Chapter 7

Toph had brought down the "Love Boat" just beyond and out of sight of the small coastal village where they expected to find an unknown number of Dai Li and at least one demon. She and Aang were crouched behind a low hedge looking out over a short clearing and the main road leading into the village from the east. Though no one was immediately visible, neither the Avatar or his blind companion needed their eyes to see the village in it's entirety.

"Ok, Twinkletoes." Toph said quietly from beside Aang, "I see two by the main gates who think they're hiding but I don't see anyone moving about the village. Everyone's in their homes. Too many everyone's if you catch my drift."

"Yeah, I see what you mean." Aang whispered back, "I think the Dai Li are inside the houses but…why?"

"Duh, Twinkletoes. They've set a trap. For us." Toph said snidely, her arm flashing across to rap her knuckles on the side of Aang's head, "Come on. It's not like we've been hiding as we flew across the earth kingdom and we even told a few people we were heading in this direction."

"I know and I'm starting to think this is a bad idea." Aang said morosely, rubbing at the sore side of his head.

"Hey, this was your idea, Airhead." Toph said grumpily, "If it wasn't for me you'd have just gone flying off into the trap on your own."

"Ok, ok. It's just…can't you feel him, Toph?" Aang said, his eyes glued to the village, "It's like he's just waiting for us."

Toph could sense what Aang was talking about. The village was little more than two dozen houses set out in two rows with a main street going up it's center leading toward a large hall. While Toph could easily sense the people within the houses, one standing patiently by that hall stood out starkly in her 'vision'.

"Yeah, I see him." Toph said darkly, "He's got that heavy, too much of him there feel. Demon?"

"Yes, the demon. A powerful demon." Aang replied glumly. In his vision, the possessed man blazed with energy, "And you're right. I should have thought this through more. Maybe we should go back for the others."

"Uh uh, no way." Toph said adamantly, "You know Sparky and Sweetness will be wiped out after healing that lady and there's no way I'm risking my Mai and her baby on this."

"I know that, Toph. I don't want to risk Katara either." Aang said softly, "I just meant we should go back and maybe plan this out better."

"Aang. You know as well as I do that that man and his wife and daughter only got away from the village to find us because the demon probably let them. They were the bait." Toph said sharply, "If we hesitate they'll just hurt more people. I say we stick to your dumb plan. We go in, we spring their trap and we kick their asses."

"My dumb plan?" Aang asked giving Toph a dry look.

"Yeah. I know it's stupid but it's the best option we've got." Toph replied with a grin, "Listen, These guys are expecting all of us to come rushing in Bending and smashing stuff like crazy. The last thing they'll expect is just you and me. Plus you do that thing to block their Bending and take care of the demon, I'll go all southern Earthbender style on the Dai Li. We'll be back with the others by lunchtime."

Aang shook his head slowly, not really sharing the confident look on his friend's face but seeing no other options he just as slowly nodded in agreement. Looking around he spied an Ox-boar drawn plow resting in the fields behind them and moving away from the hedges, he took one of the long wooden handles attached to the plow in his hands. With a deft twist and a small squeak of bending metal, he pulled the long pole from the plow and gave it an experimental spin in his hands.

"This should do. A little heavier than I'm used to but at least it's solid." Aang said quietly, smiling as Toph approached him with a raised eyebrow, "I gave my staff glider to Ana but if that demon wants to play rough, I just feel better with something in my hands."

Aang twirled the staff before himself a few more times and then suddenly paused as his eyes narrowed at the seemingly empty air beside them. Toph too sensed a heaviness in the air but before she could react a deep, familiar voice sounded inside their heads.

It looks like you two are getting ready for a rumble and no one invited me?

"Chuckles?" Toph asked, turning her face this way and that.

Aang could see the spectral shapes of Daniel and Wolf, side by side as he had seen their spirits before and as before the man seemed to revert to a younger form with one hand firmly attached to the back of Wolf's head.

"Daniel? What are you doing here?" Aang asked.

"Yeah, Chuckles and where exactly are you?" Toph said with a touch of annoyance, "I know you're there. There's a heavy spot in front of Twinkletoes but…you're not there."

I see someone's been working at enhancing her senses. Could use some more work though. Came Daniel's voice again. Aang saw the man smirk in Toph's direction before he continued, I am here in spirit only as I have been checking on you since we separated.

"You have?" Aang asked incredulously, "I haven't sensed you."

Because I didn't want you too. Daniel replied, turning his smirk onto Aang, I felt it best to leave you all to your own devices but today I find the others a few miles away in the process of healing a badly injured woman and you two about to take on a battalion of Dai Li and one very powerful demon.

Although Aang could clearly see the amused smirk on Daniel's spectral face, the turmoil he could always sense within the man had grown into a seething, churning storm. Yet before he could enquire about Daniel, Toph spoke excitedly.

"So, Sparky and Sweetness can save that woman?" Toph asked, "She'll be alright? Is Mai…"

"Wait." Aang interrupted Toph with a frown, "What do you know about this demon in the village?"

Given another hour or so the woman will be fine. When I checked on them a moment ago, Mai was brewing a pot of tea for the woman's husband and daughter. Daniel answered Toph first before he looked back to Aang, The demon ahead is one I know. In this form I can better taste his energies. I have faced this one before in the Hells and like all cowardly demons, he fled when our battles turned against him. Belial. An exceedingly powerful psionicist. Be warned Aang. Belial is adept at digging out a persons greatest fears and turning those against them. Keep your mind guarded at all times and do not hesitate in your own attacks. Do not fear for the mortal Belial has possessed if you are forced to kill him. Death is still preferable to what that creature can do to a person's mind.

"Kill? But I…I." Aang said hesitantly.

There will come a time, Aang when you must make that choice. Daniel said sternly, Your life, the lives of those you care about or someone else's.

Aang turned his face away from the specters of Daniel and Wolf before him, not willing to contemplate what the other man had suggested. Toph however grinned widely.

"So are you coming to watch me kick butt, Chuckles?" Toph said, cracking her knuckles before herself, "Sparky and Mai have been drilling me in hand to hand fighting so while Twinkletoes turns off the Bending, I get to smack the Dai Li around."

If smacking the Dai Li around while Aang suppresses everyone's Bending is your only plan then you have much yet to learn. The chi release is the only way to separate the innocent from those truly fighting for the Dai Li. Daniel growled, Did you bother to learn that? Since you say you are a master of hand to hand fighting now.

"Err, well…" Toph began hesitantly. In truth she had enjoyed the fighting lessons but had not paid much attention to the chi moves Mai had attempted to teach her.

I intended for you all to learn on your own for awhile but perhaps you could use a little help today. Daniel said dryly. I'll be back in a minute.

Aang saw Daniel and Wolf's shades fade from view while Toph only sensed the strange feeling of heaviness vanish from before them. Still wearing a concerned expression, Aang turned to Toph.

"I suppose this will be easier with him along but Toph," Aang said quietly and then considered the powerful turmoil he had sensed in the other man, "Do you think he seemed a bit…"

"Arrogant? Pushy? A bit of a bastard?" Toph interrupted sarcastically with a rueful grin, "Seemed like the usual Chuckles to me."

"Maybe…but there was something…" Aang started.

Two figures popped into existence a few feet in front of Aang and Toph, one laying prone on the grass with Daniel crouched beside them. Azula rolled to her side retching, gripping her stomach with both hands and instantly Daniel's hands flashed out to strike points on Azula's stomach and chest. She relaxed slightly but turned a furious glare up at Daniel.

"What the hell are you doing?" Azula demanded in an angry but strained voice, "Couldn't you have warned me you were going to do that. Or at least woken me up first?"

"Wasn't time." Daniel said simply, the ghost of a smirk on his lips, "I was thinking of bringing Suki but since you decided to sleep with me, you just happened to be the closest available."

Daniel grabbed Azula's hand before she could protest further and pulled her quickly to her feet. The ex-princess might have continued her angry outburst further but once she was upright she seemed to notice Aang and Toph for the first time standing a few feet away, the Airbender staring wide eyed and open mouth while Toph wore a smirk very similar to Daniel's.

"You were sleeping with him?" Toph said brightly, her smirk growing, "Wow, Big Sis. When you want something you just go for it, don't you?"

"But…but, I didn't…I don't…he," Azula spluttered, her face quickly reddening from the amused looks on the faces of the other three. Looking furious again she thrust one hand out to point a finger into Daniel's face, "I was just filling in for Suki and I fell asleep. We have to keep an eye on him because,"

"Enough." Daniel said softly, pushing Azula's hand out of his face, then turning her about, he pointed over the fields to the sparse treeline in the east, "You will find Katara and your brother healing a woman a couple miles that way with Mai and two others. Go as the tigress so you can scent them out faster. Help your brother and Katara as much as you can and once the woman is healed, get yourself and the others back to this village."

Wearing a slightly confused frown but very aware of the serious expression on Daniel's blindfolded face, Azula hesitated with a glance at Aang. With a low chuckle and a shake of his head, Daniel stepped up to Aang, turning the young monk about and then led him over to the low hedge that separated the fields from the village. Taking this opportunity while the two men had their backs turned, Azula stripped her shirt and pants quickly, balling them up and depositing them into her small pack. Then leaping away, she transformed so it was the tigress who struck the ground and tore away over the fields. Toph watched her go for a moment, admiring the strength and power she could sense in the animal before she turned back to the two men, her keen ears picking up Aang whispering to Daniel.

"It's the dreams. Isn't it?" Aang was saying to Daniel, "Sokka told us what happened the other night. That's why the others are watching over you."

"It was a single occurrence and I do not wish to discuss it." Daniel growled quietly in response, a touch of menace in his tone, "But you have a job to do right now. Be wary of Belial, Aang. You have the strength now to stand against him but do not let him escape. You concentrate on Belial, let Toph deal with the Dai Li and leave the villagers to me. I'll keep them safe so you two can focus on the task. Do not be hesitant, Aang."

"But how are you…" Aang began.

He did not get far before Daniel simply dropped into the ground and out of sight, both Aang and Toph sensing the man's presence deep beneath them, speeding away from them toward the village.

"Well, I suppose we better do this thing." Aang said to Toph, taking his newly acquired staff in both hands and taking a deep breath.

"I think you're right. He does have a bug up his ass." Toph asked dryly but there was a touch of concern in her tone, "Never mind. We'll figure it out together. Come on airhead, lets go have some fun."

"Yeah…fun." Aang replied quietly, swallowing heavily.

Together, the pair stepped over the low hedge and walked along the wide path leading into the village, the lands around sparse and windswept. As they approached the large gates Toph paused, grabbing Aang by his arm.

"Hey, Twinkletoes." Toph said with a wide grin, "Let me do one thing before you switch off the Bending. I wanna practice."

Raising an eyebrow quizzically but preparing himself, Aang waited as Toph stepped forward. Dropping into a low stance, Toph punched her fists up by her sides and from either side of the gate two figures were propelled out of the ground from where they had been hidden. Unable to help himself, Aang grinned at the sight of the two startled green robed figures before he expanded his awareness out around himself.

To Aang, the world became a kaleidoscope of colors, energy shifting and flowing through the world around them. In the space of a heartbeat he reached out with his own energies, taking hold of what he saw around himself and slowing those flowing energies to a crawl. The light seemed to dim a little and Toph knew what was happening when the temperature of the air seemed to plummet. The two Dai Li agents she had exposed gazed around with slightly vacant, confused looks but quickly focused on the pair before the village. The two agents dropped into low stances, thrusting out their stone covered fists and then stood straight again with slightly confused expressions and shook their now heavy, useless hands in front of themselves, confused that their Bending would not work. Grinning widely, Toph took several more steps forward toward the two men and pressed the back of one hand against her forehead.

"Oh, lordy me. My Bending's gone and now I am blind." Toph said theatrically, holding her hands out before herself as though feeling her way. Behind her, Aang slapped a hand to his forehead in disbelief, "What will the great Toph Bei Fong, Master Earthbender, sixteen times champion of Earth Rumble, Teacher of the Avatar do without her bending?"

With her earthsight, through the earthen elements around her, Toph watched clearly as the two Dai Li agents advanced toward her. She was a little disappointed that they didn't seem to react to her little acting display but she felt a small measure of satisfaction as the two men neared. Meer feet away with their arms outstretched reaching for her, Toph dropped into a low Earthbender's stance but instead of reaching for the earth with her senses, her left fist swung up seeking the closest man's face. The young woman's small frame effectively hid the sheer power years of Earthbending had produced in Toph's muscles and with a load thud, Toph's uppercut snapped the man's head back and knocked him clean off his feet. Twisting her torso as her right foot slid forward over the ground, Toph knocked the feet out from under the second approaching man so that he fell forward and this time it was her right fist that rose to meet him. With a jolt that she felt all the way to her spine and with a satisfying crunch, the second man joined his companion in laying motionless on the ground. For a moment, Toph remained in her low stance, her pale blind eyes staring at her fists seemingly in wonder.

"That…that was…that…" Toph said in a quiet voice, suddenly turning to Aang with a huge smile, "Earthbending and smacking people around with rocks is always fun but that felt incredible. Bring on the next lot."

With a sigh and a roll of his eyes Aang approached and as he drew level with Toph, quickly bent down and administered two quick jabs to the unmoving Dai Li agents on the ground.

"That's great, Toph." Aang said dryly as he rose, "But you're supposed to use the chi release to free them from the Dai Li's mind control."

Far from chastised, Toph's grin only grew wider.

"Unconscious works just as well." Toph said happily, grabbing Aang by his arm and dragging him toward the village, "Come on, Twinkletoes. Lets go find the rest of these guys so we can really have some fun."

Aang could only release a exasperated sigh as he was pulled through the low gates and into the village proper. They entered onto a wide clean street between rows of large homes, at least a dozen on each side and at the streets far end was a large, timbre hall. The small town was eerily silent, the homes shut up as though for the night and yet the two master Benders felt eyes upon them from all sides. They made their way slowly but steadily toward the hall at the end of the street and a man they could see lounging there on the steps leading up to the hall's wide doors. They were both surprised at first to see Daniel staring levelly back at them as they approached but they knew instantly something was wrong with the man.

"The shapes about right but you're not Chuckles." Toph said disparagingly as she and Aang halted a few yards from the hall, "I may be blind but even I can see that you're not him, demon."

"Astute observation. I didn't expect a disguise to work but I then I didn't expect you to penetrate it so quickly." The man who so resembled Daniel said quietly, his only movement a slight twitch of the lips, "Chuckles, you call him. An interesting name for that butcher."

"Danny is no butcher." Toph said hotly, squaring her shoulders and placing her hands on her hips, "He's here to save us from scumbags like you."

"Toph, he's baiting you." Aang said out of the corner of his mouth. He was trying his best to see through the illusions surrounding the man on the steps but so far the sheer volume of energy radiating from the man's body had defeated him.

"Indeed, I am baiting you. Your anger makes your mind so easy to read." said the man, raising slowly to his feet. The image of Daniel slowly faded as he rose so that Aang and Toph found themselves facing a middle-aged man wearing disheveled green robes and in dire need of a shave, "So this Danny or Daniel, as I see in your mind is the Nomad's true name? And believe me he is a true butcher. Second only to Koh himself. We didn't name him the demon's demon for nothing."

Toph bit her lip in embarrassment, her face coloring although the frown on her face deepened. Aang however only stared levelly back at the possessed man on the steps of the large hall.

"What are you doing here, demon?" Aang demanded, taking one step forward to put himself between Toph and the man, "What do you want with this village and what are you planning to do with their Benders…Belial?"

If Aang was hoping to surprise the man with his knowledge of the demon's name he was disappointed when the man only smiled.

"He's here, isn't he? You're not trying to get in here," the man raised a hand and tapped the side of his head, "Which means the Nomad told you of me. Where is he?"

"He's around but this is between us, Belial." Aang said calmly, "I'll ask again. Why are the Dai Li taking Benders from their homes?"

"Yeah, you better talk buddy." Toph said, growing impatient, "And leave Chuckles out of it."

Aang was shocked. He himself had felt Toph's anger flare behind him and at the same time as she opened her mouth, something, a tendril of energy whipped out from the possessed man and touched her. Faster than a striking centipede-viper, the man's energies touched Toph's mind and just as suddenly retreated. The man's smile grew wider.

"Chuckles. Daniel. Your son but not your son. With a wolf's spirit no less. Fate said he was something different." Belial said with a low, derisive laugh and Toph grimaced with fresh embarrassment, "Let me tell you about your boy. Centuries ago I ruled a modest kingdom. Some would say I was a cruel king but I like to think I did my best as a ruler in the hells. Certainly there were some who needed to be removed from polite society or have their ways of thinking…adjusted but in my heyday I ruled over close to a billion subjects. Can you guess how many I had after the Nomad came?"

"Belial, this is not," Aang began.

"None!" the man suddenly roared, his face darkening with fury, "I was the only one to escape my city that day. Me. If it weren't for my loyal subjects he'd have consumed me along with the rest."

"He…Daniel was trying to free them from your control." Aang stated, a touch hesitantly.

"Free?" Belial yelled almost insanely, "What choice did the Nomad give them? Join his army of lost souls or be crushed by them. In hell only the strongest rule and your precious savior," Belial spat the word, "is the greatest tyrant of them all."

"You're wrong. He's told us what he's done to get here and no, I don't agree with it. It's not something I could have done but I certainly won't judge him for it." Aang said, a little anger carrying in his own voice, "He freed countless people from creatures like you. Like the one you work for. I have seen what Fate plans for this world and I have spoken to those who have suffered through it before us. With Daniel's help we will prevail."

A sly grin came over the man's unshaven face as Aang spoke and he narrowed his eyes as he barred his teeth.

"You should watch your temper, Avatar. Your mouth says a little but your emotions speak volumes to me." Belial said quietly, "Redemption. That is what he fights for. So he can be redeemed. He does not fight for you, he fights for himself."

"That is not true." Aang said heatedly, "Everything he does is for us. I know it."

"Oh, come now. I taste his energies in your thoughts even as we speak." Belial said with a devilish grin, "He's been inside your minds. Manipulating you thoughts. Molding you into what he wants."

"Liar." Toph stated simply. Tyring hard to remain silent up until now she had sensed a slight jump in the man's heartbeat as he spoke.

"Actually, Toph. That's…slightly true." Aang said quietly and Toph turned to him in horrified surprise, "Before we left Podeck, as my mental abilities became stronger, I've sensed it when he was training us. But he wasn't changing anything in us, only helping us to learn."

"Wait…so, Chuckles," Toph swallowed heavily as the man they faced grinned at her, "He's been messing about in our heads?"

Yes, I have. Toph heard clearly in her mind and the man facing them jerked in surprise, How do you think you have learned so much in so short a time? Now prepare yourself.

Then both Toph and Aang felt movement from all about the village. Through the vibrations in the ground and through their elements they felt shapes speeding away from the village under the ground and they knew Daniel was taking the villagers to safety. At first Belial seemed furious but a moment later he tipped his head back and laughed.

"A clever ploy Avatar." Belial said with a bow of his head, "Keeping me occupied while the Nomad took away my hostages. But no matter. My task here is almost done."

As Aang stared warily at Belial he felt a low buzzing at the back of his head and it took him a heartbeat to realize he could hear words.

His task has been to gather information about us. Aang barely heard, He must not be allowed to escape. Follow my thoughts Aang. Push him into using his host's energy and he cannot flee.

Feeling slightly unsure as he felt the buzzing grow stronger in his mind but Aang let himself relax, dropping into a loose stance. Then as he drew his fists back, he let the energy flow from his core, feeling the energy of the world flowing into himself and multiplying the effect before he thrust his fists forward. White fire had erupted about Aang's fists as he drew them back and as he thrust forward, an incandescent beam of blue, white shot forth toward Belial. With a snarl, the demon raised his own fists before himself, blood red flames igniting about them to block Aang's attack. Blue, white met red in a concussive blast that rattled the entire village and the roof of the great hall sagged slightly as the blast knocked some of it's supports loose. Aang felt exhilaration at the release of such devastating energy but he was also horrified at what he had done.

"Clever again, Avatar." Belial said, dropping his fists from before himself, "But lets see how you deal with a double assault. Can you defend your mind and body at the same time? Dai Li."

This last was shouted into the village and in one fluid motion, Belial drew a long, thin sword from a scabbard at his back and leapt at Aang. Belial flew at Aang, bringing his sword down in an overhand chop that Aang blocked with his makeshift staff. The old but sturdy plow handle took the blow, the sword leaving a shallow gouge between Aang's hands. But no sooner had Aang breathed a sigh of relief when the space between his and Belial's faces was filled with the telltale distortion of a powerful mental attack. Aang felt the sword pushing against his staff and at the same time he felt Belial's thoughts pushing at his mind, a nauseating, burning sensation that with a little effort, Aang pushed back.

Toph was torn at first. She was prepared to jump to Aang's side when Belial leapt at him but immediately she sensed the strange heaviness building between them. It was almost something physical to her senses and Toph knew she would only be in the way of Aang if she interfered. But she had other concerns a moment later as she sensed movement once more all throughout the village as every door of the houses crashed open. At least two green or red and black robed men stepped from each home, walking steadily and calmly along the street to the hall where Toph waited apprehensively with Aang still locked in battle with Belial nearby. Toph was used to facing enemies in the arena or the occasional bandit on the road but these Dai Li unnerved her. Through her heightened senses she could see each walked with a steady measured gait, their heartbeats and breathing as steady and as unhurried as their footfalls.

Aang was aware of the Dai Li's approach as well although most of his attention was focused on the being before him. Belial was leaning slightly over Aang, holding his thin sword in both hands and pushing back against the thick staff Aang held. The air between their faces, only a foot apart, wavered with the distortion created by Belial's mental attack, his thoughts pushing at Aang's mind even more forcefully than his sword. With both mental and physical effort, Aang pushed Belial back and the distortion between them widened, the air growing milky white as the energy between them built. As much as he wanted to help Toph, Aang was forced to concentrate solely on the foe before him as Belial's unshaven face split into a wide grin.

Calm, business woman. Toph heard quietly in her mind, You can hold your own against these.

Chuckles? Toph answered with her own thoughts, struggling to remain calm as the Dai Li agents before her drew close, walking toward her five across and almost as many deep, Calm? Have you seen how many guys there are? And shouldn't you be helping Twinkletoes?

If Toph had been able to see like any other person instead of the heaviness she sensed, she would have seen the air surrounding Aang and Belial beginning to shimmer and waver as they flew together in another attack. Small chips of wood flew from Aang's staff as he blocked Belial's sword strikes, his eyes narrowed in concentration as he blocked the demon's constant attempts to penetrate his mind.

He needs to learn…as do you. Daniel's growling voice echoed in Toph's mind, And even while Aang is suppressing the chi energies around you, you can still use your Earthbending on these guys.

I'd rather you weren't in my head while I'm doing it though. Toph grumbled as she dropped into a low stance.

The Dai Li agents were beginning to spread out, attempting to encircle those standing before the village's hall, the first few approaching Toph now from only feet away.

My only purpose in your minds is to prevent you from doubting yourselves. Daniel growled, There is an old saying that belief is power. To unleash your full potential, believing in yourself is everything. Now switch to a loose mantis stance and ready yourself.

Her uncertainty giving way to annoyance, Toph did as Daniel said, easing one foot out before herself as she rested her weight on the foot directly below. Her hands she held before herself, fingers uncurled but tight and ready to strike. The closest Dai Li were just raising their arms, their faces curiously blank as they reached for her.

The reverse surface sweep and follow it up with a spike. Now.

Toph reacted to the voice in her head. Her forward foot she kicked back and around in a spin so that as she spun back to the front her foot kicked the feet out from under the first few approaching men. As these three men fell back, Toph slid one foot forward, her joined fists raising up in a move designed to raise a pillar of earth under an opponent but with the Bending suppressed she instead brought her fists up under the chin of one of the Dai Li, her blow connecting solidly with the man's jaw and sending him reeling back. The approaching Dai Li stumbled to a halt to avoid tripping over their four fallen comrades but others were still circling around the sides.

Rock breaker. Left and right. Go.

Twisting slightly at the waist, Toph leapt to the side, kicking out with her feet as she turned horizontal in the air. Her feet connected solidly with the chest of a Dai Li agent who was trying to get around her and she used the impact to send her back the way she came to hit the ground with her hands, pushing up and away to fly at an agent at her other side. This time as she rolled upright, her fists smashed into this man's chest sent him stumbling back and pushed Toph back into her original position near Aang.

Good. Now before the rest, Daniel began.

"Come on, Chuckles." Toph gripped aloud, "I have been Earthbending for awhile you know."

Oh, terribly sorry for interfering, Oh mighty warrior. Came Daniel's reply with a slight chuckle, Carry on then.

"Just you watch." Toph said and grinned as the Dai Li continued their advance.

Aang was holding his own against the man possessed by the demon Belial. Physically, the two were closely matched when it came to fighting, Aang's staff easily blocking the swift strikes of Belial's thin sword, even Aang's occasional strikes with the staff picked off by Belial. But the pair weren't truly concentrating on their weapons. Behind him, Aang could vaguely sense Toph battling those Dai Li who had emerged from the villager's homes, the young woman grinning hugely as she kept the agents at bay with a constant barrage of attacks. Her fists and feet whirling about in constant motion pushing the Dai Li back and what blows she did connect were solid enough that the luckless agents did not rise. While most of Aang's focus was on his own battle, he could not help but be impressed with how the young woman was holding up, even without use of her Bending. But he was forced to put Toph out of his mind as Belial's mental attack grew stronger. To Aang, it felt as though red hot icicles were clawing at his skull and it was taking most of his concentration to keep the alien presence from forcing it's way within.

The air around them was growing hazy with the built up energy of their mental struggle, Belial's constant attempts to penetrate Aang's mind and Aang pushing them back making the air about the pair begin to crackle and seethe. Aang knew he could strike harder, he knew he had the power to destroy the demon's mind but he hesitated to even consider it. He doubted he could focus such an attack directly anyway, to strike out with his mind so strongly could affect everyone within the village.

As if to prove his point, one of the Dai Li agents circling about Toph turned to face Aang, stepping forward with arms outstretched. The moment the green robed man touched the bubble of distortion surrounding Aang and Belial, the agent collapsed to the ground, struck unconscious by the building mental energies.

Just do it, Aang. Came Daniel's thoughts into his mind, Forget the Dai Li. Belial can survive it but you must not let him escape.

Daniel? It's like…it's like a mental scream but it could kill people with a weak mind. Aang returned, If I can take out Belial…can you protect the others?

Damn it, Aang. If you cannot focus the attack then grow a backbone. Daniel's thoughts came as a snarl, There are always casualties in war. I can and will protect Toph but you must…wait.

Aang felt Daniel's thoughts retreat from his mind but he could not take the time to find out why as Belial came at him again with his sword, Aang again just managing to block the blade with his now thoroughly notched staff.

Toph however noticed what had caught Daniel's attention. The Dai Li, although compelled, were growing wary of her as she kept them at bay, over ten of the agents laying unconscious in a semicircle around Toph. She had been feeling more than pleased with herself, although with a moment to pause she rubbed at her sore knuckles, when she felt a half dozen men rise to their feet atop the roof of a house nearby. All six raised bows, each notched with three arrows apiece and leveled them at Toph. Without thinking, Toph's first reaction was to raise her fists before herself in an attempt to bring up a shield of earth before she remembered Aang was still suppressing everyone's Bending.

"Ah, crap." she said as her pale green eyes went wide with fear.

All six of the archers released their arrows at the same time. Toph had been in life and death situations before, one of the most memorable when she had been dangling from Sokka's arm off of a Firenation war balloon at the tender age of thirteen. Just like then, time slowed for Toph, the near score of wickedly barbed arrows seeming to crawl through the air toward her. Firstly she marveled that she could even see the arrows at all as they flew through the air, then a bitter sense of disappointment overtaking her at the thought that now that she was capable of such a thing as earthsight she would have to die. The next thing she marveled at as those arrows soared toward her was something streaking through the village far faster than the arrows, scattering Dai Li agents as it flew toward Toph.

Time seemed to catch up with itself at that moment and Toph was astounded at the two figures that were suddenly before her. One with long raven hair wearing a silken dress to match and the other with shorter hair wearing plain green pants and top.

It was Mai with Azula at her side and their arms worked in concerted blurs as they snatched the flying arrows from the air. Azula streaked away a moment later, running straight up the vertical side of the house and as she blurred between the surprises archers, each one first stiffened before they collapsed, sliding bonelessly down the slope of the roof. The remaining Dai Li had paused when their Yu Yan companions had launched their attacks and now they took a hesitant step backwards as Azula streaked back down from the roof to reappear back at Toph's side, joining her and Mai in facing the worried looking agents.

"Boy, am I glad to see you girls…not that I was worried mind, I was about to take them out." Toph said happily and both Mai and Azula looked to each other, rolling their eyes, "So where's Sweetness and that big hunky Firebender we all love so much?"

"Ergh, that's my brother you're talking about." Azula said sourly as all three dropped into ready fighting stances, "We came across the villagers and Daniel outside of town. Mr Cranky said you could use a hand but Katara and Zuzu should be, ah."

The Dai Li had gotten over their surprise and were beginning their advance again as Azula spoke but they paused once more as a commotion broke out from their rear ranks. Using the momentary distraction to their advantage, the three women dived into the Dai Li's ranks, Mai and Azula taking down two for every one Toph struck down. Although Mai paused when she noticed Toph's rather blunt and violent attacks.

"Toph, I showed you how to strike the right spots for the chi release." Mai said in an exasperated tone, taking the opportunity to demonstrate on the closest Agent to her, "See, sweetheart? Top of the sternum and the double strike below the navel."

"Yeah, but that's not as much fun." Toph answered with a grin as she sidestepped a pair of grasping hands and then drove her fist into the side of the man's jaw, sending him unconscious to the ground.

Toph could sense Mai roll her eyes followed by a knowing grin shared with Azula and further back she could see Zuko and Katara working in tandem as they attacked the Dai Li from the other direction. One thing she had to admit to herself, without use of their bending, the Dai Li agents were clumsy and slow and while she, Zuko and Katara had been training in unarmed combat, the hapless agents had obviously not. Mai and Azula moved at blinding speeds, beginning to advance into the ranks of Dai Li ahead of Toph when something else caught the young Earthbender's attention. As the Dai Li agents fell to the Gaang's combined attack, Daniel came marching through their rapidly thinning ranks. Katara and Zuko were visibly relieved at the sight of the man as he pushed between them, both were still tired after healing the woman outside the village but they exchanged a look with each other and then their loved ones when the scarred man grabbed an agent from either side of himself and slammed them together before flinging the pair away. As he marched through those Dai Li remaining on their feet one standing slightly behind him reached out and Daniel's arm jerked up and back, his elbow driving into the agent's face with such force that the others could clearly hear the crack of bone as the man's head was snapped back and they could see the blood flowing freely down the man's shattered face as he fell to the ground behind Daniel.

"Daniel." Katara called sharply, heedless of those Dai Li still on their feet, she rushed over to the fallen man to inspect his wounds.

But when Katara looked up from the unconscious man, her eyes locked onto her husband for the first time and her breath caught in her throat. Aang still faced the raggedly dressed Dai Li agent before the village's hall, his staff spinning in his hands as he deftly parried and blocked the strikes of Belial's sword. But that was not what gave Katara and the others pause, it was the shimmering bubble of milky white that surrounded these two combatants, a concentrated point of light forming where the energies poured from between both men's eyes.

Still Daniel paid no attention to anyone else and as the last few Dai Li agents fell unconscious or paralyzed to the ground he marched stiffly past Toph toward where Aang and Belial were locked in their mental battle before the village hall. As he passed her, Toph felt the simmering anger and frustration practically flowing from the man, the usual turmoil she could sense within him pulsing as though about to explode.

"Spirits damn you, Aang. Stop being weak." Daniel snarled, venom dripping from his voice, "This situation could not have been better if I had prepared it myself. Use what you have learned from the other Avatars within you. Focus your thoughts and strike him down."

But…but I could kill him. Or worse. Aang's thoughts returned, slightly strained as he continued pushing Belial's psychic attack away.

The possessed man's brow furrowed as a worried expression flashed across his features before he focused on Aang once more, the distorted air about them thickening as he redoubled his efforts.

"You think I am...a training exercise? A plaything?" Belial hissed furiously, "I am Belial. I am,"

"You are a fool and a coward. A pathetic bully who fled every time the Nomad came near. But today you meet your end." Daniel snapped, his leather blindfold falling away in flames to reveal his blazing eyes, "Strike, Aang. It is time to stop thinking of yourself and consider what creatures such as he have done, what they plan to do to this world. He is beyond such things as mercy. So strike and if you destroy his mind then he will have less to inform Fate when he confronts her. Strike him down now, damn it."

Part of Aang knew what Daniel was saying. He had heard from Sokka what had been happening in Ba Sing Sa and he had seen for himself some of what was massing in the spirit realms, creatures such as the man he faced now, coming to wage war on the mortal world. But as he stared at the face of the man before him, Aang saw a flash of fear run through Belial's eyes and the demon's mental attack faltered momentarily. He was evil, without doubt but Belial was also a person.

"I won't." Aang said quietly in part to Daniel behind him and partly to the demon he faced.

Relief mixed with confusion passed over Belial's face but next moment Daniel gave a growling cry of frustration and his left hand swept across before himself. Aang felt as though a huge boulder had slammed into him as he was lifted from his feet and flung away to one side and Daniel's right fist, blazing with sudden green fire, punched out next. Belial was blasted back into the side of the hall by the beam of concentrated energy from Daniel's fist and next moment the scarred man stood directly before the demon, that blazing green fist clutched tightly about the possessed man's throat. His robes were blackened and charred, the demon's exposed chest a burnt mess but Belial could only stare horrified into Daniel's furious features as the fires in the scarred man's eyes winked out to be replaced by twin pits of inky blackness.

"This is how it's done." the voice that rose from Daniel was grating and unnatural, freezing the others into place.

Belial began to twitch and jerk in Daniel's grasp as thick, oily smoke began to emerge from his eyes and mouth, falling toward the bottom pits that Daniel's eyes had become.

"Daniel." Aang said sadly as he rose to a crouch from where he had fallen, "I won't let you do this."

Concentrating, Aang sent a blast of pure psychic force at Daniel, a rolling ball of distorted air that crackled as it jumped through the space separating them. The attack struck and Daniel was sent flying away as though from a physical blow to smash through the side of the house opposite, dust rising into the air as the roof above the shattered wall sagged downward. This seemed to shake the others from their momentary paralysis and they hurried over toward Aang, all except for Toph.

Toph had watched the events unfold, frozen as the others were, shocked at Daniel's sudden appearance and attack. The man seemed so filled with fury and yet beneath it Toph could sense a desperate confusion and frustration but strongest of all, fear. And yet as Daniel had struck first at Aang and then at the demon, Toph had again sensed the strange heaviness of both the psychic and energy attacks used and now as, with a roar that shook the entire village, Daniel rose up out of the broken house, shattering it's roof to wood chips and tile shards, something at that moment became clear to Toph. Both from her heightened awareness and from something Daniel had said earlier, Toph's attention turned away from what was happening around her, to the small silvery band that encircled her right wrist.

Heavy. Energy. Elements bound by energy. Toph mused to herself as the realization sank in, All mine to Bend…if I just…believe I can.

And just like that, Toph knew she could. She reached out with her senses but not to the band on her wrist that practically blazed with the energy binding the elements within it. She reached out to another similar but much larger concentration of energy. The one on Daniel's back.

As Daniel drifted over the shattered house toward where the others surrounded Aang, Toph raised her hand toward the scarred man. Almost instantly, Daniel's furious expression faded slightly and he turned a confused expression onto Toph a moment before she clenched her fist and pulled her arm down. In the same motion, Daniel was yanked out of the air to slam into the ground on his back, the impact rattling the village once more. He made to rise and Toph reached out once more but this time, with a shrug from Daniel she felt her control of the silver backpack he wore yanked away.

"Fine but I got you once, just remember that." Toph said heatedly as she marched over to stand before Daniel, "Now, I don't know what's up your ass but if you don't stop this hippo-bullshit right now I am going to kick your ass from one end of this village to the other. Got that?"

"Same goes for me." Zuko growled, walking over with Mai to stand beside Toph.

Aang and Katara followed a moment later with Azula trailing behind. Aang only looked to Daniel with worry and concern but Katara's face was red with anger.

"If you ever strike out at our family again," Katara said quietly, her blue eyes boring angrily into Daniel's face, "I will not allow you near Ana or Gyatso ever again and you will never," she placed a hand on her lower stomach, "never hold this little girl."

Surprising the others, Daniel actually flinched at this but the angry expression never left his face as he sat where Toph had dumped him.

"You do not understand." Daniel growled through gritted teeth, "If he,"

Daniel stiffened as he turned to the momentarily forgotten Belial, the possessed man still slumped against the side of the village's great hall. The psychic attack from Aang that had flung Daniel away, had only stunned Belial for a moment and when the possessed man's eyes had cleared he had looked briefly at the Gaang standing about Daniel before he had reached into his scorched and tattered robes and then raised his hand to his mouth.

"NO!" Daniel roared and vanished from where he sat.

The others turned to see him pinning Belial to the wall with one hand again but this time he clawed at the demon's tightly clenched mouth. Belial began to twitch and jerk spasmodically again in Daniel's grasp, the demon giving the scarred man a choking, vengeful laugh before his eyes rolled up into his head which tipped sideways onto his shoulder a moment later. When the others approached, they could see grey foam bubbling from between the dead man's lips.

"Poison." Zuko breathed, stating the obvious.

The others did not need Aang or Toph's connection to the man to see Daniel's fury building once more and with another roar he flung the once possessed man's corpse high into the air. It tumbled high up above the village, arms and legs flapping limply before Daniel punched out with both fists and launched twin beams of red and green, a concentrated burst of energy brighter than the sun that struck the body and the explosion that rolled out reduced it to ash before it could even begin dropping back to the ground.

"Damn it. Damn them. DAMN YOU!" Daniel raged, turning his blazing eyes back to Aang, "Why didn't you just strike when I told you? Why did you stop me?"

The others took a step back from the raging man, Azula, silent so far, stepped behind her brother and stared wide eyed. Never had she seen the man so close to losing control and part of her feared him, another part grew excited. But though Katara did as the others, stepping back and slightly behind her husband, Aang stood his ground and stared calmly back at Daniel.

"I will neither do such a thing nor allow you to." Aang said levelly, stepping forward to stand almost nose to nose with Daniel, "You know it is wrong. It is evil."

"Evil?" Daniel snarled into Aang's face, his voice quieter but no less furious, "Evil is letting that demon scum return to his mistress Fate with knowledge of us. Evil is letting him go when you or I could have extracted from his mind the location of Long Feng and his Dai Li base. We could have discovered where they were intending to take the Benders from this village. The children," Daniel's voice cracked and lowered as his expression softened, "I promised those kids in Ba Sing Sa I would find their friends…their families."

"That I don't doubt, Daniel but I don't think that's all that's bothering you." Aang said, his voice still level and calm, "Besides, perhaps we could still learn something from these."

Aang swept his arm to the side to indicate the many Dai Li agents still laying about on the road running up the center of the village, only a few of which beginning to moan and stir. But without even turning, Daniel gave Aang a hollow, depreciating laugh.

"Don't be a fool. If Long Feng can program and control their minds the way he does, he can certainly program them to forget. Or more likely they never knew more then they needed to do the Dai Li's bidding. I know firsthand that Long Feng is a very careful planner." Daniel said quieter still, the fires dying in his eyes as his expression softened into desperation, "And all my plans…the plans of beings thousands of times older and wiser than all of us. It's all falling apart around me. At every turn I see my mistakes stripping away all I have worked for and now you," Daniel's empty, yet accusing, eye sockets turned back to Aang, "can't grow enough of a backbone to strike down one of our enemies even when you know what is at stake? I need you to harden up and learn to do this, Aang."

"No I will not and if you had paid attention to your father's lessons as a boy you would know there is always an alternative." Aang said, his own voice now growing heated, "And to be honest, I don't know what's at stake. Oh, I know what's coming," Aang raised a hand to forestall Daniel as the man opened his mouth, "I've seen what's coming too remember? But what I don't know, what you've done little more than hint at to us, are just what these oh so wonderful plans of yours are. What exactly do you have planned for us and this world that you are so desperate to finish, Daniel? Tell me."

Daniel flinched away from Aang's stare, at first shaking his head before he dropped his face down to look at the ground, the scarred man's shoulders slumping as the tension seemed to drain from him.

My boy. It was decided against this. Aang clearly heard the wolf spirit within Daniel say, It could be a costly mistake.

"I must. I need to. They're not my plans…and I'm trying to prevent it." the last Daniel said to Aang as he raised his head, turning his face then to Katara who still stood with the others nearby, "I will…show the both of you. Just you two and if you decide to share it with the others after…so be it."

Raising his hands, Daniel held one out to Aang who slipped his own into the scarred man's calloused grip. His other hand reached out toward Katara but when she hesitated he half pulled it back before reaching out again, his hand trembling slightly.

"Please, Katara." Daniel said softly, "I need your friendship now more than ever."

Something in the scarred man's tone called out to Katara's compassionate side and though she was still wary of him, she stepped forward and took Daniel's other hand. With a light sigh, Daniel seemed to relax further before all three suddenly rose into the air, shooting up and away to the west so fast that in moments they were lost from sight.

"Well, looks like that's sorted then." Toph stated a moment later, blowing her bangs out of her eyes before turning to the other with a wide grin.

"And what is sorted exactly?" Azula said coldly, her golden eyes still fixed on where the others had vanished in the sky, "He just flipped out and we still don't know why and why isn't he telling me these plans? I'm supposed to be the Avatar in training."

"Well, duh. Isn't it obvious?" Toph said sarcastically and Azula turned sharply to her with a dark frown, "He doesn't want to scare you off cause he likes you."

"What?" Azula squeaked in a high pitched tone, her face going red as her eyes darted from Toph to Mai and Zuko, "He doesn't…and I don't…I mean…we…does he?"

Zuko looked at his sister strangely but was distracted a moment later by Toph making a rude noise between her lips.

"That's not what I was talking about anyway." Toph said as her grin grew wider and she raised her right fist, displaying the silver band about her fist, "This is what's sorted. Check it out."

As Toph stood grinning at the others, the silver band about her wrist moved as though of it's own accord, sliding up and over her fist. Opening her hand, the silvery substance hovered over Toph's palm, the sunlight shimmering and dancing over it's surface as she reached out to it with her Bending. First she made it collapse into a plain silver ball before she began changing it into a variety of shapes, starting with a star, then a heart and ending with an exquisitely detailed rose that she held out to Mai who took it with a warm smile.

"Energy. Heat. Light. It was always around me but I didn't think I could even 'see' it like you guys but now that I understand," Toph said excitedly, her smile fading as she closed her blind eyes in concentration, "If I focus I can almost see it everywhere. Flowing, moving all around us. It's incredible."

"And you'll only get better as you practice, Toph." Zuko said warmly, placing a hand on his young fiancée's shoulder.

He was surprised when as soon as his hand landed, Toph grabbed it and pulled him a little away from Mai and Azula.

"Come here, Sparky." Toph said, almost bubbling with excitement, "I wanna try something."

Zuko turned to share a smile with Mai at their lover's obvious excitement and he stood patiently beside Toph as she dropped into her horse stance. If he had realized what she was about to do, he would have stopped her or at least taken cover. For many years during her frequent visits to the Firenation, Toph had often watched Zuko practice his Firebending. Most especially she enjoyed watching when he summoned lightning and even though it had frightened her a little, the strange heaviness that built in the man before he released it with a crashing boom always gave her a thrill. Now Toph was determined to give it a try for herself.

Remembering the way Zuko moved through the forms, Toph adjusted her stance slightly and sent her senses expanding out around her. She knew Firebenders drew lightning from out of nowhere but she was an Earthbender and now she could sense the huge reservoir of energy stored in the ground beneath her feet. Dropping her hands down low and slowly bringing them up her sides, Toph drew that energy upwards.

"Err, hold on a sec," Zuko began as his own senses registered the energy building.

But without hesitation, the moment Toph felt she had enough, she punched out with her right fist and pushed the energy forward. Azula, her own senses as acute as her brother's, threw herself before Mai an instant before the air just before Toph's extended fist sparked and then exploded into a brief fireball. A hot wind, followed by a cloud of black smoke rolled over Mai and Azula but Toph and Zuko were sent hurtling in opposite directions to land hard on their backs on the street. As the smoke cleared, Mai had a hand pressed to her mouth with concern written all over her face but she sighed and rolled her eyes when she saw Toph half sitting up across the street, her hair sticking out at all angles with little blue sparks arcing between the twisted strands. Raising her hand, Toph blinked her pale, blind eyes at it with a dazed expression.

"Whoa." was all she said.

"How about," Zuko said in a patient tone from where he had fallen, "We go deal with these Dai Li agents, then we go and get the villagers and help them fix up the village and then MAYBE I'll start training you on the PROPER way to channel lightning. Ok?"

Toph's soot streaked face gave Zuko an embarrassed grin before she rose to her feet and going over to help Zuko to his. Mai joined them a moment later and fussed over Toph's hair before they turned to those Dai Li agents still littering the streets, many of whom were now watching the proceedings with very confused expressions. Mai was pulled up short though as Azula grabbed her arm.

"Could you wait a moment?" Azula whispered quietly and Mai was intrigued by the sudden nervous, hesitation she heard in her childhood friend's voice, "Mai? What's…love like?"


Katara felt ill and judging by how her husband looked, Aang felt much the same way. They were immersed in a memory Daniel was sharing with them, a memory from his time in the darkest reaches of the spirit realms. But it was not battles and death he was showing to them but a meeting, a strategy meeting between some of the strangest creatures Katara had ever seen. Only Aang was familiar with many of the beings they could see before them, although not all.

As in all of the visions Daniel had shared with them of the hells, they found themselves under a black, starless sky in the center of a seemingly endless desert of white dunes. Although surrounding the participants at this meeting was shadowy outline of what appeared to be a large tent and each of the being stood or sat about a large table, at the head of which stood the badly scarred, teenage Daniel. He wore the plain grey clothes they had seen once before in a vision and his face was cold and expressionless as he faced the others with him. At his side, wearing a simple grey cape stood the huge, green lizard man, Jax. The teenage boy, the Nomad, spoke little, only interjecting a few ideas here or offering advice there but it seemed his companions where reaching a consensus.

There were many humans seated about that table and many others at least humanoid but there were other, stranger beings mixed in amongst them. The only thing they all had in common was the great feeling of age and wisdom they projected across the table. One of them, a huge being with a vaguely human face and downy feathers coating his massive body, sat at the opposite end of the table from the Nomad, the other beings there seeming to defer to this creature. All conversation ceased and all eyes turned to him as this large, feathered being rose ponderously to his feet and gazed about at the others.

"So, we are agreed on the plan." the huge creature spoke in a deep, wheezing voice, "We all accept this being for what he is." a thick, feathered arm ending in curved hooks for fingers swung out to indicate an impassive Daniel, "The only one of us capable of facing Fate and the only one who can operate without her knowledge."

"I have agreed to support this." an elderly human said quietly, Aang had been shocked at first at this man's resemblance to his old mentor and friend, Gyatso, "But I must again remind you that I do not agree to the methods."

"We understand, Siddhartha. Believe me, we all understand but the time for peaceful solutions passed long ago." the feathered being spoke solemnly before looking around at the others again, "Around me I see many of the oldest beings in these realms and many of us once served in the heavens before we discovered the truth of it. Fate's duplicity and lies must end, even if we must destroy the source of her power. Even at the cost of ourselves and the realms."

There were many nods from those about the table although both Katara and Aang could sense the unease these beings felt. At the soft sound of someone clearing their throat, all eyes turned to the head of the table.

"My only purpose here originally was to return to my home but I have since learned that only time will do that." Daniel, the Nomad spoke softly, his green and grey eyes staring unblinkingly down the table, "As usual no one asks me if I will do these things," there came a stirring from those about the table but Daniel only raised his hand for silence and raised his voice slightly as he continued, "But I will serve as your champion and follow this plan you have outlined. I will continue to raise my armies as you have instructed and when the time comes we shall raze the heavens to the ground and shatter Fate's illusions there. While she works to repair that damage I shall return to the mortal world and train the forces needed to defend the world. My only stipulation is the right to face and kill Koh."

Again came the nods from those around the table and a small, brown reptilian creature leaned forward to speak.

"And if the plan should go awry. If Fate should gain the upper hand?" the creature hissed.

The Nomad did not react at first, only staring into each and every set of eyes locked onto him from around the table.

"In the timeframe we have set for this plan, I will collect and consume the energy I require. If the plan collapses or Fate should appear to be winning," the Nomad paused as the lizard man beside him, Jax took a deep hissing breath. The Nomad's hand shot up again and he sent a warning glare at his companion before he continued, "If it should appear that I have failed, I will destroy the mortal realm and the fountain of life."

There was silence for a few moments before the huge feathered creature nodded his head again.

"Fate must not be allowed to continue this cycle of death even if it means ending the cycle of life." the creature rumbled in a deep baritone, "Begin your preparations, Nomad and remember, no one but those of us here may ever know of this…final solution."

The Nomad bowed his head in acknowledgement and in silence, the beings that had been about the table rose and filed through the entrance of the tent. The moment they had gone, the Nomad spun on his heel and simply walked through the insubstantial fabric of the tent wall. Jax moved to follow but paused, his green scaled brow creasing in concentration before he too passed through the fabric side of the tent.

"You know the truth of this place, Jax" a few yards from the tent, the Nomad spoke softly as his companion joined him atop a high dune, "Why do you persist in believing in the illusions of others?"

"You cannot be here as long as I have and look upon nothing but dunes." Jax rumbled in his deep voice as he stood beside the much shorter boy, "The emptiness of this place would drive you insane."

"Emptiness?" the Nomad said lightly, a hint of humor in his tone although his face remained expressionless, "You have yet to open your eyes fully, my friend. This realm is far from empty."

The two stood in silence for a moment, looking down the dune they stood upon to a multitude of beings milling about below. Thousands of humans or humanoids, some with four or even more legs, others with wings, others that slid or hovered over the sand. Most were covered in plain, grey cloth. Soldiers in the Nomad's army.

"You're not…" Jax began hesitantly, turning to face the boy beside him, "You don't truly agree with this plan…do you? To destroy the mortal world."

"It is a sound plan." the Nomad said levelly, his eyes staring unblinkingly down at the soldiers below, "Those ancient spirits believe with the fountain of life destroyed, all spiritual life will be drawn into the other fount, the gateway. Life would end but the spirits would be saved."

"But they do not know this for certain." Jax said almost pleadingly.

"No. They do not…but it is something for which I must prepare." the Nomad answered softly, dropping his gaze before he turned to Jax, "I will prepare but I promise you, my friend I will not fail. Those I will train in the mortal realm are resourceful and strong. With them at my side, we will succeed."

"Your family." Jax stated.

"Those of the boy within me and Wolf's too since I know they would accept him." the Nomad said quietly, a hint of emotion carried in his voice as he looked to his companion, "I have a thought for when the time comes for my return to the mortal realms. I will separate my two halves. Allow the boy and Wolf to carry out the final phases of this plan."

"You can do that?" Jax said, blinking in surprise and the Nomad nodded solomley. A moment later though, the slightly yellow lips on Jax's green scaled snout turned down in a frown, "You may be able to look upon this coldly and without emotion my friend but my the part of you that is my old friend, Wolf may be vicious when it is called for but he is in essence a good being. And the boy within you, Daniel too I believe has a good heart. With what you must do to prepare, what these plans call for…will they be able to handle that? The memories of what they have done as you?"

"Wolf, yes. The boy," the Nomad gave a heavy sigh, his first true display of emotion, "Daniel has the strengths to overcome his failings. It is something my…his family should have worked more upon before he killed his friend in a fit of rage but with his family at his side once more I believe he can prevail. Wolf will help balance him too but if the need arose, they could join once more to bring me back. Yet I think his family will be happier to be trained by him than me."

"Your family too, my friend." Jax said softly, his lips twitching up into a smile, "I see you have given this some thought."

"Some. And there is over fifteen hundred years to go before that family is even born. Time enough to hone and polish those plans." the Nomad said quietly, turning to look back down the dune they stood upon at a lone figure making his way up to them, "In the meantime, there is much to be done to get me there."

The figure forging his way up the dune was a single human man, draped in a plain grey robe. As he reached the top he paused before the Nomad and Jax, bowing his head and receiving a nod in return.

"My lords. Of those we captured at the battle of Tarsinus, over four hundred have agreed to join our ranks and will be put through training and conditioning." the man reported in clipped, military tones, "Over a thousand have refused. Shall we send them on their way before we move on?"

The Nomad turned to the lizard man beside him while the grey robed man stood patiently at attention.

"Jax. Inform the soldiers of what they need to know about our objectives and then take the army on toward the next demon stronghold. I will join you shortly." the Nomad turned back to the man with them, his expressionless face hardening imperceptibly, "I will deal with the prisoners from now on. It is time for me to prepare."

With that last cold statement, the Nomad marched away down the dune toward his army. Katara and Aang who had witnessed all this drifted along at his side and saw the hard glare on the seemingly young man's face change, his bright green and steel grey eyes turning dull until they became a bottomless, pitiless black.

When the vision faded out, Aang and Katara found themselves sitting side by side in a small clearing where Daniel had brought them to the west of the small fishing village. When they had began, the scarred man himself had sat across from them, his knees drawn up to his chest, rocking slightly as his blindfolded face shook from side to side. Now that the sharing of his memory was over, they found themselves facing the large grey Wolf.

"I feel sick." Katara said softly and Aang wrapped his arm about her shoulders comfortingly.

"Wolf?" Aang begin, looking at the animal in confusion.

The large creature sat patiently for a moment, the sunken lids over his missing eyes doing little to dispel the feeling of attentive watchfulness they felt from him.

Avatar. Those ancient spirits made that terrible decision because they had come to know despair. Watching life and mind struggle again and again to resurrect itself on this world before Fate once again cut that existence short. The Wolf's voice rang clear in Aang and Katara's minds, Long has this struggle continued both here and in the spirit worlds until along came a boy. A broken Avatar of nature who by chance was bonded to a broken Wolf spirit. In the past none could even plan against Fate without her knowing until the Nomad came and the ancient spirits saw their opportunity. But still, they planned for the worst. The great spirits chose for us to destroy the world rather than allow it to fall under Fate's control. Avatar Aang, you are aware now of the older Avatars within you, those who fell to Fate before the rise of man, what say you? What do they say?

Aang blinked in surprise at the direct question. He had not even considered such an action, would not even had imagined such a thing but he understood the wolf was right. Beings far older than himself had chosen this course and within him, making up a good part of him were beings just as old and who had suffered first hand what Fate had in store for his world. Glancing first to his wife who only looked over at Wolf with a mix of disgust and concern on her face, Aang turned his attention inward. It was with a little trepidation he put the question to the other Avatar spirits within, Aang knew they had been paying attention to what was happening and his shoulders slumped with pure relief when the answer came back immediately.

"No. We are the Avatar of this world. The embodiment of the world's spirit." Aang spoke in a multitude of voices, each and every spirit within him speaking in unison, "Those of the spirit world may choose to abandon us but we will not succumb to despair. The fountain of life must not be harmed."

And nor shall it be, Avatar. My boy and I never intended to carry out that particular part of the plan. The Wolf inhaled deeply before he released a very human sounding sigh, But you must understand what it is like for my boy and I. It is in his nature to be slightly unbalanced because of what he is. An improperly bonded Avatar of Nature and this is made worse by the damage he suffered when he was blasted from his own time. And yet as much as my boy tries to take all things on himself, he is not the only problem. The damage I suffered at the hands of the demons before we were bonded left me incomplete and as unbalanced as my boy. What this means is that if we should fully lose control, if we should release the energy held within us either through madness or at our death, the world would burn.

Never had Aang or Katara heard so much from Wolf at once and their heads were spinning from what they had heard so far but Aang suspected there was more.

"Wolf? You and our boy…err, I mean, you and Daniel," Aang gave the animal an embarrassed grin before he continued, "Are you both maintaining control?"

Barely. Wolf answered and sighed again before he dropped his face, We miss June. Her love and wise words have helped but madness…what my boy names his beast, is rising in us once more.

"But we…we're here to help you." Katara said hesitantly, reaching out to stroke the Wolf's bowed head, "Anytime you need us. I mean…sometimes you do scare me but mostly I'm scared for you. Both of you."

Thank you, Katara. Your love and the love of our family means more to us than we could ever put into words. We wish we could help you understand the difficulty we face without hurting you further. Our fragile balance is a difficult thing to control, yes, but that imbalance is greatly enhanced by the memories, the nightmares we carry of the Nomad's atrocities. The Wolf continued softly, a soft whine escaping from him, You have heard that the Nomad was cold, emotionless. That he did terrible things to get my boy and I where we are now. Words do not do this justice.

With another soft whine, Wolf's shape shimmer and flowed leaving Daniel kneeling on the ground. Katara's hand jerked back from where she had stroked the animal's head but at the pain she sensed in the man and the slight tremble in his shoulders, she returned her hand to the back of Daniel's head, running her fingers through his hair soothingly.

"The Nomad was always violent…uncaring but never truly cruel. After that meeting with the ancient great spirits, once the plans were made he waged a campaign of terror across the spirit realm. Belial was right, there was a reason they named the Nomad the demon's demon." Daniel said in a quiet, cracking voice, "The things we did as him. He consumed…whole populations…worlds. Just his name struck fear into the hearts of even the darkest creatures…and I was a part of that. When I sleep, even sometimes when I'm awake…I hear their screams, I see their faces. Over and over."

"Oh, Danny." Katara said softly. She reached down to cup the man's cheek, not at all surprised to find them wet and raised his face from the ground. Then moving to sit beside the man, Katara drew him into her, resting his head on her breast as she continued to stroke his hair, fresh tears slipping from her own eyes, "You poor boy."

"Yes. I think I understand better now. You are a boy, aren't you?" Aang said, moving to kneel before Daniel and Katara, "What happened between you and Kuzon hurt you greatly but then you found yourself confronted by Koh, blasted from your own world and time and now, you find yourself here…in a grown man's body with Wolf's spirit joined to yours and two thousand years of memories that I cannot even begin to imagine. But why, Daniel…why didn't you just tell us everything from the beginning?"

"I…I. When I awoke that first time at the north pole here…the Nomad's plans were clear in mine and Wolf's minds." Daniel answered quietly, "I thought…I hoped that if I just followed his plans I could make up for what happened with Kuzon…make up for the things the Nomad did but…I keep messing it all up."

"What do you mean?" Katara asked, her voice still soothing as she held him against herself.

"I should have been there for Aang when he began his training and if I hadn't been immersing myself in sentimentality he never would have been captured by Fate." Daniel said in a listless voice, "I should have been there for June, even you Katara but I failed you both. Even Reena's mistakes, her suffering come from my failures. Then two days ago I challenged Azula to an Agni Kai. I wanted to play when we should have been training and pushed her in a way she was not ready for. We both could have been hurt."

"You wanted to be with your family." Aang said quietly, his voice authoritive but kindly and wise, "You wanted to experience love. The joy of spending time with those you love. There can be nothing wrong with that Daniel."

The scarred man pulled slightly away from Katara's embrace and she slipped her hand into his as she gazed at him in concern but Daniel's face remained directed at Aang, his sunken eyelids still conveying a sense of a penetrating stare.

"I am sorry…for pushing you before…for trying to make you kill Belial." Daniel said and Aang reached out to him but Daniel's free hand flashed up and captured Aang's, "But I stand by what I told you all those weeks ago. Out of everyone in this family, probably in the world, you Aang have the ability to bring me down if I lose complete control. Don't you realize what we made of ourselves as the Nomad, this final solution? You cannot destroy my body without unleashing the energy stored within…but you can burn my mind."

"No." Aang said, trying to pull his hand from Daniel's before Katara's suddenly rested atop their joined hands, surprising them both. The soft smile on the young woman's face seemed to still Daniel and Aang both, tears still running from her deep blue eyes even as her warm smile widened.

"We understand. We understand, Daniel that you are a very hurt and frightened boy with unimaginable power that is a true threat to us all, even you…and we will prepare for whatever may come." She said and Aang opened his mouth to protest at this but Katara turned her smile briefly onto him and he felt the words die in his throat, buried under the immense love he felt for his wife, "But I think it's time you left Ba Sing Sa, Danny and came home to us. Sokka and Suki both think the city is no good for you anyway and I think you will do better with your whole family around you." Katara released the two men's hands and cupped Daniel's cheeks, her eyes searching his face as she continued, "I said we would prepare but that also means we will be preparing not just for the worst to happen…but ways to prevent it. I think we can set aside a little time each day for you to work with me and Aang and the others to help you find a way to master this imbalance within you. It's time you stop trying to do things on your own because you are a part of this family and we will find a way to do this together."

Daniel sat silent for a moment, his only response at first was a single tear tracking down his face from his sunken eyelids before he lunged forward, almost crushing Katara in his embrace.

"Thank you, Katara. Aang." Daniel said hoarsely as he squeezed her tighter, "I gave you the last truth of me…my final secret and you still…you still,"

His voice broke and Daniel could only hold onto Katara in silence, trembling in her arms as she held him. Aang watched for a moment, feeling his heart may burst with the love he felt for his kind and wise wife before he too lunged forward, wrapping his own arms about the pair.

"This is wonderful and I would wish it could last forever boys but," Katara said after a moment. She cupped one of her hands over Aang's on Daniel's back, sliding her husband's hand down Daniel's back until Aang realized he was cupping softer skin above Daniel's legs. With a loud cry, Aang pulled his hand free from his wife's and fell back, giving her an aggrieved look as Katara gave a girlish giggle, "I've been a healer a long time now, Danny but a girl still gets a little self conscious after awhile. Why don't you put something on and we'll go back to the others."

Rising to his feet and stepping back, Daniel stuck out his hand and from the ground where it had fallen forgotten, his strip of wide leather shot up and into his hand before he wrapped it hastily about his waist. His face colored slightly as he gave Katara an apologetic grin and stepped back to help her rise to her own feet.

"Sorry, Katara. When Wolf and I swap back and forth, sometimes I forget about the clothes." Daniel said as Aang joined them, "There's just this one other thing. It's true, in a sense…I am still young. But I have all these memories…two thousand years of them, of being the Nomad and I share Wolf's memories too and he's a whole lot older than that. It's just…can we not call me a boy?" Daniel's face darkened further and he rubbed at the back of his neck self-consciously, "Or at least, not in front of the others?"

"Sure, Danny." Katara said warmly and when Daniel raised his face he offered her a true, warm smile.

But you'll always be my boy. came the growling tones of Wolf, Maybe Wolf call you his Pup instead? Cub?

Daniel's shoulders slumped as Aang gave a snort of laughter and Katara covered her amused smile.

"Ok. Ok. Let's get back to the others." Katara said after Aang had settled, "Before my husband tries to scratch your belly or pat your backside again."

It was Aang's turn to blush furiously and after a moment a small smile returned Daniel's face and as the tension finally drained from him, he chuckled low, continuing into a loud barking laugh. For a small, bright moment, the clearing was filled with laughter.

Yeah, it's been a long time coming and it wasn't quite the violent, gorefest most may have hope for but there will be more action coming for those who desire it. Especially as Daniel struggles to hold onto his sanity and the Gaang find themselves in the middle of (and sometimes the focus of) his struggles.

Since I haven't updated in so long, it would mean the world to me if you could review this chapter or even the story as a whole if it is your first review. Preety please ;-}