"How did it turn out this way?"

"You started this."

"You make me look like the villain. Aang, my old friend."

"You're not my friend anymore. The friend I knew died a long time ago. You're my enemy, that's what you are. And I'm here to stop you."

"Stop me? You cannot stop what has already begun. You, me, the Water Tribe, the Fire Nation, the Earth Kingdom, our people. The world has changed. Everything has already changed. There's no turning back."

"Yes there is. Only you can stop this."

"...No. You turned your back on your people before. I see now that it's up to me to put the pieces back together again."

"Today," Zuko began. "This war is finally over!" Cheers reverberated through the courtyard. "I promised my uncle that I would restore the honor of the Fire Nation and I will. The road ahead will be challenging. A hundred years of fighting has left the world scarred and divided. But with the Avatar's help we can get it back on the right track and begin an era of love and peace."

Zuko knelt and a Fire Sage came forwards, crown cupped tenderly in his old hands. "All hail Fire Lord Zuko!" he proclaimed, settling the ornament in place in Zuko's topknot. The courtyard fairly exploded as people screamed and applauded and stamped their feet. A young man who stood in a balcony overlooking the spectacle clapped as well, but only out of politeness. His eyes went toward the head of the column of Earth Kingdom dignitaries. At the head was King Kuei, who clapped the most enthusiastically. His eyes then went to the Fire Nation which had Grand Lotus Iroh, Jeong Jeong, and Piandao. The Water Tribe with Chief Arnook, Master Pakku, Sokka, Katara and their father Chief Hakoda. Everyone was caught in the excitement. The Very Important Persons that the young man had his eyes on were especially excited. They could be interpreted as anxious.

One glaring mistake in the ceremony that everyone was willing to blissfully overlook, was that were no Air Nomad dignitaries present, save for Aang who is an Air Nomad by birth, and the handful of people in the crowd that the young man knew for certain that they have mixed heritage. But they did not count themselves as Air Nomads.

"What's wrong Takashi, why aren't you happy?" asked a voice behind the young man.

"Where're the dignitaries from the Air Nomads?"

"They have yet to arrive in the Fire Nation."

"Yet King Kuei is here and he was wandering the Earth Kingdom."

"Well, he is the Earth King and he is the Emperor of the Air Nomads. And Avatar Aang, and he is the leader of your people. So I guess there's no great need for your lords to be present for the peace accords."

The young man turned to face the person behind him.

"Why aren't you down there? Shouldn't you be properly congratulating your friend, the Avatar, in his greatest triumph?"

"It's his triumph."

"He's your friend."

"You were once the king's most trusted advisor and his friend. I'm surprised that you've taken such great risks in showing your face around here Long Feng. If someone were to catch you, you can still hang for treason."

The two of them stood motionless, waiting for the other to react, the young man's words hanging in the air over them.

"But, that is not why I summoned you here," the young man said finally. "I know that you desperately need help to escape the Fire Nation. And you have already purged your ranks of those who are still loyal to Azula and Kuei. And I could always use a few more allies in the days ahead."

"If you think that you can control me-"

"I am offering you and your last remaining lieutenants political asylum in the Air Nomad Kingdom of Kanto. Or I can simply throw you into the courtyard down below. So what's it going to be?"

A few dark figures edged away from their hiding places to make ready for anything, which did not escape Long Feng's notice. His Earthbending skills were on par with a master, who can feel the subtle vibrations of the earth beneath his feet. He took a few of his top lieutenants with him on this meeting, but with his Earthbending senses he knew that the ones behind him were not the ones he brought with him. Did they abandon him?

Long Feng stamped his foot forward and was about to Earthbend a stone at his opponent, but instead was sent flying backward with a powerful gust of air. He was immediately surrounded by men and women clad from head to toe in black robes, with individually painted white masks to cover their faces. Long Feng immediately recognized the uniforms they were the Kazekage, the warrior spies of Kanto. The young man approached him as Long Feng's lieutenants were dragged over to them, all bound and gagged.

"Last chance," the young man said.

"You have yourself an ally," Long Feng said evenly.

"Good. Know your place this time. By the way. My name is not Takashi. It's Mao."

Aang took the paintbrush away from Chief Arnook who had just signed the peace accord. He tugged at his sleeve to make sure it did not get any ink blotches, as he wrote his on the clean space that was meant for his name. Aang always wanted to be a simple monk and never really wanted to be the Avatar. Yet fate had decided the matter for him: he had to master all four elements and defeat the Fire Nation. He was not out to conquer other countries or subject other nations. His task now was to restore balance in the world and he now he had to protect. When he signed his name on the peace accord, he would be doing it to affirm that all people are equal, and that they are able to come to an understanding. That through compromise and cooperation, there is nothing that humanity could not accomplish. The peace accord is simply an extension of his values and principles as a monk, as Airbender, and as an Air Nomad.

Aang looked up after he had signed his name, Tachibana Aang, which was really sloppy and not at all dignified and distinguished as the others. Aang had noticed that none of the lords from the Air Nomad countries were able to make it for the peace accords. Aang was astounded when he found out that the Air Nomads were able to make through the war. He was still one of the last Airbenders in the world, but their people and their culture still endured. In his heart he wanted at least one lord to sign the treaty with him. But he and his friends decided that if he signed it would be okay, since the Avatar is the leader of the Air Nomads anyway, no matter what nationality the Avatar is. When the delegates did arrive, they could sign it then.

"With these signatures," said King Kuei. "The war is over. And the world may rebuild. Let peace, love, and happiness reign!"

"Long live the Avatar!" cried Chief Arnook.

The crowd reciprocated the sentiment. Hearing the shouts and cheers, the young man emerged at the balcony again to see Aang waving at him, prompting him to smile and wave back.

Late that night a banquet was held in honor of the Avatar by Fire Lord Zuko. It was an open invitation and anyone could come and enjoy the festivities. During the excitement and the merrymaking, the young man excused himself to the balcony to get some air. Making sure he was alone, he took out a spyglass to take a good look at the harbor, seeing Long Feng and the Dai Li board a ship with the Air Nomad flag insignia hoisted on its mast. The flag was a simple design with yellow on the top half, orange on the bottom half, and white circle quartered off in the center of it. The young man folded the spyglass with a sharp tap after he saw that Long Feng got below decks without incident.

He knew that if Aang and his friends ever found out what he had done, it may end their friendship. Losing their friendship, however, seemed inevitable. Even if the flames of war had been extinguished, there are still embers that would smolder. Its ashen remains are like old scars that would never quite heal completely. It would not take much to reignite those old remains, and the flames would return, burning stronger than ever. It is simply a matter of how and who will get burned.

There was still the matter of the Fire Nation colonies throughout the Earth Kingdom, and the Earth Kingdom's and the Water Tribes' reconstruction. Despite speeches about rebuilding and fellowship, in the end it was just business as usual. The Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom will continue to dominate the world stage, with the Water Tribes staying out of the way on the sidelines. The Air Nomads - who were left out of the peace accords - will be caught in the middle and will be dominated by the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation. In short, there will be peace, but who would benefit the most from it, and on what terms?

And then there is the Avatar. The master of four elements; water, earth, fire, and air. The spiritual leader of the known world and living proof of reincarnation with hundreds of generations of experience and immense power at his fingertips. Whose very word is considered to be that of the law. The maker and breaker of nations. Where does Avatar Aang's loyalties lie? Would he compromise his people if it would ensure peace? Would the Air Nomads be forced into a policy of appeasement if he decides it?

"Oh! Kissy, kissy!" cried Sneers, one of Jet's freedom fighters. Aang and his sweetheart from the Water Tribe were both drunk and were sloppily kissing one another.

Yeah, I can't count on him, thought Mao.

"Why aren't you enjoying yourself?" asked a young woman.

"Oh, I almost didn't recognize you Chigusa-san."

"Call me Smellerbee, Mao Hojo," Smellerbee deadpanned.

"Chigusa is a beautiful name for a lovely Air Nomad girl."

Smellerbee, or Chigusa, blushed. Her skin was tanned and dry from being outdoors but with some oil it looked quite healthy. Her boyish short hair was conditioned into becoming silk-like and styled in a way that showed off her high brow and her pretty eyes. It also helped that she had a flower tucked behind her ear. She was not wearing her usual army fatigues or her body armor that hid her womanly curves. Instead, she wore traditional dress that hugged her chest and abdomen and accentuated her curves. The hem reached to the middle of her shins, just covering the top of her embroidered, thick, cloth boots. To sum it up, Chigusa's dress - though incomplete without her hat and shawl to cover her head - was practical and stylish.

"Only my parents called me Chigusa," Smellerbee said somberly.

Mao placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I know that we can never bring back your family. But if it helps, I can be your brother from on."

"You mean it?"

"Yes."

Chigusa hugged Mao.

"By the way, did Yumiko helped you with that?"

"Yes she did. I was hoping to look nice for Hajime-I mean Jet."

"What's with these nicknames?"

Chigusa looked a bit hurt.

"Well... Jet came up with them when we were growing up. And then we found our homes burned down, and our lives were destroyed. We just decided to use our nicknames. We were friends, and now we're all the family that we got left."

"Still, I can't very well call you Smellerbee in public or in front of Jet's uncle."

"Yeah. Wait, where is Oji-sama anyway? Oh, and thanks for getting Jet and his uncle back together. Whoever knew that Jet had an uncle, and who's a lord too!"

"Did you get better in your sword techniques?"

"Yeah! He also taught us how to ride a horse and shoot arrows while we're riding. Long Shot is the best at it."

"Now if he was an Airbender, I could him teach a few things."

"Well he's an Air Nomad. By the way, I thought that Air Nomads are all about peace and brotherhood. When did we turn so... violent? I know it was because of the war, but you're an Airbender and you use bow and arrows with your Airbending. And you're nothing like Aang. You're more- aggressive. Didn't the monks teach you to use non-violence?"

"Well, it's true that the monks were the masters of Airbending and it would make sense for Airbenders to go to the temple and get trained there. But with the temples destroyed, we had to learn on our own, or we find a master. I learned from my grandfather, and from my mom and dad when they were alive."

"Oh. Did you learn from Aang?"

"No. I was too busy making sure he stayed out of trouble."

"Who stayed out of trouble?" Aang slurred. Mao and Chigusa took one look at Aang and knew that he was plastered.

"Whoa, Aang. I think you should sit down," Mao said hurriedly as he grabbed a chair and Chigusa grabbed Aang to help him with his balance.

"I tried that stuff you got for the banquet. It tasted funny, but it was so good!"

Mao looked at Chigusa who stared back.

"You had the vodka?" Mao asked Aang.

"Vodka?" Chigusa asked.

"I don't really have anyway to describe it properly, other than 'fermented goat's milk that has been into really strong alcohol that tastes very sweet,'"

"Oh."

"Alcohol?" Aang asked. "You brought that stuff and let minors drink?"

"How much did you drink?" Mao asked.

"I drank half. Katara drank the other."

Mao glanced at Katara, who was passed out, and had crashed on one of the banquet tables where she was being kissed senselessly. Mai went over to her to see if she was all right.

"Yeah, you've had enough," Mao said. "Chigusa, get Mai and Yumiko to help you get Katara to her room."

"What about Aang?"

Mao spied Sokka, who was flirting with Suki.

"Hey Sokka!" Mao called out. "Mind giving me a hand over here?"

As Mao was tucking Aang into bed, he made sure that he was properly situated. Being drunk does not mean that one is not incoherent or incognitive.

"Drink this," ordered Mao.

"What is it?"

"Water. It'll help you help you sober up. And it'll help prevent you from throwing up."

Aang obeyed and Mao continued to put glasses of water in front of Aang, who was drinking it all like a fish. Aang got up abruptly and starting walking away from him, swaying side to side.

"Where are you going?"

"Bathroom."

After relieving himself, Aang made a mess. Mao cleaned up and left a note for the valet to properly clean later. Mao then got Aang back into bed and placed a bucket by the bed.

"Aang?"

"Huh?"

"Here's a bucket, it's right next to you. If you need to puke, puke in there. Got it?"

"Yeah," Aang nodded.

"All right." Mao began to leave the room.

"Mao?"

"Yes Aang?"

"I'm glad we're friends. Now that we have peace, we can have a new beginning for our people."

Mao was silent for a few moments, studying Aang, who closed his eyes and fell asleep. He allowed his mind to wander, recalling the adventures that they have had together. At times Mao was there as a sort of role model for Aang, though he was careful not to influence the Avatar in his decisions. The boy still looked up to him since he was older and more street-wise. At times Mao was there as Aang's bodyguard. At times Mao was simply there as a friend offering him someone to simply talk to, to confide in and give advice. They laughed together and they shared the same dangers. If only those days could have lasted forever. There was always a sense of certainty, adventure, and a common purpose. But now, Mao knew what must be done. And if Avatar Aang was going to get in the way and stop him, heaven help him.

"There will be a lot of changes," Mao replied gently as he closed the door.

Big Thanks to the author of Avatar Amaya who was the editor of this chapter. I look forward to working together with her in the future, bringing you all imagination coming alive.

awceagle