That had been two months ago, Haylin and Haru had been chasing after Aang ever since he left the North Pole. Every time Aang seemed close he'd disappear on Appa happily traveling through the skies leaving behind Haru and she. As soon as they found new information on Aang, Haylin felt a warmth in her heart, even after a hundred years Aang still hadn't changed he was just as light hearted and loving as the day she last saw him. Haru wasn't as thrilled about Aang's childish ways but that was just Haru for you he'd always been too serious for his own good. While she and Aang were having fun around the temple, Haru was scolding them and telling them to practice their bending more (as if he were born first) or to join the monks in their meditation that always seemed to last for hours. Now they'd discovered that Aang was leaving Omashu and heading to the great city of Ba Sing Se, their birthplace. Although their parents had died almost a century ago and the twin brother and sister hadn't visited the city since, they hadn't even seen their parents' graves.

It would only take two days time to reach Ba Sing Se on an ostrich horse, as each hour droned on boredom was becoming an issue for the restless Haylin.

"Haru stop!"

Up ahead a young man upon a strange birdlike creature pulled the reins abruptly, and the animal's quick pace slowed to a complete stop. He was a rather handsome young man, with a lean and muscular physique and smooth jaw line. His dark brown hair covered one of his deep cerulean eyes and was in desperate need of a haircut; as he turned to face his sister, a long braid with five colored beads at the end swung around and landed at the base of his chin, the beads glittered in the desert's fading sunlight. His bronze skin was striking against his blue eye color, everything else seemed simple and common with neutral hues of brown and green.

"There isn't anytime Haylin, we have to keep moving. We need to find Aang as quickly as possible." He replied in a deep baritone voice. Haru's facial expression remained stern and unwavering, but his sister ignored his obvious discouraging signals and began her argument.

"The Fire Nation doesn't even patrol out here, besides even if we do continue we're no good to Aang weak and exhausted, our only option is to stop."

Even after all those years with his sister Haru was still finding little patience when dealing with her.

Haylin was just as appealing as her twin brother; she was very curvy despite her slender proportions and was only a spell shorter than her brother. Just like Haru she wore plain green and brown garments and had the same matching strand of beads within her long and curly brown hair. Her said brown locks had been hastily tied back in a low ponytail to keep it out of her eyes and was beginning to slip out of the tight leather-band containing it. Her doe-shaped eyes framed in dark, long eyelashes were the same shade of blue as her brother's (ignoring the white streaks within the blue) and still held a fierce type of determination. Her bronze complexion was only slightly darker than her brother's, and she had a scar on the side of her neck. Besides the little things it was obvious that the two of them were flesh and blood. Haylin fixed her brother with an unrelenting gaze and her full lips pulled into a defiant line. He could see the logic in her words but hated admitting she was right, "Haylin..." He started with a warning tone.

She could see her brother's resolve waning and her nearing victory; she wouldn't tell Haru this, but she couldn't go on any longer, she needed sleep and she needed food, but Haru would only scold her if she complained and reply with, "The fate of the Avatar is more important than your own needs."

But her reason was justified, they'd been riding for four days straight, in an attempt to reach Ba Sing Se before Aang, with no breaks except for when the ostrich horses needed to rest which wasn't very often. The sunset was the only light left around them and Haylin wasn't going to be riding at night ever again. Last time she fell asleep and fell off her saddle, and Haru spent the rest of the night laughing himself stupid.

"Hatsuharu, c'mon."

With years of practice. she whined to her brother, and his steel like personality cracked.

"Okay, fine but you're in charge of-."

"Starting the fire? I know already." She replied quickly, her spirits already improving at the promise of finally getting a goodnight's sleep.

Haru was never one for emotions and taking it easy on people, but he did feel happy when Haylin gave him a big smile in return. It was rare when either of them smiled or acted like a teenager at all, ever since the slaughter of the air nomads and the beginning of the Hundred Year war they were more so companions then siblings. That day he and Aang became the only two surviving Airbenders, and from then on he vowed to uphold the teachings of the monks and protect the Avatar at all costs. He dismounted from the ostrich horse he called Akoma and began to lead on in search of a campsite. The first available campsite felt too open for his liking so he centered his chi carefully into his feet, remembering all the lessons he learned from master Chizo. The sand was warm and alive beneath his feet, closing his eyes he quickly slid a foot around his body in a horseshoe shape. As he looked up with open eyes, he saw a row of blackened boulders protruding from the earth formed around them in a horseshoe shape.

Haylin watched her brother from a distance, complimenting his earth bending in her mind's folds. She'd seen him earthbend many times but she never understood how he could do it, he explained to her once.

"Earth bending is like being able to see without your eyes, with an extension of your body. It's what keeps you sane it's the reason why Earthbenders' are so strong mentally, emotionally and physically it is because we are constantly grounded to what is there."

She assumed she'd never understand, like him she was connected to Fire and Water as he was to Earth and Air, but she'd never be able to describe how it felt in words. Her masters told her that her very spirit would always be at conflict, Water could be her Serenity and Fire her Chaos if she let her emotions control her bending. Master Jin would always calm her fears by saying, "This it what makes you strong no matter what day or night you'll never feel weak and you'll never feel alone. Like Earthbenders are connected to the Earth and the Airbenders connected to the Air, you'll be connected to the most conflicting elements of them all. The fire in your heart and the cool waves in your mind but never let one rule over the other. Just like you and your brother you must have balance, you must bind the Yin and the Yang, only then will you be truly at peace."

At a hundred and sixteen years old she still couldn't understand her powers and no hours of meditation could help her. Without her masters Jin and Rena she couldn't come to terms with her identity as Yin, the spirits taught her to bend, but she never could identify her true purpose.

Haru laid down his mat preparing to rest, while Haylin wandered off to find wood for the fire. Carefully he rolled his shoulders and stretched out all the knots he'd gotten from riding for so long. He was tired and ready to sleep even with the sun still partially in the sky he closed his eyes and listened as Haylin came back to their small camp. In her hand was some broken tumble weeds and other dried plant life they could burn, without moving too much. Carefully aligning each piece of dry brush into a small teepee, "Haru, how do think it'll take for Aang to get to Ba Sing Se?"

With his eyes closed and seated in a lotus flower position he spoke quietly, "I sense emotional distress within the avatar, he may arrive later than us at Ba Sing Se."

Haru frowned inwardly, he could feel it that familiar spirit that was always near Aang's was gone and that troubled him greatly. Faintly he could hear Aang's voice calling out a name Appa, Appa.