Assassins Among The Elements

by Myevltwin

Finding himself in a world unknown to him, unsure and confused. Given a second chance at life but never leaving the path of blood. This new world has shadows like his old one... He will become apart of these shadows that watch a world of elements from the

21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I don't own anything out of this.

From the minds of Myevltwin and TheHumanWiki.

Chapter 21

"The stars are beautiful tonight."

Naruto nodded mutely. Their gaze wasn't on the stars though. A magical wonder had appeared before them all tonight. A meteor shower had started roughly an hour ago, just after sunset. The entire team had been in the process of setting up camp when Katara noticed a streaking blaze pressed against the black sky. Interested in what it was, she turned and started watching the sky before seeing another one appear. After two more appeared and the entire team, minus Toph of course, spotted them, they had stopped to watch what had turned into a meteor shower.

Naruto had very little understanding on it, but he knew enough to know that they were meteors and that they weren't that dangerous unless one of them just randomly started heading for them. What he knew about them from where he was from was that they were very powerful, but also very deadly. Sumaru had been the one to explain that to him before he had left their village. A bunch of their ninja had gotten sick because they were ordered to train near the stone, which resulted in them absorbing its energy. It was very powerful, and Naruto, after two and half years of training, believed that it was equal to the strength of his one-tailed form when he used Kyuubi's power. Sadly, he had no way of testing that, but he was happy with the knowledge regardless now.

"It kind of makes you realize how small and insignificant we all are." Sokka told them.

Toph shrugged. "You've seen nothing once; you've seen it a thousand times."

Naruto laughed at Toph's idea of a joke. It was sad that she couldn't watch the spectacle, but she probably wouldn't have watched it either way. "Don't feel too bad, Toph. I've seen a great many things, and some of them are actually pretty cool to watch over and over again. This," he laughed, "is just one of the things I hardly get to see. Now the Northern Lights are another thing. I saw those a lot when I was younger."

She shrugged, offering no reply to that. She wouldn't be enticed into a debate on what was "cool" to watch.

A bright twinkly sparkled in the distance, alerting Sokka to a greater promise for the meteor shower they were witnessing. It grew in size and Sokka, not being one to keep his mouth shut, spouted off, "You've never not seen anything like this."

Naruto stared at the oncoming projectile. Were it not for the blue flames and the sheer size of it, he would have thought it was an attack masked by the meteor shower. The meteor roared over their heads, missing them by a dozen kilometers easy, but they still felt the intense heat it generated as it roared over them. It sailed straight over them and slammed down about fifteen kilometers away from them, putting it very close to the village. Naruto had no doubt that with the roar it generated and the sound it made when it impacted that the village had heard it.

Toph was the first to rise out of them all and blinked her eyes. She couldn't see what had happened, but she had a pretty good idea with her feet.

"Let's get down there," Lyra shouted.

Naruto stared at her for a moment and looked in the direction of the blaze. The blond glanced back at Zentrai as he said, "You've never not seen anything like this before," repeating what Sokka said. Sokka gave him a sharp glance and then dismissed it. "You do realize that's double negative."

"That would mean it equals a positive." Zentrai added. Sokka felt proud to have Zentrai defending him. "Though, that is the weirdest thing I've heard all day."

"Everyone has to be a critic." Sokka grumbled.

Appa flew over the cliff and vanished into the darkness.

(-)

"You'll be heading to Ember Island for the weekend while I attend a meeting with my advisors."

With those words spoken to him, Zuko felt like a child again. He was being sent away on what felt like a forced vacation. He didn't mind vacations, but when they were forced he hated them. Even as a child he hated. But now he hated them even more. His father was ditching him.

He rolled over out of bed and stared at the sparkling night sky through the curtain. He snorted at the sky and rushed to the window, tearing the curtains open so he could look at the sky clearly. It didn't make him feel any better. He still felt like they were mocking him and the vacation was still being forced.

Zuko was happy to get away from his father, not like he spent enough time with him anyways. When he had returned home he thought his father would be happy with him. He thought he'd be happy. But he wasn't. He felt sick. He felt angry. Something stirred inside him that he couldn't explain or grasp. It was like a memory that was hiding in some dark corner of your mind. You can remember flashes of, a conversation here, a face there, but never the whole thing. He didn't understand why he was angry, he just knew he was.

He snorted and gripped the railing.

The young prince sighed explosively. Times were strange for him. He was home but he felt like a stranger. He felt out of place. The mark he once hated now seemed to be a mark that people thought he should be proud of. They said it gave him character, whatever that meant. He wanted it gone, but he wondered if really mattered. It worked right. Sure his skin was a little funky to the touch, but it worked like the rest of his body did.

"I need some fresh air," he said to himself.

He walked to his door and tore it open. He was clad in only some pants and a shirt. It sufficed, though he knew that it would be frowned upon. A prince, even a formerly banished one, should have the decency to wear normal clothes. He hated that part. No one cared when he was banished with what he wore. He was shirtless when he trained in the summer. He wore heavy clothing in the winter. He got a taste of civilian life and learned pretty fast that you only wear what you need.

Zuko envied them for that. A commoners' life, in terms of clothing they wore, was a lot better than theirs at time. He hated getting dressed up for no reason other than to look good for the crowds when he went for a walk or rode around. They could wear whatever they wanted, when they wanted, and how they wanted. It was paradise compared to him. Sure he was royalty, but that didn't mean he couldn't go out in just some pants and a shirt once in a while.

His feet touched the cold earth and he shivered momentarily before pushing it all away as he started walking. He walked aimlessly for minutes as he thought about the trip. He knew everything was being handled by his servants. They would pack his clothes for him so he didn't have to. It felt great to have those guys back, but he still felt like the odd man out by letting them do it. And he knew they would insist on having him do things their way, the Royal Way, not his way.

He stopped momentarily and soon sighed. "I'll have to go get some swim trunks," he realized.

How long had it been since he had gone actually swimming, and not swimming because his life depended on it? He pondered on that for a moment before shrugging. He had forgotten, but what else was actually new to him now? Just because he had forgotten about the last time he swam without being in danger or to catch something didn't mean anything to him.

Zuko continued on his aimless path for another ten minutes before ending up at a small park. It was much of a park, just a few trees and a small pound with some floating candles. There were some small lanterns here and there, but there wasn't much to it.

He found a bench and sat down under a large tree. He stared at the motionless water for what felt like eternity as he tried to understand his situation and who was going to Ember Island. He had invited Mai, but she didn't seem too thrilled with the idea. He knew his sister was going, that was the only reason he even agreed to go in the end. But he didn't know if anyone else was coming with them.

"What's on your mind?"

Zuko spun around. He looked left and right and then blinked stupidly for a moment.

"Up here."

He glanced up into the tree and spied Ty Lee. She was hanging upside down. Her face was red, either from the fact she was caught in a simple pink training shirt and pants, or because the blood was rushing to her head. He wasn't sure.

She twisted awkwardly and soon fell to the ground, landing perfectly on her feet in front of him. Once she was on the ground and smiling, she walked over to him and sat down in front of the bench, her back pressed against it. "So what's on your mind?"

"Nothing."

"I can tell that you're lying."

Zuko cursed himself mentally. He had forgotten that she could see auras. How could he forget that?

"So what's on your mind?" She repeated her former question as she glanced at the night sky. It was littered with meteorites burning in the heavens. She didn't feel very fortunate to see such a spectacle, but she wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.

Zuko looked to the small pound, his eyes staring straight in the wavering flames. He had no idea what was really on his mind. He felt lost inside himself. He didn't know where to begin. But he didn't know how to begin either. He was utterly lost and slowly losing himself deeper to his anger and his questions on why he was angry.

"Forget it." He gave her a confused glance. "I can tell you have a lot on your mind. So much so, that you don't know where to begin." The young acrobat glanced at the water. "I know you."

Zuko smiled. She understood him. Maybe she understood him. He wasn't sure. Ty Lee was a little out there at times, but now she seemed to be coming down to his level. He could see it in her eyes, probably like how she saw in his, that she was deep in thought too. In the all the time he had known her he had never once seen her get truly confused. She could make the face and pretend to be confused, but she had never truly been confused. At least to his knowledge she had never been confused.

Clasping his hands together, he smiled. "You know that I'm going on a trip to Ember Island, right?" She nodded mutely. "Mai's coming with me." She nodded again. He knew she wasn't listening now. But why stop and yell at her? "Do you wanna come with us?"

Ty Lee glanced at him without turning her head. "Who's coming outside of Mai?"

"My sister." Ty Lee glanced into the water. There was an odd shift in her demeanor that he didn't understand. "Do you wanna come or not?"

Ty Lee sighed inwardly and put on her thoughtful expression. She was pretending to be deep in thought now. She was thinking about it. She was thinking about going. But that meant she'd be around Azula. She really didn't want to be around her, but she didn't want to come off as being strange. It would be strange for her to turn down his offer. She knew that much. If she turned it down it would look strange.

"Well?"

"Sure."

Zuko stared at her. He was certain there was a grind to her voice, almost like the answer was forced. In all his times knowing her she had never sounded so… angry.

"Alright… We leave tomorrow." He stood up and stared back at the water. "Ty Lee, is something the matter?" She stared at him and offered a blinking expression. "Forget it." He walked off, leaving the girl to her thoughts.

(-)

Sokka, Naruto, and Lyra stood a hundred meters away from the blazing inferno for their safety. With the fire growing at a steady rate, Naruto had pulled Sokka back to keep him safe, along with Momo. Aang, Lyra, Toph, and Katara with Appa were going to take care of the fire while the Non-Benders stood back and watched. Zentrai couldn't do anything to help them without fanning the flames.

"Do you really have to kiss when you get married?"

Sokka and Zentrai were pulled from their thoughts at the blonde's question.

"Excuse me?" Sokka blinked.

"Do you really have to kiss when you get married?" Naruto repeated.

Zentrai shrugged. "Not sure. But why do you ask?"

"Just thought I'd try to start topic as we watch are friends be heroes and blow our cover… as usual."

Zentrai shrugged again and began thinking on the question. It was out there for sure, but it was a valid question.

"I have no idea." Sokka stopped and then chuckled. "Why? Are you afraid of kissing girls?"

"I'm more scared of getting killed off by either old age or boredom rather than kissing a girl, Sokka. I've had sex before." Sokka stared at him. "The only reason I asked is because I'm bored and I'm trying to keep my mind cleared since I don't feel like screaming at your friends." He stressed that part. Sokka winced and the blond continued. "I mean can't you just, I don't know, high-five or something? I've never heard of a wedding where the two actually didn't kiss, but I can understand on how it's a momentous occasion. It's a sacred thing. My only question is: can you do something else other than kiss?"

"Naruto, when you marry Ty Lee, which you will when the war is over since I want her as a sister-in-law, you can high-five her and make history as the World's Stupidest Groom."

"I'm not getting married nor am I marrying Ty Lee!"

"You know how many guys say that a year and then end up marrying the ugly girl at school?"

"Zentrai, shut up. I was asking a simple question that you blew out of proportions."

"You asked a stupid question that I blew out proportions. There's a difference. And you will marry Ty Lee because I want her as a sister-in-law that I want to fuck behind your back. You have no say in this."

"Zentrai, if you had a hot sister, would you fuck her?"

"How hot?"

Naruto sighed and crashed onto his back in frustration. Sokka laughed at him, his thoughts now away from the fact that he was feeling useless without being able to make things fly around.

Another explosion rocked the landscape. The flames were gone. Instead snow was now falling. Naruto sighed explosively as Lyra started screaming at them about how stupid this was. She helped them out, but it was still stupid for Aang to use the water that Katara brought him to put out the flames by icing the place and making snow.

"I should just kill them all." Naruto finally groaned out. Sokka shot him a wide eyed look of fear. "Then again, we do know some people here, so I say it works out okay. Now we just need to lay low for a while." He stood up and cracked his back. "No point in heading into town tonight. Everything will be closed. We're sleeping outside." He turned and started walking back to camp.

(-)

"I want you to fight me for real!"

Shadow Blade stopped in his tracks and turned to the man who dared to usher a challenge at him. He was already near dead, cut a dozen times over by his sword, and already gasping for air. A few more blows and he'd be dead. A few more hours without medical treatment and he'd be dead. Either way, with his way of fighting, the man was going to die.

"I have no desire to kill you. You did attack me, but I don't favor killing people that can't defend themselves. This fight is over. Leave here and receive medical attention before you die. There is no point in a senseless death. It's meaningless." He turned away from him and began walking. The man gasped for air and then screamed as he charged. Shadow Blade closed his eyes in sympathy for him. He turned so fast and drew his sword that the man passed him, his sword still high in the air, that he didn't register the blow that cut him in two until his body collapsed.

Shadow Blade flicked his blade to remove the excess blood and resumed his walking. The man wasn't dead yet. He'd die a faster death now, but it would be far more painful.

For ten minutes as he walked he listened to the screaming man. His voice was carried by the wind as he marched on his way until finally the screams stopped.

He stopped when he noticed it was gone and looked in the direction of the fallen man. He wondered why the man had challenged him in the first place. It was a well-known fact that Shadow Blade was the second strongest Swordsman in the Fire Nation. He never bothered with the first place because it was owned by his father, a legendary swordsman and sword maker in the Fire Nation. But the man that attacked him still puzzled him.

Are we so senseless now in times of war that we must prove ourselves to others to gain acceptance. He wondered about that for a moment. He decided it wasn't worth his time. In the grand scheme of things, another potential Fire Nation soldier had just been killed. One less person to deal with in the war. But it also had been a pointless death that could have been avoided. "Human arrogance at its finest," he concluded.

He walked the rest of the way in silence, stopping only at his usual stopping ground.

A thick fog rolled in. His eyelids lowered to show sadness. He was truly sad for this place.

Shadow Blade started walking again and soon found the center of it all. "Xin Toju, I'm here to pray for your release once more." He bowed his head and closed his eyes.

(-)

Whatever was on his plate was not what Naruto wanted. It looked alive to be honest. He gave it a cautious poke and it squeaked. It was dead for sure, but the squeak had him recoiling in utter disgust.

"Not going to eat your… whatever that is?" Lyra nearly laughed at the face he made. "Here," she said. She slid her plate to him and they shared a meal. Her food was at least confirmed to be totally dead.

"I can't believe how close the fire was to this town." Katara said to them.

Aang and Naruto nodded mutely, deciding to eat their food rather than talk about it.

"It's probably best you don't' mention it." Zentrai informed them. With his head down no one would suspect his way of communication with them.

"Alright," Toph declared unhappy. She munched on her food and sighed loudly. "So you guys said you'd been here before, right? What's there to do in this town?"

"No much." Lyra grabbed one of the pieces of lettuce before Naruto could. "You hate vegetables."

"So? Doesn't mean I won't eat it." He gave it a quick poke and a sniff before eating it. She stared at him. "What?"

"Must you treat everything like a threat?"

"Probably."

She sighed. "You're so strange. Are all men like this?" Naruto chuckled at her joke.

"What is there to do in this town?" Aang said, trying his hardest to change the topic of conversation. He took a sip of his drink, his gaze resting on the older teens.

"Not much. They had a tournament here a while back for swordsman. One of our friends entered it and won the contest. He's a good guy. Real solid. Scary as hell if you piss him off though." Naruto informed them. He took a sip of his drink and continued once he sat it down. "You've meet him once, though we can't mention him by name. He's kind of a scary guy to even the locals."

"Why's that?" Katara asked.

"You'd have to get him to fight you serious to see what I mean." Naruto maneuvered around the question. "Anyways, we can get some supplies here before we leave. I need to actually speak with someone before we depart anyways. And I'm sure I need my weapons checked again."

Zentrai nodded in understanding as he turned and poked Sokka in the back of the head. "Cheer up," he demanded. "We'll take you shopping in a minute if that'll make you happy."

(-)

Naruto stared at the weapon store with a turned up nose. "I hate these places." He told them again. Lyra shrugged it off and went inside. "I'll wait out here. I'd rather not waste my time in there. Come get me when you're done." He turned and marched off with Zentrai tailing after him.

Lyra watched him go with a shrug before returning her gaze to the weapons in the store.

"Why are you following me?"

"I have no intention of being in there while he tries out every weapon in there." Zentrai informed him. Naruto nodded mutely to that. "Besides, I wanna check something here before we leave. I mean, it's not every day we get to see an old friend." Naruto nodded mutely again. Zentrai tried to read his thought but to no avail. Naruto was keeping his thoughts to himself if he was thinking of anything. "Do you think Sokka really just needs a weapon to feel better?"

"Probably," Naruto answered quickly. He was looking for something in the market. Zentrai sighed as the blond stopped in front of the local tea shop. "We're here to meet someone… hopefully."

They entered and the room went quiet. Ten men were inside with two women. Their sudden appearance, or probably Naruto's large weapon, had them stopping all conversations and staring at them. Zentrai actually smirked at the thoughts that flowed through their minds. It was pretty interesting to him to know how highly a few of them thought of themselves. They actually thought they could beat them.

Naruto moved to the bar and sat down with Zentrai doing the same. One of the girls moved to them, her hand twitching as if she were ready to take their order.

"Can you tell me where Shin the Shadow Blade is?" The men rose and left so fast that Naruto thought they'd get stuck in the door. "Nice to see his reputation hasn't dulled in the time he was away."

"Shin the Shadow Blade," she repeated carefully. Her left eye twitched nervously. "I haven't seen him as of late. Rumor has it he's been spending his time between here and North Chung-Ling?"

"You haven't been here in long, have you?" Naruto nodded. "They renamed the city Fire Fountain City due to the fire fountain of which it is now known for. It happened a few months ago when they completed the fountain in honor of the Fire Lord."

"Interesting," Zentrai cut in. He made sure to move his mouth to give the illusion that he was talking. "But what's between here and Fire Fountain City?"

The girl look a bit perplexed but soon answered. "There's nothing really between the two villages per say. There was, at one time, a large village, but it was destroyed some seventy years ago. No one has gone back to rebuild it because it's cursed."

"How so?"

"A few miles out, there is a large pit. A graveyard if you will. It stands like some monument to evil for us all. Some seventy years ago the Earth Kingdom had managed to get this far in and dug themselves in real deep. My grandmother told me stories about it when I was little. She said it was a very scary time. She said that the heathens of the world had managed to get in only because our soldiers were spread too thin. As a result they were allowed to dig in real deep. They made a village right there and started harassing even our village and Fire Fountain City as well until our soldiers put them down. Some of the soldiers that survived that battle still talk about it as the bloodiest battle to have ever been fought and the strangest."

"Why's that?"

The girl looked left and right before leaning closer. The two Assassins leaned forward as she whispered, "It's cursed."

Naruto was the first to lean back. Zentrai did a moment later, only because he was reading her mind.

"The land is said to be haunted by the fallen and people who go near it vanish."

"Where is this place?"

"You can't miss it. It's the only place where an endless sight of swords is located. They're stuck in the ground like gravestones for the dead. The soil is black and nothing grows there. And it's always covered in a thick fog." She lowered her hands and placed them on the bar. "Is there anything else you'd like?"

"A sweet night alone with you." Naruto gave Zentrai a frosty glare. "Just kidding." He laughed and then said their thanks before departing. "She's not lying. The place has been tagged as a red zone. No one is allowed to go near it."

"Why would Blindside decide to go near it then?"

"His belief in the sword is probably what makes him go there. I'll look into it while we're here. You keep protecting the Avatar, Naruto. I know where the library is. I'll look into it." He patted him on the shoulder and departed.

Naruto watched him go and then returned to the weapon shop.

(-)

Lyra had seen a lot of weapons in her life as the secondary leader of the Assassins. She had seen weapons so dangerous that not even the highest master in that class of weapon would use them. She had seen bladed Nunchucks. A staff with spiked balls on the end with a chain that ran through the staff, giving it extra range and extra hitting power. She had seen a pair of Nunchucks that had three sticks connected via one loop. She had even seen a sword that split into a chain with sword blades to it. She had seen her fair share of strange weapons.

But now, she was seeing her fair share of strange people. Namely Sokka.

While this place did not have the weapons she had seen, she had seen most of them in this shop. Clubs, spears, swords, chain-sickles, tridents, and large hammers all decorated the walls. Their treasured items were put on display on the wall within arms' reach. She had to admit that some of them were pretty interesting, and just a bit out there, but not like the weapons that no one wanted to master.

And Sokka was trying all of them. He had tried the spear. He had tried the chain-sickle. He had tried the swords, the clubs, the axes, you name it he tried it. And while it was funny to watch, it was annoying as hell to see him using them with bandit level skills. He used his swords like he was chopping up food. He tried to use the spear, but it wobbled from his running. He tried to use the chain-sickle, but it wrapped around him tight. He tried every kind of weapon they had to offer, big or small, light or heavy, but nothing worked for him. She was beginning to believe that he was not only a failure as a warrior, but also a complete idiot.

She turned away and decided to wait by the exit for them. Not two minutes later did they return, but Sokka was empty handed. He was smiling though. That was enough to worry her just a bit.

"I'm going to go train with the Master," Sokka announced.

"What 'Master'?"

Sokka's smile brightened. "Master Piandao, the greatest swordsman and sword maker in all of the Fire Nation." She kept her thoughts on that to herself. "The shopkeeper said he lives in the castle right up the hill. I'll go see him and train with him. A few days of training and we'll be on our way again."

Lyra chewed on her lip and flexed her hand. Something wasn't fitting with this at the moment. But she had to agree to it. "Fine," she conceded. "But don't be surprised if he turns you away."

They departed and she followed, but at a slower pace. She had no intentions of telling him that it took years to master the art of the sword.

(-)

Drunkard stared at the bottle in his hand.

"It doesn't work like it used to."

He took a big drink and sighed. No matter how much he drank or how hard he actually hit the bottle, it didn't take away the memories. Not on today anyways. It never took away the memories on days like today.

Today marked the anniversary of his wife's death. It was a hard thing to take in for him. She was the reason he joined the Assassins. He lost his entire family. His family was gone. His wife. His kids. Even his pets were gone. He lost it all because of the war. Before he had hit the bottle he had been a happy man, now he was reduced to this. An old man that was hard on the bottle and even harder on life. He never gave up on the hope that the war would end. He wanted to see this through to the end. But as time went on it got harder for him. He started to hit the bottle. He started to be rough around the edges.

He sat the empty bottle down and grabbed another. It was the cheap stuff now. It smelt horrible. It may have smelt bad but it tasted good to him. Cheap stuff tasted semi good but it also had an after effect to him. It was like there was a time delay for it to kick in and started working the moment you didn't need it to. He used this stuff on days like this. It was so he could avoid the graveyard where she was. He never wanted to remember going up there or crying his eyes out. He knew he did, but he was just so drunk that by then he couldn't remember crying.

He drank until it was half empty and then stood up. He wobbled, growled, and then threw the bottle at the wall. Good waste of sake, but he didn't know why he threw it. He stood there just staring at the stain on the wall for a minute before sighing. Getting angry did nothing for him. It just made him feel worse.

Drunkard reached into the cumbered and retrieved another bottle. It was the cheap stuff, but it was the good cheap stuff. He pulled the cork and started drinking, stopping only when he managed to stumble out the door and up to the graveyard. He passed a dozen headstones, wobbled around most of them, and stopped at a grave with no name on it. He knew it was hers' because she was the only one to have a pink headstone rather than the ugly gray or silver ones. He stared down at it, took a swig of his drink, and crashed onto his butt.

"You were the best damn thing I ever had," he mumbled. He wasn't drunk enough yet to not remember this. He knew that and hit the bottle again. He drank it all and then stared at it. He hadn't brought another one with him. He stared at the empty bottle and then at the headstone. Anger flooded him and he bashed the empty bottle on the stone. It shattered and he hissed at both the bottle and the stone as if they had done it on purpose. "You were an evil bitch from which there was no escape from." He stood up and walked off.

Thunder rumbled in the distance and then a lightning bolt struck the ground. More thunder rumbled overhead and lightning bolts followed as if they were being called by the angry soul that now lay beneath the cold earth. He hissed it and threw the remains of his empty bottle at the sky. It flew through the air and dropped a good ten feet away from him. He stumbled from the force of the throw and hit the ground fast first. And like last year, he cried.

(-)

Libraries are the same wherever you go, Zentrai thought in a rare moment of anger.

The library was large, not as large as the one in the No Name Village, but it was large regardless. It was stocked with all the information on the Fire Nation school system, islands, previous Fire Lords, all the great and monumental battles that they had ever fought in, and it went into great detail on each of the Nation's cultures that they had either recorded before the war or during it. The Air Nomad was partially wrong, but Zentrai would overlook it for the time. Propaganda was a terrible thing.

He was happy that the entire war section was dated by years rather than by the name and place. There were no records on their operation names, but he didn't need that. What he needed was a war that had been fought here on their very home turf against Earth Kingdom soldiers. He was currently reading one from sixty-nine years back and was already at the last page. It held nothing on a battle that was fought here in the Fire Nation, so he put it up and went to the next year. He flipped through it until he got to the end and was forced to put it up. It had nothing as well.

The mute glanced over his left and eyed the librarian. She looked ancient and evil. She was glaring at everyone that entered the room. Her thoughts were closed to him. He wondered if she knew what he was, or if she was just so old that she didn't think, rather just acted.

"Excuse me," he said. She turned with a creaking sound and glared at him, fiercely. "I was looking for a book on a battle that happened here about seventy years ago between here and Fire Fountain City. Do you have any information on it?"

The old woman stared at him for a long time before standing with a loud groan. He swore he heard her leg scream in protest as she rose and walked with a hunched back towards a small rack where the cards were located. Her glare did not leave her face as she pulled the drawer out and began sifting through them with a slow and tender motion. It never sped up.

"Here," she hissed. He took a card and stared at it. "Two rows down on the left." She glared at him some more and then returned to her chair.

The mute turned without a word and walked towards the designated isle. He turned down the aisle and found the book. It was probably as old as she was. It was covered in a thick layer of dust. And when he pulled it out a spider crawled out. He felt bad for the books more than he did for the students.

He walked back to the counter and gave the lady some money to pay for the book before leaving. She watched him go with a glare and he felt one thought cross her mind. "God damn whipper snappers." He laughed inwardly and was out the door.

(-)

Piandao enjoyed painting. It was more of a hobby now then a true craft. He had only taken it up to better his skills as a swordsman at first. He hated it then but loved it now. It was just the same as swinging a sword to him. Like a sword swing, you cannot take back a stroke of the brush. So he learned to swing his brush and never make a mistake by honing these skills with his swordsman skills.

"So you said you're traveling with the Avatar and his group?" He glanced over to his left just enough so that one eye made contact with the man he spoke with.

Black hair and a suit of armor that covered nearly everything but one arm and a large sword slung onto his shoulder; it was Naruto.

"Yes." Piandao returned to painting. Naruto shifted slightly before continuing. "I was hoping you could take a look at my main weapons for me. I haven't had a chance to have you or even Blindside inspect them in so long. I'm worried they might be breaking." The older male nodded swiftly and mutely, allowing the Assassin to continue. "I know I haven't kept in touch with you, Piandao, but I've been busy with other things."

"You don't need to apologize, Naruto. It wasn't too long ago that you were seeing me almost constantly." He sat the brush down and turned to face him. "I'm sorry that you haven't been by in a while. I understand that you've been busy. With the war getting worse day by day it was only natural that you and the others like you would be needed more often." Naruto nodded in understanding. "Word of your accomplishments has reached even me, so that in itself is an excuse for you to use, and a good one at that."

"But I could have refused."

"You could have. But think of all the lives you've saved by doing this. Think of the hundreds of lives you have saved by being there rather than here. As a member of the Order of the White Lotus, I fully understand your desire to save the innocent and punish the wicked."

"I wouldn't say the Fire Nation is wicked. That's a bit cruel even to them." Piandao nodded mutely. "War is war. This will only determine who is left when it's all said and done." Naruto moved to the windowsill and looked out at it. "I remember when Gen Fu brought us out here to train with you and Blindside. It's hard to believe that Blindside was actually a very shy and quiet person all those years ago."

"I know. But war changes people. No matter how much we deny it, it does in fact change us. Very few are capable of not changing during war."

The former blond nodded and glanced back at the old master. "Where's your son at? I need to speak with him."

The old master sighed. "He's at the fallen village praying to Xin Toju again. He goes to him every day he is here. He has always done this since he learned his tragic story." Piandao paused for a moment. Then: "When he learned the story he was… saddened by it. He wanted to believe that it was a lie I suppose. But when he learned the truth of it all, how the Fire Nation dealt with the soldiers that were there, I guess he just wanted to pray for them. You know the village was never given a proper burial. That's why the place is cursed… or so they say."

"What do you think it is?" Piandao was about to reply when the teen stood up and stared out the window. "What is he doing here?" The older man moved to the window and stared down at the teen that walked through the courtyard. "His name is Sokka. He's the son of Hakoda and sister to Katara. He's traveling with the Avatar and his Earthbending Teacher, Toph Bei Fong." Naruto glanced at the door and shook his head. "The fact that the others didn't come with him either means he came here because Lyra knows I'm here or he came to learn from you."

Piandao gave him a flat look before looking back at the teen. "Is he a good fighter?" His question was unanswered. When he turned to ask again, Naruto was gone. I hate it when he does that.

(-)

"You let him go to meet with Master Piandao?"

Lyra glanced up and over. She, along with the others, was sprawled out on the ground in the hot cannon in her respective underwear. With the others it was understandable. With her it wasn't. She never liked doing this because of Zentrai. But since he wasn't here at the moment it was pretty clear that she just didn't care.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"He needs a master, Naruto. Think of all the good it would bring him if he learns from Master Piandao. I mean, Blindside is a god among the Assassins for his swordsman skills that he learned from Master Piandao. Sokka could very well be the same."

"There difference here is the time table." Naruto sat down and sighed explosively.

Yes he was mad about this, but not because Sokka went to train with him. He was angry because the others had let him go most likely under the assumption that this would take a day or two. It wouldn't take a day or two. It would take years for him to be a Master Swordsman, and even then, he had to worry about Blindside. He wasn't very tolerable of Piandao training random people that didn't know jack about a sword or how to hold one.

"I'm not angry about this. I'm not even angry in the slightest or pissed about it. But he doesn't have enough time to master the art of the sword. Piandao is great, don't get me wrong, but this is insane." Naruto sighed once more. "How long did he say he'd be gone?"

"He said he'd be back tonight to give us the verdict and show us his 'mad skills'." Lyra gave him a sideways glance and sighed loudly. "I'm not sleeping on the ground like this when we have a friend here that will put us up." That got their attention. The conversation had gotten their attention as well, but they had believed they were talking about someone else. "Get your things together, guys. We're moving out."

Naruto rolled his eyes. His day just kept getting better.

(-)

"Sokka!" Piandao shouted.

The teen stopped in mid swing and was kicked in the back by Fat as a result. He hit the ground hard and groaned from the sudden blow and the fall to the ground as a result. He should have seen it coming.

"Concentrate on what you're doing." Sokka gave him a thumbs' up pose before rising to try again.

Piandao sighed mutely as he watched Sokka continue to train with the butler. He was pleased to say the least with Sokka's skills. He was showing great control over his swordsman skills that he was quickly learning. Piandao had given him a year to master at least some of the advanced skills he had. For him there were multiple stances that he used depending on the situation. Sokka was already starting to show some signs of knowing them. Whether this was by instinct alone or some skills he had, he didn't know. What he did know was that Sokka was very smart and creative with his way of doing things.

Of all the tests that he had given him, the ones with the brush were the most crucial of them all. He had told Sokka to write his name, which of course he was about to rush in and do. But Piandao's words to him had made him falter and hesitate. He got ink on his face as a result and after a few words Sokka had comically painted his face and smashed it into the paper. He had 'officially' stamped his name on the paper. It was a unique way of doing it, but he wouldn't complain any.

The next test had been landscape painting. Like the first test it involved a brush. But it was more than just about writing. It was about taking the lay of the land in. It was about remembering where everything was in a few seconds. In battle you only had a limited amount of time to take everything in. That was what he had wanted to teach him. He had brought him to the one of the most beautiful parts of the village. It was a breathtaking spot where he could clear his mind with the utmost of ease. He had Sokka paint in and in less than a few minutes Sokka had 'officially' painted what he saw.

The test before this had been rock gardening. Of course Sokka didn't understand and asked how it was possible to grow rocks. Piandao had decided to skip that and continue with the lecture on what he was to do. Of course Sokka failed in a unique way again, but still passed. Rock Gardening was about using your surroundings to your advantage. Sokka had taken a large rock, some moss, and placed them both under a nice tree with some shade. He made a make shift recliner as a result. Fat was not pleased.

And his last test was actually the real training. It was the stuff that everyone wanted to learn. Sokka was now learning how to wield a sword. He made him fight Fat with wooden swords and armor. If they got hit he'd notice and it would be counted as a win or lose fight.

Piandao had faith in Fat. Fat was a very skilled swordsman who was also a very good cook. It was one of the reasons why he trained him so long ago. Despite his size, Fat was very skilled with a sword and proving to be quiet a match for the younger opponent.

As their fights progressed, Piandao began to see something in Sokka that tickled his fancy. Sokka was learning a lot quicker than most people. He had no idea if it was just sheer dumb luck or actually skill, but Sokka was learning what to do and what not to do against Fat. Fat was predictable. There was no denying that. And Sokka was clearly picking up on that.

The old master took a sip of his drink and smiled as he watched Sokka swing and miss. He stumbled forward, turned, and got hit on the side on the head. It was an official killing blow. Sokka was dead or would have been dead if it was a real fight.

"Again?" Fat asked curiously.

Sokka opened his mouth but soon shut it when Piandao rose up. "Get the door," the older man ordered. He had a smile on his face. Fat didn't like it. It scared him when his master smiled like that.

(-)

Fat stared at the door. He knew who was behind it. There was just no mistaking the grin his master had given him. And in all honestly he knew this was coming. Piandao's son's sudden return had been the first clue that something was up. He knew that Piandao was a member of the Order of the White Lotus and that his son was a member of the Assassins. There was no way he could not know that. Their home had been used as a base on more than one occasion for one of their missions.

But his other clue was the grin Piandao had. He only smiled like that when Zentrai or Lyra showed up. Naruto never really made him smile in the same fashion. Sure his son could make him smile and laugh just like anyone else could, but the grin told the real story. He saw Zentrai like a true warrior, as if he wanted to fight him to prove that he was still young and strong enough to beat him like he did years ago when he first found him and handed him to the Assassins. That was years ago.

The last clue was the sudden order to have multiple rooms ready for guests. He always got that order because Piandao could very seldom kick someone out after he refused to train them. They traveled a great distance to ask for him to train them and he always denied them that. He saw nothing him. But he still gave them a room for the night to let them rest. If they did anything else he kicked them out, or worse, his son killed them. His son had a very frosty disposition on those his father trained.

Fat stared at the door for another ten seconds before slowly opening it. And as if some higher power were making fun of him, Zentrai, Naruto, and Lyra stood side by side with a few other teens. His first impulse was to shut the door. His second impulse was to run. Zentrai was a hell child in his youth and he had a dozen bad memories from dealing with him. All of them were unpleasant and he had no intention of reliving those any time soon.

"The Master's not in."

Naruto rolled his eyes and Lyra stepped forward. The others seemed confused.

Lyra grabbed Fat by his shirt collar and hauled him to her face. "If you don't let us in to speak with Shin or Piandao, I'm going to do very terrible things to you." He gulped and allowed them entrance. Pissing her off was the last thing he wanted.

(-)

The ocean breeze did nothing to calm Ty Lee down. It wasn't making her feel any better about what was going on right now. This was supposed to be fun but it seemed to be more of a nightmare then a real vacation. Azula was here. Azula, the one person she had been trying to avoid, was here. She was nervous. She had a reason to be. Azula seemed pissed about something. If Ty Lee didn't know any better it was the poison that was coursing through her that was making her so angry. The lines hadn't gone away, no matter what sort of treatment that she got. If they had done anything they had made it grow in size.

"How much longer 'till we make port?" Azula asked. The captain of the boat shrugged. He had no idea. The winds were unusually strong and the waves made it hard for him to steer the ship. Azula snorted at his reply and considered shooting him full of lightning. She couldn't do that. It would do her no good to kill the man. He was their ticket home. Her father had told her to not do anything dangerous or stupid that would bring shame to the family. "Stop pacing, Zuko. It's giving me a headache."

"Then stop looking at me." He hissed. She growled in response but soon let it go. Getting into a fight with him would also bring shame to their family. If it happened in public that is.

"Stop arguing. It's bad for your skin and it's making your auras all dingy." Ty Lee cut in.

"You would care about our auras and skin wouldn't you?" Zuko snapped. He didn't mean to.

Ty Lee turned away, but he swore he saw it again. He thought he saw anger flash in her eyes. Was it possible to make her mad? He had never considered her the type to get mad, but after traveling with Azula it had to be the result of her doing to make her that way.

"I'm sorry."

"No you're not," she mumbled. His aura didn't reflect his sorrow for what he said. She was just thankful that no one heard her. "So what do we plan on doing while we're here?"

Azula shot her a funny look but soon smiled. "Sun bathe," she offered up.

Mai snorted. "I'd rather die. How about we just sit on the beach, do nothing, and bask in the shade provided by umbrellas. I'm happy. Zuko will be happy. Ty Lee will be happy." Ty Lee didn't say anything. Nothing seemed to make her happy now that she was out of her room. Mai noted her reaction and smiled. "Or we can go swimming and try to attract as many boys as we want." Zuko growled at the image of Mai with another man. Mai smiled inwardly. "Jealous?"

"Me? No."

"Whatever you say, Zuko."

Zuko stared at his girlfriend in wonder for a moment before sighing. Things were changing for him. He wasn't sure if this was how Mai had simply started acting while he was gone or if this was just her being happy.

"I can see the island." Ty Lee stood up and walked below deck. The others watched her go, but said nothing to her.

"She's been awfully strange as of late." Azula commented. The two nodded mutely. "I wonder why."

Mai blinked for a moment. I wonder if it has to do with you supposedly killing the only man she probably loves and could ever make her happy. She wouldn't say that, but she did believe that to be the case.

(-)

Ty Lee stared down at the cot that was below deck with cold eyes. She felt like crying and she didn't know why. She may have appeared ditzy and clumsy and goofy, but she was really smart. She understood the human body so well that most doctors were jealous of her. She was proud of that. She was proud of a lot of things. But with all her knowledge came a heavy price. She couldn't understand why she was crying now.

She crashed onto the cot and buried her face in the soft pillow and cried.

(-)

"Operation Black Storm was a heavy hitter on the world, namely the village that was stationed between here and North Chung-Ling, and lasted for two months." Zentrai tossed the book on Piandao's desk.

The others sat around in the large study taking that in, just like how they had taken in the fact that they were friends with this man. They didn't go into full detail, but what they did learn was that Piandao had made all of the Assassin's weapons with his son, Shin. They had no clue as to who Shin was, but they understood that he was also a Master Swordsman and one for Sokka to look out for. But the battle itself was catching their interest at the moment.

"The Earth Kingdom had been involved in the battle for four years at this point when they decided to send a covert team into a village between here and North Chung-Ling. They were the best of the best at the time. They were sent in under the cover of night with a captured Fire Navy Ship and infiltrated the village. The village they occupied was a small agricultural village. It actually grew produce for both villages in this area, and for some far off. Now, a small covert team wasn't enough here. They realized that they had a real chance at delaying the Fire Nation. Not stopping them. They were spread too thin at the time and that ultimately led to this."

Zentrai didn't bother reading their minds. Their faces told him everything. They were shocked by this alone, but Naruto seemed more then annoyed.

"So they simply strolled in and took it over?" Sokka finally asked.

"No. The village was too large for such a thing. They decided on a more rational course of action. They waited until they had enough people here to make the entire village vanish in one night and replace it with families from their village to continue growing produce. It was a ploy to make the Fire Nation believe that they hadn't been infiltrated. It worked for four years since that's how long it took for them to actually move in and then take out the village. Now, there are three records for this event, all of which confirm the same thing. The village held two thousand people, all of which were famers and livestock tenders. They made them vanish in one night. They disposed of the bodies by Earthbending and the illusion was completed. They never knew they were taken over, or rather, had been taken over for four years."

"Wow," Toph cut in. "That's pretty impressive for the Earth Kingdom to take over Fire Nation territory just like that. Did you guys have anything to do with it?"

"No. The Assassins were busy doing other things. But we did have spies keeping record of this. Our records match the Fire Nation's records and the Earth Kingdom's records up to a certain point." Zentrai reached over and grabbed the tome and opened it to a certain page he had marked. "The Fire Nation was clueless to what had happened for four more years. In that time they had all their messages intercepted and decoded. Their ships were captured and soon they were leading an army of Earth Kingdom soldiers via their ships. About a fourth of their ships were controlled by Earth Kingdom soldiers. However, it was short lived. The Fire Nation become aware of what was going on and soon started coding their messages in unique ways and gave bogus orders to all Ship Captains in order to figure out who the enemy was and wasn't."

"Now, two years before the battle they got one clue to what was going on. They captured a drunken man that had retired early on because of a leg wound that didn't heal right. They learned from him what had happened and were soon rushing back to their own borders to deal with the threat. However, they were too entrenched and it was near impossible to get them out. Plus, they had no idea if the information was truly accurate since the citizens still seemed like Fire Nation citizens. They were growing crops and selling them as they always had. So they thought the information was wrong. But they kept guards posted just in case. When one of the Fire Nation guards spotted some strange activity they knew that it was under the control of the Earth Kingdom."

"What made this so hard for the Fire Nation was that this one of the main agricultural spots at the time. It was one of the only ones for this area. The Fire Nation back then didn't have some of the things they have now, so they had to send them out in caravans that were all getting taken out by the Earth Kingdom soldiers that had taken up this area. They had to move their camp backs eighty miles in order to be safe from their raids. The Fire Nation was practically helpless for a long time until two months before the fall of the village. They had massed a large force to deal with them and had decided that it was best to strike in the middle of the day. The Fire Nation entrenched themselves deep about eight miles away from the village. It was then that the entire camp was destroyed by a legendary Swordsman named Xin Toju."

"Xin Toju was a legendary Swordsman among the Earth Kingdom. He was the first and only man to ever cut a stone in half with his sword without bending. He wasn't a bender. It was because of this that his skills were spoken about and what made him a legendary Swordsman. But he wasn't only known for this, he was also known for his tactical mindset. He was a genius with no equal. He alone destroyed the entire camp all on his own and left it in ruins. And it was at this time that the Fire Nation made a desperate last stand to root them out. He appeared on the battlefield where a major battle was taking place between the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom. He stood at the top of the pit and overlooked it all. His men were moved by his tears and when the Fire Nation fought them with Xin Toju present, they said that the Earth Kingdom soldiers fought with such vigor that they seemed possessed by a wicked spirit."

"Xin Toju watched this battle while crying. When the final soldier fell, the Fire Nation moved in to kill him. Now this is where the story splits between the Assassins records and the Fire Nation records. Our records show that he cried and fought for thirty minutes before he was taken down. But he fell to his own sword and sorrow. His sword shattered in his hands as he dropped to his knees and they said it looked like a million tears falling to the earth. He died because of a broken heart that was filled with sorrow. The Fire Nation's records say that he fell to five men who simultaneously stabbing him in the hearth with their weapons and that his sword was shattered by the fire of their attack."

For a moment all was quiet. And then Naruto looked up. "The Fire Nation record is probably wrong. The only reason the Earth Kingdom has no record of this is because two months prior to the villages' fall they intercepted a message from the village and were able to cut all contact to the Earth Kingdom from the village. So they had no records on the final battle or the status of the soldiers they sent over here." Zentrai nodded. "And since the Fire Nation wanted them gone they torched the entire village as well, I take it?"

"Yes. But they called it a cleansing."

"How horrible." Katara hugged her knees to her chest for a moment. "We've always known the Fire Nation was evil. But to destroy an entire village for no reason other than that it was occupied by Earth Kingdom soldiers and possibly citizens is just cruel."

"That's why we have to win this war. We have to win this war to bring justice to all the fallen soldiers and to not let the Fire Nation take over the world." Sokka proclaimed.

"Evil is just a word to describe something or someone you don't like, Sokka." Aang informed him. His eyes were downcast as he spoke. "Sokka, the Fire Nation isn't evil. They're just… doing the wrong thing. They're hurting people because of something they want."

"The story to that is that the Fire Nation wants to spread their greatness with the rest of the world." Piandao explained. He took a sip of his tea and then continued. "I have never followed their beliefs, however. I have my own beliefs and my own ways. I do not judge others for following their own paths. But the Fire Nation's path is a cruel one that must be stopped." Sokka nodded completely and Piandao narrowed his eyes. "But I don't think the entire populace needs to suffer from this. They are being lied to just like the rest of the world. Their soldiers belief they are spreading their greatness by cleansing the heathens of the world that refuse to accept their offerings."

"'Spreading their greatness' is nothing but a lie." Sokka snapped. "All they're doing is killing and taking lands that belong to another country. How can they call that spreading their greatness? This is why I say they're evil and that there are no good Fire Nation people." Sokka stared in horror at Piandao. He had said it, but Piandao shrugged it off. "I'm sorry, Master. I didn't mean…"

"I understand, Sokka. I don't blame you for that. It's very hard to find one soldiers or citizen that is good and accepts what we're doing as wrong. But more to the point, we must continue your training." He stood up. "I told you that you were going to make your own sword and that you had a special material from outside that you wanted to use. Do you need help in retrieving it?"

Sokka blinked and then nodded. "Yes. My friends can help me get it. I'll be right back." Sokka and the Avatar gang got up and left without bothering to ask Lyra for help.

Zentrai turned to watch them leave and snorted. "Where is Shin? We need to speak with him and probably warn him to not do anything insane to Sokka."

"Sokka is expendable." Naruto said coldly. Piandao sighed explosively. "We have our orders. Our orders are to get Aang to the rendezvous point to end this war with the Fire Nation. If Sokka or any of the others slow us down, that's not our problem. Our orders didn't involve them." Naruto stood up and walked away before anyone could protest to this.

Lyra nodded. "We have our orders. As much as Naruto would probably like to admit that we need them, he's compelled to follow the orders he's given. He's the Rank One Assassin in combat abilities and has to follow all orders given to him regardless of how heartless they are. I know it pains him to do so, but we can't be slowed down." She chewed on her lower lip. "How much time do you need to train Sokka, Master Piandao? Can you get him fully trained so that he is combat ready with a sword before the Day of Black Sun?"

"Yes. But I'll need at least a week to train him nonstop. If you can simply stay for that amount of time I can have this done quicker."

"Not possible. We have to keep on moving. We're on a time table. We can slow our pace down so that Sokka could catch up, but after two weeks, we'll wash our hands of him."

"So you'll give me a week and a half to train him and send him on his way? That sounds fair. Can I trust that you'll also speak with my son so that he won't kill Sokka right when he gets here?"

"Of course." She smiled. "But make no mistake; Shin will kill him if he doesn't see what you see him. To be honest, I don't see what you see in him. We'll rest for one day and then leave in the morning. If the others don't come with us, they're your problem. The Avatar will come regardless. Now," she turned to Fat. He winced at her dangerous look in her eyes. "Where is my room? I wish to know where it is so that when I'm finished bathing I can get there with ease."

"Right this way, Ma'am." He gestured towards the door and looked back at Piandao. His old master was raising his glass as if he were a man fixing to get laid. Fat looked back at the retreating form of the one armed girl and sighed as Zentrai soon followed him under the same idea.

(-)

Azula was bored. That was a bad thing for sure. But she was bored. She wasn't being pampered. No one seemed to notice her. And if they did notice her, they didn't know who she was. That was a dishonor in her mind. Everyone should know who she was. She was a royalty.

The princess snorted in anger and glanced down at her body. She had a hot body, even with the strange markings that she now had. They had grown slightly and she couldn't and wouldn't cover them up on a day like this. No. Her curse seemed to have an exotic look to them. Even she liked the strange poison that now flooded her body and made her veins a visible. It had officially started to grow downwards and move around her stomach to her side. It was still spread out like a spiders' web, but when she wore a two-piece swimsuit it made it look like a tattoo of some sort. She hadn't missed the few glances it got and the way the boys stared at her chest.

But despite the looks she was still bored. She needed to do something and fast. It was unnerving to know that she, a Royal Princess, could be bored.

Mai was out of the question. She was with Zuko at the moment. Plus Mai had been acting very strange as of late. She wasn't nearly as moody, but Azula had started to notice the glares the Weapon Mistress was sending at her. Why she did this she didn't know. But whatever was making her glare at her had her wanting to stay away from her just for the time being. She felt like she was walking on thin ice because of what had happened between her father and her that she didn't want to do anything to jeopardize her standing at the moment.

Zuko was out of the question as well because he was with Mai. She also didn't feel like trying to manipulate him into doing what she wanted. And the idea of trying to be the perfect sister for those on the beach didn't sit well with her. If she wanted to manipulate him she'd use the information he had given her about him seeing their uncle. Sure she could have ruined him with that, but it would do her no good to just use it now. She'd gain nothing and the idea of ruining his life right now wasn't something she wanted to do… just yet anyways.

So that only left the ever illusive Ty Lee. She was thinking about seeing her and just trying to get her to do something but there had been her strange way of acting as of late that it made her believe that she was hiding something. But she was bored and Ty Lee was surrounded by a bunch of men that were trying to seduce her.

Deciding to ruin Ty Lee's day she stood up and marched towards the acrobat. She made sure to smile happily and not sadistically. She wanted the illusion that she was a friend and not a foe.

"Ty Lee," she cooed. The acrobat glanced up and her smile faded slightly. The Fire Nation princess noticed it and smiled mentally. "I was wondering if you wanted to come play a game with me."

"No." She turned back to one of the boys. "Can you get me a glass of water with lemon in it? Please?" She pouted and the boy melted. He quickly ran away to fetch her drink. Ty Lee pretended to not know that Azula was still there and showed some amount of shock that she still stood there. "Do you need something?"

Azula stared at her for a moment and looked at her as if she were some sort of bug that had never been seen before. Ty Lee didn't show that she relished the look of confusion and shock for her words. Having a backbone was a good thing, but she was still held in the fear of what she would or might do to her if she got angry.

Azula turned and stared at the boys. "How are you going to have fun with any of these boys when your boyfriend is as a demonic beast, Ty Lee? I thought you said he was very possessive."

The boys gulped and stared at her. The image they held was some big Fire Nation soldier that had a high rank and was very well known for never showing mercy. It got them to leave and Ty Lee was soon alone with the Fire Nation princess.

"You didn't have to do that."

"Yes I think I did, Ty Lee."

The acrobat stared at her in anger and then smiled. "Nice to see your tattoo is healing nicely." Azula stared her down and took a threatening step forward. Ty Lee snorted at her. "Go away. And don't go scaring off the boys again, Fire Monster."

"Enough," Azula snapped. "I'm not going to listen to you belittle me. If you want to belittle anyone, do it to Zuko. He needs it more than me. After all, he is a failure. He couldn't even kill the Avatar, let alone capture him. I had to do it."

"And you made a Devil angry. You couldn't even kill him with two armies. So what does that say about you?" Azula took another step towards her. "I only came because Zuko invited me. So don't go threatening me with some stupid reason on why you can make me suffer and stay her. I'm already suffering more than what you could ever do to me. So don't even try, Fire Monster. Leave me alone." Ty Lee promptly turned away and began to examine her nails.

Azula stared at her. No one, not even her mother, had ever told her off. Sure her mother scolded her, but she turned around and did it again all the time. The only person that could control her was her father. But he let her do whatever she pleased. And Ty Lee was more or less telling her off, something she had never done before. It was almost as if she were mad at her about something.

"Go away." Ty Lee said coldly. "I just wanna be left alone on the beach to do as I please." Azula mulled that over and then smiled before walking away. Ty Lee stared at her retreating form and then growled. She's going to try something.

(-)

"You wanted to talk to us?"

Sokka shoveled more coal into the kiln and ran his arm over his head to wipe away the sweat that covered his forehead. He put in two more batches of coal via shovel before sticking it into the ground and facing his friends. For some reason he was a bit surprised to them, namely Aang and Katara since Toph didn't blinked unless she had to, blinking in confusion.

"I need you guys to go on ahead without me."

Sokka might have well just told them he didn't care about them or dropped an explosive powder on the ground. They blew up and started asking question after question so fast that he had to silence them with a raised hand. It worked, but not as well as he would have liked with Toph.

"You're leaving us?" Toph asked heatedly.

"No." He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He hadn't pictured them getting this angry with him over this. "Listen, I need more time to master Swordsmanship and we have to keep moving at the same time. I can't train with Master Piandao on the road because he has to stay here. And Naruto and Zentrai aren't exactly the best of teachers, I think."

"So you're just going to stay until you've mastered your sword?" Katara snapped. She felt like hitting him. "Why do we have to go so you can stay? That's too dangerous. I forbid it."

"Katara, be practical about this. If you guys go on ahead with the others we can make good time. Naruto already agreed to move at a slower pace, one that should match up to how long Master Piandao wishes to train me. He said he'd even pay for a carriage to take me to North Chung-Ling so that we can all meet up there. He's already planned this out this far. I won't be in danger at all. And you guys can hurry along to the rendezvous point while I learn all I can about swordsmanship."

"But why can't we all just say together? Wouldn't that make things simpler?" Sokka shook his head and the young Avatar sighed. "Is it because we might end up in the way?"

Sokka nodded slowly. "Master Piandao told me that he would train me as hard as he could so that when the Day of Black Sun arrives I'm ready to fight with a sword and not use it like some terrified bandit. I won't be a master by any means, but I'll be that much tougher to kill." He stared at them and then sat down on the coals. "I know one sword won't make that much of a difference. But one partially trained swordsman might make all the difference. I need this, guys. I don't want to weigh you guys down. And don't say I don't."

"You do weigh us down." Toph told him.

Sokka dismissed her joke with a wave of his hand. "Can you guys just continue without me? Please. Consider this a chance to be away from me and my crazy schedule."

They didn't hide that they liked that idea. Sokka felt hurt but smiled.

"Alright," Katara agreed. "But we'll wait for you at the village."

"Naruto said he'd give me two weeks and nothing more. Once the two weeks are up he's moving on with or without me." He decided to leave out the part about them telling him he was expendable. They would have more of a reason to stay as a result.

"Alright, Sokka. If this is what you truly want, I won't stop you." Aang stood a little straight for a moment and then smiled. "But so you know, you don't weigh the team down." He patted him on the shoulder and then turned to leave, pausing only to say, "And try to learn as much as you can. Don't slack off like I do."

The others watched the Avatar go. Toph was smiling because she had more ways now to "train" Aang since he admitted to slacking off.

"I guess we should go get our things packed." Katara told him. "Good luck with your training and we wish you the best of luck."

"She wishes you the best of luck. Me, I just hope you don't cut yourself with it." Toph walked off whistling a happy tune. Katara followed a moment later, leaving the lone warrior to his thoughts.

(-)

Dark clouds hung overhead, blotting out the stars.

It was time to leave and although things hadn't gone as smoothly as Zuko might have liked, he did enjoy the time alone he got with Mai. The only thing that seemed out of place for him was that Azula had left them alone. He had expected her to boss him around and ask him to do things, or failing that she'd turn to Mai. But none of that happened. He was worried at the moment. Nothing ever went good around Azula. He had learned that a long time ago. Azula was a heartless woman that would kill him for a cookie most likely.

As much as they had talked about life, why he felt angry, and what he felt was wrong with him, he had a lingering feeling in his gut that told him something was amiss with Ty Lee. He couldn't place it. It was almost like she had slowly begun to unwind herself from them and keep them at bay with her growing cold nature. No. It wasn't a growing cold nature. Zuko knew what that was and Ty Lee didn't have that. It was more like she was depressed about something. He couldn't understand it and he couldn't understand her.

He huffed as he slung the last of his clothes into his bag. It felt good to pack his own clothes rather than to have some nameless servant do it. He had never bothered to thank many of them. Looking back on it now his mother had been the only one to ever thank them when they did something for them. They smiled genuinely around her and offered fake smiles around him. As real as they were he knew they were nothing but fake smiles meant to pleas him and the Royal Family. He felt disgusted by those fake smiles.

"You almost ready to go," Mai asked. She slinked up behind and wrapped her arms around his waist. He nodded slowly and felt Mai's body press against his back. "You saw it, didn't you? Ty Lee is changing."

"I noticed."

"I'm worried for her. She snapped at Azula."

"Good."

"I'm worried about her."

Zuko was silent for a moment before answering. "She's a tough woman. She can handle herself. Or… is she not what I think she is?" He said it slowly as if he were confused on the subject. He shook his head and turned around in her arms. They were pressed together. "Was she always like this or is just that she changed while I was away?"

Mai bit her lower lip and thought about it. Zuko wrapped his arms around her and hugged her closely as she answered. "She started to change after we left Ba Sing Se. Whatever happened in there is what changed her I think. She's probably just sad with what's been happening. Seeing the world for what it is now has probably changed her. She probably thought we were trying to spread our greatness to the world."

Zuko let her go but she held onto him. He closed his eyes as he thought about. He thought about the world mostly. He could never forget the hateful glares he got when he walked into foreign villages for supplies or while he was on the chase for the Avatar. They had messed up the world. It was unbalanced. That needed to be corrected. But that wouldn't happen. His father wanted power. His sister, should she get the throne, would just burn everything to the ground just to watch the world burn. He wondered what he'd do for a moment and then shook his head.

"I'm worried about her." Mai admitted again. "I think she wasn't prepared for the real world that we had to see. I mean, I saw back at Omashu, the city that we took over a few months back. So I was used to it when we started moving out. And since Ty Lee had originally been moving with the Fire Nation Circus, there's a chance that they moved around all the other villages as well and just went to the heavily secured Fire Nation villages to perform. So seeing the world the way it is must have also done her in like this."

Zuko nodded mutely. There were no words of comfort for the Weapon Mistress. He could do nothing but hold her and pray for her.

"Are you two coming or not?" Azula snapped. They parted and nodded slowly. "Good. The last thing I need is to stick around here any longer then what I'd like with no one to have fun with." She walked off with a smile.

(-)

In all Piandao's growing wisdom, letting Naruto leave with Sokka's friends was probably the stupidest thing he could have done. He did it for the best of reasons. He needed time to teach Sokka as much as he knew in the limited amount of time they had. He would train him for a week and give him half of a week to rest, knowing that when his son returned he would challenge him and wound him severely as a test to prove that he wasn't worthy of his teachings. Piandao knew that his son would act rash towards this choice, but what other options were there? Sokka was a good kid and a fine warrior. He just needed some adjustments and the right mindset.

"Again," he shouted.

Sokka snapped to his feet and began fighting Fat again.

Piandao sighed. He couldn't give Sokka a chance to rest for more than just sleeping or eating. He'd woken him up before the sun rose and already starting drilling in stances and breathing exercises to make him physically fit to do this. Most people believed that simply taking a sword and getting a master would make you a better swordsman. This was true, but it was also false. Piandao had learned the hard way that in order to be a master you need more than simple foot work and advanced skill with a blade. You needed to have the mentality of a tactical commander. You needed to understand your surroundings. You needed to know how to use the lay of the land to your advantage. And the most important thing was that you needed to be calm at all times.

He was drilling Sokka in two fashions. For the time he'd be here when they woke up until the sun rose to greet them, he'd train him in breathing exercises, sword stances, and by randomly trying to scare him. The last part wasn't for fun. He got Fat involved. Sokka needed to remain calm even during normal life. It would help him be a better swordsman. Seeing his comrades killed, watching the enemy charge him with a blooded weapon, or even watching as someone close to him might turn and try to kill him could all make the brain freeze and render you vulnerable. He wanted to make sure that never happened.

But there was a problem in doing this. Sokka was uneasy around him. He became fearful of every shadow he walked by. It seemed to have done more harm than good. That worried Piandao. With limited amount of time he had no other choice but to start cutting that back. Sokka didn't have the mentality to do that part. It just wasn't in him yet. He needed to wake up to the world to see it. Piandao knew that if he couldn't get him to wake up, his son most certainly could.

From sun up to noon they would train in different areas where Sokka would face Fat without knowing what the landscape was. He was fighting him in a bamboo forest at the moment. It was just thick enough to make fighting hard but just thin enough that Piandao could still watch them carefully. And for both their safeties they were using wooden swords as opposed to real ones with armor as well. Sokka was still going to get battered and bruised, but the armor would help him a little.

After noon Sokka spent his time with Piandao learning all the possible ways to counter any blow given to him by any other type of weapon. It was hard to believe that Piandao could use anything but a sword, but he managed nicely with other weapons like a staff or a hammer. Sokka wasn't getting that part down fast enough. By then he was usually tired and unfocused. Piandao knew that it was at that point that Sokka not only reached his limit for training but that if he was pushed any further he might break him. But he continued anyways.

Piandao had been a nice man and seen a lot of good people fight and die with a sword. In his mind, breaking a person during training was better than letting them get killed on the battlefield. He'd rather break someone than send them to their death after giving them his approval to use a sword and call them a Master. And as cruel as it was, Fat and Sokka both agreed that it was necessary.

Sokka collapsed under a fury of blows and gasped for air.

"On your feet," Fat ordered. Sokka hesitated but stabbed his wooden sword into the ground to help him stand. Fat was on him when both feet were firmly planted on the ground. He hit him twice in the head and kicked him once in the side, knocking him back down again. "Never take your eyes off the opponent. Try to never blink as well. Your life could end in the blink of an eye when the enemy is this close to you. Don't forget that." Sokka nodded as he rose. He made sure to keep eye contact with him this time around.

Piandao watched as Sokka began fighting anew. He was getting exhausted, but he continued to fight. Piandao wanted him to continue fighting until he couldn't move. When he couldn't move anymore he'd call it quits and let him eat and rest for thirty minutes. That was too much time in his eyes, but Sokka was proving to be a fast learner.

Sokka hit the ground once more and didn't move for five minutes. He groaned after six minutes and slowly began to get to his feet. Fat watched him carefully as the young teen wobbled three times before getting a firm stance. He hefted his wooden sword like it weighed as much as a mountain. He breathed heavily and Fat noticed that his eyes were unfocused.

Fat shook his head. "He's on his feet unconsciously. This is over now." Fat didn't take his eyes off the Warrior though. He was worried he'd pull something.

Sokka just stood there. Fat carefully approached him and stopped when Sokka's hands tightened on the wooden sword. He took one more step forward and then Sokka lashed out.

Fat jumped back and raised his own training sword and stared at the teen. Sokka became motionless again and Fat chewed on his lower lip. He wouldn't be able to get close to him to actually knock him out completely. Yes he was unconscious, but he was also still conscious to some extent. It was the training they were drilling into him that made him stand and fight. He was fighting on instincts now. He would swing the sword when his enemy got close. In this case, Fat couldn't get close to him without having to really fight and hurt him.

Sokka turned and swung his wooden sword. In two swift motions the sword was cut in half and Sokka was rendered completely unconscious. Piandao sheathed his sword before Sokka even hit the ground. The young Warrior hit hard, but was otherwise okay. Piandao was quick to kneel down beside him to ensure his survival. Expendable or not, he was his student and it was his duty to ensure he survived his training, broken or not.

"Take him to his room. He needs medical attention. We'll feed him when he awakens." Piandao turned and walked off. He had other issues to resolve at the moment.

Fat stared down at the teen for a moment before picking him up. It's hard to believe that Master Piandao can still move like that. But then again, he is the man who once bested and entire castle on his own. Fat hauled the sleeping teen to his room, undressed him and clothed him in his sleeping clothes and then departed. He left the door partially cracked so they would know when he was awake.

(-)

"I miss Sokka."

Lyra stared at Aang for a moment and then shrugged her shoulders.

"It's only been three days," Naruto told him. They continued to move at a steady pace across the barren landscape. "And besides, we need to find Shin before we get out of here. Otherwise he might just kill Sokka when he returns home."

"And who's to say this guy isn't already home?" Toph asked.

They stopped and looked down at the ground twenty feet away from them. A corpse was in the middle of the road. It was human and cut into three separate pieces.

"That's how we know he's around here." Zentrai moved to the body and looked it over. "It's fresh. He's around here somewhere."

"He killed this man! Why?" Zentrai kicked a broken sword that was resting in the man's grasp. Aang noticed it and winced. "Never mind," he whispered.

"Split up?" Katara asked.

"No. He'd attack you. He doesn't really know you all that well. He won't attack Toph though. Or us for that matter. He's an Assassin after all." Lyra told them.

The team was confused but accepted it.

Naruto took point and began moving in a quick low fashion. It seemed strange to them to watch him keep crouched as though he were in enemy territory. Well they were in enemy territory technically, but that wasn't the point. Naruto just looked a bit funny hunched over and running with his sword resting on his shoulder.

Aang stopped and glanced to his right. The others stopped as well and stared at him. Aang shifted uneasily as he peered into the fog that was slowly inclosing around them. He felt a shiver run through him and then warm as the fog completely covered them. It was thick enough that his friends who stood no more than four to eight feet away from him appeared like shadowy figures. They were misshapen as a result and he felt fear course through him. He stared at all six of them for a moment before Zentrai sprang into action.

"Someone's here that I can't read!" Five of the six shadowy figures rushed to Aang and circled around him.

Aang didn't realize what was wrong until Naruto, the last of the five shadowy figures arrived. There was another on in the fog just standing there.

Zentrai turned in the direction of the shadowy figure and threw two throwing knives at it. The figure faded away in the fog and vanished entirely. Naruto growled and considered using his power to blast away the fog. It would work. He'd done it once before. But that would be like painting a big red sign for the world to see.

The fog began to part and the team remained on edge until Toph gasped. "There's something here. It feels like…"

"A gravesite," Zentrai finished for her.

Toph felt like throwing up. She had never once considered what her way of seeing allowed her to see until now. With one step forward a vibration was sent out that bounced off anything and gave her an idea of what was ahead. What was ahead them was a pit. This pit was filled with hundreds of swords, broken armor, arrows, spears, shields, and other weapons. It was also filled with corpses. Hundreds of thousands of corpses, some buried, some not, some old, and some fresh. She wanted to throw up because she felt something wrong with the place. It was sickening to her and she honestly had no answer for it.

The others followed Naruto as he began to pass through the every growing field of swords. They moved in a single file line for a long time until Naruto suddenly stopped. Toph got a good look at the person with her way of seeing and blinked for a moment. A smile crossed her face along with the Assassins.

"Blindside," Toph exclaimed happily. She was happy to meet another Earthbender.

Blindside stood up sharply and presented his Sakabatō as a result. He sheathed it once he realized who was speaking to him and who was here now. He gave the team a glance and then looked back at the ground he had been kneeling at.

"I'm surprised you made it this far. I figured that with those kids around you'd get stopped in every village on the way and have the entire army of the Fire Nation on your heads. It's not easy traveling with immature brats that don't understand war, now is it?" The three Assassins had nothing to say on the matter. It was hard, but they managed. Blindside glanced at the others to gauge their reaction. They had none. "You seem to have laid down the law with them. Not a bad option, but clearly it has deprived them of any real enjoyment they have at the moment."

"Blindside, what are you doing here? I thought you were with the Assassins? For that matter, why are you even here to begin with? I thought only these three were allowed to help us." Aang pointed at his three guards and stared at him. "Please don't tell me you're here to protect me too. I don't know if I can stand being followed by another person."

"Put your mind at ease. I'm not here to follow you or help in the battle you will endure in a few weeks. I'm only here under the orders of my father, Piandao. If it wasn't for him, I'd be training Harut right now back at our village." He gave Naruto a sideways glance. "Being the Rank One Assassin for combat abilities has left you and the other two out of the current loop. Guarding the Avatar is your duty, and as such, you don't have to train someone like we do. The only reason I'm not training someone is because Rehka wants them to have field experience. I'm currently on leave you could say."

"Interesting as that is, can we get out of this place. It gives me the creeps." Toph announced.

"Afraid of ghosts?"

"I can't see like you guys." The blind girl waved a hand in front of her face with a smile. "I see with Earthbending. So if it floats or flies I can't see it."

"Who said these ghosts could fly?" Blindside gave her a grin and then turned his attention to Katara. "The aspect of death surrounds this place. It is, as some might say, a monument to evil. A great injustice was done here years ago. The dead are restless. They're souls have not moved on and as such they haunt these lands. I come to offer them salvation and pray for their release. Surely you of all people can understand the idea of a soul being attached to the land, never being allowed to leave, correct?"

"Someone is stuck here?" Aang stepped forward. Blindside raised a hand to stop him and the young Avatar stared at him. "If it's a soul that needs to be released, I'll help them."

"Help? Dear child, you can't help them. They are filled with hatred only. Betrayal runs deep in them. They were betrayed, used, and sent to their deaths. If you wish to help them, you must do more than speak with them. Words alone are not enough." The Rank Five Assassin glanced up at the top of the pit. "We must leave. At sundown they awaken to do battle again. I wish not to be here." He moved past them and stopped only to offer a warning. "Do not touch any of these weapons. They are cursed. If you touch them and take them, you will surely die."

The gang glanced at the other Assassins as they began following the Rank Five Assassin.

They traveled in silence for ten minutes before coming to a small forest. In the center of it was a small camp where Blindside had resided for the time being. With his food rations nearly gone it was clear he was fixing to return home.

The Rank Five Assassins offered what little food he had and helped the team form their own tents for sleeping. Sokka had gone out to gather some stick for kindling and soon a large fire was going. Rai and Shibaru had slinked off to find some food, mostly for themselves, and to ensure the place was secure. It paid to have a pet that could actually do its job and fend for itself.

"So why do you come all the way out here?" Aang asked finally.

Blindside gave him a sideways glance before speaking. "I come to this spot to pray for their release. They have been bound to this land for some amount of time now. They deserve to pass on." He reached into one of his bags and produced an amulet. "This was one of the many treasures that were created in this land before it was destroyed by the Fire Nation. It is the last of its type and is worth more than your head or ancient knowledge, Aang." He dangled it in front of the teen.

It was a sky blue rock of some kind with a hole it and a string through it, giving it the necklace form. The rock was curved like it was part of the Yin-Yang symbol. It seemed to be in good condition.

Shin pocketed it and continued. "The stuff they made wasn't very sot after until their demise. It was only after some Fire Nation citizens went digging through the rubble did they realize what sort of treasures they had. A lot of the stuff they had made was jewelry, clothing, and weapons. Among all of these they had created a perfect staff that killed any man who tried to use it for his own ends. The staff was made from refined iron and steel with a hammer on one end and a seven needle blade point forming the star at the other end. The blades were made from ground up diamonds and steel. The weapon itself wasn't dangerous. It was the style that was used with it. It's called the Seven Stance of Wu Shu."

"I've heard of that." Katara cut in. "It's mostly taken by women though. They use it for protection and nothing more."

The Rank Five Assassin nodded. "Yes. It is said that no one can counter it and it is nimble enough to break through all defenses. But I suppose that part is also just a legend. All defenses can be broken. Nothing is impenetrable. Nothing lasts forever." He reached over to the whistling tea pot and poured himself a cup of tea. "You're more than welcome to have some."

He took a sip of his drink and gave a warning glare to Naruto when the teen looked in a different direction.

"But I suppose you didn't seek me out to have tea or brush up on Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom history. So what is it that you want?"

"We want you to not kill Sokka when you return home." Katara answered.

Blindside narrowed his eyes on the three Assassins. "Father took someone under his wing?" He sat his cup down and sighed. "I should have known that was one of the reasons you'd seek me out. Our last report on you guys had seven people traveling together." Appa and Momo started chattering because of this. "Animals are not included in my numbers. You are merely food should starvation begin to set in, and therefore, not a number." They stopped chattering and quieted down. "I will deal with him in due time. Now for the other reason you're here. I take it you're here because of the changes that Rehka made."

The mute nodded swiftly and smiled.

Blindside took a deep breath before beginning. "All Master Assassins are hereby ordered to take at least two students for training. The Top Ten Assassins Ten through Four are to take at least one apprentice or an entire team of three under their wing. All Assassins are hereby ordered to stay closer to the village unless ordered otherwise by the higher-ups. All Assassins are to now submit a fully detailed review on all missions they take. All Assassins are hereby ordered to take a mental evaluation after every mission. All Assassins are ordered to take out any high ranking Fire Nation target should they be near one. Failure to comply with these changes will result in the immediate death and or imprisonment for treason." Blindside stared at them. "You three aren't under these rules because you are protecting the Avatar. Your duty is to protect him, nothing more. If someone were to mess with him, kill them. We're not taking any chances. But we have to follow these rules to the letter. The only acceptation is me right now because of father. Rehka doesn't want to risk an open conflict with Piandao since he not only makes their weapons but also has the political power to screw you guys over."

The group was quiet for a moment as they digested that.

For the Assassins it was proof that things were getting seriously. This was just barely under a marital law for them. Only once had the Assassins been put under martial law, but it was for their safety, not to destroy them and take away their true rights.

For Aang and the others it was just another reason to end the war and proof that the Assassins weren't going to help them in the fighting. Naruto, Zentrai, and Lyra would be with them, but they would be limited and continue to help Aang and Aang only. That meant that they wouldn't be on the front lines.

"No other changes?" Blindside shook his head. "Alright. We'd like for you to not kill Sokka since he's training with Master Piandao. He said he'd deal with you when you got there because he figured that you'd try something anyways. If that is the case, then our orders stand as well. You cannot, under any circumstances, kill Sokka."

"I do not understand. Is he not expendable?"

"Of course he not! How could you say something like that?" Katara screamed. "He's my brother and a member of our team! He's not expendable!"

"On the contrary, their orders state that they are to protect the Avatar at all costs. That means that they are not ordered to protect you for any reason. If you get captured or are wounded and will drag them down, you will be left to die or be dealt with accordingly to prevent a leak in what you are setting out to do. You are all expendable say for the Avatar himself." Shin explained carefully.

"How can you say we're expendable when we're the ones training him in the ways of our bending?" Toph had a smile on her face when asked him that question.

"A new teacher can easily be proved," Lyra answered swiftly. Aang stared at her with an open mouth. "For Earthbending you need someone who listens to before attacking. Waterbending is easier. We can provide one in an instant. You are all still expandable. And for the record, so are we. Our lives will be for nothing if the Avatar dies. So long as he lives, even at the cost of our lives, there is still hope in the world. So don't feel like we're trying to disrespect you when the same applies to us as well."

An uneasy silence fell over the camp that night as Blindside explained some of the other changes to the other three Assassins, leaving Aang, Katara, and Toph out the loop. It wasn't their business to understand the workings of the Assassins. They understood that the Assassins lived by the general idea that allies one day could be enemies the next. It was a hard lesson for them to understand, but in reality the Assassins had no allies. All they had was each other, but even then they weren't allies.

(-)

Sokka awoke with a start and swung once before realizing he was in a bed. He remembered his training with Fat but nothing else after going down.

"You're awake already." Sokka turned and stared at Piandao. He looked like a demon with the light of his candle shinning in his eyes and the darkness covering the rest of him. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd wake up at all. It's good to know I didn't hurt you too bad."

Sokka rubbed the back of his neck just below the base of his skull. It did hurt a little.

"Do you remember what happened to you?"

"I was training with Fat while you watched, Master Piandao." Sokka stopped and glanced at the candle. "Why? Did something happen?"

"Sokka, you've been out for most of a day now. You missed a lot of training because of this."

"I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for." Piandao was hesitating about something. "Sokka, can I ask you a personal question?" The young Warrior nodded. "Why did you want to learn the art of swordsmanship? You have talent in the area, but given your background there is no real reasoning for it. Your family is not one to use a sword. So why did you wish to take up a sword?"

"I wanted to be as good as my friends. I wanted to help them beat the Fire Nation."

"I see." Piandao got quiet again. "Sokka, I'm going to tell you something about the way I've trained people. And I want you to keep an open mind and not shut this out." Sokka nodded carefully. Piandao was serious. That scared him. "I once fought for my people a long time ago. Still to this day I fight for them, but in a different method that I won't explain. However, that said, I do still serve my people to the best of my abilities and those around me. The fact that I took my son, an Earth Kingdom born child, is proof that I am more than what I seem. I have seen hundreds of people come to me for training, but I have refused them all say for my son. I trained him because he fought for the same ideals I do. I've trained you because you have self-doubt and are unsure of yourself. You lack a path."

"Just because you took up one Earth Kingdom child, that doesn't exactly make you a saint. And training only him and me means nothing to me. I don't understand what you're getting at."

The old master nodded truthfully. Blunt as it was, it did summarize him quiet well.

"I never took him in because I wanted to try and find peace in my actions prior to finding him and the light of day. I had already begun to awaken before meeting him. I saw the world in a different manner than the troops around me. They saw the world as some alien world where everything was a threat. I saw beauty and truth and wisdom in the world. They burned it down. I tried to save it. My actions nearly cost me my life when I spared a village. I couldn't bring myself to destroy it. And it was in this moment I met my son. But that is for a later date. What I want to know from you is why you fight."

Sokka thought about it for a moment. There were a lot of reasons that he fought. Some were obvious but stupid. Others were deep and painful. He didn't want to answer the question, but he didn't want to not answer is either.

"I fight to destroy the Fire Nation." Piandao's eyes lowered slightly. "I want to destroy the Fire Nation for what they've done. They took away my mother and destroyed our family. Only recently did I get to see my dad after so long. It's not fair for what the Fire Nation has done. They have to be stopped."

"So you're fighting for revenge?"

"Yes… No… I don't know why I'm fighting I guess."

Sokka hung his head in shame for not having a real answer.

Piandao sighed. "You have lost your way. I cannot train you unless you find a reason to fight, Sokka. It is impossible."

"I'm fighting for my friends."

"Only your friends?" Sokka kept his mouth shut. "There is more to life and fighting then just doing it for your friends. They way of the sword is more than just stabbing and slicing your enemies. It is about protecting the innocent and destroying the guilty. What if your friends turned on you? Would you point your blade at them?" Sokka shook his head. "Without being able to sacrifice your emotions and attachments you will never become a true swordsman, Sokka."

"So I have to give up what makes me… me? Is that what you're saying?"

"No. I am merely saying that you have lost your way. I want to help you find it again. We have been pushing you very hard, Sokka. I think you need to remember and learn what it is that a swordsman fights for. It is what I fight for." Piandao retrieved Sokka's blade and handed it to him. "Return at nightfall. Give me your answer for whom you fight for. If you give me an answer I like, I'll continue to train you."

Piandao turned and left without another word.

Sokka was left confused and stared down at his sword. He already knew more than what he had ever thought he could learn. He could just leave and never return right now and call himself a master. He decided to stay for more teachings. So he got dressed and began his march into town.

(-)

Piandao stood next to the window as he watched Sokka go. He knew what the boy was going to do; he just hoped that he found an answer to what it was that he needed to fight for. Fighting without a purpose was a terrible thing. If you fought for a purpose other than yourself you were strong. If you fought solely for yourself you were weak. Piandao had hopes that Sokka would come across the right answer to what he was seeking. For him, fighting was more than just slaying his enemies; it was about preserving the balance and protecting the world, not just his Nation.

I hope you find that, Sokka. I'm training you to do more than end the war. I'm training you to be a swordsman for the people and the world. Not just for your friends and Water Tribe.

The old master turned and looked to Fat. The butler looked perplexed but seemed to understand what was going on. "Prepare some bandages. No doubt my son will arrive soon." Fat left the old man. Piandao turned back to the window and began glancing around for his son. Where are you now, Shin?

(-)

The first thing Ty Lee did when she got home was throw herself on her bed. The second thing she did was strip off her robes. They annoyed her.

Naked now, she moved to the bath with a smaller robe to cover her modesty as she prepared a bath. She didn't have servants like the rest of her family or friends. Instead she had thrown them away in a manner of speaking. They were great to have around, but with her ability to see auras it was just an annoying thing. She could tell their smiles weren't real. She could tell that they're happy tone was forced. She could tell that they were afraid of her. She didn't want that. So upon her return home after traveling with Azula she promptly did away with them.

When the bath was ready she dropped her robe and sank all the way in. It washed away the sea salt smell and then grim from the sweat she received while sunbathing, along with the sand that just had to stick in places she didn't know she had.

Ty Lee brought her nose to the very tip of the water and began to breath. It didn't enter, but the steam was enough to clear her mind.

She was confused. She had snapped at Azula. She didn't know why she did it. For the life of her she had no idea on why she did it. She was always cheerful and happy. Looking back on her life she couldn't think of a single time she had snapped at anyone. It was confusing her. It wasn't like her to be angry. It did bad things to her aura and her skin.

Ty Lee knew she had more problems than just this at the moment. Her fears were placed on Azula. She didn't know what Azula would do to her. She had to be planning something. It was hard to believe that Azula had let her get away with that when she did. So Azula had to be planning something.

But what can I do to keep it from happening? She hugged her knees to her chest and rested her head against her knees. She wanted to cry in fear of what might happen. No one but Naruto and Zentrai ever dared to order her around without proper orders and lived to tell the tale. What could she do against someone that could easily beat her?

Ty Lee was aware that she could confide in someone about this. If word got out that she, a lower class of the higher ranking families, had screamed at Azula and told her off then the fallout would be devastation. She could go to Mai, but Mai would probably tell her to not worry about it. She couldn't go to Zuko either. He'd turn around and demand and answer for her from Azula. There was no other option for her but to sit and wait for whatever happened.

Or I could simply leave the Fire Nation. She thought about that for a moment then sank deeper into the water and began to clean herself.

(-)

"There are ruins of the village that once occupied the pace between here and Fire Fountain City. If you go there I would advise that you look without taking anything."

Blindside left them early in the morning after telling them that. Aang seemed quite determined to see this place. He avoided giving a verbal reply to why he wanted to go there, but Zentrai knew and decided for once to keep silent on the matter. This was Aang's fight no matter how they all looked at it. He alone had to deal with the Fire Lord to set things right. So if they took a small detour, who were they to stop him?

They traveled in silence stopping only to eat and take potty breaks. Naruto laughed when he heard Katara call it that. Toph, probably because of her tomboyish nature, declared that she had to take a piss not five seconds later and walked off into the woods. Naruto found it funny to see two ways of describing such a thing. He hadn't heard either in a long time. He normally just said he had to take a leak. Obviously his time with Zentrai only had damaged him in that area.

After two days of traveling they finally reached the village. It was larger then what they had all though it would be. Reading about it in a history book would have done very little. Most people couldn't understand a number or what it meant until you saw it in person. It was like looking at a photo back home where Naruto was from. You could look at a photo and think the person was tall or short or fat or thin and then met them in person and learn that they were on or the other. Seeing a settlement that was burned nearly to the ground that stretched for two kilometers was one such occasion.

The walls that had been heavily fortified were now decayed with aging. They were weather beaten and on the verge of collapsing. Mountains were not eternal. Neither was stone forged by man to build a wall. Even steel was not immortal to time. Time could consume everything, just like it consumed the village.

Say for the walls, nothing really stood inside the place. A few buildings here and there. A home here and there. There wasn't much of it. What did remain intact was a shrine to a Spirit. Rai was baffled by it, but decided to leave it be. No point in bringing up such a pointless thing.

The village was littered with debris from a battle fought so long ago that the earth had only now began to cover the wounds it had left it with. Skeletons clad in armor and civilian clothing covered the streets. No dead were buried. They were left to the carrions of the world. It was a horrible sight to them.

"I wanna check out the place alone." Aang declared. Naruto paused and nodded. Toph twitched when she felt the extra presence of one of his clones. He wouldn't let Aang go in alone no matter what. "Thanks for understanding." Aang didn't know the clone tailed him into the heart of the village where more of the structures stood.

The others watched him go and then returned to the wall and waited for him.

After ten minutes of silence Toph spoke up. "Do you think Sokka is okay?"

"Probably not." She deflated with Katara upon hearing that. "Blindside is pretty ruthless when he feels threatened. Piandao is everything to him. He gave him a purpose. He gave him a home and a life. He owes that man more than he can offer. But his problem is that he doesn't like others trying to take his fathers' teachings and use them for unjustified means."

"You make that sound as though he's a pacifist." Katara declared.

"No. Blindside is a strange one. He would rather not kill, but he won't hesitate to kill anyone that aims their blades at his only pride. Very seldom is he sent out to deal with missions and when he does he is the most fearsome of us all at times. He once laid waste to an entire village in a single night. Not an easy feat."

"But the people he killed were citizens making armor and weapons for the Fire Nation." Lyra pointed out. Katara balled her hands into fists. "It wasn't a senseless killing, Katara. We had our orders and they were making weapons for the Fire Nation right at a neighboring village. With that factory out of the way they had to travel three times the distance to get their supplies that they needed. As much as I hate to say it, what we do is wrong but we do it for the right reasons. I myself have laid waste to villages that produced crops for the Fire Nation close to places that they were attacking. They were all manned by simple citizens."

"Still doesn't seem right."

"No, it doesn't." Naruto spoke up. "But saving lives and taking lives is something we do in war."

The team fell into an uneasy silence as they waited for Aang to return. Minutes turned into hours and soon the teens were worried for him. Naruto sent in another clone to check on them. His first clone was still alive because he hadn't gotten any memories as of yet.

When his clone reached the other clone they talked for a moment and the older clone decided to call it quits. With its destruction Naruto learned that Aang was in a shrine and still okay. He seemed to be praying or making an attempt to enter the Avatar Stare. The clone wasn't sure on what he was doing.

When the sun finally sank beneath the trees Aang returned. He seemed confused by something and was bold enough to demand that they stay for the night. Naruto offered no argument, though Zentrai did have a few things to say when he learned that Aang's only reason in staying in the place as long as he did was the stall for time so Sokka had a better chance of meeting up with them.

They camped next to the village walls. Blindside had warned them once that the place, and the pit where the swords were located, was haunted and entering without the dead's permission would result in their deaths. So they slept outside with a small campfire to cook their food. Shibaru and Rai had gone and killed a dozen animals while Zentrai and Sokka had gone fishing hours before they set up camp.

Fish and rice is what they ate and Naruto was reluctant to admit that things were going downhill in his eyes. He just hoped that Sokka could live long enough to return to them.

(-)

I learned something, Sokka admitted to himself. He wondered if he was actually lying to himself now or just trying to find an answer in his own questions that had started to plague him.

Piandao took him in and continued to train him without receiving an answer. Sokka didn't care. He knew his Master wanted an answer, but also understood how new he was to the world. He was hardened, but not as hardened as Piandao in the ways of the world or the cruelty of war. He barely understood the world outside of what he saw. The way of the sword was no better either. It was complex and he failed to understand the deeper meaning the Piandao was trying to bestow upon him.

Sokka tried to put his growing worries about the answer he couldn't find by training. He isolated himself in his training. Piandao found him multiple times going through stances that they had already learned and began to fear for him. Sokka knew he was worried for him. He was worried for the answer he couldn't offer him. He had no idea. He was only a teen that had been thrust into a world of war at an early age. He could have stayed home, been a bigger help to his people, but he would have never gotten to come and see the world. He wouldn't be learning how to use a sword.

He sat in silence as he stared down at the village beneath him in wonder. He stared at it for minutes that dragged into hours and before long it was time for lunch. He ate in silence and Piandao left alone to his thoughts for most of the day until he had decided to take him up again. They practiced for hours without a word spoken. The occasional grunt escaped Sokka. He was focused on his training and the answer he felt that he had to give him. He should have expected the answer to be simple, but he felt like there was a double meaning to it.

Three days passed with little ease before Sokka was finally asked for the answer he had found.

"I have no answer." He admitted.

Piandao shrugged indifferently and then smiled. "You're young, Sokka. Perhaps I asked too much of you. Let's continue your training."

They trained for the rest of the day with no issues. Sokka had partially mastered their areas and learned to lure Fat into traps. Fat was predictable and that had been his downfall. He hardly ever had a reason to pick up a sword since his Master never really trained anyone.

It wasn't until the fourth day of his return did something happened that shocked him.

He was attacked in his room that he was using. He felt the presence of the person, like they had been watching him. It woke him up and before he could take in his surroundings he was on the move. The intruder had kicked him out of the window and into the courtyard. He beat him to the bamboo forest before Sokka gained enough wits to try and identify his attacker.

He didn't recognize him right away, but he understood he was using two strange swords. One was a sword with the blade on the wrong side. The other was more complex. It was similar to the sword with the blade on the wrong side, but it also sported two bladed edges like Sokka's Jian sword, but it sported a curve that marked it as a Samurai styled sword still. Its guard was a simple X shaped style one with a gold outlying and a black inner layer. The handle was wrapped in a black fabric and the blade was a mixed between white and black.

Sokka brought his own sword to bear and blocked the black and white sword. He strained from the force behind it and marveled at the duel sword user's strength.

He pushed Sokka back and forced him into the forest before vanishing in the darkness. Sokka looked around before cold steel was at his throat. He gasped. He only lost sight of his attacker for a moment. Was it really long enough to close their distance and get behind him without detection so easily?

"Stand down, Shin." Piandao's voice cut through the darkness and Sokka felt a cold shudder run through him. Piandao approached with his sword in his hands. He seemed ready for a fight. "I will not have you kill my new student, Shin. So stand down."

Sokka glanced back. Shin… He recognized him now. Despite having not seen him since Ba Sing Se before it fell, he recognized him, but his eyes seemed different. Before he had seen them with a, calm and cool reflection that made him seem like an easy guy. Now they were filled with hatred and pain, as if he intended for Sokka to inherit it.

Shin pulled back, flicked his swords and sheathed them. Sokka had noticed it right off the bat, but his duel bladed sword was just an inch longer than his Sakabatō. And he kept them belted on the same side. Unsheathing both would prove difficult if not deadly. Even if he was an Assassin it was insane for him to have them kept in that fashion.

"Sokka, this is my son, Shin." Piandao waited for an outburst. None came from the Water Tribe Warrior. "He's recently returned home to help me with my work. He may seem rough around the edges but he is very powerful." Sokka kept quiet and merely nodded. "Off to bed with you. We will start first thing in the morning when the sun comes up." Sokka ran off without protest and disappeared in the night. Piandao waited two extra minutes before speaking. "That was uncalled for."

"I wanted to see how great he is. He's nothing special."

"He is the first student I have taken up since Tai. And you murdered Tai."

Shin shrugged with an offered glare. "You knew as well as I did that he was only learning from you to get revenge for his family. I merely showed him what revenge does to people."

"I know." Piandao receded from the argument and changed the topic. "Sokka's time is almost up. He has only a few more days of training before he must depart." He eyed his adopted son for a moment before continuing. "I want to test him, but I want you to find it appeasing. I know that if I fight him you'd call it a conflict of interests. I wanted him trained and well suited for what may lay ahead of him. You want him dead and obviously want to evaluate his worthiness to continue his training with me."

"So you're going to let me do the testing then?" With some hesitation his adopted father nodded. "Very well."

"But you will not use your twin swords." The Rank Five Assassin narrowed his eyes. "You are too powerful for him to face alone. He doesn't have the skills to beat you. Even if I gave you a wooden sword, which I will, you could still kill him with it. I know how deadly you are. You defeated Tai with your Sakabatō. And you did it without resorting to the bladed side of it. That says more about you than you are willing to admit to. So you will use wooden training swords. He will wear the training armor for his protection."

"You favor him?"

"No. I see greatness in him."

"An heir to your teachings?"

Piandao turned his head slightly. It was the only answer he offered.

"Very well, father. I will test him in the morning."

"Noon." Shin stared at the older master. "You will commence your test after noon. I want to give him the best chance for survival that he can get. I see much in him. With so little time he doesn't have the skills to best you. Words of encouragement will do him as well as his sword."

Shin had nothing to say to that. Words alone could not save Sokka from him. Piandao knew that. And a fight with him would only end in one way.

Shin stood a little straighter before he turned and walked off. "I do not see what you see in him, father. But I will not kill him. You have my word." With that he vanished.

Piandao waited for a few seconds before smiling. "Get as many bandages and medicine you need from the village, Fat. Things will be rough tomorrow." Piandao didn't look to see if Fat had bowed before leaving. His only concern was whether Sokka could survive the beating he was fixing to undertake. He only hoped that his words would be understood in the end.

(-)

Rai glanced up and sniffed the air before rising and growling. Shibaru awoke at the sound of her mate growling and took a tentative sniff before doing the same. Zentrai was the first among the Assassins to awaken and quickly read their minds. What they saw that he could not had no real shape in the fog. He remained on the ground under his covers in his sleeping bag but with one eye opened. Rai and Shibaru would not let anything harm the Avatar.

Aang was quick snap awake and sat up straight. Zentrai quickly dove into his mind. He wanted to know what was out there without alerting anyone. But what Aang saw had him reeling in disgust and fear. It wasn't human in any sense of the world. It was a hideous demon from which no form could be taken. It had a humanoid shape to it, but it sported four onyx colored eyes that pierced even the darkness. Hellish armor that was blacker than the night sky covered its form, giving the humanoid shape, but the wings, horns, claws, and two toed feet, threw it all off. In one hand it held a monstrous sword with an eye in the center of it that's gaze snapped to Aang alone.

For a moment Aang was left blinking in terror before it marched towards him.

Rai got to his feet and threw himself at the figure. He burst through it and it pretended to not know what had just happened as it marched straight for the Avatar. Aang got to his feet. With all the vibrations going off now, Toph was awake. The others soon followed because if she freaked, or gave them a warning of any kind, they were up and alerted.

The strange figure continued its march until Shibaru and Rai stood in its path. It stopped, perplexed, and, as if thinking better of its situation, stopped. Aang stared at it. The eyes were completely inhuman. But hadn't Hei Bai been a monster when he was angry over his forest being destroyed? So maybe this thing here was once a normal person that had felt great pain and stayed behind to get vengeance.

"Twinkle Toes, what's up?" Toph got into her fighting stance. She couldn't feel anything else, but everyone was up and they wanted answers.

The thing stopped, reconsidered its actions and began to back up.

Aang snapped a hand out to it and took two steps. A thick fog rolled in and obscured it from view just long enough of for it to vanish before his eyes. When the fog cleared nothing remained of the creatures and after explaining what he saw, Naruto confirmed that what he saw was something they couldn't, leading Aang to believe it was a Spirit. Zentrai wasn't so sure but decided that it was best to be avoided.

"No," Aang decided. "I want to know what it wants. It came to me. It wanted to speak with me. I know it did."

"Are you sure?" Aang nodded and the one armed bender sighed. She exchanged a quick glance with her friends before turning back to Aang. "The sun is almost up. We'll stay one more night and then depart in the morning. You have until then to find it and speak with it. If it tails us you can chat with it then." She shivered and went to start cooking.

Aang wondered about it for a moment and then decided to head back into the village. It seemed to want in the village if at anything.

(-)

"When you face him you must go at him with the intent to kill." Sokka nodded mutely as he was lead through the dark passages beneath the castle and the village. He wondered if the villagers knew of it. "My son doesn't harbor any ill intent towards you other than that he thinks you are unworthy to learn my still of swordsmanship. I disagree, but we very seldom agree on anything these days. He sees the world for the darkness it has. I see the world for the light is has."

"So you have polar opposites to how you view the world. Big deal," Sokka said.

"As true as that is, he thinks you are only learning from me for revenge. I disagree." Piandao stared at his young pupil to gauge his reaction. Sokka didn't seem startled by his words. "You can't beat him, Sokka. You can only endure."

"You make that sound like you're throwing me away."

"Forgive me, Sokka, but my son has a point. If I fight you it would be a conflict of interests. If you fought Fat there is no guarantee that you'll not beat him easily. You've already learned how to trick him. That's more than enough of a reason for you to fight my son."

"But you said I can't beat him."

"You can't beat him. You can only endure, Sokka. What he's going to test you on is your skill, but he will also be testing your courage to continually face him in combat. He will knock you down and you will have to get back up." Piandao stopped talking and then sighed. He breathed deeply as they approached the doors that were still a hundred feet away. "Sokka, in order to stand even a remote chance against him you must have a courage that runs as deep as despair."

Sokka stared at his Master for a moment before sighing. That made no sense to him.

Piandao stopped at the doors and waited for Sokka. The young Warrior puffed out his chest in an act to appear ready. He was far from it. Piandao couldn't blame him. Words alone were not enough. His son was right. Sokka needed more than just words. He needed a motivation. Lacking a motivation meant he'd have no idea on what he was fighting for. No doubt his son would force one into him to see his true potential before breaking him apart.

They shoved the doors open and stepped into utter darkness. The doors groaned from their age and years spent closed before they were shut again. A hum sounded through the darkness and green lights illuminated the place for them. The arena floor was the strangest thing he had seen. It was decorated with trees that thrived in darkness or from the small source of light above. A stream flowed through it, defying gravity it seemed and a waterfall that was more of a small stream that fed it. Grass covered most of the arena floor with the aid of large boulders that were left scattered or forming strange architectural structures that showed signs of an Earthbender at work.

Sokka was motioned to the arena platform while Piandao and Fat moved to a private book located above the arena. They had a near perfect view of the place.

Sokka stood on the soft grass and took in the place before spotting Shin. Shin was meditating near the stream with his eyes closed. At his feet were two wooden swords. Sokka wondered why Shin had been given two wooden swords to use while he got his real sword. Sure Sokka was wearing armor and felt safe against a wooden sword, but his were different. They had no guard to them and they looked far more solid than the ones he had trained with.

"I'm here."

"I heard your footsteps before you opened the door, Sokka. I know." Blindside rose to his feet.

Sokka felt his world go dark. Blindside was staring at him with cold cruel eyes. No more did he seem like the man that could be warm and kind. Sokka felt as though his very life was on the line now. He had self-doubt as Shin picked up his weapons. Piandao hadn't just given him words to chew on; he gave him facts about his son. Things that scared even him.

Shin was the Fire Nation's second best Swordsman. He had been to all manner of tournaments and bested everyone without fault. Some said he was a God among men. He beat everyone that was thrown at him with cold efficiently. It was how he earned the name Shin, the Shadow Blade and his Assassin name Blindside. Piandao even went on to say that he felt he no longer could best his son in combat that he was no above him in both power and status. Whether that was true or not had never been tested and it scared Sokka to know that Shin, the Assassin before him, was strong enough and powerful enough to have more backing than even Piandao.

Sokka took up a fighting stance just as Shin gripped both of his weapons. In a flash, Shin crossed the great distance between them in a few pumping strides. Sokka wasn't ready for him and was forced back. Shin advanced and swung with his left hand. The younger Warrior raised his sword to block it. Pain tore through his side left side and he felt the sharp crack of Shin's other weapon that lay in his right hand. He had taken his eyes off it and focused on the immediate one in his left hand. Sokka tried to ignore the throbbing pain as Shin pushed through and knocked him down.

Sokka slumped sideways and staggered two steps before turning to lash out. He swung. Shin charged him during his swing and got under it. Sokka glanced down in awe. Shin was faster than what he thought and was easily inside his own guard before he had a chance to put some distance between them. Two blows to the side from both wooden swords left Sokka writhing in pain. He felt a burning sensation and fought back tears. Shin was relentless. He never gave Sokka a chance to defend himself. He hammered away on him. His blows felt like two at a time.

Sokka got his bearings after the fourth blow and swung. Blindside was out of his way as soon as he saw the arm raise. Sokka swung anyways.

Shin stopped his relentless barrage of attacks and sized Sokka up again. Something was irking him and he wanted to nip it in the bud right now.

"You're not fighting are your truest potential." Sokka stared at him. His face became a mask as best he could make it. Shin's eyes hardened. "You're not fighting with all you have. Fight with all your power, Sokka, or I will kill you without a second thought." Sokka remained quiet. Shin closed his eyes. The distance between them was not something Sokka could cross fast enough so he cared very little for Sokka being a threat. "Why are you bothering to learn how to fight if you won't fight with all you have? Are you afraid?"

"No."

"Then fight with all your strength, Sokka. This isn't a battle to determine just whether or not you will continue training with my father. This is a battle for your very own life." He paused and then added: "I do not see what my father sees in you, Sokka. You are a disappointment to me. I expected more from the man my father personally wanted to train with his speech he gave. You said you weren't sure if you were worthy or not. From my perspective, you are not even worthy to have that sword."

Sokka gripped the hilt tighter for a moment. Self-doubt was sinking in again. He knew that he wasn't fighting at his strongest right now. What good would it do him? He couldn't win in a fight against him. Sokka had already accepted defeat. Did he have to endure this if it could be avoided? He knew he couldn't, but Piandao seemed determined to make them fight. Or perhaps it was Shin that really wanted to fight him? Sokka didn't know nor care. He had to focus on living through this. Surrendering was clearly not an option, but he could fake a defeat couldn't he? That was in the realm of possibilities.

"What are you fighting for?" Sokka was yanked from his thoughts. Shin had closed the distance in his moment of soul searching. Sokka's sword lashed out like a snake tongue but missed its target. Shin was in his opening in a flash and smashed his weapon into the chest plat Sokka wore. It cracked under the pressure and forced Sokka back. Shin shook his head in disappointment. "You aren't giving this your all. You need motivation." He reached into his pocket and withdrew a blue necklace. Sokka instantly realized what it was. "I'll kill your friends if you don't take this seriously. And I'll break you apart but keep you alive just so you can watch as I snuff out your friends and then your tribe at the South Pole."

Shin turned and started walking away.

"You expect me to believe that that's my sister's necklace, don't you?" The Rank Five Assassin stopped and looked over his shoulder as if bored by the very notion of Sokka now wanting to fight him serious. Sokka raised his sword threateningly and growled at him. "I won't let you touch my sister."

Shin turned and flashed him a smile. "Then I suppose I have no need of this either." His hand dug into his pocket once. He stashed the necklace and pulled out Toph's hairband. Sokka gasped in total awe. He couldn't steal her things yet Blindside had. What did that truly say about the man? "Do you intend to fight me seriously now? Or do I have to send my little pet here with a message to Naruto that he has been ordered by a higher member from a group that once birthed the Assassins to kill them?" Shin thumb jabbed in the direction of a four legged animal that was nestled in the darkness.

Sokka was in mental lock. He couldn't think. Blindside was basically telling him that he had a choice of taking this seriously now or he'd destroy his world and make him watch and live through it.

The teen shook his head in anger and charged blindly.

Shin was on him before he took his fourth step. Sokka's anger was replaced by fear. The distance had been great and Shin traveled it in the blink of an eye it seemed.

Shin didn't stop once he was near Sokka. He ran past him, dropping him in one go. Sokka gasped in shock and pain as he felt his entire left side heat up and then go numb. He dropped to his knees and screamed for an eternity before he felt a foot connect with the back of his head. He was slammed into the ground. He got a mouthful of dirt and then spat it out as he snapped to his feet.

Shin stood calmly behind him, one wooden sword resting on his shoulder the other resting with its tip in the ground.

Sokka charged him again but halted after the third step. Shin gave no warning to his movements. He was a blur almost as soon as Sokka stopped to consider his actions. Shin was in his face and struck him with both weapons simultaneously. The Water Tribe Warrior howled in pain anew and fought through it as best he could. He swung, missed, swung again, and was in awe as Shin parried the weapon with the utmost of ease.

Shin was toying with him.

The younger teen jumped back and eyed his opponent. Anger fueled him, but that only went so far. It clouded him. Piandao had warned him that a swordsman or a warrior in general was to never get angry. It clouded their judgment and made poor choices in the long run. He was learning that his battle right now was only confirming Shin's suspicions about him. He had to take the initiative if he wanted a better chance at enduring this.

For what felt like an eternity they stared at one another until Sokka lost his patience. He charged him. Both hands gripping his sword, he swung low. Shin jumped over his swing, flipped in the air, and landed behind the youth. Sokka turned too slowly to stop what was about to happen. Shin hit him hard, delivering a painful blow from one sword that completely broke the armor on his back. Sokka hissed in pain as he finished turning, his sword cleaving the air as he tried to take Shin's head. To Sokka's astonishment, Shin parried it again and had it sail over his head. At the very same time he raised one leg and kicked Sokka in the side of the face. Sokka heard a loud crack run through the empty air and wondered if it was his jaw that had cracked or the helmet. He was hoping it was the helmet of all things.

The Rank Five Assassin swung and connected threw more blows with both swords. Sokka was left reeling and Shin was left unimpressed with his adopted father's choice in pupils.

The young Warrior breathed through clenched teeth and hissed a curse.

Shin shook his head. "You're not worth even these wooden swords, Sokka. I believe I'll go kill your friends now. Goodbye."

Anger consumed Sokka again. Shin was serious. He was going to leave and kill his friends.

His blade and he became one for a moment as they raced up to the man. Sokka felt powerful.

In mere seconds he was behind the older teen. Shin didn't bother turning to his challenger. Instead he ducked under Sokka's too-high swing and lashed out with a painful backhand from his left sword. Pain brought Sokka to his senses. But he didn't stop. He slashed and slashed until he had Shin turned around and facing him with a hint of confusion. Sokka was a man possessed. He'd protect his friends no matter what.

Shin's left wooden sword looked like a beaten training dummy from his time learning his style of swordsmanship. It was hacked and nearing its limit. There was no value in it. It was a tool. He viewed all tools as just a tool. They were expendable. Nothing was sacred on the battlefield to him. When this was said and done he would reflect on the demise of his tools and replace them or attempt to repair them if they were retrieved.

Sokka hacked away on the wooden sword until he finally got a good swing in. Shin couldn't deflect it in time or avoid it fully. His sword took the blow and was cut clean in two just inches away from his hand. Sokka pushed his sword further and narrowly missing the teen's chest by centimeters. Were he closer he would have grazed him.

Shin jumped back, escaping the teen and examining the broken weapon in his hand. Sokka smiled triumphantly. He had managed to best him. But when he looked back in that moment he realized his own folly. He had been lured into attacking that one because it was already damaged. Shin had sacrificed it in order to make an attempt at hitting him when he wasn't focused on both weapons. Had this been a real fight Sokka was sure he'd be dead by now. No doubt Shin had noticed this and only sacrificed the sword while twitching the other hand in a means to return his focus to it.

Shin stared at the broken piece of wood one last time before tossing it away. Sokka watched it for a moment and then turned his gaze back to the teen. He held the other sword in one hand still. Why wouldn't he use both hands? Was he mocking him or was it just his style?

Shin tapped his sword to his shoulder and then flexed left hand for a moment. He stared at his palm for a moment and then stared at the black blade of Sokka's sword. He looked back at his palm and then rushed to face him.

The youth jumped back and onto a rise where he had the superior height. Shin was already up it, the moment Sokka got ready. In two pumping strides Shin was on him. Sokka thrusted his sword forward. Shin tilted his head to avoid the blade and retaliated with a hard hit to the thigh. Sokka ignored the pain as best he could and swung his sword to cleave his head off. Shin ducked and gave the teen a hard palm thrust into the chest. Sokka staggered back and was hit again by the wooden sword. Shin's wooden sword became a blur of motion as it dealt swift painful blows to the teen.

Sokka pushed through the pain and lashed out. Shin dodged his rapid swings. Without the armor to hinder him Sokka got faster and his attacks were getting closer to actually hitting him. Shin knew that the armor had been part of the problem and that his motivation was the other. All he needed was the proper motivation and Sokka's true skills would clearly show or failing that they'd only get worse and he'd be led to ruin.

Shin reached out and grabbed Sokka's wrist before he could swing again. The youth was undeterred by this and flipped his sword in his hands with a flick of the wrist. Shin let go on impulse and slid backwards. Sokka caught his sword and took the initiative. His sword lashed out, forcing the older teen back until he was standing in knee deep water.

Sokka staggered when he got waist deep in the water and blanched. He hadn't trained for fighting in the water just yet.

Shin used that to his advantage and quickly moved in. Sokka flailed around and slipped on a rock on the bottom. He went under as Shin swung and missed. The older teen quickly jumped back in case Sokka had done it on purpose.

The young teen burst from the water and swung his sword. Shin evaded it and slashed at Sokka. The younger teen ducked under his swing and lashed out with another. Shin was forced back to the bank. His foot slipped on the slick surface but he quickly righted himself before he could be left to the blade of Sokka. He jumped backwards and watched the teen rise out of the water. A fire burned in Sokka's eyes.

The youth charged the older teen, blade poised to skewer him. Shin turned his thrust and lashed out with a palm thrust. Sokka took it in stride and slashed as the blow connected. Shin leaned back to avoid it and kicked the Water Tribe Warrior in the shoulder to knock him off balance.

The young Warrior hissed a curse as he stumbled to the side. Shin took advantage of it and swung at him. Sokka ducked under it and was kicked in the face as he did so. Shin raised his wooden sword over his head and brought it down. Sokka hastily blocked it with the flat side of his blade to keep it from being cut and having two pieces, one that would have more force behind it, come down on his head or even come across his face. He didn't want to let that happen.

Shin blinked and then jumped back before Sokka could use his momentary confusion against him.

Sokka took it and charged. He swung for his neck. Shin calmly stood his ground and raised one hand. Sokka's eyes widened. He was going to attempt to catch the sword with just his hand? The blade struck and Sokka felt it cut through nothing. It had stopped on just a hand.

Shin used Sokka's mental shock to hit him with all his might with the wooden sword, leaving a large purple mark on Sokka's chest and collar. He wondered if he had broken his collar bone in the process or not. Sokka's blade quivered and Shin gently wrapped his entire hand around it to hold it firmly.

"You seem confused. Would you like for me to show you how I did this?" Sokka was silent. Shin gripped the blade tighter for a moment until his blood ran down the blade. He let go and stepped back as he raised his hand. "Your sword is made from a meteorite; well it's not the first item to be made from one. My armor, which is hardly worn by me, is made from a meteorite as well, but a much smaller one. Even my double bladed sword is made from one, but they don't have the same material in it that yours' has. Mine also has ground up diamonds and other materials. Your sword has a higher concentration of the meteorite in it when compared to mine and my armor. The composition is just enough for you to still cut my armor though, but not all the way through with your current level of skill."

Sokka stared at the white and black piece of armor that ran across his palm. There was a small scratch in it, but it was hardly a threat at the moment. A few more whacks and it's be cut in two. He had taken a huge risk and it paid off. His fingers were the only thing that bled.

"Sokka, do you understand now? I know you wondered why my sword was able to block yours and not have a cut to show for it. That is why."

Sokka shook his head. "But Master Piandao said that my sword was the first of its kind! How can you have one similar to it?"

"You weren't listening. My sword is different from yours because yours has a higher concentration when compared to mine. It is the first of its kind. Mine would be considered a good knock off or a hybrid now I suppose. Regardless, because you don't know how to use your sword to its full potential you can't cut my armor or my sword."

Sokka snarled and charged him. Shin stepped back and pivoted on his the ball of his foot. Sokka ran past him and blinked. He turned and swung his sword. Shin ducked under the high swing and lashed out with his own weapon. Sokka bent over and hopped backwards in an awkward fashion to evade the blow. He howled and swung again. Shin stepped back and evaded it. Sokka became a man possessed and swung until Shin had his back against a large rock structure. Shin swung his sword before Sokka could get a chance to swing it.

The younger teen smirked and caught it. Shin didn't flinch to this. Sokka raised his sword and brought it down. His black blade cut across his chest and left a long cut that ran from his right collar to his left third rib. It wasn't deep but it was a cut.

"I thought you said I couldn't cut you?"

Shin reached out and grabbed his throat. Sokka gagged as he was picked up and shoved into the rock structure where Shin had been pinned. He flailed about. Shin pinned his sword arm to the wall with his wooden sword pressed against his wrist. It hurt like hell.

"Did you think a simple cut like this would detour me, Sokka? And for the record, this won't end until I'm satisfied or you're dead." Shin let him go and punched him with all his might in the gut. Sokka doubled over and got a knee to the face and then a double hammer blow to the back to knock him down. Sokka coughed and attempted to roll out of the way. Shin planted one foot on his chest to keep him from moving. "Don't think so highly of yourself, Sokka. A simple cut like this is not enough to stop me or even impress me. If at anything, this only shows me just how blind you are to war. You had a chance to make a kill and you didn't go for it. I admit that I would have gotten away, but that's not the point here."

Sokka looked up at him and then to the wooden weapon that was pointed at his own throat. "I could never kill a comrade."

"I'm not your comrade though. I'm not your teacher either. I am an enemy to you, Sokka. Assassins have no allies. We only have truces until we have our orders to kill the other people. If I was ordered to kill you, I wouldn't hesitate. If I was ordered to kill Naruto, I wouldn't hesitate to do it. Killing only comes natural to me just like living."

"You're heartless! How did you become this way?"

Shin said nothing.

"You're a monster."

"We're all monsters, Sokka. Some of us just accept it and others refuse to believe it exists. War makes monsters of us all. I accept my monsters and demons and will probably pay for them in death, but I'm at peace with that." He spoke calmly.

Sokka snarled, "How can you be so calm about killing?"

"You are someone that has clearly never killed on the battlefield and seen their eyes stare into yours as they pass on. You have never smelt the fresh death of the battlefield. You are weak." Sokka swung his sword for Shin's foot. The older teen jumped away and stood up straight as the younger teen got to his feet. "I have thrown my heart away for combat, Sokka. You will receive no more mercy from me."

Sokka swung at him. Shin jumped away and charged the teen before he could fully get up. The older teen grabbed the younger one by the throat and tossed him up into the air. Sokka flailed and hastily tried to stab at the older swordsman. Shin didn't allow it and struck Sokka hard with his wooden sword four times before he hit the ground. Sokka rolled backwards from the motion and crunchy landing he endured. He rose to his feet and swung with both hands. Shin ducked evaded and swung for his face. Sokka leaned back, evading it and took another swing at the older teen. Shin evaded and swung as well only to miss.

The Water Tribe Warrior gave a loud battle cry as he swung for Shin's head. Shin remained calm even in the face of death as Sokka swung, cut him across his forehead. It wasn't deep, but it was a cut. Shin swung his wooden sword and struck Sokka hard in the chest. Sokka reached down, grabbed firm hold of it and swung with one hand for Shin's arm. Shin turned and evaded the blow without letting go of his weapon. Sokka turned and watched him and then tried to skewer him. Shin reached out before Sokka could thrust it and grabbed his wrist to stop him.

Sokka smirked. Shin stared calmly into his eyes.

Sokka opened his mouth and was kicked in the side of the head. Sokka gasped in pain as broke free of Shin's grip. He slashed. Shin ducked backwards and rolled before springing to his feet. Sokka held Shin's wooden sword triumphantly and cut it in half.

"You have no weapon now. I win."

Shin gave him a funny look and then smiled. Sokka smiled as well and then blinked when Shin got into his face and punched him hard in the jaw. Sokka swore he heard a snap and thought his jaw had broken. Shin hit him again and again until he saw a tooth skip across the ground. Sokka wobbled and then cleaved the air in front of the teen. Shin evaded the swing and hit Sokka hard with a palm thrust in the gut. Sokka doubled over, got a knee to the face, howled, and was thrown over Shin's back and onto the ground.

"You have a lot to learn, Sokka. It's a pity you might not live long enough to fully learn the secrets and ways of the Swordsman." Sokka crawled to his feet and spat blood onto the ground. Shin stared calmly as the teen wobbled, nearly fell, and then gripped his sword with both hands. "Why do you bother fighting when I'll just continue to knock you back down?"

Sokka stared at him and then hissed at him.

"Do you fight to kill me? Do you fight to save your friends from me? Do you fight me because you want to fight me for no other reason than just to fight me?" The youth had no answer. Shin accepted his silence as his own answer and sighed. "You're not worthy to train under my father, Sokka. I will kill you now."

Sokka remained silent and waited until Shin decided to make the first attack.

Shin had great patience and waited him out until Sokka charged him. The youth ran straight at him with his sword hung at his side gripped both hands. Shin calmly stepped to the side, forcing the teen to swing backwards rather than across his body. He missed and Shin stepped past him. Sokka turned to swing only to feel Shin put his back against his and push him backwards. Sokka snarled and turned with an elbow raised. Shin blocked it and elbowed him in the back of the head. Sokka stumbled forward and turned to face him.

Shin stood calmly waiting for Sokka.

The Water Tribe Warrior slashed the air between them. Shin evaded his swing. Sokka put him on the defense until they were back in the water. Sokka was knee deep in the water before he backed out and stared at the older teen. Shin remained where he was until Sokka lowered his guard.

Shin exploded into motion. He grabbed Sokka's sword hand with one hand and the other gripped his throat. Shin picked him up and tossed him at the ground. Sokka rolled, got up, swung, and stared in awe again as Shin caught his blade. He didn't hesitate like he did before. He pulled his blade back, swung again and again until they were both in the water. Sokka was waist deep and worried. Shin was hip deep and he seemed rather happy by this.

The water exploded as Shin moved like lightning for him. His hand grabbed his throat and threw him out of the water. Sokka gave a muffled cry as he hit the water bank. Shin got out of the water and charged Sokka. The youth was on his feet and slashed the air in front of him. Shin jumped over him to evade, planted his feet on the boulder behind him, and pushed off to come down on Sokka. The ground quaked and exploded upwards from the force of Shin's blow. Sokka knew that a lot of it was uncontrolled Earthbending. No human had that kind of strength.

The youth darted out of the dust cloud clutching his side. His sword quaked in his hand as he waited for Shin to burst out of the dust cloud.

The dust cloud moved around him until Sokka was immersed in it. He tensed and turned on instinct alone. Shin's hand burst forth from the cloud and grazed the side of Sokka's face. The teen turned to face the threat, sword poised for a killing blow. Shin exploded into motion and tackled the youth into the ground. Sokka's mind went blank as Shin pinned his sword arm to the ground with one arm and then palmed him in the gut with the other. Sokka felt his word go dark for a moment and then was torn away from the darkness.

Shin was relentless. Every blow he struck Sokka with felt like ten more for the youth. He was nearing his limit and he knew he couldn't beat him.

"You'll need a courage that runs as deep as despair."

Sokka kicked about in an attempt to through the older teen off. Shin complied but only after punching him three more times in the chest. Sokka heaved as he got to his feet, albeit shakily. He wobbled in his stance and stared at the Rank Five Assassin through blood soaked eyes. He gasped hungrily for air. He felt his vision narrowing in on Blindside. He was beginning to fade out. Would Shin kill him then?

"Sokka, what is it that you fight for?"

Sokka stared at him with hard eyes. Shin saw it in a fleeting moment. His reason for fighting was simple and naïve, but it would suffice for the time until he was a man. He still knew very little of the world, no matter how he traveled. He was young and idealistic in his views on the world. He was a practical man that sought justice for those that couldn't do it for themselves. As immature his thinking was, he was on the right track to being a powerful swordsman.

I see what you see in him father.

Sokka took a step forward and Shin passed him by without a word spoken. Sokka was lost in his moment of awe. Shin had moved past him in the blink of an eye and with little effort. Sokka never saw his first step or the blow that struck him in the back of the neck. He stumbled forward and then dropped to his knees. He stabbed his sword into the ground to try and stay up but it failed and the youth succumbed to the pull of gravity. The last thing to cross his mind wasn't his friends, his family, or his girlfriend Suki, but his life that he had had up until now.

I really lived… He marveled at that before succumbing to the darkness.

Shin stared down at the unconscious teen for a long time until he was certain that was unconscious. Only then did he take his sword from him and stab it into the ground. Sheathing the sword of another was a sin to him. The only way to sheath their sword in his mind was to stab it into the ground where they lay as a testament to their skill as a warrior and a swordsman. It was a show of honor. When Sokka would awaken they would bring him down to retrieve his sword and allow him to be on his way. He had much to do and less time to do it in.

"Very good show, Master Shin." Fat greeted warmly.

Shin said nothing.

"Thank you, son, for not breaking any bones this time around." Piandao scooped up his student and eyed his son as he departed. "No words of praise for the boy who cut you twice?"

Shin stopped and stared at his father for a moment. "You and I both know that he would be dead a thousand times over if this had been a real fight. Wooden swords or real swords. He would be dead." Shin continued on his path. "He has some skill, but just enough to get him by with. I would suggest that you send him on his way, father. His friends probably need him now more than ever." Piandao bristled at his adopted son's words. He understood what that meant. "See to his injuries as best you can though. We ship him out as soon as he wakes."

Shin vanished in the darkness, his large pet leaving with him. Piandao marveled at the large cat-like beast as he stalked through the shadows.

(-)

Shin stood on the balcony with his hands behind his back. The sun was up but Sokka was still out cold. He knew it would be awhile before Sokka awoke, but his father believed that he would be up very soon. Shin had no doubts that his father knew what he was talking about. Sokka was a mystery to him. He knew his background, his daily life, his friends, his family, why he told everyone else he fought in the war, and above all, he knew about his girlfriends' status in the world. Telling him was an option, but he wondered if Sokka even knew about her.

"You shouldn't sneak up on me like that, Fat. It's not good for your health." Shin turned and smiled at the butler. Fat raised a glass of tea and the Assassin took it without a word. He sipped on it and leaned against the stone railing. He enjoyed drinking Fat's tea the most. It was just right. Not even Iroh could copy it. "You know I'll have to leave soon, I take it?" Fat nodded mutely. "I have to leave come next dawn. I'm needed out there, Fat. I know father doesn't like it, but I'm need now, more than ever."

"I know, Master Shin. But it pains your father to know what you must do. He would rather have you join his organization fully and help them now rather than the Assassins."

"I know. But I can't leave the Assassins. They need me. And I, whether knowing or unknowingly, need them. I've done a lot of terrible things in my life, Fat. I know that we all have, but I believe I've done the worst." He rubbed the top of his tea cup for a moment and then turned back to the gate. He wanted to leave right now. But he couldn't. He owed his father that much. He had to stay one more night.

"What you told Sokka," Fat began carefully. "Did you mean it? That you would face your demons and your monsters and be happy with the outcome when death takes you?"

Shin stared out at the courtyard for a moment before nodding. "Yes. I will be happy with my death. I've tried to fill the void in my heart with you guys, but I fear it is not enough to keep the pain I feel inside me for much longer. Perhaps when this war is over I will seek a companion to help fill the void in my heart. I loved once before. Perhaps I can do it again."

"You loved your former family."

"Up until I killed them." Shin took a sip of his tea.

Silence was what he got. Shin had always been a mystery to the butler, but he never dared ask questions about him. Piandao had taken him in and that was all that he ever understood. The how and why remained elusive to him and he didn't care. So long as Master Piandao was happy he was happy. Shin was happy. They were an odd happy family. He wondered just how long the happiness would last and now he was beginning to get his answer.

"I pray for you, Master Shin. When the end comes, I'm sure you will find your happiness again and smile like you did when you came to live here."

Shin shed a tear. He had no words for Fat. Fat departed without a word and left the young master to his thoughts.

(-)

"Find anything worth mentioning?" Aang shook his head and the Rank One Assassin sighed. "Perhaps we should leave, Aang. You're duty as the Avatar is needed more in the war than dealing with a single soul that can't crossover."

"No. As the Avatar it's my duty to ensure the balance with the Spirit World and our World are in sync. The war caused this inversion. My absence caused it as well. I'm just one person, but I'm going to try and fix it all." Aang went back to patrolling through the ruined village.

The creature that had approached them had meant to get inside here. Whatever was in here it wanted. It was obvious that it also wanted to speak with Aang, but as to why he had no clue outside of just learning why he had been absent for so long. That was about the only thing he could think of. He knew that was probably a lie on his part, but he really wanted to know what it wanted.

"The sun will be down in a few hours, Aang. If you really want to meet with this thing, you should backtrack to the pit where the swords are. If it was a warrior in appearance, that would be the best place to start looking for it and waiting for it. Chances are it will show up there first. I mean, you said you saw it once in the fog when we were there. Right?" Aang nodded mutely. "I'll go with you to protect you, but my powers can't protect you from something I can't see. So don't take comfort in my presence, alright?"

"Alright," Aang said. He looked back at the sky where the sun was beginning to set. I need to hurry. Aang took off running for the pit. It had taken then a few days just to get this far at a slow pace. At a fast pace on Appa they could get there in a matter of hours.

The two made their way out of the camp after explaining things to the others. Though Zentrai and Lyra were quick to order him to stay, they ultimately withdrew their orders when they realized that Naruto was having an idea of his own during this. Katara ended up going with them, not for her own curiosity, but because she wanted to ensure that Aang remained safe. Toph remained behind with the other two Assassins to rest and relax.

Once they were loaded up on Appa it took them two hours to return to the pit. The fog had already started to roll in as soon as they landed. Katara confirmed with Aang that it wasn't a natural fog, meaning it wasn't something she could get rid of. Though Naruto was hard pressed to admit it, he didn't like that the fog was beyond their control. Instead he walked through it with the two close behind him. They marched in silence for the center of the gravesite where Blindside had been praying. Aang had already admitted to feeling something there and wanted to check it out.

Aang stared down at the busted sword that was stabbed into the ground. It was old and covered with dry blood. He wanted to touch it but something told him not to. He did find it strange that dry blood even remained on the thing given the amount of time that had gone by since the battle here. The sword had to been stuck in the ground for seventy years almost, maybe more. And yet, with no sign of blood or freshly slain creatures around it was covered in dried blood.

Naruto felt uneasy around the place and soon began pacing. To keep himself stable he created five clones and had them patrol the area. He didn't like the idea of not knowing what might be out there or having it have the ability to see them without him being able to see them. That just didn't sit well with him.

His clones scattered around to form a loose circle around the pit and started patrolling. Naruto was happy to know that they at least understood the severity of the situation. In the past they would have complained just like he would have. Maybe it was the course of time that he'd been here that had allowed him to mature, meaning his clones were as mature as him now. They understood the world just a bit better and as a result wouldn't act stupid over this.

Katara approached Aang as he stared at the broken sword. She didn't know what to say at the moment. What could she say? This was his duty and for once she couldn't give him words of encouragement. She felt lost the entire time.

Aang began to doze off after two hours of waiting. It was then that it showed up.

The young Avatar snapped to attention as it approached the sword. "I'm the Avatar; the bridge between our world and the Spirit World. Why are you still here?"

It stopped and then snarled. One hand tightened and a sword materialized in its grasp. It was a hideous thing. It was covered in purple flesh with an eye in the center of the blade. It was long and large and appeared un-wieldable.

"Avatar," it's rasped out. "You are a traitor!"

Aang stood up, not to defend himself or to run, but to make a stand. This was soul was here only because of his absence and was tied down to the world because of his time gone. Aang wished he could have explained. But the Avatar could have no excuses for being gone other than death. If that was the case then he had a perfect one. He had been dead to the world for over a hundred years. But he was physically dead. There was a difference. Still, he had been dead and thus he had an excuse. But that excuse also tied in to the fact that he had ran away.

Aang took a single step back before holding his ground. "I know I made the mistake of running away from my destiny. And I know I shouldn't have done it. But, I want to try and let you understand why I did what I did."

"You are the Avatar. There is no excuse for allowing me to do what I had no idea of. Do you not think it strange that I linger here only because I wish not to move on?" It stepped towards him and stopped, as if it were consulting with someone else. It spoke in a mixture of odd grunts and growls before snarling at Aang. "I detest you. You caused all of this!" With one hand he swung the sword. A powerful blast of wind overtook everything and Aang was thankful that earth was a stubborn element when he encased his feet in rock to hold him steady. "Oh how I wish I could end you, here and now, Traitor Avatar. Long have you watched over us, but when things got bad you turned your back on the world!"

"Please listen to me. I understand what happened. And I'm sorry. I'm sorry for turning my back on the world. I was scared. Alone even. And I didn't want to be the Avatar."

"Do you not think that foolish and undeserving, Traitor Avatar? The stories I was told before my death were heroic tales of the Avatar standing up to impossible odds and either besting the enemy or falling in a heroic way that conveyed a message to the world. Yet you, Traitor Avatar, fled the world when it was on the brink of chaos. You could have stopped this war from coming and failed to act."

"I know I failed."

"On more than one account, Traitor Avatar." Confusion crossed Aang's features and it growled. The ground quaked beneath his feet. "Do you not think that I, after spending decades stuck here, haven't learned about your previous life's utter failure as the Avatar as well? Avatar Roku betrayed us. He should have seen the war coming and put an end to it before it began. But he cowered out and ran away to his island where he sat and died! He knew of the war. The Earth Kingdom was the first to suffer even before the war truly began with his death! I hate you for what you and your previous incarnations have done. You're failures have grown too much. The Avatar line must end. We seek you for guidance and support when we have none. We cower behind you, hoping that you will bring us victory. But what do we get for that? A cold shoulder and an endless war."

Aang bit back a reply. What could he say to him anyways? He wasn't around for the beginning of the war. But he didn't understand the first part. What did he mean when he said that his predecessor had run away to his island while the world was thrown into chaos?

The lost soul stepped towards him again and growled deeply from his throat. It stared at him waiting for an answer. After some time Aang finally glanced away from him.

"I despise you for your failure."

"You hate me for something I didn't do yet through the cycle of rebirth basically did?" It nodded. "That's wrong. I admit that it was my fault for abandoning the world. I left because I was afraid. The Monks told me that they aren't supposed to tell me until I'm sixteen. But because of the troubling signs of war they had to tell me anyways. I wasn't ready for it. And they were going to take me away from everyone I cared for and loved. Don't you understand that I was only a child?"

"I don't really care. You're the Avatar. It's in your blood to put the needs of the world before your own. You are its protector, its savior, its hope. Yet you caste us aside for your own desires and wants. You speak about being a child and thrust into something you are too afraid to do. I died when I was only thirteen. I, too, am just a child!"

Aang took a step back and glanced up at Naruto. He clearly couldn't see the fallen soldier, but he was getting Aang's side of the conversation. But he was confused. Aang was confused as well and that made Naruto confused.

"Naruto, how old was Xin Toju when he died?"

The former Jinchuuriki blinked. "He was around thirty I think. I never read up on his history to be honest. But why do you ask?"

Aang ignored him and turned back to the lost soul. "What's your real name? Xin Toju was the man who supposedly led the army here, lost his life, and would have been older than you. So who are?"

"Xin Toju!" It screamed in anger. Aang felt voices all around as the fog began to thin around them. "Xin Toju is the reason I died. He came to me, wounded, and near death. I was just a child. I didn't understand what was going on. He gave me the suit. Gave me his sword. Told me to promise him to find his troops and stand in his place. I didn't understand."

"So if you're not Xin Toju, who are you really?"

"I'm… not sure anymore." His anger left him for a split second. Anger was replaced by pain in his eyes and he snarled a low curse as a result. His anger snapped back and he took another step towards the Avatar. "I didn't understand what he had asked me. He sent me here, to this very spot, where I stood and watched hundreds of men and women fight and die for a reason I didn't understand. I was brought here with my mother and father. I watched them die shortly after I became trapped here."

He swung his sword for the Avatar. Aang snapped back and watched him. Ghost or not, his weapon, while not real, was a threat as well. Even if he couldn't physically touch Aang, he still felt like if he got hit by it that he would be wounded.

It snarled at him before stepping closer.

"Please listen to me. I want to save you." It swung again. "I'm sorry for what I've done. I was scared. I didn't know what was going to happen to me. I didn't want to even be the Avatar when they told me. I thought, and believed that it was a lie. That they had somehow gotten it wrong."

"That does not justify your heresy!"

A/N

Sorry for the long wait. This chapter is being cut short because I realized how long it was actually becoming and didn't want to overdo it.

The reason this chapter took so long was not because of how much I wrote so you all know. My grandmother, whom I've been living with for the last three years, died a month ago and it messed me up as a result, which didn't help much later since I got my Wisdom Teeth pulled. I say pulled, but in reality I had one pulled and two cut out. Needless to say, I was pretty much just messed up for about a month.