A/N: Sorry for the lack of updates summer school is a real time vampire. Also, as far as typos go please point them out to me because I don't have a good eye for detail and I can't type at all. The school gave up on teaching me and I couldn't learn. Well, here's the new chapter! Enjoy!

Moving that meteorite was hard work and Katara needed to relax. The help from Toph and Aang was minimal as they couldn't be seen earth bending. Jin asked numerous times why they couldn't just mime pushing this big heavy space rock while Aang and Toph bent it. It was Toph who informed her of the fact that there were people around and they were drawing enough attention to themselves pushing this thing as it was. Jin was later exempt from pushing due to her condition and she told them what was up ahead to feel useful and to draw less attention to themselves. Sure Toph could feel it through her soft silk shoes which were actually closer to slippers but it would look suspicious to any onlookers if they somehow magically knew what was ahead of them. Katara strongly suspected that there wasn't anyone around and Toph just wanted Jin to feel useful.

"What do you think Momo, should we go into town for a little bit?" asked Katara looking down at Momo who was hanging from her neck like some sort of living necklace. She knew it was dangerous but she just wanted to explore for a little bit. She had gone from being able to fly anywhere in the world to being confined behind walls, free, and then back again. A little stroll through the town would hurt. She heard a twig snap and turned around sharply, her hand at her side ready to uncap her water skin. The path behind her was empty.

"Probably just an animal, c'mon Momo." Said Katara as she continued on her way. From behind one of the trees that lined the path a dark haired girl let out a breath she had been unconsciously holding. Akira had originally just been looking for a smaller girl, one from the poor servant class who would not be missed terribly by the guards in this town. She was hoping to lure one out and bring her to the boss when she heard a clamor from a valley. She investigated it and found some colonials taking the big rock that had fallen from the sky up the path to the Piandao estate. She had originally set her sights on the little blind servant girl when she noticed the older one with her exotic blue skin, wavy hair, and piercing blue eyes. She watched the group from a tree and debated her course of action when to her luck the exotic girl came strolling down the path with her equally exotic pet. Her family would thank her profusely for the money this would being in and she'd never have to steal another person again.

"What is it?" asked Katara as something began to agitate Momo. He was motioning to the trees that lined her path into the town. Their braches had been tired together when they were growing to form a sort of tunnel as she got closer to the town.

"Probably just some Fire Nation animal, don't bother it and it won't bother you." Said Katara. She wondered what all of this was like for Momo. Did the flying lemur monkeys travel with the air nomads? Did Momo have a family back at the Southern Air temple? He must have come from somewhere.

"Do you miss your family, Momo? Do you miss home?" asked Katara talking more to herself than to Momo as she entered the foreign town. It was hot and sticky here, and the clothes were light and revealing. She looked into the sea and red and black and willed it to be blue. To be blue just for a moment. It wasn't.

"Wow, what an adorable pet. What's its name?" said a voice from nowhere. Katara jumped back as she was pulled from thoughts of home.

"Oh, hello. My name is Katara and this is Momo." Said Katara as she took in the girl standing in front of her. The girl was about the same age as her with black hair in a top knot and a red and black silk dress. She blended into the sea of Fire Nation faces so well Katara hadn't noticed her, just as Akira wanted.

"I'm Aki, nice to meet you. What is that animal, anyway?" said Akira in her most harmless, brainless, voice.

"He's a flying lemur" said Katara stroking Momo's head affectionately. Akira reached over and did the same. She had never felt fur like that. She pulled her hand away when she felt the animal recoil away from her touch.

"I've never heard of them." said Akira twisting a long strand of hair around her finger, acting as if that hair was the only thing filling her pretty little head.

"Well, they're not really that common where I'm from." Said Katara. Wow, this girl sure was friendly. It felt nice to talk to someone new…she hadn't really had a lot of interactions with people that she wasn't saving the world with. There was a sweet smell in the air and it was making her feel a little light headed. That girl sure was wearing some strong perfume.

Wow, you're so pretty are you from the colonies?" asked Akira trying her best to sound like some silly little school girl.

"Yes I'm from…Kyoshi Island…it's a new colony." Said Katara as he mind searched for a location that might explain her looks.

"Wow, that sounds far, I've never heard of it. I'm from here so I don't get around much. What brings you to the homeland?" said Akira

"Well, traveling mostly…for work." Said Katara wishing she had thought up a back story sooner.

"Me too. You want to go in for a cup of tea?" asked Akira before she mentally kicked herself. She was so excited about finding this exotic girl that she had come on far too strong.

"Sure." Said Katara eager to make a new friend and the more friends she had in the Fire Nation the better. At least, that's what she told herself. It felt nice to do something normal with another girl her age that didn't involve training to stop the hundred years war or running and fighting for her life.

"Great." Said Akira. If Katara knew more about the Fire Nation, or had spent more time in cities besides the upper ring of Ba Sing Se she would be been about to tell a dive when she saw it. When she entered the tea house she mistook the general seediness for simple poverty. She felt sympathy for Aki instead of suspicion; obviously the girl didn't have a lot of money.

"It may not look it but the tea here is really wonderful." Said Akira exchanging a knowing look with the server.

"I'm sure it is." Said Katara taking a sip. It was thick and smokey on the palate but not at all unpleasaent. Small talk was made as more and more tea was served. Katara began to feel like her limbs were were heavy and her head light. Something was wrong.

"Oh no, you don't look well. Here, let me help you up." Said Akira helping Katara to her feet.

"N-no, I-I'm fine." Said Katara as she was led on unsteady legs to the back of the shop. Her vision began to swirl with black and the earth around her seemed to swirl with it. She had lost any and all coherent thoughts as she marveled at the beauty of the spinning world. She didn't notice herself being led onto the back of the wagon, nor did she notice the rope around her arms and legs, or the slamming of doors. Soon, the ground began to move.

Katara awoke to screaming. Her eyes pierced the darkness as several screams could be heard. She registered that her arms and legs were tied together but she still had her water skin. She mentally kicked herself for trusting that girl, she was obviously some sort of spy for the Fire Lord or something. What did the Fire Lord intend to do, ransom her to Aang in exchange for his life? How did the Fire Lord even know where to find her?

"Take the wagon! You can have anything that's in it!" said a man before he began to scream. His screams turned into pained gurgles which then gave way to silence.

"No, please! Have mercy!" screamed someone from outside. It was the girl. Her screams were cut off suddenly.

"Have to get free." Said Katara. She didn't know what was going on and she wasn't go to lay there all tied up and find out. She wiggled herself against the ruff wooden floor until her water skin was opened. She bent the water with just her fingers and cut her hands lose. She was in the process of cutting her legs free when the door to the wagon was thrown open.

"Stay back!" said Katara as the door was thrown open. Instead of the monster she imagined there was an old woman standing there before her.

"A water bender?" said the old woman with disbelief crawling across every inch of her aged face. While her skin had faded to an almost Fire Nation level of paleness the color of the Water Tribe was still present. The wrinkles of her skin did nothing to hide the shape of her nose and mouth and while her dark hair had turned white with age the waves of her people were still there.

"I-I'm warning you!" said Katara. Sure this looked like a harmless old woman but the girl who drugged her looked harmless as well. She was never going to make the mistake of judging someone by their appearance again.

"Don't hurt me child, you stand to gain nothing from hurting one of your own." Said the old woman calmly, almost like Gran-Gran.

"What do you mean?" said Katara. She didn't want to have to hurt the old woman but because the woman had seen her water bend she could go running to the authorities and then Aang would be found out and the plan would fail and then the world would never be saved.

"You and I are the same." Said the old woman as she bent the water into a sharp edge and cut away the ropes around Katara's legs.

"You're a water bender too!" said Katara

"Yes, my name is Hamma. Now come, quickly." Said Hamma. Katara left the wagon and gave the twisted bodies a long look before following the old woman. She didn't want to stick around and face whatever did that when it came back.

"What happened? What did that? Where am I?" said Katara as they tore down the woodland trail. Even though she had just woken up from being drugged with spirits knew what she could feel the full moon giving her strength.

"You were kidnapped by people stealers and they attacked me while I was walking home. I stopped them and saved you. Now we must hurry in case they have any other people coming with them." said Hamma

"Wait, you did that? How?" asked Katara stopping suddenly. Hamma turned to look at her, brown eyes locking with blue.

"By whatever means I could. I won't let the Fire Nation take anything else from me." Said Hamma with an intense expression that seemed to bore directly into Katara.

"I'm Katara." said Katara finally. She knew that she could truth this woman, this fellow water bender, and learn whatever she could.

XXX

The clang of swords could be heard across the entire estate as Sokka trained to become a master swordsman. Training with Master Piandao was everything he could have hoped for and more. He was becoming a useful part of the team even though he was a non-bender. Making up plans and schedules used to be his role in the group but when a group of fire benders attacked what was he supposed to do, throw his boomerang and reschedule the fight until later?

"You can't avoid and evade forever, you'll have to strike some time." said Piandao as eh advanced towards Sokka, his best student since Zuko. Where Zuko had pushed himself to perfect with the art of the sword Sokka poured himself into it, molding the art around his own personality and instincts in the way a great swordsman did.

"You're older than me, eventually you'll have to get tired!" said Sokka as the fight led him to a small bridge over the pond. Not good. If he fell in the water then his cloths would get heavy and his shoes slippery leaving him as clumsy as a three legged hog monkey. Turning and running instead of blocking would be cowardly as this was not a real fight but a test of skill. He thought back to Aang and the way he would zip in all directions during a fight.

"Using your superior agility against an older opponent, very good." Said Master Piandao as Sokka jumped from bridge post to bridge post. Just that previous day he had finished forging his sword from the meteorite that had fell from the heavens and now he was using it. Master Piandao had just up and attacked him and for a few moments Sokka thought the man had completely lost his mind. It was only when he noticed that his friends weren't helping that he realized that this was the final test of his skill, this was his fight and his fight alone. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen his friends in a while.

Zuko watched the fight from the upper balcony window with Momo. He liked Sokka, Sokka was his friend after all and it didn't feel right not telling him what was going on. If his sister, well not exactly his sister, was missing he'd want to know. At first Aang had been devastated and decided that everyone would turn the entire Fire Nation upside down until she was found. They were all ready to do just that when Uncle piped up with his own plan.

"Using the environment to your advantage, a good plan but you forget that I know my own home like the back of my hand." Said Master Piandao as Sokka cut down the tall bamboo stalks that grew in the courtyard. Lee wanted to go with the group in search of Katara but this was a stealth mission and with his scar he was anything but stealthy. He was tasked with distracting Sokka as it was suspected that Katara was stolen not by some people acting on orders from the Fire Lord but by people stealers. Zuko honestly didn't know which was worse.

"Fire Nation, people stealers, what next?" muttered Zuko. He got his answer when a messenger hawk swooped across the courtyard and landed on Master Piandao's shoulder.

"What's going on, is the fight over?" asked Sokka with his space sword still clutched in his hands in case this was another trick.

"No." said Piandao as he half-heartedly swung at Sokka. Sokka blocked it easily and disarmed the master who seemed to be both a million miles away and standing right in front of him.

"Sokka, everything's going to be alright." Said Master Piandao as he clutched the paper to in his hand. The guilt of having lost that sweet Katara girl, his student's sister and a friend to Iroh and the Avatar, had weighted on him. Now it was going to be alright.

"So…did I win? Am I a master?" asked Sokka

"Yes, you won." Said Master Piandao

"Does this mean I'm a master?" asked Sokka hope shining so brightly in his blue eyes that even Zuko could see it.

"No, but it means you're getting close. Nobody can master the art of the sword in only a few days but if you continue your studies you will become one." said Piandao

"Oh…alright." Said Sokka feeling a little dejected.

"Sokka, you're one of the best and most…interesting…students I've ever had the pleasure of teaching and I know you'll be a master soon." Said Piandao

"Really?" said Sokka

"Yes, really." Said Piandao

"Wow, I can't wait to tell everyone. By the way…where is everybody?" asked Sokka

XXXXX

"Practice on the dolls until the next full moon. Then we'll move on to chickens." Said Hamma as she folded the letter Katara wrote to her friends. She did not want to draw attention to herself but she also did not want to incur the wrath of the Avatar.

"This feels wrong somehow." Said Katara

"What does?" asked Hamma in her most grandmotherly voice.

"Leaving my brother and my friends and well…" said Katara trailing off

"You aren't leaving them, not really. Your brother is studying with a master and so are you." Said Hamma

"Also, this whole reaching inside of someone and controlling them just doesn't feel right." Said Katara letting the water filled doll fall onto the table.

"Katara, this will save your life someday." Said Hamma

"But at the expense of someone's free will?" asked Katara

"You aren't taking their will, you're just controlling them for a short amount of time. It doesn't hurt, not much and not nearly what they've done to our people." said Hamma

"But not all of the people in the Fire Nation are bad, not all of them raided the southern tribe." Said Katara

"They let it happen right under their noses. It's just as bad to let that happen as it is to be the one to do it. Everyone in the Fire Nation knew the southern tribes were raided, that the air nomads were wiped out, and nobody did anything." Said Hamma choosing her words carefully. It would do no good to scare off the answer to her prayers. For years she had hoped for a protégé, someone from her tribe to carry on her work. Now she found one in this naïve and optimistic young girl.

"But…I'm not sure if I want the power to reach inside of someone and control them. Who am I to have this power?" asked Katara

"After I pass you will be the last southern water bender. The Fire Nation took all the others from this world. When I escaped I couldn't take anyone with me because everyone else was dead." said Hamma with real tears in her eyes. She could remember them all as clearly as a portrait even though they existed only in her memory now.

"I'm sorry." Said Katara

"It's alright, it's not your fault. It is through you that southern water bending can be kept alive. It is through you that we can continue to reap vengeance upon the Nation that has taken everything from us." Said Hamma. Katara wanted to tell her that not all Fire Nation people were bad. Zuko, Iroh, and Master Piandao were certainly very nice people. She thought against it at the last second. Hamma had obviously been through so much already that she couldn't be convinced otherwise easily.

"Yes, Master Hamma." Said Katara as she began to practice with the doll again.

"Good. Now I'll just go mail this letter to your friends before I start on dinner. How does stewed sea prunes sound?" asked Hamma

"Great." Said Katara with a smile. For the first time in decades Hamma smiled not out of malice or sadistic joy but out of happiness. Pure, wonderful, happiness.