Hello once again! I didn't think I would post again this soon, but when I saw the reviews I just HAD to update as quickly as possible. By the way, I just want to thank everyone single person who decided to review this, so thank you and…KEEP REVIEWING! And for those who DIDN'T review, well, I've got one thing to say to you…REVIEW!

Sorry about that, got a little emotional there. So anyway, in this chapter, you'll really get to see the mystery here and you'll be SHOCKED by its implications! I'm serious, when I read it inside of the infamous rumor, I just thought, "THERE IS NO WAY THAT THIS RUMOR IS TRUE!" I mean, it just went against everything Greg and Mike have ever told us about the show! However, I saw how it could be a good story, so here we are! It's up to you to decide whether you think it could be true or not.

I, however, don't.

Anyway, on with the show!

Aang had been expecting ruins, old scorch marks, weathered old signs of battle, the things you expect at the sight of a massacre. Basically, he had expected total destruction.

What he had not been expecting was for the entire airtemple to look as if nothing had ever happened!

As he got over the initial shock, he began to look more closely at the sight that made absolutely no sense to him.

The entire temple was completely intact. There were no ruins, no damage, nothing to indicate that there had been any kind of battle here. It looked just like an airtemple was supposed to look like.

In fact, there were even winged lemurs flying above the temple, whom Momo promptly joined as he jumped off Appa's head.

It was a sight that Aang thought he would never see again. There was one thing, however, that stopped Aang from jumping up with wondrous joy. The temple was, as they had expected, empty of people. But that made no sense to him in contrast with the rest of what he was seeing. It was a sight that had him and the others deeply shocked and flabbergasted.

None of them said a word as they landed on a nearby platform. Appa didn't even give his customary groan as he put his feet on the ground, for it seemed as if he too didn't understand what he was seeing.

Of course, there was one person who hadn't lost their ability to speak and she was feeling pretty cranky by now because of the silence.

"WOULD SOMEONE MIND TELLING ME WHAT'S GOING ON?" shouted Toph snappily, feeling very angry at being left out of the loop. "HAVE YOU ALL FORGOTTEN THE FACT THAT I'M BLIND!!! BLIND, PEOPLE!"

Everyone feeling too shocked to reply, Sokka numbly helped Toph off of Appa. As her feet touched the ground, she gave a small 'Oohhhh…' and joined the others in having their jaws hanging open.

Soon, everyone was standing on the ground, staring at the impossible sight around them. Well, Teo was sitting in his wheelchair, but it's basically the same thing in retrospect.

"Ah, Aang?" asked Sokka slowly.

"Yes, Sokka?" replied Aang back, talking slowly as well, all emotion having been numbed.

"Do you have an explanation for what we're seeing?"

"No, I don't."

"Alright, enough drooling," snapped Toph suddenly, being, as usual, the first to regain her composure and sense. And, of course, her winning personality. "Now, why don't we all just go right to the part where we try to make sense of this mystery, solve it, and then go back to our normal routine and be on our way.

"Now, first of all, from what my feet are telling, this place is completely spotless. Well, except the massive groups of lemur droppings, but otherwise completely clean and intact. Well, what do you think, or are you guys just going to stand there staring wide-eyed for the rest of your lives? Well? I'm waiting."

The group, startled out of their shocked states by Toph's outburst, finally began to collect themselves. It was also at that moment that Momo returned and landed in front of Appa. He quickly began to chatter rapidly, almost as if he was telling Appa what he had heard from the other lemurs.

"This just doesn't make any kind of sense!" exclaimed Aang confusedly, coming up with no reason for what he was seeing. "I mean, why isn't there any damage from fire blasts? It doesn't even look like the Fire Nation was ever here!"

"Oh, they were here alright," informed Toph with certainty. Everyone turned to give her questioning looks. "I can sense indentions in the mountains caused by Fire Tanks. From the way the marks are spread out, I'd say they got here, searched the area for a while, then just turned around and left."

"But why didn't the Air Nuns try to stop them?" questioned Aang passionately. He really could not understand the situation. "I know my people, and they would have never have let any outsiders get close to this temple without putting up a resistance!"

"But…what if they, or at least most of them, weren't here when the Fire Nation came?" proposed Sokka hesitantly, still thinking it over. Everyone, especially Aang, gave Sokka confused and sceptical looks. "I mean, think about it. Aang, didn't you once tell me that sometimes entire airtemples would be nearly completely emptied while the monks took the students travelling, with only a dozen or so people left behind? Well, maybe that's what happened here, and when the Fire Nation came, the few people here managed to escaped or hide before the Fire Nation found them. It would explain what we're seeing. The Fire Nation came, found nothing, and then just left."

"Actually, the Northern Airtemple looked a lot like this when my town first go there," interjected Teo, a thoughtful look now on his face. "Looking like it was just abandoned. And, from what my father told me, when the Fire Nation first found us, they were doing a routine patrol of the place, constantly returning there as if they were looking for something."

"Bu…but… that could mean…that they might have…" stuttered Aang, now overwhelmed with the implications of Sokka's reasoning. Everyone knew what the young airbender was thinking and all understood how his once-accepted-sad-fact-in-life had just been shattered, affecting him greatly. Indeed, even they were a bit unnerved by how one of their most ingrained beliefs was now less then certain.

For it could mean that the Air Nomads, recorded in history as a deceased race, might actually still be out there. It could mean that Aang was no longer alone.

Knowingexactly what was going through Aang's mind, Katara came up to him and gently put her hands on his shoulders.

"Aang, I know that this means if it's right," said Katara kindly and softly. "And I know that you feel confused by it. But please, let us find out what happened here before you get you're hopes too high. I don't want to see you crushed if it isn't what we would like it to be."

Aang nodded, remembering how distressed he had been at the Southern Airtemple when he had seen what had happened to his people. No, he wouldn't jump to conclusions, only to be proved wrong a second time. He would search the place and accept whatever answer he found. After collecting himself, he looked up at Katara for a moment, and then turned towards everyone else.

"Alright, everyone," spoke Aang with authority, but speaking as if requesting instead of ordering. "I know this isn't what we planned, or even expected, but if you're all willing, let's start looking for some answers."

Everyone nodded their agreement without any comment. With that, Aang started to walk towards the temple grounds, Katara at his side and the others following.

And as they headed towards the temple, none of them noticed that, in one of the windows of one of the many buildings, a single curtain was suddenly opened. And if they had looked, they would have seen a figure in shadows standing there, silently watching their every step.

And so it begins, thought the figure.

--Scene Change--

Today was an ordinary day in this Fire Nation village. It was a small town, so they knew only vaguely of the invasion of the day before. But even then, they completely trusted their Fire Lord and so went about their daily lives without a second thought.

Everything was the same as the all days before. The market was bustling with people; shoppers were buying their goods at ridiculously high prices, merchants were cheating their clients out of their money, the enforcers were taking a bribe here or there.

Yes, life here went on as normal. In fact, it was so normal, that it is not surprising that none of them noticed the only one little difference to this scene. For entering a little-known tavern was a hooded man, whom no one had ever seen, but who was completely ignored. I mean, it was just one man. Why would they ever even give him a second glance?

But maybe that was what he was counting on.

As the man entered the tavern, he stood at the door for a moment and looked around the place. There were, as usual, this place was filled with only half a dozen drinkers or so, the other tavern down the street always having the most cliental. There was the owner, standing behind the bar, doing the customary washing-of-glasses. And there was the waitress, serving the drinks and doing the also customary flirtatious-winks. And, as in all taverns around the world, there was, in the corner, the customary, though little used, Pai Sho table. And the customary old, bald man sitting there, waiting for an opponent.

It was there that the man's eyes stopped at, and he then promptly, but slowly, went between the many empty tables towards. Once he stood in front of it, he sat down in the chair opposite the man, without invitation. The old man looked up at the hooded man.

"May I have this game?" asked the hooded man pleasantly.

"The guest has the first move," replied the old man with the same pleasant tone, showing no reproach or surprise at the sudden request.

The hooded man nodded, then put a hand inside his cloak and took out a Pai Sho tile. He placed it in the middle of the board, allowing the old man to see it was the White Lotus tile.

"I see you favour the white lotus gambit," said the old man, talking as if reciting a memorized text. "Not many still cling to the ancient ways."

"Those who do can always find a friend," said the hooded man, also talking in that same reciting-tone.

"Then let us play."

After that, they each began to place more tiles in rapid succession, all of their movements synchronised as if performing a well practiced exercise. Once they stopped, the tiles formed the shape of a lotus, with the white lotus tile in the center.

"It is an honour to have you within the Order of the White Lotus once again, Grand Master Iroh," said the order member, bowing with his hands in the secret society's greeting to higher ranking members.

Iroh, former prince and general of the Fire Nation, nodded, making sure that his hood blocked his face from the view of others in the tavern.

"I suggest we head to the meeting as quickly as possible," said Iroh calmly. "The longer I stay out in the open, the greater the chance that I will be discovered."

Both stood up without another word and quietly made their way out the back door. Just before they went through, a gold piece was suddenly thrown through the air from their direction and landed in the owner's glass. The owner glanced at it briefly, and then continued washing the glass as if nothing had happened.

-Time skip-

Iroh, no longer wearing his hood or cloak, walked down the corridor of a large building, towards at an ordinary looking at the end. But what was behind that door was far from ordinary.

As he turned the knob and opened it, he was greeted by the sound of…a sukki horn?

Iroh quickly entered the room, and did not bother to look around, for he had been to this place many times in the past. He did not look at the walls, at their intricate designs that all demonstrated the white lotus, nor the delicate and priceless drapes that were placed here and there throughout the room. He did not need to look up to know that the sound of the sukki horn was coming through the open skylight on the roof.

No, what held his attention were the three men sitting around the table at the center of the room. None of them spoke as he sat down in a chair beside them. For a moment, they were all silent. But, of course, every silence has to be broken by someone.

"Let's make this meeting quick," said one man without any formal introduction, as was his nature. "I have taken great risks in returning here, and my stay must be brief."

Iroh gave a small chuckle.

"Ah, Jeong Jeong, my old friend, it seems you have changed little since we last met," said Iroh good-naturedly. "Always straight to the point."

"I just simply want to get this over with so that I may return to my followers. Do not start with your idle jokes, Iroh."

"Gentlemen, enough," interrupted another man, a sword on the table in front of him. "This meeting has from this point on officially begun, so their will be no more small talk. Understood?"

"Of course, Swordmaster Piandao," replied Iroh more formally. Beside him, Jeong Jeong nodded.

Then, they all turned towards the third man and waited for him to speak. This man had an aura of calmness and authority around him. It was obvious that he was in charge here.

"Grand Master Iroh, do you remember all the details of your meeting earlier this year within the Earth Kingdom?" asked the man, not slowly nor quickly, asking more out of formal necessity than actual questioning. Iroh nodded his response.

"Well than, there is no need to recap. You have each been given the full details of this plan, but let me summarize it so that there are no misunderstandings.

"This plan, having been devised since Ozai took over from his father, is to take back the throne that rightfully belongs to Iroh." At that, Iroh began to look slightly uncomfortable. "Thanks to the information that Ursa gave to Iroh before she went into hiding, we know how far Ozai is willing to go to achieve his goal. As such, Iroh here has been playing the part of the 'old, good-natured uncle' in order to avoid suspicion. However, now that he is a wanted criminal, it seems as if this plan will have to be affected earlier than anticipated. Do any here have any second thoughts on this plan?"

They all shook their heads. However, Iroh had something to add.

"Supreme Master," questioned Iroh, a slight amount of worry now in his voice. "Is the…protected one sure she is ready for this?"

For the first time since the meeting began, the Supreme Master smiled.

"Do not worry, Iroh," said the Supreme Master, informally now. "After spending her whole life protected by us, Ursa is finally reading to do what needs to be done."

Iroh nodded, more reassured now. And so, they all stood up, the meeting having ended.

It's a bird, it's a plane. No it's…another cliffhanger!

So, enough mystery for you? Yeah, there was DEFINITELY a lot of insinuations there.

And, I know what you're saying. "IT"S CALLED AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER FOR A REASON!" I know, I know. But, like I said, I don'tactually believe this rumor, I just thought it would make a good story. Besides, just because it insinuates it, it doesn't mean that it's actually going to happen! I mean, sheesh, let the story tell itself!

Anyway, I hope that, this time, you ALL decide to review. But I'm sure you will, now won't you? (gives evil eye)

And don't worry, the next should take four days tops!

And now, we go to commercial break.