Disclaimer: I do not own any of the ATLA characters.

Chapter 7

This is bad, Zuko thought as he and Katara hurtled down the hallways, trying to find Aang. They were following the sounds of explosions and it was leading them to the courtyard of the palace. Katara was gasping for air next to him and Zuko looked to see that tears were streaming down her face. It didn't help to ease the growing pit in his stomach that something bad was about to happen. Something that they couldn't recover from. Zuko understood this feeling when they reached the courtyard.

In front of them was a fearsome battle raging between Kano and Aang. He heard the Waterbender gasp as they saw that Aang was in the Avatar State and clearly struggling to maintain control of himself. Kano, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying the fight as he dodged every element thrown at him with an uncanny grace and ability that should only come from an Airbender. As Aang released a huge wave upon a Kano, the two saw that the mysterious man was able to slice through the water with ease, almost as if her were…

Katara turned to Zuko. "Did you see that," she whispered uncertainly. "He was…" She didn't need to finish because Zuko knew. Kano was Waterbending.

Both the Firebender and Waterbender stood in shocked silence as they watched this brutal battle wage on, uncertain of how they would even be able to stop Aang from destroying the entire city. Katara had seen Aang lose control before, back when it was just the four of them travelling the world. But that was when Aang was just a little kid. She thought that he had learned to control his power by now, but this was something she had never seen before. From the stories her brother told her, Aang was showing more power than the time he was battling Ozai. Katara had no idea whether she could calm him down, she had done it before, but never to this extent.

Zuko seemed to sense the uncertainty in her. He reached down and grasped her hand, squeezing tightly. The young Waterbender gripped her friend's hand tightly in return before letting go.

The both of them took off, racing towards the battle that was quickly spreading mass destruction over the entire palace. If they did not do something soon, Aang would destroy the city without even knowing.

When they got close enough, Zuko shot a ball of fire hurtling towards Kano. Without even looking his way, Kano dodged the blast easily and laughed. He turned to the Fire Lord who was running towards him and bowed dramatically, all the while weaving between the elements still being thrown at him from the Airbender.

"Fire Lord Zuko! It is an honor to make your acquaintance. I must say that I have been looking forward to properly meeting you. I am deeply sorry for my behavior in the throne room the other day. I hope you didn't suffer a concussion?"

Zuko grit his teeth. He knew that Kano was mocking him and that angered him to no end. He could see why Aang had lost control of his power. This young man was annoyingly arrogant and Zuko could not wait to wipe that smug smile off of his face.

He did not bother to respond. Instead, he turned to Katara who was running up behind him, ready to fight. He waved her off and yelled, "I'll take care of him. Just go calm Aang down." Katara gave a solemn nod to her friend before running to Aang who was still firing all of the elements uncontrollably.

Seeing that the young Waterbender was a safe distance away, Zuko turned to Kano and began unleashing blast after blast of unforgiving fire at the young man who continued to dodge them with unnerving ease, laughing gleefully as he did so.

"Surely you can do better than that, Your Highness?" Zuko smiled a cruel smile at the man a few yards away who was taunting him. He was about done being defeated by this arrogant man. He was responsible for Mai lying unconscious in the infirmary. He was going to pay.

Zuko channelled all of his anger and rage into the most powerful ball of fire that he could summon. The heat was intense as it rolled in searing waves out of the palms of his hands and towards Kano who stood motionless as the wall of fire engulfed him.

Not leaving anything to chance, Zuko continued to pour every ounce of strength he had left into the blazing fire that raged around Kano. After several minutes, the Fire Lord gave out, collapsing on his hands and knees. Gasping for air, he looked up, expecting to see nothing but the charred remains of the arrogant man, but there was nothing there. Kano was gone.

Katara was shouting desperately for Aang to wake himself up from whatever state he was in. The powerful winds were ripping at her hair and sending debris flying all around them. Her screams were lost in the hurricane. If she did not hurry, soon there would be nothing left of the palace, let alone the city. Earth Kingdom citizens were flooding into the streets, trying to glimpse whatever could be causing such mass destruction. Katara was growing panicked. If she could not calm Aang down, the entire city will see that he is the one responsible. There are already rumors whispered about another claiming to be the Avatar. The last thing Aang needs is another reason for people to doubt him.

She had to act quickly. Katara shielded her eyes with her hand and stumbled blindly into the powerful winds, the flying debris slashing her arms and shredding her clothes. She yelled his name, hoping that he could hear her. The response she received was the earth quaking.

She tried again. "Aang!"

Aang. He turned, hearing the familiar voice. It was one that he knew in his bones and in his soul. It was embedded within him. It was a part of him. The only problem was that he could not reach it. He was wandering in an endless abyss, so dark that not a single sliver of light shone. The last thing he remembered was a sinister laugh that sent him over the edge to a place of no return. He had no control of his body. He didn't even know if he was in his body right now. There was nothing around him except this darkness.

He wanted nothing more than to just curl into a ball and fade away. He was so tired. His eyelids were growing heavier and heavier and he struggled to keep them open. The only thing that was holding him up was that voice, pleading for him to return. The problem was he didn't know how. He was in a place unlike anywhere he had ever been before.

Days could have passed as he wandered in the abyss, struggling to make out anything in the oppressive darkness. It was when he was about to give up hope when he heard it again. Aang. But this was not the voice he had heard before. This one was different. It was from a past life, one that was distinctly familiar to him. He strained to see where the voice was coming from and he began to see a hazy outline taking shape. It manifested into a body that he had not seen in many years, but one that he recognized instantly.

The Fire Nation robes and long white hair was a welcome sight after what felt like years in this darkness. He was relieved to see that he was not alone. "Roku?"

The previous Avatar smiled, radiating warmth throughout the young monk. "It's good to see you again, Aang."

He ran to his old friend and Avatar Roku extended a wrinkled hand to pat the young Airbender on his smooth, bald head. Aang returned the smile, elated that someone was here with him. "Roku, where are we? How did I get here? What's happening to me?"

Roku, full of compassion, smiled. "Calm down, Aang." His expression then grew serious, his eyes becoming grave. "I do not have much time, so listen carefully." Aang nodded solemnly, knowing that Roku would not make an appearance if something wasn't horribly wrong.

"You are in great danger." The young Airbender's heart stopped. "You are facing a threat unlike any you have faced before and I do not know if you are strong enough to stop this, although I will help you as much as I can."

Roku paused for a moment, taking a deep breath as though he needed it to ground himself. "The man you fight is not what he seems. In the Spirit World, he is known only as Zei, The Thief."

Aang's head was spinning. "Wait, Roku. The Spirit World? Does that mean that Kano is a spirit?"

The old man shook his head. "I do not know. He appeared only a few years ago in the Spirit World. He can come and go between the two worlds as he pleases. There is nothing that seems to be keeping him tied down like the other spirits."

Dread settled in the young Airbender's stomach. "Why is he called The Thief?"

Roku was about to speak when his image began to grow hazy, the outline of him becoming blurred. "Roku, what's happening?" The previous Avatar shook his head, disregarding the question.

"My connection is being severed. I must return to the Spirit World. Listen carefully, Aang. Kano is extremely dangerous. You must never show him all of your abilities. I fear there will be no hope once he has discovered all that you can do, if he has not already. He must not go near you, otherwise, you could lose your bending. Forever."

Aang was left with more questions than answers and Roku was fading away. He was growing panicked. "Wait! Roku! I don't understand! Tell me what to do! Roku!"

The old man smiled gently. " I know you can do this, Aang. For you have done it before, and you will do it again…"

With those last words, Avatar Roku disappeared.

Aang blinked.

He was lying on the ground, surrounded by dust and debris. Someone was leaning over him, their long, dark hair tickling his face with delicate touches. Deep blue eyes, full of concern, were peering at him intensely and he sucked in a breath, lost in their beauty. He would know those eyes anywhere. Katara.

"Aang, are you alright?" Tears were staining her cheeks and he had the overwhelming urge to swipe his thumb over the offending liquid, erasing them from existence completely. He nodded instead, unsure if he could speak right now. Her hands were at his back, gently sitting him upright as he looked around at the destruction that he was sure he had caused.

His eyes darted away, not wanting to see the crumbling palace or the horrified expressions on the Earth Kingdom citizens as they looked at him with utter terror and disgust. Their faces made him want to curl in a ball and hide away. He wanted to be back in that dark abyss where no one could look at him the way the people were right that moment. They thought he was a monster. He had destroyed their capital and endangered the lives of hundreds of innocents. He was a monster.

He bowed his head, ashamed of himself for losing control and letting Kano defeat him. Again. Except this time, it was a hundred times worse. He deserved the looks of hatred that everyone was giving him.

He felt arms wrap around his frame and knew that Katara was comforting him anyway that she could. He was grateful for it. He would have returned the gesture if he had any strength left in his body, but he sagged limply in her arms, unable to move a single muscle. He rested his head against her chest, reassured by the strong pounding resonating within.

He felt a warm hand on his shoulder and lifted his eyes to see his friend staring at him, deep concern shown on his features. "Zuko?" His voice came out no louder than a whisper and he winced at the searing pain in his throat. "Where is Kano?"

The Fire Lord glanced away briefly, scowling at the scorched ground a few yards away. "He got away," he said bitterly, silently scolding himself for letting that criminal escape his blaze. "He's probably long gone by now."

Aang nodded along, too tired to express how furious he was for letting his anger get the best of him. He thought he had mastered the Avatar State years ago, but now the one time he desperately needs it, he can't control it for more than a minute without destroying an entire city! This was so frustrating! He didn't know what to do, and his surprise rendezvous with Roku was leaving him with more questions than answers!

He needed help, but who could he possibly go to? There wasn't exactly many experts who knew about the Spirit World and the spirits who resided there. Besides, not even Roku really understood who Zei was and what he was capable of, but the warning was clear. Kano-or Zei-was extremely dangerous. He had to learn more and there was only one person he could think of that knew anything about the Spirit World.

"Zuko?"

The Fire Lord looked down at his friend, clothes torn and skin burned. "Yes?"

"Is your uncle still working at the Jasmine Dragon?"

Zuko raised his eyebrows. "Of course he is. Why?"

Aang looked out across the courtyard that was once pristine and beautiful. His heart squeezed painfully when he saw the scorched and splintering earth. "I need to pay him a visit."

Once they had gathered the remainder of their men and boarded the boats, there was some debate about where they should go next. Some wanted to go back to the Southern Water Tribe and finally reunite with their families. Others wanted to go to the Earth Kingdom capital. They had caught word that there were several attacks on the palace and wanted to check it out. Honestly, Sokka just wanted for them to pick a place and finally start travelling again. The arguing was getting on his nerves-this whole trip was. All he wanted was to go find his friends and the sooner they actually start moving, the sooner he will get to see them.

He was about to tell them as much when he heard someone shouting his name. Sokka turned away from the bickering men and walked to the edge of the boat, putting his hand on the railing and peering amongst the busy port to see who was calling him. "Sokka!"

He turned his head in the direction he heard his name and saw with complete shock that a small Earthbender girl was barrelling down the dock, crashing into people with no remorse. "Toph?"

He stood momentarily stunned. What was she doing on the dock of a Firebending port? Where were the others? Was Suki with her? He shook his head at that lost thought. Of course she wouldn't be with Toph-that was ridiculous.

"What are you doing here?" Toph put her hands on her hips defiantly. "What do you think?"

Sokka blinked. "I honestly don't know."

She huffed at his complete obliviousness. "Whatever. Are you gonna let me on or stand there talking all day."

Sokka was shaken out of his stupor and raced to get a platform so she could board the boat. He smiled to himself. He had missed her.

Author's Notes: WOW! It has been so long since I've updated! I am so sorry to all of you who have been kept waiting for all this time, but the wait is finally over! I sincerely hope you guys are enjoying this and thank you to all of you who have been keeping up with the story all this time! The response has been really amazing! Please keep it up! I know this is a bit of a shorter chapter, but it still has some action-packed scenes in there! I have already started writing the next chapter so I promise that you guys will not have to wait as long! Please keep reading and reviewing! Until next time!