped her tea.

"Too cute... too small... too... not me." The tailor went through the outfits for Azula as Ty Lee and Goku waited behind her. Goku had chosen his in a minute, it was an orange gi and pants similar to the ones he usually wore. The only difference was he was wearing a black shirt underneath instead of a blue one.

"Really? Do you have anything I wouldn't be ashamed of wearing?"

Ty Lee stepped in. "C'mon Azula, she's doing her best. I'm sure you'll find something... look at Goku. He seems pretty happy."

Goku smiled. "Clothes are nothing to get upset about, Azula. I'm sure you'll look fine in whatever you choose."

"... See?"

Azula took a deep breath and looked back the lady. She forced out the words again. "Please forgive me, can you continue?"

"O-OK, we have..."

"Goods from all over the world. What is it you're looking for?" The owner of the shop, named Xiao Din (who had long silver hair and a mustache fit for twirling) asked.

A few guards in green uniforms stood at each side of the shop. Aang, Sokka, and Momo were oohing and aahing at the different artifacts and weapons on display; many of which they didn't know existed.

Rui answered, "Katara here is looking for something that could help her with her waterbending. Do you have anything?"

"Well, let me see..." Xiao Din flipped through some papers on the counter. Everything in there had some shine to it.

"I have a book called, 'The Art of Waterbending,' which came in a few month ag-"

"Can I see it?" Katara pleaded.

"Sure." Xiao Din turned and opened the door behind him. Katara could see the entire room was filled with different books. What type of history could be hidden in there? What could be in the waterbending book? Her brain and toes jumped with excitement.

"What is this?" Sokka was centimeters away from the glass container as he eyed a long wooden tube of some kind. It had an octagon shape and various carvings.

"That's the nest of bees," one of the guards said, "it's not very useful anymore but it was used to fire dozens of arrows at the same time."

"How old is it?" Aang asked.

"This one is about eight hundred years old, it was passed down from generation to generation as a reminder of the battle of Si Wong."

"... Eight hundred years?!" Sokka stretched out his eye sockets.

The guard chuckled. "Xiao Din has many history books if you're interested in learning more about stuff like this."

Rui also chuckled. "Nice selling job, Chang."

"I try."

"OK." Xiao Din placed the thick dusty book on the counter and looked back at the paper, which listed the price. "The price is five hundred gold pieces."

Befuddled, "WHAT!?"

Aang ran over. "Calm down Katara, what's the-"

Xiao Din treid to make his case. "It's an ancient book written by-"

"Is there anything else that you have?"

"Well, let's see..." He flipped through the papers again. "No, I'm afraid I don't"

"Ugh."

"It's OK Katara," Sokka said. "you don't-"

"I'll tell you what..." Xiao Din interrupted, "Since you can't afford this book, I'll give it to you-"

Even more befuddled, "WHAT!?"

"If... you can do something for me... You see, I've been reading a book of short stories... There's been many debates about it's legitimacy. I'm on the side that says there is some truth to them."

"OK?..." Katara waited for the part that pertained to her.

"There is one story in particular that piqued my interest. The story of the golden dragon harp."

"Harp?"

"Dragon?"

"Yes, it's exact use is unclear but legend says it is hidden in the depths of the Gao Ling forest to the west. If you can find it, I'll be more than happy to trade with you."

"I don't believe it," Sokka said.

Katara was unshaken by her brother's dismissive attitude. "I'll try."

"But Katara, we're supposed to meet To-I mean that person..." Aang corrected himself. "At that one place."

"Oh, it's alright, Aang. Me and Sokka can look by ourselves."

Sokka looked like he wanted to scream something at someone, but swallowed it. "... OK, I can see I'm not gonna win this argument. I'll go."

"Great!" Xiao Din was already writing something on a piece of paper. "I obviously can't give you the book, so I'll provide a passage detailing its location. I wish you luck."

"Well," Ty Lee said, "where to now?"

The three strolled through the small town after exiting tailor shop. Azula had chosen a loose black outfit with gold trim similar to Ty Lee's, except with a little longer top.

"I was hoping to get back to my friends pretty soon," Goku replied, "I promised them I wouldn't take long."

"Ah, yes, about that..." Azula stopped in her tracks as Ty Lee and Goku looked back at her. "I've already talked to Ty Lee about this, but I'm going to need you to promise me you won't ever mention my past to anyone."

Goku scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I get the feeling it wouldn't go over well with them if they found out who you are... but they might understand if-"

"No." Azula stopped and stared at Goku. "Please, I'm asking you as a friend. This won't work if they know I'm the Fire Lord's daughter. I want a clean slate... from here on out, I am a new person. As such, I want you both to call me by my real name."

"A what now?" Toph asked.

Katara explained, "We're gonna go into the forest to try and find an ancient harp so I can get a waterbending book."

Tumbleweed.

"It was a story in an old scripture," Aang answered, "someone crafted a golden dragon harp and hid it in the forest a long time ago. They say it had the power to tame any dragon."

"Oh, come on, you can't be blowing me off for a fairy tale."

"I'm not, it's just... with me being the Avatar, I can help Katara way better than Sokka could-"

"Hey!"

"This is really important to her," Aang continued, "and we would really appreciate it if you could help too."

Toph could obviously sense Aang was serious about this. There was no way he was going to let Katara and Sokka go by themselves. Which gave her two options: go home or-

"Fine. I'll go."

"Really?" Katara and Aang needed reconfirmation.

"Yes... but don't this will get you out of your training, twinkle toes." She smashed her fist against her open palm.

... ... ... ...

Katara rested her hand against a tree near the entrance if the forest. "It says the harp will appear near the tree with the mark of the beast... within the cycle..."

"Why do these things always have to be so difficult?" Sokka complained, "why not just say 'hey Sokka, here's a map, oh, and here's an X.' "

"Come on Sokka, it makes it fun," Aang swiftly ran up a tree and sat on the top, overlooking the terrain. "I think we should head toward the valley!" The valley he was talking about was situated between two mountains a good thirty minutes away. He hopped back onto the ground. "Seems like our best bet."

"Do you feel anything unusual around here Toph?" Katara looked over the passage Xiao Din had given her. Mark of the beast, hidden in the shadows of the forest...

"Not really, everything feels normal."

"Let's keep walking then."

"Oh my goodness, we're flying!" Ty Lee spread her arms out as Goku carried her and Azula under each of his arms. Ty Lee held her shaking hands to her mouth. "Aaaaaahhhhhhhh!" Her screech was shoving a blade back and forth through Azula's ears.

"Ty Lee!" Azula shouted, "can you... please tone your excitement down?"

Innocent, "Sorry."

They flew over the vast emptiness that was the ocean, traveling westward toward the Earth Kingdom.

"I can't wait for you to meet them," Goku said, "it'll be a much better place for you to be than with your father."

"..." She buried the anger in her the pit if her stomach and stomped on it repeatedly to make sure it would release itself.

"Release me."

The jail bars separated Ozai from the two guards watching the hallway. How did this happen? His reign was thrown away like a child's play thing. He was like a child's play thing to that... thing.

A plate of he-didn't-care-what-it-was collided with his one good leg. He couldn't feel his body. It was as if the fire- the life had been beaten out of him... he had it in his hand... but for some reason, he decided to let it go. Weakness. With all of that power, he showed mercy.

The memory Vegeta's eyes caused him to shut his own. If only he had listened to his son... where was his daughter? Where was Azula?

"Release me."

The guards didn't budge.

"I order you... to release me."

"We have orders from King Vegeta to keep you in here for life. I'm sure you'll understand."

King? How could a foreigner be king of the Fire Nation? No... he wouldn't allow it. He was not going to rot in here for the rest of his life.

Vegeta looked over the large circular table in the war room. Eight people sat in the war room with Vegeta. These were the ministers (or advisers) chosen by Vegeta to help him get familiar with the world. Three advisers for foreign relations, one for education, one for the economy, one for research and technology, and two for war and the army.

"We currently have many colonies in Earth Kingdom territory." One of the foreign relations advisers pointed at a world map laid out in front of them. "If we decide to hand the territory back to the Earth Kingdom, we would be uprooting many innocent people's lives. People who have lived there for over a centur-"

"Pull out."

"What?"

"Tell the people of the Earth Kingdom that King Vegeta has decided to give them back their land. Every Fire Nation citizen living in the colonies will be sent back here."

War minister two spoke up, "with all due respect, King Vegeta, we earned that land. My grandfather lost his life fighting for it."

"Does it look like that concerns me?" Vegeta continued, "we will focus on improving the lives of people here. Especially people living in the impoverished areas of the Fire Nation. We will put those people to work building this nation upwards, not outwards. We use put that money into things like eduction and technology, because you have no idea just how behind you are to the rest of the universe."

The research adviser stood up. "If I may say so myself, I think this is a brilliant plan, King Vegeta."

"But are you sure about pulling the people out of the colonies?" Foreign relations adviser number one asked. "There will no doubt be many protests."

"I will not repeat myself."

... ... ... ...

After the advisers had exited the palace and went to do their duty, Vegeta was left walking around the throne room. He looked at the pillars and the floor, the fire burning in the north end of the room, and the roof. Ideas of what to do with it bounced around in his head.

The door swung open.

"What are you doing here?"

Suza. "I just came to congratulate you on your victory."

"Are you now?"

"Yes... except..." She shut the door and approached him. "Can you tell me why exactly you left him alive?" Suza asked, "just because your friend told you to?"

Vegeta's rolled to the top of his head.

"He deserved to die, Vegeta. How could you show him mercy?"

"Go mop the floors."

"... What?"

He was serious. "They're a little dirty."

"I'm a high-ranking-"

"You seriously think you can walk in here and disrespect your king?"

Suza didn't know how to respond.

"Now go...and come back here when you're done. I have many more things for you to do."

"Is that enough for ya, Katara? I can't feel anything here either..." Toph sat down against a tree and looked her feet. "And it's getting late. This is not how I wanted to spend my day."

Under the shadow of the mountains, the gang continued to search for that elusive tree... almost two hours after they started.

"All of these trees look the same, Katara." Even Aang was starting to give up. "Maybe it is time to go back, who needs a book anyway?"

"Thank you!" Sokka exclaimed, "let's go back and tell that man that book is a sham."

"... Nice to see you have faith, Aang."

Right where it hurts.

"Katara... it's not that I don't want to believe it, I do. But we're wasting our time when Toph could be teaching me earthbending."

"Well why didn't you stay with Toph?" Katara raised her voice, "I told you me and Sokka could handle it."

"I just wanted to help!"

"Oh boy..." Toph slouched and plugged her ears.

"You didn't think I could take care of myself, is that it?!"

"No. I-"

Sokka tried to calm his sister down. "Listen, I know this would've meant a lot to you, but don't take it out on Aang. He did nothing wrong. You don't need a book to teach you how to waterbend."

Katara sighed and looked down at the paper again before ripping it up.

"We can go down to the river tom-oof!" Aang was cut off by Katara wrapping her arms around him. Tightly.

"I'm sorry," she whispered as her eyes watered a little. "I just, really wanted this... for both of us."

Toph unplugged her ears. "Is it over?"

Sokka picked up the ripped up pieces of paper and stared at them for a few seconds... "Wait a minute..." He ran over to where Toph was sitting down. "Toph, can you chop this tree down?"

"What are you doing Sokka?" Katara asked.

Toph stood up. "Of course I can. What for?"

"Just trust me, OK?"

She shrugged. "Well, I got nothing better to do." With a stomp on the ground, a square-shaped piece of earth was raised. Toph proceeded to carve it into what looked like the head of an axe and ram into the tree multiple times before it eventually came down.

"Yes!" Sokka pointed at the top of the trunk. "I knew it!"

"Knew what?" Katara ran over at the trunk. "Sokka... you genius!"

What was left were the inside rings of the tree.

Then it hit Aang. "The harp is within the cycle! The rings are cycle, and the mark of the beast must mean-"

"Humans chopping it down," Sokka answered with a smile, "like the Fire Nation burned the forests where people lived."

"Wow, I wish I knew what a ring looked like."

Sokka placed a hand on Toph's shoulder. "We couldn't have done it without ya, Toph-ow!" He massaged his rear end again as another stalagmite struck him.

"Don't mention it, big brain."

Aang stared at the rings of the tree. "The harp is within the cycle..." He climbed on top and sat down.

"Wow..." Sokka said, "it makes so much more sense now."

"Can everyone be quiet please?" Aang asked, "I think I know what I need to do."

Katara smiled at Aang as she stepped away, going over by Toph and Sokka.

Aang took a deep... in... and out... in... and out...

"Hello there, young Avatar."

Aang opened his eyes. There sat a woman wearing Air Nomad clothing with a hood over her head. Her eyes glimmered with the color of emerald green and she wore wooden sandals.

"You're an Air Nomad." Aang produced a wide smile and looked around. "Am I... in the spirit world?"

"Yes, you are."

"I'm Aang from the southern Air temple, what's your name?"

"My name is Avatar Jaiko of the northern air temple."

"Avatar?"

"Yes. I was the Avatar eight cycles before you."

"Wow... that's gotta be at least one thousand years."

"It was actually three thousand."

"What?!"

Jaiko giggled with a hand to her mouth. "It's been a while since you last talked with me... what exactly brings you here... Avatar Aang?"

"Well, me and my friends were told about the golden dragon harp that was hidden in this forest."

"So you solved the riddle..."

"Would you like to learn about the harp?"

Excitedly, "Yes! I really would."

With the blink of an eye, the two were transported past the trees and onto the mountain side. In front of them was a young woman playing a wooden harp half the size of her body along with-

"It's a dragon... it's..."

Jaiko smiled as the blue dragon flew around the sky. "It's loving the music." She giggled and put a hand on Aang's shoulder. "That's me as a seventeen year old hehe, this was one of the first times I played music for them. At this time, the fear of dragons was growing out of proportion."

"How could you be so calm in front of a dragon?"

"It's all appearance, Aang... looks can be deceiving. Some of the most dangerous things in my world were physically beautiful. The most cunning of evil will appear as flawless individuals... almost perfect. No one is perfect, not one human; Avatar or not. Just like all dragons are not perfect... some can be unpleasant, but I chose to give them a chance."

They traveled onto the back of a green dragon where Jaiko was now playing a golden harp.

"This is me twenty years later. I helped make a difference in the perception of dragons with the help of Ida, and my other dragon friends."

"Are you controlling her with the harp."

"Yes. How did you know?"

"I can tell whenever you switch your pattern, she turns or goes up and down."

"Hm. Well, you're a perceptive one... yes, I learned how to communicate with the dragons in my own special way. They called me the best dragon tamer in history. The golden harp was written about for years... by your time, I became lost in history. It's truly a miracle we are speaking to each other again."

They appeared back in the forest again. This time, a much older Jaiko was walking hand in hand with man about her age.

"This is where I spent my childhood and my last days. I found the love of my life a short time after creating the golden harp. My spirit lives on in this part of the forest."

"Thank you for showing me this," Aang said as Jaiko's memories faded. "I guess I should have told you this but... my friend thought she was going to find the actual golden harp. She wanted it to trade for a waterbending book."

"And you came here with her because you care deeply about her."

"I- uhhh... well, I think so... but this is the first time I've been to the spirit world."

"Really?"

"Monk Gyatso told me I had to talk with Avatar Roku, the Avatar before me, and I will... but I'm glad I met you."

"Hm." Jaiko smiled closed her eyes. "I hope you find this experience helpful in your life, I can tell your heart is full of love and compassion."

"Thank you... but wait, what about the-"

"Goodbye, Aang."

Aang reopened his eyes, this time back in the physical world.

"What happened?" Katara asked, "do you know where it is?"

"I... no."

Devastated, "What?"

"But I went into the spirit world and met one of my past lives."

"Go on..." Sokka was interested.

"She showed me how..."

... ... ... ...

The gang (minus Toph) jogged back into the antique shop where Rui was still having a conversation with Chang.

"Ah, you're back." Xiao Din finished dusting off a ring of some kind and set it down. "Did you find anything?"

"Did we?" Aang asked, "we figured out what it meant."

"Ahem." Sokka cleared his throat.

"But Sokka deserves most of the credit."

"That's excellent," Xiao Din said. "but I don't see a harp."

Aand explained. "What Sokka found out was that the people searching for the golden harp were all probably looking for the mark of a dragon... or some kind of animal. The mark of the beast... it's humans who have destroyed forests and nature in the past... and it's always because of greed and war. In the forest, I met one of my past lives, an Air Nomad named Jaiko... eight cycles before me."

Everyone crept closer as Xiao Din began writing. "She showed me how she used to tame the dragons and befriend them when most people were afraid of them. She controlled a green dragon named Ida with the golden harp she made. Just by playing soothing music, she learned how to communicate with them without anyone teaching her anything."

"That's amazing." Rui walked over. "How did you communicate with her?"

"I just tried meditating on a tree Sokka chopped down. I don't have much experience with it but I just gave it a shot. I'm guessing no one has discovered it because Jaiko only made it possible for the Avatar to discover the secret."

"So... there's no golden harp?" Xiao Din seemed disappointed.

Katara stomped over to him. "Listen buddy, Aang just experienced something incredible and had the decency to tell you about it, and all you care about is how you can make money off of it."

"Katara-"

"You know what? I don't even want your stupid book anymore, I have my friends, and we'll learn waterbending together." She turned to Rui. "Thank you for the hospitality, Rui, but we're leaving now."

"Goodbye Katara, Sokka, Aang." Rui smiled and took a sip of some tea, looking at the waterbending book Xiao Din still had on the counter.

She stepped out of the shop with Aang and Sokka following right behind her.

"Why are you so angry all of a sudden?" Aang asked, "is there something wrong?"

"Angry? I'm not angry... call it... determined."

"Well OK," Aang smiled. "First thing tomorrow, you and me are going to the river to learn waterbending together."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Hey guys!"

They all turned around and saw-

"GOKU!"

The gang bull rushed him and hugged him by the stomach.

"You're back!" Aang just noticed the other people standing next to him. They were both wearing similar loose-fitting outfits, one black and the other pink. "Ummm... can I help you?"

"Oh yeah," Goku started, "these are my friends, Ty Lee and-"

"Ina. It's so great to finally meet you, Avatar."

Suza walked through the Capital City Prison halls carrying a plate of leftover she-didn't-know-what-it-was. After a day of unexplained chores (including cleaning each restroom in the palace), Vegeta had allowed her to deliver this to Ozai under supervision of three additional guards. All she wanted to do was have a look at his face in this moment. His lowest point. Even if she couldn't have the satisfaction of taking his life or knowing he's dead, this was the next best thing.

They walked into the lower level where Ozai was being kept... and as they kept walking, an odd feeling ran down their necks.

There were no guards.

"Sound the alarm!" Suza yelled, running into Ozai's cell. "Ozai has escaped!"

Zuko, Iroh, and Mai boarded a boat on the harbor of the capital. With Ozai conceiled under a sheet, the boat took off, heading south.

"I made the right choice."

A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews and views (we're well over 9,000!). The Avatar universe is too big to limit the story telling to one period of time.

"I'm really enjoying the story so far, however, I will eventually lose interest if Goku and Vegeta don't face a real threat. As much as I enjoy the setup, there needs to more of a problem. Perhaps somehow the androids could intervene or an enemy from the Dragon Ball universe."

I appreciate the input, but I'm not going to force anything just to make Vegeta and Goku have a challenge. I dunno if other stories have done that (and I can see the difficulty with the difference in power), but I will try to develop everything as naturally as I can.

"I'm LOVING your transitions."

Thanks. I'm still developing my style for this story. I don't want to use the usual stale ways of saying things or starting scenes.

"That is not why Goku asked Krillin to spear him; merciful was the farthest from Goku's mind. Goku wanted a rematch with Vegeta and this time he wanted to beat him without any help."

Thanks for the info, but I'm going off what I grew up with, which is the English dub, sorry if you hate it...

Hope you enjoyed the chapter guys. Don't be afraid to look for hidden easter eggs or deeper meanings in this story, interpret things however you want. There are no wrong answers. I'll leave you with this:

The back of a Yugioh card.

Do you know who she is?

Leave a comment if you get it. If not, check my profile. :D.