Sokka stuck a watermelon carved like a jack-o-lantern with a stick goatee on the scarecrow like structure he'd made.

"Gather round, Team Avatar. In order to take out the Fire Lord, or in this case 'The Melon Lord', our timing has to be perfect."

Sokka bent down in front of all of us, in our normal clothes sitting down, and started drawing in the sand as he explained his plan.

"First Suki and I will draw his fire, then Katara and Zuko charge in with some liquidy hot offense. Then, while the Melon Lord is distracted, Aang swoops in and BAM! He delivers the final blow."

"Uh... What about us?" asked Toph, next to me.

"For now, you two are the Melon Lord's forces." Sokka answered.

"So I get to chuck flaming rocks at all of you?" Toph asked, excited.

"Whatever makes the training feel more realistic." Sokka answered.

"Sweetness." Toph said nonchalantly.

"And I get to sick spirit animals on you?" I added, with a grin on my face.

"Keep the spirits to the non-flesh mauling and able to be hit by swords and bending types please... And no soul stealing, just a light tiny tiny little energy steal... Like a bee sting..." Sokka said.

"Aw, you guys are no fun..." I pouted.

"I doubt the Fire Lord will be able to summon freaky soul sucking spirit animals from the Spirit Realm... I think we're safe on that one, its just so we get some more training..." Sokka argued.

"Fine, fine, fine, just go." I said, waving them away.

Toph did a couple movements with her arms before stomping on the ground with her foot. When she did so, a bunch of boulders as well as three bowl like structures surrounded her, the Melon Lord and me.

"I need a way to light up the boulders and some fire in those." Toph pointed at the bowls.

Sokka quickly gathered some wood and some oil. As he tossed the wood in the bowls, Katara oilbended the oil onto the boulders. Zuko and Aang lit up the wood in the bowls and then all of them stepped back. Toph brought her hands up and the entire area rose up.

"Just tell us when you guys are ready." I said.

They nodded and ran down the canyon.


Toph laughed like a maniac, holding both of her arms up and standing in front of Melon Lord. She was getting a little too into this. I stood a couple feet behind her and to her left. We looked out to the canyon. Toph probably knew where all of them were, but I couldn't see them.

"Here they come. Ya ready?" Toph asked.

"I guess..." I answered.

Toph jerked her arms up as Sokka and Suki came into sight, making earth soldiers rise from the ground in front of them.

"Oh c'mon, Liiru! You gotta get more in character! It's fun!" Toph said before laughing the same way she did before.

I decided I would entertain her.

"They shall perish in Fire and Spirits!" I yelled.

"Let them burn!" Toph yelled.

She moved two of the oil covered boulders over the flames and chuckled them at Sokka and Suki. Suki easily dodged the one that was thrown at her, but Sokka fell flat on his face in front of his.

"WATCH IT, TOPH!" Sokka yelled.

"I am not 'Toph', I am Melon Lord! Mwuahahahaha!" Toph replied before launching another flaming boulder at Zuko and Katara when they started running.

I summoned my spirit croc, bear, komodo rhino, and anaconda, sending the bear and komodo rhino to Zuko and Katara and the others to Suki and Sokka. I made sure that these animals were no more powerful than regular ones and that their energy stealing abilities were at minimum. They also could be hit by any type of bending and any weapon. They would disappear when, if they were real, the animal would be "killed". At the same time, Toph surrounded Zuko and Katara with earth soldiers.

"Now Aang!" Sokka yelled.

Aang flew out of nowhere with his staff ready to strike at the Melon Lord, catching both Toph and me off guard since we were busy with everyone else. I had to focus on controlling my spirit animals and Toph was focusing on earthbending. When Toph and I turned around, Aang was about to hit the Melon Lord. He stopped right and stood up straight.

"What are you waiting for? Take him out!" Zuko yelled.

"I can't..." Aang answered, his back still turned to the rest of them.

Sokka walked up to Aang with an angry look on his face.

He faced Aang. "What's wrong with you? If this was the real deal, you'd be shot with lightning right now!"

"I'm sorry, but it just didn't feel right. I didn't feel like myself." Aang apologized.

Sokka raised his eyebrow a little. Then he took out his sword from its sheath on its back and chopped off the Melon Lord's head. Aang cringed as he did so.

"There, that's how it's done..." Sokka said angrily.

All of a sudden, Aang's sad look turned into anger.

"Do you think it's gonna be that easy when I'm actually fighting the Fire Lord? He's a real person, not a watermelon on a stick! Let's see you do that to someone real!" Aang yelled at him.

He opened his glider and flew away from the canyon.

"Aang, come back!" Katara called after him.

He wouldn't listen, he wouldn't even look back at us. We didn't see Aang for the rest of the day. All the while, I was trying to think of a way that I could help him, but I couldn't. He came back a little bit before Katara. I gave him his dinner, but he hadn't touched it. He hadn't said a word to anyone. He was just sitting by himself.

"I have a surprise for everyone!" Katara said, holding a rolled up scroll.

"I knew it! You did have a secret thing with Haru!" Toph exclaimed. Everyone stared at her oddly before going back to eating.

"Uh, no... I was looking for cooking pots in the attic and I found this!" Katara said, unrolling the scroll. It was a picture of a baby playing in the sand.

"Look at baby Zuko! Isn't he cute?" Katara exclaimed. Everyone laughed except Zuko.

"Oh lighten up, I'm just teasing." Katara said.

"That's not me. It's my father..." Zuko said.

Everyone froze for a second.

"But he looks so sweet and innocent..." Suki said, surprised as everyone else was.

"Well that sweet little kid grew up to be a monster, and the worst father in the history of fathers." Zuko retorted.

"But he's still a human being." Aang said.

"Aang, I don't think-" I began.

Zuko interrupted me. "You're going to defend him?"

Aang stood up and faced us. "No, I agree with you. Fire Lord Ozai is a horrible person and the world would probably be better off without him, but there's gotta be another way."

"Like what? I really don't think there is another way Aang. If you lock him up, he'll find a way to get out. He is the most powerful fire bender around." I said.

"I don't know... Maybe we can make some big pots of glue and then I can use gluebending to stick his arms and legs together so he can't bend anymore!" Aang suggested.

"Yeah! And then maybe you can show him his baby pictures and all those happy memories will make him good again!" Zuko said, sarcastically.

Suki, Sokka and I snickered.

"Do you really think that would work?" Aang asked with a smile.

I can't believe he thought Zuko was serious...

"No!" Zuko yelled.

It startled me and made me jump a little.

Aang sighed and started pacing back and forth in front of us as he spoke. "This goes against everything I learned from the monks. I can't just go wiping out people I don't like..."

"Sure you can! You're the Avatar! If it's in the name of keeping balance, I'm pretty sure the universe will forgive you." Sokka joked, trying to lighten up the mood a little.

It had the exact opposite effect.

"This isn't a joke, Sokka! None of you understands the position I'm in!" Aang yelled at him.

"Aang, we do understand. It's just-" Katara started.

"Just what, Katara! What?" Aang yelled.

"We're trying to help!" Katara pleaded.

"Then when you figure out a way to beat the Fire Lord without taking his life I'd love to hear it!" Aang said, storming off.

Katara looked down at the floor, unsure of what to say.

"Aang, there is no other way! Don't walk away from this, you have to face it!" I yelled.

Katara got up and started walking towards Aang, but Zuko stopped her.

"Let him go. He needs time to sort it out by himself." he said.

Sort it out by himself! He was one to talk...

"You never sorted out anything when you were by yourself..." I said.

I got up and walked away to the beach. I know I could help Aang in some way. He needed to talk to someone, but he wouldn't listen to any of us. He thought we didn't understand, which we probably didn't even though most of us thought we did... That's it! If he wouldn't listen to us because he thought we didn't understand, maybe he would listen to someone old and wise who would understand! I groaned as I realized a flaw in my plan.

"But what spirit is here... They're all in the Spirit World besides Twi and La..." I thought.

I plopped down on the sand, staring out at the ocean. I sighed and gave up after spending two hours sitting there. By the time I got back, everyone was gone and everything was cleaned up. I looked where Aang's room was, to his balcony. He was up there, meditating. Since everyone else had gone to sleep, I decided I would to. I went into my room and stripped off my clothes. Then I crawled into bed next to Zuko. We would rotate rooms for sleeping in. Every other night, he'd sleep in mine. On the remaining nights, I'd sleep in his. He groaned a little, waking up when I slid next to him.

"What took you so long?" Zuko asked, his eyes still closed as he made some space on the bed for me.

"I was just thinking. Sorry about what I said before." I apologized.

"It's okay..." Zuko answered.

He kissed my forehead as I snuggled up to him and fell asleep again. I kissed his bare chest and closed my eyes.


Dream ~

It was as if I was awake again, sitting on the beach. I was skipping rocks on the shore, watching the waves gently roll. It was sunset. The sun was at a perfect point in the sky where it wasn't too bright to look at, yet it still illuminated the sky in a brilliant vermillion colour. I heard someone plop down next to me and looked to see who it was. It was my brother, Karii. He was dressed like a casual fire nation civilian, just as I was.

"Hey." He said casually.

"Hi..." I answered.

I picked up another stone and threw it at the ocean. It skipped three short times and then sunk.

"You're doing it wrong." Karii said.

"What do you mean I'm doing it wrong? It's skipping, isn't it?" I asked, a little annoyed.

Karii always criticized pretty much everything I did. Especially when Dad asked him to help out with my training... God, was he annoying. I wouldn't complain about that though. He had perfected every technique that he taught me.

"Alright, don't listen to me... Skip the rocks wrong." Karii said.

I sighed.

"Fine. What's the right way to skip rocks?" I asked.

"You almost had it. You just gotta put some more effort to it and flick your wrist a little more. Hold the rock like this, too." Karii said.

He took the rock that I was holding out of my hand and showed me how I should hold it. His pointer finger and thumb wrapped around the flat, circular rock while the rest of his fingers supported the rock, under it. He threw the rock at a side angle and it skipped seven times before it sunk.

"See? You had it down for the most part. Just a little rough around the edges." Karii said.

"I don't think you're here to tell me how to skip rocks correctly... What's the real reason?" I asked, looking at him.

"You really wanna know?" Karii asked with a smirk.

"Duh."

"Alright, I'm here to tell you to break up with that fire bender kid. I don't like him. He DOES NOT get Karii's seal of approval... Though, Mom likes him, I have no idea why. But Dad, heh heh, woah does Daddy wanna kill that boy for sleeping with you... By the way why did you do that...?"

"Eh... I, uh... That's none of your damn business!" I yelled.

Karii laughed.

"Relax, relax. I'm just lookin' out of you. Don't want that bastard breakin' my little sister's heart... again..." he said, rustling my hair.

"Oh, stop being so overprotective. I'm already stuck with him."

"I know... That's kinda what those pretty little matchin' tattoos on both of your backs mean. You're stuck with him for life, sissy... Shoulda picked a better one."

"What...?"

"Yepp. It's a shaman thing. Supposedly happens with the one that you love. It's pretty much an engagement necklace in spiritual terms."

"Well, that's not so bad..." I said.

"Anyways, I'm just kiddin'... About the break up thing, not the tattoo thing. That's the truth." Karii said.

"So, why're you here then...?" I asked.

"I'm here, because you wanted me to be here. You wanted to talk to someone... And because Dad made me, but that's beside the point." Karii said.

The first time the word "you" came out of his mouth, he poked the tip of my nose.

"Hey! Don't tell me you only came here cuz Dad told you too!"

"Uh, maybe..."

I pouted.

Karii laughed and put his arm around me. "Just kiddin', just kiddin'!"

I chuckled a little. "You better be kidding."

"So, what's up lil sis? What were you thinking about when you were here in the physical world?"

I stayed silent for a minute, listening to the waves crash on the shore and the gulls call softly. "It's Aang."

"The Avatar? Oh god, Liiru, the kid is like twelve! I thought you liked that Zuko guy, and besides, doesn't he like the Water Tribe girl?" Karii said.

I laughed. "No, no, no... Nothing like that. And yes, he does like her. He's having a hard time. He doesn't want to kill the Fire Lord, but there's no other way to defeat him. He refuses to kill him."

"Well, that's a good kid right there... If only he was older. I'd rather have you with him than the other guy!"

"Oh, stop whining already!" I said, punching Karii's arm.

He held it. "Ow! No need to get violent now, sheesh!"

I laughed again. Karii was just about one of the only people who could make me laugh at any given moment. He could cheer me up no matter what. It had always been that way, ever since I was little. It made me happy that he could still do it now.

"I want to help him, but I don't think I can. I don't think anyone can, out of us at least. I think if he spoke to a spirit than he'd be okay though. They're all omniscient and stuff like that." I said.

"Sorry, can't help you there. It's against the rules for you to summon spirit spirits like that. I mean, there's no problem with you summoning animals that you've taken the souls of, but not 'THE' spirits. Against the rules for me to hand them over to you from where I am, too."

"You are SO much help..." I said.

"Hey, hey, hey... You didn't let me finish." Karii said.

"Okay, finish then. What were you going to say?"

"That doesn't mean that you can't summon any of the spirits or such that are around you... Especially the old ones."

"What the hell are you talking about...?" I asked, giving him a confused look.

"You're smart. Think about it. What's the oldest thing that's been around in the Physical World that's intelligent?"

"I don't know..."

"Well, ya better find out soon, sis. Cuz you're wakin' up right now." Karii said.

"What are you-"

Before I could finish Karii interrupted me.

"Later!" he said, waving.

"Karii, wait!" I yelled.

Everything around me started to turn white. I was left alone in a white void for a second. Then there was a flash and my eyes shot open.


As I lay there, staring at the white ceiling two words appeared in my mind. I mouthed the words "Lion Turtle".