AN: HIIII GUUUYYSSSS :) I'm kind of in a good mood! So, I want to say, that from here on out I will refer to myself as; Luna (I know it's not an Asian name but I absolutely LOVE Harry Potter!) Oh, and I realize I need to start picking more Japanese names. If you like any, share them in a review and if I like them I would love to have them in my story! I would also love to read your ideas for the story, obviously I'm going to stick to my original plot but I would be more the willing to add different ideas I haven't considered! So, I was thinking of doing some fluff for some of the couples but I wasn't sure if I really wanted to make the relationships like overly mushy, you know? Maybe I'll do some side work. I'd love to do some Kataang stuff but I don't want to incorporate it into my story. I've just been in that sort of mood… Well, review and tell me what you thing I should do, if you want it I'll write it! (To an extent…)

Zuko: (sees Luna crying) Hey, what's the matter? Why are you crying?

Luna: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender *sniff* stupid me for not thinking it first…

Zuko: No, but I still love you.

Luna: Really? *smiles*

Zuko: No.

Luna: *pouts in corner*

Previously on Avatar:

Piao, Mei, and Zhong escaped the ship and are now traveling with Aang and his group until they find their own path. Mei finally told her story about her parents. And Hakoda has taken a turn for the worse…

Now on with the show!

Luna

Chapter 10: Truth, Dragons, and, What Do You Know? More Truth!

Zuko and Sokka were sitting next to Hakoda. Both couples were holding hands, occasionally squeezing another's hand in encouragement. Sokka had one hand on his father's shoulder. Hakoda's body was shaking and sweat was dripping down his pale face. Suki had to keep moving her hand because Sokka's were so clammy from his own sweat. But she wasn't, however, going to let go. Zuko and Mai were asked to leave by one of the healers. They were reluctant at first but Suki shooed them off reassuring them that everything was going to be okay. Rama walked in after Zuko and Mai left, she was dressed in her healing outfit which was a knee length blue jacket with a white square in the middle of her chest. She took the jacket off and handed it to Suki, noticing her shivering. Rama explained that Hakoda had a minor set back and that he had a small seizure. But she was sure Hakoda would be fine. Sokka scoffed at her feeble attempt to make him feel better. She sighed and went back over to begin one of the many healing sessions Hakoda would need. Suki sighed as well and removed her hand from Sokka's now light grasp; she then grabbed his wrist and forced him to look at her.

"We need to talk." She said forcefully. Sokka was taken aback by her fierceness but, realizing there was no refusing her, nodded his head and agreed to go.

As they stepped outside they were immediately covered with snow. They ran back to Sokka's hut where she sat down on one of the wolf skin rugs and he got the fire going. She never did understand how they got the fire going in such an icy and snowy environment.

Once he got the fire going, he sat down on the same brown rug Suki was sitting on and looked her in the eyes, "What do we need to talk about?" he asked her after some silence.

"Do you love me?" She asked, keeping eye contact with him.

He gave her a confused look but nodded, "Of course I do. How could you ever think otherwise?"

"Then why have you been distancing yourself from me ever since we arrived?"

Sokka stuttered an answer but her face gave a 'cut the crap' look so he exhaled and explained what had happened. He told her about his mother and how it tore him up inside to think that if he had gone with Katara, maybe his mother would still be alive. Suki had tried to interrupt him at that point but he ignored her and kept going. He told her about Yue, and how he felt guilty for her death. Suki tried to remind him how it was also a birth, but he, again, ignored her. He then told her about the boy who died during Azula's raid and how he felt responsible for that, "I was his protector," he explained, "It's my duty to take care of those kids, and I failed." He slumped and wrapped his arms around his knees. Suki looked at her boyfriend in understanding. He felt like he needed to do something for his father, but he knew there was nothinghe could do. And it tore him up inside. He began to cry and so did she. They sat like that for a while, until Yori showed up.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, but…"

"No, its fine," Suki said, rubbing her eyes, "Go ahead."

Yori inhaled deeply, "Okay," She sat down next to Sokka, "Sokka, I'm going to tell you who is; well, I should say might die," He nodded for her to continue, "I need you to relax…"

"Wait," He interrupted, "it's not my dad is it?" Her eyes widened, she hadn't thought about that situation, "Honestly, I have not seen an outcome for that situation, this one is completely different," He nodded again for her to continue, "It's Katara."

"What?" He said jumping to his feet, Suki had never seen him so awake in weeks, "Katara? My sister?" Yori nodded.

"I'm so, so sorry." It was then that Zuko and Mai walked in. Sokka had fresh tears and Suki wasn't far behind. They both had red eyes, and they weren't trying to hide it.

"What's going on?" Zuko said curiously.

"Are you okay?" Mai asked, the stale tone in her voice was disappearing. Zuko had noticed she showed more emotions then she use to; Suki had figured the Gaang was beginning to wear off on her.

"It's Katara," Sokka whispered, "Katara's the one who is going to die."

"What?" Zuko said, obviously taken aback, "How do you know?" Sokka pointed to Yori.

"My vision; she might die, I don't know for sure." Zuko scoffed, 'Like that makes it any better…' he thought to himself.

"But I was under the impression that you don't believe in psychics," Mai said.

"I didn't but people are beginning to change my mind," everyone but Yori gasped, and Sokka threw them an annoyed look, "Anyway! This needs to be looked into; they could be in danger out there." He pointed out. Zuko nodded. They all stood there in silence for a while, thinking about what they were going to do next. Mai was looking around wondering why no one had come up with the idea she had, had since Sokka had begun talking. She sighed and shook her head.

"Just go looking for them dummies; the longer you stand here the harder it will be to find them. And the farther away they will be." She looked annoyed at the group in front of her.

"Umm… Yeah, that's a good idea." Yori said.

"Can you see any outcomes for it?" Suki asked her.

Yori shook her head, "My visions don't work like that. Most psychics can't control their visions. They're really spontaneous; usually they're stronger if they're connected to an earthbound spirit, or a spirit who can't let go."

"This might not be the right time," Suki said, "But what do you mean by, 'a spirit who can't let go'? I mean, I understand the earthbound one, which would be like the Avatar, but not the other one."

Yori giggled then composed herself quickly, "I mean a spirit like Kaya. Her family can't let her go, so she can't be free."

"What are you going on about?" Sokka said, slightly insulted.

"I'm saying that, until your family learns to let go, your mother will be trapped in limbo until the last person that loves her dies."

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Iroh was leading the small group through the many complicated and deadly traps the sun warriors had set. The sun was high in the sky and it was getting harder to keep cool. But the men weren't about to complain.

"Are you sure they are still here, Iroh?" Piandao asked calmly. Iroh nodded. He closed his eyes and remembered his last visit; the sun was setting and it filled the sky with red, making any reflective surface give off the soft cherry glow. As he was leaving the mountain range he heard a strange but familiar noise, it was coming from the bushes. Iroh, being hesitant, inched over to the rustle in the bush. Before he reached it he saw all different colors, ones not given off by the sun set. 'Scales?' he thought to himself. He shook his head, 'Must be a trick of the light.' But he knew his own words weren't true. He continued walking, but he wasn't able to shake the feeling that something had followed him.

"What was that?" Jeong-Jeong raised an eyebrow at the trees to his left.

"Just what we need," Iroh said, "Hello chief."

"General Iroh," The man said, emerging from his hiding place behind a tree to their right, "How can we help you?" The man wore half a shirt, and had face paint and a strip of orange running from his forehead to his hips.

Iroh smiled but it soon faded, "Someone is threatening to destroy the balance, and kill for what they want, we need to reach them, and fast." He put emphasis on his last word.

"It will only carry three of you." The man said, looking at the group of five men standing before him.

"I know," Iroh said, "I just don't know which three yet." The man nodded knowingly.

"Come with me," He gestured towards a path, "I know a faster way to start your journey." The men nodded.

The six men walked, knowing there were people following them in the trees. The men were given water, and now the giant yellow circle in the sky didn't feel so hot. The path they were following had the brush cut just far back enough to make it easy to walk in a single file line. Anything else would have resulted in the men having cuts and bruises from all the thorns and branches determining the width of the path. The chief walked quickly, but the men were more then capable of keeping up. The sun was beginning to get lower in the sky, but it didn't make it any less hot. The wind was fairly silent that day, it barely ruffled the leaves. Piandao sighed; he closed his eyes and inhaled the scents around him. "Smells like home," He replied to Jeong-Jeong's curious look. The man just nodded and motioned for the master swordsman to continue one. Piandao, realizing he had slowed down, apologized and quickened his pace. When they stopped they were at a clearing. The grass waved slightly with the wind. A mixture of greens and browns filled the circle. One small tree was beginning to grow, close the edge. The two non-fire nation men gazed in awe at what was in front of them. A large, dark green, serpent-like creature was standing before them. Its neck reached high above the trees. Its teeth were like swords, and you could see how sharp from 100 feet away.

"Lee, Mushi," Iroh laughed to himself before continuing, never had he thought he would ever meet two men from the earth kingdom with those names, "One of the last dragons stands before you." Lee's eyes looked as it they might fall out of his head. Mushi gazed up at the beast in bewilderment, lips slightly parted.

"She's not as… judgmental as the others, but she will still need to… confirm who is going on this trip. Who did you have in mind?" The chief turned his attention to the old general.

"Myself," Iroh began, "Piandao and Lee."

"And what of us?" Jeong-Jeong began, but before anyone could answer, the dragon let out a loud snarl. Jeong-Jeong nodded, the dragon did not like him. The men gathered on the long neck of the green beast.

"Does she know how to get to the South Pole?" Iroh turned to the chief; he nodded 'yes' in response. "South. Pole." Iroh said, quite clearly. The dragon, understanding his words, pressed her knees to the ground, and then propelled herself up into the bright blue sky, slithering through the clouds. It was moving faster than any other mode of transport they had available to them.

Jeong-Jeong watched his comrades disappear off into the horizon. He then turned to the chief, "Why?" he asked.

The chief sighed and turned around, "You have not come to realize the true meaning of fire bending. The dragon sensed it and she refuses to help a firebender who hasn't realized it."

Jeong-Jeong nodded, "Is there any possible way to fix my dilemma?" The chief nodded and motioned for him follow. Jeong-Jeong headed back into the forest, with Mushi not far behind.

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Aang got up and looked at the group sleeping before him. They were all surrounding a now dead fire. Toph was on Appa's saddle, she had pushed Joy out when the ground was becoming too cold for her. The earthbender was snoring loudly; she was on her back and would, from time to time, kick at nothing in particular, grunting. Aang chuckled to himself, she was obviously dreaming about dueling someone. Aang looked around again and noticed he had been wrong. There was someone missing from the group; Katara. He began to search for her, he wasn't worried at first, but after twenty minutes with no luck he began to get a little frantic. He was about to start shouting her name when he saw her. She was on a cliff he hadn't checked before; she was dangling her feet over the edge. Her long brown hair ruffled in the wind. Her arms were behind her, supporting her back. She switched her gaze from the ocean to the moon occasionally. He exhaled in relief, "Katara?" he called. She turned her head towards him then turned her head back to looking at the moon. He completed the few steps to her and sat down putting his arm around her waist. She didn't protest, but she didn't lean in either. He sighed and stared at the water contemplating what he wanted to say. "Katara, we need to talk," he began, "About everything." She nodded, she knew he was right. But she didn't know if she wanted to talk about it. She sighed, letting him know that he could begin. "What has made you so upset? Lately, I mean." He looked at her, waiting for a response.

"My father," she said, as if it was obvious, he pushed for her to continue with the raising of his eyebrow, "How he was shot down… and it was aimed for me." She had whispered the last part. Aang looked shocked. He didn't know what to say. She wrapped her arms around her knees, "Someone tried to kill me, and now he's dying, and-"

"Katara, stop, it's not your fault. It was aimed for me most likely." He said, completely sure his words were true.

But she shook her head, "No, if it was aimed for you it would have hit him on the other side of his body." Aang tried to protest this point, but he knew she was right. "And I know who's responsible," Aang looked at her curiously; she gave him an odd look back but continued anyway, "Azula." She whispered. Aang just nodded his head. He had been ready to defend someone. But her accusation didn't seem too far off. He pondered the name for a while, it would make a lot of sense; he didn't know why he hadn't thought of it before. She was upset with Katara, and would go to great lengths to exact her revenge; even kill. Aang looked over at Katara; she had tears rolling down her cheeks. He reached over and held her tight. "And all those people she hurt. It's all my fault." She started sobbing into his shoulder. He just held her close, knowing that if he tried to say words of comfort she would just reject him. They sat like that for a while; he stared at the waves, crashing against the ice and rocks. She stained his shirt with tears. When she seemed calm he began to ask her another question, but she held up her finger, silencing him, "Yes, she is the reason I have been so… distant. I've been so focused on her; I didn't really care about the people around me. Then I realized you could be hurt out here, and I hated myself even more." Aang looked at her, astonished. He looked deep into her eyes and held her face in his hands, "You can never think that. Do you understand me? None of this is your fault. You have to believe that; believe me." She looked into his eyes for a while, his child-like grey eyes made her loose her train of thought; she inhaled taking in his scent then nodded her understanding. Aang stood up and took Katara's hand in his. She smiled at him, and then they started walking back to the camp. They snuggled up next to Appa and gratefully got a few hours more sleep.

The next morning Toph yelled for everyone to get up. The group groaned but they were too afraid of the small earthbender to protest. Hui asked Aang how long he thought it would take to get back home. She was stunned when he said they weren't going back. Toph, hearing the conversation, stumbled to Aang, grabbed a fist full of his shirt in her hand, and pulled him to her eye level, "And why not?" she whispered fiercely. Aang gulped, he was about to explain when Katara butted in.

"We're going after Azula, Toph. Now let go of him."

Toph scoffed but let go of her student and stumbled back close to where she was sitting before. Mei offered her some soup she had made for the group but Toph refused. Mei shrugged and gave it to Hui, who gladly accepted it; she held the bowl close to her chest, taking in the warmth. Aang gathered up their things with the help of the Kyoshi warriors. He explained why they were looking for Azula and that they needed to get moving if they wanted any hope of finding her. They weren't pleased with the idea, but went along anyway, since without Aang they didn't have a safe way home. After filling their stomachs with a warm breakfast they all gathered on Appa and began their search. They were all grouped; Appa, Katara, Toph and Momo were sitting on Appa's head, Piao, Zhong, and Mei were sitting in the front of the saddle, and Hui and the Kyoshi warriors were sitting in the back. It was a tight fit, but they knew that their mission was important. Katara didn't speak after that morning when she was yelling at Toph, she just had a glare on her face, and a single tear that was able to escape and fall down her cheek.

AN: So, there was going to be more but I decided against it seeing as how I really like the ending. And, I hope that was enough Kataang for you romance lovers. (even though it wasn't really romance…) Okay, so, I recently read this fanfic (An avatar one of course), it was pretty good – not 'OH MY GOD MY LIFE HAS CHANGED' good, but still worth the read. But, THEY DIDN'T FINISH, like, WTF? (They even said they were going to) I promise I will finish this story! (Unless, you know, you guys hate it or I die or something…) It makes me so mad!

All right, rant over. 11 should be up soon! (It's in progress as of right now)

And hey, you didn't have to wait 2 weeks this time! Hooray! xD

So; read, review, critique? Yes? No? Maybe? LOBSTER?

Stay Flamein'! ;)

Luna

P.S. - I want to do a fun fact! Kaya's name means 'pure'. FUN. FACT.

P.P.S. – If you want the name of the story I would be more then happy to tell you! (That is, if I can remember it)