Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Author's Note: Yes, I am bringing in the giant lion-turtle, though I'm making a few adjustments. I know people had mixed reactions on this, but I actually liked the overall concept; I just thought the timing was awful. Ideally, I would have liked to see the lion-turtle meeting in place of the Nightmares & Daydreams episode, but since I started this after DOBS, I'm putting it here instead.

The Moving Island

Katara felt like she'd hardly closed her eyes when something started her awake. Catching her breath, she sat up and let her eyes adjust to the darkness.

Momo had left her side, and as she turned her face to the shore, she saw his light-colored body resting on Aang's shoulder. Aang appeared to be staring out at the water, and Katara rose to join him.

"Is something wrong?" she asked. She tried to follow his gaze but saw nothing besides the moonlight reflecting on the ocean.

"The island," he told her, still staring straight ahead. He sounded as if he were talking in his sleep, except that the words were distinct. "Calling. I must go." He moved to enter the water, but Katara grasped his shoulder and held him back.

"What do you mean, calling?" she demanded, getting concerned. "Who's calling?" She turned him to face her. He did not resist, but when she could see his face fully, she gasped. Aang's eyes were open, but he did not seem to see her. In fact, he didn't seem to really be seeing anything. It was almost like he was in some sort of trance. After staring for a second or two in shock, Katara released him. Taking no notice of her, he waded into the water. Soon, he was swimming, and Momo went flying after him. Katara struggled to keep herself from panicking, and she squinted into the night.

There. It appeared to be an island, dotted with trees, but she was positive that no island had been there yesterday. She rubbed her eyes, looked again, and it was still there. Katara had to make a rapid decision.

"Zuko!" she shouted, not afraid of being overheard here. She went over to where he had apparently dozed off and shook him. He sat up quickly, hands at the ready until his bleary eyes fixed on her and he relaxed a little.

"What? What is it?" he said, using one hand to wipe his eyes clear.

"Aang's gone," replied Katara simply, having no time to explain fully, even if she knew the whole explanation. Even as she spoke, she was gathering some food and fresh water from the packs. "You keep Appa. I can follow Aang over the water. If we're not back by dawn, fly to the Fire Nation without us. All you have to say to make him start flying is 'yip yip.'" She whispered the last two syllables to avoid making Appa take off prematurely. He was still half asleep, but her rummaging around on his back was causing him to stir, and she didn't want to alert him.

"What? How? Why?" Katara could understand Zuko's confusion, but she didn't have time. She shook her head as she grabbed Aang's glider in one hand.

"Sometimes, Zuko, you just have to trust Fate," she said. Aang was a strong swimmer and had a head start, so she turned and strode off across the water, no doubt leaving the prince gaping after her.

***

Firelord Azula was not happy, not happy at all. At dusk, her Dai Li agents had finally brought her the news she sought. It justified her uneasy feelings, but that didn't make her feel any better.

It seemed that a number of prisoners had escaped from various jails over the course of the past two weeks. All of the law enforcement involved had apparently felt that their individual escape was an isolated incident that they could address themselves.

If the rumors were correct, the "escapes" gradually progressed to all-out releases, and the groups involved became larger almost every time. This suggested a concerted effort and the formation of a large group of rebels, not a series of unconnected rabble-rousers.

Such things should undoubtedly have been reported to her father and, more recently, to her. If Ozai knew about these reports, however, he had clearly elected to do nothing. Either he had ignored it in the flurry of activities surrounding his ascension and Azula's coronation, he believed that any domestic unrest could be easily squashed with the comet's power at the same time as he ground down the will of the Earth Kingdom, or he considered the news of no real interest. Or he didn't know at all. At the moment, Azula wasn't sure which explanation she preferred.

Regardless, she knew she could ignore the situation no longer. The most recent prisoners freed had been those involved in the assault on the Day of Black Sun, again suggesting that outside agents were behind this. The crowning achievement had occurred just two days ago, at the large prison facility right here in the capital city. At least 50 prisoners of war had found their way to freedom, right under her nose.

This certainly should have been reported to her immediately, but she knew the reason it hadn't – the prison warden and guards were afraid of admitting such a failure of security. They were right to be afraid of her, but personal considerations could not be allowed to interfere with national security. The people responsible for the cover-up would have to be dealt with, but that could wait. If she was lucky, she still had time to prepare the city and palace against whatever was planned. Azula ended up spending much of the night making those preparations before finally seeking her bed. She had a feeling she would need her rest.

While she didn't know the details, a large and brash action like this could only mean that someone was coming soon to overthrow her. Whether it would be her brother or the Avatar himself didn't matter. Her reaction would be swift, decisive, and victorious.

***

Zuko stood on the shore, alone and dumbfounded. Well, not quite alone. He looked over to the large, furry creature that had now settled back down. Clearly, Appa didn't think there was anything to be concerned about, and Zuko had learned enough about the bison's intelligence and loyalty to Aang to know that he should probably follow his lead.

"It looks like it's just you and me," he remarked softly. Appa made a soft rumbling sound. Zuko sighed and sat down beside him, watching with his keen eyes until he could no longer clearly make out the shapes of either Katara or Aang against the backdrop of the island on the horizon. He knew that the island shouldn't be there and was fairly certain it hadn't been present when they'd landed several hours earlier. Something strange was going on, but since strange events often seemed to occur around the Avatar, he decided he should really try to take it in stride, as his new companions seemed to do.

Zuko twisted his neck around to look toward the interior of the island, where Uncle Iroh might even now be communing with two dragons. A part of Zuko wanted to go there to join him, but he knew that was not the place for him now, even as he was also apparently not meant to be with the Avatar right now. It seemed he was still trying to find his place in the world.

Zuko returned to his contemplation of the ocean and mentally listed all of the separations he'd had to endure just when he'd thought he'd finally found a place to belong. His mother had remained in Ba Sing Se, along with his newfound friends Toph and Sokka. His uncle had disappeared into the mountains behind him. Aang, Katara, and Momo had just taken off for some mysterious island that might, for all he knew, be an illusion.

"Well, if it is, they'll have to come back, won't they?" he reasoned aloud to himself. He lay down, deciding that he might as well try to get some sleep before dawn. He looked once more at Appa and suddenly realized that he'd never sat on the bison's head or tried to direct him while flying. His heart pounded at the thought, and he again gave voice to his thoughts. "I really hope they come back!"

***

When Aang came to himself, he was looking through trees at the moon, which floated high in the sky. He blinked a couple of times before suddenly sitting upright.

Trees? There hadn't been any trees over the beach of the Island of the Sun. His breath came in short gasps as he looked around, thoroughly disoriented. The last thing he remembered was settling down to meditate and hearing a voice in his mind.

"What? Where?" he murmured aloud. He also realized that his clothing was wet with salt water. He knew he'd airbended himself dry after his swim earlier, and anyway, he hadn't been dressed for that. He wondered if he might possibly have stumbled into the Spirit World and decided to try a test. He used waterbending to pull the water out of his clothing, and it worked perfectly, which meant he had to be somewhere in the mortal world. It was just not anywhere he recognized.

As Aang sat back to consider the situation, he noticed a shape lying not far away. He cautiously crept closer and saw that it was Katara. The bright spot of Momo also lay nearby. Aang grasped Katara's wrist and was reassured to feel the warmth of her skin and the pulse of life within her. She stirred and rolled onto her back, opening her eyes. She sat up as she recognized him.

"Aang?" she asked, studying him for a moment.

"Katara, where are we?"

"You're back!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him.

"Uh, where did I go?"

"I don't know," Katara said as she pulled back to look at him. "You just got a vacant look on your face and started swimming to this island."

"Swimming?"

"Yeah. I've heard of sleepwalking before, but sleep swimming? That's new."

"Where are we?" Aang was still trying to wrap his mind around things.

"I'm not sure. This island just appeared out of nowhere, and you said something about it calling you." Katara sounded so matter-of-fact that Aang blinked at her for a few seconds, then burst out laughing.

"You say that like mysterious islands magically appear and summon people every day," he managed to say when his laughter subsided. "I think I'm having a bad influence on you." Katara smiled at him.

"I think Sokka would agree, but I'll risk it."

Aang flashed a grin back at her.

"So what we need to figure out is what this island is and why I'm here," he announced.

"What's the last thing you remember?" inquired Katara.

"I was meditating, and I heard this voice in my head. I don't remember what it said, but I woke up here." Aang looked down, biting his lip. "I think I know why I'm here, but I don't understand how it's going to help."

"What do you mean?"

Aang sighed heavily. This wasn't a subject that they'd broached openly before, but maybe it was time. Katara had a right to know about his doubts, and their being alone here seemed like the perfect opportunity.

"I was meditating about how to stop Azula permanently," he explained. "I don't…Katara, I don't want to become a killer."

Katara tilted her head at him, and he waited nervously to find out what she was thinking.

"She'd kill you without a thought, you know," she said finally, in a soft voice. "She almost did."

"I know that," Aang lowered his head. "But I don't believe you defeat the enemy by becoming them." Katara didn't answer for a long time. Instead, she looked down, twisting her hands in her lap.

"Would you think less of me if I told you that I want to kill her? That I've even daydreamed about it?" she said softly. Aang was a little taken aback by her bluntness, but deep in his heart, he'd known.

"No, I wouldn't," he told her honestly. "I understand." He remembered all too well the rage that had overcome him when he thought that mad Earth Kingdom general had buried Katara alive, so he had an idea how she must have felt seeing him shot down. He supposed someone could call the executions of Ozai and Azula justice for past wrongs, but he would not be the one to carry out that sentence. His predecessors might disagree, but he didn't think that was the Avatar's job.

"It's just…" Katara trailed off, then started again. "If it's a choice between her killing you or you killing her, I know which one I'd pick."

"I know, and I don't intend to let it get to that point." Aang paused, gathering his thoughts. "Katara, I was raised to revere all life. That's why I don't eat meat. I won't take a life intentionally."

"I understand, Aang." Katara took his hand, and he was amazed all over again at how well their hands seemed to fit together. He hoped that would continue to be true as he grew, and he wondered if anyone else ever thought about such things.

"You do?" Aang honestly hadn't expected her to accept his feelings this easily.

"Yes, I do. I love you, Aang, just the way you are. If you took this step, maybe you would change in ways neither of us would want. Maybe you wouldn't be a good Avatar anymore."

"You think I'm a good Avatar?"

"Possibly the best ever." Katara smiled and leaned in to kiss him. "Then again, I might be just the tiniest bit biased."

"Probably," he agreed with humility, but he couldn't help grinning back at her. No matter what he faced, any obstacle felt surmountable as long as she was beside him. All at once, he became aware of a low humming that felt like it resonated inside his skull, and he frowned. It had been there ever since he woke up, but he had ignored it in his panic of wondering where he was, followed by the pleasure of being with Katara.

"What is it?" Katara demanded, noting his change in expression.

"There's something…hang on." Aang had a suspicion, and he placed his hand firmly upon the ground and closed his eyes. When he had learned what he needed to, he looked at Katara, letting his astonishment show. "This isn't an island. It's alive!"

"Alive?"

"That's why it moves," Aang nodded. "It's some kind of giant creature." Katara whistled.

"And I thought Appa was huge!" she remarked.

"I need to find out what it is and what it wants from me," stated Aang, sure now of at least part of what he was supposed to do here.

"You know, I did notice something strange when we climbed out of the water," Katara said. "Follow me." She picked up Aang's glider, which she had apparently brought with her, and stood up. Aang was happy that she'd remembered it because there was a good chance they would need it. He followed her to edge of the creature and pointed down. Aang knelt to look, brushing away some dried seaweed. The surface beneath was a rough substance laid out in regular, hexagonal shapes.

"It looks like a really big turtle-duck shell," he commented.

"That's sort of what I thought, but I was too busy staying with you to pay much attention before."

"Well, I guess the best thing to do is try to find its head." Aang looked around, trying to judge the direction of movement. Squinting, he saw a spur of land in the distance and watched as it seemed to grow gradually closer. "That way." Now it was his turn to lead the way along the slope of shell. Finally, they burst out of the underbrush to see what was undeniably a large head poking up out of the water.

"Stay here," Aang instructed Katara. "I think I need to go alone." He made his way down to the edge and made an airbending leap to get onto the top of the head. He sent out mental notification of his presence, since this creature seemed to be able to communicate mind to mind. Very carefully, he stepped down onto a long snout. At long last, he realized that this was a gigantic lion-turtle. As he gazed into its enormous, yellow eyes, he felt their thoughts merge. Their communication did not take place in words, but the meaning in Aang's mind was clear. He couldn't have explained it, but their connection went somehow beyond words, like they were tapping directly into the bonds the Guru had said existed between all things. When he felt like he'd learned all he needed to, Aang bowed and thanked the lion-turtle before returning to Katara.

"Well?" she asked anxiously when he arrived, and Aang ordered his thoughts as best he could.

"First of all, it's a giant lion-turtle," he began. "He's really ancient, thousands of years old at least. We need to get up to the top of the shell again. He's going to go mostly underwater soon." Katara nodded that she understood, and as they made the trek, he explained what he had learned.

"Are you saying he's been around longer than the Avatar?" inquired Katara skeptically, sounding a little like her brother for the moment. "But there have been a thousand Avatars!"

"I wasn't too clear on that. Either he's been around that long, or it's some kind of species memory that gets passed on."

"And do you think you can do this…balancing of energies?"

"I have to," said Aang firmly. "It won't be easy, though. I'll still have to get Azula pinned down enough to use it."

"I'll be right there with you," Katara promised.

"I know." Aang hoped that all of the happiness he felt at that simple knowledge showed in those two small words. "We should probably try to go back to sleep."

"You really want to sleep now?" Katara seemed incredulous, and Aang laughed, thinking of how rare their time alone had been in recent weeks. It would be nice to be able to enjoy this a little more.

"Not really, and I'm not sure I can, but I think we should try," he responded. They reached the crest of the lion-turtle's shell, and he stopped short. "What about Zuko? And Appa?"

"I told Zuko to fly directly to the Fire Nation with Appa if we weren't back by dawn," she reassured him. "He should meet us there."

"I guess that's settled, then." Aang relaxed and sat down. "Katara, I want you to know, that if this is to be my last night—"

"Don't talk like that," she interrupted as she sat in front of him. She had cut him off like that on the Day of Black Sun, too, but he pressed on.

"Well, if it is, I'm glad I'm getting to spend it with you."

"Me too," she whispered, and they shared a goodnight kiss. To Aang's surprised delight, Katara curled up quite close, with her back to him. He lay on his side behind her, pillowing his head on one arm. Leaving a couple of inches between their bodies, he hesitantly reached his other arm around her waist and was gratified to feel her twine her fingers with his. He closed his eyes, and inhaling the familiar scent of her hair, he felt like he was home.

--

Author's Note: If Aang had to do the lion-turtle thing when he did it, I would have liked to see Katara join him and have a shippy experience like this. After the disaster of EIP and their brief blowup earlier in the finale, it would have been a nice opportunity for them to reconnect.

Review responses:

Sparrow Logan: Yes, you guessed right about spirit bending playing a role. As for the rest, I'm still working out the details in my mind, but I've got a lot of it figured out.

musiclover9419: Thank you, and a little more Azula here. The next chapter will have several shorter segments again, as different groups and individuals prepare for battle.

Katsumara: Yeah, the email notifications were slow when I posted the last chapter, and then I got several reviews privately long before they showed up on the review board. Glad you understand about Azula.

The Dreaming Moon: Sorry to sort of make you wait, then!

Atem's Sister Atea: Actually, I think it would be easier to just launch straight up than maintain a steady altitude while moving in one direction for 20 feet, but anyway, it looked more like 40 or 50 yards to me. Regardless, fire has no mass, unlike the other elements, which means it can't really push anything.

Mister Wonderful: That would make sense, except that the first time we saw Azula use the technique was in The Boiling Rock, weeks before the comet, although she then didn't seem to use it to catch herself when she came after Zuko at the Western Air Temple and fell off the balloon. Again, inconsistency.

Monte-chan: Yep, Mai and Ty Lee are still around. What I liked most about The Southern Raiders was that the characters besides Katara and Zuko actually got to be in it. I agree with you on the bloodbending and didn't like that Aang's advice had apparently no impact on Katara.

imbored9397: Fire has no mass, so it can't fight a force like gravity. You can use lightning to explode a tree or rock and use the concussion to propel you briefly. Rockets take off because the compressed fuel inside has to expand as it burns, forcing it out and the rocket in the opposite direction.

Tetsu Deinonychus: Thanks for explaining that was you. You have a good point about Zuko just taking over when he had the chance. I hope you're not disappointed that I brought in the lion-turtle as well. I didn't think it was really a Deus Ex Machina because that would have been if the lion-turtle actually swept in and defeated the Firelord himself.