Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar.

So here is my followup to the Series Finale of Avatar: The Last Airbender. I greatly enjoyed the finale and decided to pitch in my own story for a Book Four. I know that Aang is an airbending master, but I promise that I will focus on Air in later parts of this story. Furthermore, this story draws from the ending of my story, "Secrets of the Fire Nation." (It is not a direct sequel to "Secrets of the Fire Nation" though.)

I have decided to retain the episodic style of my previous writings meaning that there will be scene switches and each chapter will be divided into three parts (one for each commercial break.)

The main idea is that Aang still needs to restore balance by bringing airbenders to the world. Shippings will be revealed as the story unfolds.

So this story takes place a few days after the finale. The gang is still in Ba Sing Se on vacation after their victory. Dive in, and I hope you enjoy! Please read and review.

Without further ado, let's begin!

Book 4:

Chapter 1:

The Locket and the Clock

Act 1:

The war was finally over. After more than one hundred years of tumult and bloodshed, the Fire Nation's mad conquest had finally ended. Avatar Aang had managed to defeat the previous Firelord, Ozai, by using the technique of spirit-bending to steal his firebending capabilities.

It was a spectacular sight as rays of red and blue swept through the sky, and every soldier, Fire Nation or not, turned to stare at what was happening. No one had saw the powers of the ancient art of spirit-bending again.

And it was a spectacular end to the war. No life had been wasted, and the world was finally at peace. The Earth Kingdom was slowly winning back its land from the Fire Nation, while the Northern Water Tribe had rebuilt its city and was expanding its culture to the Southern Water Tribe.

However, the journey of the Avatar wasn't over. Both Aang and Zuko knew that much. The world was still in a state of imbalance. Even with all the healing happening in the world, there was one problem that was definitely irreversible: the genocide of the airbenders. Aang was the last airbender, and after him, the Avatar's reincarnation cycle would be broken…

Though these troubling thoughts were at the back of everyone's head, they decided to take a nice long break after the painstaking final battles they each had fought. Zuko was in his room in a rented house in the upper ring of Ba Sing Se. Katara was with him, performing her daily waterbending healing on his lightning wound.

"Ah-ah—ow-ow-ow!" Zuko grimaced in pain.

"We've done this procedure for a week, Zuko! For heaven's sake, hold still!" Katara was sweating as she placed her hands in a bowl of water. If Zuko continued to squirm and wiggle, her healing might do more damage than help. She placed her hands back onto his chest and they began to glow white as she pressed them.

Katara was right, Zuko knew. Although they had done the healing process for quite some time already, his wound felt more painful than ever before. Zuko couldn't wonder whether it was because of Azula's lighting or further internal turmoil inside of him. All he knew was that it was hurting, and he wanted it gone.

As he lay on the sofa on the edge of the vacation house, he saw the sun set. Ba Sing Se capetry was especially pretty, and it looked even more beautiful when the golden emboideries reflected all the lights. He felt the faint breeze coming from outside, and took a deep breath, feeling its caress. But he soon realized it wasn't the breeze. He turned and saw the deep blue eyes of the girl who was kneeling beside her. Any trace of resentment that once marked her face was now gone, and rather than using those pair of azure orbs to constantly look for a slip up, she now made momentary glances every now and then to make sure he was doing all right.

He was still a bit shocked by the closeness of Katara right now, for she was the last person he expected to be touching his body. He couldn't believe how far the two of them had come since their previous visit to Ba Sing Se, when they were in the crystal catacombs. He remembered how he had betrayed not only Uncle, but also her, creating an almost inerasable sense of mistrust in her. In the end, though, both were able to step up and save each other's lives.

Then, the door burst open to the house burst open and a huge gust of air washed through the room, knocking over several of the vases and coat hangers. "Hey, Katara," Aang shouted. Do you want to head over to the teashop? I heard Iroh and Toph are making a new type of tea! Knocks you out like a club." Aang was dressed in his old Southern Air Temple clothes. He complained that the other one he wore at Zuko's coronation was uncomfortable and should only be used for formal occaisions.

Furthermore, Toph had gotten really close to Uncle Iroh ever since the war was over. She moved in with him and served as his young apprentice, citing him to be the perfect guardian she needed. Not overly protective, wise, and most importantly, has a good sense of humor. As for her parents, she made a brief visit to them before leaving on vacation with the gang. Her parents, with Toph's most recent letter, had gotten over their protective ways after learning that she was a great war hero and were honored that she would be spending quality time with the Dragon of the West. Besides, she was finally accepting some more lady-like pastimes, such as tea brewing.

"Not now, Aang." Katara scolded gently. "I still haven't finished my healing session with Zuko for the day. He'll still be in a lot of pain unless I get this done."

"No, it's all right. I can handle this by myself. I think I'm feeling better already." He placed his arm on Katara's shoulder, telling her it would be all right. He wanted her to enjoy spending time with her new boyfriend. However, she could tell he was clearly lying through her teeth for he cringed with every sentence. The pain inside him only got worse. He knew that it didn't stem from the lightning wound.

"But your wound. It still needs healing…" Katara protested.

"Nah, it's all right, Katara. Just go. I think I'll just enjoy the weather for awhile." He lay back against the couch he was on.

Katara nodded. Arguing with Zuko was useless. He was more stubborn than most earthbenders out there, but that was a good thing, for the Firelord has to be resolute. "Thanks, Zuko," Aang shouted as he grabbed Katara's hand and they ran off. "Well tell you what happens!"

Zuko was disappointed with Aang's intervention, but then again, he forgot that Aang and Katara were a couple now. Though they had only been dating for a few days since their arrival in Ba Sing Se, they were closer than any couple he had every known—including him and Mai. He supposed it must have been the release from the tension the two shared during the entire journey across the world. All of their emotions that was contained because of those continuous chases and battles had finally been freed.

The reason that he was reluctant to let Katara go was not because the physical pain he was in, but rather the emotional pain. He envied Katara and Aang, since they had still each other. Mai, on the other hand, had left him to return to the Fire Nation and perform the duties as the Fire Lady. He had to stay awhile longer in order to get healed. At first, the two decided that they should stick together, but Zuko couldn't go under the condition he was in. Moreover, the Fire Nation needed a leader now more than ever, so Mai decided to return earlier. Zuko just placed one hand over his wound and limped to the trunk. He just wondered how Mai was doing. She was still the gloom y and passionless girl she was, and he knew that the Fire Nation, now more than ever, needed a person who thought more about the people than himself.

He searched through the belongings in their and took out a locket. Inside it was his a picture of his girlfriend. When he picked up the locket, however, a watch fell out. Their thin metallic chains had been tangled. The clock's lid snapped open and he could hear the faint ticking. It hadn't been broken by the fall.

Zuko picked up the tiny clock. He remembered that before the final battle, during his stay at the Western Air Temple, he headed on an adventure with Toph to solve their family issues. However, the ended up getting caught by Azula and Fire Nation soldiers upon entering an underground Fire Nation research facility. At the prison, he met an Astronomer, who gave him the clock as a parting gift when he, Toph, and a traitorous scientist began their escape. The clock was designed as a countdown to Sozin's Comet, but even after the war and the passing of the comet, it still continued ticking. Upon further inspection, Zuko saw that on the face of the clock was a White Lotus. The Order of the White Lotus was the first thought that came into his head, and he finally realized that this clock wasn't an ordinary clock. He unfastened the back of the watch and found a slip of paper in it. As he unraveled the paper and read, his eyes widened in puzzlement and astonishment.

Scene switches

Zuko and Sokka are in Zuko's room reading the slip of paper that was hidden inside the clock.

"A day of enlightenment lasts a millennium in human life." Sokka read, raising an eyebrow and read the next line. "The lotus is the first step in the path." Sokka stopped. "What is this nonsense, Zuko? If you think this is a haiku, I'm afraid you're—"

"No, I know it's not a haiku. Do you know what it means?"

Sokka shook his head and threw the paper away. "Nope. Not a single clue. But who cares? The war is over!" He leaped around the room in excitement. His injured leg had only recently healed, and being the goof he was, he was already neglecting the attention and care his leg needed. His sister called it irresponsible. He called it fearless.

Zuko leaned over to grab the sheet from the floor. "I know the war is over, but the world still hasn't healed. This watch…it is counting down to something, and it definitely isn't the return of Sozin's Comet, as the astronomer--or the person whom I found it from--told me. I can't help but have this ominous feeling…"

"It' probably just someone's birthday, Zuko. Jeez, lighten up." Sokka pat him on the back. What was running through Sokka's head then, though was who would be self-centered enough to make a countdown to his own birthday.

"I would like to think that it is as trivial as someone's birthday, but this piece of parchment and the lotus insignia are telling me otherwise."

"Well, doesn't the idea of enlightenment have something to do with the monks or the Avatar? You know, all that intense meditating and stuff?"

"Don't ask me." He responded. "You're the idea and knowledge guy! I thought that you out of anyone would understand this!"

Sokka rolled his eyes. "Why does everybody have to refer to me as the Idea Guy? Can't I be the Space Sword Guy?" He swung his arm in a sword slicing motion. "Or the Boomerang Warrior?" He made a "v" with his two fingers.

"You lost your boomerang and space sword," Zuko said.

"Fine, fine. I'm just trying to make a point. Jeez. Can't a guy have some dignity after saving the world?" Sokka pouted. "No fanfare, no medal. And I don't even get discounts on the Jade Dragon!"

"You're right, Sokka."

"I am?" Sokka smiled. "I knew I wasn't getting the praise I deserved!"

"No. Not that. I mean your point about the White Lotus tea. I found this parchment underneath a White Lotus clock face. What better would it be than to consult my uncle, a member of the White Lotus?" Zuko placed the clock and the parchment back into his pockets. "Now give me a lift over there." Sokka took Zuko's arm and slung it around his shoulders. They headed for the Jasmine Dragon.

Scene Switches

Zuko and Sokka are at the teashop.

Many people were there. There was a cacophony of lids slamming, cups banging, and shouting from the customers. Business was doing really well after people had heard that the Dragon of the West had returned to the city to start his own shop. The fact that many of the other tea shops were destroyed during the siege of Ba Sing Se helped, too. Sokka placed Zuko at a table and the two sat down. The Jasmine Dragon was the finest in all of Ba Sing Se or even the entire Earth Kingdom, and Zuko's uncle aspired to make sure it stayed that way. He accepted Toph as an apprentice because her blindness gave her an edge in the olfactory aspect of tea-making. The Jasmine Dragon was the first sign to the world that nations, even after a hundred years of animosity, can forgive each other and forget the past.

The shop was luxurious. It was larger than most restaurants in the city and had around one hundred staff members. Uncle, though, made sure that great tea wasn't limited to only the upper-class. He made sure that the prices were low so that citizens from the middle ring or even the lower ring could come and enjoy.

Zuko raised his arm and signaled a waiter. A waiter arrived. "Welcome to the Jasmine Dragon, where tea brewery comes to life."

Sokka opened his mouth. "I would like a—" But Zuko immediately covered Sokka's mouth.

"Leave this to me," he whispered. He turned to the waiter. "Get my friend and me two White Jade Tea with red Dragon Nuts as appetizers." The waiter nodded and shouted the order to the kitchen.

Suddenly, Toph landed right into a seat of the table. She had catapulted herself from the kitchen by summoning a rock pillar right below her feet. (Yes, the ceiling of the shop was so high that she could do so. She practiced this stunt when the shop closed for the night.) "So what's up, Sparky." Zuko's order, apparently, was a secret signal. She took off her apron and placed it on her lap.

Sokka was aghast. He looked at Toph. "How did you know—" Then he turned to Zuko. "But all you—"

"Snoozles, everybody knows that the White Jade is poisonous. Besides, Red Dragon nuts don't exist. Well, any botanist would know this, anyway." She pointed at the waiter who shouted the order. Apparently, he didn't catch onto the problem with Zuko's order. "So, as I asked, what's up?"

"I need to see my Uncle. It concerns the White Lotus."

"Why didn't you just say so." She turned to face the kitchen to place an order. "Three Grand White Lotuses!"

Scene switches

Luckily, no one in the tea-shop knew about the order of the White Lotus except for the gang and Iroh. Iroh brought Aang and Katara as they all gathered around the table where Zuko and Toph were at.

"Uncle… I found this… Do you have any idea of what it means?" Zuko handed his uncle the clock that the Astronomer had given to him.

"Ah… you found Feng's clock!" He looked at the Feng's character (峰) engrained in the back of the clock. "How's the old sport doing?" He nudged his nephew. "Is he still talking about the celestial bodies as much as ever?"

Zuko lowered his head. Iroh knew what his nephew meant.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Iroh turned his head away, his face stricken with grief. "He was a good man…Now that you mention it, I didn't see him at the White Lotus Camp outside the walls of Ba Sing Se."

"Uncle, we don't have time for your reminiscences." Zuko interrupted. "We have an even more pressing matter at hand. We need you to interpret this piece of parchment." He took out the paper that he and Sokka tried to decipher a few moments ago.

"Hmmm…Parchment?" Iroh scratched his beard. Though he recognized the clock, he certainly didn't recognize the paper. He signaled to one of the subordinate tea-makers. "Can you take over for me, Mushi? I think I might need a few minutes." A young man holding a tea tray nodded and headed for the kitchen to give out the orders to the brewers and waiters.

He sat down at a table and gestured for the other kids to get around. Aang and Katara sat down as Toph, Zuko, and Sokka leaned in. He silently read the paper. "A day of enlightenment lasts a millennium in human life. The lotus is the first step in the path."

The teenagers all stared.

"It seems that my brother Feng has finally solved the mystery—the mystery of the great Avatar of ages ago: Liang-Shek. One who mastered all not only all four elements but also spirit bending"

Everybody turned to look at Aang who would have the best knowledge of all the Avatars. He had no idea what Uncle Iroh was talking about and didn't recognize the name Liang-Shek at all. He only gave a shrug of confusion.

Fades to black.

I hoped you enjoyed reading, and I forgot to thank Avatar Spirit, from which I used the transcripts of the episodes for reference. Once again, please review.