erica. phoenix16: Hmmm…we'll just have to wait and see about Lan's fate ;). The comic was announced a couple months back. It'll come out in March 2013
Sakura02: What's your question?
XxNaturalNanaxX: Aw, thank you! I'm happy that I was able to inspire you

Thank you: FrostOfFate, Masked Bard of Chaos, Moonlitdaze, Melody Sparrow, rebecca1516, AvatarCat12, Phoenix, MS-16 Z Jager, Queen of Narnia49, imperial queen, dream lighting, and Authoresses of the Red Rose for reviewing!

"Zuko are you still mad at me?" Lan asked, sitting off to the side and watching Zuko attempt to train Aang in the art of firebending. She received an angry glare from her cousin as an answer. "I said I was sorry! I won't keep anymore secrets from you! I promise!"

Zuko sighed and looked back over at his little cousin. While Lan had told him about the Sun Spirit, she had failed to mention the part about the Sun Spirit wanting to take her away. He had found out about Lan's near death experience from Sokka. To say that he had been upset was an understatement. "I'm not mad at you. I'm just…upset with the situation."

Lan didn't say anything else. She sat back and watched Zuko attempt, and fail, to get even a spark of fire from Aang. When she saw the irritated look on Zuko's face, Lan decided it was best to intervene. "Maybe you should give Aang a demonstration? You know, like how I learn better seeing something than being told."

"Good idea!" Aang chimed in helpfully. He looked expectantly over at Zuko as the Fire Prince dropped into a firebending stance. When all that came out was a small, weak flame, Aang tried to remain positive. "That was…nice…"

"That's the worst firebending I've ever seen!" Zuko exclaimed angrily. He tried again and again, only to have the same result. "What's going on?"

"Maybe it's the altitude?" Aang offered. He glared over at Lan whom was happily practicing her fire kicks with ease.

Lan quickly stopped. "Yeah! It's probably the altitude! Don't worry, Zuko. I'm sure it'll be fine."

"I guess…" Zuko said unsurely. He let Aang led him to a spot that was at a lower altitude. He tried again with the same results.

"That one actually felt kind of hot." Lan said, rocking back and forth on her heels.

Zuko snarled, lashing out angrily. "Don't patronize me! You know what it's supposed to look like!"

Aang decided to intervene when he saw Lan's lower lip quivering angrily. He'd only seen the little girl mad a couple of times, and it was not something he wished to experience again. "Let's all just calm down, Sifu Hotman."

"Stop calling me that!" Zuko growled. He looked up warily when Sokka walked over eating an apple.

Sokka swallowed the bit of apple he had in his mouth, and grinned. "Hey jerks. Mind if I watch you three jerks do your jerk bending?"

"Get out of here!" Zuko snapped.

"Okay, no need to get so cranky." Sokka said, walking away and chuckling. "Jerk bending…I've still got it." He let out a yelp as his pants were suddenly on fire. "Lan! I thought we were cool."

Lan stuck her tongue out at Sokka. "Don't call me a jerk, and I won't set your pants on fire."

Sokka walked off, sulking and mumbling under his breath.

Later that night, everyone was sitting around the fire and eating. Lan sipped at the soup in her bowl, occasionally looking over at Zuko who was standing a ways off, lost in thought. "Zuko, you should come eat."

Zuko sighed and walked over. "I've got some bad news. I've lost my firebending." He glared when Katara laughed manically.

Katara stopped laughing after a moment. "Sorry." Though, she didn't really sound sorry at all. "It's just so ironic. It would've been better for us if you'd lost your firebending a long time ago." She went to take a sip of her soup and yelped as her tongue was burned by the hot contents. She looked incredulously over at Lan who simply whistled innocently.

"It's not even really lost; it's just weaker." Zuko clarified.

Lan got up and hugged her cousin. "Maybe it's because you aren't so angry anymore. You're firebending was always really strong when you were mad."

Aang nodded in agreement, despite Katara scoffing in protest. "Maybe you just don't have enough anger now to fuel you the way you used to."

Sokka stood up excitedly. "So, we just need to make him mad! That's easy!" He proceeded to poke Zuko in the side and head with the hilt of his sword.

Lan glared over at Sokka. "Stop it! Don't make him cranky!"

"That's enough!" Zuko bellowed, causing Sokka to drop his sword. He rubbed his forehead irritably. "Look, even if that is true, I don't want to rely on anger and hatred anymore. I've hurt too many people doing that. There has to be another way." He rubbed Lan's hair and gave the little girl a small smile.

Toph hummed thoughtfully. "You're going to need to learn how to draw your firebending from a different source. I'd say, the original source."

Sokka scoffed, having recovered and plopping himself back down by the fire. "So, he needs to jump in a volcano?"

"No. He needs to go back to whatever the original source of firebending was. Like, for earthbending, it's the badgermoles." Toph answered.

Sokka nodded thoughtfully. "So, is it a volcano?"

Lan rolled her eyes. "No, Sokka. The original firebenders were all dragons. They're all extinct now."

Aang tilted his head to the side curiously. "What are you talking about? Roku had a dragon, and there were tons around when I was a kid."

Zuko snarled. "Well, they aren't around anymore! Just forget about it!"

Lan shrugged her shoulders at the confused look Aang gave her. She thought for a moment before clapping her hands together excitedly. "There could be another way. Grandpa told me that the first people to learn how to firebend from the dragons were the ancient Sun Warriors." She grinned when even Aang looked confused. For once, she knew something the others didn't. "They died off thousands of years ago, but I think their civilization isn't too far from here. Maybe if we went to the ruins, we could learn something."

Zuko raised an eyebrow. "What's this 'we' stuff? Aang and I will go. You stay here."

"I'm going." Lan said, stomping her foot for emphasis. "Why should you get to learn super cool firebending moves while I stay here and listen to Sokka's stupid jokes, and Katara complaining about you?"

Aang chuckled. Lan was more like Zuko than either cousin cared to admit. "It couldn't hurt. The monks used to tell me that sometimes the shadows of the past can be felt in the present."

Zuko sighed when Lan started giving him the puppy eyes. He hated the puppy eyes. "Fine."

xXx

"Doesn't this thing go any faster?" Zuko asked impatiently, glaring irritably over the side of Appa's saddle. "We've been flying for hours."

"No negativity." Lan said, giggling at the half-hearted glare Zuko sent her way. She leaned against his side and snuggled against him. "Don't worry; you'll get used to all of this."

Aang smiled over at the two, happy to see Lan so content for once. He turned forward and let out a small gasp. "Hey, I think we're here!"

Lan peered over the edge of the saddle with Zuko. "Wow." She whispered out, staring at the ruins in awe. The ruins were almost completely covered by forest, and the ruins themselves blended in with the mountains and rocks of the island.

The trio climbed out of Appa's saddle once they'd landed. Zuko kept a firm grip on Lan's hand as they began exploring the ruins. Zuko looked thoughtfully at the ruined buildings that at one time must have stood very tall and proud. "This is the first time I've ever been here, but it's like I've seen these buildings before. I think the Fire Sages' temple is modeled after these ruins."

Aang smiled positively. "Great! We learned something about architecture. Hopefully, we'll learn something about firebending as well." He began walking forward when he suddenly tripped over something. The ground before him opened up, revealing row upon row of sharp black spikes. Aang barely had time to breathe out a gust of air and safely to the other side. He sat on the ground for a moment, shaking. "Zuko, Lan…I think the past is trying to kill me."

Zuko knelt down, looking curiously at the wire that Aang had tripped over. "This booby trap must be centuries old, yet it still works."

Lan looked nervously around. "Maybe that means we shouldn't be here. There's probably more traps."

Zuko ruffled her hair. "What happened to no negativity?" He took a few steps back before running along the wall to avoid the trap. He landed gracefully next to Aang, as though what he'd just done was the easiest thing in the world. He looked back over at his clearly nervous cousin. "Besides, nobody sets up traps like that unless they have something worth protecting. Come on, Lan."

Lan hopped from foot to foot nervously. "I can't run on the wall!"

"Jump across, Lan." Aang encouraged. He smiled reassuringly when Lan looked at him as though he were crazy. "Trust me."

Lan hesitated for a second more, before doing what Aang had told her. She took a running jump towards the trap. Instead of feeling spikes digging into her flesh, she felt air pushing her up and over the trap. She landed in between Aang and Zuko. She took a deep breath. "I am never doing that again!"

The trio walked through the ruins, careful to avoid any more booby traps. They eventually reached a temple with stairs that seemed to go up forever. Lan groaned in annoyance, but followed quickly after Zuko and Aang. When they finally reached the top, they were greeted by a rather intimidating looking painting. "Grandpa said that dragons and firebenders liked each other."

Zuko looked dubiously at the painting, taking Lan's hand back in his. The painting depicted two dragons circling a man, breathing fire all around him. "They sure had a funny way of showing it."

Aang frowned when Zuko began walking away. "Something happened to the dragons, Zuko. Something you aren't telling me, and something Lan doesn't seem to know either."

Zuko looked down at Lan's curious face and sighed. "My great-grandfather Sozin happened." The group began walking again, while Zuko explained everything. "He started the tradition of hunting dragons for glory. They are the ultimate firebenders, so if you're able to defeat one, your firebending talents would become legendary. You would earn the honorary title of 'Dragon'. The last dragon was conquered before I was born by my uncle."

Lan's eyes widened in shock. "Grandpa killed the last dragon?! Grandpa would never do something that…that mean!"

"He had a complicated past." Zuko defended. "Family tradition…let's just move on."

They came to a stop in front of two large golden doors. Lan looked first at the doors, and then at a large column a short distance away with a red jewel in the center of it. She watched Zuko and Aang pushed futilely against the door. "I think it's locked."

Zuko sighed irritably. He looked over his shoulder to say something to Lan, when he noticed the column with the jewel on it. He moved to the side so that the light from the jewel landed on a circular pattern in the ground. "This is a celestial calendar. I bet that Sun Stone opens the door, but only if it's hit at the right angle."

"How do we do that?" Lan asked curiously, walking over to stand by her cousin.

Aang groaned in frustration. "We don't. It'll only open on the solstice. We can't wait that long!"

"No, we can't." Zuko agreed, pulling his sword out. "Maybe we can trick the Sun Stone…" He held his sword up, slowly moving it around so that the light from the Sun Stone began slowly crawling up the door.

Lan hopped anxiously from foot to foot. At first, nothing happened when the light hit the top of the door. Slowly, the doors slid open, and Lan let out a cheer. She hugged Zuko around the waist. "That was awesome, Zuko!"

Aang grinned at Zuko. "You're pretty smart."

Zuko gave both Aang and Lan a small smile. He walked into the dark room with Lan still attached to his waist. When Aang let out a startled yelp, Zuko looked over to see if there was another trap. He sighed when he saw what it was that had scared the Avatar. "Calm down. They're just statues."

Lan studied all the statues closely. She could see why they had scared Aang. All of their faces had been carved with deep scowls and angry eyes. The statues were all doing various poses, and were set up in a half circle around the room. She looked over when she heard Aang running over to Zuko.

"Zuko, I want you to dance with me!" Aang declared, grabbing Zuko's arm and attempting to pull him away.

"What?" Zuko yelped, yanking his arm out of Aang's grip.

"I've got to see this." Lan said, watching Aang yank Zuko over to one side of the half circle. She stood at the front of the half circle and watched the two boys begin mimicking the poses of the statues. She couldn't help giggling at the clearly embarrassed look on Zuko's face. "What's that?" She asked in surprise when a pedestal rose from the ground once Zuko and Aang had finished dancing.

"Lan, don't touch that." Aang said worriedly.

Lan ignored Aang and picked up the golden egg on top of the pedestal. "Zuko, this feels almost alive!"

"Put it back, Lan." Zuko snapped, rushing over and taking the golden egg from her. Just as he attempted to put the egg back, a blast of green goo shot up from below.

Lan yelped as her back roughly slammed into the grate in the ceiling. She struggled against the goo. "I'm stuck! Zuko, help me!"

"I would if I wasn't stuck next to you!" Zuko said, glaring accusingly at the golden egg now stuck to his hand.

"Hang on guys!" Aang shouted, running over to pick up his staff. He had to jump on to the head of one of the statues to avoid the rapidly rising goo. Aang shot up a blast of wind in an attempt to unstick Lan and Zuko from the grate. All he managed to do was move them so that their fronts were now stuck to the top instead of their backs. He had to jump up to the grating in order to avoid being engulfed by the goo. He latched onto the metal bars and pulled on them in vain. "Zuko, help! I'm stuck!"

"What can I do?" Zuko snapped. "I'm stuck too!"

"At least we can breathe, and the goo isn't rising anymore." Lan offered, squinting her eyes against the bright sunlight.

"Maybe if we just stay calm, we'll figure something out." Zuko said helpfully.

xXx

"You just had to pick up the egg, Lan." Aang sighed out in annoyance. Night had fallen and the trio was no closer to finding a solution to their predicament than they had been a few hours ago.

"Hey, at least she did something!" Zuko said, jumping to the defense of his little cousin. "If it were up to you, we'd have never made it pass the courtyard."

"Guys, we really shouldn't be fighting right now." Lan pouted. "Especially since I'm stuck between the two of you." She blinked when a foot stepped into her vision. She looked up at the rather imposing man standing over them. "Hi."

"Who are you?" The man snapped, glaring down at the trio.

xXx

Lan couldn't help giggling as a strange creature she'd never seen before licked the goo off her face. She was certainly feeling more relaxed than Aang or Zuko did.

"For trying to take our Sun Stone, you three must be severely punished!" The Sun Warrior Chief declared.

Zuko yanked Lan closer to him, not wanting her anywhere near the Sun Warriors in case they attacked. "We didn't come here to steal your Sun Stone! We just came to learn the origins of firebending!"

"Yeah, right!" scoffed one of the Sun Warriors. He clutched the Sun Stone close to him protectively, much like how Zuko was holding Lan. "They are obviously thieves."

"Look, I don't normally play this card, but I'm the Avatar." Aang spoke up, grinning nervously at the Sun Warriors. "Please, just hear us out."

When the Sun Warrior Chief nodded, Zuko stood up. "I'm Zuko, Crown Prince of the Fire Nation. At least…I was…I know my people have distorted the ways of firebending to be fueled by rage and anger. I want to learn the true way…the original way. When we came here, I never imagined we'd find the Sun Warriors civilization secretly thriving. I am truly humbled to be in your presence." He bowed low to the Sun Warriors. He kicked Lan in the leg when she didn't bow right away.

The Sun Warrior Chief was silent for a moment. "If you wish to learn the ways of the sun, you must learn from the masters Ran and Shao. They will examine you when you present yourselves to them. They'll read your hearts, souls, and your ancestry. If they deem you worthy, they'll teach you. If not, they'll destroy you on the spot."

Lan gulped nervously. "Maybe I'll just wait for you two…" She yelped as Zuko twisted her ear.

"You're not getting out of this." Zuko hissed.

xXx

The next day, Zuko, Aang, and Lan all stood in front of giant fire with the Sun Warrior Chief. Lan yawned and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She hadn't gotten much sleep. She kept dreaming about giant firebenders incinerating her into nothingness.

The Sun Warrior Chief appraised the trio. "If you are going to see the masters, you must present them a piece of the eternal flame. This fire," He gestured to the large fire roaring behind him. "is the first fire. It was given to Man by the dragons, and we have kept it alive for thousands of years. You will all take a piece to the masters to show your commitment to the sacred art of firebending."

"Um, I'm not a firebender yet." Aang said nervously. "Could one of my friends carry it for me?"

"No." The Sun Warrior Chief said sternly. He pulled some of the fire towards him and looked at the three seriously. "You must maintain a constant heat. The flame will go out if you make it too small. Make it too big, and you will lose control." He handed Zuko a piece of the flame first, then Lan, and finally, Aang.

Aang blinked in surprise when he received his flame. "It's like a little heartbeat." He whispered in awe.

"Fire is life, not just destruction." Lan said, cradling the flame close to her heart. She missed the approving nod the Chief gave her. "That's what Grandpa always told me."

"You will take your flames up there." The Sun Warrior Chief said, pointing to a nearby mountain. "The cave of the masters is beneath that rock."

The trio began their trek towards the mountain. Lan skipped ahead of the two easily, smiling brightly down at the flame in her hand. She looked over her shoulder to see Zuko was close behind, but that Aang was lagging. "Come on, Aang. You can do it!"

"I can't go any faster!" Aang protested. "My flame will go out if I do."

"It's because you're too timid." Zuko argued, catching up to Lan. "Give your flame more juice."

"What if I lose control?" Aang asked worriedly.

"You can do it." Zuko said confidently. "You're a talented kid."

"How'd they beat us here?" Lan huffed out once they finally reached their destination.

The Sun Warriors were already there. They were in a circle, alternating between standing and sitting. The Sun Warrior Chief stepped towards the trio. "Facing the judgment of the masters will be dangerous for you. Both of your ancestors," he pointed at both Lan and Zuko. "are directly responsible for the dragons disappearance. They may not be so happy to see the two of you. As for you, Avatar, your vanishing allowed the Fire Nation to wreak havoc on the world. The decline of dragons is your burden too." He stepped back to allow the three to make their way up the stairs towards the platform connecting the two sides of the mountain together.

"We could turn back now." Aang whispered as the Sun Warriors began bending fire. "We've already learned more than we ever hoped to."

"No." Zuko said firmly. "We are seeing this through to the end. You ready, Lan?" He sighed when he saw how nervous the little girl was. He moved the flame into just one hand and reached out to put his hand on Lan's cheek. "Hey, I won't let anything happen to you."

Lan gave Zuko a small smile. "Okay…let's do this." Her smile wavered as the Sun Warriors began chanting. She walked in step with Zuko and Aang up the stairs. When they finally reached the top, she went to stand beside Zuko, their backs to Aang.

"Present your flames!" The Sun Warrior Chief shouted.

Lan lowered her head and held her flame out towards the cave opening. She didn't glance up when Aang whispered something nervously. She really hoped the masters wouldn't try and kill them. It took her a few moments to realize that Aang and Zuko were fighting. "What are you two doing? Aang, where's your flame?"

"I lost mine and Zuko won't give me any of his!" Aang shouted, trying to steal some of the fire from Zuko. Both boys froze when Zuko dropped his hands and lost his flame.

Lan put her hands on her hips. "Now look what you two have done…" It took her a moment to realize her flame was now gone as well. A loud rumbling came from both of the caves. Lan scooted closer to Zuko and held onto his arm. "Zuko…"

A red dragon shot of the cave that Lan and Zuko had been facing, while a blue dragon came out from the other. Lan gasped in awe as the two dragons began flying around them. She'd only ever seen dragons in paintings. They were so much more beautiful in real life. "They're amazing…"

"Hey, I think they want us to do the Dragon Dance." Aang said when nothing happened.

"You two have fun with that." Lan said.

"Oh no." Zuko protested. "You're doing it too. Just stand behind me and follow my lead."

Lan reluctantly did as she was told. She was surprised to find she didn't feel at all silly dancing. It took her a moment to realize the dragons were mimicking their movements. Once they finished the dance, Lan found herself standing between Zuko and Aang. She held onto Zuko's hand and looked at the dragons as they landed on the bridges. The red one stared down Zuko and Lan, while the blue one stared at Aang. Lan yelped and ducked behind Zuko as the dragons breathed fire directly at them.

"Lan…look…" Zuko whispered, pulling Lan so she was standing in front of him. He wrapped his arms loosely around her shoulders.

Slowly, Lan opened her eyes. She gasped at the beautiful rainbow flames creating a column around the three of them. Tears welled up in her eyes. She held on to Zuko's arms and sniffled. She knew she'd never see anything more beautiful or amazing for the rest of her life.

Once the dragons had retreated back into their caves, Zuko, Aang, and Lan began their descent down the stairs. "I saw so many colors…colors I've never even imagined."

"It was like firebending harmony." Aang said softly. He looked over at Lan who hadn't spoken at all.

The Sun Warrior Chief nodded approvingly. "They judged you, and gave you visions of the meaning of firebending."

"I can't believe there are living dragons." Zuko said in awe. "My Uncle Iroh said he faced the last dragon and killed it."

"So, Grandpa lied." Lan finally spoke up, returning to her usual self.

The Sun Warrior Chief chuckled. "It was not a total lie. Iroh was the last outsider to face the masters. They deemed him worthy, and passed the secret of firebending on to him."

"All this time, I've thought firebending was destruction." Aang said quietly. "I know what it really is now. It's energy and life."

Lan nodded excitedly. "It's like the sun, but it's inside you! Did you know that?" She asked the Chief.

"Well, we are called the Sun Warriors." The Sun Warrior Chief said with a smile.

"That's why my firebending was so weak before." Zuko muttered. "All these years, my drive had been to capture the Avatar. When I lost that, I lost sight of my inner fire. Now, I have a new drive. I have to help you defeat my father and restore balance to the world."

Lan cheered when Zuko shot two giant flames up into the air. She and Aang quickly followed Zuko's example, sending their own flames up into the air.

The Sun Warrior Chief's suddenly turned into a scowl. "Now that you know our secrets, and know that our tribe exists, we have no choice but to imprison you here forever!" He couldn't help laughing at the horrified looks on the trios faces. "Just kidding. Seriously though, don't tell anyone!"

xXx

"With this technique the dragons taught us, we're unstoppable." Aang said as he and Zuko finished the Dragon Dance.

"Why didn't you dance, Lan?" Sokka asked, poking the girl in the head.

"It's way too embarrassing." Lan muttered, scooting away from Sokka.

"Now we can tap dance our way to victory against the Fire Lord!" Sokka cheered sarcastically.

"It's a sacred form of firebending that's over a thousand years old!" Zuko protested, glaring over at Sokka.

"Oh yeah?" Sokka laughed. "What's it called?"

"The Dancing Dragon." Lan answered, grinning at the frustrated huff Zuko let out.