Author's Note: Well, guys, I'm off to Boot camp…(insert look of impending doom and a lot of stomach butterflies here).

Unfortunately, my recruiter called me last night to tell me I'd be leaving for San Jose this morning, a day and a half ahead of what I had anticipated.

I had hoped to leave you all with a double-length chapter before I left for nine weeks, but regrettably I have nothing more to show for the weekend other than a pathetic beginning to the ninth chapter, less than a thousand words long. And it doesn't even make much sense (not that the rest of the story does, but I mean this was a really, really confusing little mish-mash pretending it was worthy of calling itself a story).

And, bypassing any well-meaning lies…it simply disgusted me. Horribly written, clipped diction, jumpy plot.

Bleh.

So, I'm not going to contaminate your minds by posting it.

:eyes the random sharp objects pointed in her direction and shifts nervously from one foot to the other:

…. Please don't hurt me?

I feel really, really bad for doing this. I hope you guys don't hate me forever now…

I promise to return to all this once I complete my basic training. Heck, by the time I get back I might have my own computer!

:claps her hands:

Then I can update whenever I want, and not have to hop on my mom's computer during meals or when she's reading or out shopping, for that is one of the reasons I am shipping my mopey butt off to the military in the first place.

But sadly, until then…I must bid you all ado.

For those of you who are dying to know what happens, however, I will provide a short synopsis following this explanation. Of course I won't tell you exactly how its going to end, but I will make an effort to describe what's coming up and when it's going down.

So, read on only if you want to read a thorough outline of the following chapters!

A Nightmare's Armistice Synopsis (divided by chapter)

ch.9: Aang is wandering around in his prison. He discovers he cannot leave, or do anything about the approaching comet…. Meanwhile, Zuko is looking for a way to rescue Aang when he comes across a little girl rummaging through some trash in an alleyway of the inner city. He recognizes her as the little girl from his earlier dream (not realizing that everything is in fact a part of the same nightmare). They talk, and she says she recognizes him. He is confused and asks how she knows him. She reveals that he is a legendary figure kind of like a "robin hood" in those parts. She tells him how to find Aang. As Zuko leaves, she bends over and picks up something, handing him the teacup (which was mentioned as his uncle having given him in chapter 1), and although he distinctly recalls having left it with his armor, he assumes he must have been imagining things and just dropped it without noticing. He looks at it for a bit, then gives it to her. She is extremely happy as he leaves (Note: this is the teacup she's cradling in chapter two. Remember how she said someone special gave it to her?).

Back to Aang. He watches as the air grows hot and the sky darkens. He almost gives in to despair when Zuko arrives (without the mask, he is now wearing his regular armor). He tells Aang they have to leave, but Aang says he cant. Zuko reveals that there is no barrier on the city, the only thing holding Aang back is himself.

ch.10: The boys arrive at the place of the initial nightmare. They watch, unable to do anything as everything is destroyed. Eventually they come across the little girl, and although she is wary of Zuko at first, (not realizing that he was the Blue Spirit) Aang assures her he can be trusted. They find out he looks like the one destroying everything, because it turns out to be Ozai. They both agree that what is happening is for the worse, although Zuko believes he has no place to question his father. In this fashion, Aang learns of Zuko's insecurity and attempts to return the favor of boosting his rival's confidence. The world begins to shake and split and they have no option except to move ahead in search of Ozai, and try to figure out what their purpose for being there is.

ch.11: At last they reach the outer boundaries of a large fire-nation fortress. The earth is almost completely destroyed by this time. The little girl (who had accompanied them to this point) begins to cough up blood, her condition declining quickly, even though she has no visible wounds. As she worsens, they learn that she is one of the few remaining survivors of the natives of the pure white citadel they previously escaped. She tells them that, like her, they are there for a purpose, although there is little hope left. She tells them both that they are capable of beating the terror, although she doesn't know how. She says that she has done what she was supposed to do, and that they have to leave her behind.

They enter the fire nation fortress, sneaking past guards, looking for Ozai, or anything that can better help them understand the situation. They end up in a large room which is identical to the one in which Zuko dueled (or rather, refused to duel) his father.

ch.12: Here they are forced to split, Zuko left to face his father, and Aang racing to find a way to stop the comet that threatens to crash into the world, rather than just pass by it.

And…I'm not gonna tell you anymore ;P

But a few things you can expect from this point on:

The boys are forced to take a real good look at their lives in retrospect.

They meet "Gaia", and find out that she was the one who gave them this dream, seeing what an immense impact they would have on the world in times to come.

The little girl gets a name! And she's ok… (hmm, maybe I'll do a oneshot some day where they meet her in real life)

They find out everything was a dream eventually (with the exception of the beginning of chapter 1 until the conclusion of the scene on Zuko's ship in that chapter)

They both conclude that this whole scenario changes absolutely nothing (I.e. Aang will still try to lift the fire nation's rule, and Zuko wil still try to capture him)

Aang and Zuko are reunited with their respective companions, both in their dream, and then when they wake up.

And…egad! I hope it turns out better than it sounds… O-o

Well, goodbye you guys, and thank you so much for all of your kind reviews! It is because of your guys' support that I don't just end this thing for good.

Oh, and don't forget to peak at the drabbles I posted the past few days (if you want to). They're all little rambles which I wrote anywhere from the last probably seven months to the present, and have typed up and posted simply because they take only from two to ten minutes a piece (although they'd perhaps take longer if I actually took the time to proofread them correctly :blushes ashamedly:...and were easily done while I consumed breakfast and dinner).