Note: The air nomads secret does not come back later in the story. I jsut wanted to put it in. Enjoy.

Chapter 2 – The Air Temple Sanctuary

After breakfast, they decided to tour the Western Air Temple. As they walked through the long deserted halls, they came to a door just like the ones at the Northern and Southern Air Temples.

"Do you want to open it?" Katara asked Aang. Aang took a deep breath.

"At the Southern Air temple there were statues behind this door. At the Northern Air Temple, it was worse because it had Fire Nation weapons behind it." Zuko shifted in his spot.

"So you don't want to open it."

"No, I do." Aang said simply.

"Then why are you hesitating?" Sokka pointed out.

"Because I'm afraid I know what's behind this door."

"You do?" Toph asked. Aang looked at her.

"Ya, I do."

Well, then either tell us, or open'er up!" Sokka said.

"Okay, but it's an airbender thing. You guys probably won't get it." Aang said with a hint of a smile.

"Doesn't matter... all the airbenders are dead anyway." Sokka proclaimed. The smile was immediately whipped of Aang's face. Toph pounded Sokka's right shoulder. "Oww! What was that for?!?" Aang didn't like it when others said that about his people especially his friends. He gave Sokka a hard glare, but it softened when Katara came over and put her arm around his shoulders. "You know Sokka didn't mean it." She said.

"Ya... sorry Aang." Sokka apologized rubbing his newly bruised shoulder.

"It's okay." Aang accepted the apology and looked back at the door.

"It's alright if you don't want to open it but I am a little curious to what's inside there."

"Okay. Stand back." Aang took a step back and Katara backed away. He blew air out of his hands and into the two holes on either side of the enormous lock on the Air Temple door. The lock clanged, clicked and bumped and made weird whishing noises until the air got to the centre of the lock. It flipped revealing the air nation symbol. The door swung open and the five kids walked inward.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The group walked into the sanctuary.

"Wow. It's... it's what is it Aang? Katara asked with a puzzled look on her face.

"I told you, you wouldn't get it." Aang giggled.

I'd probably get it if you told us it is."

They were standing in front of a long, stone pillar that reached all the way to the top of the sanctuary, which is pretty high. The pillar was yellow and orange and a blue arrow at the top. It sort of looked like Aang.

"Looks a lot like you." Sokka said.

"Do you like it?" Aang asked Katara a little proud of himself to be showing his friends the air nomad's invention.

"Sure, but what's it for?"

Aang laughed.

'His laugh is so cute.' Katara thought.

"It's for airbending." He said.

"What are you supposed to airbend? These holes?"

Aang and Katara looked to where Sokka was pointing at a good sized hole at the base of the pillar. Aang laughed again. "What's so funny? It was a fair question." Sokka stated going back to his inspection.

"This will be fun. I'm gonna let you guys try and figure out what it is without my help; no clues." Aang sat in his spot and watched as the four came together to figure out what the strange object, the air nomads had hidden in the temple, was for.

"It's obviously for airbending." Sokka said.

"I think our little friend already pointed that out." Zuko commented.

"What do you think Toph?" Sokka and the rest of the group leaned forward to hear.

"Well, it's hollow and like Aang said, it's for airbending."

"The air had to get inside somehow, like in the doors and such." Sokka thought rubbing his chin. "Maybe there's another way to blow air through. Katara what do you think? You haven't said anything yet." Sokka turned to his sister.

"Well, the air nomads are smart. They learned to think outside the box, so maybe, the air comes from outside the temple." They looked up and they saw that, indeed, the pillar went through the roof of the temple.

"Very good Katara." Aang said standing up and clapping his hands together. "You got that faster than I thought you would. You'd make a good airbender." Katara blushed.

"I don't get it. What do you mean the air comes from outside the temple? Why can't you just bend the air in here?" Toph asked obviously confused.

"Because, the air in here is stuffy and dry because we've been breathing it in and out. This tube the monks made is designed to use airbending to move clean air throughout the temple. Clean air is easier to bend than dirty air."

"So the holes are for clean air to come through?" Sokka asked. Aang nodded. "And the tubes run all through the temple?" Another nod.

"Oh... well that solves up that little mystery!" Sokka said with a smile. "Good job team Avatar."

Katara sighed, "Would you give that a rest already!"

Zuko leaned in and whispered to Toph, "Do they always act like this." He asked

"Uggh... You have no idea." She said wearily. "Sometimes it's worse."

All five walked out of the sanctuary and Aang closed the doors behind them. "Come on." He yelled over his shoulder as he took off down the hall. "The tours not over yet."

The four groaned as they followed the young airbender through the rest of the temple.