A/N: Ok, before you read, you should know that I skipped the Great Divide episode. Someone told me that it kinda was a pointless episode, and frankly I was planning on cutting Gohan out of the adventure in that one. Thinking back on that, I saw that it was a bit pointless; I mean, the only value that episode had was that Aang could bring peace by lying. Anyway, moving on to the Storm and a little backstory surprise in store.

Disclaimer- I own nothing

Chapter 11

It was nighttime and everyone was fast asleep. The Avatar was having a nice dream of flying through the clouds on his trusty bison. He looked to his left to see Sokka flying with his glider, and Gohan riding on Icarus; the two smiled at him with joy and he returned their smiles. Katara appeared on his right, riding on a giant Momo; she waved at the Airbender as the seven soared in happiness.

"We need you Aang," said Katara.

"I need you too," said Aang.

Aang then noticed a giant storm cloud in their path. "Be careful, guys! Guys?" said Aang, but when he looked around, he saw all his friends were gone and that he was riding on Appa alone. As they flew towards the storm cloud, Aang's airbending master descended in front of him. "Gyatso?" asked Aang. "Why did you disappear?" Gyatso asked his pupil.

"I didn't mean to," replied Aang sadly. He tried to touch his late guardian, but he quickly faded away. The Avatar and the Sky Bison flew straight into the storm cloud as they heard Gyatso's voice say, "We need you Aang." Aang screamed in terror as the stormed started pouring violently on him and Appa; the storm eventually hurled the two into the sea. Aang let go of the reins and fell unconscious as he sank deeper underwater, voices of his loved continued to speak as he drowned. "We need you Aang, we need you. We need you Aang, we need you."

An image of the Fire Lord appeared and Aang woke up. His sudden awakening startled Momo who crawled onto Gohan, then Katara, and then Sokka, waking up all three in the process. Sokka brought out his weapons instinctively.

"What's going on? Did we get captured again?" Sokka asked sleepily.

"It's nothing; I just had a bad dream. Go back to sleep," said Aang.

"Don't have to tell me twice," said Sokka as he lay back down.

Concerned for their friend, Katara and Gohan turned to talk to him. "Are you alright, Aang?" asked Katara.

"I'm ok," Aang lied.

"You seem to be having a lot of nightmares lately," said Katara. "You wanna tell me about it?"

"I think I just need some rest," said Aang.

"Bro, there's clearly something bothering you," urged Gohan, but Aang refused to say more. "Well, if you ever wanna talk about it, we're here for you."

"You guys wanna hear about my dream?!" asked Sokka cheerfully. When no one answered him, his mood went down and he said, "That's ok, I didn't wanna talk about it anyway."

The next morning, the Gang was cleaning up their campsite. The waves splashed against the shore and the sky shined beautifully. Appa yawned as Aang sat on his head. "Look at those clear skies, buddy. Should be some smooth flying," said Aang as he saw a flock of birds flying.

Katara checked their bag for food, only for crumbs to drop out of it. "Well, we better smoothly fly ourselves to a market, cause we're out of food." said the Waterbender as she climbed Appa's tail.

"Guys, wait! This was in my dream, we shouldn't go to the market," warned Sokka.

"What happened in your dream?" asked Katara.

"Food eats people!" Sokka said weirdly, making his friends frown at him. "Also, Momo could talk. You said some very unkind things,"

"You're crazy," said Gohan. "And besides, talking food isn't enough to stop me from eating!"

"Fine, but it's your funeral," said Sokka.

Elsewhere, a certain Fire Navy Ship was sailing through the seas. Prince Zuko was looking at the skies through a telescope while Iroh was sniffing the air. "There is a storm coming," Iroh alerted his nephew. "A big one."

"You're out of your mind, uncle!" argued Zuko. "The weather's perfect, there's not a cloud in sight!"

"A storm is approaching from the north," said Iroh. "I suggest we alter our course and head southwest."

"We know the Avatar's traveling northward, so we will do the same," said Zuko.

"Prince Zuko, consider the safety of the crew," advised the old General.

"The safety of the crew doesn't matter!" said Zuko. One of his soldiers then came on the deck and looked at the royals; the soldier raised an eyebrow and Zuko glared at him. "Finding the Avatar is far more important than any individual's safety," said Zuko to the soldier's face before walking away. The Fire soldier glared at the Fire Prince as he entered the ship. "He doesn't mean that, he's just all worked up," Iroh assured the soldier.

At the Market, Appa was parked at the docks while the Gang was shopping for food. Katara was thoroughly inspecting a melon while the old lady merchant was growing annoyed, trying to get her to buy it.

"Ah it's good. It's perfect, I'm telling you!" urged the old lady.

Katara shook the melon and it made a swish sound. "I don't know if I like the sound of that swishing," said Katara.

"Swishing means it's ripe!" explained the lady as she walked around the table to stand in front of Katara. "It's the ripe juices swishing around!"

"I think that's true, Katara, swishing means it's ripe," agreed Aang.

"Whatever, can we just buy so I can eat it?" complained Gohan. "I'm hungry."

"I just realized, we're out of money anyway," said Katara sweetly.

The old woman groaned as she snatched a basket of food from Sokka and kicked him in the rear as he walked past her. "Out of food and out of money," complained Sokka as he massaged his bottom. "Now what are we supposed to do?"

"You could get a job, smart guy," suggested Katara.

An old couple walked by them; the husband was planning on going fishing while his wife argued against it. "We shouldn't go out there! Please, the fish can wait; there's going to be a terrible storm!" pleaded the wife. This news seemed to upset the Avatar. "Ah you're crazy, it's a nice day! No clouds, no winds, no nothing, so quit your nagging, woman!" argued the old man. "Maybe we should find some shelter," suggested Aang. "Are you kidding?" asked Sokka. "Shelter from what?"

"Are you ok, Aang?" asked Gohan.

"My joints say there's going to be a storm, a bad one!" the wife warned her husband.

"Well, it's your joints against my brain," argued the fisherman.

"Then I hope your brain can find someone else to haul that fish, 'cause I ain't coming!" said the woman.

"Then I'll find a new hauler and pay 'em double of what you get," assured the fisherman. "How do you like that?!"

"I'll go!"Sokka volunteered.

"You're hired!" said the Fisherman.

Sokka's friends looked at him with concern while the fisherman smirked at his wife. "What?" asked Sokka when he saw their faces. "You said get a job, and he's paying double!"

"Double? Who told you that nonsense?" asked the fisherman.

Back on Zuko's ship, everyone got a clear sight of the storm clouds Iroh warned about approaching from the north. The Ship sailed toward the dark clouds while the crew was on deck. As Zuko and Trunks came onto the deck, the Fire soldier from earlier addressed the son of Ozai. "Huh, looks like your uncle was right about the storm after all."

"Lucky guess," said Iroh.

"Lieutenant! You'd better learn some respect or I'll teach it to you," Zuko warned the soldier as he got in his face. The Fire Prince walked away, but the soldier decided to press on. "What do you know about respect?" he asked, making Zuko stop; Iroh tried to signal the soldier to stop egging Zuko on, but he didn't listen. "The way you talk to everyone around here, from your hard working crew to your esteemed uncle, shows you know nothing about respect!" Zuko's face grew angrier as the Lieutenant continued to speak. "You don't care about anyone but yourself; then again, what should I expect from a spoiled prince?"

His patience at an end, Zuko took a Firebending stance and Lieutenant took the same stance. "Easy now," said Iroh. The two Firebenders ignored him and approached each other; their wrists clashed and they pushed at each other. Before it could go any further, a sword was drawn in between their faces by Trunks.

"We're not supposed to be fighting amongst ourselves; we're all a part of this crew," said Trunks "That means we're all supposed to respect each other. We're here for one reason, to capture the Avatar and return to the Fire Nation with him. So let's all just get along and not do something we'll regret."

The two Firebenders broke away as Trunks put his sword away; they were still glaring at each other when General Iroh came to ease the tension.

"Ok, ok, we're all a bit tired from being at sea so long. I'm sure after a bowl of noodles, everyone will feel much better," said Iroh

The Lieutenant walked away while Zuko just turned around. "I don't need your or anyone's help keeping order on my ship!" said Zuko to his Uncle. Iroh put his hand on his nephew's shoulder, but Zuko shrugged him off and walked away. Trunks went up to his fellow Prince and said, "Lieutenant's right you know, you do need to start showing more respect towards your crew. They're here to assist us and they've sacrificed a lot to help us regain our honor." before leaving Zuko alone.

Back at the market, Sokka was helping the Fisherman who hired him load his supplies into his boat. The dark clouds managed to spread toward the market, which made Aang a little worried. "Sokka, maybe this isn't such a good idea; look at the sky," said Aang.

"I said I was going to do this job, I can't back out because of some bad weather," argued Sokka as he brought more stuff into the boat.

"What's wrong Aang?" Gohan inquired when he noticed Aang's worried face. Aang stared at the sky as he replied, "I just don't like the way the clouds look."

"The boy with the tattoos has some sense," said the old wife to the Fisherman. "You should listen to him!"

The Fisherman stopped loading things into his boat and looked at Aang. "Boy with tattoos? Airbender tattoos." He then approached Aang with a hard look on his face, which made Aang a little nervous. "Well I'll be a hog monkey's uncle, you're the Avatar, ain't cha?"

"That's right," confirmed Katara as she and Aang smiled.

"Well don't be so smiley about it," said the Fisherman, making the teens frown. "The Avatar disappeared for a hundred years; you turned your back on the world!" The Fisherman jabbed his finger at the young monk as he spoke.

"Don't yell at him; Aang would never turn his back on anyone!" said Katara defensively.

"Oh, he wouldn't huh, then I guess I must've imagined the last hundred years of war and suffering," said the fisherman. His words seem to make Aang feel guilty.

"Aang is the bravest person I know! He's done nothing but help people and save lives since I met him," argued Katara. She was so focused on arguing with the fisherman that she didn't notice Aang slowly backing away in shame. "It's not his fault he disappeared, right Aang?" When there was no reply, she turned around to see Aang's sad look. "Aang, what's wrong?" Instead of answering, the Airbender opened his glider and flew away.

"Aang, wait up!" cried Gohan. He quickly hopped on Icarus and said, "Let's go, Icarus!" before his dragon took off after the Avatar.

"That's right, keep flying!" the fisherman yelled to Aang.

"You're a horrible old man!" said the Waterbender before she climbed onto the sky bison. "Appa, Yip-yip!" ordered Katara. The bison ascended toward the sky; his ascension caused water to splash onto the fisherman.

"Hey, they left without saying goodbye," complained Sokka when he came up and saw that his friends were gone.

"Your friends ain't too polite, are they," said the fisherman.

"I know, this one time I was—" said Sokka before he was interrupted.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, get below deck," ordered the fisherman as he handed Sokka a big crate.

Gohan and Katara flew through the rain as they searched for Aang; the two looked around until they noticed a small cave in the mountains. They entered the cave and saw Aang sitting in the dark, looking in sadness. "Are you ok, Aang?" asked Gohan.

"I'm alright," replied Aang. "I'm sorry I ran away like that."

"It's ok, that fisherman was way out of line," said Katara.

"Actually, he wasn't," said Aang.

"What do you mean?" asked Katara.

"I don't wanna talk about it," said Aang

"It has to do with your dream, doesn't it?" asked Katara. "Talk to us."

"You can't keep this in anymore, bro, you have to talk about it if you want to get over it," said Gohan.

"You already know about this, Gohan, but Katara and Sokka don't, and it's kind of a long story," said Aang. Momo jumped onto his lap and Appa nudged against Aang's head as he moaned.

"I think we've got time," said Gohan as Icarus sat beside him.

"I'm gonna try to get a little fire going," said Katara as she walked off.

Moments later, Katara was poking at a small campfire with a stick, Appa was resting at the side, Gohan and Aang sat next to each other and Momo sat in Aang's lap. "I'll never forget the day the monks told us I was the Avatar," recalled Aang. "I was playing with some other kids just outside the south wall; I was trying to teach them how to do the Air Scooter."

Flashback- Many young Airbenders were at the Southern Air Temple, some of them were playing amongst themselves while others were circled around Aang. Gohan was sitting behind his brother as he demonstrated the Air Scooter.

"First you form a ball, then you gotta get on quick!" instructed Aang as he created an air ball before jumping onto it and balancing on one leg. He then zoomed around the temple on the air scooter, cheering and laughing. One of the spectators tried to copy Aang's technique by creating his own air ball.

"Ok, here goes!" said the Airbender as he made his own scooter.

"Quick, get on!" said Aang.

The boy jumped onto the scooter but landed on his butt; he started spinning rapidly on the scooter before falling off. Aang got off his own scooter and said, "You kinda have to balance on it like it's a top."

"Man, that's hard!" said the boy. "Not even Gohan could do something like that!"

"Wanna bet?!" asked the Energybender. "Aang, hit me!"

Aang created another air sphere and tossed it toward his brother. Gohan got on and balanced on one leg; he then rode on the scooter just as Aang did earlier on. The spiky haired teen then got off and told the Airbenders, "It's not as easy as it looks, you have to really practice if you wanna get it."

One of the Airbenders in training came up to Aang and asked, "Where'd you learn that trick, Aang?"

"I made it up," replied Aang.

"Wow!" said the boy, clearly amazed.

"Aang, come with us," said Monk Gyatso. He stood with four other Monks on the stairs. "We need to speak with you." Aang looked a bit nervous as he approached the Monks. Before they left, Gyatso turned to the Energybender and said, "You may come too, Gohan." Gohan nodded as he followed the Monks. The two boys were soon sitting in another room with the five monks facing them. The head monk sat in the middle under an umbrella with two monks at his left and right sides each.

"How do you know it's me?" asked Aang.

"We have known you were the Avatar for some time," answered one of the monks. "Do you remember these?" He then pulled out a rolled up sheet. The monk blew it toward the boys where it rolled open and revealed four different toys. One was shaped like a hog monkey, one was a paddle with the air symbol on it, another had a propeller and a string attached to it, and the last one resembled a turtle.

"Those were some of my favorite toys when I was little," said Aang as he recognized the toys.

"You chose them from among thousands of toys, Aang; the toys you picked were the four Avatar relics. These items belonged to Avatars' past, your own past lives," explained the monk.

"I just chose them because they seem fun," said Aang as he picked up the toy with the propeller and pulled on the string. The propeller flew through the air, which made Aang smile.

"You chose them because they were familiar," corrected the monk.

"Normally, we would've told you of your identity when you turned sixteen," explained Gyatso. "But there are troubling signs, storm clouds are gathering."

"I fear that war may be upon us, young Avatar," said the Head Monk.

"We need you, Aang," said Gyatso.

"What about me?" asked Gohan. "I'm sure you didn't call me here just to tell me that Aang's the Avatar."

"You are correct, my young pupil," said Gyatso. "We believe that Aang's destiny as the Avatar is intertwined with your own."

"What do you mean?" asked Gohan.

"Ever since Gyatso found you, it was clear that you were special," said the Head Monk. "And as we watched you grow over the years, we've learned that you possess great hidden potential, capable of rivaling even the Avatar's."

"Really?" asked the boys.

"Yes, your powers are greater than anything the world has ever seen, even for an Energy bender," said Gyatso. "We believe this power could be a sign that you will play a great role in assisting Aang and guiding the Energybenders of the future."

"We fear that this war will reveal the true purpose of the Energybenders' return, so we must be ready if we want to survive these dark times," said the Head Monk. "Brace yourself boys, the time to accept your destinies is near."

The two boys looked at each other before bowing their heads in obedience. -Flashback ends

Aang hung his head sadly as he remembered his past. Gohan put his arm around his brother to comfort him, and Katara could only look at the boys with wonder in her eyes.

On Zuko's ship, some of the crew members were gathered around a fire, eating and drinking while listening to the Lieutenant complain about the Fire Princes. "I'm sick of taking his orders and I'm tired of chasing his Avatar! I mean, who does Zuko think he is?!" asked the Lieutenant. "And Trunks is no better. He's always by Zuko's side; the kid's like Zuko's shadow. He's always agreeing with everything he does. What's the deal with those two anyway?!"

"Do you really want to know?" asked a voice above them, the crew members looked up to see the Dragon of the West listening to them.

"General Iroh! We were just..." said the Lieutenant before he was pardoned.

"It's ok. May I join you?" asked Iroh.

"Of course, sir," said the Lieutenant.

Iroh sat down with the crew and stroked his beard as he spoke. "Try to understand, my nephew and my son are complicated young men; they've been through so much together…"

Flashback- A younger Prince Zuko and Trunks were walking together down the hall toward the war chamber for the meeting, but before they could enter the chamber, the guards at the side moved in front of the entrance and blocked their paths.

"Let us in!" ordered Zuko.

"Prince Zuko, Prince Trunks, what's wrong?" asked Iroh when he arrived.

"Zuko just wants to listen to the war meeting," explained Trunks.

"But the guards won't let us pass," said Zuko.

"You guys aren't missing anything, trust me," said Iroh. "These meetings are dreadfully boring."

"If I'm going to rule this nation one day with Trunks by my side, don't you think we need to start learning as much as we can?" Zuko asked his Uncle.

"We're interested in seeing how far we've gotten in this war, to learn when it will end," said Trunks. "Please, father."

"Very well, but you both must promise not to speak," warned Iroh. "These old folks are a bit sensitive, you know."

"Thank you, Uncle," said Zuko as he bowed.

"Thank you, Father," said Trunks as he did the same.

General Iroh granted the boys permission into the war chamber and led them inside. Inside, the Fire Lord sat on his throne, surrounded by fire. His army leaders were all gathered around a board with war pieces, discussing a battle strategy. Zuko and Trunks sat beside Iroh as they listened to the Fire soldiers.

"The Earth Kingdom defenses are concentrated here," said a Fire General. "A dangerous battalion of their strongest Earthbenders and fiercest warriors, so I am recommending the 41st division." The general moved a fire piece toward a few earth pieces to explain his plan.

"But the 41st is entirely new recruits," said a fire commander. "How do you expect to defeat a powerful Earth Kingdom battalion?"

"I don't," replied the General. "They'll be used as a distraction while we mount an attack from the rear; what better to use as bait than fresh meat?"

"You can't sacrifice an entire division like that!" shouted Zuko as he stood up and glared at the army leaders. "Those soldiers love and defend our nation, how can you betray them?!"

All eyes were now on the son of Ozai; the army leaders all held stern looks toward Prince Zuko. Flashback ends.

"Zuko was right you see, but it was not his place to speak out, and there were dire consequences," explained Iroh to the crew.

"So you were upset that you were the Avatar?" asked Katara. "Why wouldn't you be excited about it?"

"Well, I didn't know how to feel about. All I knew is after I found out, everything began changing," said Aang.

Flashback resumes- Aang and Gohan had come to check on their airbending friends. They saw them all happily riding on the air scooters, now having fully mastered them.

"Hey not bad, you guys have been practicing," said Aang.

"Not only that, we made up a game you can play with the air scooters," said the little Airbender as he circled Aang.

"Great!" Aang created his own air scooter and hopped on; immediately, all the air children got off their scooters. "What's going on?" asked Aang.

"Now that you're the Avatar, it's kind of an unfair advantage for whichever team you're on," explained an Airbender.

"But I'm still the same, nothing's changed," said Aang. When no one believed him, he asked, "So what, I can't play?"

"That's the only fair way," said the Airbender.

"Oh, ok." said Aang sadly as he got off his scooter.

"Sorry, Aang," said the little Airbender.

"So, you guys are gonna use the technique Aang created to play a game and not include him just 'cause he's the Avatar?" asked Gohan.

"You could still play if you want, Gohan," offered one of the Airbenders.

"No thanks," Gohan quickly said, and the two brothers walked away, leaving the air children to play their game.

"Ok, now who wants to have Jinju on their team?" asked an Airbender as he pointed toward a goofy looking Airbender who was covered with smoke. Jinju pointed to himself and nodded joyfully.

Inside their room, Aang was playing a game of Pai Sho with his mentor/guardian while Gohan watched. Although his mentor was into it, Aang was still feeling depressed about the air children distancing themselves from him. He moved his tile on the board without looking.

"Very interesting move, young one," said Gyatso as he put one hand behind his back.

"What do you mean?" asked Aang as he looked at the board.

His master waved the his hidden hand, creating an air current that flew over their heads and blew Aang's shirt over his face to cover his eyes. Gyatso quickly switched the tiles around just as Aang pulled down his shirt. "Hey!" said Aang as he pointed to the tiles. The three benders started laughing at Gyatso's trick.

"Good one, Gyatso," said Gohan before he looked to his brother and asked, "Feeling better, Aang?"

"A little," replied Aang.

"Just remember, even if the other kids push you away, you'll always have Gyatso and I by your side," said Gohan as he put his arm around Aang.

"Thanks, bro," said Aang as he smiled.

The room door was suddenly opened and one of the Monks appeared in the doorway. "You're playing games with them?" asked the Monk. "The Avatar and his brother should be training!"

"Aang and Gohan have already trained enough for today," said Gyatso, but the Monk was not convinced.

"Time is short. Come with me, I must test you both on some high level techniques!" said the Monk as he gestured the boys to follow him. The brothers got up, but were quickly stopped by their mentor. "No! As long as I am their guardian, I will decide when they train, and when they get their butts kicked at Pai Sho," dismissed Gyatso. The other Monk humphed before leaving angrily, and the two boys smiled at their master. Flashback ends.

"After Zuko's outburst in the meeting, the Fire Lord became very angry with him," explained Iroh. Prince Zuko turned to his Father as the fire around his throne grew larger. "He said that Zuko's challenge at the General was an act of disrespect, and there was only one way to resolve this…"

"Agni Kai, a fire duel," answered Lieutenant.

"That's right," said Iroh. "Zuko looked upon the old General he had insulted and declared that he was not afraid, but Zuko misunderstood…"

Flashback resumes- The ring had four torches lit at every corner. Hundreds of people were seated in the audience around the ring where Zuko's duel was to take place. The Fire Prince knelt with his back turned to his opponent while wearing a fire cloth. The son of Ozai turned to face his opponent as he took a stance; when he saw the other Firebender in the ring, his face changed from calm to confusion and the fire cloth slowly fell to the ground as the young prince stared at the bender he would be fighting in fear. Flashback ends.

"When he turned to face his opponent, he was surprised to see it was not the General," explained Iroh. "Zuko had spoken out against the General's plan, but by doing so in the Fire Lord's war room, it was the Fire Lord whom he had disrespected. Zuko would have to duel his own Father!"

"Then, just when I was starting to feel better, something worse happened," said Aang sadly.

Flashback resumes-The Monk from earlier and Gyatso were discussing Aang's development with the Head Monk.

"Aang needs to have freedom and fun; he needs to grow as a normal boy," said Gyatso.

"Humph, you cannot keep protecting him from his destiny," said the other Monk.

"Gyatso, I know you mean well, but you are letting your affection for the boy cloud your judgment," said the Head Monk.

"All I want is what is best for him," said Gyatso humbly.

"But what we need is what's best for the world," said the Head Monk. "You and Aang must be separated; the Avatar will be sent away to the Eastern Air Temple to complete his training!"

Unknown to the other Monk and the Head Monk, the new Avatar was hiding in the bushes listening to the conversation; his face was full of shock when he heard the Head Monk's decision.

"What?! You can't just send Aang away!" cried Gohan as he revealed himself to the Monks.

"Gohan," said Gyatso.

"Stay out of this, boy!" said the Monk.

The Energy bender ignored the Monks and approached the Head Monk. "Look sir, what you're doing isn't going to get Aang to fulfill his destiny any faster, it'll just make him afraid to accept it," said Gohan. "Aang may be the Avatar, but he's still a fourteen year old boy; you can't spring all this on him and expect him to just go along with it. He needs his friends and family by his side in order to be strong."

"What he needs, young Energy bender, is to be isolated so that he can focus on mastering the elements and protecting the world," said the Head Monk. "The Avatar must let go of his attachments if he hopes to reach his full potential, which is why he must be sent away! I also see that you are not ready to accept your destiny as Aang's delegate, and that you will only hinder the boy."

"What are you saying?" asked Gohan.

"You need to be kept as far away from Aang as possible; you will be escorted by a few of our Airbenders to the Western Air Temple while Aang will be sent to the Eastern Air Temple," announced the Head Monk.

"No! You can't, we're brothers!" argued Gohan.

"Not by blood, and my decision is final!" said the Head Monk.

Gohan looked like he wanted to say more, but Gyatso placed his hand on the boy's shoulder and shook his head no; Gohan turned away, very upset. Aang watched as his brother left, knowing that there was no changing the Monk's decision. Flashback ends

"That's awful, guys," said Katara. "I don't know what to say."

"It's fine, Katara," assured Gohan.

"No, it's not fine!" said Aang as he stormed away. "How could they do that to us?! They wanted to take away everything I knew and everyone I loved!" As the Avatar yelled, his tattoos started to glow and the air around him began to expand; it blew against the fire, spreading the cinders through the air.

"Whoa, hot cinders!" cried Katara.

"Aang, calm down!" said Gohan.

The glow on Aang's tattoos died down and he sat back with his friends. "I'm sorry I got so mad," he apologized.

"You have a right to be angry after the Monks sent you away like that," said Katara.

"Well, that's not exactly what happened," said Aang. "I was afraid and confused; I didn't know what to do…"

Flashback resumes- The Air children were laughing as they played the game they invented with Aang's technique. The Avatar watched them sadly from his room window before turning away; he plopped onto his bed and stayed there.

Late at night, Gyatso came to the boys' room to check on them. He tapped on the door and it creaked open. "Aang? Gohan? I'm not going to let them take you both away from me," assured Gyatso. "Boys?" When the Monk entered the room, he saw Gohan facing the window while looking downward. Gyatso noticed the opened scroll on Aang's bed and read it; he gasped as he understood where the Avatar was and looked out the window in horror.

Lightning flashed as it rained everywhere; "I never saw Gyatso again," said Aang. The Avatar and his Sky bison flew through the storm, but it soon became too strong for them to fly in, and just like in Aang's dreams, he screamed in terror as he and Appa were hurled in to the sea. Appa tried to stay above the water but the waves washed him and Aang under the sea. As the two sank deeper into the ocean, Aang suddenly entered the Avatar state and placed himself and Appa inside an air bubble that eventually hardened into ice.

The scene then changed to when Katara held Aang after releasing him from his century-old ice prison. "Next thing I knew, I was waking up in your arms after you found me in the iceberg." Flashback ends.

"You ran away," said Katara.

"And then Gohan left home to look for me and ended up stuck in the spirit world for 100 years," said Aang "And then the Fire Nation attacked our temple. My people needed me and I wasn't there to help."

"You don't know what would've…" said Katara before Aang interrupted her.

"The world needed me and I wasn't there to help!" cried Aang.

"Aang…"said Katara.

"The Fisherman was right, I did turn my back on the world!" agreed Aang.

"You're being too hard on yourself," said Katara. "Even if you did run away, I think it was meant to be. If you had stayed, you and Gohan would've been killed with all the other Airbenders."

"You don't know that," said Aang.

"I know it's meant to be this way. The world needs you now; you give people hope." said Katara.

Aang smiled at his friend as Momo jumped into his lap. He was now feeling better thanks to Katara's words.

"When Prince Zuko saw that it was his Father who had come to duel him, he begged for mercy," said Iroh.

Flashback resumes- Fire Lord Ozai slowly approached his son in the ring. "Please Father, I only had the Fire Nation's best interest at heart, I'm sorry I spoke out of turn!" begged Zuko. The Fire Lord ignored his son's plea as he approached him. "You will fight for your honor!" he demanded. "I meant you no disrespect; I am your loyal son!" Zuko assured as he fell to his knees and bowed his head humbly. "Rise and fight, Prince Zuko!" ordered Ozai. The Fire Lord was now directly in front of his kneeling son.

"I won't fight you!" refused the Fire Prince. "You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher!" declared Ozai. Zuko looked up at his father with tears pouring from his eyes. In the audience, General Iroh watched the "duel" with Commander Zhao behind him and Princess Azula in front of him. The Princess smirked with anticipation while the Commander watched with joy; Iroh held fear on his face as he witnessed his own brother slowly raise his fist.

"Since Zuko refused to fight, everyone knew that it would be over the moment Ozai gave the final strike," explained Iroh. "What we didn't expect was what happened next…"

Just as Ozai's fist lit on fire, a yellow energy blast was fired from the stands toward the spot where the Fire Lord stood in ring. Ozai was forced to jump back as the blast collided with the tiles in front of Zuko, and the Prince was blown back a bit by the combustion.

Everyone in the audience looked to see who would dare fire at the ruler of the Fire Nation. There were gasps all around when people saw that the traitor was none other than Prince Trunks. Trunks was dressed in a black gi with a red belt and wristbands. The lavender haired fighter slowly walked down the stand toward the ring. Everyone murmured their thoughts to one another as the Energy bender approached the ring.

Princess Azula looked to her blue haired friend who was seated next to her; the blue haired girl watched anxiously, which made Azula shake her head in disapproval. Iroh watched with wide eyes as his adoptive son placed his foot onto the ring. "What is the meaning of this, boy?!" demanded Ozai. Trunks stepped in front of Zuko, removed the top half of his gi and tossed it aside. "If Prince Zuko will not fight for his honor, then I, Prince Trunks, shall fight in his place!" declared Trunks

There were gasps all around the ring at this bold announcement. Fire Lord Ozai looked sternly at teen that challenged him and began laughing. "Step aside boy, this duel is none of yours to fight!" ordered Ozai.

"It is if you wish to strike Zuko, especially when he has refused to fight you and asked for your forgiveness!" said Trunks.

"Do you have a problem with the way I discipline my subjects?!" asked Ozai.

"Yes, and I will no longer stand aside and watch your tyranny to the innocent in our nation!" replied Trunks.

Ozai saw the look of determination on the boy's face and realized that he was not going to back down, so he said, "Very well, I will accept your challenge! If you manage to defeat me, I will forgive both you and Zuko's acts of disrespect." His face then became serious. "But if you lose, the both will face the punishment that was meant only for him!"

"Trunks please, don't do this!" cried Zuko.

The lavender haired teen looked back at his friend, who still held sadness and fear in his eyes; he gave Zuko a small smile before looking back at Ozai and saying, "I will accept whatever comes from the outcome of this duel!"

"Well then, shall we begin?" asked Ozai as he took a stance. Trunks nodded as he got into his own fighting position. The two combatants glared at each other. Everyone in the audience watched with anticipation. Zuko could only stare back and forth from his friend to his father in worry.

The fight started when Ozai shot a fireball at his opponent. Trunks reacted by firing a ki blast at the flames, allowing it to pass over his body without harming him. He then fired another energy attack at the Fire Lord, who engulfed his hand with fire and swatted the attack aside. Ozai launched two more fire attacks that Trunks dodged by rolling to the side. The lavender haired prince fired a ki ball at his opponent, and Ozai countered with a strong burst of flames. It collided with the energy ball and pushed it back at Trunks.

The attack knocked Trunks back a bit, allowing Ozai to steadily step forward. Trunks started firing multiple ki blasts at the Fire Lord, but Ozai swept his hand, creating a wave of fire that caused the attacks to detonate before they could reach him. Trunks fired two attacks at Ozai's feet; the Fire Lord launched himself into the air with his Firebending. Trunks then fired four ki blasts at his opponent. Ozai fire kicked two to the ring and blasted the other two away.

Trunks then cupped his hands together and channeled purple ki into them. "GALICK GUN, FIRE!" he shouted as he fired a purple beam at the Fire Lord. Ozai just smirked as he spread out his hands; he then set them on fire before putting them together. The beam clashed with the flaming hands and split in half, sailing past Ozai without injuring him. Trunks took a few heavy breathes as the Firebender descended to the ring. Ozai then shot a big fire blast at the Energybender. Trunks crossed his arms in front of his face, and the blaze of glory crashed right into the young prince.

The teen was slowly pushed back before he was suddenly blown away by the flames. Trunks landed on his back as his body was smoking a bit. Trunks slowly stood up, but as soon as he did, he was nailed by another fire blast from Ozai. The roaring flame pushed the Son of Vegeta back some more and Ozai moved closer to his foe. Trunks stood up once again and was hit by another fire attack from Ozai. Prince Zuko could only watch in horror as his father was only a few feet away from his friend.

Trunks once again stood up. Sweat slid down his head from the heat; it was already a very hot day, and the fire attacks only made thing worse. Trunks fired two more attacks but Ozai swatted them away with his Firebending. "You have a strong will, something I wish my son had, but you can't defeat me at you level of power," said Ozai.

"You son does have a strong will, you just can't see it, and I'm not backing down!" said Trunks.

"Such a shame, I admire your determination, Trunks," said Ozai. "If you surrender now, I'll forgive you for daring to oppose me."

When Trunks heard Ozai's offer, he grit his teeth; his fists were clenched as he channeled gold ki into them. "You're willing to forgive me for my act of disrespect, but not your own son?!" growled Trunks. He then shot his hands forward and formed a gold sphere in his palms. Gold Ki sparked all around the ring as Trunks glared at Ozai. "FINAL FLASH!" yelled Trunks as he fired a gold beam at his opponent, to which the Fire Lord quickly countered with a giant fire blast. The two attacks clashed and Trunks' attacks immediately pushed through Ozai's flames and collided with the Fire Nation's ruler.

The Fire Lord was thrown off his feet and landed flat on his back. Trunks then advanced on him by jumping toward his opponent. The Energybender landed in front of Ozai and leveled his right hand at him. Trunks focused ki into his right palm as he prepared to end the duel by scarring Ozai, while the Fire Lord looked at Trunks with a neutral expression.

Everyone waited quietly for Trunks to deliver the final blow. Azula watched in fear while her blue haired friend had a look of doubt on her face that Trunks would end it. Just when it seemed that Trunks would fire his attack, Zuko cried, "Don't do it, Trunks! Please!" Trunks looked back at his friend, hesitating in his attack; he then cancelled his attack and lowered his hand. This allowed Ozai to swipe Trunks' leg with a fire kick. Trunks was knocked off his feet and Ozai stood back up, then fired a big blaze of glory that consumed Trunks and pushed him to the other side of the ring.

"You were foolish to allow hesitation in your attack! That's what makes me stronger than you boy; I don't hesitate!" declared Ozai.

Trunks slowly stood up to resume fighting, but he was struck by another fire attack from his opponent. The Energybender's body was covered with red marks as he lay on the ground. Ozai slowly approached the fallen fighter in order to finish their duel. Zuko rushed toward his father and grabbed his wrist. "Please Father, stop this! No more!" begged the Prince. Ozai simply tossed his son aside and said, "I'll deal with you later Zuko, now I must end this duel!"

The Fire Lord turned to see Trunks on his feet again; his hands were leveled at Ozai while in the shape of a diamond. "BURNING ATTACK!" cried Trunks. He shot a gold energy ball at the Fire Lord, who quickly countered with an enormous blaze of glory.

Ozai's fire swallowed up Trunks' attack before crashing into Trunks and exploding. Trunks lay at the edge of the ring, his body singed and bruised. The Fire Lord shook his head in disappointment as he turned to walk away from the defeated teen.

"W-Wait, wh-where are you going?" stammered Trunks as he stood up weakly. "D-Don't walk away from me!"

Ozai turned to see Trunks standing again. His body was badly injured and he was breathing very heavily. "Trunks, you can't take anymore! Please stop!" all of Trunks loved ones thought in fear for his life. Trunks could feel his concentration slipping away with his consciousness, but he refused to give in. He channeled ki into his fist as he said, "Your puny flames won't be enough to bring me down!"

Trunks charged at Ozai and jumped up. He raised his hands above his head, planning to blast Ozai with another energy blast. The Energybender was suddenly struck in the stomach by an intense lightning attack from the Fire Lord. The lightning swam around Trunks' body as he was severely electrocuted. He screamed in agony as the lightning entered through his stomach and exited through his right eye. The audience watched as the Energybender suddenly collapsed on the ring, lifeless.

"Foolish boy, he refused to back down and he lost his life for it. What a waste," said Ozai.

"TRUNKS!" cried Zuko as he ran to his friend. He placed his hands on Trunks and saw that he was still breathing. "He's still alive!"

The Fire Lord slowly approached the Princes; he stood in front of them and looked down at Trunks. He noticed the burning red lightning shaped mark on his right eye and that he was barely breathing. "So he survived, but that doesn't mean he will be spared from the punishment for losing this fight," said Ozai. "And neither will you, Prince Zuko!"

Zuko looked up at his father in fear as Ozai slowly raised his fist and channeled fire into it. "I now see that both of you possess a weakness that will bring the downfall of our nation. If we are to win this war and achieve dominance over the world, we must snuff out whatever holds us back!" said Ozai. Zuko started to cry as his father continued to talk. "Your weaknesses will be purged out of the both of you, one way or another!"

Iroh watched as his brother showed no mercy toward either of the boys; he immediately turned his face away to avoid seeing Ozai carry out his strike. "Then, I looked away," explained Iroh, Zuko's cry of pain was heard throughout the whole stadium as he was struck by his own father. -Flashback ends

Iroh's face was full of pain as he remembered the suffering his nephew and adoptive son went through years ago.

"I always thought that Prince Zuko and Prince Trunks were in a training accident together," confessed the Lieutenant.

"It was no accident," said Iroh. "After the duel, the Fire Lord said that by refusing to fight, Zuko had shown shameful weakness, and that Trunks had shown the same weakness by hesitating and showing mercy. As punishment, they were banished and sent to capture the Avatar; only then could they return with their honor."

The crew members all held surprised looks on their faces as they now understood the deep pain that lay within their leaders. "So that's why they're so obsessed, capturing the Avatar is the only chance they have of things returning to normal," said the Lieutenant.

"Things will never return to normal," said Iroh. "But the important thing is the Avatar gives Zuko hope!"

"What about Trunks?" asked the Lieutenant.

"He could care less about returning to the Fire Nation just to be under Ozai's rulership, or capturing the Avatar to please him, but he can't bear to watch Zuko suffer. He just wants to help Zuko return home to everyone they care about, to help Zuko fulfill his destiny as future Fire Lord. That's why he's always trying to support Zuko in any way he can."

In his chamber, Zuko was sitting in front of four candles, meditating on his past. The son of Ozai started to remember times of happiness: playing with his family and friends, spending time with his beloved father, and looking forward to following in his footsteps to become the next Fire Lord. The once cheerful Prince with a pure heart was now an angry tyrant full of pain and sadness. Trunks then entered Zuko's chamber and saw him meditating; normally, Zuko would tell all to leave him in peace unless they have news about the Avatar, but he wasn't in the mood now.

The lavender haired Prince went over to his friend and placed his hand on his shoulder. Zuko gave a heavy sigh and said nothing. "I just want you to know that you're not alone on this mission, we both want to go home," said Trunks. Zuko turned to his friend and looked at his face. His eyes locked onto the lightning shaped scar on Trunks' right eye, a painful reminder of humiliation by Ozai. "We're in this together, and one day, we'll be able to return home."

The two Princes suddenly became alert when lightning struck the top of the fire navy ship…

"Help! Oh please, help!" cried the fisherman's wife from the entrance of the cave. Katara rushed to the old woman and helped her into the cave. "It's ok, you're safe!" she said.

"But my husband isn't," said the old woman.

"What do you mean? Where's Sokka?" asked Katara.

"They haven't retuned! They should've been back by now, and this storm is becoming a typhoon. They're caught out at sea!" explained the old woman.

This news seemed to worry the Avatar, who then stood up and announced, "I'm going to find them!"

"I'm going with you!" said Katara.

"I'm going too!" said Gohan.

"I'm staying here!" said the old woman.

After Gohan told Icarus to stay behind and Aang promised the fisherman's wife that they'd return soon, the three benders hopped onto Appa's saddle and flew into the storm.

Zuko's ship was swaying roughly on the sea; all the crew members were struggling to maintain balance on deck. "Where were we hit?!" asked Prince Zuko. "I don't know!" replied the Lieutenant. "Look!" cried Iroh as he pointed to the top of the ship, where the helmsman was dangling from the top of the ship by one hand. "The Helmsman!" cried Zuko. Lightning continued to flash near the top of the ship as the helmsman held on for his life. Prince Zuko and the Lieutenant quickly climbed the ship's ladder toward the Helmsman.

On deck, General Iroh took a deep breath and positioned himself. A lightning bolt struck the Dragon of the West, and he moved his hands as he channeled the lightning through his body and directed it toward the sea, getting slightly shocked in the process. His body was smoking and his hair stood out from the shock. The ship rocked again and the Helmsman was forced to let go of the ship. He fell but was immediately caught by the future Fire Lord. Prince Zuko passed the Helmsman to the Lieutenant as they climbed downward.

The gang was flying above the roaring waves, looking for Sokka and the old Fisherman. The rain continued to pour heavily while the waves continued to increase in size. "Where are they?!" asked Katara. The teens were suddenly caught in a large wave; the sky bison struggled against the waves. "Come on, Appa!" cried Aang. The beast swung its tail and flew high above the water as they headed toward a giant tidal wave that was about to swallow them. The Avatar had a determined look on his face and started to rapidly rotate his staff, allowing the gang to fly through the wave with ease.

"The boat!" cried Aang when he spotted it. "There!"

They flew toward the fishing boat, coincidentally passing over Zuko's fire navy ship. Onboard the ship, all of Zuko's crew members noticed the flying bison in the storm. "The Avatar!" exclaimed Prince Zuko. "What do you want to do, sir?!" asked the Lieutenant. Zuko thought about this for a moment and replied, "Let him go, we need to get this ship to safety!"

"Then we must head directly into the eye of the storm," advised Iroh as he smiled at his nephew.

At sea, the fisherman's boat rocked against the waves. The fisherman and Sokka were struggling to control the boat, but the storm fought back harder every time. "I'm too young to die!" cried Sokka.

"I'm not, but I still don't wanna!" yelled the fisherman.

Appa then flew close to the boat, allowing Aang to jump onboard. Lightning struck the mast of the boat, causing it to tip over toward the Avatar, the fisherman, and Sokka. Acting quick, Aang used waterbending to split the mast in half, saving himself and the two non benders, who had huddled together in fear.

Sokka then tied a rope around himself and the fisherman as Aang approached them. "Hang on to the rope!" said Aang. He then took the rope and jumped back onto Appa's saddle; the two men were then pulled straight onto Appa's saddle, but as soon as they were, an enormous wave appeared behind them. Before the Gang could escape it, they were consumed by the wave and knocked underwater. As the bison sank deeper under the sea, Aang slowly drifted away from Appa's saddle.

Aang's eyes slowly opened and he held his breath. He caught a glimpse of the rest of the Gang; they were all desperately holding onto the saddle but they were all unconscious. Aang's tattoos suddenly started glowing and he grabbed Appa's reins. Now in the Avatar State, the Avatar created an air bubble, like he did a century ago, in order to save his friends. The air bubble allowed the others to breathe and let Appa move freely through the sea.

The lightning continued to flash before the storm eventually calmed down. Zuko's ship sailed calmly through the sea as the rain let up. Prince Zuko stood with his uncle and fellow Prince as they sailed through the center of the storm. "Uncle," said Zuko, getting Iroh's attention. "I'm sorry." "Your apology is accepted, Prince Zuko," said Iroh, placing his hand on his nephew's shoulder as he accepted his humble apology. He then left his adoptive son and nephew alone.

"I thought you said the safety of the crew wasn't as important as finding the Avatar?" teased Trunks.

"I was wrong," replied Zuko. "Besides, without the crew, it'll be much harder to track down the Avatar."

"Wise thinking, Prince Zuko," said Trunks. He turned to leave him alone.

"And Trunks," said Zuko, getting Trunks to look at him again, "You're right, and one day we'll return home with our honor restored. Thanks."

"No prob," replied Trunks before he left.

Close to the ship, the Gang resurfaced from the water. The air bubble popped as Appa ascended out of the water and into the air. As the Gang flew over Zuko's ship, Gohan and Aang looked back at the ship, locking eyes with Trunks and Zuko. The Fire Princes watched the Gang fly into the clouds and disappear into the sky.

Moments later, the Gang had returned to the cave with the fisherman. His wife immediately came to greet them.

"Oh, you're alive!" said the wife as she embraced her husband. Then she released him and pointed to Aang. "You owe this boy an apology!"

"He doesn't have to apologize," said Aang.

"What if instead of an apology, I give him a free fish and we call it even?" offered the fisherman.

"Actually, I don't eat meat," said Aang.

"Fish ain't meat!" said the fisherman.

Sokka approached the married couple and spoke to the fisherman, "Seriously, you're still gonna pay me right?" Sokka asked as held out his hand. The fisherman answered by placing a dead fish in the Water Tribesman's hand, surprising him. His spiky haired friend then grabbed the fish and licked his lips. "This will make a great lunch," he said.

"Katara," said Aang to the Waterbender. "I think you were right before, I'm done dwelling on the past."

"Really?" asked Katara.

"I can't make a guess about how things would've turned out if I hadn't run away," said Aang. "I'm here now and I'm going to make the most of it!"

"Great to hear it, bro!" said Gohan once he heard Aang's resolve.

"I don't think you're gonna have those nightmares anymore," said Katara as she smiled.

The fisherman then came up to Aang and said, "And if you weren't here now, well, I guess I wouldn't be either. Thank you for saving my life, Avatar." The gratitude from the fisherman made Aang smile. Sokka then looked out the cave entrance as the rain ended. "Do you hear that? It stopped raining," said the Tribesman.

Everyone went outside to see the sun starting to shine through the clouds, but the beautiful moment was ruined when Appa started shaking his fur to dry himself off. Everyone standing by him was drenched before they backed away and complained to the beast.

A/N: Done, hope you guys like the insight on Trunks' back story! Don't worry, all will be revealed someday. Sorry to anyone who doesn't like how the Fire/Ki duel went, but I had to cut down the Saiyan Prince's power to make it fit in the Avatar universe. Please just roll with it, I'll make them stronger later in the story. Believe me, I have plans for the Future of Five Elements.

Keep reading and send your reviews/suggestions!

Oh, before I forget, to the guest who suggested I put Beat and Note from DBH in the story, I'll try to find a way to fit them into the story but at this point they may just be supporting characters or something like that. Let me know if that's alright with you.

Story recommendations:

Living the Past and New Face of Justice by Comorep677

Fallen Faunus by Xman321

Dragon Ball GT Super by JTD3

Naruto and Gohan: Legends will rise by Kang of Dragons

Kitsune Warrior by KuroArashi94

TTFN AntiHero out!