You guys know the drill: Of course I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender or any of the characters except for Kelyin, Ren, Shaya, Ayash, and the Outcasts. Though you will later find out, I'll make it clear now that everyone is 3 years older. Zuko was 16, now 19, Katara 14/17, Sokka 15/18, Aang 12/15, Toph 12/15. Also, the events of this story were written after the second season, so please disregard all events from the final season of Avatar: The Last Airbender.

/. /. / AUTHORS NOTE/WARNING

A bit of pre-warning, this is the next to last chapter. After several reviews by a new reader (I feel it is almost unnecessary to post this, being that it is so far into the game now), but this story is rated M for descriptions of violence and torture, and the scenario involving Toph only being 15, but having sexual relations with a man ten years her senior. I apologize if you want a lemon, but that is not what this story is. I try to write with good descriptions, and with subtlety. I rated it Mature to protect myself from getting flagged as inappropriate. If you read this thinking "UGHHHH WHY WON'T HE JUST BONE HER ALREADY!" then I'm sorry you wasted your time. If the time comes, and I write Zuko and Katara together, it will be subtle, and passionate. I am not here to write a porn story about Zuko getting healed, then bopping Katara on the beach like a jackrabbit. If you are upset at the length of the chapters, stop reading it then, because that juicy lemon isn't coming, no matter how long the chapters are. I split the chapters up to hold the pace and not jumble events on top of one another. So, for the 220 positive reviews, I thank you. To the other five, I appreciate that you approve of my grammar, but if you are looking for hot juicy sex, you need to go elsewhere, because you will find yourself disappointed. I'm sure one of the twenty-five slash/yaoi stories you have in your favorites can satisfy your needs.

/. /. / CHAPTER 14: The End Approaches Like A Rising Sun Part 3

/. /. /

Toph lowered herself to the floor of the boat, wanting to put as much distance between herself and the bounty hunter as possible. She heard Ren stand. "You are not taking her!"

"According to whom? Surely you don't think you have any sense of authority here on a rickety boat in the middle of the ocean." Toph heard the subtle whoosh of an arrow cutting through air. She flinched as it grazed past her ear, landing in the wood of the floor beside her head. "I suggest you play along. I am the one with the weapons you know." Ren stepped in front of Toph. The Wolcan let out a rumbling growl.

"She isn't going anywhere, you bitch!" Toph quickly rolled to the side as she heard another arrow whip through the air, but the sound that followed wasn't splintering wood. It was a strange gurgle. Ren stumbled.

"Oops. This bounty is worth far more than you seem able to calculate, you big oaf. Far more than you were ever worth."

"Ren?" Toph spoke gingerly, then cried out as the entire boat rocked. She reached out and felt his face, where he'd fallen back, laying beside her. Her finger trailed over his parted lips, over his chin, and down to his neck. Her fingers were covered in a thick, warm wetness. Then she felt it. I thick wooden stick emerging from his throat. "Ren!" She screamed his name as a hand grabbed her back. She struggled in the woman's grasp. "Ren!"

"You're coming with me, and there's not a thing he'll do about it now." The butt of the crossbow struck Toph's temple and she went limp.

Jun tied the girl to the back of the Wolcan and looked down at the giant man. He was still, but his mouth was moving slightly as he gasped for air. She pointed the bow at his heart and fired once more. He seized briefly, then went still, his eye fogging over as he slipped into the spirit world. She smiled at the boat captain, who was cowering by the wheel, tossing a bag of gold at his feet. "Thank you for your service." With that, she took off, toward the Earth Kingdom and the Bei Fong Estate.

/. /. / SOUTHERN AIR TEMPLE

Mai and Iroh boarded the balloon and Teo wheeled himself back on, closing the gate behind him. Slowly the balloon began to rise. "I'll never forget this, Mai! Kelyin already left us to go with Aang, and she was supposed to help find Toph and Ren, just like you were!"

"I don't care, Jet! I'm going to find the Prince, dead or alive." Jet watched the balloon rise, red-faced and livid.

"Jet…" A raspy female voice spoke from behind him. He turned to see Smellerbee and Longshot, both looking at him strangely.

"How long have you two been standing there?"

"Long enough. What is wrong with you?"

"You have no right to judge my actions, B. No right! Come on, we have to go!" The two looked at one another, Longshot giving a subtle shake of his head.

"We're not going with you… we'll go and search for Ren and Toph on our own…"

"What!" He took a step toward her, and Longshot immediately raised his bow, arrow at the ready. "You have got to be kidding me!"

"Your actions are questionable right now, Jet. Your hostility could jeopardize all of us if you were to continue on in the mission as planned. Your judgment could lead us into danger and Longshot and I aren't willing to risk our lives as well as Ren and Toph's because you cannot control yourself."

"I am your leader! You are under my command!"

"Not right now you're not. I don't know who you are, but you aren't the leader we used to know. Come on Longshot… we'll go on our own and report back if we find anything." The two backed away, Longshot still keeping his arrow on target as they disappeared into the shadows of the woods.

/. /. / FIRE NATION SHIP

Zuko sat, his eyes closed as they chained him to the small wooden boat. His heart was beating rapidly in fear at the coming pain, but behind the lids of his eyes he saw flashes of memories; Katara smiling at him in the light of the camp fire; Uncle Iroh holding his arms out to embrace him; Lu Ten giving a small wave over his shoulder as he left the palace for the final time, his smile just like Iroh's; his mother holding a turtleduck, tenderly stroking it's feathered head. He would suffer great pain… but he would see them again. He would see them all…

"Lower the boat!" Azula yelled, and Zuko felt the jerk of the small wooden thing below him as the ropes were let down and he descended toward the water.

"Firelord, what if he escapes?" One of the guards asked humbly.

"If he doesn't burn to death in the boat, the chains will drag him to the bottom of the ocean where he'll become food for the crabs when he drowns. On my say, light him up!" Azula had ordered the Fire Nation ships to be formed into a circle. Zuko's small wooden canoe was released from the roped, drifting lazily in the center of the ring of ships. The young man tried to breath slowly, tried to remain calm, tried to remain brave, but the terror made his chest feel like it was ripping open, tears spilled from beneath closed eyelids and he muttered softly to himself.

"I don't want to fight anymore…"

"Burn him!" The Fire Nation guards, all skilled at bending the unruly element, set forth a blaze from their palms, directed at the small canoe the young man sat in. "Don't stop until I say!" The boat went up immediately, flames licking his clothes and his hair. A scream erupted from him as his skin caught flame again, just like it had in the small cell years ago.

/. /. /

Ty Lee kept her head down as they walked through the small Fire Nation town. The cloak she wore was large, the hood easily concealing her face. Ayash walked beside her, keeping an arm around her. "We're almost home." He guided her through the crowd and down an alley between two market shops to a doorway in the left side wall. "Up the steps, the door on the right. My brother will be there to meet you." He ushered her in, and closed the door behind her, returning to the market to purchase some necessary items. Ty Lee made her way up the stairs, walking on the sides so as not to make any noise. She rapped softly on the door to the right at the top of the stairs.

"Come in, it's open…" A voice called out from inside, identical to Ayash's. She swiftly moved inside, closing the door without a sound. "Good to finally have you here, Ty Lee." She looked up into the kind features of Ayash's face… only different.

"Wow, you two really are almost exactly alike aren't you?" She gave a small smile. Like his twin, Shaya was fair skinned with bright copper colored eyes, and the same mischievous smile. He lacked the build of muscles required to be convincing guard, and his long nose didn't have the crooked turn to the left that Ayash's did from being broken on multiple occasions. The only other difference between them was his hair. The rust colored strands that were combed back into a braid greatly differed from Ayash's clean shaven scalp. Everything else was identical, down to the barely visible sprinkling of freckles across the bridge of the nose. He gave a small laugh and she noticed the slightest space between his two front teeth that Ayash didn't have. It was an imperfection, but something about the tiny gap was endearing compared to the others straight teeth.

"Our mom had a bit of difficulty telling us apart when we were kids. Then when our older brother accidentally broke Ayash's nose during a play fight, it became a bit easier." He held out his hand. "My name is Shaya, as if you didn't already know. I'm going to take care of you. Why don't you take off your cloak and we'll get you fixed up."

She looked down, letting the hood hide her face once more, embarrassed. "I'm covered in mud and blood, and I smell stale…" Gently fingers lifted her chin.

"That's why I'm here, Ty Lee. The bath is all ready and I have plenty of fresh bandages and other medical supplies to help fix you up. Ayash is buying food for tonight's meal, as well as some new clothes for you. You're going to be alright, my brother and I will be sure of that." She gave a small smile and untied the cloak, handing it to him as he guided her to the washroom, were the small metal tub was already filled with steaming water. "Take your time." He closed the door behind her, leaving her in privacy as she dipped a hand into the hot water, sighing in contentment at the thought of being clean… being free…

/. /. / KYOSHI ISLAND; SEVERAL HOURS LATER

Katara kneeled on the shore of the ocean, her hands laying limp by her sides as she watched the pyre of smoke in the distance. Her face was blank, the tears on her cheeks had dried and her eyes ached from the loss of so much moisture. Neither Aang or Sokka could say anything to comfort her, not that Sokka wanted to. Instead, the two worked to quietly pack up her camp. Aang was to travel with them back to the Southern Water Tribe, where Sokka thought it was best for them to return. Suki had tried to talk to Sokka, to explain, but it was all in vain. He would hear none of it.

"Is it true? Is he here?" A voice asked softly from beside Katara. She looked up slowly, almost in a daze, to see Mai emerging from the woods, with a bloody lip and a bruised jaw. She was paler than normal. Katara gave an awkward laugh, brief and only half intended as she looked back out at the water, pointing to the pyre of smoke. "What is that?"

"That is Prince Zuko… or it was…" Mai suddenly grabbed the front of Katara's shirt.

"You let them take him?" Mai's eyes were wide, full of tears. "He was here? Alive? And you let them take him back?" She gave a frustrated scream, turning to throw a stiletto deep into the trunk of a nearby tree. "How could you do that!" Katara stood suddenly, coming at Mai, shoving her hard in the chest.

"What was I supposed to do! He wanted to die, Mai! He told me to let him go, he wanted to see his Uncle and cousin again. He wanted to see his mother. What was I supposed to do about it!"

"Oh gods…" Mai fell to her knees, her face in her hands. "We were never able to tell him…"

"Tell him what!"

"Tell him that Iroh is alive! He sacrificed himself to see him, and he's alive and well!" Mai looked up at the pyre of smoke. "Iroh and I were so close… so close to finding him alive… so close to reuniting with him and bringing him home." She quickly wiped the tears from her eyes. "We would have been here so much sooner if not for Jet's antics… I would have gotten to apologize for what I did to him…"

Katara slowly kneeled beside the taller woman and both sat in silence for a moment staring out at the sea. "I think he forgave you already, Mai. He seemed to hold a certain respect for you and your ability to act as Azula's second in command while spying for the Outcasts. He knew you were only trying to keep him from suffering when you cut his throat."

"Were you with him this whole time, since he was discarded by Azula in the first place?"

"I found him in the woods the exact moment the guards dropped him here. I worked tirelessly to heal his wounds and we grew close, being just the two of us here at camp."

"You healed him?" Mai looked over at Katara, an almost unseen look of awe in her otherwise expressionless face.

"Yes, every burn, cut, and whip wound was healed, with the exception of his fathers scar and a few of the oldest small burns. He was happy here… with me… we slept side by side only once… last night… after he kissed me. This morning we woke to the Kyoshi Warriors calling for my arrest and his return to Fire Nation custody." Katara wiped new tears from her cheeks. "I wanted to fight them, but he was so calm. He just hugged me and told me to let him go…"

"I thought sure he had died when I heard they had dumped his body in a remote location… but then I heard of Azula coming to reclaim him because he was alive on Kyoshi… I felt a swell of hope within me. Now I lose him again…"

/. /. / POST SCRIPT AUTHORS NOTE:

P.S.A.N. : Now, before you rip my head off about Zuko… there is one more chapter, right? Just give it a minute, don't freak out just yet (wink, wink).

About Jet's Mel Gibson like freak out, well, when I first wrote the scenes between Mai and Jet, I remembered Jet being a really cool character. However, just having bought the entire series, watching all three seasons within a weeks time, I found that Jet was not quite as glorious as I remember him. He was kind of an ass, hence his turn around in this story.