Disclaimer: The following chapter is entirely fictitious. Any similarity to the history of any person living or dead is entirely coincidental and unintentional, except when specifically noted otherwise in the cast and crew credits. All celebrity voices are impersonated and no celebrities have endorsed any aspect of this fic.

Author's note: YAAAAAAAAAAY! FINALS ARE OVER! TAKE THIS YOU UNITED STATES EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM!

People, might you enter the contest? Only one has so far. And I'm not sure if that was out of the blue. I think it wasn't. Too bad blackened-fire can't give me any ideas. Don't worry; I felt the same way when I did my book report on my own story. I thought I was going to get shot. Well, NEHO, on with the fic!

Chapter fourteen: Angelic understanding

'-'

The village was bustling with people selling, buying, bartering, gossiping, and children running around with each other. The town seemed alive with people. The four of them followed Arekin in the quiet walk. He didn't seem to be the one to talk if it wasn't necessary. He seemed like the nicer version of Zuko. "So," Aang started, "what do you guys do around here?"

"I wouldn't know," he said plainly. Aang scratched the back of his head. "If you need anything," he started, "the market is right there. You can pay with cash or you can trade. You do have something to pay with, right?"

"Yeah," Katara answered, "but nothing you'd be familiar with."

"And why wouldn't I be familiar with it," he asked, confused.

"It's sort of difficult to explain," Sokka mumbled.

"I can't understand it if you don't explain," he said to them. "So you better speak up."

The four of them sighed. "Alright," Aang frowned, "well, we're not exactly from this world." Arekin stared at them, still confused. "See, we found this sword," Sokka showing him the knife they found, "which allows us to travel from world to world."

Katara intervened, "We weren't exactly trying to choose where we were going-."

"Just anywhere away from Zuko and that girl that works with him," Aang finished.

"What's a Zuko?" Arekin asked them, still confused.

"The guy you might have seen us fighting," Tsuchi answered.

"Wait, is he the one with that hideous scar on his face?"

The three nodded.

"Doesn't seem like a very friendly person, but I didn't see anyone else but a few other guys."

"Well," Aang continued, "in that world, we also have element bending, but right now, we're at war."

"Wow that sucks."

"And I'm the Avatar."

"Like Osric said before: What the hell is an Avatar?"

"It's confusing," Aang explained, "See, the four nations are divided, and so to keep them in peace, there's one person who is master of all four. They kind of go down from each nation, first air, then water, earth, and last fire. But see, now the Fire Nation is attacking everyone. We already lost…"

"The Air Nomads," Katara finished for him. She knew he didn't want to say it.

"That seriously sucks. And to Aang, I'm sorry. I assume that you were an aerokinetic?"

"BROTHER!" a high pitched voice echoed from behind them. A pink and black blur came shooting at Arekin, knocking himfoward a few feet.

"Melek, why are you here?" he asked the bundle. Not much was seen but that the child was wearing a black cloak with a hint of pink, and had a head full of gold locks of curly hair. He held the little girl at arm's length, showing who she was.

She was just plain out adorable. Her eyes were a radiant blue, glowing with the help from the sun. Her face was rosy, flawless, and perfect. She wore a collared shirt, a dark pink, with a skirt, dark grey. She had boots that went a little past her ankles, black also. All in all, she looked like an angel.

"This," Arekin started, "is my little sister, Melek. Melek, they are…"

"Aang."

"Katara."

"Sokka."

"Tsuchi."

"Hi," Melek smiled, her voice warming their hearts. She smiled brightly at the four of them, looking from one to the other.

"You didn't answer my question," he said to her again, "why are you here?"

"Because I wanted to see you," she frowned, yet she was still adorable. "I heard malicious things from that Claudius."

"Melek," he said to her, kneeling down to her height, "you know how he is."

"Still," she shrugged, "I wanted to see them for myself." She grinned, revealing she was missing a tooth.

"Wow," Tsuchi said to her, "lost your first tooth?"

"Actually," Arekin answered for her," her third."

"And another coming," she said cheerfully, wiggling a front tooth with her tongue. (O-o)

Sokka's face twisted up. "That's gross."

"She's just a child," Katara whispered to him.

"That's still gross."

Aang started to talk to her. "So, how old are you?" he asked.

"I'm almost eight," she smiled happily. "I will be in a few days. Like about…" She stalled, counting on her hands.

"About-."

"Fifteen days," the two said in unison. She giggled, but he just smirked.

"Why don't you go on ahead," he said to her, clearly trying to get rid of her. It didn't seem as if he was embarrassed by her. On the contrary, he seemed to be happier that she was there. Maybe he didn't trust them still. That was probably it.

The little girl frowned, but turned it upside down, and skipped her way across the crowd. Once she was out of ear shot, Katara said, "She's so cute!"

"Yeah," Arekin smiled. "She's quite the angel around here. It'd be easier to count who doesn't like her."

"Who doesn't?" Sokka asked him.

"Who else?" he laughed. "That damn Claudius. 'Course, he doesn't really like anyone in this town. 'Cept for Astrid. Then again, she doesn't like him. She thinks he's a pig."

"Faa-aasinating," Sokka rolled his eyes.

"How long do you think you will be staying?" he asked suddenly.

"Well," Aang started.

"Until I figure out the plot," Tsuchi answered. "I need to calculate when and where our path will be."

"How do you suppose we do that?" Sokka asked her skeptically.

"I don't know, but I'll figure out something."

"If you need some astrological papers, the army might have some." The four of them looked at him. "Well, we need to map out times that everyone can match up to, so no one is off plan. It's easier." They shrugged.

"I think that they might help," Tsuchi smiled.

"Here, I'll show you." He allowed her to move in front of her, and walked her towards the opposite direction.

"What do you think they'll do?" Katara asked.

"Want to look around?" Aang asked them.

"As long as I don't have to stand here all day, let's go," Sokka answered, walking ahead.

'-'

"I don't like the looks of that," the old lady grumbled. "It doesn't look right." Since their last day in their world, they had already lost all of their food from the encounter with Zuko. Stocking up was going to be hard since they had no money. Katara, who wasn't even happy herself with what she was choosing: some weird shaped nuts that were a goldish color, some fruits that were a radiant red, along with some rice like food, was wondering whether she should ask for help from someone. But since again, they didn't have anything to pay with, bartering wasn't as good. The old lady eyed the small trinket that Katara had found somewhere in Omashu. "You might be duping me. Aft'r all, you ain't from these parts."

"Ma'am, I'm not trying to trick you," Katara assured. "It's really pretty, and I'm sure it's enough to pay for this."

"If it's so pretty, then why are you trading it to me?" she questioned her. The old lady's eye twitched. The lady smiled and started to laugh. "I like you, so I'll give it to you. My husband isn't here, so it's not like he'll care." Katara sighed mentally.

"Thank you," she said gratefully. She picked up the basket she had and walked it over to Appa. She put the heavy basket on the floor and looked for signs of either Aang or Sokka. Aang was nowhere to be seen, but Sokka was in clear sight talking to some girls. "What is he doing?" she muttered.

"So you're not from this world?" a shoulder-length red head girl with a brown cloak on asked, apparently not that interested, finding the scarce amount of dirt under her finger nails much more intertaining. "Interesting."

"Well, I was the best warrior in my village," he bragged.

"Then what happened?" a girl with curly brown hair and a black cloak happened, obviously engrossed with his story.

"Well, then I had to leave. I was trying to help a fellow friend of mine save our planet from certain destruction. See, firebenders are slaughtering everyone."

The two girls looked at each other and began to laugh.

"Oh, yeah, pyrokinetics are so evil!" the red-head mocked, forming a small fire drop in her hand.

"Well, where I'm from, they are!" Sokka said in defense.

"Sure, right," the brown-head nodded, obviously not believing his story.

"Leave it up to a girl not to believe me," he mumbled under his breath.

"What?" the red-head questioned. She was clearly angered.

"I didn't say anything," he lied terribly.

"You should be thrown in jail for such a caustic and prejudice comment!" she snapped. "I'm not sure if anyone's told you, but we're equal, and I don't know about your world, but that gives us the right to do this. Sana?"

He hadn't realized, but the girl with brown hair was behind him. She kicked him in the back of the knee hard enough to send him down on the floor.

"You misogynist bastard!" the brown-haired sneered. The two walked off, giggling. People on the street didn't stop; they kept walking, either not surprised at him being kick to the floor by two girls or they didn't see him at all. Katara walked over to her brother.

"What did I tell you?" she said with an I-told-you-so sort of voice, helping him to his feet.

"I didn't do anything!" he said to her, dusting himself off. "They just don't like me."

"Or you said something that obviously made them mad."

"I didn't!" He shook his head. He looked around, and then asked: "How long are we going to stay here?"

"I don't know. Until Tsuchi can figure out something. Have you seen Aang?" The two looked around.

"More tricks Aang!" a small child chimed from a few yards away.

"Well, at least we know what he's doing," Katara sighed.

'-'

The wind whipped wistfully against her face. The water roared out, calling to lonely souls. She stared as the waves moved across the ocean. She sighed deeply.

Why is this happening to me? Why must I be plagued with such horrid memories? I hate it! Everyone stays as much as I wish they could leave. Mother, father… then there's Sureiyaa with the others, Kyyoku, that bastard who- damn, I don't want to think about him! Why does my memory not allow me to forget? I wish Zuko could have killed be a long time ago. It's times like this I wish I stayed lost…

"Is everything okay?" a voice asked from behind her. It was Iroh. Of all of the people on the ship, he seemed to be the only person who cared for her. Why was he still putting up with Zuko?

"I'll be fine," she muttered, still looking into the ocean. She had made a fool of herself in front of Zuko, she was being haunted of memories of her past, and her back hurt terribly. What else was there to say? But she couldn't tell him that. She still needed to get the chemical composition of the knife. It seemed impossible of her two choices of elements. The two made a poisonous gas.

"You seemed troubled, Young Hiashi. Are you sure?"

No one had ever called her by her name other than her father and… someone else. "I'll be fine. I-I just needed air, is all."

"If my nephew is giving you a hard time, do not listen to him. He just doesn't understand how you feel."

"He does understand," she said to him, "he just refuses to care. You can't blame him." Why was she standing up for him? "I mean, the guy was humiliated in front of his nation. So was my father, and I hated him. I hate Zuko too, but I can't wish my enemies pain. Maybe he just refuses to carebecause it's easier to put up blinders and shut everything out than to accept them and to be tainted with something you wish you never saw. All he wants is to go home. At least he should." She sighed. "Unlike me, I have no where I can call home. Everyone in Engoku wanted me dead, everyone in the Fire Nation wants me dead, I'm not a waterbender, and the Earth Kingdom would surly be upset if they found out everything I've done." Iroh stayed quiet. The only sound was of the water hitting the side of the boat.

"You seem to be the only person who understands him," he smiled. "It is very noble that you don't wish any pain on him."

"Yeah, I'll bet he's wishing something on me for not finishing the composition." She looked back into the water. It was breezy, the cold biting at her.

The cold biting at her…

Wait… I messed up on something. The ionic charge wasn't a negative… it was a positive! That changes the problem around! I knew it wasn't Oxygen and Nitrogen! I was wrong with the calculation! She jumped to her feet and ran pasted Iroh, into the ship. Along her way, she ran into someone-.

"Damn it wench!" Zuko snarled. "Watch where you're going!"

"I got the calculations wrong!" she said to him quickly.

"So?"

"That means there's another option! I think I have it!" She shoved past him and ran back to her room. He was still in his same spot, confused, but he followed her anyways. She was already there, scribbling across the paper, numbers, complicated math problems, and short hand.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked, shaking his head.

"It wasn't like I thought," she answered him. "I was thinking that it might have been Oxygen and Nitrogen, but it wasn't! It was something totally different!"

"Then what was it?" he asked again, now exasperated with her mood.

She finished up the problem she was solving, then she looked on a chart. "It's Cobalt. And it can only be found in the Western Air Temples."

'-'

Ooo, there's a little twist. So the Resistance is wrong about their master's sword! Aha, losers!

(Hiashi): but you createdall of us, so it's pointless to be calling them losers.

(Me): Shut your noise tube!

(H): noise tube. I should use that.

Well, NEHO, I went to Knott's today (6-10) and it was so much fun! I got me a bracelet with my pen name, so if NE1 lives in SoCal, I'm wearing a halfatheory leather band! The best part was that even though it was with the school, it was just me and my friends! Yeah, we got to go wander around the park by ourselves during a SCHOOL trip! So cool. And I was scanning through our library of saved music, and I came across a song from the play/book, "Wicked." The strange thing was that I was listening to the words and the lyrics totally matched Zuko and Hiashi's relationship right now!

Loathing…unadulterated loathing… for your face, (your voice), your clothing. Let's just say I loath it all! Every little trait however small, makes my very flesh begin to crawl with simple aver loathing. There's a strange exhilaration, in such total detestation; it's so pure, so strong! Though I do admit, it came on fast; still I do believe that it can last. And I will be loathing (loathing) you my whole life long! Sorry for the Broadway show tunes. I'm going to look for the lyrics. Until next time peeps, Signing Off!