Hey all! I'm back again! I know I just posted a chapter, but I thought I would post another because of all the love that I've gotten from this story. (Hope you don't mind.)

A big shout out to all of the readers, favorite's, followers, and reviewers. You guys are the reason I post so quickly, so keep it up!

Tell me what you think, read and review guys! Shout out goes to FlameoInsantNoodles, TunaLuna, BeatlesKataang, Marcos96, and 70zoda. Keep up those favorites and reviews guys!

P.S. Check out my other stories as well. Also, I wanted to have your guys opinion on something guys: P.M. me if you have any ideas that you would want me to add into this story, I have some, but would love more. I'll feature you guys in the chapters you help me with so send me a P.M. with those ideas. Love you all! Now, onto the next chapter!

Sokka and Katara:

Though no one really slept well the previous night, everyone silently accepted that they would need to travel fast if they were to make it to the Southern Water Tribe fleet before they needed to move again. This obviously took a toll on both Sokka and Katara since they were not used to walking long distances, since they normally just traveled on Appa most of the time. Bato didn't think much of it though, he knew that they would eventually get used to it, since this trip would likely take weeks to accomplish.

When Sokka decided to take a short break from the large amount of walking, he took out the map that Hakoda had given to him. Bato had thought that the location had been somewhere close to the serpents pass, due to the large dot that Hakoda had placed for his location. Sokka soon dismissed this idea because he saw no strategic point in the Serpant's Path. He did notice that there was a smaller river that led straight to Ba Sing Se.

If Sokka knew his father well enough, he figured that this would be the place he would defend. "He is probably camping out here guys." Sokka began while pointing at the map. Both Katara and Bato looked over his shoulder as he continued: "This river is deep enough to allow larger ships to sail straight to Ba Sing Se."

"It was likely used as a trading route" Bato surmised.

"Most likely." Sokka began: "I think we should start their and move our way through the Bay. Sound good?"

"Yah, maybe Aang will take the same route as us…" Katara said hopefully.

Sadly, Sokka was clueless: "Unlikely, realistically, he's probably going to make his way up the coast of the earth kingdom. When he runs out of land, he'll probably be stupid enough to head through the Fire Nation after that." Before Sokka could continue, he was strongly nudged by Bato. "Hey" Sokka began, but he was quickly cut off by a piercing stare that Bato was giving him. Bato than motioned towards something behind Sokka, which he figured was Katara. As he turned, he soon realized his mistake.

Katara was lost in her thoughts: Oh. Spirits no. Don't let him go into the Fire Nation alone. Please let him go towards Ba Sing Se, where we can meet up with him. So I can say how sorry that I am, so I can prove that he's still my family.

Before Katara could fall any deeper into her own regrets and despair, Sokka quickly called to her, in the most sympathetic voice she had ever heard from him: "Hey, you ok?"

Katara didn't know why, but in that instance, she was furious at him, and being the person she was, she wore her emotions on her sleeve: "No I'm not Sokka! Aang's out there by himself, he could be going into the Fire Nation for all we know!"

"Katara, we can't help him this way, we know that he'll be heading up north. So stop sulking and worrying about him. We are trying to reach dad. Start focusing on that and stop worrying so much about him!" Sokka didn't care that he was getting mad for no reason, he needed to vent just as much as she did.

He half expected Katara to tear his head off, but she immediately looked down, but just for a split second. When she looked back up, he didn't see the usual spirit in her eyes, that fire was gone and replaced with an emotionless façade. Needless to say, he regretted his words already.

"Katara, I'm." Sokka began, but he was immediately interrupted by her: "You're right Sokka, I can't worry about him right now, and we have more important things to focus on right now, like getting to dad."

When Sokka was going to press her further, he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Just let her be for now Sokka, she's going through separation anxiety right now. This is just her way of getting through it."

Sokka sadly agreed, and so the trio continued their walk in silence, knowing their destination. What Sokka and Bato didn't know, was that Katara's emotionless façade was only skin deep. I have to find him. Before he gets to the Fire Nation.

Aang:

Through the night, Aang had been restlessly sleeping, waking up often due to the nightmares that he had been experiencing. Many of them had been the same, he lost his friends and ended up alone, he didn't want this, he didn't want to be alone anymore. I need to meditate for a while. Aang thought. He knew it would do him little good to attempt to sleep, so he found a secluded spot and sat in a comfortable lotus position. Even being like this relaxed him, but only slightly. He mused that this was due to the closeness that it brought him to his people. Though they were gone, their memory still lived on in him.

As Aang cleared his mind, he began to feel as though his spirit was being lifted from himself, like he was floating in mid-air, but without the airbending. He was swiftly snapped out of his peaceful state by another voice: "Hello Aang."

He swiftly moved to his feet, reflexively getting into his airbending stance. Though this quickly didn't last, he immediately dropped the stance once he noticed who it was: "Roku? What are you doing here?"

It was then that he finally looked around: "Am I in the spirit world Roku?"

"Yes Aang, I brought you here for a reason. We need to talk." Roku began.

"About what Roku, has something happened?" Aang fearfully asked, expecting the worst.

Roku chuckled at Aang's sudden seriousness: "No, nothing of that kind."

Aang visibly relaxed: "Than what did you want to talk about?"

"Love Aang, I wanted to talk to you about love."

"Love is dangerous, it will only end badly. That's why the monks told us to stay clear from it. Look at me." Aang began, now angry at both Roku and himself: "I'm alone and I lost the only family that I had left. I loved them, and because of my stupidity, they're gone!"

Roku thought for a few moments before he spoke: "Sometimes, love is a funny thing, you think that it isn't worth it when the person is gone from your life, but when fate brings you back together; love begins to take on a new form, a form which you couldn't have imagined ever living without."

Aang looked up at Roku: "But what happens when you know that you'll probably never see the person ever again?"

Roku smiled: "You never give up hope. I was separated from the love of my life for nearly a decade. But love persevered and I married her soon after I returned. Our love only grew in the separation, but it took being separated for us to realize how important we were to each other."

Aang smiled, fresh tears forming in his eyes at the honesty in his past life's words: "I won't give up Roku."

"Very good, work your way to the North Pole, find a master, and begin your training." Roku said as he began to fade into the night.

Aang fell asleep that night with a small smile on his face.

The next morning, he woke up with his vigor renewed. He took out his map again, after feeding Appa, Momo, and himself. He began to look it over; he knew that he was only a few days walk from where he had previously been, he didn't want to move further inland, afraid that he could attract Fire Nation soldiers towards the path that Katara, Sokka, and Bato were heading through. They might no longer care for him, but he would still risk his own safety for theirs. He decided that it would likely be best to travel around the coast, heading straight North. He knew that once he reached the central part of the Earth Kingdom, he would have to head towards Fire Nation occupied lands. He figured that if he stayed in already conquered enemy territory, he would not be as actively looked for there.

While thinking up the best route to take, he noticed a small town that was further inland. He knew that it was risky, but he couldn't pass up the opportunity to recoup some of his supplies since he had given most, if not all of them to Katara and Sokka. He knew that even though they were mad at him, they were probably still worried about him having no supplies or money to survive on, but he didn't linger on that thought.

After he had finished cleaning up the small camp site, he hid Appa and Momo. "Sorry guys, stay hidden, I'm gonna go check out this town and see if I can grab some supplies for the trip. Appa gave a low grumbling in acknowledgement while Momo just chattered incoherently. Ok guys, Appa is in charge, Momo, stay out of trouble. He knew that they couldn't understand him, but he still felt that it helped to pretend that they did.

The trip to the town was relatively leisurely; he made sure that he dressed in a black cloak and a matching headband before he left for the town. He didn't want to be found out, especially when the Fire Nation could be so close. He just wanted to get the supplies and be on his way.

As he made his way into the town's gate entrance, he immediately knew that the town was very old and run down. It looked as though it had been neglected for years, the gates appearing to fall apart with the slightest touch. The people in the town looked just as neglected as the buildings. This was definitely an earth kingdom town, but sadly, it wasn't as vibrant as some of the other that he had visited with his friends. Aang made his way to the town square, where he hoped to find a few shops to buy a few supplies to hold him over until he made it to a bigger city. He picked up a small bag of rice and a few fruits and vegetables. When the shop keeper just took the money, not bothering to count it or even look at him, Aang spoke up: "What happened here? Why does everyone look so impoverished?"

The man finally spared Aang a glance. Aang immediately regretted this, as the man noticed his arrow beneath the cloak. "You're the Avatar, aren't you." It was a statement, more than a question. Aang slightly nodded in agreement, knowing that it was useless to argue his identity.

The shopkeeper immediately put a closed sign up and dragged Aang through a doorway and into what appeared to be his house. The mysterious man motioned for Aang to take a seat, which he immediately obliged, seeing little choice.

The man quickly returned from what appeared to be his kitchen, holding to small cups of tea. "Hello Avatar, the name's Lo. I'm sorry I didn't tell you it before. It just isn't safe to talk in public these days. They might hear you."

Aang looked genuinely confused: "Nice to meet you Lo, my name is Aang. But why can't you talk in public? Who might hear you?"

Lo's appearance dropped: "The Fire Nation. Who else?"

"Wait, the Fire Nation is in this village? But where? I haven't seen any soldiers." Aang replied.

"They patrol every so often, taking what they want and draining this village dry. They've been here for years." Lo said while taking another sip of his tea.

"Why hasn't anyone fought back?" Aang honestly asked.

"We did a few times when they first came, but they punished us worse each time. They called this an occupation, so we were under Fire Nation law, which means anything treasonous is met with death. We lost about half the village two seasons ago. Many of the women of this village lost their husbands who fought in an uprising against them. We've lost our hope, at least I did until you came. You can fix this, you're the Avatar." Lo finished hopefully.

Aang fidgeted nervously in his chair, sure he was a master airbender, but he barely knew any water bending, maybe he could face them all once he was a fully realized Avatar, but until then, he had to make his way to the North Pole. "Um.. Well, I don't-" But he was swiftly cut off when commotion was heard from just outside Lo's shop.

Lo quickly got up off his chair and made his way towards the door. Aang quickly followed him, putting both his headband and his cloak back on to hide his identity. He didn't want the WHOLE town to know who he was.

As they both made it to the door, Lo only opened it a cracked, giving Aang plenty of space to watch the events outside unfold. Lo stepped back, seeing what was about to happen enough.

A Fire Nation soldier was standing above an elderly man in a threatening manner. "You didn't pay your taxes this week earth kingdom pig!" the Fire Nation soldier spat. He looked to be about 35, he had jet black hair and a goatee to match.

The older man appeared to be frail and weak, sprawled out on the ground in a stance of submission. "I already paid the taxes to another soldier this week, I am sorry, I don't have anymore!" The older man pleaded.

"Don't lie to me! You will give the money up or pay the consequences!" The soldier yelled, setting his hands ablaze.

Aang had just about seen enough, he stepped out of the house and walked towards the Fire Nation soldier. "How much does this man owe you?" Aang asked calmly.

The Fire Nation soldier whirled around and regarded the mysterious man with a questioning look: "What's it to yah?"

"I wish to pay his tax, than you have to leave him alone." Aang replied.

"He owes us 5 copper pieces" The soldier said, still in an offensive stance.

Aang simply took the remainder of his money and handed it to the soldier who eyed it for a second and turned to the older man. "You're lucky this time, but next week, no one will save you." He finished by kicking him hard in the back, causing the frail man to spasm in pain.

The soldier turned and left, laughing at the older man's misfortune.

After the man had left, Aang quickly motioned for Lo to help him lift the older man into his shop.

As low treated the injured man, Aang had a lot to think about. I abandoned these people 100 years ago, I can't abandon them again. "How many benders does your village have left?" Aang asked.

Lo looked up: "Probably about fifteen or so. The Fire Nation either imprisoned or killed many of the town's benders. The remainders of them are too scared to even admit that they can bend."

Aang thought for a few moments: "Do you know where the Fire Nation base is? I mean if they don't live in the town, then they have to be some barracks around here." Aang reasoned.

Lo looked up, slightly confused: "The Fire Nation has a small base a few miles up the road, it's heavily fortified though."

"I need you to gather up all of the benders that you know of, do you understand?" Aang firmly said.

Lo almost immediately left and about an hour later, he came back: "I told the benders to meet in one of the abandoned houses down the road tonight, you can talk to them then. It's to risky for all of them to show up at my front door." Lo said.

"Good thinking Lo." Aang smiled.

The day flew by, before Aang knew it, it was nightfall and he was making his way with Lo over to the abandoned house, avoiding any main streets along the way to prevent them from being seen. When they reached the house, they slowly opened the door, immediately being met by two larger men, who were in offensive stances. Once the two noticed that Aang and Lo were not Fire Nation, they lowered their stances.

Aang quickly made his way into the living area, where all of the villager's benders were waiting. "I know you all must be wondering why I had you meet me here tonight, I don't know if any of you know, but I am the Avatar" Aang said as he pulled his headband and cloak off to reveal his arrow tattoos. There were a few collective gasps in the room, but soon those subsided and Aang continued: "I know your village has been suffering for a long time under the rule of the Fire Nation. I am here to help, but I need you to help yourselves as well."

Aang quickly glanced around the room, many of the faces he saw had a small spark in them, but they were still overpowered by fear. "I'm going to head to the Fire Nation base and attempt to destroy it. The forces held up in this city will head back to the base to support it from my assault. I need the earthbenders to use this time to your advantage. I need you to build as strong wall around the city, to protect against the Fire Nation. Make it large enough to allow for space to plant crops and livestock so you can hold up here in case the Fire Nation decides to come back, which they will."

When Aang looked around, he saw everyone was in utter shock. Lo took that as good news, which meant that they were actually thinking about it. Just when Aang was about to get up, an earthbender towards the front spoke up. "I would like to come with you Avatar, I have lost many of my friends to the people in that base, it would be my honor if I could fight alongside you. Two others volunteered as well. Aang smiled at their courage and agreed for them to come with him. "I also have another favor to ask from you all, can anyone here teach me some basics in earthbending?"

OOOOOOOOh Aang's gonna learn some earth bending, but from who might you ask? I guess I've gotta keep you guessing now don't I? The next chapter probably won't be out for a little while, who knows. I have a lot of school work this week to think about, so this fic might take a backburner, but that totally depends on the amount of reviews I get. Not a threat, just a graceful nod towards the right direction.