"SPARKS!"

Kiren jolted forward and attempted to rise to her feet only to whimper as a gentle hand held her back.

"Hold still you aren't done yet." Katara spoke firmly as she continued to run her hands over the firebender's shoulders, her hands encased in water.

"But you've healed me repeatedly for the past three days Katara" Kiren wheedled. "I've gotta go before she finds me."

"Aww," Katara snickered. "Is the mighty warrior scared of the wittle earthbender?" Taking on a more serious tone the waterbender continued "Just hold still if you want to use your left shoulder comfortably. Those chains really messed with your muscle structure."

"I'm not afraid of the little troll" Kiren snarled. "I just...want to avoid her? And besides I'll gladly trade switching to my right hand rather than finding out what she wants."

"Nuh uh, don't even try to pull that with me firebender. As much as you might wish it, you aren't ambidextrous. Of course it might be amusing to see you pull back an arrow with your right hand."

Before the taller girl could reply the aforementioned earthbender stomped into the main courtyard of the temple and towards her companions sitting near the fountain. "Sparks, I wanna talk to you."

Kiren sighed and slumped back into the waterbender's hands in defeat, "Just because Aang has been gone two days and your bored, does not mean you can pick on me pipsqueak."

Toph dropped unceremoniously to the ground and flicked a pebble at her irate friend, "Never said I wanted to spar, said I wanted to talk."

"Oh this should be interesting, please do go on. I just live to pay attention towards your every word."

The little earthbender glared at the archer and pointed a finger, "Don't test me Sparks. To get straight to the point I wanna know why twinkle toes was wigging when Sparky was talking bout the dragons being extinct."

The dark warrior raised an eyebrow at the other girl before she sighed, realizing the gesture was lost on the blind girl. "It's a long story Toph, but...wait a second, how come Zuko's nickname is so similar to mine? Ever heard of originality?"

Toph rubbed at her temples and glared at the firebending, "Are we seriously complaining about this? One, you I call Sparks because of the lightning you manipulate. Now him I call Sparky because of his temper, total difference. And two, don't pull that crap about long stories, you obviously aren't going anywhere."

Kiren growled and was about to retort when the healer behind her pressed particularly hard against her left shoulder causing a pained groan instead. Katara grinned. "Found it, and I'd like to hear this story too so please carry on."

Glaring at both girls Kiren mumbled something about a conspiracy before she cleared her throat, "It's actually not that long. Dragons are extinct because Fire Lord Sozin declared a dragon hunt. Defeating a dragon was considered the ultimate honor and anyone who fought and killed the beasts was awarded the title, dragon."

"So what you're saying is that your countrymen hunted down these creatures for sport?" Toph asked.

Kiren nodded, "Got it in one pipsqueak. General Iroh was the last firebender to be awarded the title. He killed the last dragon, naming the species extinct."

The expression on the bandit's face could only be described as incredulous. "Iroh, as in kind, old, and round Iroh killed a dragon?"

The archer's eyebrows rose in shock, "You're close to Iroh?"

"Well no..." Toph seemed puzzled for a moment. "He served me tea once and helped us find you and Katara in Ba Sing Se. How do you know Iroh?"

"Now that is a long st-ahh!" Turning around slightly the firebender glared at the shorter girl behind her.

Katara only smirked as she continued her healing session, "So now that we know once again that it's a long story, how bout you hurry up and start telling?"

Kiren only sighed and closed her eyes, "You must understand that Iroh wasn't always round and jolly. He was Azulon's first born and prince of the fire nation, but that changed after the siege of Ba Sing Se. Lu Ten, Iroh's only child was killed during the battle along with my father. When he returned home Iroh not only had lost his son, the battle, and his heart, but Ozai now sat upon his throne. Iroh returned a thoroughly broken man."

The Archer looked around and stretched out her legs before settling again to continue, "After Lu Ten's funeral Iroh approached me. I've always wondered about why he had approached me specifically, but he's never elaborated. I remember that day clearly, I was in the stables. Mostly now that Azulon was deceased I knew that Ozai had it out for me, and basically I was hiding. Iroh had asked around and found me there, I froze when he approached. Iroh knelt before me and placed a sword in my hands, my father's sword."

Kiren opened her eyes and played with the pendant hung from her neck as tears streamed down her cheeks. "It was Iroh who informed me that General Zhan Lee had perished in that battle. Along with the news he'd brought me his sword, the same sword that my father had raised me with; had taught me to fight with, and told me it would one day be mine. I never wanted that sword to be handed to me like that. My father should have given it to me when I was older, and him wrinkled and grey. It's not the news that still affects me today, it's that I didn't shed a single tear." Her laugh was half hearted though she smiled slightly, "I glared at Iroh then, and I told him 'that's just fine. I have no family now, and you just lost yours. We can be each other's family now.' It was the first time I'd seen him laugh in weeks."

Katara's hands moved towards the partly healed gash from the archer's right ear down to her collarbones as she asked, "But your family isn't completely gone Kiren."

The firebender laughed darkly at that, "Might as well be Katara. Vitani, my oldest sister had already started her training as a Yu Yan. So she was on an entirely separate island, Nuka and Akane wanted nothing to do with me. I was alone."

Toph sighed impatiently, "What happened then?"

Kiren rubbed the tear tracks from her cheeks and began to speak again, "He accepted simple as that. It was actually his idea to have me become one of the guard. For five years I rotated from crescent island to train with the fire sages, and back home at the palace to be with General Iroh." Beaming Kiren visibly brightened, "Iroh raised me, and for the life of me I am his daughter. Maybe not in blood but heart and soul I am his." Pausing for a breath Kiren's eyes clouded, "Come to think about it without the General's guidance I would have turned out far worse. My whole life I've been spurned and ridiculed, flat out hated because of my heritage. My own siblings treated me as if I was some monster to kill them while they slept. Zhan Lee was the only reason I tolerated it; he told me I was something and that as his daughter I would arise to power. But when he died I fell, and Iroh caught me. People only saw what they wanted to say, they never gave me a chance."

Dropping her hands altogether Katara looked intently at her friend, "I know we've somewhat spoken of it before, but is that why you're fighting with us to end this war? Because of your kinsmen's' reactions towards your heritage?"

Rolling her shoulders Kiren produced a pleased sound at the increase in motion she seemed to have, "Somewhat I suppose. Iroh has something more to do with it, but also because of what I'd seen in that war room. I can see why you're intrigued by this. Just look at Zuko, his love for his country is as intense as mine, and it took him years to see the right path."

"What changed?" In you I mean," Katara inquired. "You trained to be an elite officer, obviously you would have fought for your country?"

"I just saw the bigger picture perhaps? I love my country, don't get me wrong. Sozin's vision was corrupted, he wanted to spread our greatness. Sure the idea was righteous, but the way he planned it was flawed. I was still healing from Ozai's punishment when I glanced at a map. There has always been four nations, was it really our right to spread? Sozin could have done it differently, built schools, or sent ambassadors. He killed an entire race, and you're right, before my banishment I would have given my life for my country. But what about after the war, what then? There wouldn't be anything left to share our customs with, everything would be destroyed." Kiren chuckled, her face surprised "I suppose yes you can attribute my treason to my heritage. It's where it all starts."

Katara leapt from her seat and kneeled before the taller girl, "No Kiren, that's not it. You are correct in your choice to end this war. I see it in your eyes firebender, you seem to believe now that our cause has no point. That what you have done has destroyed who you are, but your choice has only proceeded to define who you are. You feel as if you are tearing yourself apart, fighting against something you love."

Kiren bowed her mind and sighed, "I've never really thought of it before, but now I realize that I seem to have changed sides so quickly as if nothing that I'd been led to believe is right. I know... I know that this course is right. But what of my country? I've basically betrayed everything that I love and believe in and hadn't given it a second thought because of a simple burn given to me for speaking out of turn. What does that say about me?"

Katara looked at the young women before her, she slowly ran her fingertips across the firebender's jawbone, down her neck and over her shoulder, tracing the scar that lay there. "Simple? Nothing about this is simple Kiren." Shaking off her disgust at the Fire Lord Katara looked into the firebender's strange eyes that displayed her bloodlines, "Does it matter Kiren? You chose the correct path even if you didn't have hesitation towards the idea. Doesn't that make you that much wiser then everyone else? To have seen what they couldn't long before they even began to realize it? Think of Iroh...Kiren he would be proud of you for the choices you have made. The decisions that tear at your heart now take incredible strength to act out. Whether you believe it's treason and betrayal now was the right choice to save your country. You have to believe this."

Kiren opened her mouth and closed it again struggling to respond when Toph beat her to it, "You think too much Sparks. You made the right choice, treason or not get over it already."

The young waterbender glared at the tiny bandit as she rose to her feet and strode off before turning to the troubled girl before her. "The weeks after we had left the North Pole before I had started to trust you, I spoke heatedly about my grievances to Aang. I asked him why he would trust a firebender, because of what is troubling you right now. I could not fathom a firebender that would turn against their country. Do you want to know what he told me? He said that he could see the truth within your eyes because he could see you soul. Aang said that the second you bowed to him in the great hall that he believed and trusted you. I'm asking you now Kiren to trust yourself; to believe in your decisions and believe in yourself that you've made the right choice. Because I know in your heart that you know you have."

Kiren looked away from the smaller woman in front of her thinking hard of what her friend had said. Torturing her heart over something that she knew was right was pointless. No matter how it seemed to her countrymen her decision was the best choice. Looking up at her friend the archer smiled and Katara smiled warmly in return.

"Okay."

Kiren watched intensely as the avatar and fire prince demonstrated their technique.

Completing the form Aang smiled, "With this technique the dragons showed us, Zuko and I would be unstoppable."

Sokka snickered at the two, "Yea, that's a great dance you two learned there."

"It's not a dance. It's a firebending form" Zuko defended.

The tribesman couldn't resist, "We'll just tap dance our way to victory over the Fire Lord."

Stalking towards the other warrior the fire prince fumed, "It's a sacred form that happens to be thousands of years old!"

Katara smirked, "Oh yeah? What's your little form called?"

"The Dancing Dragon."

Zuko turned with what could only be described as a dumbfounded expression towards the other firebender, "How..."

Kiren was basically bouncing up and down, "You said you learned from the dragons correct?" At Aang's nod Kiren continued. "I've seen Iroh use that form. He never killed the last dragons did he?"

Forgetting Sokka's teasing the prince smiled at his exuberant friend, "No, the chief explained it to us. Iroh lied to protect the last dragons. He was the last before us to face the masters. They deemed him worthy and passed the secret of firebending onto him."

Sokka couldn't hold it in anymore and laughed boisterously, "The Dancing Dragon" he sputtered.

Zuko slapped his forehead and groaned in annoyance as the rest of the group laughed.

Author's note: I know that I skipped basically the whole dragon experience, but I wanted to perhaps try to elaborate on Kiren's shift of morality and her relationship with Iroh.