Chapter 34: Different Direction

By the end of the day, it became clear to everyone that the Water Tribe could not remain in Chameleon Bay, and so Chief Hakoda ordered the tribe to be ready to leave by next sunrise.

The bay no longer served a purpose guarding the main water access to Ba Sing Se, now that the city itself had fallen to the Fire Nation. It was only a matter of time before Fire Navy ships overwhelmed the waterways, and the tribe could not hope to hold them off while constantly watching for attacks from behind. The Fire Nation would spare no expense to connect their newest acquisition to their existing territory, and trying to stop that would only lead to oblivion. It was best to get out now while they still could, to leave the Fire Navy with nothing to capture when they arrived.

Everything the tribe kept on the shore was loaded up onto the ships, dispersed evenly so that no single ship would be weighed down too much. The captured battleships were cleaned up and made to look like they still belonged to the Fire Nation, the idea being to hide in plain sight while on the open seas. The biggest one they had was reserved for Hakoda, his best men, and the Avatar's companions. Aang was carefully moved to one of the lower decks of that ship, while Appa got to stay in the cargo hold, where they could be hidden throughout the journey.

Once the fleet was underway, Hakoda arranged for a meeting with his children and their friends in the captain's cabin. "We should clear the northern coastline in a couple weeks. After that, we have options for where to go from there."

"Aang will want to go to the Fire Nation," Sokka said. He and the others were standing around a table, looking at a map of the world. "Hopefully he will be conscious by the time we get there."

"He's resting peacefully right now," Katara clarified. "Still, I can't be sure when he will wake up."

"We'll just have to assume he's not awake for our plans," Toph said.

"Either way, first thing is getting into the Fire Nation," Sokka said. He put a hand on the map, at the ocean between the continent and the chain of islands. "And that means getting past the blockade."

"It should be stretched thin right now," Taiyo said. He was standing apart from the group, arms crossed and leaning against the wall. "The navy took a big hit at the North Pole, ships will be diverted to support the occupation of Ba Sing Se, along with all the other naval operations they need to do."

"Maybe they'll be relieved when reinforcements show up?" Katara speculated.

"As long as they don't know we stole these ships," Sokka said. "I'd like to think we did that fast enough to prevent anyone from reporting the losses."

"I wouldn't count on it," Toph said.

"Yeah, but it's nice to dream," Sokka admitted. "At the very least the disguise should get us to the blockade. Even if they figure it out then, we'll be able to slip past them."

"The ships won't be enough," Taiyo advised. "You'll need the land forces to take any island you set shore on. And you're going to have to fight for every step of land."

"That's to be expected," Hakoda said. He looked at a list his son had written. "These allies of yours had better be able to pull their weight."

"We can vouch for every one of them," Sokka said. "It may take some convincing to get them all to work together as a team, but I'd rather have them with us than not at all."

"They are scattered across the Earth Kingdom though," Katara said. "Getting to all of them in time will be the hard part."

"Splitting up the fleet will take care of that," Hakoda said. He moved some tiny figurines on the map, representing all the ships at his command. "We were going to do that anyway to avoid attention."

"As long as everyone can get to the rendezvous point in time," Sokka said. He turned toward Taiyo. "Any recommendations on where that should be?"

Taiyo walked over and looked at the map, picked up a brush, and marked a small dot just to the east of the capital island. "There's an uninhabited island here. Its shores are all steep cliffs, and at the top there's only forests and meadows and koala-sheep. You would need earthbending and waterbending to make any use of this place."

"Both of which we have," Sokka said. "And we can take Appa there ahead of the fleet and make it a little easier for the ships to dock before they get there."

"Okay, so we have a place to launch from," Katara said. "Then what's the plan?"

"Next obstacle is the Great Gates of Azulon," Taiyo said, marking them on the map at the edge of the capital island. "It is an enormous tar-soaked net that can be set on fire. When it's raised no ship can get through and you'll get picked off one by one."

"There's got to be a way to get around it," Hakoda said.

"Only if you can get underneath the net," Taiyo answered.

"That might actually be doable," Sokka said. He rummaged through his pockets and took out a sheet of paper, which had a lot of scribbling on it. "I've had this idea for a while, but Katara and Aang could never get it to work on Appa."

"Not your underwater flying thing?" Katara assumed. "It's too difficult to keep an air bubble that big intact for more than a few minutes."

"Then we'll have to do it without waterbending," Sokka said. He placed his scribblings in front of Hakoda, letting him examine what he had in mind. "What do you think?"

Hakoda was a little puzzled by the stick figure inside a circle, with little wavy lines outside the circle. "And how do you expect to accomplish this… underwater travel?"

"I'm sure Teo's dad can figure it out," Sokka answered. He turned back toward Taiyo. "So after we get past that gate, what then?"

"There's the harbor, but assuming you've made it past the gates, then crossing won't be an issue," Taiyo said. "Landing your ground forces will be tricky. There are all kinds of defenses there to stop unauthorized ships from making port. Gated walls in the water, siege-grade crossbows on towers, catapults behind walls, and all the guards."

"Sounds like a tough fight," Hakoda noted.

"It wouldn't be worth it otherwise," Toph said.

"After that, you got to march up the volcano," Taiyo said, tapping a finger on that part of the map. "There's only one road up the slope, and it zig-zags all the way up, to slow down invading forces. Earthbending will help with defending against imperial firebenders on the caldera rim."

"We'll have plenty of that," Sokka said.

"And then, after all of that, you're finally entering the capital," Taiyo said. "It's going to be filled with imperial firebenders and their guards, ready and willing to defend their homes with their lives."

"Hopefully it won't come to that," Sokka admitted. "If Aang is ready by then, the plan will be to have him fly ahead while we've got the army busy. He'll be able to bypass all of this, defeat the Fire Lord, and bring an end to this war."

"You make it sound so simple," Katara said, clearly doubtful of that.

"It'll work," Sokka said. "I'm sure of it."

Still sulking in the Jasmine Dragon, Zuko was silently debating his sister's offer.

He had his doubts, this was Azula after all, but it was something he couldn't simply dismiss out of hand. This was his last chance to return home, and refusing it would leave him in exile forever. He had no ship, no crew, not even his uncle anymore, no one he could rely on. He figured he had a week at most to stay in this teashop, before the businessman that funded it would close down the place when Iroh never came back. From then on, he would be out on the street, trapped behind the walls of Ba Sing Se, soon to be occupied by Fire Nation soldiers that would not hesitate to imprison an exile.

Zuko finished his drink, slammed the bottle on the table, and left the Jasmine Dragon.

He walked through the streets of the upper ring, making his way up to the palace at a casual pace. Everything seemed normal enough, judging by his brief stay in this part of the city, with no sense of trouble whatsoever. People were still going about their daily lives, unaware of the regime change last night, and they paid Zuko no mind as he walked past them. It made sense when Zuko thought about it, as Azula wouldn't want word getting out until her Dai Li were in position to contain the fallout of deposing the Earth King.

The illusion of no war in Ba Sing Se was being maintained, at least until Azula was ready to shatter it for the entire city at once. Zuko imagined what it would be like when Fire Nation troops came marching through the streets, enforcing martial law during the occupation. But not before some grand proclamation from Azula when the outer wall came crashing down, suitably dramatic for such a drastic change and essential victory. The people that lived in this city had no idea what was awaiting them, still believing that the war could not touch them here.

When Zuko reached the palace's front gate he saw Dai Li agents standing guard. "I'm here to see Azula."

One agent nodded to the other, and that one turned and gestured for Zuko to follow. "This way."

Zuko followed the agent through the gate and up the grand stairs to the palace, entering through the front doors that were flanked by palace guards. More Dai Li agents were patrolling the halls inside, and Zuko noticed that most of them were injured to some degree. Between all the bruises and burns and hastily patched uniforms it was obvious they had been on the bad end of a fight, but were willing to tolerate the pain to keep to their duties. Zuko didn't pry into the matter, thinking it would just get him thrown into the crystal catacombs again.

The agent led Zuko to a side room, and he saw a pair of familiar faces. "Mai. Ty Lee."

Currently resting in comfy chair as her sore shoulders healed, Ty Lee perked up when she heard Zuko. "Oh, hey, you made it."

Standing in the corner of the room, Mai put pocketed something before turning toward him. "Hey."

"Yeah, I'm here," Zuko said. He stepped inside the room, and was halted when Ty Lee ran over and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "I'm happy to see you too."

Ty Lee let go and took a few steps back. "Sorry. It's just we weren't certain if you were going to come."

"Well I'm here," Zuko said. "Where is Azula? I figured she'd want to lord it over me."

"She's trying to get some sleep," Mai answered. "She wouldn't have shown it to you, but she got hurt pretty bad last night."

"I'm sure she'll feel better when she sees you," Ty Lee said.

"If only because that's what she wants," Zuko grumbled.

"Don't think of it that way," Mai suggested. She walked across the room to get closer to Zuko. "We're all going home. That's all that matters."

"Yeah, home…" Zuko muttered, barely above a whisper. "Still hard to believe it'll happen."

"It will," Mai said. She put a hand on Zuko's shoulder to reassure him. "You'll see. Before you know it, we'll be back in the capital, enjoying the finest fruit tarts."

Just this once, Zuko felt he could let his guard down and smile. "That sounds… nice."

As the day went by the Water Tribe fleet sailed up the northeastern coast of the Earth Kingdom, the various ships dispersed along their selected routes. The stolen Fire Nation ships were faster and quickly pulled ahead of the rest, and they were already making the wide turn from north to west. Now the tribesmen aboard could pretend they were part of a genuine Fire Navy fleet, once they put on the spare uniforms they had found aboard. It wasn't a perfect disguise, not everyone could convincingly play the part of a Fire Nation sailor, but it would suffice for inspection from afar.

As the sun set ahead of the fleet Taiyo was standing at battleship's bow, starting at the last bits of sunlight still in the western sky. He leaned against the railing that ringed the top deck, having a clear view of the water crashing against the ship. He was there to contemplate on what he should do, and most of the people aboard gave him plenty of space. But then he heard footsteps coming from behind, and he turned to see Sokka walking toward him. Taiyo turned back toward the sunset, saying nothing as Sokka leaned on the railing beside him.

"Hey," Sokka said, looking out at the ocean.

"Hey," Taiyo said back.

Sokka turned his head to look Taiyo in the eye. "So, what do you think of the plan?"

"Not going to lie, there's a lot that can go wrong," Taiyo answered. "Even if you reach the caldera, and manage to capture it, you'll only be able to hold it for a day before the army comes in to take it back."

"We won't need a day," Sokka said. "Just the eight minutes Aang needs to defeat the Fire Lord during the solar eclipse."

Taiyo narrows his eyes, and reduced his voice to a whisper. "That's not going to work."

"What?" Sokka blurted out. He checked for anyone that might overhear, and then leaned in closer to whisper back. "Why not? Firebenders will be powerless then. It's exactly what we need."

"And exactly why the Fire Nation keeps track of when eclipses happen," Taiyo said. "The Fire Lord's defenses will be at their peak during an eclipse."

"Yeah… but that's why I'm glad you're on our side," Sokka admitted. "You know what to expect, and that's more than enough to give us a fighting chance."

"You're not a very good liar," Taiyo said. "You're just glad I'm not on the Fire Nation's side."

"That too," Sokka admitted. He sighed before continuing, needing to get something off his chest. "Okay, Taiyo, you need to stop holding back. There's too much at stake for you to pull your punches."

"I can't win this war for you," Taiyo argued. "Not without-"

"Becoming like Ozai," Sokka interrupted, waving his hand in a dismissive manner. "Katara told me about your chat, and I think you're wrong."

Taiyo sighed and looked back at the ocean. "You don't know."

"I know more than you think," Sokka said. He turned around and leaned his back against the railing. "If you really wanted to take over the world, you would have done it already. But you haven't."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Taiyo asked.

"It means that you're not corrupted by power," Sokka explained, raising a finger as he made his point. "And if anyone could be trusted with the world in his hands, it would be you."

"But what should I do with it?" Taiyo asked. He leaned on the railing and rested his head on his arms. "How do I make things right without resorting to peace through tyranny?"

Sokka put on hand on his chin and thought about that, humming to himself while his mind went to work. "Well… you could try inspiring people to make their own peace."

Taiyo simply stared at him. "You do realize how silly that sounds?"

"I mean it," Sokka said. He waved one hand towards some stairs on the port side of the ship, which led down to the lower decks. "Aang's whole shtick as the Avatar is all about inspiring hope, which the Earth Kingdom sorely needs to win this war."

"I'm no Avatar," Taiyo muttered.

"Then we'll make up something just like it," Sokka said. "Something that's easy for people to remember, something that sounds heroic and inspiring."

"Like what?" Taiyo asked. "What kind of name would people use for a hero?"

"A name that they would want to believe in," Sokka answered. One name came to mind, based solely on the fact that Taiyo was a man with power superior to benders. "And right now, the world could really use a Superman."

After a few hours of fitful sleep in a more guarded bedroom, Azula summoned the top agents of the Dai Li to the palace's throne room. In the meantime since the battle, the throne had been replaced, and the room looked like there had never been a fight in the first place. Twenty agents stood in front of the replaced throne, each carrying the highest responsibilities for different parts of the organization. None of them knew what Azula wanted when she summoned them, and they all stayed silent until Azula spoke first.

Sitting in the throne with her arms folded over her lap, Azula watched the agents politely bow. "I'm glad you all could make it."

"What do you require of us?" one agent asked.

Azula gave a light smile, appreciating how the agent wanted to get straight to the point. "I need one of you to manage this city when I'm away. Once the army arrives, I will be leaving for the Fire Nation."

"Which of us do you want to take over for you?" another agent asked.

"Someone that would face me after failure," Azula specified.

Nearly all of the agents took a step backward, fearing what Azula might do to someone that failed in the responsibilities she was handing down. They all knew what had happened to Long Feng, and none of them wanted to share his fate. That left one agent appearing to step forward out of the crowd, even though he was only standing still. It wasn't that this individual was more ambitious than the rest, just that he suspected Azula would kill them all if no one volunteered. The agent turned his bald head to look at his colleagues, scowling at their hesitation.

"What is your name?" Azula asked.

"Lachlan," he answered. "I was in charge of our special tactics division, which had discovered the alien's weakness to meteor rocks."

"Yes," Azula said, noting how Lachlan had wisely avoided saying that person's name in her presence. "Tell me, Lachlan, did Long Feng trust you?"

"He didn't trust anyone," Lachlan answered. "And for good reason, nearly everyone had some scheme or another to replace him."

That bit of intrigue got Azula to raise one eyebrow. "What was your scheme?"

Lachlan gave her a crafty smirk. "I would have poisoned his tea with dissolved meteor rock, which would have appeared to be an accelerated case of Sing Se Sickness. Of course, your approach was much faster than mine."

Azula smiled at that compliment. "I like you."

Lachlan simply nodded.

"But there is one issue that needs addressing," Azula said. "Lachlan is hardly an imposing name for the ruler of the Earth Kingdom capital."

"I see," Lachlan said.

Azula put her right hand on her chin and hummed, thinking of a new name similar to Lachlan's. It had to be something unique, a name that would soon be recognized worldwide. "How about… Luthor."

"Luthor…" Lachlan muttered, testing the sound of it in his voice. "Lachlan Luthor… I like it."

"Good," Azula said. She stood up and took a few steps forward, stopping in front of her selected proxy. "Then I'll leave matter in your hands, Luthor."

Lachlan Luthor watched Azula walk out of the throne room, leaving him and the agents behind. Once Azula was gone and the doors closed behind her Luthor faced the agents, already forming new plans to satisfy a growing ambition. "Bring me everything we have on our meteor rock experiments."

One agent felt the need to point out a problem. "We're still salvaging the ones done at Lake Laogai."

"Keep working on that," Luthor ordered. He walked up to the throne and sat down on it, liking the new view of the throne room. "If you happen to find them, bring me Long Feng's notes on Project Metallo."

A few days later, outside the walls of Ba Sing Se, the Fire Nation army was marching towards the city.

Tanks drove alongside legions of soldiers through a barren landscape, which had once been no man's land between the outer wall and Fire Nation territory. The ruins of the old outer wall were left behind, and the new wall loomed before the forces gathered here. They could see the ruins of the giant drill up ahead, half of it concealed by a smaller wall that had been raised up around the site of the Fire Nation's latest defeat. It was a reminder of how futile it had been to lay siege to Ba Sing Se, and now the army was here to try again.

However, this time was different. No boulders came down from the top of the outer wall, for the Dai Li had forced the city's defenders to stand down. The only sounds came from marching footsteps and rumbling tank treads that echoed across the land, something many of the soldiers found worrisome as they approached the wall. They could see a long line of men standing at the top, clad in unfamiliar uniforms very different from soldiers, unaware that these earthbenders were the key to Fire Nation victory.

On the wall a dozen Dai Li agents stood ready, watching the Fire Nation army approach. In unison the agents leapt off the wall on its outer side, each agent grabbing onto the wall with one rock gloved hand to slow their descent. As the agents slid down the side of the wall each of them earthbent a few feet wide section of it, pulling down those sections with them as they made their descent. In minutes a fifty-foot wall gap in the outer wall was formed, sliding into the ground just after the agents reached the bottom.

The sight of the opening wall seemed too good to be true for the soldiers, many expecting it to be some kind of trap. Though Azula had sent a message to the army's top generals informing them of her takeover, the open invitation to take Ba Sing Se still had many soldiers suspicious. They kept a firm grip on their spears and kept their eyes on the terrain ahead, just in case earthbenders started popping out of the ground and attacking them. But the ambush never came, and soon it appeared that there would be no problem occupying Ba Sing Se.

Observing the procession from one of the mountains to the north, Taiyo waited until the soldiers were just about to pass through the wall. "Okay, time to go to work."

He disappeared from the mountain and ran to the marching soldiers, and the first row of them had their spears and swords yanked from their grasp. They saw nothing more than their weapons simply disappearing, and all they felt was a pull on their arms and a strong breeze that quickly passed. Taiyo repeated the mass disarmament with the second row of soldiers, and then the third and the fourth, and so on through the entire army. Confused soldiers turned and searched desperately for the cause, and those far enough away could see a red and blue blur passing through their ranks.

Taiyo disposed of the weapons by putting them in a pile and setting fire to them, keeping his burning glare on the pile until the weapons were welded together. He let the soldiers see him do it, though from far enough away that they couldn't see his face clearly. Firebenders among them threw fireballs at him, but he was finished before any of them could reach him. Taiyo simply disappeared again, and the red and blue blur moved to one of the tanks rolling beside the soldiers. Those with a quick eye followed the movement, but it was too late to stop what was coming.

With a simple yank Taiyo tore the driver-side treads off a tank, tossing them away and letting the tank tip over and drag in the dirt. He moved on to the next tank and tore off half of its treads, and repeated this work for every tank nearby. He tossed all the detached treads into a pile and shot fire into it, welding the metal pieces together just like the weapons. The tanks weren't going anywhere, and they weren't going to be repaired anytime soon. It left the army with just its disarmed soldiers, and only the firebenders able to make any kind of attack.

As such the army came to a screeching halt, just outside the gap in the outer wall. The firebenders sent fireballs at Taiyo from every direction, but he was already finished with the tank treads and simply disappeared before anything could hit him. Everyone turned and searched for the red and blue blur to return, but it seemed there was nothing more for it to do to them. They were no longer equipped to properly occupy the city, even with Dai Li assistance within the walls. Instead, they would have to wait for reinforcements to bring new equipment, and would be embarrassing when they arrived.

Taiyo stopped at a nearby hill, standing at the top and facing the wall. "Okay, that buys some time. Now, to make a statement."

He let the soldiers see him standing there, and let them see the red glow in his eyes before he turned the fire on the wall. With precise aim Taiyo burned a symbol into the wall where everyone outside could see it, choosing one that didn't have any widespread meaning already. He started with the sides of a diamond, and then filled in the angled line within it, creating the kryptonian symbol of his heritage. Now it would be his mark on the world, to let everyone know he was responsible for this attack on the Fire Nation army.

"That will do," Taiyo said. He turned toward the disarmed army, and gave them a simple wave. "Bye."

Finished with his work here, Taiyo left the area in a blur, allowing the soldiers to figure out that he was moving faster than the eye could follow. Once he was gone the soldiers turned their attention to the symbol burned into the wall, interpreting it as the mystery man's signature. Speculation quickly turned into rumors amidst the soldiers, which would spread as soon as they made contact with other people. The rumors took what the soldiers witnessed and quickly escalated, exaggerating the feats displayed and even inventing new ones purely on speculation.

Taiyo did nothing to stop the rumors, letting them begin the myth of Superman.

Azula couldn't get out of Ba Sing Se fast enough.

She was already on the first Fire Navy warship that reached the city's harbor, already leaving after dropping off soldiers and supplies. Though the majority of Fire Nation troops heading into the city were woefully underequipped, having to share their gear with the soldiers coming from the outer wall, they would hold the city as long as the Dai Li supported them. The captain of this warship was not happy about being ordered to leave so soon after arrival, but he would not dare disobey a direct order from the princess.

Azula believed that her presence was not needed, having installed a regent that would carry out her will, or at least that's what she kept telling herself. Her friends and her brother were below deck, keeping him busy at this point in the journey, and out of her sight until she wanted to see him. As the ship left the harbor Azula stood at the bow, looking at the water ahead of her, deep in thought about everything that happened, and what would happen next. It was going to be a long trip, but it would be worth the time to go home.

Feeling a gentle breeze through her hair, Azula looked down at the bracelet on her wrist. She saw her reflection in the polished meteor rock, the only weapon she had to deal with Taiyo. She knew she was going to need it now more than ever, having no idea when or where he might show up. It was worth carrying around despite the apparent risk of contracting Sing Se Sickness, as the small amount would take years for it to have any effect on her. She figured it was the same mechanism that hurt Taiyo, just that it took far longer to harm humans.

"Where have you been all my life?" Azula muttered. She heard some approaching footsteps, and she turned around to see Mai and Ty Lee coming up to her. "What's up?"

"Just surprised we're leaving so soon," Mai said. "I have to admit, this place was interesting."

"To visit," Azula added. She leaned her back against a railing, looking towards the back of the ship and the city far behind it. "But I don't want to stay here."

"That's fair," Ty Lee said. She rested her arms on the railing, eyes forward and on the water ahead. "This city didn't really agree with me anyway."

"Too closed in," Mai added. Even from here she could see the walls of the city, tall and imposing even as they left the city behind. "We'll feel a lot better when we get home."

"Can't wait," Azula said. "I bet Zuko can't wait either. How is he doing down below?"

"Sleeping, actually," Mai answered. "I'm sure he will want to do that the entire trip."

"As long as he keeps his head down, we won't have a problem," Azula said.

"I'm just glad you're letting him come home," Ty Lee said. "It's a shame about your uncle though, being stuck in some Dai Li prison."

"Too dangerous to move him," Azula said. She looked down at the bracelet again. "Especially with Taiyo still out there, waiting for a chance to free him, and more dangerous than ever."

A couple weeks later, Aang regained consciousness.

He was not happy.

Waking up inside a Fire Nation warship, Aang thought he had been captured again. The wound in his back was an immediate source of pain, enough to sap away what little strength he had recovered. His fears were quickly put to rest when he discovered Water Tribe warriors controlling the warship, and finding most of his friends in various disguises to resemble navy soldiers. They quickly explained to Aang that they had seized the ship, and were now well on their way to the Fire Nation. Aang patiently listened as everyone filled him in on what happened, proceeding from bad to very bad to the very worst.

The world believed that he was dead.

"How is that good news?!" Aang yelled. He was now sitting on the deck of the ship, surrounded by several of his friends. "That's terrible!"

"No, it's great," Sokka insisted. "It means the Fire Nation won't be hunting us anymore. And even better, they won't be expecting you on the Day of Black Sun."

"This is so messed up," Aang said. He was holding onto Momo for comfort, though it wasn't helping much. "You have no idea."

"It shouldn't have happened, we get that," Katara said, trying to be reassuring. "But we've got to make the most of a bad thing. We were all going to have to hide anyway, once we get into the Fire Nation."

"And that bit of hair is going to help," Toph said, pointing at Aang.

"I have hair!" Aang shouted. He reached to feel his scalp, which prompted Momo to climb up and poke at the short, dark brown hair. "How long was I out?"

"A few weeks," Katara answered.

"You've let people think I've been dead that long," Aang said.

"Yep," Sokka said. "So far it's been working. No one we've come across has been looking for you."

Aang punched the floor, though he had so little strength it didn't even hurt his knuckles. "This couldn't possibly be any worse."

"Please don't say that," Sokka insisted. "You know how the universe likes to prove that claim wrong."

"Eh, we took out an insurance policy on that," Toph said.

"What do you mean?" Aang asked. He looked around and quickly realized someone wasn't there. "Where's Taiyo?"

"Covering for your absence," Sokka answered. "He's out there causing problems for the Fire Nation, keeping hope alive for people in the Earth Kingdom."

"And that's supposed to make me feel better?" Aang demanded. "I still failed. The world thinks I've abandoned it again."

"It wasn't your fault," Katara said. She pulled out some water for a healing session. "Right now, you need to focus on getting better."

Aang lied down on his right side, since it hurt too much to lay on his back. "Not like there's anything else I can do…"