Goodness, how long has it been since I uploaded?

Anyway, tried some new things out. First person flashback and story-telling like a Brother Grimm. Please tell me if they suck or not, so I know for future reference.

Read and enjoy. Comment, if you please.

Consumed by Flames

Katara had been overjoyed when Aang gave her back her necklace, even now, days after the incident at the abbey, she would thank him and touch the pendant to remind herself that it was there.

Hoshi was growing tired of the constant reminder of the abbey and her brush with her past.

"Can we move on to another topic now?" She would say. "You're boring me."

Aang had attempted to revitalize the talk they shred in the kitchen, but Hoshi was too afraid that Sokka, who had rekindle his thirst for knowledge of her past, would overhear, as he narrowly did before. She sat on the saddle and passed the time playing a game of Pai Sho against herself or learning how to use the small loom she bought on a whim in an Earth Kingdom town they had stopped at. She wanted to make Katara something, as an act of sisterly love, but nothing seemed to turn out the way she wanted it to.

"Why are you so fixed on this?" Sokka asked, lounging across from her. "You're obviously horrible at it."

"Thank you, Sokka." She grumbled. "I had no idea I was so lousy at the loom." She took a deep breath. "I use to make things for my cousins all the time. It's how I show affection, I guess."

"Cousins?" Sokka asked.

"Yeah." She answered. "I had two cousins, Zu Zu and his younger sister, Zulie." She gave Aang a knowing glance, which he smiled at. "Zulie was my age, but my exact opposite."

"What did you make them?" Katara asked. "They sound adorable."

"I think they'd hit you for calling them adorable." Hoshi chuckled. "But I used to make them little trinkets, like flower arrangements or metal hair ornaments."

"Metal hair ornaments?" Sokka asked. "Did you live in a forge?"

"No, but the local blacksmith would help me if I told what I was looking for." Hoshi said. "He was a nice man."

"So why are you trying to make something with the loom?" Katara asked. "Any of us would be happy with a bouquet."

"Speak for yourself, Katara." Sokka retorted.

"Well, it's kind of childish, but…" She sighed. "I didn't want to give you things I gave my Fire Nation family. I wanted to try to make new things because you're my Water Tribe and Air Nomad family."

"You can't have more than one family." Katara laughed.

"Why not?" Hoshi asked.

"Because family is suppose to be whole." Her twin explained.

Hoshi thought about the statement for a few moments. "But… my families are as different as the seasons. Aang is my best friend, but he's still my family. My Fire family is definitely unrelated to us, but they're as much as part of who I am as you are."

"Hm." Katara hummed thoughtfully.

"Eh, whatever." Sokka said, going back to watching the clouds. "Family is family."

Hoshi was still confused on the matter.

"So what are you trying to make?" Aang asked, sitting on Appa's massive head.

"I was trying to make story blanket." Hoshi sighed, defeated.

"A what?" Sokka laughed.

"Sokka." Katara chastised.

"A story blanket." Hoshi said. "I read in a book that the Water Tribe weaves blankets for their babies or tapestries for their huts. In the Fire Nation, my dad and grandfather would read me stories about everything, and one was about the moon." She smiled. "I wanted to combine the two. A story blanket!"

"Oh!" Katara smiled. "That's sounds interesting."

"What was this story about the moon?" Sokka asked.

"It was my favorite!" Hoshi beamed. "It was about the moon spirit and her daughter, the stars. Wanna hear it?"

"Sure!" Aang said, airbending himself over to sit in the circle that Katara and Sokka had formed around her.

"Okay," Hoshi cleared her throat, "it starts, like this…"

Long ago, when the spirits were young and the world yet formed, the Moon gave birth to a daughter. This baby, even while breathing in the first essences of life, had eyes that shone with a brilliance only outmatched by the Sun. The Great Spirit himself marveled at the twinkle they held.

"She will be a beauty when she is older." The Moon whispered, her glowing white hair enveloping her baby and cradling it.

And her words were true, for as the child grew she became more beautiful with each passing year. So beautiful that the son of the Sun Spirit fell in love with her.

When he first laid eyes on her, he had been hunting for a feast he's father was preparing and she had been in a field of moon flowers, picking them for her mother. A twig had snapped beneath his foot and frightened her.

"Be not afraid, I am only passing through." The son held up his hands. "I wish no harm upon you."

"I know." The daughter smiled. "I was only frightened of the sound."

The son walked closer and sat with daughter of the Moon. "May I ask your name?"

She laughed, the sound filling the son's heart with a new feeling. "I have no name to give you."

"Then shall I give you one." The son proclaimed. "From this day forth, you will be named Star, in honor of your eyes."

The daughter of the Moon smiled, for she like her new name, and asked the son, "What may I call you?"

"I am Ming, third son of the Day." he replied.

She nodded, then Prince Ming left.

They did not see each other for a very long time, but neither forgot the other. When it came time for Star to be wed, she had many suitors, Prince Ming among them.

Now, the Moon Spirit had set up a challenge for the suitors, to find the best among them. They were put in a dark maze and instructed to find their way out. None of the men could find their way out of the maze, but Prince Ming was able to navigate to the end. The Moon Spirit was so impressed, she gave him her daughter's hand in marriage.

At the wedding, when the vows were said and the two lovers became husband and wife, the Moon asked Ming how he solved her puzzle.

He looked at his newly wed lovingly and answered, "I heard her heart beating, and I followed it."

"...and that is how the Northern Star came to guide ships at night." Hoshi finished. "And all the stars up there now are the souls of those she guided to the spirit world."

"That story gave me the cooties." Sokka grumbled.

"Shut up, Sokka." Hoshi pointedly put her knuckles on her hip. "I didn't say it was a 'hero eats meat all day and never gets a girlfriend' story."

Katara and Aang laughed and Sokka pouted.

"It still could have been better." He grumbled. "Maybe a fight or two, not some hippy dip love story."

"You don't have a lot of ex-girlfriends, do you?" Hoshi asked.

"No. Why?" Sokka asked, suspicious.

"No reason." Hoshi chuckled, going back to her loom practice.

They landed near a Fire Nation colony, which was celebrating some sort of festival.

"Is it some kind of National Holiday in the Fire Nation?" Sokka asked, looking down at the village from the cliff they stood on.

"It's Fire Days!" Hoshi squealed, excited. "Because the colonies are so far from home, they have a day just to remember!" She started dancing, hopping from one foot to the other. "Can we go? Can we go? Pretty pretty please?"

"Wow, you're really excited about this." Katara commented.

"I've only been to one Fire Day Festival in my life and that was when I first left home." Hoshi explained. "Can we please go?"

"Sounds dangerous." Sokka said slowly.

"Sounds fun!" Aang exclaimed, almost as excited as Hoshi was.

"I can introduce you guys to fire flakes!" Hoshi bribed. "They're tiny bits of baked, meaty goodness."

"And you can learn more about the Fire Nation." Aang chimed in.

"Hm… maybe we should check it out." Sokka succumbed. "But only for a few minutes."

"Yes!" Hoshi and Aang cheered, giving each other a high-five.

"Well, haven't you two become the best of buddies." Sokka said sarcastically.

"You kidding?" Aang asked.

"He's my pal from another gal." Hoshi said, putting Aang in a headlock and giving him a noogie.

"The Momo to my Appa." Aang laughed as she gave him a noogie.

"The Hakoda to your Bato?" Katara laughed.

"Partners in crime from another time." Sokka said, joining the fun.

"BFFs!" Hoshi exclaimed, letting Aang go.

"Bender Friends Forever!" Aang cheered.

"Okay, enough." Katara said. "If we're going to a Fire Nation Festival, we'll have to blend in."

"And I have just the thing!" Hoshi smiled.

She ran over to her things and rummaged around in the bigger of her two bags, pulling out a swatch of dark red fabric.

"It's an old Fire Nation cloak I kept." Hoshi smiled. "I think I have a shorter one, if someone wants to use it."

"Sokka and I have our own parkas." Katara politely declined. "I'm sure Aang can use it."

"That's alright. I can blend in pretty well." Aang said, his red hood over his head.

Katara and Hoshi started to snicker, holding their hands in front of their mouths and leaning toward each other. Sokka was not as amused.

"It's like you're a whole different person." He sarcastically remarked.

"Huh. Maybe I should borrow that cloak, Hoshi." Aang said, embarrassed but smiling.

She nodded and passed the other one to the Avatar. When they were set, their hoods up and covering their identities, they walked down to the festival.

Everyone at the festival was wearing a mask or dressed in costume, putting the four friends out of place.

"I think we're gonna need better disguises." Sokka said.

"Where did everyone get those masks?" Katara asked.

"Over there." Hoshi pointed to a stall selling 'genuine' Fire Day Festival masks.

The four hurried over a bought a set. Aang put on the sad faced one, Sokka, the happy faced, Katara chose the woman's, and Hoshi decided on the dragon mask.

"Grrr!" She growled at katara, who laughed.

They both turned to Sokka and Aang, then Hoshi took Aang's mask off and Katara took Sokka's from him. They switched the mask, the sad on their brother, the happy on the airbending monk.

"Much better." Hoshi nodded.

"Now let's find some food." Sokka whined, walking down the brightly lit street.

"I think I saw a stall over here!" Hoshi said, threading her arm through his and dragging him over to the stall. "Two flaming fire flakes, please."

"Here you go, that'll be four copper pieces." The vendor said, holding out his hand.

Hoshi paid him and handed one of the food bags to her brother. "Careful, they're spicy."

"I've had spicy before." He said nonchalantly, throwing some into his mouth. A moment later, his face turned red and he gasped, "Hot! Hot!"

"Oh, 'flaming fire flakes' hot?" Katara said sarcastically. "What do you know."

The continued to walk through the streets, Hoshi reveling in the opportunity to feel home again. They watched a firebender's performance, a troupe of jugglers toss flaming objects into the air, and a rather depressing puppet show about the Fire Lord defeating the Avatar. After the puppet show, Sokka opted that they get back to their camp.

On the way back, they passed a messenger board filled with wanted posters. Aang stopped and ran over to it, pulling off a poster.

"Look! It's me!" He smiled, holding up his wanted sign.

"That's not a good thing!" Sokka exclaimed. "We probably shouldn't stay any longer now."

"Hey." Katara said, marveling at a poster from the adjacent side. "Is this me?"

Sokka and Aang ran around the other side, the Water Tribe boy ripping off the poster to examine it more closely. Hoshi felt her heart drop into her stomach.

"No, this is Hoshi!" He exclaimed, looking back at her. "Why do you have a wanted poster!"

"All it says is 'Hoshiko, wanted for crimes against the royal family, including theft and murder. Criminal is extremely dangerous. Do not approach directly'." Katara said, puzzled.

"You're a criminal!" Sokka exclaimed.

"Sokka, I think you should keep your voice down." Aang said, looking around them. A crowd was beginning to gather.

"Not until she answers my quest-"

Hoshi slapped a hand over her brother's mouth and glared at him. "Stop. Talking."

He glared at her with both disbelief and fear.

"Hey…" One of the onlookers said, squinting at Hoshi. "You're that rogue waterbender! The Ice Queen!"

"The Ice Queen?" Another festival goers gasped. "And isn't that the Avatar?"

"GUARDS!" Someone yelled. "GUARDS!"

"Nice going, Sokka." Aang hissed, running into one of the alleys.

"Yeah, Big Brother." Hoshi grumbled, running after Aang, "Great job."

They ran as soldiers approached, ready for a fight. They slipped through alleys and behind buildings until they finally came to a wall. A dead end, there was no where to turn but back, which was quickly blocked by the guards.

"Aang?" Katara hissed. "Now would be a great time to do some airbending."

"Halt!" One of the guards yelled.

"Back off!" Hoshi shouted, then created a sudden, explosive fog around them, filling the alleyway. It gave Aang just what he needed to help them escape.

"I want answers, woman!" Sokka annoying shouted as the returned to their campsite. "What is with this poster? What did you do?"

"Sokka." Hoshi said, spinning around sharply, "Drop it. I'm a wanted criminal. Just like Aang is. I'm not saying anything else on the matter."

"Oh yes you are!" Sokka argued. "What really happened in the Fire Nation? Were you even adopted? Or did they just turn you into some sort of assassin?" He gasped. "You've been trying to get close to Aang so you can take him to the Fire Lord!"

"Do you even hear yourself right now?" Hoshi asked. "If I was an assassin, why haven't I done anything yet?"

"You've been waiting for the right time to strike. Like a armadillo lion." Sokka said ominously, pointing a finger at her.

She grabbed it and twisted it back. "I've had plenty opportunities, brother. And, may I remind you, that I saved your butts tons of times in the past. AND those guards were after me as well as Aang, no thanks to you."

"Okay, so you're not an assassin." Katara said, tying to bring reason back to her siblings. "Then why is there a bounty on your head?"

"They think I did something, but I'm innocent." Hoshi said. "That's why I had to flee."

She gave a quick glance to Aang, who was trying very hard not to give away what he knew about her.

"Fine, what did you supposedly do?" Sokka demanded.

"You read the poster." Hoshi grumbled. "Figure it out for yourself."

"All it said was you killed someone and stole something." Sokka complained. "That's not a lot to go on."

"Good!" Hoshi snapped back. "Now please, can we talk about something else?" Sokka crossed his arms and no one said anything. Hoshi sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Aang? Find anything useful from the festival about firebending?"

"I really wanna know how that performing did that one trick. With the dragon." Aang said, excited. "But how do you even make fire?"

"Sounds like you need a master." Katara said.

"Sounds like he needs to learn the other elements first." Hoshi objected. "There's an Avatar cycle for a reason. You need to master water and earth before fire, Aang."

"That sounds reasonable." Sokka said. "I don't really want to go looking for a firebender, either."

"Maybe Hoshi's right." Katara said. "Let's get to the North first, then we'll worry about the other elements."

"And let's leave tomorrow." Sokka said, laying out his sleeping bag. "I'm beat."

They all agreed to resume their journey to the North tomorrow morning, after they had a good night's sleep.

Hoshiko stared at the night sky above. Sokka wouldn't trust her if she told him the truth. She was surprised he even trusted her now, knowing she was raised in the Fire Nation. She wouldn't be able to take it if her family hated her, not again.

She needed to talk to Aang, he was the only one who would understand. She crept over to him and shook his shoulder.

"Huh?" He asked groggily.

"Aang, I need to talk to you." She whispered. "It's important."

"Hm, okay." He said, sleepily rising to his feet.

She looped her arm through his and marched into the woods, where they could speak in private. They kept walking in silence until Hoshi finally spoke up at the riverbed.

"Aang." She sighed. "I can't take it anymore. This web of lies I've spun myself into."

"Then why don't you just tell Sokka and Katara what's going on?" Aang asked. "Why didn't you do that from the start?"

"Because I'm afraid." Hoshi said, walking along the bank in a frenzied panic. "If they knew the real me, they'd shun me."

"You wouldn't know until you tried." Aang argued, following her deeper into the unknown wood. "They were pretty understanding when I told them I was the Avatar."

"That is different and you know it!" Hoshi vehemently pointed out, whirling around on him. "You're secret was good. Mine is rotten to the core."

"So what if you were raised alongside Zuko?" Aang said. "Why would that matter?"

"They'll think I'm a spy for him." Hoshi said. "Sokka already thinks I'm an assassin."

"He's just confused." Aang said. "You should tell them the truth. I know and I trust you."

"How can you say that?" Hoshi demanded. "You don't even know why I was kicked out, or why I have a wanted poster."

"Then tell me." Aang said. "No matter what you say, you're still my best friend."

"Even if I killed someone?" Hoshi asked quietly.

Aang's face paled. "You killed someone?"

"No!" Hoshi exclaimed. "I was accused of it, though."

"Then why would you say that?" Aang asked, relieved but annoyed. "Don't ominously say stuff that isn't true!"

"Sorry!" Hoshi interjected. "I just wanted to give you the rumor."

"Well, tell me what really happened." Aang said. "Why were kicked out of the Fire Nation? What does it have to do with Zuko's mom? And why are you wanted for murder and theft?"

Hoshi took a deep breath and sat down. "It's a long story."

"That's okay." Aang shrugged. "You're other story was long, too."

She chuckled. "Mine doesn't have such a happy ending."

"Your story hasn't ended yet." Aang smiled.

Hoshi smiled back. "You and Katara would be perfect for each other." She laughed when he blushed. "You're both so optimistic, it makes me believe we'll actually win this war."

"You're avoiding the subject." Aang sang, still red.

"Fine, fine." Hoshi chuckled. "It started when I was nine…"

I was playing by myself next to my favorite fountain, making ice sculptures of Zuko, Azula, and Lu Ten for practice, when one of Ozai's private students, he wasn't happy with just one prodigy at his disposal, ran over to me. Her name was Kaze and she wasn't my biggest fan. We had sparred together at school and I always lost to her ruthlessness. Azula would always fight her after school for me, though.

"Water Tribe," Kaze said with a flat tone, "your aunt wants me to tell you that your grandfather sent something."

"Really?" I beamed. "What is it?"

"How should I know, frog face?" She snapped. "I'm not Iroh's burden."

I frowned at her and ran over to foyer, where Ursa always read the family mail. Zuko and Azula were already there, waiting for me.

"About time." Azula grumbled. I hit upside the head softly and we laughed.

"What did Iroh send?" I asked, sitting in front of Ursa.

"He sent a letter and some gifts." She smiled down at me.

She read the letter out loud and we laughed when Iroh had made a joke. I was happy that he and Lu Ten were doing well and had broken through the first wall of the Impenetrable City. When Ursa neared the end of the note, it described the gifts he had sent.

Zuko was given a dagger and Azula had a new doll, much to her disgust. I was given an Earth Kingdom hairpiece, which I still own. Zuko started playing soldier almost immediately, and Azula just stared at her doll.

"Don't you like your gift, Zulie?" I asked.

"I'm not a… doll person." She frowned.

"So? You can still play Conquer the Kingdom with her." I suggested. "She can be the Earth Queen."

"Hm." Azula smiled. "That's a good idea. Want to play with me?"

"Sure." I smiled, then frowned. "But I'm not being the enemy soldier this time."

"Fine, fine. I can be Uncle Iroh and you can be my army." She smiled.

"Okay!" I said, getting to my feet. "Wanna play with us, Zuko?"

"Ugh, no." He grumbled. "It's bad enough that I have to stay up at night to read to you."

"You haven't had to read to me in years!" I protested. "And besides, you like when I read the Dragon and the Princess to you."

"Do not!"

"Do, too!" I said, making a face at him.

"Hoshi, hurry up." Azula whined from the doorway.

I gave one last silly face to Zuko, then the two of us raced out into the courtyard to play. We didn't get very far before Kaze found us, a smug grin on her face.

"Your uncle sure is taking a long time to conquer Ba Sing Se." She said, leaning against a pillar. "Makes me wonder whose side he's on."

"You can shut your face, Kaze." Azula snapped. "Ba Sing Se is a well fortified city. Uncle Iroh already a legend for breaking through the first wall."

"That might be so." Kaze grinned, walking toward us. "But it's taken him two years. Wouldn't it just be awful if he died before he reached his goal?"

"Say one more word like that and I'll freeze you to the roof!" I exclaimed. "Iroh is strong and healthy. He won't be killed."

"Oh, but what if he was." Kaze crookedly smiled. "Then Ozai would be Fire Lord. I think he'd make a much better ruler than your crazy uncle."

I had punched her in the face after that comment. Her nose started bleeding and she screamed in anger and kicked me to the ground. I would have been flame boiled if Azula hadn't run in to block her fist.

"Leave now and I won't tell my grandfather about what you said." Azula said, standing between me and her.

Kaze held her nose, but glared daggers at me. "This isn't over, foreigner." She spat, then fled.

"What's going on?" Zuko demanded as he ran out. "Are you okay?"

"We're fine." Azula said, a hand on her hip.

"Iroh isn't gonna die, is he?" I had asked on the verge of tears. "He and Lu Ten'll come back, right?"

"Are you stupid?" Zuko asked, sitting next to me. "Of course they'll come back."

I nodded and sniffled, thinking about what Kaze had said.

It was a few weeks later that I learned that my dad had died. I had never cried so much. Iroh sent word that he would be returning soon, having given up on conquering the Unconquerable.

The real trouble started when Ozai had his family visit his father, Fire Lord Azulon, in an attempt to usurp the throne from my granddad. I didn't now what was happening until one of my maids told me about the meeting. I was so angry that I marched down there while Ozai was still speaking with his father.

"You dare to barge in here unannounced?" Ozai had spat.

"You dare to take the throne from my granddad?" I spat back, blind with rage. "Do you think Iroh can't rule because he has no heir? Because you're wrong!"

"How dare you-"

"Let the girl speak, Ozai." Azulon had said. "She makes an excellent point in the matter." He turned his hooded eyes to me. "Continue, child."

"Iroh may have lost his son." I said, trying not to choke. "But he still has an heir. Me."

"You?" Ozai hissed. "You can't proceed to the throne. You're not of blood!"

"I may not be of blood, but I am adopted." I argued. "When it comes time for Iroh to step down, I will marry one of the royals."

"Marry one of the royals?" Azulon asked. "You mean Ozai's son?"

"If Zuko's the next in line, then yes." I replied. "Iroh will rule after you and his nephew will rule after him."

"That's not possible!" Ozai spat, angry and unbelieving.

"It is, Ozai." Azulon said. "And it is a fine arrangement. I accept your proposal, little one."

"But father-"

"I have spoken!" Azulon boomed. "Hoshiko will marry your son when the time comes. As long as she stays faithful to the Fire Nation and Iroh has an heir, you will not rule."

Ozai had stormed out while I bowed to Azulon, thankful that my grandfather would receive his rightful place and Ozai wouldn't rule.

"Wait, so you're telling me you were suppose to marry Zuko?" Aang asked, dumbstruck. "And he was okay with that?"

"Well, I never got to tell him." Hoshiko said, blushing.

"But you wanted to marry him." Aang said, seeing right through her mask. "You love Zuko!"

"So what if I do?" She asked, crossing her arms. "You love my sister."

Aang blushed. "Alright, you got me there."

"Can I finish my story?" Hoshi asked, eager for another topic.

"Yeah." Aang nodded. "So Azulon agreed to let Iroh take the throne if you married Zuko. Everything was fixed."

"Exactly." Hoshi nodded. "But it didn't stay that way for long…"

I had the perfect opportunity to tell Zuko about the deal I made with his grandfather and about my own feelings. Every night, we'd sneak into the royal library and pick a story. Our favorite was the tale of Archer and the Moon Goddess. It was a romantic story, but we always laughed at it because of how silly it sounded to us.

I went there that night to tell him, but couldn't find the courage, so we spent the night reading ghost stories and playing Graveyard Spirits. When we grew too tired to stand, we wandered back to our rooms to sleep. I never made it to mine.

On the way to my room, I had found Lady Ursa slumped over on the ground, a dark pool around her. I thought she had fallen asleep drinking tea at first, but when I got closer, I saw that she had been stabbed through the heart.

"She was dead?" Aang asked softly.

"There's no way you can live with an icicle through the chest." Hoshi said with dark humor.

"What happened after that?" Aang asked somberly.

"Lu Ten's helmsman found us and he helped me get away. I heard that Azulon had died as well." Hoshi said, barely above a whisper. "I haven't looked back since."

"And the theft?" Aang asked.

"I took my things with me. Ozai claimed they were property of the Fire Nation." Hoshi said bitterly.

"So someone staged the murder." Aang said, no question in his voice. "Do you know who did it?"

"I have my guesses, but I can never be sure." Hoshi said.

"Is Ozai one of them?" He asked.

"He wouldn't kill his wife." Hoshi said. "He may be a monster, but he's the kind that protects his belongings. Doesn't take care of them, but doesn't destroy them either."

Aang nodded. "I have to stop him."

"You shouldn't have to." Hoshi said. "If I had just left earlier, I would have been able to save her and stay. Iroh would have ended this war and brought balance back to the world. He wouldn't have to hunt you down like an animal. You would have been on the same side."

"Ursa's death wasn't your fault." Aang said. "And if you hadn't left, there's no telling what Ozai would have done to you. Katara and Sokka would have never found their sister."

Hoshi wiped her eyes and smiled. "Thanks, Aang."

"That's what I'm here for." He smiled. "Now, is there anyway that you could teach me firebending?"

"No way, Avatar." Hoshi chuckled. "It's best if you learned how to earthbend first. I don't want you burning me or my sister."

"I wouldn't!" He exclaimed.

"Not intentionally, but until you learn to control your emotions and not just to have fun with your bending, you're going to hurt someone." Hoshi smiled knowingly. "I've been burned a few times by people who said they could control it."

"Fire is that dangerous, isn't it?" Aang asked.

"Yep." She said, rolling up her sleeve to shoulder, showing a small band of burn marks. "Got this from Zuko when he was trying out a new set." She rolled up her pant leg, revealing a perfectly formed, dark circle above her knee, about the size of a moon peach. "And this was from Azula, who accidentally shot a fireball when I scared her. But the worst was when Kaze burned my hands." She shivered, remembering the pain. "They took weeks to heal and I couldn't write for ages."

"Wow." Aang said, looking at the ground. "Now I'm not so sure I want to learn firebending."

"You'll have to eventually." Hoshi shrugged. "Just find a good teacher and you'll be golden."

"Easier said than done." Aang huffed. "Fire is all about destruction and power. I don't think I want that."

"There's more to fire than destruction." Hoshi chuckled. "Just like there's more to waterbending than splashing around. Up North, their are healers that use water to cure a lot of things."

"Really?" Aang asked.

"Yep. I'm not a healer, though, but I hope Katara is. It would sure help with all the first aid Sokka seems to need."

Aang laughed. "Did you know he got two fishhooks stuck in his thumb once?"

"Two?" Hoshi giggled. "How'd that happen?"

"He tried to take the first out with a second." Aang smiled. "Katara told me that when we first met."

Hoshi laughed harder. "That sounds like Sokka."

Aang nodded and the two talked until morning came. Once the sun peaked over the horizon, they walked back to the campsite, where Sokka and Katara were already packing up.

"Where have you two been?" Katara asked.

"And all night, too." Sokka pointed out.

"Talking." Hoshi smiled. "I couldn't sleep, so I made Aang stay up with me." She grabbed a moon peach. "Ready to head for the North Pole?"

"Yeah." Katara said slowly. "Sokka wants to leave right away. He saw some Fire Navy river boats a few minutes ago."

"I think it was Zhao." Sokka said, throwing the sleeping bags onto Appa. "I don't really want to run into him again."

"Me neither." Hoshi said, grabbing things and carrying them onto the bison. "The faster, the better."

Sokka grunted in agreement and they finished packing up. Once they were in the air, he asked, "Hey, didn't you say that Zhao tried to kill you before? At the Fire Temple?"

"Oh yeah." Hoshi said, leaning against the saddle rail and reaching out toward a cloud. "He didn't like the fact that a waterbender was adopted by the royal family."

"What?" Sokka asked, surprised.

"What?" Hoshi replied back.

"Did you just say royal family?" He asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I said loyal family." Hoshi lied. "My grandfather was a retired soldier."

Sokka wasn't quite convinced, but he wouldn't question her now, they had a long road ahead of them still.

Hoshi felt even more guilty, for coming so close to the truth and still lying to her brother's face. Will I ever be able to tell them? Right now, she had Aang, and that would have to be enough.