For the thousandth time, Sokka looked down on his hands, as if his body had changed overnight. His nails were still stubby. His fingers were still long and knobby. His palms were still covered in old scars and rough with calluses. They didn't look like Touya's hands, small, wide and soft. They looked like his father's hands, someone who didn't have any weird spirit magic to use. Logically, Sokka knew that he shouldn't be so surprised; considering that he had two younger siblings who both happened to be waterbenders, despite there not being any benders in the South Pole for nearly sixty years, it really wasn't a leap to assume that he was too. But Katara had started moving water when she was two and a half and Touya first waterbended when he was eight. Sokka was seventeen, and he waterbended for the first time only a few scant hours ago.

Something wasn't right and he wanted to ask Aang about it, but the airbender was too busy wearing a hole into Appa's saddle. "You pacing won't get us there any faster," Sokka told Aang. "You should just sit down."

"I can't sit down!" Aang cried. "How can you guys just sit there so nonchalantly?"

"Because you didn't tell us what's bothering you," Touya said flatly. "We kinda just ran here from the crumbling temple, got chased by that guy with the sideburns, Sokka waterbended, we jumped on Appa and flew away."

"Oh, right," Aang said. "I didn't tell you what Avatar Roku said."

"No you didn't," Touya muttered. "We only almost died and lost Momo. No I don't want to know what Avatar Roku said."

Aang and Sokka shared an amused glance. "What did he say Aang?" Sokka asked.

The slight smile on Aang's face was quickly replaced by a look of worry. "I'm supposed to master all four elements before that comet arrives."

"You've already mastered airbending and we're only a few weeks away from the North Pole and—"

"Wait a second," Sokka said as he interrupted Touya. "What comet?"

"The giant comet Roku showed me!" Aang exploded. "He said it comes once every hundred years or so and that it'll decide the fate of the world!"

Sokka's eyes widened. Was this what the moon spirit meant when she talked about things being set in motion now that Aang had woken up? He didn't see how a comet was beyond his comprehension, but spirits were strange. "Okay…calm down," Sokka said. "It's going to be okay. Just sit down Aang." The airbender sat down next to Touya and absentmindedly stroked a sleeping Momo.

"We're still a little ways away from the North Pole, but we have a waterbending expert with us already," Sokka said brightly.

"Who?" Aang asked.

"Touya!" Sokka revealed with a little flourish.

Touya blinked and looked at Sokka owlishly. "I'm a waterbending expert?" he asked. "Me?"

"Yes," Sokka smiled. "I've seen you practicing when we've camped out. Maybe you can impart some of that knowledge on Aa—the rest of us."

Touya's face brightened like the sun beaming through a cloudy sky. "Really?" He looked at Sokka and then turned to Aang with a big smile on his face. "Um, well first we're gonna need some water. Like a lot of water."

"We are over the ocean," Sokka teased.

"Not that much water," Touya retorted. "I am the waterbending expert here."

"So I concentrate really hard so I can move the water like this," Touya said. He furrowed his brow and stuck out his tongue as he waved his hand over the pond. The water moved jerkily in the direction of Touya's hand. "But that's kid stuff. Now I can do this." Touya bent down with both hands in front of him. He lifted his hands and his body, with a stream of water following, and cupped the water to make a large bubble. "This is really hard to do," Touya said proudly. "I've been practicing ever since we left the air temple."

"How did you do that?" Aang gasped.

"Water is really fluid like…water," Touya finished lamely. "You can't really force it to do anything. You have to go with the flow. Treat it like an extension of your body. Like what you say all the time with your sword, Sokka."

"Machete," Sokka corrected with a smile. "Your trick is pretty cool Touya. I'm impressed."

Touya grinned and turned to Aang. "Did you hear that?" he asked the airbender. "It's pretty cool."

Aang nodded with a smile. Sokka turned to the water and tried to move it, like he had seen Touya do. The boiling rage and strange tranquility that he felt when he attacked Zhao were absent and now Sokka just felt silly. "It isn't working," Sokka said morosely.

"That's cause you're trying to force it," Aang said. The airbender held a bubble of water in his hand and was throwing it up and down. "Go with the flow."

Sokka sighed and tried to relax. He took a deep breath and moved his hand again. This time, the water followed his hand slightly. "You did it!" Touya cried. "I knew you could Sokka! Next I want to show you—"

"Hey what's that?" Aang asked. The water bubble shuddered and burst as Aang ran towards the wooded area. Touya and Sokka shared a look before they stepped away from the pond and followed Aang.

"What did you see?" Touya asked.

"It looks like a sword made from a whale's tooth," Aang replied. He yanked the sword out of the ground and showed it to Sokka. "What do you think Sokka?"

Sokka took the sword and peered at it intently. He looked at the blue cloth wrapped around the handle and the fur right at the base of the blade. A memory of watching the men pack up came unbidden to his mind. A deep-seated sadness blossomed out of his chest, but Sokka beat it back down. "This is a Water Tribe weapon," Sokka told the others.

"If we found one, there might be more!" Touya said excitedly. "Let's look for the others!"

Sokka shrugged and peered into the closest bush. He looked around and saw Aang and Touya digging through some other bushes. Sokka felt bad, but he didn't want to find any more signs of the Water Tribe soldiers. He hadn't made much of a fuss when the men left, Touya did that, but the absence of the warriors took a toll. He tended to spend most of his time with Nulia, but Sokka was always comforted when he came home and saw his dad's weary smile. When he left, it was like another hole was being torn in Sokka's heart. He didn't want to face that again.

"I found something else!" Touya called from a little ways away. Once his two companions were over his shoulder, Touya brandished a black arrow. "Look, it's burnt."

Aang peered closer at the arrow while Sokka looked around. A tree with slash marks caught his eye and on closer inspection, he saw scorch marks. "There was a battle here," Sokka said. "Water Tribe soldiers engaged a group of firebenders." He pointed to patches of scorched grass. "The firebenders fought back, but it looks like the warriors drove them down this hill."

Sokka ran down the hill, past the various burned patches, and over several large rocks, only to end up at a sandy beach. "What happened then?" Touya asked.

"I don't know," Sokka said, looking at the ocean. "I don't see anything else that could—" Sokka turned and saw the hull of a very familiar ship. "It's one of our boats!" Sokka ran to take a closer look at the boat.

"Is it Dad's?" Touya asked softly.

"No," Sokka said as he rubbed the whale-bone hull. "But it's from his fleet. Dad was here."

Touya brightened and turned to Aang. "Dad was here! Dad was here! We're close to Dad!"

Sokka gave a wry smile before he noticed something very important. "Where's Appa and Momo?"

They waited and searched the whole day, but they hadn't seen anybody familiar. The moon was already high in the sky while Touya, Aang and Appa were fast asleep. Sokka poked the fire with a long stick and sighed. He remembered the day the men left like it was yesterday. Touya had gone missing and he spent that entire morning looking for him. He was finally found hiding in a ship, with his face messily painted and a too-big club in his hands. He begged their dad to let him go, that he was strong enough to be a warrior and that he could help in the fight. When he was shot down, all Touya did was cry and cry. He cried long after the men left and was depressed for a few days afterwards. Sokka tried to ease Touya's pain, but there was only so much a young teenager could do.

A loud rustle snapped Sokka out of his thoughts and he grabbed his machete. He glanced at Aang and Touya, who were cuddled comfortably on Appa's tail. Those two slept like rocks, so Sokka wouldn't be getting any help from them. He heard the rustle again and Sokka tightened his grip on his weapon. "Show yourself now," Sokka said, opting to face this enemy head on. "And I won't have to hurt you."

"Hurt me?" a voice asked. "Sokka, is that you?" A tall figure stepped out of the shadows and a heart-breakingly familiar face came into view.

"Bato?" Sokka asked softly. The man in front of him certainly looked like Bato. He was tall and slender with shaggy hair pulled back in a warrior's wolf tail. His thin face was thinner still, and lined with more wrinkles than Sokka remembered.

"Sokka!" Bato cried.

"Who the what now?" Aang groggily asked. He rubbed his eyes and peered blearily past the fire. Touya shot straight up and blinked sleepily.

"Sokka?" Touya mumbled.

"No I'm—" Bato started.

"Bato!" Touya cried. He tumbled off of Appa's tail and ran towards Bato. Touya wrapped his arms around the older man and squeezed tightly. Sokka came up shortly after and gave a small smile. Not having any of that, Bato grabbed Sokka and squeezed both siblings.

"Sokka, Touya! It's so good to see you two," Bato smiled. "You've grown so much. Especially you Sokka." Sokka blinked and noticed that he could look Bato right in the eye, without tilting his head at all.

"Hi, I'm Aang," Aang said from behind the siblings.

"Where's Dad?" Touya asked. "Is he here?"

"No," Bato said sadly. "He and the other warriors should be in the east by now."

Touya deflated and his eyes glittered in the firelight. Bato tried to give Touya a reassuring smile, but a strong gust stole the heat from their bodies. "This is no place for a reunion," Bato said. "Follow me." He put his hands on the siblings' waists and led them off the beach. He turned back and gave Aang a small smile and tilted his head. Aang waved towards Appa and the airbenders followed the small trio of Water Tribesmen.

"What happened Bato?" Sokka asked. "We saw the battle site, but didn't see anyone."

"After I was wounded, your father carried me to an abbey close by," Bato explained. Sokka took a cursory glance at Bato and noticed that the older man was covered in bandages. His wounds didn't seem to be too serious, since he seemed to be walking without any difficulty. "The sisters have cared for me ever since."

"That's nice of them," Touya remarked. "We've gotten some help too, but mostly from villagers."

"Really?" Bato said. "I'm surprised to see you two so far from home. What happened?"

"Aang's the Avatar and we're going to make sure he learns waterbending," Touya explained brightly. Sokka slapped his forehead. What part of being inconspicuous didn't Touya understand? Sokka looked back and saw Aang in his bright yellow and orange clothes and the extremely noticeable blue arrows on his bald head. Between him and Appa, there was no point in even trying to keep any secrets.

"The Avatar?" Bato asked, also glancing back to look at Aang. "You're young for an Avatar."

"Uh, thanks?" Aang mumbled confusedly. "You're young for… being you?"

Bato raised an eyebrow and turned back to his surrogate nephews. "The Fire Nation has been searching for a hundred years and the Avatar was found by the children of my best friend. How amazing is that?"

Touya glowed. "We've been protecting him too," the young waterbender added. "From that evil lady with the weird hair and the guy with the sideburns!"

Bato blinked in shock. "Um," he turned to Sokka for an explanation.

"It's a long story," Sokka shrugged. He didn't feel like talking about it. "Besides, isn't that the abbey right there?"

"So it is," Bato said as they approached the stone abbey. "Superior!" He called out to a woman with an elaborate head scarf that covered every inch of her hair and neck. "These are Hakoda's children. They've been travelling with the Avatar," he said proudly. "I found them by my boat."

The superior smiled at the boys and then looked past them to smile at Aang. "Young Avatar," the older woman said. "It gives me great joy to be in your presence. Welcome to our abbey."

"Thank you," Aang responded brightly. "It's an honor to—"

"I'm hungry," Touya interrupted. "What smells so good Bato?"

Sokka tried to give Touya a look, but his younger brother was too busy gazing at Bato.

"Those are the ointments and perfumes the sisters craft," Bato chuckled. "Or you could be smelling my dinner."

"Perfumes?" Sokka asked, a bright idea forming in his mind. "Maybe we could put some on Appa because… he…stinks so much…"

Someone coughed. Touya looked unimpressed and Bato even less so. Aang gave a reassuring smile while Appa looked very unamused.

"You have your father's wit," Bato said dryly.

"I remember Dad being a lot funnier," Touya said. Sokka scowled.

"Alright," Ty Lee muttered. "Now if I were a crazy old man, where would I be?" She looked around and saw excited villagers milling about. "Getting ready for the Fire Days Festival huh?" she said to herself as she saw the villagers erecting a large red pole.

"Excuse me!" she called to the nearest Fire Nation soldier. The young man turned around and saluted.

"Yes miss?" he asked.

"When is the festival starting?"

"Two days," the man responded with a squeak in his voice. "We started preparing early yesterday morning."

"Wow!" she gushed. Inwardly, she rolled her eyes. She didn't care when the preparations started or ended. "That's amazing! The village already looks like its festival-time ready!"

"Thank you," the soldier blushed. "We've been working really hard."

"It really shows," Ty Lee smiled. "Hey, I have a question."

"Yes?" The man asked.

"Have you seen anybody weird lately?" Ty Lee asked as she twirled a piece of hair. "You're really big and strong so I know you can keep this place safe."

"Um, well," the man stammered with a florescent blush. "I've seen a strange old man sniffing around here recently." He looked around and leaned in closer to Ty Lee. "He looks homeless you know? Like his skin is leathery looking and he looks like he hasn't been washed in months. He must be some escaped Earth Kingdom convict."

Ty Lee nodded solemnly. "I see," she murmured seriously. "Is it him, I wonder…"

The man took a step closer to Ty Lee and tried to look discreet. "Um, you're really beautiful—"

"Thanks!"

The man blushed a deep red. "I was just wondering...um," he stammered. "I have the day off on the day of the festival so I was wondering…would you like to go with me?"

Ty Lee tried not to groan and roll her eyes. She didn't do the whole commitment thing with guys, that was Fu Lee's thing. Ty Lee liked it better when they tripped over their feet to cater to her whims, and once she got tired of them, leave them sobbing on the ground. She really didn't want to lie to this guy any more than she had to, but she had a job to do. She took a deep breath, made sure the soldier didn't see the exasperation on her face and grinned widely.

"I'd love to go to the festival with you!" she beamed. "I'm traveling right now, so I might not be here tomorrow, but I'll definitely meet you on festival night. I'm Ty….Lum. Nice to meet you…?"

"Sanan!" the soldier squeaked. He cleared his throat. "I'm Sanan. It's really nice to meet you Ty Lum." Sanan smiled widely and Ty Lee returned it with a grin of her own.

"I have to get going now, but we'll meet by the red pole, okay?"

Sanan nodded, goofy smile still on his face. Ty Lee waved goodbye and turned on her heel towards the village's entrance. She felt Sanan's eyes on her back until she made her way deeper into the woods that surrounded the village and shuddered. "Ugh!" she cried out. "This is what happens when you leave me alone! I end up with dates!"

"Scream any louder why don't you? My great aunt Ai didn't hear you, Agni rest her soul," Wei teased as he emerged from the bushes.

"Don't be a flame tosser," she grumbled. "Have you found anything yet?"

Wei shook his head and shrugged. "We might as well be looking for a ghost."

"We are looking for a ghost," Ty Lee said. She sighed deeply and rubbed her temples. "Remember who we're doing this for Wei."

Wei snorted and ran his hand through his impressive mane of hair. "Is it too much to ask for a relaxing vacation? Or maybe an extravagant retirement? I'm too old for this," he said.

"Aren't you only thirty?"

"I'm twenty-nine!" Wei huffed indignantly. "There's a difference!"

"Okay sure," Ty Lee said flippantly. There was a year difference between she and Yu Lee and that didn't mean much. Yu Lee still bossed her around and made decisions for the both of them. And An Lee was even worse.

Wei scowled for a moment before sighing and shrugging his shoulders. "I don't know how I got stuck with this job," he mumbled.

"I know!" Ty Lee offered cheerfully. "Yu Lee batted her eyelashes and you fell for it."

Wei flushed and scratched the back of his neck. "Didn't I tell you guys it was a favor for the Fire Lord?"

"That excuse might work on Azula, but you'll have to try a little harder to fool me," Ty Lee said as she rolled her eyes. "And I've lived with Yu Lee my whole life. I know how persuasive she is."

"Persuasive is one way of putting it," Wei chuckled. "I'm starting to think 'horribly manipulative' is more accurate."

"Hey!" Ty Lee laughed. "That's my sister you're talking about!"

Bato's small room in the abbey looked just like the inside of his hut. Sokka could almost believe that he was back in the Southern Water Tribe and that any moment, his dad would walk in and offer up a bright smile. There were furs lining the walls and a small array of weapons lined the far wall. Momo poked cautiously at a pelt of a snow bear and screeched as its jaws shut. The smell of stewed sea prunes filled the air as Bato poured a bowl for the three companions.

"Hey Bato, is it true that you and Dad lassoed an artic hippo?" Touya asked in between sips of his soup.

"It was your father's idea, he just dragged me along," Bato said before he paused shortly. "Well, the hippo did most of the dragging."

"I ride animals too!" Aang chirped. "One time, there was this giant eel and—"

"That's nice Aang," Touya said flippantly. "So who was it behind the Great Blubber Fiasco?"

Bato blinked and laughed robustly. "You know about that?"

"Everyone knows," Sokka said. "It's one of Gran-Gran's favorite stories to tell. That and the thing with the octopus."

Bato laughed again, louder. "Kanna would tell that story!"

"I haven't heard that story…" Aang muttered.

Sokka turned around and gave Aang an apologetic smile. "It's a pretty long story Aang, are you sure you want to—"

"Shush!" Touya hushed. "I want to hear about Dad's and Bato's hilarious adventures!"

"They weren't all hilarious at the time," Bato said. "But everything's funny in hindsight."

"Hey hey! Was it you or Dad that put the octopus on your head?" Touya asked.

"Your dad wore the octopus, but I did the spooooky voice," Bato said in a soft voice. "Aang! Please put that down." Everyone turned around and looked to see Aang wearing a fur pelt on his head. "It's ceremonial and very fragile. I don't want anything to happen to it before we go back home."

Aang grumbled and put the pelt back on the wall. Bato offered a smile in thanks. "There is something I should tell you two," he said to Sokka and Touya. "I'm expecting a message from your father."

"Really!?" Touya asked excitedly.

"When?" Sokka asked.

"Any day now," Bato said with a big smile. "Your father said he'd send a message when they found the rendezvous point. I know you're on a big adventure, but… I know your father would appreciate seeing you two."

Touya gasped and looked at Sokka with a bright look on his face. "We haven't seen Dad in three years! This is amazing! Right Sokka?"

"It has been a really long time since we've seen Dad…" Sokka conceded.

"I have no way of telling when the letter will arrive, but it can't be too much longer now." At Bato's words, Aang crossed his arms and stalked out of the small room. Sokka noticed and sighed.

"We have to take Aang to the North Pole," Sokka said, dashing Touya's hopes and dreams. "We'll have to see Dad some other time, Touya."

Touya pouted and crossed his arms. "So now going to the North Pole is important? We can take detours to ride hopping llamas and bear pigs and stay days at Kyoshi Island and go all the way to the Fire Nation to talk to some dead guy, but we can't spare a couple days to see Dad!? That's not fair Sokka!"

"You were just complaining about the North Pole yesterday Touya!" Sokka retorted. "We're just doing what you wanted us to do."

"No you aren't!" Touya yelled.

"Hey, hey," Bato said soothingly. "Don't fight you two. I get it, your journey with the Avatar is important. Your father will understand. And Touya, your father would be very proud to know that you're doing something so important."

Touya frowned and crossed his arms. "But I want to see Dad…"

"Next time," Bato said. "We'll be waiting for you."

"Um, hey guys!" Aang said loudly. "Sorry I was gone for so long!"

Everybody turned to watch Aang enter the small room. "I didn't know you were gone," Touya muttered. Aang smiled brightly and turned to a discarded bowl of soup.

"Mmm, stewed sea prunes, my favorite!" Aang shoveled spoonful after spoonful into his mouth, pausing only to gag and shudder.p

"You've never had sea prunes before Aang," Sokka said dryly.

"Yes I have!" Aang insisted. "During my…earlier trips to the Southern Water Tribe! I used to go with Monk Gyasto!"

Sokka raised an eyebrow but he didn't press any further. Aang never mentioned any prior trips to the Southern Water Tribe, but Aang wasn't very talkative about his life before they found him in the iceberg. Now that he thought about it, Sokka wasn't sure that Aang had ever mentioned how he ended up in the iceberg anyway. Though he was a little curious, Sokka wasn't going to pry. If Aang didn't want to say anything, Sokka wouldn't ask. He couldn't say the same for Touya though.

After dinner, Sokka and Touya huddled together underneath a real fur pelt for the first time since leaving home. "Touya…"

"Yeah, Sokka?"

"I'm sorry for yelling at you," Sokka whispered.

"It's okay," Touya whispered back. "I'm sorry I yelled at you too. I did make a big fuss over going to see Dad."

"Yeah you did," Sokka pointed out. "Once you and Aang learn waterbending, we'll be heading back into the Earth Kingdom anyway, so we can find Dad then."

Touya furrowed his brow and frowned. "What about you Sokka? Aren't you gonna learn waterbending with the rest of us?"

Sokka shrugged as much as he could under the thick fur. "I'm not very good at it," Sokka muttered.

"That's cause you only waterbended once—"

"Keep your voice down!" Sokka hissed. "We already have that princess and Zhao on our trail, we can't have the whole Fire Nation on us!"

"But Bato wouldn't say anything to the Fire Nation," Touya said.p

Sokka clenched his jaw for a moment before letting out a breath. "We can't be too careful," Sokka said curtly. "I'm sure Zhao would love to send the last two Southern waterbenders to the Fire Lord."

"What are you two whispering about over there? Your girlfriends?" Bato chuckled from his own pallet a few feet away. Touya blushed and pulled the fur over his head while Sokka rolled his eyes.

"We're going to bed Bato," Sokka called back.

"Good night boys," Bato chuckled loudly. Touya mumbled something incoherent and shut his eyes tightly as his cheeks burned. Sokka closed his own eyes and felt the fuzzy hands of sleep pull him under.

The next morning, Bato took the three back to the beach. "This ship is sentimental to me," Bato said as they approached his boat. With a soft look on his face, Bato rubbed the hull reverently and smiled. "It was built by my father. I was so proud, you would have thought I built it myself," Bato chuckled. "But I only helped with the sanding and tying some of the parts together."

"Is this the boat he took you ice dodging in?" Touya asked.

"Yep and it's got the scars to prove it," Bato said proudly. "Your ship must be just as beat up from your first ice dodging right Sokka? I bet you have some fabulous stories."

"I never got to go," Sokka said. "Dad left before I was old enough."

The bright smile slid off Bato's face. "Oh…I forgot," Bato said sadly. "You were too young."

"What's ice dodging?" Aang asked.

"It's a rite of passage for young Water Tribe boys," Bato explained. "When you turn fourteen your dad takes you. It signifies the transition from child to man."

"Oh," Aang said, but Sokka could tell Aang was a little puzzled.

"You know what Aang? You're going to find out," Bato said. "You're what, seventeen now? It's time for you to become a man, Sokka."

"I thought Dad had to take me," Sokka said.

"Well, that's how it's traditionally done," Bato agreed. "But these are times of war and we need every man we can get. Besides," Bato offered a cheeky smile. "I've known you since before you were born Sokka. I'm the next best qualified to oversee your ice dodging. "

"Yay, let's go ice dodging!" Touya exclaimed as he tried to climb into Bato's ship. "Psssst, Appa!" The giant bison, who had been loafing about in the afternoon sun groaned loudly and plodded over to the side of the ship. With practiced ease, Touya hefted himself onto Appa's back and tumbled into the ship.

"I could have lowered the gangway," Bato offered. "You didn't have to use the…" Bato looked around for help.

"Ten-ton flying bison," Aang offered bitterly. "You could have said no, Appa."

Appa looked at Aang, yawned and then plodded back to his spot in the sun. "Tell me how you really feel, Appa," Aang muttered with crossed arms. Sokka chuckled and followed Bato onto the boat as soon as the elder lowered the gangway.

"Ice dodging is a ceremonial test of wisdom, bravery and trust," Bato said as he started to untie the ship and set the sails. "In the tribe, it was done by weaving a boat through fields of iceberg. Seeing as there's no ice here, these deadly rocks will have to do." Bato pointed north at a sharp bluff overlooking dozens of sharp rocks.

"Seems easy enough," Sokka said sarcastically.

"Great!" Bato beamed. "Sokka, you steer and call the shots. Touya, you secure the main sail. The winds can be brutal, but I have faith in your bravery." Touya grinned and grabbed the rope controlling the sail. He turned to Sokka with a big grin on his face and Sokka felt his stomach drop into the pit of his belly.

"Aang, you control the jig. Without your steady hand, we'll all die," Bato said. "This position is about trust."

Aang stood ramrod straight for a few seconds before deflating. "I know that!" he said with a twitter in his voice. "Why wouldn't I know that!? I'm the Avatar! I know about trust!" Aang crossed his arms and scowled, but his expression wavered slightly.

Bato blinked but then shrugged. "Alright then," he said, then he turned to the Water Tribe siblings. "For this to be done correctly, I cannot help. You're on your own." With that said, Bato sat down with a serene look on his face. "Good luck."

Sokka looked at Touya and Aang in turn and groaned. "We're all going to die."

"You have to be kidding me," Azula muttered. "You have to be ikidding/i me!" Azula angrily punched out a stream of bright orange flames and ground her teeth. "This is some elaborate joke Commander Wei's put you up to, isn't it?"

Soldier Rong gulped and shook his head rapidly. "N-no sir, I mean ma'am, I mean—"

"Shut up!" Azula yelled. "I can't believe this at all!" Azula clenched her fist and resisted the urge to punch some more fire. She couldn't believe things had gotten so bad so quickly. She rubbed her temples and exhaled sharply through her nose.

Her anger dissipated and she turned back to Rong. "Do we know if his request got confirmed or not?"

Rong shook his head. "We were just able to intercept Commander Zhao's request. Considering the date when the request was made, I'm guessing the compound didn't get it yet or they just received it."

Azula plopped into the closest chair and put her face into her hands. "And you're sure that it says Zhao has requested the Yu Yan Archers?" Azula asked, even though she had read the missive herself and knew that her fate was sealed.

"Yes Princess," Rong said. He saluted for good measure, but Azula didn't notice.

"You're dismissed," Azula muttered. Rong saluted again and left the conference room. Once she was alone, Azula slammed her fist into the table. It just wasn't fair! Zhao was an upstart from a common born family, he had risen to Commander in barely any time at all and now he'd requested to use the Yu-Yan Archers. They were the best of the best the Fire Nation had to offer. And Zhao got to use them? It wasn't fair and it wasn't right. Regardless of her relationship with the Fire Lord, Azula was a princess, the royal princess of the Fire Nation. If anybody should have use of the Yu-Yan Archers, it had to be her.

Azula sighed. Wei and Ty Lee had gone off to search for news of the Avatar, but they hadn't come back yet. In that moment, Azula had never felt more alone and she felt heat prickle behind her eyes. Yu Lee could fix this. Yu Lee could fix anything with a bat of her eyelashes and a few words out of her mouth. But she wasn't here.

And Azula didn't know what to do.

"I mark Sokka with the mark of the wise," Bato said as he painted the symbol on Sokka's forehead. "The same mark your father has." His face and voice were so full of pride that Sokka couldn't help but smile back at the older man. Bato turned to Touya. "For Touya, the mark of the brave." He marked Touya with a crescent moon and smiled at the beaming boy.

"Did you all see how I went left?" Touya gushed. Sokka rolled his eyes and elbowed Touya.

"Hush Touya," Sokka said, but Touya wouldn't let himself be deflated.

"And for Aang," Bato continued with a chuckle. "The mark of the trusted. You are now an honorary member of the Southern Water Tribe."

Aang offered a wan smile before scratching the back of his neck. "Actually—" Aang started.

"Hey, what's that?" Touya asked. Sokka looked and saw a crumpled ball of paper near Aang's foot. Touya bent down and grabbed it before anyone could stop him.

"Hey, Touya, wait!" Aang cried. He lunged at Touya, but the young waterbender deftly dodged as he unfurled the paper. "Don't read it!" Aang pleaded, but it was too late. Touya's eyes danced over the paper and his eyes widened with shock.

"This is the map to Dad!" Touya cried. "Why do you have it?"

Aang open and shut his mouth like a gasping fish, with wide eyes full of hurt and shame.

"This is why you left last night, isn't it?" Sokka said calmly. "And why you've been acting strange…well stranger than usual."

Aang looked at his feet and nodded sadly. "A messenger gave it to me and I was supposed to give it to Bato," he explained. "But, you have to understand! I was afraid you'd—"

"He's our dad, Aang!" Touya cried. "How could you do this to me? You know I wanted to see him! …Really really badly…" Touya sniffed and wiped at his teary eyes.

"But I was afraid you'd leave," Aang said pitifully.

Touya glared at Aang and crumpled the map in his fist. "You can go to the North Pole all by yourself!" Touya yelled. "I'm going to go find Dad!" Without another glance towards Aang, Touya whipped around and started stomping towards the abbey.

"Now Touya," Bato said calmly. "I think you should stop and reconsider."

Touya kept walking until he got to the edge of the woods. He turned around, but angrily passed over Aang. "Let's go Sokka."

Sokka looked at the dejected look on Aang's face and opened his mouth to protest. But…. "I'm sorry Aang," Sokka said. "But Touya's my baby brother. I can't leave him."

"But we were supposed to go to the Northern Water Tribe together," Aang said feebly.

"I'm sorry," Sokka repeated and he turned to follow Touya back to the abbey. Sokka saw Bato offer Aang a sad look. Sokka felt so bad for leaving Aang all alone on the beach, but he shouldn't have lied. Maybe if Aang had been up front, maybe Sokka could have convinced Touya to stick to the original plan. Sokka couldn't help but feel that Aang had done this to himself.

"Could I see that map Touya?" Bato asked once he, Sokka and Touya got back to the abbey. Touya nodded and gave the map to Bato. He studied it for a moment before heading towards his room. "The good news, we should be able to make it to them in a day or two," Bato said.

Touya's face brightened but Sokka stayed grounded. "What's the bad news?" he asked.

"We'll have to cut right through Fire Nation territory."

"Is that all?" Sokka muttered.

"It's a good thing we have two men now," Bato said proudly. "Your father will be so proud."

Sokka gave a wan smile, but he didn't feel like he was doing anything worthy of pride. He was leaving Aang to fend for himself—but Sokka stopped that thought in his tracks. Aang was a capable bender, he was the one who usually stopped that princess from hurting anyone. Plus Aang was the Avatar. If anything bad happened, he could just go all glowy and things would be alright. With that firmly in his mind, Sokka set about helping Bato pack up the belongings in his room. They were halfway done when Touya stopped abruptly and scowled.

"Aang has all of our stuff," he said curtly.

Sokka put down the large bowls he was packing and started searching his tunic. "I have the money here, along with the map, Dad's boomerang… and that's it," Sokka said. "Everything else is on Appa. But don't worry, I'll get it."

Touya was still scowling, but he just nodded and picked up the discarded bowls. Sokka glanced at Touya one more time before walking out of the room. Luckily for him, Aang and Appa were in the large courtyard, airbender and bison looking morose and dejected. Aang turned to see Sokka approaching him and the boy brightened immediately. "Hey Aang," Sokka said. "We just came to get our stuff."

Aang immediately deflated and a pang shot through Sokka's heart. He looked at the small airbender for a moment, before rifling through his tunic. "Here Aang," Sokka said, holding out the map. "This map has the quickest route to the Northern Water Tribe I could find. If you take it and keep a low profile, you should be able to get there in a couple weeks."

Aang looked at the map petulantly. "We were supposed to go together," Aang said. "Who's going to teach you and Touya how to waterbend?"

Sokka shrugged. "We've been getting by just fine."

"Benders need to know how to bend their elements Sokka! You can't just pretend you're normal!" Aang cried. "You're gonna mess up your spirit energy!"

"We'll be fine Aang," Sokka repeated. "Focus on your journey. You have a world to save and a Fire Lord to beat. Maybe if we're lucky, we can keep that girl off your path."

Aang nodded, but his face was still drawn with sadness. Sokka didn't know what to say to cheer him up. Sokka could always lie and say they were going to meet up again soon, but Sokka didn't know if they were ever going to see each other again. They were on the same side, but…Sokka was quickly realizing that the world was a large place and there was no guarantee he'd ever see the little airbender again. Sokka tried to smile at Aang, but his face wouldn't move. Sokka sighed and gathered their stuff from Appa's saddle. Sokka loosened the money pouch and left half of its contents near Aang's glider. Once Sokka was done, Appa groaned mournfully and poked Sokka with his nose. "I'm sorry boy," Sokka said. "I don't think Touya's coming out." Appa groaned again, softer this time.

Sokka attached his machete to his hip and grabbed the sleeping bags that contained everything Touya and Sokka brought from their village. He started walking back towards Bato's room, but he turned to look at Aang one last time. "Promise me that you'll be careful."

"…I will Sokka," Aang said after a short pause. "You too..."

Sokka nodded and started walking again before Aang's voice stopped him.

"I'm really sorry…"

"I know Aang."

Aang waited outside of Bato's room expectantly, but Touya didn't run out to apologize or even say goodbye. Aang didn't get it; he had already apologized, twice! Wasn't that enough? Aang guessed that their dad was important, but what was more important than learning how to waterbend and helping him save the world? Appa groaned loudly and stood up tall. "I think you're right buddy," Aang said sadly. "They're not coming back."

His limbs felt heavy as he climbed onto Appa's head and gripped the reigns. "Yip yip," he sighed and Appa rose into the air as gracefully as he always did, but the air was heavy and silent. Aang didn't say a word as he grabbed Sokka's map and looked over it. He squinted and turned the map over, trying to make sense of the swiggly lines, jagged points and random circles dotting the map. Maybe Aang should have told Sokka that he didn't know how to read a map accurately. He wasn't sure which line was the path to the Northern Water Tribe, since they all looked the same to him. And Aang wasn't sure which pole was which!

"Ugh! I can't read this!" Aang cried. "How are we going to get to the North Pole like this?"

In response, Appa groaned and turned around in the middle of the air. "You know where the North Pole is buddy?" Aang asked excitedly. Appa yawned. "You could show a little more enthusiasm," Aang muttered. "Like Momo does, right Momo?"

When he didn't get a response, he turned around and looked into the saddle. "Momo?" Aang climbed over Appa's head and looked around. Without the Water Tribe siblings' stuff, the saddle looked bare. He saw a small pile of money next to his glider and stuffed it into his shirt pocket. Aang furtively wiped his eyes and looked into his meager belongings for any sign of Momo. But there was no Momo to be found. Tears welled up into Aang's eyes as he rubbed them again.

"It's not fair," he murmured. "Momo and Touya and Sokka are gone and it's just us Appa…" Aang closed his eyes and hugged his legs. "I miss everyone," Aang said softly. Appa grunted sadly before the two fell silent. They flew under a thick cloud of sorrow for hours and hours, until Appa let out a soft moan and started losing altitude.

"You're getting tired, huh Appa?" Aang asked, voice hoarse from being unused. "Let's stop there." He pointed to a heavily wooded area some ways off from the shore they were flying over. Appa groaned affirmatively and landed in a small clearing between a thicket of trees. Appa plopped onto the ground and huffed tiredly. "You just rest here for now," Aang said. "I'll see if there's anything around here."

Aang walked around for a few moments before he stumbled upon a large sign with flyers glued on. "Look what I found Appa!" Aang said. "This should tell us what's around." Appa groaned from a short distance away, but the giant bison made no motion to move any closer.

"Fire Days Festival…" Aang muttered. That sounded like it would be fun and exactly what he needed to get his mind of things related to Touya, Momo and their awful betrayals. "It says here that it has Fire Nation cultural exhibits, jugglers, benders, magicians... This could be a great place for me to safely study some firebending!"

Appa mumbled skeptically as he plodded towards Aang. The giant bison poked Aang with his nose warningly. Aang patted Appa's nose dismissively. "Don't worry Appa, I'll be fine," Aang smiled. "Nobody knows it's me besides all the people we've helped, the princess and that weird sideburn guy."

Appa groaned again, this time more urgently. "I know we're in Fire Nation territory, but we'll be okay! Maybe they'll think I'm dressed up or something." Aang turned around with a big smile and patted Appa's snout. Appa exhaled sharply through his nose and gave Aang a disbelieving look. "Okay, okay, I'll wear a disguise if it makes you feel better," Aang grumbled. Appa bared his teeth and gave Aang a wet lick.

"Thanks buddy," Aang smiled. "But you stay here while I go and observe the firebenders, okay?" Aang used his airbending to jump on top of Appa's head and scratched his friend's head. Gliding effortlessly, Aang touched on the ground and started walking towards the village. He looked around as the trees around him thinned and the peaks of tall buildings came into view. Soon enough, Aang passed through the village's gates and saw large red poles with lights hanging from them. Various people milled about, all wearing different shades of red. Aang looked down at his bright yellow and orange robes and felt out of place. He looked to the dozens of merchant stands and approached one that had masks on display.

"Um, hi," Aang said to the merchant hesitantly. "I would like a mask please."

The merchant raised an eyebrow while looking Aang up and down. "You need one," the man muttered. "Who told you that airbender costume looked good? You should have dressed up as the Fire Lord!"

Aang paled and his mouth flopped open and closed like a giant koi fish. The merchant tutted and grabbed a mask of an ornately decorated bird. "This is the sun god Agni," the merchant said. "I'll give it to you for free because I like you…even if your costume is atrocious."

"Um…thanks?" Aang said as the mask was shoved into his arms. The man raised an eyebrow expectantly. Aang blinked and out the mask on, to the approval of the merchant.

"Go out and have fun!" the merchant exclaimed. Aang nodded and meandered his way towards past the many merchant stands. He saw a few children running towards a small stage, where a puppet was breathing fire. Grimacing beneath his mask, Aang watched the puppet melt an earthbender puppet when he bumped into something hard. Whipping around, Aang's foot caught on something slick and he tumbled to the ground, but not before reaching out and taking something down with him.

"What's your deal!?" a man covered in ice cream yelled.

Aang's eyes widened and his mouth dropped. "U-Um, I'm s—"

"Sorry isn't going to cut it!" The man yelled as he got up. "I'm covered in this stuff! I should—"

"Sanan, what are you doing!?" a high pitched voice yelled. Aang looked up to see a girl in pink holding an ice cream cone glaring at the man. He turned to give a retort but looked sheepish when he realized who spoke.

"He's just a kid! It was an accident," she said as she shrugged her shoulders.

"Yeah," Aang agreed feebly.

"You shut up!" Sanan snarled.

"Wow, Sanan," the girl said. "If I had known you were a jerk, I wouldn't have agreed to go out with you anyway!"

"Children should know their place Ty Lum," Sanan said as he hefted himself off the ground. "And be taught to not bother adults. I'm teaching this child, his place."

The girl in pink glared at Sanan a bit longer and then looked at Aang. "Oh yeah, you really told him didn't you?" she said with a dryness matching that of Sokka's. Before Sanan could say anything else, she smashed her ice cream against his face and pulled Aang off the ground. "You weren't getting a kiss anyway," she said before she dragged Aang off.

Aang blinked and looked at the girl who had defended him so zealously. Her hair was tied up into a large braid that was the color of fertile soil and it tumbled down her back in abstract elegance. And her eyes were clear and grey, like a blanket of clouds underneath an air temple. Her skin shone gold under the flickering light of the flames and her hands were as soft and delicate as any noble artisan. She was the most beautiful person Aang had ever seen.

The girl dragged Aang into a secluded area with only a few people milling about. "Sorry about that," the girl said as she faced the young airbender. "I didn't think he was such a huge jerk when I agreed to go out with him."

Aang gazed into the beautiful girl's face, dazzled by her luminescent eyes.

"Are you okay?" She asked, waving her hand in front of his mask.

"Yes!" Aang yelped. Nervously, he took his mask off and offered the girl a wide smile. "Thank you for saving me." He bowed deeply.

The girl stared at him with wide eyes that kept roaming his body. "Oh w-wow. Um, you're very welcome," the girl stammered.

"My name is Aang," he said brightly. "And you're Ty Lum right? That's a beautiful name."

"That's not my name," she said sheepishly. "I just told Sanan that. I'm Ty Lee, nice to meet you Aang." She bowed shallowly and returned his bright smile. Now that she didn't look so surprised, Aang noticed that she looked as excited as he did.

"Since you spilled ice cream all over my date," Ty Lee said slyly. "Would you accompany me for the rest of the festival?"

Aang felt his face heat up and his grin became wider. "Of course!" he cried. "My lady." He offered his arm and Ty Lee giggled as she linked her own.

Touya hadn't been hugged in a long time, not since they left home. He'd given plenty of hugs, but that was always different than being hugged. Being hugged was like being enveloped in a soft warm parka after a day playing in the cold slush. At least, that's what Touya felt when his father's big arms wrapped around him. It had been a long three years.

"It's so good to see you Touya," his father rumbled in a deep voice. His arms squeezed Touya even tighter and he ran his hand through Touya's hair. "I was so afraid that I would…"

His father stepped back slightly, breaking the hug, but keeping his hands on his son's shoulders. "You've gotten so big…" his father said with a wistful smile. "And look at you Sokka! The last time I saw you, you were this big."

Touya turned to gaze up at Sokka, who was awkwardly towering over a good chunk of the other men. "He doesn't seem that tall to me," Touya offered, much to the amusement of the men.

"Doesn't seem that tall?" Masato guffawed. "He's huge!" He heartily patted Sokka's back. Sokka flushed and crossed his arms.

"I'm not that tall," he muttered with embarrassment. He had never noticed his height before. He didn't get a growth spurt until he was sixteen and by then, he had already towered Gran-Gran and his mother. He didn't think he would be taller than the other men too.

Hakoda laughed and gave his older son a crushing hug. "My grandfather was a tall and wise man," Hakoda said. "You take after him immensely."

Sokka flushed even more as Hakoda laughed. "Bato told me about your ice dodging! I'm sorry I couldn't be there."

"It's okay Dad," Sokka murmured. "It wasn't too exciting."

"Nonsense!" Masato said. "Bato told us that without your quick thinking, you all would have been dead!"

"Yeah!" Touya chimed. "We almost smashed into a whole bunch of rocks and then Sokka steered us left and we made it! Aang almost fell off the boat though."

The men all laughed uproariously at Touya's story and he smiled brightly. It felt good to be surrounded by all his village men, but a weird pang settled in his stomach. "Who's Aang?" Hakoda asked.

Touya clamped his mouth shut and crossed his arms. Hakoda raised an eyebrow and looked to Sokka for answers.

"Sokka, who is Aang?" He repeated.

"This kid in an iceberg Touya and I found," Sokka muttered. He met Hakoda's intense glare for a few seconds before his eyes shot to the ground. Touya didn't get it. He wondered why Sokka didn't seem too happy when they were back with their dad and everyone else. Touya was happy, he was more than happy, but that weird pang in his stomach wouldn't go away.

"Would someone mind explaining this?" Bato asked in a weak voice. He had a small and energetic creature held up by the tail. It chattered angrily and flailed in his hand, before turning its large eyes toward Sokka. It screeched loudly before wringing itself out of Bato's grip and into Sokka's pants. It climbed up Sokka's body, before popping it's head out of Sokka's tunic.

"Hi Momo," Sokka said, nonchalantly ignoring the looks he was getting from his clansmen. "Did you sneak into our packs while we weren't looking?" Momo chattered back conversationally and shot Bato a dirty look. Sokka glanced at an incredulous Bato and looked back at Momo. "I know," Sokka said soothingly to the agitated lemur. "We'll find you some peaches, okay?" Without another look at the other men, Sokka and Momo went off in search of peaches.

"You know that thing?" Bato asked hoarsely. He clutched at his side and bent over. "It was eating all of my dried jerky and making a mess of things."

"That's Momo," Touya said. "He's Aang's lemur, but I think he likes Sokka better. We found him in the Southern Air Temple."

"You two have been just about everywhere, haven't you?" Hakoda chuckled. Bato smiled tightly and sighed with a shudder. "Are you alright?" Hakoda asked his oldest friend.

"I reopened a wound," Bato sighed. "It was kind of the sisters to let us use those ostrich horses, but the ride was too bumpy for me."

Touya looked at the splotch of red blossoming around Bato's hand. He looked at Bato's pale face and the worry etched in his dad's expression. Touya looked around to the other men and saw weariness and sadness clinging to their bodies. Touya thought that once he finally got to see his dad, then everything would go back to normal, but it didn't. Sokka didn't want to talk, Bato was hurt and Aang... and Touya missed Appa.

"I had a lot of fun tonight Aang," Ty Lee said with a smile.

Aang felt his ears heat up and a bashful smile burst from his lips. "T-thanks," Aang stammered. "I had a nice time too."

Ty Lee smiled too and she slipped her hand into his. Aang felt his face heat up and he looked at Ty Lee with wide eyes. "I'm glad you saved me from my date," she said. "I would have died if I had to spend one more minute with him!"

"You shouldn't joke about death young lady," a hoarse voice said. Ty Lee's hand tightened around Aang's and he felt himself move backwards as Ty Lee pushed herself in front of him.

"I won't hurt you," the voice said and a ragged-looking man stepped out of the shadows. "My name is Chey and I'm here on behalf of Jeong Jeong."

Even in the dark, Aang saw Ty Lee's face pale. "Wait," Aang asked. "Who's Jeong Jeong and how does he know me?"

"I saw you fly in with your bison," Chey explained. "I followed you and wanted to approach you earlier but I lost you during the firebending show."

Ty Lee's grip tightened a little more, but she let Aang approach the man unhindered. "Okay..." he muttered. "But who's Jeong Jeong?"

"He's a famous Fire Nation general," Ty Lee answered. "He was on par with the Dragon of the West, and then he disappeared."

Chey was taken aback, but he recovered quickly. "She's right," Chey said. "Master Jeong Jeong disagreed with the war and he became the first person to leave the army and live. I'm the second, but you don't get to be a legend for that."

"Are you gonna take us to Jeong Jeong?" Aang asked.

Chey nodded in affirmative. "He wants to see you."

"That doesn't make any sense," Ty Lee said. "What would the great Jeong Jeong, celebrated military general turned deserter, want with some random colonial kid?"

Aang fidgeted and dropped her hand. "Um, Ty Lee?" Aang asked as he stood in front of her. "I'm the Avatar." He took off his cloak and showed her his bright yellow clothes, and the arrows hidden under his hood. "See my arrows?" Strangely, Ty Lee didn't gasp or take a step back or ball to her knees like everybody else did once they found out he was the Avatar. She just narrowed her eyes and seemed to be inspecting his arrow tattoos. Seemingly satisfied, she started to laugh.

"I can't believe it! I went on a date with the Avatar!" She exclaimed. "Just wait til I tell my sisters!"

"W-wait!" Aang cried. "I'm trying to keep it a secret. There's some dangerous people after me and I don't want them to hurt you."

Ty Lee blinked and then giggled sweetly. "Aren't you cute?" She said and gave him a hug. "You're so sweet to worry about me, Aang."

The young airbender blushed bright red and awkwardly turned to Chey. "Um, we shouldn't keep Jeong Jeong waiting, huh?" Aang asked as he scratched the back of his neck.

"No," Chey agreed. "But it would be much faster if we took your bison."

Aang nodded and led the two outside of the village. They walked and walked until they found the clearing where Appa had been relaxing all day. "Hey buddy!" Aang said loudly, waking up his dozing friend. "Guess what?"

Appa groaned and opened a bleary eye. "No, that's not it," Aang said as Appa closed his eyes again. "I met new friends! Now we don't have to be sad over stupid Touya."

Appa groaned sadly at the mention of Touya's name, but he stood up and peered at the newcomers. "This is Chey," Aang introduced, pointing to the scraggly brown haired man. "And this is Ty Lee." Appa looked at the girl in maroon and licked her.

"Appa wait!" Aang cried. "Boundaries!"

Ty Lee yelped and stiffened as Appa greeted her. She shuddered and groaned. "It's okay Aang, I don't mind animal slobber. Especially when it's all over my sister's clothes," she muttered.

Satisfied and with and glimmer of amusement in his eyes, Appa bent down to give everyone access to his saddle. After giving Ty Lee his cloak to wipe off Appa's slobber, Aang jumped into the saddle, helping the others climb up. With Chey's help, Aang managed to steer everyone successfully to right outside where Jeong Jeong's camp would be.

"We'll need to walk the rest of the way," Chey said. "The locals might be frightened if they saw your bison overhead."

Ty Lee shot Aang a look, but he couldn't decipher it so he just shrugged in return. "I don't think this is a very good idea," she said with a hint of apprehension. "Do we really want to meet a crazy firebender in the middle of Earth Kingdom territory?"

"Master Jeong Jeong is not crazy," Chey insisted. "And we'll be perfectly safe here."

And then, as if summoned by Chey's words, a group of men dropped from the trees and shoved their spears into Aang's and Ty Lee's faces. "We'll be perfectly safe, huh?" Ty Lee parroted dryly.

"Be quiet!" One of the men yelled. Aang and Ty Lee were rudely shoved onto a path and roughly poked with the tips of a spear. "Move," the same man growled.

The two slowly walked in the direction the men wanted them too and Aang shot a glance to Chey, who had been unharmed and unthreatened.

A man dressed slightly more elaborately than the others angrily stomped over to Chey. "Jeong Jeong told you not to look for Avatar!" The man hissed.

"You know these guys?" Aang asked.

"Yeah!" Chey chuckled awkwardly. "Lin Yee's an old friend, right Lin Yee?"

"Yu Lee?" Aang heard Ty Lee whisper.

Lin Yee did not look amused with Chey at all. "Shut up!" He said rudely and Chey promptly snapped his mouth shut. A tense silence fell over the group as they continued to walk. As they approached a small village built next to a river, the men sheathed their spears and pushed Aang and Ty Lee towards a small hut.

"What about Chey?" Aang asked.

"Jeong Jeong see him only," Lin Yee said gruffly, motioning to Chey.

"But what about us?" Ty Lee asked.

"Don't worry!" Chey said brightly. "Jeong Jeong is a great great man! Everything will be fine." With that, Lin Yee and Chey walked off towards a small hut near the border of the village. Aang and Ty Lee were roughly shoved into the small hut and promptly left there. A sullen silence blanketed the inside of the hut before Aang broke it.

"I'm sorry Ty Lee," he said sadly. "I didn't mean to get you captured by Earth Kingdom warriors."

"What? No Aang, this is great!" She exclaimed.

Aang blinked in confusion. "It is?"

"Of course it is!" She said with a bright smile. "I get to meet the great Jeong Jeong! He's second only to the Fire Lord! Did you know that they used to work together?"

Aang shook his head "I've never heard of Jeong Jeong until today. Is he really that famous?"

Ty Lee nodded. "In the Fire Nation he is. Everybody talked about him when I was younger. We learned about his military campaign against Ba Sing Se before we learned about Fire Lord Sozin's decimation of the Air Temp—" Ty Lee cut herself off and looked at Aang with owlish eyes.

Aang crossed his legs and looked at the ground sadly. "So it really did happen, huh?" Aang asked. "I really am the last airbender."

Ty Lee frowned and rubbed Aang's shoulders. "I'm sorry Aang," she said. "I'm so, so sorry."

"It's not your fault," Aang muttered. "For someone from the Fire Nation, you're not as evil as Sokka says."

"How so?"

"You haven't tried to capture and torture me and you haven't attacked me," Aang listed. "And you're really nice."

"Thank you Aang," Ty Lee said with a warm smile. "I haven't felt very nice lately..."

"Why not?"

"I have seven sisters, but I'm only close with two of them," Ty Lee started. "My sister Yu Lee asked me to help her and I agreed but...I'm not really helping her, I'm helping her stupid friend!" Ty Lee huffed and crossed her arms. "I haven't been home in three years. And it's all her fault!"

Aang stayed silent as Ty Lee furiously wiped at tearing eyes. "And I've missed so much at home! Like Su Lee's birthday and Da Lee's marriage and what if Granny Tai dies and I don't get to see her?" She cried. "And I can't just go home without Yu Lee 'cause what if something happens and I'm not there? I'll never forgive myself."

Aang wrapped his arms around Ty Lee and held on tightly. "I don't know much about having a family," he confessed. "The monks didn't teach that. We were all supposed to be together, but not like brothers or sisters or dads."

"You don't know who your parents are?" Ty Lee asked with a watery sniff.

Aang shook his head. "Monk Gyatso raised me, but I don't think he was my father. And my mother has to be someone from the Western Air Temple, but worldly matters only distract us from enlightenment," Aang recited. "Maybe that's why Touya was so mad at me. Sometimes I forget that they aren't Air Nomads."

"Yeah..." Ty Lee trailed off. "Maybe you should try to see things from his point of view. Talking about it always helps me feel better."

Aang took a deep breath. "Yeah...I took the letter that was gonna take them to their dad and then I thought they would forgive me immediately," Aang sighed heavily. "But he didn't even accept my apology."

"Well—"

A shuffle at the door cut Ty Lee off and she slightly shifted. The door opened and Chey walked through the threshold. "What happened?" Aang asked excitedly. "Can I see Jeong Jeong now?"

Chey fell to the dusty ground in a sad heap. "He won't see you," he murmured. "He's very angry that I brought you here. He wants you to leave immediately."

"But—" Aang started.

"You said that he wanted to see Aang," Ty Lee said accusingly. "Why did he change his mind so quickly?"

Chey stayed quiet for a moment before sighing deeply. "I lied," he confessed. "I brought you here without his permission or knowledge."

"But why won't he see me?" Aang asked.

"You aren't ready. He says that you haven't mastered waterbending and earthbending yet." Chey avoided the gazes before the two in front of him and kept his eyes on a spot of ground in front of him.

"How does he know that?" Aang muttered.

"He saw the way you walked into camp!" Chey said. "He can tell."

Ty Lee rolled her eyes. "Why does that even matter?" she asked. "The Avatar needs to know all the elements anyway."

"There's a certain order to these things," Aang said nonchalantly. "I'm going to go see Jeong Jeong." He stood up suddenly and exited out the hut before anybody could say anything. After walking past several huts, Aang thought that maybe he should have asked Chey were Jeong Jeong was before storming out. He walked to an isolated hut near the riverbank, and guessing it looked important enough, poked his head in.

"Get out," a gravelly voice growled as soon as Aang's head peeked through the threshold. Steeling his nerve, Aang fully entered the hut.

"Master, I—"

"Only a fool seeks his own destruction," Jeong Jeong said gruffly. The old master was sitting with his back towards Aang, the only light being a plethora of lit candles.

"I don't seek my destruction," Aang said. "I want to learn firebending. It's my destiny—"

"Destiny?" Jeong Jeon spat. "What would a boy know of destiny? If a fish lives its whole life in a river, does it know of the river's destiny?"

"I don't see what that has to do with—" Aang started.

"NO!" Jeong Jeong roared and the flames on the candles flickered brightly. "He only knows that it runs on and on, out of his control! He can never see the end or imagine the ocean."

In that moment, Aang felt the immense desire to say something sarcastic and blamed Sokka. "Right," Aang conceded, utterly confused and lost. "But it's the Avatar's duty to learn all of the bending disciplines. I need—"

"To master the bending arts, you need discipline," Jeong Jeong said. "But you have no interest in this, so I have no interest in you. Now, get out."

"Please," Aang pleaded. "I have to learn. This could be my only chan—"

"Are you deaf!?" Jeong Jeong exploded. "How can I teach you if you refuse to listen!?" Jeong Jeong turned around, revealing a scarred and wrinkled face. "Before you learn firebending, you must first learn water and earth. Water is cool and soothing. Earth is steady and stable, but fire… Fire is alive. It breathes, it grows. Without a bender, a rock will not throw itself! But fire will spread and destroy everything in its path, even its wielder! That is its destiny. You are not ready!"

Aang shrunk back as the flames on the candles erupted. Fire and heat surrounded his whole being for what felt like an eternity. And then all at once, it flickered away. After a moment of warm emptiness, everything was back to normal and Jeong Jeong looked resigned. "I will teach you," he sighed.

"Really?" Aang asked. "That's great! When will we start?"

When Sokka opened his eyes, he saw the moon. It shined bright, and brighter and brighter, until all that was left of the sky was a black outline. He closed his eyes again and took in the ocean-heavy air. "You aren't very subtle," he said with a sigh.

Harmonious laughter filled his ears and a soft touch grazed his cheek. "Perhaps you are just too clever, my son," the lady said lightly. The soft touch returned and caressed his cheek. "How are you liking my gift?"

"I don't know how to work it," Sokka said, feeling strangely floaty. He couldn't tell if he were standing or lying on the ground. "I can't waterbend."

"You need a teacher," she said.

"Can't you teach me?"

"I am not a teacher," the lady laughed. "I am not your teacher. You must go north."

Sokka sighed and opened his eyes. The lady's vivid blue eyes gazed into his own and her lips quirked into a sly smile. "Do you want to explain to me why you are not with the Avatar?" She asked with an amused tilt to her voice.

"He upset Touya," Sokka said weakly.

"But you are the man now and Touya is but a child," she said. "You should exercise that authority. I told you to stay with the Avatar."

"He's my brother," Sokka murmured. "I can't leave him."

The amused look slid off the lady's face, only to be replaced with something thoughtful and maybe even a little melancholy. "This was not foreseen," she admitted. "This was not the order of things. We are trying our best but..."

Sokka tried to move closer to the lady, but she stayed the same distance away. "What?" He asked. "What's going on?"

She shook her head and pushed a stray hair from his face. "I have already revealed too much," she said. "There are rules I must follow."

"You always do this!" Sokka cried. "You bring me here, say something cryptic and then spout secretive whale dung whenever I ask you about it!" The lady looked taken aback at Sokka's outburst and her mouth dropped open slightly. He felt slightly ashamed, but he grabbed onto a dark pit of emotions that had been bubbling since he first saw Bato. "If you aren't going to tell me anything, then stop bringing me here!"

The lady stayed quiet for a long time. She didn't look at him, just at the moon covering the entire sky. He expected her to disappear or something and leave him alone in the spirit world like when he had been taken by the panda spirit. "It is a long, long, long story," she finally said.

"We have time," Sokka said. "I'm sleeping aren't I?"

The lady laughed and it rumbled through the world and shook the sky. "I knew there was a reason that I chose you."

"I always knew he was a heavy sleeper, but this is just ridiculous," Masato said as he scratched his receding hairline. Hakoda frowned and worriedly looked at his oldest son. Masato shook Sokka again, but the boy was dead to the world. Normally it wouldn't have fazed anyone, but they had been trying to wake him up for over an hour.

"Sokka, wake up!" Touya said loudly. "Please?"

But Sokka didn't move. If it weren't for the gentle moving of his chest, Hakoda would think that his oldest had died. "Does he do this all the time Touya?" Hakoda asked. Maybe this was a recent thing that started in the last few years. When he was gone.

"Not really," Touya said simply. "This only happened once before. There was a time when we were flying to Omashu and he fell asleep on Appa. And then I wanted to talk to him but he wouldn't wake up."

Hakoda nodded and looked at his oldest son. In three years, his son had grown up. He wasn't a little kid anymore. Sokka had always taken after Kya's side of the family. He was the spitting image of her grandfather, from what Hakoda could remember. The baby fat had melted off his son's face, leaving a thin and mature man that was full of wisdom. Perhaps too thin, in Hakoda's opinion, but years of hard living took their toll on everyone, except Touya. Touya was chubby still, with a face as round, bright and soft as the midnight sun. Whenever he looked at his youngest son's face, thoughts of Katara came unbidden to his mind. Hakoda couldn't help picking out her features from Touya's face, they looked so alike. He had Kanna's eyes and Sokka's ears and Kya's nose and—Katara's smile. He would have forgotten it if it weren't for Touya, he would have forgotten many things if—

"Hakoda," Bato said as he softly put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "What are we going to do about Sokka? He still hasn't woken up."

Hakoda looked back and saw Touya slapping Sokka repeatedly. "I don't know what's wrong Bato. Yesterday he was fine and we've spent all morning trying to get him up. He doesn't sleep this hard does he?"

Bato shook his head. "When we were on the move, he woke up at every leaf rustle," Bato said. "Touya did mention something about a crazy lady but Sokka's been very silent about their adventures."

"There must be a good reason," Hakoda said, not convinced by his own words. "He'll tell us when it's time—"

"SOKKA!" Touya cried. The men quickly looked at the two brothers, one exuberant and one pale and harried.

"We need to go now," Sokka said in a shaky voice. "Touya, pack up your things. We leave now."

"Wait," Hakoda said helpless as Touya jumped to his feet and started grabbing his pack. "Touya, stop. You just got here Sokka, why do you need to leave so soon?"

"Touya, now," Sokka said sternly, before he turned his eyes to his father. Hakoda bristled at the disobedience.

"If you want to leave, fine," Hakoda said harshly. "But you don't need to take your brother away from his people."

A flash of hurt crossed Sokka's face but was quickly replaced with a scowl. "Aang is in trouble and needs our help."

"What happened to Aang?" Touya asked softly.

"Nothing if we get there in time!" Sokka cried.

"How do you even know this?" Bato asked. "He hasn't sent any word."

"I…" Sokka trailed off. "I just know. I have a special Aang-sense."

"That was weak, even for you," Hakoda scoffed. He then sighed and crossed his arms. "If you didn't want to see me, you could have just said so."

"Even if I told you how I know, you wouldn't believe me anyway," Sokka huffed. "Now can we pack, please?"

Hakoda looked at Bato for any help, but the other man still looked pale and drawn from his wound. "Why," Hakoda sighed. "Do you need to go? The Avatar can handle a few days without you."

Sokka, who had started to help Touya pack, huffed. "I had a dream that Aang was in trouble," Sokka mumbled.

"That's it?" Touya asked shrilly. "I thought it was something import—"

"It's from the lady," Sokka said and Touya blanched. The young waterbender quickly continued to pack with a look of almost fear on his face.

"The lady?" Hakoda repeated blankly. "Who—what?"

"The spirit that whisked you away?" Bato asked. Sokka flushed and nodded. Bato turned to Hakoda with a worried look in his eyes. "This is what Kanna warned us about," he hissed in a low voice. "The spirits are invading his dreams!"

Hakoda rubbed his temples and felt his shoulders sag. "Do you trust this lady, Sokka?" he asked. His eyes bore into his son's matching grey-blue ones and Hakoda was struck with the realization that he didn't know his son at all. Sokka was a stranger who looked like his son. Had he really missed so much of his son's life?

"She…she hasn't steered me wrong yet," Sokka admitted in a soft voice. "She's always been there."

"All right," Hakoda said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"We'll see each other again, won't we?" Touya asked.

"Of course," Hakoda said. "And next time you'll introduce me to Aang, won't you?"

"Yeah!" Touya agreed.

"Then you better get going before you miss your Avatar," Hakoda chuckled.

Sokka's lips quirked into a small smile. "Thanks Dad."

"It's okay, it's okay!" Ty Lee cried as she clutched her hands. "Don't worry about it!" Tears threatened to fall from her eyes and she clenched her teeth so hard that her mouth hurt. Not making the feeling any better, was Aang's constant bombardment of apologies and worry. "Be useful and get me some bandages!" Ty Lee snapped. Aang jumped back slightly, blinking widely, before nodding and running to find a first aid kit. With Aang gone, Ty Lee whimpered and put her hands into the river running by her feet.

"What did Yu Lee say about burns?" she muttered to herself as she tried not to cry at the sting. "How would I know?" she whimpered to herself. "I don't get burned."

"I told him this would happen," a hoarse voice hissed as heavy footsteps carried through the air. "Let me see your hand, girl."

"I'm fine," Ty Lee ground out, but she held out her dripping hands, wincing at the blistering burns on her left hand. He grabbed her wrists and inspected her hands.

"This isn't fine," Jeong Jeong said. "These are serious burns. They're going to scar badly."

"I'll be fine as long as I don't lose any mobility in my hands," Ty Lee said, gritting her teeth against the pain. The old man looked up at her with an unreadable look. Then he scoffed and grabbed a small bowl of ointment from within his clothes. He started applying the awful smelling paste to her hands.

"As long as it heals properly, you should be fine," he said gruffly. He took out clean bandages and wrapped her hands tightly. "You know how to take care of burns don't you?"

"I know what to do," Ty Lee grumbled.

"The good benders of the Water Tribes can heal any wound they come across," Jeong Jeong said. "I've always wished I were blessed like them… Free from this burning curse."

"Waterbending isn't all healing and snow cones," Ty Lee said bitterly.

The old man shook his head. "Water brings healing and life. Fire brings only destruction and pain. Look at your hands. They will always bear the mark of the flame's touch. And those cursed must always walk the razor's edge between humanity and savagery. Eventually, we're torn apart."

Ty Lee looked at the downcast old man and scoffed. "Those scars on your face weren't made by a firebender. You know fire isn't the only dangerous element," she said. "You talk about how great waterbending is, but… I've seen what it can do."

Jeong Jeong shook his head in disbelief. "How—" his words were interrupted by a thick blast of flame that struck the water in front of them. Jeong Jeong pushed Ty Lee out of the way as he blocked the second blast. "Go get the boy and flee!" he cried. "Do not come back here or you will all be destroyed!"

Ty Lee was up and running in no time at all, barely hearing Jeong Jeong's last cry to hurry. She ignored the sting of her hands as she ran towards the village for the young airbender. The bison was sitting on the outskirts, content with eating a random piece of grass. "Hey, you!" she said to the bison. "Have you seen Aang?" The creature's intelligent eyes looked at her for only a moment before pointing its head towards Jeong Jeong's hut. "Are you kidding me?" she exclaimed. The bison groaned loudly in response but Ty Lee had no idea what the thing was trying to say. "You…get ready to fly! You're leaving as soon as I get Aang!"

The young acrobat ran towards Jeong Jeong's hut and all but tore off the cloth serving as a door. "Aang—" Ty Lee started.

"Jeong Jeong told me I wasn't ready," the avatar said. He was alone in the dark, with only a flickering candle serving as his only light. He was facing the wall, with shoulders sagged from sadness. "I wouldn't listen… I'm never going to firebend again."

Ty Lee resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Such theatrics. Fu Lee would have loved to meet Aang. They could be overdramatic together. "You'll have to eventually Aang," Ty Lee said. "You have to learn all the elements."

"No," Aang repeated. "Never again."

"Okay fine, whatever, but we have to go! Someone's attacking the village and I think they got Jeong Jeong," Ty Lee said urgently.

"What?" Aang asked, jumping to his feet and facing her in a burst of air. "Where?"

"That doesn't matter," Ty Lee said. "We need to go."

"No!" Aang cried. "I need to help him!"

"But Aang—!" Ty Lee cried, but Aang had already run out the door in a burst of airbending. "Seriously? With the way you run into danger, it's a miracle we haven't caught you yet!" She let out a breath and chased Aang. The boy was fast with his airbending, but Ty Lee caught up to him in no time. She tried to open her mouth to say something, but Aang had already edged ahead of her, towards the river bank where she had left Jeong Jeong.

"Jeong Jeong!" Aang cried as he approached the river bank. Ty Lee was right on his heels, but came to a screeching halt when she saw Zhao.

"Aang," Ty Lee said softly. "We need to go. You can't take on Commander Zhao."

Aang ignored her and ran to help Jeon Jeong, who was surrounded by firebending soldiers. But Aang's help was unneeded as the old master disappeared in an orb of flame. Ty Lee gasped and watched as Zhao slowly approached Aang with a smirk on his face. "Men, go capture the deserter," Zhao said. "He just ran off into the woods." Then, the man fell into a fighting stance. "Let's see what my old master has taught you."

"You're Jeong Jeong's student?" Aang gasped.

"Until I got bored," Zhao said cockily. And then their fight began in earnest. Zhao was full of powerful flames that singed everything in sight, but Aang was a master of evasion. Ty Lee's jaw dropped as she saw the goofy kid from the other night dodge with the most impressive airbending techniques she had ever seen. She watched as Zhao set the woods around her on fire and thought that maybe she wasn't in the best spot to watch the fight. With her resolve steeled, she ran along the edge of the forest in order to get behind Zhao. With his attention all focused on Aang, the commander didn't notice Ty Lee until it was too late.

"What the!" he cried as Ty Lee jabbed the pressure points on his legs and arms in quick succession.

"Sorry Zhao," she said in a low voice only he could hear. "He's mine."

The downed firebender let out a roar of anger before Ty Lee knocked him out with a well-placed kick.

"Wow Ty Lee!" Aang cried. "That was amazing!"

"Tell that to my hands," she said as she winced at the pain.

Aang walked up to Zhao and inspected the prone man's sleeping form. "It looks like he won't get up for a while, so we should go check on Jeong Jeong as soon as possible."

Ty Lee heard the trees rustle behind her as familiar footsteps reached her ears. She shook her head and smiled. "There's no need for that Aang," she said sweetly. "Jeong Jeong will be fine."

"How do you know?" Aang asked worriedly.

"Because I have him right here," Azula smirked with Commander Wei and a bound Jeong Jeong in tow. "You know Ty, I thought this was going to blow up in our faces, but it didn't."

Horror bloomed on Aang's face as he looked from Ty Lee to Azula and back again. "Ty Lee…" Aang said pitifully. "What's going on? How does she know you?"

"Aang, this is Princess Azula—"

"I know who she is!" Aang interrupted.

"My sister's best friend," Ty Lee continued as if she hadn't heard Aang speak. Realization dawned on Aang's face and he grit his teeth.

"I thought we were friends," Aang said, betrayal clearly written on his face. "I thought you got me! We're the same, Ty Lee!"

A vice tightened its grip over her chest, but Ty Lee wasn't going to let that stop her. Once he just stop fighting, she could get Yu Lee back and they could go home. "I'm nothing like you," Ty Lee said softly. "Come on Aang," she said a little louder. "Don't make it any harder on yourself."

Aang clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. "I—"

"You don't have to do anything Aang!" a high pitched voice cried. Ty Lee bit her lip and sighed. She knew it was too good to be true.

"DYNAMIC ENTRY!" Touya yelled as loud as he could and giggled softly as the fire princess and her friends look around wildly for the source of his voice. With a loud roar, Appa emerged from the forest and slapped his tail on the ground. The ground rippled and Sokka took advantage of the bad guys' lack of balance to steer Appa into the clearing and hold out his hand.

"Come on Aang!" Sokka cried. Aang tore his eyes away from the girl standing apart from the princess and held out his hand for Sokka. The older teen hefted the young airbender into Appa's saddle and then started flying towards the river.

Touya, who had done a super-secret mission for Sokka, was waving his arms wildly on one of three randomly placed ships. "Don't forget me you guys!" Touya cried.

"We won't!" Sokka cried. Just like with Aang, Sokka held out his hand and helped Touya climb onto Appa's head. As soon as Touya got into Appa's saddle, he climbed over and kissed the back of Appa's neck.

"I missed you Appa," Touya said. "I know we were only apart for a few days, but I really missed you." Appa rumbled in response and sorted in a way that Touya knew meant, "I love you too, little blue child."

Touya turned to Aang, who still looked upset and troubled. "Aang?" Touya asked. "I'm sorry for getting mad at you."

Aang looked up and smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I'm sorry for hiding the map, Touya," Aang said. "I just…"

"You want to talk about what happened?" Sokka asked from Appa's head.

Aang closed his eyes for a long time and then looked at Touya with sad grey eyes. "I thought she really liked me," Aang said sadly. "I thought we were friends."

Touya didn't know what Aang was talking about, but his friend looked so sad. With a furtive glance at Sokka, Touya scooted closer to Aang and gave the older boy a big hug.

"It's okay Aang," Touya said. "We're all friends again and this time we aren't gonna leave you."

Aang smiled a real smile this time and returned the hug. "Thanks Touya, thanks Sokka."

"No problem Aang," Sokka replied flippantly. A peaceful silence fell between the three companions, with Momo making his reappearance. The lemur jumped out of Sokka's pack and climbed onto Aang's head.

"Hey Momo," Aang said. "I have a question though, you guys."

"What?" Sokka asked.

"How did you guys find me just in time to help me?" Aang asked. "It was all very convenient."

Touya looked at Sokka for a moment, but when the newly christened man stayed silent, Touya took it upon himself to explain.

"So I have no idea what happened, except that we were with Dad and then Sokka had a dream about the lady and then we packed and Bato was gonna give us the ostrich horses but then that would have taken a long time." Touya paused and took a deep breath. "And then Sokka stopped talking and then we went into the water and then—"

"Touya, I don't think Aang needs to know about all that right now," Sokka said. "Just know that we got here."

"O…kay…" Aang said hesitantly. "I'm glad you guys are here though! Let's go to the North Pole!"

"FINALLY!" Touya cried.