Aang stared at the guru, his eyes wide in numb shock.
"But that's…this is…how can I…?" he stammered frantically as his eyes darted around in panic. "This can't be happening!" he cried at last. He looked desperately at Pathik, and whispered in terror, "What do I do?"
"You must find a way to reestablish the link from this life to your previous lives."
"So…am I still…the Avatar?" asked Aang timidly.
"You are. And the reincarnation cycle is not yet broken. You have merely been taken out of it for the time being."
Aang let out a sigh of relief, and almost laughed as he realized that there had been a time when he'd have been thrilled to hear he was no longer the Avatar; but not now. For the first time in his life, he actually wanted to be who he was. But now he faced a serious problem.
"How do I reconnect to the past Avatars?"
Pathik frowned briefly, but when he spoke, his tone was light.
"Unfortunately I do not know, only that there must be a way or you would not even be here," he shrugged cheerfully. Noticing the young air bender scowl slightly, Pathik continued gently.
"For now you should rest. We will seek the answers tomorrow."
Aang waited until the others were asleep before returning. He didn't want to face whatever questions they might have. He just couldn't, not yet. As he landed quietly on Appa's head and lay down, he didn't even notice Iroh cracking open an eye.
The old general could tell by the boy's expression that he was deeply troubled, but decided it best not to say anything. Instead, he merely feigned sleep until he was certain the Avatar was lost to slumber. Then, he silently got up and looked over the five teens with a sigh.
"They are all so young," he whispered sadly into the night.
As he turned his gaze to the waxing moon, he spotted a familiar figure sitting cross-legged on a balcony railing slightly above him. With one last look at his sleeping nephew, the old fire bender walked into the temple.
The wizened old man didn't even turn around as Iroh stepped noiselessly on to the patio.
"Good to see you again, General," said Pathik warmly, eyes still closed as he meditated.
"Retired general," Iroh reminded him with a smile as he walked over and stood next to the precariously seated sage.
"Of course," the guru acquiesced indulgingly. Then he sighed, and his voice was somber when he spoke again.
"These are difficult times, Prince Iroh, and I fear that the very course of Destiny is threatened by what has recently occurred."
Iroh merely nodded, his brow furrowed in deep concern. He considered asking the guru about Aang, but his thoughts were interrupted before he had a chance to finish forming them.
"You have never told him," stated Pathik calmly. It wasn't really a question, but Iroh immediately understood the unspoken inquiry and to whom it referred.
"I have been tempted many times over the years," he replied thoughtfully as he bowed his head, "But, no, my nephew does not know."
"Then he has chosen this path on his own?" asked the guru as one shaggy eyebrow darted up and he peeked over at Iroh who stood serenely with his hands tucked into the sleeves of his robe, looking out at the glittering mountaintops.
"He has."
"That is best," nodded the guru closing his eyes again. "It is unlikely he would have believed you had you tried to share what you saw on your last visit."
"True," agreed Iroh with a wistful pang, "yet I cannot help but think he could have been spared…so much suffering."
"While it may seem cruel to keep such a secret," said Pathik firmly, "telling one their destiny before they are ready to accept it can result in…dire consequences. The Air Nomads made that mistake a hundred years ago. It was a wise decision not to repeat it."
At last, the guru opened both eyes, and he followed Iroh's gaze down to the children sleeping on the balcony below them. Three young faces shone peacefully in the dim moonlight, but Aang and Zuko both tossed fitfully, each of them lost in their own troubled dreams.
"Their link to each other is so much like the dependency between their native elements," Pathik observed, and he raised his arms slightly so that, in his field of vision, his hands cupped gently over Aang and Zuko's sleeping forms. Almost instantly, the two ceased their restless trembling.
"It is a shame my nephew and the Avatar cannot see that for themselves," said Iroh with a sigh. "It would undoubtedly make things much easier for both of them."
At this, the guru's eyes suddenly lit up with the glimmer of a solution as his hands dropped back to his knees.
"Hmph! Perhaps you are right," he chirped happily, and the two old men glanced at each other: Iroh with obvious confusion, and Pathik with a glint of mischievous epiphany. Looking back to the two sleeping boys, the guru mumbled to himself and nodded.
"It is certainly worth a try."
A sudden tremor beneath the bedroll shook Zuko from his sleep, and the disturbance was quickly followed by Toph's cheerful sarcasm.
"Up and at 'em, Sunshine!" she crowed.
"Leave me alone, Toph," the sleepy teen grumbled as he rolled over and pulled his blanket up over his head.
"Aw, come on," she cajoled, "Even Snoozles is up." And she waved a hand in Sokka's general direction.
"Only because he smelled food," Katara quipped as she set a plate of rice and fruit in front of her salivating brother, who immediately descended on it with noisy abandon.
"Really, Prince Zuko," Iroh chimed in cheerfully from where he sat at a table with Toph and Sokka, "I am surprised at you. A fire bender is meant to rise with the sun."
"That's just a metaphor, Uncle," retorted Zuko, his irritated growl muffled by the covers. Iroh merely chuckled at his nephew's unusual display of lethargy.
"Even so," the old general continued knowingly, "it isn't like you to get up so late. You must have slept quite well."
The pile of blankets on the ground rose and fell slightly in a muted sigh, before it's occupant reluctantly sat up, allowing the fabric to fall away and reveal the still heavy-eyed prince.
"Actually I haven't slept that well since before-," Prince Zuko stopped himself short, as he suddenly realized where he was and who was around. He shook his head slightly before finishing quietly, "never mind."
An uncomfortable silence fell over the others in the group and no one could really look at anyone else. At last, Katara spoke up.
"Um, would you like some breakfast?" she asked Zuko briskly. He nodded his head with a mumbled 'please' as he neatly folded his blanket.
As Zuko crossed the patio to take the food Katara offered him, he looked around and noticed the Avatar was not there.
"Where's Aang?" he asked drowsily as he sat on top of a nearby table, slightly away from the others.
Katara cast a quick glance at the banished prince and shook her head faintly as she blinked in wonder. It still sounded so strange to hear her former enemy to refer to Aang by his given name. But it was much nicer than hearing him say 'where's the Avatar' as he had so many times in past encounters.
"Ees soff wuff nu gruru," Sokka said incoherently through a mouthful of food. Katara shot a glare at her brother as she sat down next to him, clearly annoyed by his lack of manners.
"He's with Guru Pathik," she stated, not taking her icy gaze off of Sokka.
"Thuts wut uh zhust shed," the uncouth young warrior exclaimed indignantly. This earned him a sharp rap on the back of his head from his sister.
"Stop talking with your mouth full!" she snapped. Looking back over at Zuko, she continued more politely, "I'm sure he'll be back in a little while."
But try as she might, she could not keep the tone of worry from her voice, and the rest of the meal was eaten in silence.
Across the azure waters beyond the rim of Chameleon Bay, the formidable Fire Nation ship cut through the choppy sea like a blackened steel blade. The dining galley was empty save for Azula and her friends, and the three sat in a gloomy pall as they ate.
"You know, Azula," chirped Ty Lee trying to lighten the mood, "you really should try some of these fruit-filled rolls. They're sooo chewy and squishy and…hrm…what's the word I'm looking for…?"
"Gooey?" droned Mai.
"Yeah!" she squealed, "Gooey!"
"I think you're brain has gone 'gooey'," mumbled the despondent young noblewoman, but Ty Lee either didn't hear or chose not too.
"These have lemon in them," and she shoved a sweet-filled roll under Azula's nose. The princess glared coldly at the food, then at the acrobat, before pushing the proffered treat away with royal poise.
"I don't care for lemons."
"Oh yeah," breathed Ty Lee with naive recollection, "that was Zuko's favorite, wasn't it?"
Azula's eyes narrowed hatefully at the mention of her brother, and Mai was sure that Ty lee was about to get smacked upside the head…or worse. But the bouncy teen was spared any punishment by the sudden entry of one of the ships minor officers.
"Forgive the intrusion, Highness," he bowed nervously, "but we've sighted land and thought you might wish to know."
The princess was immediately on her feet, and without a word, she breezed past the groveling man and out the door, the officer scurrying after her. Once alone in the room, Ty Lee turned to Mai.
"Boy, she sure is cranky lately."
"Can you blame her?" asked Mai dolefully, "I know I wouldn't want to have to tell the Fire Lord about what happened in Ba Sing Se, even if he was my dad."
"Do you think she'll be in a lot of trouble?" whispered Ty Lee, suddenly apprehensive. Mai sighed worriedly.
"I don't know, but I sure hope she doesn't expect us to be there when she tells him."
"So you don't think we'll catch the Avatar do you?" asked Ty Lee fretfully. Mai turned a cynical glare on her friend as she responded with jaded certainty.
"Not a chance."
Commander Huo quickly dismissed his officers as Azula strode onto the bridge. It wouldn't do for his men to see any…altercations between him and the princess, and he had come to expect them whenever she was around.
"I see you got the news," he said coolly.
"Yes," she replied with equal chill, "and I am anxious to hear what sort of brilliant strategy you've devised for handling the Avatar and his…companions."
This last word was said with such extreme distaste, that her nose actually crinkled in disgust. It was the first real emotion Huo had seen on the young princess' face since they'd set sail, and he had to admit it was almost amusing to see her so rankled. Unfortunately, he wasn't in any position to gloat. She obviously had little faith in his ability to carry this off or she wouldn't be on the bridge in the first place.
"There's a small inlet on the east side of the isle," he explained calmly, pointing to a map spread on the central table. "If we land there, we can send the climber-tanks in to scale the mountain under the cover of twilight and capture them unaware."
"Capture them, Commander?" she asked spitefully. Huo stared at her in barely suppressed horror.
"Of course, Highness," he said carefully, "Surely you don't intend-."
"Oh, but I do," she interrupted, her eyes gleaming wickedly.
"Your uncle and brother are reported to be traveling with them."
"Those two are traitors to the Fire Nation, Commander Huo," she said coldly as she turned to look out the observation window, "and since their capture was put into my care, I hereby grant you the authority to deal with them as necessary."
"But what of the Avatar?" he asked uncertainly. "It was my understanding that his reincarnation-"
"Will be pointless," she snapped as she spun to face him again. "Even if he were to be reincarnated tomorrow, he would never have time to mature before the comet arrives at the end of the summer. And by then, the Fire Nation will have the power to wipe out the Water Tribes completely thus forcing him into the next cycle with no chance of mastering either Air or Water." Her face lit up with a malicious smile as she finished.
"If we succeed, then the Avatar will no longer be a threat…ever again."