Aang swam in and out of a current of consciousness numerous times over the course of the next few days, catching flashes of light, snippets of conversations, hushed whispers and furious shouts, yet making no sense of any of it. Each time he roused into any semblance of awareness, the pain in his body would grow and exhaustion would hit him yet again, and he would pass off into a deep yet fitful sleep. For his friends, these next few days were filled with a deep fear that Aang was growing only sicker, his temperature soaring so high that even Katara was struggling to keep the fever at bay. None of them could truly make sense of what had happened, why Tonrar's attempt to control Aang had made him so dangerously ill, and this not knowing, as well as their humiliating defeat at Tonrar's hands left everyone is a state of numb shock. But all too aware were they of the strength Tonrar seemed to have, not only against Aang, but against them, left them no choice but to travel, feverish Aang in tow, as far away from the Southern Air Temple as they could get.

For ten straight hours they had flown. Not only was Appa struggling with remaining airborne for quite so long, it seemed as though the bison was also feeling Aang's sickness. Soft groans and whines came from his throat, and he started flying lower and lower to the ground, until it became clear that they were no longer afforded the luxury of choosing their next hiding place. Eventually, as they flew back over Earth Kingdom territory, Katara had had no choice but to steer the bison to land at the edge of a wooden copse. It may well have hidden them, but it certainly did not allow them any sort of vantage point, leaving them entirely at the mercy of their foe.

Katara, subdued and sick with worry, had quickly set to work making them something to eat, keen for any means to distract herself. Toph and Suki were quiet too, Toph seated herself on the ground, her feet and hands flush to the earth below her, listening intently, whilst Suki set to work wetting a cloth and placing it on Aang's forehead. But no one seemed as broken as Sokka, who uttered not a single word as they set up camp. The warrior was angry, he was exhausted, and he had been deeply affected by how easily they had been beaten by the spirit. His plan had, after all, almost gotten Katara killed, and had left Aang in a feverish state he may not wake up from any time soon. The warrior sat away from the group, scowling and scratching shapes into the ground with his boomerang, and the girls left him to his own devices, to deal with his loss in his own way.

Late during that first night, Aang had first woken. In excitement they had approached, only for them to realise that he was in the middle of a feverish dreams, tossing this way and that, muttering incoherently. At one point, his tattoo's had begun to glow, and in a panic the team had readied themselves for an onslaught, but he fell back into unconsciousness soon after, his body stilling once more.

For three days they traveled, sleeping by day in the smallest of spaces they could crawl into, and traveling at night in the hopes that they would not be spotted. Katara had spent much of the travel time with a field of glowing water between her hands and Aang, trying her hardest to heal him of whatever it was that was causing him such sickness. But his fever had grown worse. His dreams seemed to only get worse, and even more alarming Appa had taken to sitting close by, uttering a soft yet pained howl. Katara remembered clearly how terrified she had been when she watched Azula shoot lightening into Aang's back, the way he had fallen to the ground, and way she had felt no life in him before she had healed him with the spirit water. She had seen him die. And as she watched the bison howling, seeming to shrink in size, she felt that very same fear again. She was not alone, and on the third day, she had broken the silence that had fallen over the group.

"We need to go to the North Pole."

Sokka and Suki had looked up, but neither had spoken.

"Isn't that a bit too risky?" Toph asked. "We've been watching Aang slip in and out of the Avatar State for days, what if he really does go fully under? What about the people that live there?"

"Then I'll go on my own."

"Katara, how are you going to get there?" Suki asked softly. Katara swallowed hard, she knew the only option available to her, but the very idea broke her heart.

"I'll have to take Appa. I don't want to separate them, believe me it hurts to even say this right now, but you guys need to stay here and look after Aang and I'll go and get the spirit water. It could be the only thing that can save him."

"Katara you should stay here," Suki insisted. "Your healing might be all that's keeping him going, and if he does wake up, he's going to need you more than us."

"But they know me in the North Pole," Katara said fervently. "They won't turn me away if I ask ..."

"You can't leave him," Sokka muttered, speaking for the first time in an entire day. "They know me too. I'll go."

"Sokka, are you sure?" Suki asked, putting a hand on his arm, but he pulled it away.

"Yes, I'm sure. This was my plan, this was my fault. I've got to try and fix it." As Sokka had stood, Toph however had let out a loud groan.

"No, you're going to have to wait," she said, hands pressed to the grass. "There's someone nearby. It could be Tonrar."

"Or it could just be someone out for a walk," Suki suggested, standing also and looking into the trees that surrounded them.

"Do we really want to take that risk?"

Exchanging glances, the other three agreed. Yet again they lifted Aang up onto Appa's saddle, the airbender not even stirring, and were forced to flee.

"If Tonrar is just going to keep following us, how can anyone take Appa?" Suki asked miserably, looking back over their shoulders as they soured away from their camp. "Without Appa Aang's a sitting turtle duck."

No one replied.

However, it seemed that their luck was soon to change. Little did they know Aang, in the middle of his feverish delirium, was already fighting a battle. As he had passed out, his mind had fled straight back to the rocky plateau, the sky above no longer a languid icy river, but a deep smokey purple flashing with electric and rumbling with thunder. Three days to the group, seemed timeless to Aang, who had crouched in the ground, surrounded by jagged teeth, as his body seered with pain. However, this time he was not alone.

A figure with disturbing familiarity sat across from him. The air was hot and humid, stale tasting and suffocating, and the pressure around Aang only intensified the pain spreading and humming over his limbs. But he could not find it in him to move, to try and find shelter from this boiling place, he could only crouch, head low, and away from the gaze of the creature staring at him with dead grey eyes. Aang stared at the stone, his hands wrapped around his shoulders, shaking from what could only be described as pure cold terror. Fear like he had never felt. Fear that left him paralysed. He could hear the creature breathing as it regarded him, like a cat guarding its meal, and though he knew that it would be left ungranted, he prayed to whatever spirit was out there for it to turn away. To stop staring at him. To grow tired and leave. But in his heart he knew that it would not. He was scared to look up, to see those grey eyes.

In time, the creature had begun to stir, growing tired of its ceaseless watching. It had stood, and in spite of himself Aang had glanced up, catching sight of dirty bare feet adorned with a dull blue arrow, and he had instantly pulled in on himself. The creature began to pace, walking in circles around him, back and forth, closer and further away, as if trying to work out the best place to attack. The sound of bare feet on the stone was sickening, the feel of breath on his back terrifying. He began to feel the growing urge to yell, or scream, to just do something, but then those footfalls would start again, and his throat would constrict. The pain and rage and fury that he had felt when Tonrar had first laid attack on him, those bitter emotions that drove him into the Avatar State, seemed to have been replaced entirely by fear and panic. Whilst around him the creature grew more impatient, starting to growl and snarl. It was in front of him again now, walking closer until those feet came back into view and Aang had to shut his eyes tight.

"Look at me."

The voice made everything worse. There was no warmth in that voice, it sounded disgusted, furious, it sounded murderous. It had lost something, but he knew that voice. He knew it too well.

"I SAID LOOK AT ME."

Aang looked up, the rage and anger compelling and overpowering him, his fear so great that he felt as though, if he denied this creature its request, he would die then and there. Aang looked up, and he saw all that he had feared. A man stood in front of him, thin faced, wide eyed, tall and bony. Blue tattoos spread across his naked body, stretching down his arms and legs, and a large arrow visible under the mess of matted black hair.

"No," Aang managed to croak. And back in the mortal world, his group of friends had looked over, seeing him start to stir, moaning and shaking his head back and forth.

"No?"

"You're not me," Aang pleaded, now unable to look away from the perversion of his face. "I'm not you."

"I am the very BEST of you," the creature hissed, kneeling down now and leaning close to Aang. "I am the power, I am the destruction, I am the merciless, and I am the god of both those wretched worlds. I am what you once were, and what you will be. I am the devil you've tried to hide, the devil that has been set free."

"No," Aang repeated, rocking from side to side. "No no no-"

But the creature did not stop. It reached out a tattooed hand and grabbed Aang by the jaw, pulling his face painfully close.

"I am the only conclusion," he said. "The fury, the rage, that anger and hunger, the lust for obliteration. I am your pure potential." He raised his second hand, reaching a finger out to touch Aang's forehead, the center of his arrow.

"Don't," Aang whimpered, unable to summon the strength to break free. "Please ..." The cold finger made contact.

Yes, the group had not been aware that their luck was begin to change, however they were neither aware of what had really happened. If they were, they certainly would not have considered any triumph in Aang's fever seeming to break, and for him to wake up on that forth day ...

The pain had subsided somewhat when Aang finally roused. There was a deep fatigue that sat in his very bones, and his limbs felt like lead, and it was all he could manage to let out a low groan as he struggled to open his eyes. The perversion was no longer sat in front of him, in fact his waking mind instantly fogged over those memories, the feeling of the perversion's cold finger touching his forehead and the rush of emotion and power that had come as a result, and in only a matter of minutes he had forgotten it all completely. He groaned again, this time managing to open his heavy eyes squinting in the new light.

"Aang? Aang!"

He felt someone sit at this side, and warm hands were instantly pressed to his cheeks.

"Sweetie, are you with us?"

He tried to raise a hand to his face, but it fell limply to his side, like he had tried to move it through thick oil. He attempted to swallow, his throat constricted and sore, before trying to speak.

"Where are we?" His voice was hoarse, pained, but Katara let out a relieved little whimper.

"Safe," she replied, leaning in and kissing his forehead. "We're safe for now. Oh spirits, Aang, I was so scared ..."

He was able to open his eyes fully, and he looked round at her, for a second he was unable to remember any of the events of the previous week, but her frightened blue eyes brought it all back to him, one after the other, and he was hit with a panic. "What happened?" He demanded urgently, trying to raise himself up, before gasping at the pain that spread across his body as he did so, dropping back onto the ground. "Katara, what happened?"

"The plan didn't work," she answered sadly. "It just ... he guessed it was a trap, and those spirits he had ... we couldn't fight against them. He started to follow us, before you passed out, I think this time he wanted to hurt you. Badly."

Aang remembered the agony that had coursed through his body as Tonrar fought to gain control of his Avatar State. He was familiar, now, with the rush of rage and fury that came with Tonrar's attempts to gain power, but this time it had been stronger. Whether Tonrar had been trying to hurt him, or if he was just so desperate to gain control before Aang escaped, he couldn't say. But the affect it seemed to have had on him was great. His joints and muscles felt exhausted as if he had been forced to tread water for weeks, despite the evidence of a broken fever, his body clammy and smelling of dried sweat, he felt cold, a chill deep to his bones, and his head ... no, it wasn't even so much his head as his mind that felt pummeled. He became aware of Katara watching him intently, and he dragged his thoughts away.

"I think you're right," he replied quietly, his voice still hoarse. Katara remained silent for a moment longer, still watching him, before she stood up and walked a little ways away from him. She came back shortly after with a bowl of simmering soup, which she held up to his lips.

"Here, drink this."

He hesitated at first, his stomach churning uncomfortably at the thought of food, but let her feed him some soup. Immediately he felt warmth and relief course over his body, and his churning stomach rumbled in delight, realising just how hungry he had been. She helped him drink a little more until he gestured that he had had enough, before she set the bowl beside him, slipping one of her hands in his and looking down at him with sorrowful eyes.

"Where is everyone else?" Aang asked, his voice sounding refreshed from the soup. He had noted that they seemed to be in a small cave, the fire in the center casting warm shadows around them.

"They're outside," Katara replied, her eyes not leaving him. "We've ... well, it's not been easy to find anywhere to rest since we left the Temple, and Sokka wanted as many people on watch as possible."

"Is Tonrar still following us?" Aang asked seriously.

"I don't know," Katara admitted. "But whenever we feel anyone too close by we've had to leave, we can't risk it after, well ..." She tapered off, her eyes searching his face. "Spirits ... Aang, you scared the hell out of me."

"I knew this whole thing was a bad idea," Aang replied grimly. "I shouldn't have let that happen. You all could have died back there, and when Tonrar had you ..." it was his turn now to grow silent, looking up into her eyes. He could tell from the expression on her face that she understand, they both knew what it felt like to fear that they were going to lose one another for good, there was no need for Aang to explain any further.

Footsteps caught their attention, and Aang, now feeling strong enough to sit up, looked round to see this three friends enter the cave. Sokka, Suki, and Toph were all soaked where it was obviously raining very heavily outside, and they looked positively miserable. Their expressions, however, lifted, when they realised that Aang was up.

"You're awake!" Suki cried, rushing forwards and dropping to his side, where she quickly put a hand to his forehead. "The fever's gone, how do you feel?"

"I'm ok," Aang replied, smiling uncomfortably, and feeling relieved when Suki leaned back. He was already starting to feel a pang of discomfort as he found himself surrounded by people, the area around him become more claustrophobic. He glanced over at where Sokka and Toph were standing. Toph was subdued, but Sokka had a fire burning in his eyes that was untouched by the obvious exhaustion he caried on his shoulders.

"We need another plan," Sokka said, directly to Aang. Aang heard Suki huff with indignation beside him.

"Come on, Sokka, back off, can't you?" She snapped, getting to her feet.

"No, Sokka's right."

Everyone looked round in surprise at Aang, who had turned his attention to the fire in the center of the cave. The dancing shadows, all moving in unison, suddenly reminded him strongly of something that had almost gone unnoticed in the chaos of Tonrar's attack. Aang raised a hand, manipulating the flames so that that light dimmed, and the shadows slowed.

"Aang?"

"We know more about Tonrar than we did before," Aang continued, still watching the flames, the way the shadows responded to their each and every movement. "And we can still find a way to beat him."

"How?" Katara asked, now watching the fire herself. "What exactly do we know now that we didn't before?"

"There was a moment," Aang replied, "when Tonrar first saw me. It was just a moment, only a second, but when he was distracted he lost control of those spirits."

Silence followed his words, hope seemed to flash behind their eyes.

"They stopped fighting ... like, somehow they're independent of Tonrar. I think ... I think they're like me. Spirits, maybe once people, who are under his control."

"Like ... past Avatars?" Suki asked, nervously. For a second Aang considered this suggestion, but the idea that there were past Avatars under the control of a spirit seemed like something that Roku would not have kept from him.

"I don't think so," he replied hesitantly. "But, I guess, anything's a possibility by this point."

"So, what, we need to distract him?" Sokka asked, raising an eyebrow. "You know we tried that, right? And it didn't exactly work that well for us."

"No I think we need to know more," Aang answered, his voice steadying now. "We need to know how Tonrar controls these spirits, if that's what they are. Or rather, why he can control them. And me. If I can work out how he controls me, then maybe I can work out how to go into the Avatar State without him affecting me."

"But ... Aang how are you going to do that?" Katara asked, looking worried. "Sweetie, you can't be anywhere near him again, I don't know how much more your body can take."

"I won't have to go near him." Aang raised a hand to the back of his head, thinking deeply. There was no way they could approach Tonrar again without knowing more about what he was up against. And the only way he could think to find more information was to cross into the spirit world and ask his past lives, ask the ancient spirits, what Tonrar was. But therein lied another problem ... Aang hadn't been able to cross into the spirit world for a long time, he hadn't even been able to meditate. A wall had been created in his mind, and he needed to find a way to break it down. There was only one person in the mortal world that he thought could help him ... "We need to go to Ba Sing Sei."

"Say what?"

"Are you crazy?!"

Aang was taken back by the shock that followed his statement, but all four of them were looking at him like he had finally lost it.

"Tonrar can force you into the Avatar State and you want to go to the most heavily populated city in the world?" Toph asked, throwing her hands into the air. "Are you mental, Twinkletoes?"

"She right," Sokka said. "After what happened at the Temple I don't think we can risk this."

"Unless I can go into the spirit world I don't think there's anyway I can beat Tonrar," Aang replied, his voice strained. "And right now no matter what I try I'm stuck here. I can't cross over, and I can't ask my past lives or the spirits for help. There is only one person that I know who has passed into the spirit world as a human. He could be my only way of getting through."

There was silence for a time, the group looking among one another with doubt, frustration, and worry. Aang sighed.

"Look ... you know I don't want to play this card, but none of you listened to me when I told you ambushing Tonrar was a bad idea." Sokka stiffened at this, but didn't disagree. "I told you that we couldn't fight him. Now, please, just trust me this one last time."

Heavily, looks and sighs were exchanged, but no one would argue against his reasonings. One by one, shoulder dropped and, defeated, they nodded.

"Good," Aang said firmly, placing his hands behind him to attempt to get to his feet. "We'll leave now."

"Don't be ridiculous, you just woke up!" Katara said, hurryng forward.

"I can get plenty of rest on Appa," Aang replied, though his aching body agreed somewhat vehemently with Katara. He tried once more to get up, but could only grunt and grimace. "But, uh-" he suddenly felt very sheepish, his cheeks burning, "-could someone help me up?"

Sokka and Toph stepped forward, grabbing an arm each and helping to lift him from the ground. Aang tried to ignore Katara's flaring nostrils and disapproving looks as Aang hooked an arm round Sokka's shoulders for support. Sokka, however, had paused, and was looking Aang dead in the eye. He could see the shadow of their defeat bearing down heavily on Sokka, and realised that it had hit the warrior hard.

"You sure you're ready?" Sokka grunted. Aang nodded, and had opened his mouth to tell Sokka that it wasn't his fault, but he had looked away and started leading Aang to the exit of the cave.

Appa was delighted to see Aang up and about, and the excitable bison nearly bowled him and Sokka over onto their backs as he rushed over to lick them both and giving them a coating of saliva each. Appa's happiness had been mirrored in Aang, who had grinned widely at the sight of his friend and assured him that he was ok. With help from Toph's bending Aang was set down at the back of Appa's saddle once the bison had calmed down, and Momo had quickly taken his place on Aang's lap. It was dark out, the sun had just set, but this was how Aang preferred it. It was much harder to follow a flying bison in the dark.

Their journey continued through the next few days, flying through the night and sleeping during the day, though Aang's sleep was often fitful and interrupted by nightmare after nightmare, visions of being trapped in a cage of fire, and the ragged breathing of a creature waiting to strike. In spite of his nightmares and limited sleep, Aang was starting to feel his strength return to him, his body recovering from the heavy fever that had seemed close to taking his very life. The mental stamina of his companions, however, seemed to be waning. Sokka seemed to be driven entirely by a determination to come up with a new and better plan, and he would often be heard muttering to himself and scribbling in the dirt when they set up camp. Suki and Katara both seemed strained by the concern they both had for their boyfriends, and it seemed as though the pair of them had united in taking a role caring for the weakened group. Toph seemed to be struggling too, though Aang wasn't sure if it was down to her defeat at the hand of Tonrar's spirit, the amount of flying they were having to do, or still whatever had been bothering her since she had been picked up by Katara, Sokka, and Suki. Aang tried hard to focus on his own issues, namely what he would ask and who he would it to when he was finally able to cross over into the Spirit World, and not once did he let his mind venture over what he would do if he couldn't. Still, though, he found it incredibly difficult to concentrate when he woke in the middle of the night from a nightmare and saw Toph was still awake, staring sightless up at the sky, morose and quiet. On several occasions he debated asking her what was wrong, but she seemed to know exactly when he was about to open his mouth to speak because she would turn her head away and lay down, turning her back to him. He had never seen Toph this cut up about anything, and it was starting to worry him almost as much as Tonrar did.

Three full nights of travel passed before they finally reached the outskirts of the Si Wong Desert, and they had touched down for a last chance to scavenge some food and water for the long trip over the featureless sandy landscape that they would be spending a further two or three days traveling over. Aang was the most nervous, it had been a long time since Appa had last been in the desert, and he was worried that memories of what had happened there, when Appa had been stolen, would open some old wounds, in both himself and his friend. Appa's disposition certainly seemed to have changed somewhat, and as they sat down under the shade of the sparse trees on the side of the mountains that separated the desert from the rest of the lush lands of the Earth Kingdom, the bison made agitated sounds, often shuffling from large flat foot to large flat foot. However, it was the quickest route to Ba Sing Sei, and it was essential that they got there as soon as they could.

Eventually day turned to dusk, and the group readied to start. Aang was physically back to good strength now, and helped them pack their supplies onto the saddle before he himself took the reins. Katara, in all her wisdom, knew why Aang was so worried about traveling over the desert, and she gave his hand a comforting squeeze before she settled into the saddle. Predictably, Appa few more and more uneasy as they flew over the desert, his pace slow and low over the sands. The bison well remembered the first time he had traveled here, the people who had stolen him from his best friend, and it was evident to all that he really wanted to turn back and go another way. Several times Aang considered doing so, but it would cost them an entire week, if not more, to do this, and he was worried that there simply wasn't the time for even that right now. However it soon became clear that Appa was more than just anxious, but was growing terrified at the prospect of going much further across the desert. He had let out low, whining groans, his eyes wide as he seemed to try to look over his back to see Aang and find comfort. At that point Aang had moved forward, his hand gripping onto one of Appa's horns as he balanced himself on one of Appa's large arms, so that he could place a hand on the fretting bison's cheek before he started to chant softly to him.

"Sabbe satta avera hontu."

It caught the rest of the group by surprise, who had never head Aang sing to Appa before. Katara had heard Aang chant in the past, though it had always been from the very edge of a clearing, or from the roof of an inn, when he thought that she and the others were asleep. She had believed it was a way for him to reconnect with his long gone people, perhaps something he did when he found himself overwhelmed with thoughts of the past, and hearing Aang sing to Appa felt very much she was intruding upon something intimate and private, a part of the bond that Aang had with his best friend. It seemed that Suki and Sokka too felt uncomfortable being privy to something that was obviously so private and spiritual.

"Sabbe satta dukkha muccantu."

It wasn't a language that Katara was familiar with, but whatever Aang was saying it seemed to be have a profound affect on Appa, who they felt relax beneath him, and who began to soar higher into the sky. In truth, it was quite a beautiful sound. Aang's voice took to the language with such ease, the natural lows and highs of his accent fitting in with those of the words, and she reasoned that it made sense. After all, he was from a culture and a time so very different from her own, a culture that the world knew so little about thanks to the Fire Nation. It wasn't something that she would often muse over, but his voice, his facial features, were all very different from anyone else she had known and met on her travels, and perhaps for the very first time all of them realised quite how different he, and his culture, could be.

"Sabbe satta sukhi hontu."

The chant finished, and Appa seemed to be breathing much easier, his whining had stopped and he let out a low contended sigh as Aang pet his cheek once more. Momo, too, seemed to be purring slightly from his position on the head of the saddle, watching Aang.

"That was beautiful, Aang," Katara said softly, surprising herself at first. Aang looked back at her, blushing and smiling somewhat awkwardly though seeming pleased.

With Appa seeming calmed, they continued to fly until the sun began to rise and the group decided it would be best to try and find some shelter to rest and stay hidden in. The desert sun was unforgiving enough to prevent sleep, let alone travel, and despite how keen they were to get to Ba Sing Sei, there were some risks they could not take. However, the endless low dunes and featureless sand left them struggling to find anywhere ideal to land. In the end, Toph had leaned over the side of the saddle and pointed down at the ground.

"Just land anywhere," she said. "Let me feel for any stone or anything we can use."

Aang gently guided Appa down to the ever warming sand below, and before they had even landed Toph had jumped down, her bare feet digging well into the sand as she strode several meters in each direction, frowning as she listened intently.

"Not here, keep going a little further."

After several stops, Toph let out a triumphant cry as she kicked her feet several times into the sand below her. "Finally! I think we're in luck." She spat on each of her hands before rubbing them together eagerly. "Twinkletoes, come here."

Keenly Aang jumped from the saddle. to stand beside her. "Can you feel it?" She asked him. With his boots on, Aang couldn't feel anything beyond the fuzziness of the sand, so after kicking off his shoes and wincing at the heat of the sand, he buried his feet, closing his eyes and listening as Toph had taught him all those years ago. She was right. Not far below them, he sensed something large and-

"Stone," Toph grinned. She clicked her fingers and rolled her shoulders. "Out of the way, folks."

Aang stepped back towards Appa and watched as Toph bent her knees, clenched her fists, and stamped. Instantly the sand beneath them began to shudder and slide across its surface, and she when she stamped a second time the sea of sand parted before her. Perhaps on purpose, perhaps through indifference, it was hard to tell sometimes with Toph, the group had to cover their faces as the wave of sand blasted over them. They were able to open their eyes again just in time to see her bend, thrusting her splayed fingers into the ground, and force a huge chunk of rock, larger than Appa, from the sand. Appa, irritated, had grunted and taken to the sky, Katara, Sokka and Suki still in tow, and Aang had retreated even further as Toph swung the rock round and lay it on the level sand behind them. Toph stood, turning to face the rock before, decidedly nonchalantly, she kicked a hollow straight through the length of the rock, big enough to provide shelter for all of them.

"Please enjoy your stay at hotel Beifong," she said with a wide smirk as Appa touched back down. Sokka, still covered in sand, grinned.

"Toph, I love you."

"You and everyone else," she replied, though Aang noticed the blush creep up on her cheeks. Excitedly Momo began to chatter, climbing up onto her head and running circles.

The group quickly unpacked their things and huddled underneath the shade of the rock, enjoying the feel of the cool rock beneath them in comparison to the sharp, hot sand. The synthetic cave was even large enough for Appa to crawl into, and he set himself at one end of the tunnel, promptly curling and shutting his eyes after a loud yawn. After a quick meal, the exhausted group settled down to rest. Indifferent or perhaps no longer caring if Sokka would be 'oogied out', Aang lay himself down behind Katara, arms wrapped around her, one acting as a pillow for her and the other gently stroking up and down her stomach. He felt himself drifting off easily in the now tolerable heat of the desert, content in her comfort and listening to her soft breathing as she slept. Sokka and Suki slept side by side, Toph seemed to be sleeping much deeply than she had in a long time in the safety of her rock, and for the first time in a while the group felt peaceful. There had been no signs of Tonrar following them since they had left the cave Aang had woken up in, no burning sensations across his skin, and although Aang was still suffering from these inexplicable waves of rage or anxiety that he was finding harder and harder to resist and hide from his friends, it seemed as though they had been given a momentary break from the turmoil Tonrar caused. Aang was not going to allow himself to think, even for a second, that they were in any way shape or form out of the woods, but he knew that it was important for everyone to at least get one days sleep without fear of attack.

Almost as in defiance, to prove his sleepy thoughts wrong, the sound of soft footsteps reached Aang's ears. Gently he pulled his arm from under Katara's head, sitting up and staring intently out at the sand beyond the tunnel entrance. His body wasn't screaming at him, he wasn't feeling the pull of the Avatar State, so it couldn't be Tonrar our there stalking them. Perhaps sand benders had come across them. And after the last time they came across them in the desert, Aang was not willing to let them get any closer. Katara stirred, aware that Aang was no longer pressed against her, but as she looked round at him he pressed a finger to his lips and nodded to the entrance of their lair. Gently he stood, tiptoeing past Katara and Toph and towards the end of the makeshift tunnel. Cautiously he moved to peer out, but as soon as his head was clear of the tunnel his body seemed to sense the dense funnel of air being blasted straight towards him and he pulled himself back. The noise woke the rest of his companions and, wasting no time at all, they sat up and grabbed their respective weapons.

"Tonrar?" Sokka hissed, hurrying forwards with his boomerang at the ready.

"No," Aang replied, certain in the lack of pain he was feeling. "It could be sand benders ..." But sand benders couldn't send a blast of air his way ... could it be? Was it possible? Suddenly Toph stood and grabbed his shoulder roughly.

"We gotta go," she hissed. "There's two of them out there. I'll give you guys some cover, get Appa ready." She jumped from the tunnel, pulling chunks of rock with her as she went and propelling them towards their hidden foes. Aang watched as she dodged what was definitely two blasts of air and her eyes widened with shock as she finally got a good feel of her attackers. For a moment she seemed dumbfounded, her head turning back to the direction of the tunnel. "Aang ..." Another blast hit her and though she was able to form a shield in front of her, the impact still threw her back across the sand and out of their view. There was no way that Aang could stay in the tunnel now.

He jumped out, suddenly painfully aware that he was still absent his glider, and grit his teeth. Before him stood two cloaked figures, hooded just like the spirits that Tonrar controlled. Tonrar was not here, no, but his minions were. The hoods kept their identities hidden from him, but there was no denying as they held forward long staffs and took stances that he knew so well. He was so shocked, his blood running cold, that he almost didn't block their first attacks, swirling tunnels of airs blasting directly at him.

"Get on Appa!" Aang yelled to his friends, who he saw quickly rallying to his aid. "Go, I can handle this. Go!"

"Aang we're not leaving!" Katara yelled, but before she could make her way out of the tunnel Sokka grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her towards Appa. "Sokka let me go!"

"I'll catch up!" Aang called to her, dodging another attack and trusting that Sokka would get her to safety. The spirit airbenders moved in closer to him, and he was forced to pull up a curtain of sand in the hopes of blinding him, but they were quick to retaliate.

The spirits worked so well together it was almost like a dance, they attacked simultaneously, working with such ease that Aang found it difficult to keep up with the both of them. He continued to dodge, sending his own currents of air towards them, but with them creating such a good defense and the way he was fumbling on his attacks he seemed to be no match. His mind was screaming at him airbender airbender! and it was hard for him to focus on protecting himself. It felt wrong, perverted, sick even to be fighting against airbenders. However, he could hear the voices of his friends in the distance, and he knew he had no choice but to treat these two foes like he would any others, and grit his teeth. He knew that if he carried on as he did he would tire out well before he could drive them back so much as a foot, so he changed tactic. He blasted a slice of air towards them at ground level, kicking up sand as it went, watching as their staffs were lowered to block. Quickly he tried a firebending move that he had seen Zuko perform in the past, a move that he had never attempted whilst he had the benefit of his staff to assist him. Holding his hands up to his chest he raised one of his knees, spinning in the air and kicking out, throwing a violent spiraling column of fire towards them. The pair of spirit benders attempted to block, but his attack was too quick for one of them. They were caught in the blast and whilst the other ducked, with utter horror Aang watched as the other spirits hood was pushed back, revealing the face of a beautiful woman, her forehead tattooed with the blue arrow of his people, and mouth and eyes wide as she screamed in pain. Panic grew as he realised what he had done, and he started forward in an attempt to help her, but before he could progress more than a few paces the body began to convulse, falling to the ground and disintegrating before his very eyes. He skidded to a halt, feeling sick, whilst the airbender's companion stood and watched calmly, as if bemused by her reaction at being hit. Then, when the hit bender had finally disappeared, leaving just the echoes of her screams, it turned back to Aang and, without any hesitation, attacked. Aang dodged but the funnel of air still hit his side, sending him spinning across the sand.

"Aang!" He heard Katara screaming at him, and looked back to see Appa was already hurtling away. "Stop he hasn't got his glider!" Aang hadn't the time to worry about how he was going to catch up with the bison, for the spirit was on the attack once more, this time jumping through the air and swinging at him with its staff. By now, though, Aang was feeling things change. His shock, his disgust, and his panic seemed to have spurred the growling beast inside him to action, the beast that he did not recognise for the creature that had invaded his body back on that rocky plateau. The beast that had come with Tonrar. Growling, he swung his legs round, kicking up fire and knocking the staff from the spirits hands, who cried as the fire burned its hands. Quick as a flash Aang grabbed staff, feeling a thrill as he felt his airbending powers working at their full and throwing the spirit across the sand. But instead of using that moment to escape, take after Appa on the glider, he advanced on his attacker, raising the staff and throwing it yet further across the sand. He could no longer hear Katara, in fact he seemed to have completely forgotten her, a grin spreading on his face as he threw the spirit around like a ragdoll, and his arrow tattoo starting to glow. His eyes remained grey however, grey and merciless. He stood over the spirit now, his hand not holding the staff was raised, and a piece of rock broke free from the tunnel Toph had created, sharp and heavy, and now suspended above the spirits head. But before he could perform the finishing blow, the rock was blasted from his hand, and he swung round just as a firm pair of hands grabbed him around the shoulders, and he was heaved into the air. But as he turned, practically hissing and trying to bite the hand of the person who had grabbed him, hard fists made a painful connect with the side of his head, and he was knocked unconscious for what felt like the tenth time in half as many days.

A/N: For those that may be interested, the chant that Aang sung to Appa is actually a traditional Buddhist mantra that I adjusted slightly to suit the moment. The words translate to, may all being be free from enmity and danger, may all beings be free from suffering, may all beings be well. Some of my readers from the previous novels may remember that I didn't add the words of Aang's song to Appa, but I came across these words when looking into meditating myself, and I thought they appeared quite beautiful.

Speaking of previous readers, from this point on things will seem very familiar, not an awful lot is going to change in the coming scenes, though characters reactions to them will certainly change. I won't say any more than that on the matter, but it will hopefully make the events in the next book a little more believable and less 'wait, what?!'

Anyway, thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed, and for patiently waiting for me to get the old writing mojo back. It feels good.