Chapter 2: The Avatar Returns

The village children squealed in delight as Appa came in for a landing just outside the low wall, charging out and petting the great sky bison's fur or just babbling excitedly about this strange creature that somehow flew without wings. Appa gave a low rumble of delight and settled down into the snow, his large eyes regarding the children benignly, but as Katara slid down his side with Aang, she saw that the village elders, including Hakka and his warriors, were standing back, their expressions grim.

"Wait- what's going on here?" Aang asked as he walked forward, looking from face to face. "What's wrong?" Katara, though, thought she knew; her heart felt as if it had frozen from dread.

"Fire Nation," Sokka said before any of the adults could speak. "One of the warriors saw the smoke from the watchtower- there's a warship out there." His gaze fixed on Aang. "You led them here, didn't you? I knew there was something funny going on with you."

"Sokka, don't be ridiculous," Katara said, stepping protectively in front of the young Air Nomad. "Aang's been frozen for maybe a hundred years- he didn't even know there was a war on. Why would he signal the Fire Navy- and how could he if he wanted to."

Hakka put a restraining hand on Sokka's shoulder- Katara saw he brother flinch, but fall quiet. "Nobody's blaming you, son," he said looking directly at Aang. "I'm not sure if I believe your story, but I saw you airbending earlier, and no airbender has any reason to love the Fire Nation." He looked off towards the ocean. "From the smoke, I'd guess that one ship is coming, not a larger fleet. That means they're probably looking for something specific. I don't know why they'd be after you, but I'd recommend that you get out of here." His gaze shifted back to Aang, and his teeth clenched. "This… isn't going to end well, I'm afraid."

"If they're looking for you and you're not here, they might decide to leave us alone," one of the younger warriors snapped. "We can't win against even one ship."

"I think it might be wise," Gran-Gran added, though she shot the warrior who'd spoken a dark look.

Aang backed up slowly, head downcast. "If that's what you all want, I'll leave," he said quietly. "I'm sorry I brought the Fire Nation here."

Katara put a hand on his arm. "It's not your fault," she told him. "Don't worry about us- we'll be fine."

"I hope so," Aang said. Calling up a small gust of wind, he leaped impossibly high and landed on Appa's back. The bison stood and grunted loudly before shaking his fur out, sending snow flying over the children, who first laughed as the wiped themselves clean but then looked up with expressions of dawning sadness as sky bison and rider rose slowly into the air. Aang waved sadly from the saddle, and then Appa was gliding off away from the village and the coast. Katara watched him go and hung her head sadly.

"All right, men," Hakka called once he was gone. "Some of you get the old people and children to safety; the rest of you, man your posts. If the Fire Nation does try to take this Tribe, we'll make them fight for it."

Katara turned back and saw frantic activity as the village rushed to follow Hakka's commands- Gran-Gran might be the respected elder, but with battle looming, the Northern war leader was the one who unquestioningly took command. Katara had to bury a burst of irrational anger to see the Northerner taking the role that should have been Dad's, but shook herself out of it. Hakoda was doing something important; it wasn't his fault that meant he couldn't be with his family. That helped, a little bit.

Hakka himself was moving to take his position on the wall when he was stopped by Sokka. Katara saw her brother look up at the war leader with a pleading expression, but the older man shook his head. "I'm sorry, Sokka," he said, "but I'm not going to let you join this battle. I don't want to have to explain to your father how I got his son killed."

"If the Fire Nation are here, they're probably going to try and kill everyone," Sokka shot back. "I can fight, and you need every man you can get. I can help!"

Hakka considered for a moment, then nodded. "All right. Just… try and stay safe." As he turned away, Katara saw her brother give a victorious grin that seemed at odds with the seriousness of the situation and then hurry to the hut that had been converted into a makeshift armory to grab his favored weapons- spear, club, and boomerang. She gave a small sight of frustration- if only her own problems were that easy to solve.

"Katara!" Sisiko's voice echoed across the village. "Whatever happens today, we'll almost certainly have wounded. I'll need your help getting ready!"

The young waterbender raised her head. "Coming, Master!" She gave one last look in the direction Aang had gone, and then hurried to join her teacher.

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Zuko stood still as he allowed his attendants to strap his armor- black with gold trim, as befitted his royal status- around his body. He was not normally a calm or patient sort, and today the urge to move was stronger than usual- if he and Azula were right, they would catch up with the Avatar and end the century-long hunt today. Soon, they'd bring the old airbender back to the Capital in chains with them- then Father would have to acknowledge that his son was competent- that he was actually worth something beyond being a decoration…

Growling in frustration, Zuko batted the last attendant away and strapped on his own sword belt before stepping out into the ship's corridor. Azula was already there, leaned casually against the wall. She too was armored, but bore no weapon- firebending served her well enough. "Finally ready?" she asked.

"I am," Zuko replied. "We should be arriving at the Water Tribe village any time now."

Azula smiled, and cold fire seemed to dance in her eyes. "Then, brother mine, it's time to write history."

# # # # # # # # # # # #

Fog and mist swirled over the arctic sea. The village's defenders lined the wall, spears at the ready- the sight was admittedly impressive, though a part of Katara thought that it wasn't likely to do much good against a Fire Navy warship. Quickly squelching that thought, her eyes darted from warrior to warrior, finally spotting the only one who wore Southern Tribe warpaint. Sokka was slightly shorter than the other warriors, but he seemed to be going out of his way to try and project the same kind of confidence. Katara quietly wished him luck. She found herself torn between fear from her people and relief that Aang at least had gotten away safely.

"It's awful just before battle, isn't it?" Sisiko said quietly, coming to stand beside her pupil. "Knowing what is coming, but not when… I'd hope not to have to go through it again."

"You've been in battle before?" Katara asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Warriors will always need healers," Sisiko told her. Then she stopped her gaze turning north. "Wait- did you hear that?"

Katara did. Something was coming through the mists, and from the sound of it, it was very large. The warriors tightened their grips on their spears as a silhouette appeared and began to grow, larger and larger until it dwarfed the entire village. A Fire Navy ship- it could be nothing else. Small for its kind, but still more than enough for what it intended to do.

The warship stopped just shy of the wall, and Hakka gestured at his warriors. In an instant they'd leaped off it and into the village proper, rising quickly back to their feet- and a moment later, Katara saw why. The warship's sharp peaked front was descending towards them, slicing the wall neatly in tow as it was lowered to the ground and formed a long ramp to grant the invaders access.

Six soldiers in Fire Nation armor descended the ramp, their expressions impossible to read behind their inhuman masks. Behind them came two figures in more elaborate armor, their faces exposed, and Katara started when she realized they were a boy and a girl who looked barely older than herself and Sokka. The two looked enough alike that they had to be relatives- they had the same thick black hair worn in a topknot, and the same sharp golden eyes. Their expressions were similarly haughty, though there was a cold edge to the girl's that the boy lacked. Another four soldiers followed them down.

The boy stepped forward and regarded Hakka imperiously. "Are you the leader of this village?" he demanded.

"I am Warleader Hakka," the Northerner replied in a frigid tone. "And who might you be who comes so far out of his way to trouble us?"

"I am Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, and this is my sister Azula. Our father is Prince Ozai, the Fire Lord's brother. We're looking for a fugitive- he'd be an old man, probably has blue arrow tattoos, bends all the elements." Zuko's eyes narrowed. "We know you're hiding him- we tracked him here. Where is he?"

"I have no idea who you're talking about," Hakka said. "I'd recommend that you continue your search elsewhere, your Highness."

As he spoke, the girl- Azula- was glancing around the village, her lips pursed in displeasure. "I don't see any old people here," she said slowly, "or any children. Our quarry is probably hiding with them, wherever they are- the same way he's done for the last century." She raised her hand. "Men, tear this village apart until you find them."

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that, miss," Hakka said, and behind him his warriors hefted their spears. Zuko stepped back and raised both hands, flames playing around their edges, but Azula only smirked. "Oh well, then," she said. "It seems we'll be doing this the hard way." In an instant she exploded into motion- a thin jet of fire shot from her fingers and struck Hakka in the chest, sending the warleader stumbling to the ground in obvious agony.

The other warriors exploded into motion. Seeing their leader fall, they charged the Fire Nation soldiers with their spears lowered, only to be met with flame. Several unlucky ones fell immediately, the lucky ones rolling in the snow and trying to bat the flames out of their furs. Katara saw one firebender be sent stumbling back with a spear in his side, but the warrior who injured him was quickly felled. Between the Fire Nation's bending and superior armor, the Water Tribe warriors were all but powerless.

Her mouth opened in horror as she saw Sokka charge directly at Zuko. The Fire Prince fell back briefly, but Katara quickly saw he wasn't injured- rather, he was taking the opportunity to draw the two wickedly curved swords he wore in the sheath at his side. The blades spun with deadly skill, and Sokka's spear fell from his hands, cut neatly in two pieces. A kick from Zuko sent Sokka sprawling beside it.

"Leave him alone!" Katara shouted without realizing what she was doing, charging forward. Her hands came up as she tried to use them to force the snow into a shape- any shape- that might be useful for fighting, but one of Zuko's soldiers only shoved her away with minimal effort. Stumbling back, she crouched down beside Sokka, checking him for injuries.

"You know," he muttered, "this isn't quite how I pictured my first battle going."

"You're lucky he didn't burn you," Katara said. Looking up, she saw that all the other warriors had fallen, unconscious or worse. Zuko stood in the center of the village, hands on his swords, while beside him, Azula was smiling.

"Now then," she said in a voice that was almost pleasant- and horribly at odds with what had just happened. "Where were we?"

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Appa lay on a snow-covered plateau a few miles away from the village, and Aang rested against one of his immense furry forelegs. The sky bison gave a mournful sounding rumble, and Aang reached up and patted his nose reassuringly. "Don't worry, buddy," he said. "I promise we'll go somewhere soon where you can get all the fruit and hay that you want." Appa gave a deeper, more contented sound and nuzzled against his rider, but Aang's expression grew dark.

"I don't like this," he said. "I mean, I can't just leave them, especially after Katara was so nice to me, but maybe they were right, and we're safer out here." He rocked forward on his feet, wrapping his arms around his knees.

Suddenly Appa rumbled loudly, and Aang turned to look back in the direction of the Water Tribe village- and saw what he was sure was smoke rising from it. "No!" he said, jumping to his feet. "The Fire Nation must be there- and they've got to be looking for me. I got them into danger, and then I ran off and left them." Bending down, he picked up his staff and snapped its wings open. "You stay here, Appa, but I've got to go back. I can't just run away again. Maybe I can still help them."

Leaping into the air, Aang bent a gust of wind around him to keep the glider aloft and rode the air currents back towards the village.

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Azula smirked as her soldiers lead the village elders and children out from the hut where they had been hiding- the children visibly frightened, the elders grimly defiant. The princess's eyes darted from one elder to the next searchingly, while at her side, her brother was becoming increasingly angry.

"He's not here," Zuko snapped, stepping forward and pointing at Gran-Gran. "He should be about this age, but he's not here! Where is he?"

"I don't know who you're talking about," Gran-Gran said. "But if I did, I wouldn't tell you."

Zuko growled angrily, but before he had a chance to act Azula pushed past him roughly, eyes flat and deadly. "You may be some tribal wise-woman," she said in a voice more frigid than the arctic air, "but that doesn't mean you shouldn't show respect for your betters. I'll show you the respect due royalty." She raised one hand and formed a flame in it, raising it to strike.

"No!" Katara shouted, attempting to charge forward only to be stopped as one of the soldiers grabbed her by the arm. Beside her, she saw Sokka struggling in a similar predicament. Azula drew her hand back and prepared to unleash her fireblast, but before the blow fell a tremendous gust of wind shot through the village and sent her rocking back off her feet so that she landed in a snowdrift, upside down and all dignity thoroughly lost.

"What the-" was all Zuko had time to say before a second blast struck him and sent him sprawling beside his sister. Riding another gust of wind came the one who'd attacked them- Aang himself, who landed lightly in the village center and folded his glider back into a staff. The Fire Nation soldiers backed away at the sight of him, hands raised defensively.

"Hi Katara, Sokka," he said, then spun his staff and used it to direct two more blasts of air that knocked the soldiers holding them aside. "I couldn't just leave you. Sorry I didn't get back sooner."

"Thanks for coming," Sokka said dryly, then turned and gave the soldier who'd been holding him a solid kick to the side. If the groan the man gave was anything to go by, he felt it solidly even through his armor.

Across the village, the snowbank into which Azula and Zuko had been hurled suddenly exploded into a cloud of steam. As it cleared, it revealed Azula, water evaporating from her body and armor, in a bending stance, expression murderous, with Zuko at her side with drawn swords. When the prince and princess saw their opponent clearly, however, both of their eyes widened in disbelief.

"A child?" Azula breathed incredulously. "Impossible!"

"You're the airbender?" Zuko demanded, gesturing at Aang with one of his swords. "You're the Avatar?"

"Yes," Aang said. "Here I am. Were you looking for me?"

"Aang," Katara said to herself, feeling the world reeling beneath her feet. "The Avatar?" Sokka was only shaking his head madly as if trying to clear it.

"We are," Zuko said, stepping forward; as all attention was on the firebender and the airbender, Katara saw Azula step back towards the edge of the village out of the corner of her eye, but put it out of her mind. "My father gave my sister and I the mission of hunting you down, and we don't intend to fail him." With a sudden cry he lunged forward, using his swords as a kind of channel to launch fireblasts at Aang. The airbender's- the Avatar's- eyes widened and he quickly brought his staff up, spinning to parry the strikes.

Suddenly, Katara felt an armored arm wrap around her throat even as a deceptively delicate hand lit a flame beside her face. "I've heard your people don't like unnecessary violence, airbender," Azula's cold voice said. "If you don't want to see the girl hurt, you'll come with us quietly."

Aang and Zuko both paused; the Avatar's eyes found Katara's and widened in shock and guilt. Then they shifted slightly, presumably so he could meet Azula's gaze. "And if I go with you, you'll leave her and the village alone?"

Katara felt Azula shift behind her, as if the princess was shrugging. "I don't see why not. The Avatar is a far greater prize than a worthless Water Tribe fishing village, after all."

"All right, then," Aang said, hanging his head.

"Aang- no! Don't do this!" Katara shouted, even as Azula tightened her grip enough to prevent anything further.

"Don't worry, Katara," Aang said, giving a smile that seemed far more forced than normal. "I'll be all right." He held out his staff, and Zuko took it after sheathing his swords; the soldiers closed ranks around the Avatar and began to march him up into the ship. Once they were atop the ramp, Azula released Katara and shoved her to the ground before running lightly to join her countrymen. Katara watched her go, and then her gaze shifted to the captive Aang; her emotions were a mix of anger and fear.

# # # # # # # # # # # #

Aang winced as the warship's ramp snapped back into place- really, the Fire Nation needed to seriously invest in machines that didn't sound so horrible- and then turned to Zuko. "So," he said conversationally, "you're going to take me to your dad now?"

"Yes," Zuko replied. "My father is the Fire Lord's brother, and I think they're both going to be anxious to meet you."

"But why?" Aang asked. "I've never done anything to the Fire Nation- I didn't even know there was a war on until today!"

"You're the Avatar- the only one who could be a threat to them." Zuko met Aang's gaze directly. "Father and Uncle are great men, and the Fire Nation is the greatest civilization in the world. It's our destiny to be a great empire."

"That's very stirring, Zuko," Azula said from nearby. "But I think we should put our prisoner in the brig before he gets any ideas."

Zuko's eyes narrowed- apparently, he didn't like having to admit when his sister had a point- but he motioned to the soldiers anyway. "Take the prisoner to the brig," he ordered. One soldier took each of Aang's arms, and they began to march him into the ship. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Zuko studying his staff and putting it through some basic swings.

"I think I'm giving this to Uncle," he said to Azula. "You know how he likes antiques."

The princess only rolled her eyes.

# # # # # # # # # # # #

Katara stood on the shore of the ocean near the village, staring out in the direction where the Fire Navy ship had gone, all but ignoring Sokka who seemed to be pacing somewhere behind her. "We have to go after him, Sokka," she said finally. "Aang saved out tribe- now someone has to save him, and we're the only ones who can."

"Katara," Sokka began, but she cut him off.

"Look, I know you don't trust him, and that you probably think you should stay as one of the only warriors left still in fighting condition, but he needs…"

"Katara!" Sokka said. "You coming, or not?" Spinning, she saw her brother heaving the last of several bags of supplies into a canoe. The waterbender's eyes widened in happy surprise as she took in what it meant, and she ran forward and wrapped her brother in a tight hug.

"Kata," Sokka protested, pulling away. "All right, now let's go save you…"

"What do you two think you're doing?" a calm voice asked. Katara turned to see Gran-Gran and Master Sisiko both watching them with severe expressions- but then Gran-Gran smiled. "You'll need these," she said, holding out a roll of blankets.

"Then… you're okay with us leaving?" Katara asked.

"You were the ones who found the Avatar and brought hope back to this tribe," Gran-Gran said. "Now, your destinies are intertwined with his."

"I've tended to Hakka and his warriors, and they should survive," said Sisiko. "The injuries were not as severe as they appeared- no doubt, the firebenders feared to bring too much power to bear, lest they accidentally kill their quarry. Your brother and the Avatar need your help more than I do." She stepped forward and put a hand on Katara's shoulder. "You have been my student for several years now. Healing is a noble calling, but I feel there is more in store for you. You are not of the Northern Water Tribe- it was foolish to think you should have to follow our customs, when they are not your people's. You have a fighter's spirit. Good luck."

"Yes- good luck to both of you." Gran-Gran hugged each of her grandchildren in turn. "And, Sokka- try to stay out of trouble." Sokka's face fell at the comment, and Katara heard him muttered protests under his breath.

Sisiko regarded their canoe and frowned. "Even if you had a master waterbender with you, catching a warship in that would be almost impossible," she said. Even as she finished speaking, however, a low but loud rumble sounded nearby, and an unmistakable furry shape crested a nearby hill.

"Appa!" Katara said. "He can carry us!"

"Great," Sokka muttered. "Giant flying furball, here we come."

# # # # # # # # # # # #

The two guards led Aang deeper into the bowels of the Fire Nation warship; despite having seen a good deal of the world when traveling between Air Temples (he squelched a queasy feeling that line of thought brought), he'd never seen anything quite like this steam-powered contraption. Of course, he supposed that a lot could happen in a hundred years…

He glanced up at one of the guards. "So," he said nonchalantly, "I guess you guys've probably never seen an airbender before me, right?"

"Silence!" the guard snapped, his voice weirdly distorted by his helmet. Aang shrugged as best he could with his arms being held tight, and then drew in a deep breath and released it with as much bending-backed force as he could muster. The guard he aimed at was slammed against the wall, and after impacting he slid to the floor and lay in a daze. The second guard's expression was hidden behind his mask, but Aang imagined his eyes were wide with surprise- the man quickly caught himself, but not before his grip loosened. Aang pulled away from him and let loose another gust, which left him in the same condition as his companion.

"Sorry about that, but I'd really like to get out of here," he said to the unconscious figures, and then turned and bolted down the corridor in the way from which he'd come at full bending-enhanced speed. He needed to get his staff back and then get off this ship fast. Unfortunately, that proved easier said than done- the ship's corridors all looked much the same, and while he was quick and agile enough to breeze past the few guards he met, that wasn't enough to keep them from sending up a warning shout.

If he could find the prince or princess, Aang figured, he'd be able to find his staff- one of them probably had it, or at least knew where it was. That idea in mind, he made his way towards the exit to the outer deck- soon he could see the light where it opened to the sky- and then he pulled up short as the doors slammed shut. Azula stood beside it wearing an almost feline expression of lazy arrogance, holding his staff lightly in one hand.

"My staff!" Aang said. "That's mine!"

"You know, I think I noticed that already," Azula said lightly. "Well, if you want it back, you're going to have to go through me- and in the extremely unlikely event you manage that, there's still my brother and the crew waiting on deck. For all his faults, Zuko is rather good with those swords of his. You're not going anywhere."

"We'll see about that," Aang said, and fired a blast of air directly at her. Azula dodged nimbly aside and smirked before responding with a series of precisely controlled fireblasts. Even though she had only one free hand, Aang still found himself being forced to dodge- blocking the blasts wasn't nearly as easy without his staff.

"Give it up, Avatar," Azula said. "I can keep this up all day, and you can't hit me with anything too powerful without risking smashing your precious staff against these metal walls. Your airbending isn't a match for a firebender who knows what you can do."

"But you don't know everything I can do," Aang said, an idea quickly forming in his mind. Maybe Azula had read enough history to recognize a lot of airbending- but she almost certainly didn't know the move that Aang had invented himself. Quickly, he formed a spinning ball of air beneath his feet and leaped on it, and then used the air scooter to propel himself in a spiral around the corridor towards the firebender princess, building up momentum as he went. Her eyes widened and she shot more fireblasts, but she'd made the mistake of maneuvering herself into a space where she had nowhere to go. Closing in, Aang let the air scooter go and then slammed into her.

The combined force of the two of them hitting the door forced it open, and they sprawled onto the main deck. The staff fell from Azula's hand, and Aang quickly grabbed it and leaped to his feet. "Thanks!" he said to the still-dazed Azula, and then turned to make ready to fly- and found himself faced by a semicircle of firebenders with Zuko in the middle, one hand on his sheathed swords, the other raised to bend.

"Oh, right," Aang muttered. "Them."

"There's nowhere to go, Avatar," Zuko said. "If you try to escape, there's enough of us to set your glider on fire. Then you won't be going anywhere."

"Listen to my brother," Azula said from behind him; Aang turned to see her getting back to her feet. "For once, he's talking sense."

Aang's mind whirled as he tried to think of some way out of this one- but then he smiled broadly as he saw a familiar shape flying in the air high above the ship- distant now, but closing rapidly. "I don't think so," he said lightly. "See, there's something that the two of you don't know about."

"What's that?" Zuko asked suspiciously.

"Appa!" Aang shouted, just as the sky bison came in for a landing. Turning his back on the Fire Nation soldiers, he slammed his tail down and released a powerful burst of natural airbending that sent the entire crew reeling. Quickly, the airbender ran forward and embraced one of Appa's legs before looking up and seeing Sokka and Katara slide down from the saddle.

"Are you all right?" Katara asked, hurrying over to him.

"I am now," Aang said.

"Not for long." They both spun to see Zuko struggling back to his feet. The Fire Prince drew both of his swords and dropped into a fighting stance, slowly circling- Aang admittedly didn't know much about bladed weapons, but he thought that that his opponent looked awfully competent with them. More than that, they looked more than sharp enough to cut his staff, which could be a major problem.

A flicker of motion from the corner of his vision caught Aang's attention, and he turned partially to see Katara, her movies jerky and uncertain, but growing more confident as she went, bending a large stream of water out of the ocean and into the air over the ship. He watched it closely, almost mesmerized- and then it fell apart, doing little more than drenching Zuko.

"Umm- Katara," Aang said, "I don't think that worked."

"Actually," she replied, "it did. Now, here goes nothing." Slowly she drew in a deep breath and then let it out- and the water covering Zuko froze into a coating of ice. The prince sputtered in anger and shock, bending heat and steam from his nostrils and hands to thaw himself, but before he could Sokka walked casually up and struck him in the back with his club, sending him sprawling.

"That's one from the Water Tribe, jerk," he said.

"We're just lucky that it's cold enough here that turning water to ice is really easy," said Katara. "Now let's get out of here."

"I'm up for that," Aang said. Turning, the three of them began to climb up onto Appa's back, but before they took off, Aang looked back over the ship and saw that Azula and several of the firebenders were standing together hands raised.

"Fire," the princess hissed, and then as one they unleashed a massive fireball, far too large for Aang to deflect, and too fast for Appa to outrun.

The airbender's eyes widened with horror as the giant fireball approached- and then, suddenly and inexplicably, something within him snapped, as it had once before on the night he and Appa had been frozen. As the sky bison leaped into the air, the Avatar jumped from his back but did not fall- rather, he hovered there in the path of the incoming inferno, held aloft by airbending and perceiving time as almost a crawl. Both hands came up, and the sea answered, an immense wave that stretched across the ship and absorbed the blast. Then the Avatar pushed out with both hands, and the water surged beneath the Fire Navy ship, throwing it back even as its engines struggled to move it forward.

Then the surge of power passed, and the Avatar was only Aang again. A faint feeling passed over him and he fell from the sky- but landed in Air Nomad-made saddled as Appa swooped beneath him. "We've got you, Aang," he heard Katara say.

"Thanks," Aang replied weakly.

"That was some amazing waterbending," Katara added. "How did you…?"

"Wait," Sokka said. "What's Creepy Girl doing down there?" Aang and Katara both joined him on the edge of the saddle, and they both looked down to see Azula alone still standing, her hands forming a tight pattern as sparks trailed behind them.

"I don't know, but that looks like some seriously nasty firebending," Aang murmured. "And I don't think I've got any Avatar State left in me."

"Well, whatever she's doing, she's not going to be doing it long," Sokka said firmly. Reaching over his back, he drew out a curved weapon that Aang was sure he recognized, though he couldn't put a name to it at the moment with his head still groggy. Aiming carefully, Sokka let the weapon fly- it spun through the air in a looping arc and struck Azula in the back of the head just before she let her firebending loose. She fell face-forward to the deck, and her interrupted bending set loose a bolt of lightning that punched clean through the ship's prow, rocking it in the water.

Sokka smiled as he reached up one hand and caught his weapon as its arc brought it back to him. "Let's see them try and follow us with a hole in their ship!" he called. "Water Tribe boomerang- never leave home without one!"

# # # # # # # # # # # #

Zuko, still wet but no longer frozen, shook his head at Azula as she slowly stood, rubbing the back of her head. When she turned to face him, her expression was both furious and pained. "One laugh, Zuzu," she said, "and you'll wish you were still an ice block."

"There's nothing funny here," Zuko said with a snort that vented steam into the air. "We just got humiliated by a little kid and two barbarians. Now we need repairs, too. What were you thinking, trying lightning?"

"I underestimated them- we both did," Azula said. "But pointing fingers, while satisfying, gets us nowhere. Fortunately there's a base near here- we can get repairs and new supplies there. After that it's back to the hunt."

"And now we know what they can do," Zuko finished. "We won't underestimate them again."

# # # # # # # # # # # #

"So, why didn't you tell us you were the Avatar?" Katara asked when they'd left the Fire Nation ship safely behind them.

"Because I never wanted to be," Aang said quietly, his expression unusually somber. All three sat quietly for several minutes, and then Aang looked up. "It looks like I've got my job cut out for me. Where should we go first?"

"Well, I've been thinking," Sokka said, "and I say we find Dad. His fleet's the only serious resistance we know about- and he's got the Northern Tribe helping him, which means he probably has waterbenders- maybe Masters."

"And water is the next element in the cycle after air." Katara smiled. "Maybe if we're lucky, we can find someone we can convince to let us learn together!"

"I hope so," Aang said. "That would be great! But before that, we've got some very important stops to make…."

As she listened to Aang go on at great length about places he'd either been or wanted to go, and all the fun, fascinating, or exciting things to do there, Katara realized that for the first time since her father left, she felt both contented and determined.

AN: Again, the general events remain close to canon, although the specifics are different. Next chapter will be an odd one- the events at the Air Temple wouldn't be significantly different from canon in any way in this AU, so it will focus primarily on the Fire Nation side of things. With "Warriors of Kyoshi" and "King of Omashu", the differences will start becoming more obvious; after that, the canon events should be abandoned in all but the loosest ways.